Melt extraction and reaction in the forearc mantle: Constraints from trace elements and isotope geochemistry of ultra-refractory peridotites of the New Caledonia Peridotite Nappe

Abstract

The forearc mantle has generally experienced high degrees of partial melting and pervasive melt-rock reactions. Large ultramafic massifs of the New Caledonia ophiolite (Peridotite Nappe) provide opportunities for studying processes within the forearc mantle. Samples of harzburgite, dunite and websterite from three massifs (i.e., Me Maoya, Ouassë Bay, Massif du Sud) have been selected in this study. The peridotites have low contents of Al2O3 (0.10–0.78 wt%) and CaO (0.21–0.58 wt%), but high olivine Fo (90.8–92.5) and spinel Cr# (0.55–0.74) values. This indicates that they have experienced high degrees of partial melting, resulting in the complete consumption of primary clinopyroxene. Trace elements of orthopyroxenes have been measured to constrain the evolution of the New Caledonia harzburgites. Results show that orthopyroxenes have low contents of heavy rare earth element (HREE); their Yb contents are 0.04–0.39 times of chondrites, which can be modeled by ~25–30% of fractional melting of a depleted MORB mantle (DMM) source. The orthopyroxenes also show variable enrichment of light and middle rare earth elements (LREEs and MREEs) and large ion lithophile elements (LILEs), implying late-stage metasomatism. The websterites have high CaO (9.02–9.75 wt%) but low Al2O3 (1.59–1.60 wt%) contents. They have depleted Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions similar to that of New Caledonia CE-boninites and plot within the MORB field. Both websterites and dunites have 187Os/188Os ratios (0.12348–0.13067) comparable to that of abyssal peridotites and the New Caledonia harzburgites (0.1203–0.1534). Geochemical compositions and modeling of whole-rock and minerals of harzburgites, dunites and websterites suggest that the New Caledonia peridotites have experienced at least two-stage partial melting and reactions with various migrating melts. Moreover, we also demonstrated that trace element of orthopyroxenes can be applied to discriminate ultra-refractory harzburgites from different tectonic settings.