Kinetic disequilibrium of C, He, Ar and carbon isotopes during degassing of mid-ocean ridge basalts

Abstract

Vesicle characteristics (vesicularity, largest vesicle size, number of vesicles/cm2), CO2–δ13C and CO2–4He–40Ar–40Ar/36Ar in vesicles and CO2–δ13C in the glass have been measured in 19 tholeiitic basalt glasses from the Easter Microplate East Ridge (East Pacific Rise) collected at 3 different sites (26°S East Ridge, Pito Seamount and Pito Deep at 23°S).Carbon supersaturation values (Cmelt/Csolubility) vary from 1.3 to 4.3. Carbon supersaturation values are strongly correlated with the number of vesicles/cm2. There is also a correlation between number of vesicles/cm2 and vesicle size. At the Pito Seamount site, there is a negative correlation between carbon supersaturation values and observed carbon isotope fractionation between CO2 in vesicles and carbon dissolved in the glass (Δ13Cobserved). High 4He/40Ar* ratios in vesicles (from 49 to 190) are observed in both the most and least carbon supersaturated samples, while samples with intermediate carbon supersaturation have the lowest 4He/40Ar* ratios (16±1). These correlations show that most quenched melts record different disequilibrium to equilibrium states during closed-system degassing.The samples showing the highest carbon supersaturation (4.3) have the highest 4He/40Ar* (from 94 to 190). This observation shows for the first time that the 4He/40Ar* ratio can be kinetically fractionated during incomplete degassing of magmas from the magma chamber to the seafloor. This result implies that high 4He/40Ar* ratios are not a systematic indicator of open-system degassing (Rayleigh distillation) and that caution should be taken when using this ratio for any degassing correction.A two-stage degassing model, with the first stage being a closed-system degassing occurring between the source and the magma chamber, and the second stage of degassing (with a mode varying from open-system degassing to different degrees of kinetic closed-system degassing) taking place between the magma chamber and eruption on the seafloor, is the most appropriate to describe the degassing of MORB. Reconstructing initial carbon content of the magma prior to degassing and extrapolating the results to the entire ridge system results in a carbon flux of 1.6-0.3+0.6×1014 g/year. This value implies vigorous exchange of carbon between the mantle and the surface throughout geological times.