Geochemical investigations of basalts and associated rocks from the ocean floor and their implications

Abstract

Variations in trace element contents and inter-element ratios of deep-sea basalts are much more marked than variations in major element contents. This paper explores possible reasons for the variations which have been discovered. Inadequacy of sampling techniques may be responsible for some reported differences, but variations due to this cause are unlikely to approach the magnitude of reported variations. Some variation in samples from restricted areas of the ocean floor can be correlated with variation in the degree of silica saturation of the basalts. Submarine alteration of lavas by reaction with sea water is another possible cause of variation. Studies of metamorphosed deep-sea basalts suggest that very low-grade metamorphism may cause some, though slight, elemental migration. Studies on ultrabasic rocks show variations in trace element contents which, to some degree, appear to complement the variations encountered in basalts, suggesting that the extent of partial melting in the mantle during basaltic genesis influences the trace element contents of the products of melting. However, when such possible explanations have been considered, there remain variations in trace element contents of otherwise comparable basalts from different parts of the ocean floor, which appear to represent real variations in the trace element contents of the erupted basaltic magmas. In view of the difficulty of explaining such differences by contamination of magmas on their way to the surface, it is suggested that variations exist in the trace element contents of mantle material at the levels of basaltic genesis. Geochemical provinces exist in oceanic areas just as they do in continental regions.