Interactions of the Greater Ontong Java mantle plume component with the Osbourn Trough.

Abstract

The Ontong Java-Manihiki-Hikurangi plateau (OJMHP) is considered to have originated from a starting mantle plume, and have been rifted apart by two spreading ridges. However, the ages of these spreading ridges and their possible interactions with the presumed mantle plume are unclear. The Manihiki-Hikurangi plateau has been rifted apart by the Osbourn Trough which formed the southwestern Pacific crust to the east of the Tonga-Kermadec trench. Here we report Pb-Hf-Os isotopes of the basaltic crust (Site U1365 of IODP Expedition 329) formed by the Osbourn Trough. Linear regression of Re-Os isotopes results in an age of 103.7 ± 2.3 Ma for Site U1365 basalts, indicating that the Manihiki-Hikurangi plateau was rifted apart by the Osbourn Trough with a spreading rate of ~190 mm/yr. The superfast spreading rate supports the Osbourn as an abandoned segment of the early Pacific spreading ridge, which initially overlapped with the giant starting plume. Moreover, the Pb-Hf isotopes of some of Site U1365 basalts show distinct differences from those of the Pacific mid-ocean ridge basalts, while they are similar to the basalts of the Ontong Java and Manihiki plateaus. We suggest that the OJMHP mantle plume components has been involved by the Osbourn spreading center.