Effects of ridge geometry on mantle dynamics in an oceanic triple junction region: Implications for the Azores Plateau

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Plate boundary geometry can affect the nature of magmatism along a mid-ocean ridge. The Azores Plateau is located in a complex geological setting that includes a triple junction (TJ), an oblique and recently-formed ultra-slow-spreading ridge, a zone of diffuse seafloor deformation, a major fracture zone, and a postulated hotspot. The precise character of the hotspot is somewhat debated, as some lines of evidence indicate it may not be a classic deep-seated plume. However, seismic and gravity data suggest plateau crustal thicknesses of ∼ 8 km or more, implying some mechanism for excess melting. To assess the role of ridge geometry in creating the Azores Plateau, this study uses a finite element numerical model to isolate the effects of selected aspects of plate boundary configuration on mantle flow and melt production in a TJ kinematically similar to the Azores TJ. The model focuses on the slowest-spreading ridge in the TJ, analogous to the Terceira Rift. The effect of the varying ridge obliquity observed along the Terceira Rift is also assessed using an independent 1-D melting model. In general, relatively little melt production is predicted along the Terceira Rift analogue, except for regions closest to the TJ where the proximity of a faster-spreading ridge increases temperatures within the melting zone. In the 1-D melting model with mantle temperatures of 1350 °C, melt thicknesses of ∼ 2 km are calculated for the least oblique segments, while more oblique segments produce little to no melt. The presence of a long discontinuity (simulating the Gloria FZ) has little effect on mantle dynamics for axial distances < 350 km from the TJ, although crustal production is predicted to diminish to zero within ∼ 150 km of the discontinuity. When several ridge geometrical effects are combined (i.e., a TJ, time-limited spreading, a ridge discontinuity, and depressed spreading rates within ∼ 100 km of the TJ point), ∼ 2.5 km of variability in melt thickness can be produced. Overall, while these numerical experiments suggest plate boundary geometry may play a role in modifying Azores crustal accretion, additional factors such as a mantle heterogeneity are likely required to explain the full scale of the observed magmatism.