Water content and hydrogen behaviour during metasomatism in the uppermost mantle beneath Ray Pic volcano (Massif Central, France)

Abstract

To understand the deep cycle of water, upper mantle water content and distribution between nominally anhydrous minerals (NAMs) and hydrous minerals (e.g., amphibole) must be constrained. We need then to understand H behaviour during mantle melting and metasomatism. Major, minor and trace element compositions including water contents were obtained on ten xenoliths of spinel-bearing peridotites from the Ray Pic locality, in the Southern part of the Massif Central (France). The sample suite investigated here is composed of rather fertile lherzolites (89.4≤Fo≤90.8%; 11.3≤cr# in spinel≤21.1%; 0.942≤[Yb]cpx≤1.90ppm; cpx: clinopyroxene), which can be best explained by batch melting, with degree of melting between 3 and 10%. These xenoliths contain up to 8% modal amphibole. Three groups are defined as a function of the amphibole modal abundance (above or below 1%) and equilibrium temperature (above or below 1000°C). Results show no clear positive correlation between modal metasomatism (amphibole) and incompatible element enrichment in cpx. Trace element compositions in cpx show strong enrichments of the most incompatible elements (e.g., (La/Sm)PM as high as 15.7; PM: normalised to primitive mantle values), but strong negative anomalies of the high field strength elements (e.g., (Th/Nb)PM as high as ~680). Such trace element fractionations are usually ascribed to the so-called carbonatitic metasomatism involving the percolation of small volume melts which are enriched in volatiles. The hydrogen concentrations in cpx range from 203 to 330ppm wt. H2O, in orthopyroxene from 66 to 160ppm wt. H2O and in olivine from 2 to 6ppm wt. H2O. These values are within the common concentration range of other spinel-bearing peridotites. Amphiboles contain 1.9±0.5wt.% of H2O.The effect of metasomatism on water abundances in NAMs is not straightforward. Hydrous metasomatism (i.e., leading to the crystallisation of OH-bearing amphibole) has no effect on the water content of the co-existing NAMs. This suggests thus that the occurrence of hydrous minerals, such as amphibole, does not systematically imply that the coexisting NAMs are water-rich (saturated). Further, the percolation of volatile-rich small volume melts, which is fingerprinted by the strong enrichment of the incompatible elements, has also no clear effect on the water content of the NAMs. These data are thus difficult to reconcile with the admitted highly incompatible behaviour of H in upper mantle minerals.