Univariate data analysis system: deciphering mean compositions of island and continental arc magmas, and influence of the underlying crust

Abstract

Our aim is to determine the mean compositions of modern island and continental arcs, along with dispersion estimates, and use them to evaluate their similarities and differences in such subduction settings. First, following the conventional approach, the statistical parameters of mean, median, and standard deviation were simply calculated from the available combined data from all island or continental arcs. However, it is mandatory to ascertain from significance tests that all island or continental arcs used for these estimates are statistically similar in their compositions before combining the data from different arcs and calculating the mean values and their uncertainties for the chemical parameters of interest. A new computer program, Univariate Data Analysis System (UDASYS), was developed for this purpose because the available programs are not efficient for applying the significance test of analysis of variance (ANOVA) to large numbers of sample groups, as in the present work. Compositional data for 16 island and 12 continental arcs around the world were compiled and processed in UDASYS. The best compositional estimates for all three types of magmas (basic, intermediate, and acid) from island and continental arcs were statistically evaluated to document, for the first time, significant differences for 64–94% of the geochemical parameters under study. These differences in large-ion lithophile elements, light rare earth elements, high-field strength elements, and numerous log-ratios are likely caused by different types of underlying crust beneath island and continental arcs. More specifically, the examination of two nearby arcs, Izu-Bonin (island) arc and Japan (continental) arc, confirmed that about 65–77% of the parameters showed significant differences, which may be related to the different types of crusts beneath these spatially close areas. The differences between the log-ratios of island and continental arc basic magmas further indicate that new multi-dimensional discrimination diagrams can certainly be proposed in future to discriminate such basic magmas from these two very similar tectonic settings, which at present is possible only from diagrams for intermediate and acid magmas.