The Matsue Formation: Evidence for gross mantle heterogeneity beneath Southwest Japan at 11 Ma

Abstract

Abstract Middle Miocene basalts and basaltic andesites of the Matsue Formation outcrop within a 5 km radius of Matsue city in eastern Shimane Prefecture. Despite their limited outcrop and age (11.0 ± 1.5 Ma), they show a wide range in 87Sr‐86Sr(0.70370–0.70593), 143Nd‐144Nd(0.512904–0.512471) and large ion lithophile element (LILE) contents, but a relatively narrow range for some high field strength elements (HFSE) such as Nb and Ti. These basalts and andesites can be divided into three groups based on petrography, major element, trace element and isotope chemistry. Although one group has undergone some fractional crystallization, isotope chemistry precludes linkage of the groups by a closed‐system process. Crustal contamination can explain isotope chemistry, but is not consistent with trace element variations. The most satisfactory model is eruption of two compositionally distinct magmas, with limited magma mixing and fractional crystallization. Published experimental work shows that one end‐member resulted from shallow melting of upwelling mantle at ∼25 km. The simultaneous eruption of the other end member magma in the same area points towards a heterogeneous mantle. The isotopic composition of Matsue Formation basalts and andesites covers the entire range of Late Miocene mafic volcanic rocks of southwest Japan. Such gross heterogeneity developed on a local scale has implications for models that deal with regional chemical variations of mafic volcanic rocks in southwest Honshu.