138–121 Ma asthenospheric magmatism prior to continental break-up in the North Atlantic and geodynamic implications

Abstract

Along the Galicia and Gorringe banks and in the Iberia Abyssal Plain of the North Atlantic, unroofed sub-continental mantle fills the gap between ‘true’ oceanic crust and the continental crust margin. These lithospheric peridotites are intruded by gabbros and dolerites, and locally covered by basalts. Primary magmatic zircons extracted from gabbros and meta-gabbros of the two banks were dated by the U–Pb chronometer, and initial hafnium isotope signatures ( ϵHf i) were determined on the same grains. For Mt. Gettysburg at Gorringe, gabbro emplacement ages of 137.5±0.5 (2σ) Ma and 135.7±0.8 Ma are obtained, and corresponding ϵHf i lie at +20.5±0.3 (2σ) and +19.5±0.4, substantiating magma formation from severely LILE-depleted mantle domains. Gabbro zircons from Mt. Ormonde at Gorringe yield a much younger age of 77.1±0.4 Ma and the Hf isotopes document an intermediately LILE-depleted mantle source having a ϵHf i of +7.6±0.4. Given its age and Hf signature, emplacement of this rock can be ascribed to the alkaline magmatic event that also affected the Iberian Continent in Upper Cretaceous time. Concerning the Galicia section, zircons from a meta-gabbro yield an emplacement age of 121.7±0.4 Ma and a ϵHf i of +14.0±0.2, and a ϵHf i of +14.6±0.2 is obtained for zircons from a previously dated meta-gabbro of identical age. These results indicate magma extraction from mantle reservoirs that are slightly less LILE-depleted than those sampled by the about 20 Myr older Gorringe gabbros. The data demonstrate that magmatism occurring prior to complete separation of Europe from America was essentially of asthenospheric origin. Both the 138–135 Ma ages for the Gorringe gabbros and 122 Ma ages for the Galicia gabbros are at least 5 Myr older than the oldest sediments on Gorringe, and the break-up unconformity at the Galicia Bank, respectively. Magma source signatures of the syn-rift gabbros are in agreement with values expected for differently depleted Cretaceous MORB-type mantle reservoirs, and the age-difference for magmatism between the Gorringe and Galicia banks suggests a rate of 4.4±0.3 cm/yr for northward progression of continental rifting. Based on the new results, a structural model for Iberia–America rifting is discussed putting forward the idea that magma emplacement produces a level of weakness and decollement between the rifting crust and its underlying lithospheric mantle.