Abstract
The Kahoolawe shield volcano produced precaldera and caldera-filling tholeiites and mildly alkalic post-caldera lavas that petrographically and compositionally resemble such lavas from other Hawaiian shield volcanoes. However, Kahoolawe tholeiites display wide ranges in incompatible trace element ratios (e.g., Nb/Th=9–24, Th/Ta=0.6–1.3), 87Sr/86Sr (0.70379–0.70440), 143Nd/144Nd (0.51273–0.51298), and 206Pb/204Pb (17.92–18.37). The isotopic variation exceeds that at any other Hawaiian shield volcano, and spans about half the range for all Hawaiian tholeiites. Quasi-cyclic temporal evolution of Kahoolawe tholeiites is consistent with combined fractional crystallization and periodic recharge by primitive magmas. Ratios of highly incompatible trace elements and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic ratios from coherent sub-trends that reflect recurrent interactions between variably evolved magmas and two other mantle components whose compositions are constrained by intersections between these trends. The most MgO-rich Kahoolawe tholeiites are partial melts of a high Nb/Th (∼23.5) ascending plume, possibly comprising ancient subducted oceanic lithosphere. Slightly evolved tholeiites experienced combined crystal fractionation and assimilation (AFC) of material derived from a distinct reservoir (Nb/Th ∼9) of asthenospheric derivation. The most evolved tholeiites display compositional shifts toward a third component, having mid ocean ridge basalt-like isotopic ratios but enriched OIB-like trace element ratios, representing part of the lithospheric mantle (or melts thereof). Periodic recurrence of all three magma variants suggests that eruptions may have tapped coeval reservoirs distributed over a large depth range. Kahoolawe provides new evidence concerning the nature of the Hawaiian plume, the distribution of compositional heterogeneities in the suboeanic mantle, and the processes by which Hawaiian tholeiites form and evolve.
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