Low Concentrations Of Incompatible Elements Research Articles

A remnant root of a Neoproterozoic island arc in the Northern Eastern Desert of Egypt: Evidence from the whole-rock and amphibole chemistry of the Gattar gabbro

The tectonic settings and petrogenesis of Neoproterozoic gabbroic rocks are critical to understand the formation and evolution of the Arabian-Nubian accretionary orogen. We present the whole-rock chemistry and amphibole chemistry of the Gattar gabbro in the northern Eastern Desert of Egypt to better understand the formation of this part of the orogen. The Gattar gabbro is composed of variable proportions of amphibole and plagioclase, which imply the hydrous nature of its parent magma. Trace element patterns of the gabbro and the calculated liquids in equilibrium with its amphibole show enrichment in large ion lithophile elements relative to high field strength elements, which indicate that the Gattar magma formed above a subduction zone. The low abundances of high field strength element in the gabbro are consistent with a depleted mantle source similar to intra-oceanic island arc rocks. However, the high Nb/La ratio of the Gattar gabbro (0.46–10.71) is reminiscent to Nb-enriched mafic rocks from subduction settings. The amphibole chemistry suggests that the hydrous magma of the gabbro crystallized at temperature and pressure estimates of 930 °C and 8 kbar and under oxidizing conditions. The Gattar gabbro is affiliated with the Tonian-Cryogenian arc-related mafic gabbro, which is rarely recorded in this northernmost segment of the Arabian-Nubian orogen. In terms of comparison with the Ediacaran post-orogenic gabbros from the northern Eastern Desert, the Gattar gabbro shows lower concentrations of incompatible elements and Ti/V ratio.

Petrogenesis of arc-related serpentinized peridotites (Egypt): Insights into Neoproterozoic mantle evolution beneath the Arabian-Nubian Shield

• Two ophiolitic peridotites in the SE Desert of Egypt provide a window into the Neoproterzoic mantle. • Geochemistry of peridotite and its mineral chemistry suggest an origin in the arc-related setting. • SED peridotites are refractory mantle residues (25–40% melting), like modern fore-arc peridotites. • Geochemical aspects of peridotite indicate changing from extension during subduction initiation. Korab Kansi and Abu Dahr Neoproterozoic ophiolitic peridotites in the Southern Eastern Desert (SED) of Egypt, are parts of the largest ophiolitic nappes in the Arabian-Nubian Shield. They mainly comprise refractory harzburgites with minor dunites that are commonly altered to serpentinites and talc carbonates. Olivine relics in serpentinized peridotites of the two complexes have olivines with high forsterite (Fo 90.6-92.2 ) and NiO (0.39 wt%) and low MnO (0. 13 wt%) contents, similar to those of mantle olivines. High Mg# (0.91–0.95) of orthopyroxene is consistent with that of depleted harzburgites. Primary spinel Cr# (0.55–0.75) and TiO 2 contents (<0.04 wt%) of the two peridotite complexes are similar to forearc peridotite spinels. The estimated degree of partial melting of Korab Kansi peridotites (25–40% melting) is slightly lower than that of Abu Dahr (30–40% melting), consistent with modern forearc peridotites. Korab Kansi peridotites exhibit lower oxygen fugacity (Δlog ƒO 2 , FMQ + 0.7 on average) and equilibrium temperature (610–710 °C) than those of Abu Dahr ( T , 750–900 °C at Δlog ƒO 2 , FMQ + 2.1), both suggesting subduction-modified peridotites. The low concentrations of incompatible elements, U-shaped REE patterns and high spinel Cr# of both peridotites indicate highly depleted mantle protoliths, reflecting multiple metasomatic and melting episodes in the mantle wedge. Enrichment of fluid mobile elements (e.g. B, Li, Th, U, Pb) relative to high-field strength elements (e.g. Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr) may reflect interaction between slab-derived fluids and peridotites. Calculated parental melts in equilibrium with Korab Kansi and Abu Dahr peridotite spinels have tholeiitic (MORB-like) and boninitic affinities, which were generated during proto-forearc spreading to a mature arc stage. Variations in melt compositions suggest a transitional setting from early proto-forearc spreading of mantle beneath Korab Kansi to the mature arc stage of Abu Dahr peridotites. Subduction initiation possibly started in the W and/or SW with proto-forearc spreading, and progressed to the E and/or NE where a mature arc stage with boninitic melts above an E- and/or SE-dipping subduction zone.

Lunar meteorites from northern Africa

AbstractWe report bulk composition data for 235 stones of ~77 lunar meteorites from northern Africa and 33 lunar meteorites from elsewhere. About 27% of the African meteorites are typical feldspathic lunar rocks, all breccias of similar bulk composition, for example, 3–5% FeO and low concentrations of incompatible elements. Nevertheless, these meteorites have a large range in Mg' (whole‐rock mole% Mg/[Mg + Fe]), 57–77 (mean: 65.5), and this parameter does not correlate with either albite content of the plagioclase or concentrations of incompatible elements. From this observation, we conclude that feldspathic lunar meteorites do not support the hypotheses that the anorthositic, precursor plutonic rocks of the meteorite breccias all crystallized from a common magma. Among feldspathic lunar meteorites, Mg' increases with normative olivine abundance but is uncorrelated with normative pyroxene abundance, that is, high‐Mg' feldspathic rocks of the early lunar crust were troctolitic, not noritic. The NWA 5744 (Northwest Arica) clan of lunar meteorites are anorthositic troctolites (59–75% plagioclase, 15–26% olivine, Fo77–80) with very low concentrations of incompatible elements (2.6 × CI) compared to troctolites in the Apollo collection. They may represent the lower feldspathic crust or differentiated impact melt from portions of the highlands distant from the PKT (Procellarum KREEP Terrane). About 31% of the lunar meteorites from northern Africa, all breccias, are, by lunar standards, moderately mafic (5–13% FeO) but more magnesian than mixtures of typical feldspathic meteorite and mare basalt, implying that they represent moderately mafic regions of the highlands or originate from the South Pole–Aitken basin. With ~6 µg g−1 Th, two NWA meteorites likely originate from the PKT. Including the unique NWA 773 clan, at least six of the northern Africa meteorites are, or are dominated by, unbrecciated basalts and gabbros of mare affinity. We estimate that the ~341 lunar meteorite stones (Africa and elsewhere) for which there are data represent 131–147 terrestrially unpaired meteorites and 109–134 lunar launch sites.

Geochemical Constrains on MORB Composition and Magma Sources at East Pacific Rise Between 1°S and 2°S

The East Pacific Rise (EPR) is a typical fast spreading ridge. To gain a better understanding of the magmatism under ridges, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalts (MORBs) with remarkably heterogeneous compositions are obtained from (EPR) 1°–2°S and multielement geochemical and radioisotope analyses are conducted. Results show that these MORBs have wide variation ranges in trace element concentrations and isotopic ratios. Sample 07 has low concentrations of incompatible elements, and very low 87Sr/86Sr, and high 143Nd/144Nd from 0.70213 to 0.702289 and 0.513234 to 0.513289, respectively. However, other samples show enrichment in incompatible elements to varying degrees, and medium values of 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd from 0.702440 to 0.702680 and 0.513086 to 0.513200, respectively. This study proposes that one depleted source and two enriched sources contribute to the formation of MORBs from EPR 1°–2°S. Samples 02 and 10 are formed by mixing between one enriched source and one depleted source, while sample 07 is crystallized from the depleted source with no mixing process involved. However, the formation of samples 06 and 11 are different, and thus further research is required to determine genesis.

On the occurrence and implications of Jurassic primary continental boninite-like melts in the Zagros orogen

Ultramafic rocks, ranging from pyroxenites to hornblendites, are associated with granitoids of the Aligoodarz intrusive complex in the central Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone, representing the Mesozoic continental arc segment of the Zagros orogen. As inferred from the ultramafic whole rock composition and the most primitive clinopyroxene composition in pyroxenites, the geochemical signature of primary melt is significantly different from that of the continental arc basalts. In particular, primary melt is characterized by extremely low concentrations of incompatible elements and high concentrations of Mg and refractory elements typical of boninites. Amphibole is a late crystallizing mineral in these rocks and is in textural and chemical disequilibrium with olivine+orthopyroxene+clinopyroxene. Amphibole crystallized from a liquid underwent differentiation through a process of melt-rock reaction. In particular, early differentiated boninitic cumulates reacted with later melts with a strong crustal signature similar to Aligoodarz granodiorite. UPb zircon geochronology from ultramafic rocks and surrounding quartz-diorite yield similar ages and indicate that they are coeval with Aligoodarz granitoids (ca. 165–170Ma). However, the occurrence of a marked negative Eu anomaly in zircon from the ultramafic rocks, which is absent in the boninitic primary melt, indicates that zircons crystallized from the infiltrating melt and in turn date the timing of melt infiltration. The interaction between ultramafic cumulates and infiltrated melt has generated a new liquid compositionally similar to high-Mg andesites and to the quartz-diorites hosting the ultramafic cumulates. The scenario that better account for the genesis of boninitic melts in the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone is partial melting of a depleted mantle wedge in response to the onset of NeoTethys subduction. According to this hypothesis, middle Jurassic calc-alkaline magmatism in the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone represents the mature stage of arc magmatism postdating boninite generation by about 10Ma.

Frozen melt–rock reaction in a peridotite xenolith from sub-arc mantle recorded by diffusion of trace elements and water in olivine

Inferring the ambient state of the lithospheric mantle from xenoliths may be misleading if the magmatic activity responsible for the exhumation has modified the xenolith. Changes due to melt–xenolith interactions during exhumation are usually identifiable because of the short timescales involved, but changes due to earlier pulses of magma passing through the lithosphere may be more insidious because the longer timescales allow extensive overprinting of the ambient petrography. Here we describe an intermediate stage of melt–rock reaction recorded in a porphyroclastic peridotite xenolith from the upper mantle wedge adjacent to the West Bismarck Island Arc. The texture and chemistry, frozen during rapid exhumation, reflects the progressive change from harzburgite to clinopyroxene-bearing dunite caused by the infiltration of hydrous basaltic melt into the xenolith. The unusually low equilibration temperature of the xenolith (∼650 °C) prior to this event is reflected in very low concentrations of incompatible elements in the olivine, enhancing the diffusion profiles of these elements into the olivine from the interaction with the melt. The Ca concentration profiles correspond to a timescale of approximately three months, which we interpret as the time between the first infiltration of melt into the lithospheric mantle at this locality and the subsequent exhumation of the xenolith by a second pulse of magma. The diffusion profiles of other trace elements (Li, Na, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Y) and major elements (Fe–Mg) confirm that all these elements diffuse through olivine at rates that differ from each other by less than one order of magnitude. Infrared spectroscopy reveals OH− (“water”) contents and incorporation mechanisms typical of other arc mantle peridotites in the olivine cores. Water contents increase towards the crystal rims, similarly to the profiles of other measured trace elements. The increase in water concentration is accompanied by subtle changes in the infrared bands, caused by an increasing proportion of the OH− being bonded to Cr3+ towards the rim. The OH− coupled with Cr3+ follows the zoning pattern of Cr, except at the crystal rim, where it decreases due to late-stage degassing during eruption. This relationship shows that water incorporation in olivine was a metastable process controlled by the availability of suitable sites. In general, the amount of water incorporated into mantle olivine may be expected to depend not only on the intensive variables of H2O fugacity, temperature and pressure, but also on the concentrations of enabling trace components like Cr3+ and Fe3+ in the olivines. The water in the olivine core is associated with Cr3+ and Fe3+ in approximately equal proportions.

Mineralogy, geochemistry and petrogenesis of the Khopoli mafic intrusion, Deccan Traps, India

The Khopoli intrusion, exposed at the base of the Thakurvadi Formation of the Deccan Traps in the Western Ghats, India, is composed of olivine gabbro with 50–55 % modal olivine, 20–25 % plagioclase, 10–15 % clinopyroxene, 5–10 % low-Ca pyroxene, and <5 % Fe-Ti oxides. It represents a cumulate rock from which trapped interstitial liquid was almost completely expelled. The Khopoli olivine gabbros have high MgO (23.5–26.9 wt.%), Ni (733–883 ppm) and Cr (1,432–1,048 ppm), and low concentrations of incompatible elements including the rare earth elements (REE). The compositions of the most primitive cumulus olivine and clinopyroxene indicate that the parental magma of the Khopoli intrusion was an evolved basaltic melt (Mg# 49–58). Calculated parental melt compositions in equilibrium with clinopyroxene are moderately enriched in the light REE and show many similarities with Deccan tholeiitic basalts of the Bushe, Khandala and Thakurvadi Formations. Nd-Sr isotopic compositions of Khopoli olivine gabbros (eNdt = −9.0 to −12.7; 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7088–0.7285) indicate crustal contamination. AFC modelling suggests that the Khopoli olivine gabbros were derived from a Thakurvadi or Khandala-like basaltic melt with variable degrees of crustal contamination. Unlike the commonly alkalic, pre- and post-volcanic intrusions known in the Deccan Traps, the Khopoli intrusion provides a window to the shallow subvolcanic architecture and magmatic processes associated with the main tholeiitic flood basalt sequence. Measured true density values of the Khopoli olivine gabbros are as high as 3.06 g/cm3, and such high-level olivine-rich intrusions in flood basalt provinces can also explain geophysical observations such as high gravity anomalies and high seismic velocity crustal horizons.

Role of crustal melting in petrogenesis of the Cretaceous Water Island Formation (Virgin Islands, northeast Antilles Island arc)

The latest Aptian to earliest Albian (~115 Ma) Water Island Fm in the Virgin Islands contains some of the oldest known arc-related strata in the Greater Antilles Island Arc. Hence, the unit is of considerable significance in tectonic reconstructions of initial subduction parameters along the long-lived destructive plate margin separating the North American and Caribbean Plates. Exposed Water Island strata are bimodal, consisting predominantly of altered dacite and rhyolite (originally called keratophyre; 65-85% SiO2) and subordinate degraded (spilite; 46-57% SiO2). TiO2 content of Water Island basalt averages approximately 0.5%, resembling borderline intermediate-Ti boninite basalts, consistent with low incompatible element abundances and low normalized light rare earth elements (LREE) with respect to Sm. Trace element patterns of the felsic suite, characterized by pronounced negative normalized anomalies for high field-strength elements (HFSE), low Sr/Y, and low absolute rare earth element (REE) abundances, and relatively flat normalized REE patterns, have analogues in plagiorhyolite suites from bimodal Cenozoic arcs, including the western Aleutians, Izu-Bonin, the Kermadecs, and South Sandwich. Relatively low incompatible element concentrations in plagiorhyolites and contrasting normalized incompatible trace element patterns in basalts preclude an origin of Water Island plagiorhyolite through MORB-type fractional crystallization. Compositions are consistent instead with melting models involving partial fusion of amphibole-bearing gabbro at low pressures (within the stability range of plagioclase) in response to introduction of heat and aqueous flux by arc-related basalt melts and associated hydrothermal fluids during transmission to the surface. Truncation of the basalt fractional crystallization trend at SiO2 = 57% indicates evolved island arc basalt (IAB) crystal fractionates were gradually displaced from crustal magma conduits by more buoyant plagiorhyolite melt, and trapped in underplated, sub-crustal magma chambers. Basalts have low (Ce/Ce*)N (average ˜ 0.78), indicating the presence of significant pelagic sediment (0.5 to 1.5% Atlantic Cretaceous pelagic sediment, AKPS). One subunit of relatively high-HFSE plagiorhyolite has (Ce/Ce*)N near-expected values, but another with low-HFSE has slightly lower than expected (Ce/Ce*)N, consistent with a small sediment component. Absence of intermediate andesite from the Water Island Fm is inconsistent, however, with basaltrhyolite magma mixing processes. Consequently, incorporation of sediment by low-HFSE plagiorhyolite is inferred to have resulted from re-melting of arc-related gabbro.

On the origin of impact glass in the Apollo 16 regolith

This study addresses the issue of what fraction of the impact glass in the regolith of a lunar landing site derives from local impacts (those within a few kilometers of the site) as opposed to distant impacts (10 or more kilometers away). Among 10,323 fragments from the 64–210-μm grain-size fraction of three Apollo 16 regolith samples, 14% are impact glasses, that is, fragments consisting wholly or largely of glass produced in a crater-forming impact. Another 16% are agglutinates formed by impacts of micrometeorites into regolith. We analyzed the glass in 1559 fragments for major- and minor-element concentrations by electron probe microanalysis and a subset of 112 of the fragments that are homogeneous impact glasses for trace elements by secondary ion mass spectrometry. Of the impact glasses, 75% are substantially different in composition from either the Apollo 16 regolith or any mixture of rocks of which the regolith is mainly composed. About 40% of the impact glasses are richer in Fe, Mg, and Ti, as well as K, P, and Sm, than are common rocks of the feldspathic highlands. These glasses must originate from craters in maria or the Procellarum KREEP Terrane. Of the feldspathic impact glasses, some are substantially more magnesian (greater MgO/FeO) or have substantially lower concentrations of incompatible elements than the regolith of the Apollo 16 site. Many of these, however, are in the range of feldspathic lunar meteorites, most of which derive from points in the feldspathic highlands distant from the Procellarum KREEP Terrane. These observations indicate that a significant proportion of the impact glass in the Apollo 16 regolith is from craters occurring 100 km or more from the landing site. In contrast, the composition of glass in agglutinates, on average, is similar to the composition of the Apollo 16 regolith, consistent with local origin.

Contrasting origins of serpentinites in a subduction complex, northern Dominican Republic

Serpentinites in a Tertiary subduction complex in the northern Dominican Republic contain low concentrations of incompatible elements in bulk-rock compositions and high Mg in relict silicate minerals. The forsterite component in olivine ranges from 89.0% to 90.8%, and the enstatite component in orthopyroxene ranges from 89.4% to 91.1%, suggesting that they are mantle peridotites. Two different protoliths are identified for the serpentinites based on the bulk-rock compositions and spinel chemistry: abyssal peridotites and forearc mantle peridotites. Hydrated abyssal peridotites are voluminous and occur in ophiolite complexes in the northern terranes (Puerto Plata Complex and the northern part of the Rio San Juan Complex) and in serpentinite melanges in the central part of the Rio San Juan Complex. The serpentinite melanges contain fragments of high-pressure–low-temperature rocks and are interpreted to be tectonic melanges, representing part of a serpentinite subduction channel. The serpentinites show moderate Al/Si weight ratios (0.026–0.081) in bulk rocks and moderate Cr# (atomic ratio of Cr/[Cr + Al] = 0.20–0.55) in spinel. Hydrated forearc mantle peridotites occur along major strike-slip faults, the Camu fault zone, and the Septentrional fault zone. They show low bulk-rock Al/Si weight ratios (up to 0.021), high concentration in Ir-group platinum group elements (13.1–24.6 ppb total), and high Cr# (0.48–0.67) in spinel. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction indicate that lizardite is the predominant serpentine species. The absence of antigorite suggests that these serpentinites were derived from a shallow depth (<

Petrology and geochemistry of Miocene igneous rocks on Rebun Island, northern Hokkaido, Japan

We identify four stages in the Miocene magmatic activity on Rebun Island, northern Hokkaido, Japan: Stage I (18 Ma), Stage II (13 Ma), Stage III (10 Ma), and Stage IV (<10 Ma). Stages I and II produced small intrusions of dolerite and dacite, respectively. During Stage III, basalt to andesite lavas erupted, while the magmatism of Stage IV formed large intrusions of dolerite, porphyrite, and andesite with dacitic veins. The large variations of major and trace element compositions of Stage III and IV rocks can be explained by considering the fractional crystallization of a basaltic melt; however, the proportion of phases fractionating is different for the two stages. Further, in comparison to Stage IV rocks, Stage III rocks have lower concentrations of incompatible elements and higher Zr/Y ratios with similar Zr/Nb ratios, suggesting higher degree of partial melting of the source material. The initial values of 87Sr/86Sr (SrI) and 143Nd/144Nd (NdI) indicate that the rocks of all stages were derived from a common source material, although Stage IV andesites were apparently formed by assimilation fractional crystallization (AFC) during their intrusion into sedimentary rock. Most of the rocks have SrI and NdI values similar to those of basaltic rocks derived from the upwelling of depleted asthenospheric mantle during the spreading of the Japan Sea back-arc basin. In addition, incompatible element signatures obtained for Stage I rock are similar to those obtained for the basalts in the Japan Sea back-arc basin. In contrast, Stage II-IV rocks are similar to the basaltic rocks that originated from subduction-related magmatism in northern Hokkaido.

Feldspathic lunar meteorites Pecora Escarpment 02007 and Dhofar 489: Contamination of the surface of the lunar highlands by post-basin impacts

PCA (Pecora Escarpment) 02007 and Dhofar 489 are both meteorites from the feldspathic highlands of the Moon. PCA 02007 is a feldspathic breccia consisting of lithified regolith from the lunar surface. It has concentrations of both incompatible and siderophile elements that are at the high end of the ranges for feldspathic lunar meteorites. Dhofar 489 is a feldspathic breccia composed mainly of impact-melted material from an unknown depth beneath the regolith. Concentrations of incompatible and siderophile elements are the lowest among brecciated lunar meteorites. Among 19 known feldspathic lunar meteorites, all of which presumably originate from random locations in the highlands, concentrations of incompatible elements like Sm and Th tend to increase with those of siderophile elements like Ir. Feldspathic meteorites with high concentrations of both suites of elements are usually regolith breccias. Iridium derives mainly from micrometeorites that accumulate in the regolith with duration of surface exposure. Micrometeorites have low concentrations of incompatible elements, however, so the correlation must reflect a three-component system. We postulate that the correlation between Sm and Ir occurs because the surface of the Feldspathic Highlands Terrane has become increasingly contaminated with time in Sm-rich material from the Procellarum KREEP Terrane that has been redistributed across the lunar surface by impacts of moderate-sized, post-basin impacts. The most Sm-rich regolith breccias among feldspathic lunar meteorites are about 3× enriched compared to the most Sm-poor breccias, but this level of enrichment requires only a few percent Sm-rich material typical of the Procellarum KREEP Terrane. The meteorite data suggest that nowhere in the feldspathic highlands are the concentrations of K, rare earths, and Th measured by the Lunar Prospector mission at the surface representative of the underlying “bedrock;” all surfaces covered by old regolith (as opposed to fresh ejecta) are at least slightly contaminated. Dhofar 489 is one of 15 paired lunar-meteorite stones from Oman (total mass of meteorite: ⩾1037 g). On the basis of its unusually high Mg/Fe ratio, the meteorite is likely to have originated from northern feldspathic highlands.

Petrology and Geochemistry of Boninite-Series Volcanic Rocks, Chichi-Jima, Bonin Islands, Japan

An Eocene submarine boninite-series volcanic center is exposed on the island of Chichi-jima, Bonin Islands, Japan. Five rock types—boninite, bronzite andesite, dacite, quartz dacite, and rhyolite—were distinguished within the boninite volcanic sequence on the basis of petrography and geochemistry. Boninites contain high Mg, Ni, and Cr contents indicative of primitive melts, but have high Si contents relative to other mantle-derived magmas. All boninite-series rocks contain very low incompatible-element concentrations, and concentrations of high-field-strength elements in primitive boninites are less than half of those found in depleted mid-ocean ridge basalts. Abundances of large-ion lithophile elements are relatively high in boninite-series rocks, similar to the enrichments observed in many island-arc lavas. Trends for both major- and trace-element data suggest that the more evolved members of the boninite magma series were derived primarily through high-level fractional crystallization of boninite. Textural features, such as resorption and glomeroporphyrocrysts, and reverse chemical zonations suggest that magma mixing contributed to the development of the quartz dacites.

Geochemistry of Lavas from Mauritius, Indian Ocean: Mantle Sources and Petrogenesis

Trace-element and Nd-Sr-Pb isotopic data for mafic lavas from the Mascarene island of Mauritius reveal that the shield-stage Older Series (with 143Nd/144Nd = 0.512827 to 0.512853, 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70412 to 0.70433, and 206Pb/204Pb = 18.771 to 19.024) is geochemically very similar to the shield-building lavas of the younger island of Réunion. The post-shield Intermediate and Younger Series lavas of Mauritius have systematically greater values of 143Nd/144Nd and lower 87Sr/86Sr ratios than the Older Series and Réunion lavas. Intermediate and Younger Series Nd and Sr isotopic ratios are closely similar (0.512874 to 0.512899; 0.70369 to 0.70401), whereas 206Pb/204Pb ranges from values as great as any for the Older Series and Réunion lavas to as low as 18.608. Most of the Intermediate Series lavas are strongly enriched in highly incompatible elements relative to moderately incompatible ones (e.g., chondrite-normalized La/Lu = 4.03-17.8 vs. 9.38-10.2 for the Older Series), but the Younger Series lavas display much less relative enrichment (e.g., chondrite-normalized La/Lu = 3.86-5.37) and have low concentrations of incompatible elements. Modeling suggests that variable partial melting and mixing between mid-ocean-ridge-basalt (MORB) source mantle and mantle with bulk-Earth-like Nd and Sr isotopic and incompatible-element ratios, and "C"-like Pb isotope ratios, can explain the general relationship between the shield and post-shield lavas. All Mauritius and Réunion lavas can be explained as 2-8% partial melts of a bulk-Earth-like source that had been 1.5-0.25% metasomatized by a 0.1% MORB-source melt. The range in Pb isotopic compositions requires mixing with highly variable Sr/Pb and Nd/Pb ratios in the end members; such variation, however, is not supported by measured Sr/Pb, Nd/Pb, etc. in the lavas. Some isotopic heterogeneity thus appears to be required in the end members and/or much of the range in Pb isotopes represents radiogenic ingrowth since the metasomatic event. Near-constant 207Pb/204Pb values over the range of 206Pb204Pb among the Older Series lavas suggest that the metasomatic event must have occurred within the last few hundred million years.

Palaeoproterozoic (1740 Ma) rift-related volcanism in the Hekla Sund region, eastern North Greenland: field occurrence, geochemistry and tectonic setting

Two Palaeoproterozoic volcanic successions, the Hekla Sund (HS) Formation and the Aage Berthelsen Gletscher (AaB) Gletscher Formation, occur within the Caledonian orogen of eastern North Greenland. They consist mainly of mafic pillow lavas, deformed and metamorphosed under greenschist-facies conditions during the Caledonian orogeny. Zircons from a rhyolitic ignimbrite in the HS Formation have yielded an age of 1740±6 Ma. In both formations the volcanic rocks are intercalated with immature sandstones and conglomerates that accumulated in the vicinity of active fault scarps; a shallow marine, rifted basin is implied. Relative concentrations of the more immobile minor and trace elements (Ti, Zr, Nb, Y and rare-earth elements) in both rock suites were unaffected by the metamorphism. Fractional crystallisation of olivine, clinopyroxene and, probably, plagioclase, as well as assimilation of crustal rocks was involved in the petrogenesis of the HS Formation. The AaB basalts have higher Mg, Ni and Cr and lower concentrations of incompatible elements than the rocks of the HS Formation, and they could be regarded as more primitive products of the same magmatic event. However, marked differences in incompatible trace element ratios in the two suites are unlikely to reflect either differences in fractionation histories or variable contamination, and suggest compositional differences in the mantle source rocks. Basalts from the two formations have distinct ε Nd values (−4.6 and −4.8 for the HS Formation, −5.9–−5.6 for the AaB Gletscher Formation), which is consistent with this interpretation. The volcanic rocks at HS and AaB Gletscher were erupted shortly after a long period of orogenic activity between 2000 and 1750 Ma ago. Following post-orogenic emplacement of granites at ca. 1750–1740 Ma, uplift and erosion took place, and accumulation of extensive immature sediments occurred simultaneously with formation of the volcanic rocks described in this paper. The magmatism that gave rise to the two formations may have been caused by melting during lithospheric extension.

Petrogenesis of Neoproterozoic Granitoids and Related Rocks from the Seychelles: the Case for an Andean-type Arc Origin

compositions ( Nd 750 = +5·46 to −0·87; ISr 750 = 0·7021– The Seychelles islands consist of undeformed and unmetamorphosed, 0·7061) that can be modelled as basaltic magmas derived from metaluminous monzogranites and granodiorites of Neoproterozoic depleted mantle, variably contaminated (0–15%) by Archaean age (>750 Ma). Subsolvus, and lesser hypersolvus granitoids are silicic crust. All petrologic, petrographic, geochemical, isotopic and crosscut by coeval dolerite dykes, dominantly of olivine tholeiite chronologic data for Neoproterozoic magmatic rocks of the Seychelles, composition. Field relations suggest that mixing between granitoid coupled with palaeomagnetic data indicating its position at the and doleritic magmas generated a variety of minor intermediate margin of the Rodinia supercontinent at >750 Ma, are at least rocks that occur as irregular masses and enclaves; their compositions consistent with, if not suggestive of, a continental or Andean-type plot as linear arrays between those of dolerites and granitoids. Two arc setting. We argue, therefore, that the conventionally accepted groups of granitoids can be distinguished based on colour, chemistry notion of an extensional (i.e. rift or plume) setting for Seychelles and isotopic signature. Mahe Group granitoids are grey, with magmatism is vulnerable. relatively low incompatible element concentrations and primitive isotopic signatures that cluster at Nd 750 = +2·85 ± 0·17 and ISr 750 = 0·7031 ± 0·0008 (some samples with impossibly low ISr 180 ppm,

Insights into mid‐ocean ridge basalt petrogenesis: U‐series disequilibria from the Siqueiros Transform, Lamont Seamounts, and East Pacific Rise

Parent‐daughter disequilibria between (230Th)/(238U), (231Pa)/(235U) and (226Ra)/(230Th) (parentheses refer to activities) have been measured by thermal ionization mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry in basalts from three tectonomagmatic settings of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) at 8°20′‐10°N. Mid‐ocean ridge basalts (MORB) from the Siqueiros Transform, the Lamont Seamounts, and the EPR ridge crest span a large compositional range from primitive, high‐MgO basalts with strong incompatible element depletions (DMORB) to typical normal MORB (NMORB) to rare incompatible element enriched basalts (EMORB) derived from a more enriched source isotopically. Concentrations of U vary from &lt;13 ppb in DMORB to &gt;400 ppb in EMORB while Th/U ranges from 2 in DMORB up to 3 in EMORB. The young‐looking high‐MgO basalts have (226Ra)/(230Th) that ranges from 3.2 to 4.2, while EMORB appear old being near secular equilibrium. Initial (231Pa)(235U) are very high (&gt;2.5) in all of the Siqueiros basalts. Three basalts from the Lamont Seamounts have low incompatible element concentrations and low Th/U and are in secular equilibrium for (226Ra)/(230Th) while the sample located closest to the ridge axis has significant 226Ra and 231Pa excesses and minor 230Th excess. DMORB lack 230Th excess, have high excesses of226Ra and 231Pa, and resemble experimentally determined melts of peridotite at 1 GPa, implying derivation from relatively shallow level melting of spinel lherzolite at low residual porosity. Disequilibria for all three parent‐daughter pairs are consistent with typical axial NMORB resulting from mixing of melts derived from heterogeneous sources, specifically 90–95% DMORB with 5–10% EMORB. The observation that all samples, regardless of tectonomagmatic setting, lie on the same mixing trend suggests that melting beneath seamounts and transforms is similar to melting beneath the ridge axis. Variations in 230Th excess over short spatial scales imply that garnet‐bearing mafic veins create all of the 230Th excess observed in typical NMORB.

ReOs, SmNd, and RbSr isotope evidence for thick Archaean lithospheric mantle beneath the Siberian craton modified by multistage metasomatism

A suite of peridotite xenoliths from kimberlites intruding the Siberian craton indicate the presence of lithospheric mantle over 150 km thick at 350 Ma. We report Sr-Nd isotope data for minerals from the peridotite xenoliths together with osmium isotopic compositions for whole-rocks and two olivine separates. Additionally, the osmium isotopic composition of a carbonatite from Fort Portal, Uganda, has been measured in order to evaluate the effect of carbonatite metasomatism on mantle ReOs systematics. Osmium isotope compositions of peridotite xenoliths from the Mir and Udachnaya kimberlites vary from those characteristic of the oceanic mantle, to considerably less radiogenic values ( 187 Os 188 0s , 0.16469 to 0.10812), comparable to those previously found in other cratonic peridotites. In contrast, two eclogite xenoliths from Udachnaya have extremely radiogenic Os, 187 Os 188 Os , up to 9.67. The lowest peridotite osmium isotopic compositions require Re depletion in the mid-Archaean (3.2 Ga) and this age is interpreted as the time of differentiation of the Siberian cratonic lithospheric mantle. Archaean depletion ages for spinel peridotites of relatively shallow origin and garnet peridotites and dunites containing diamond indicate that the depleted lithosphere reached from the Moho to 150 Km depth at this time and has been stable for 3 Ga. ReOs and SmNd model ages for two eclogite xenoliths are also in the range of 2.7 to 3.1 Ga and support an ancient origin for the Siberian lithosphere. The oldest peridotite depletion ages and the eclogite model ages correspond to the oldest crustal ages obtained from the Anabar Shield of the Siberian craton, and suggest that the initiation of major crust formation and stabilisation of a thick cratonic keel were coeval. In general, the Siberian low-temperature peridotites are not as enriched in incompatible elements as those from the Kaapvaal craton yet their diopsides possess similar, low Sm Nd . The low incompatible element concentrations but LREE/MREE enrichment seen in some Siberian lherzolites suggest they may be the products of disequilibrium melting. Neodymium and strontium isotopic compositions of minerals from the peridotites are extremely heterogeneous ( ϵ Nd(350), −55.1 to 491; 87 Sr 86 Sr , 0.70253 to 0.72235). Subcalcic garnets of diamond inclusion-like composition within megacrystalline peridotites have ϵ Nd(350 values varying from −55.1 to −12.1. Depleted mantle model Nd ages are as old as 3.2 Ga permitting an ancient, enriched origin similar to that suggested for diamond inclusions (Richardson et al., 1984). Alternatively, consideration of the complex garnet SmNd isotope systematics and the presence of unsupported radiogenic Sr together with marked trace element zonation (Shimizu et al., 1994) suggest that these subcalcic garnets crystallised recently (close to the time of kimberlite eruption) from ancient, LREE-enriched, high Rb Sr precursors. We propose that the isotope systematics of subcalcic garnet diamond inclusions can also be interpreted in terms of a recent origin.

Re-Os, Sm-Nd, and Rb-Sr isotope evidence for thick Archaean lithospheric mantle beneath the Siberian craton modified by multistage metasomatism

A suite of peridotite xenoliths from kimberlites intruding the Siberian craton indicate the presence of lithospheric mantle over 150 km thick at 350 Ma. We report Sr-Nd isotope data for minerals from the peridotite xenoliths together with osmium isotopic compositions for whole-rocks and two olivine separates. Additionally, the osmium isotopic composition of a carbonatite from Fort Portal, Uganda, has been measured in order to evaluate the effect of carbonatite metasomatism on mantle ReOs systematics. Osmium isotope compositions of peridotite xenoliths from the Mir and Udachnaya kimberlites vary from those characteristic of the oceanic mantle, to considerably less radiogenic values (187Os1880s, 0.16469 to 0.10812), comparable to those previously found in other cratonic peridotites. In contrast, two eclogite xenoliths from Udachnaya have extremely radiogenic Os, 187Os188Os, up to 9.67. The lowest peridotite osmium isotopic compositions require Re depletion in the mid-Archaean (3.2 Ga) and this age is interpreted as the time of differentiation of the Siberian cratonic lithospheric mantle. Archaean depletion ages for spinel peridotites of relatively shallow origin and garnet peridotites and dunites containing diamond indicate that the depleted lithosphere reached from the Moho to 150 Km depth at this time and has been stable for 3 Ga. ReOs and SmNd model ages for two eclogite xenoliths are also in the range of 2.7 to 3.1 Ga and support an ancient origin for the Siberian lithosphere. The oldest peridotite depletion ages and the eclogite model ages correspond to the oldest crustal ages obtained from the Anabar Shield of the Siberian craton, and suggest that the initiation of major crust formation and stabilisation of a thick cratonic keel were coeval. In general, the Siberian low-temperature peridotites are not as enriched in incompatible elements as those from the Kaapvaal craton yet their diopsides possess similar, low SmNd. The low incompatible element concentrations but LREE/MREE enrichment seen in some Siberian lherzolites suggest they may be the products of disequilibrium melting. Neodymium and strontium isotopic compositions of minerals from the peridotites are extremely heterogeneous (ϵNd(350), −55.1 to 491; 87Sr86Sr, 0.70253 to 0.72235). Subcalcic garnets of diamond inclusion-like composition within megacrystalline peridotites have ϵNd(350 values varying from −55.1 to −12.1. Depleted mantle model Nd ages are as old as 3.2 Ga permitting an ancient, enriched origin similar to that suggested for diamond inclusions (Richardson et al., 1984). Alternatively, consideration of the complex garnet SmNd isotope systematics and the presence of unsupported radiogenic Sr together with marked trace element zonation (Shimizu et al., 1994) suggest that these subcalcic garnets crystallised recently (close to the time of kimberlite eruption) from ancient, LREE-enriched, high RbSr precursors. We propose that the isotope systematics of subcalcic garnet diamond inclusions can also be interpreted in terms of a recent origin.

Petrology, Mineral and Isotope Geochemistry of the External Liguride Peridotites (Northern Apennines, Italy)

Mantle peridotites of the External Liguride (EL) units (Northern Apennines) represent slices of subcontinental lithospheric mantle emplaced at the surface during early stages of rifting of the Jurassic Ligurian Piemontese basin. Petrological, ion probe and isotopic investigations have been used to unravel the nature of their mantle protolith and to constrain the timing and mechanisms of their evolution. EL peridotites are dominantly fertile spinel Iherzolites partly recrystallized in the plagioclase Iherzolite stability field. Clinopyroxenes stable in the spinelfacies assemblage have nearly flat REE patterns (Ce-s/ SmN = 0-6-0-8) at (10-16) xCl and high Na, Sr, Ti and %r contents. Kaersutitic—Ti-pargasitic amphiboles also occur in the spinelfacies assemblage. Their LREE-depleted REE spectra and very low Sr, %r and Ba contents indicate that they crystallized from hydrous fluids with low concentrations of incompatible elements. Thermometric estimates on the spinelfacies parageneses yield lithospheric equilibrium temperatures in the range 1000-1100°C, in agreement with the stability of amphibole, which implies T<1100°C. Sr and Nd isotopic compositions, determined on carefully handpicked clinopyroxene separates, plot within the depleted end of the MORB field CSr/Sr = 0 • 70222-0 • 70263; Nd/Nd = 0 -5130470 -513205) similar to many subcontinental orogenic spinel Iherzolites from the western Mediterranean area (e.g. Ivrea Z and Lanzo N). The interpretation of the EL Iherzolites as subcontinental lithospheric mantle is reinforced by the occurrence of one extremeh depleted isotopic composition (Sr/Sr-0-701736; Nd/Nd = 0-513543). Sr and Nd model ages, calculated assuming both CHUR and DM mantle sources, range between 2-4 Ga and 780 Ma. In particular, the 1-2-Ga Sr age and the 780-Ma Nd age can be regarded as minimum ages of differentiation. The transition from spinelto plagioclase-fades assemblage, accompanied by progressive deformation (from granular to tectonite—mylonite textures), indicate that the EL Iherzolites experienced a later, subsolidus decompressional evolution, starting from subcontinental lithospheric levels. Sm/Nd isochrons on plagioclase—clinopyroxene pairs furnish ages of ~165 Ma. This early Jurassic subsolidus decompressional history is consistent with uplift by means of denudation in response to passive and asymmetric lithospheric extension. This is considered to be the most suitable geodynamic mechanism to account for the exposure of huge bodies of subcontinental lithospheric mantle during early stages of opening of an oceanic basin.