Mantle heterogeneity in northeastern Africa: evidence from Nd isotopic compositions and hygromagmaphile element geochemistry of basaltic rocks from the Gulf of Tadjoura and southern Red Sea regions

Abstract

Basaltic rocks from the Gulf of Tadjoura and southern Red Sea regions have been analysed for their Nd isotopic compositions and major and trace element concentrations. The wide variation in isotopic and geochemical compositions of the basaltic rocks is best explained by the mixing phenomenon involving a variety of mantle source components. To test the mixing hypothesis, a combined use of Nd isotopes and hygromagmaphile elemental ratios is proven very powerful. Three reservoirs have been identified as minimum components in their petrogenesis: (1) DMM (depleted MORB mantle), a mantle source depleted in light rare earth elements (LREE), which is the principal component of the N-MORB type basalts of this region; (2) REC (Ramad enriched component), equivalent to the hot-spot type of source detected in the south of Red Sea; (3) TEC (Tadjoura enriched component), a rather unique component located in the region of Tadjoura Gulf; it is characterised by a relative depletion in Rb, K, Th and U in a primitive mantle- or chondrite-normalised incompatible element pattern; this component could have been produced by mantle metasomatism of an originally depleted mantle. Mixing in various proportions of the above components is considered to be the principal mechanism for the formation of basalts with such diverse isotopic and trace element compositions.