Lower Oceanic Crust Research Articles

A channel sampling strategy for measurement of mineral modal and chemical composition of drill cores: application to lower oceanic crustal rocks from IODP Expedition 345 to the Hess Deep rift

Abstract. We report a new sampling strategy for collecting representative samples of drill core. By splitting the core with a diamond saw into working and archive halves, the saw cuttings constitute a “channel” sample, the best subsample from which to obtain an average mineralogical and geochemical composition of a core. We apply this procedure to sampling core of the lower oceanic crust in the Hess Deep obtained during Expedition 345 of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (now International Ocean Discovery Program). Our results show that particles produced by sawing range from sand to clay sizes. Sand- and silt-sized cuttings can be sampled with a spatula, whereas clay-sized particles remained in suspension after 12 h and could be collected only by settling, aided by centrifuge. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Rietveld refinement show that phyllosilicates were fractionated into the clay-sized fraction. Thus, collection of both the sedimented fraction and the clay-sized suspended fraction (commonly > 15 wt % of the total) is necessary to capture the whole sample. The strong positive correlation between the recovered sample mass (in grams) and length of core cut demonstrates that this sampling protocol was uniform and systematic, with almost 1.4 g sediment produced per centimeter of core cut. We show that major-element concentrations of our channel samples compare favorably with the compositions of billet-sized samples analyzed aboard the JOIDES Resolution, but the results show that individual billet analyses are rarely representative of the whole core recovered. A final test of the validity of our methods comes from the strong positive correlation between the loss on ignition (LOI) values of our channel samples and the H2O contents calculated from the modal mineralogy obtained by X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement. This sampling procedure shows that grain-sized fractionation modifies both mineralogical and chemical compositions; nevertheless, this channel sampling method is a reliable method of obtaining representative samples of bulk cores. With the ever-increasing precision offered by modern analytical instrumentation, this sampling protocol allows the accuracy of the analytical results to keep pace.

Brown Amphibole as Tracer of Tectono-Magmatic Evolution of the Atlantis Bank Oceanic Core Complex (IODP Hole U1473A)

Abstract Brown amphibole is a minor but common mineral component in lower oceanic crust. It is generally interpreted as products of migrating SiO2 and H2O-rich fluids or melts, which can be either residual melts from advanced magmatic differentiation of Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), or hydrothermal fluids including a seawater component. Within the lower oceanic crust exhumed at the Atlantis Bank Oceanic Core Complex, along the ultraslow Southwest Indian Ridge, brown amphibole is ubiquitous in all lithologies from olivine- to oxide-gabbros and diorites, including both undeformed and plastically deformed varieties. We here show the results of a systematic petrological study conceived to unravel the nature of the H2O-rich component recorded in brown amphiboles and document: (i) the evolution of migrating melts during the magmatic stage and (ii) different extents of melt-bearing deformation events recorded throughout the entire crustal transect. The low Cl contents and the light over heavy rare earth elements (LREE/HREE) ratios and high Ti contents in brown amphiboles indicate they crystallized from melts with a magmatic hydrous component. Consistently, their δ18O values are in equilibrium with Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB) composition, except for diorite amphiboles that possibly record the local assimilation of altered minerals. In undeformed olivine gabbros, interstitial pargasite crystallized at hypersolidus conditions (~1000°C) from the melt residual after late stages of MORB differentiation. We speculate that before the olivine gabbro crystal mush reached fully solid state, some aliquots of residual melts were extracted and accumulated within discrete intervals. There, ferrobasaltic melts differentiated through the early crystallization of Fe-Ti oxides and clinopyroxene as liquidus phases, ultimately forming the oxide gabbros. This process promoted rapid Si enrichment and depletion in Fe, Ti, V in the residual melt, later extracted to form the crosscutting diorite veins. The mylonitic olivine gabbros record high-temperature plastic deformation (~900°C ± 50°C) under hypersolidus conditions, involving melts residual from previous crystallization of the gabbroic rock. Further solid-state plastic deformation led to substantial grain size reduction and, consequently, to an increase in porosity. This created pathways for subsequent melt focusing, which likely represent late-stage differentiated melts migrating throughout the lower crustal section. This study shows that brown amphibole in the Atlantis Bank lower oceanic crust is the crystallization product of melts residual from advanced magmatic differentiation, which are also locally involved in the plastic deformation events during crustal accretion.

Evolution of Hawaiian Volcano Magmatic Plumbing System and Implications for Melt/Edifice and Melt/Lithosphere Interaction: Constraints from Hualālai Xenoliths

Abstract The evolution of Hawaiian magmatic storage and transport systems in response to variations in magma supply over the course of volcano lifespan can have a significant influence on the type and amount of wallrock material that is assimilated by ponded melts prior to eruption. Understanding this plumbing evolution is therefore critical for evaluating the extent to which such melt/wallrock interaction affects the geochemical signals of Hawaiian basalts. We have examined mineral major and trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf-Os-O isotope variations in a suite of cumulate and lower Pacific crust xenoliths from the Ka‘ūpūlehu flow, Hualālai Volcano, Hawai‘i in order to constrain the depths of magma storage during Hualālai shield- and post-shield-stage volcanism and the effects of edifice and Pacific crust assimilation. Xenoliths range from 1- and 2-pyroxene gabbros to dunites. Pressures of equilibration for gabbroic and pyroxenitic xenoliths, calculated using two-pyroxene and clinopyroxene-only thermobarometry, suggest that most xenoliths, including both shield- and post-shield-stage cumulates, formed within the Pacific lower crust, at pressures >0.24 GPa. However, two gabbros record lower equilibration pressures (<0.2 GPa) and may have formed within the volcanic edifice. Dunite xenoliths also appear to have formed at shallower depths than most gabbro and pyroxenite xenoliths, inconsistent with a single liquid line of descent. These results indicate that, although shallow (intra-edifice) magma chambers are active during Hawaiian shield-stage volcanism, some magmas also pond and fractionate within or near the base of the Pacific crust during the shield stage. Mass and energy constrained geochemical modeling suggests that ponded melts are likely to assimilate significant quantities of wallrock material, with the mass ratio of assimilated material to crystals fractionated approaching one, regardless of depth of ponding. Elevated 187Os/188Os in some evolved post-shield-derived xenoliths are consistent with assimilation of lower Pacific crust, and low δ18O in xenoliths recording shallow equilibration pressures are consistent with edifice assimilation. However, the effects of assimilation on other radiogenic isotopes appear to be limited in most xenoliths and, by inference, in erupted basalts. Melt–wallrock reaction also appears to have modified the composition of the local Pacific crust. Although plagioclase from the lower oceanic crust record unradiogenic Sr-isotopes similar to mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), pyroxene Sr-Nd-Hf and whole-rock Os-isotopes have been variably affected by interaction with Hawaiian melts, resulting in a hybrid isotopic composition intermediate between MORB and Hawaiian shield-stage basalts. These hybrid isotopic compositions are qualitatively similar to Hawaiian rejuvenation-stage basalts. Similar hybridization is likely to have altered the isotopic composition of the Pacific lithospheric mantle. Therefore, Pb-isotope differences between MORB and rejuvenation-stage Hawaiian melts do not preclude melt generation within the Pacific lithosphere or asthenosphere. The isotopic signatures of rejuvenation-stage basalts may represent a unique depleted component within the Hawaiian plume, as suggested by previous studies, but requires additional investigation in light of these results.

The lower oceanic crust at ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge: The inside story

Owing to the lack of persistent magma chamber and the complex interplay between magmatism and tectonism at slow- to ultraslow-spreading ridges, the likeliness of fractional crystallization being the predominant process of evolution of crustal magmas is weak. Here, we report a detailed petro-geochemical investigation from the lower crustal gabbroic rocks recovered from Hole U1473A in Atlantis Bank oceanic core complex, Southwest Indian Ridge that may potentially provide new insights on the dynamic accretion process at ultraslow-spreading ridge. Sampling the entire lithological spectrum encompassing a single geochemical cycle in this study permit us to probe the underlying magmatic processes in ultraslow-spreading lower crust. Grain-size variation is ubiquitously recorded in the gabbroic lithologies of Hole U1473A, where fine-grained intervals represent relatively evolved chemistry than the coarser domains. This suggests that, they were crystallized from a common genetic melt during different degrees of evolution. The forward geochemical modelling approach have not only affirmed the long-established theory of assimilation (of early mushes’ crystals)-fractional crystallization to be the key mechanism in lower crust formation, but also provided explanation for the restricted whole rock geochemical cluster observed throughout all the rock types. We demonstrate for the first time the relationship between the progressive modal mineralogical evolution with respect to the different assimilation/fractionation ratios (r). The observed trend has been successfully replicated for the experiments with high r values = 0.8–0.9, previously predicted from this region. Integrating all results, our study supports the model of lower crustal formation via reactive porous flow of the squeezed-out melt percolating throughout the cumulate pile and segregated into different horizons.

Generation of continental crust by remelting of enriched oceanic crust in accretionary orogen: Geochemical evidence of granitoids in the Tongbai Orogen, Central China

Oceanic arcs are known as the critical sites to generate new continental crust. However, additional processes are needed to transform mafic oceanic crust to mature continental crust. Ascertaining the petrogenesis of granitoids therein is vital to understand such a maturation process. In this study, we carried out a combined study of in-situ zircon U-Pb dating and Hf-O isotopic analyses, as well as whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions for the Changwan granitoids in the Erlangping oceanic arc unit of the Tongbai orogen. This intrusion mainly consists of biotite granite with subordinate trondhjemite. LA-ICPMS and SIMS zircon U-Pb dating yielded identical U-Pb ages of ca. 460 Ma, representing the intrusion ages. Whole-rock analyses demonstrated that the Changwan granitoids have relatively high SiO 2 (72.71–77.14 wt%) and Al 2 O 3 (12.61–14.24 wt%), but low MgO (0.31–0.74 wt%) contents and Mg# (32.0–40.2). The relatively high K 2 O (2.81–3.63 wt%) contents and K 2 O/Na 2 O values (0.76–1.03) of the granitic samples suggest they belong to middle-K weakly peraluminous I-type granite, while the trondhjemitic samples with low K 2 O (1.06–1.96 wt%) and K 2 O/Na 2 O values (0.23–0.42) are tholeiitic to middle-K series. In both cases, the samples show arc-type trace element distribution patterns. They are characterized by depleted Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions with ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i of 0.7038–0.7050, ε Nd (t) of +0.52 ~ +2.85, zircon ε Hf (t) of +3.4 ~ +9.6, and relatively low zircon δ 18 O values of 4.71 ± 0.17–4.97 ± 0.18‰. These isotopic fingerprints suggest the Changwan granitoids were derived from a relatively depleted source that had been hydrothermally altered under high temperature conditions. The most likely candidate is the accreted Erlangping lower oceanic crust which might have been heterogeneously modified in a supra-subduction zone. This is further verified by the trace element modeling on potential mafic source rocks enriched in incompatible elements in the Erlangping unit. We suggest that the high K 2 O/Na 2 O granitic samples were derived from K-rich segment of the Erlangping lower oceanic crust whilst the low K 2 O/Na 2 O trondhjemites from K-poor part. Therefore, our results show that partial melting of enriched oceanic crust in supra-subduction zone plays an important role for crust maturation in accretionary orogens. • The Changwan granitoids were formed at ca. 460 Ma. • They were derived from an incompatible-element-enriched lower oceanic crust source. • Remelting of enriched oceanic crust holds a key for continental crustal maturation.

Molybdenum isotopic constraint from Java on slab inputs to subduction zone magmatism

Molybdenum isotope is a diagnostic tracer for crustal and mantle components in arc magmatism. However, the mechanism of Mo isotopic variation in arc magmas is still debated, e.g., input of different subduction components into the mantle wedge versus isotopic fractionation during dehydration of subducted slab. Here we present whole-rock Mo-Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic data for the Continental Arc Basalt (CAB) and Back Arc Basalt (BAB) from Java, Indonesia, to investigate the role of slab inputs in Mo isotopic variation of the Sunda arc magmatism. The CAB samples have variable K2O contents (0.44–2.49 wt%) and are mainly classified as calc-alkaline series, while the BAB samples are shoshonitic with markedly high K2O contents (2.12–6.90 wt%) relative to the CABs. The Java CABs and BABs have similar Mo isotopic compositions (δ98/95Mo = −0.65 to −0.07‰ and −0.66 to −0.07‰, respectively, relative to NIST SRM3134), suggesting that such a significant Mo isotopic variation should not be caused solely by the isotopic fractionation during the subduction. Instead, δ98/95Mo values of the Java basalts positively correlate with Pb isotopic ratios. This implies that the Mo isotopic variations in the Java arc rocks should result from the metasomatism in the mantle wedge by hybrid agents, including varying proportions of melts from subducted sediments (with heavy Mo isotope) and melts from the subducted altered upper oceanic crust (SAOC) (with light Mo isotope). The light Mo isotope of the Java arc rocks, compared with the Mariana arc basalts, suggests that melts from the SAOC have much lighter Mo isotopic compositions than the components from the lower oceanic crust. Thus, Mo isotope has great potential to distinguish the components from the subducted upper and lower oceanic crust. The Java CABs show along-arc variations in Mo-Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopes, which is related closely with the thermal status of the subducted slab. Upwelling of the asthenosphere due to the slab tearing beneath the Java arc might have enhanced the partial melting of subducted sediments nearby the slab window. The complicated subduction system in the Sunda arc has strongly controlled the geochemical composition of arc magmas, which changes with input of different subduction components into the mantle wedge along arc.

Lower oceanic crust formed by in situ melt crystallization revealed by seismic layering

Oceanic crust forms at mid-ocean spreading centres through a combination of magmatic and tectonic processes, with the magmatic processes creating two distinct layers: the upper and the lower crust. While the upper crust is known to form from lava flows and basaltic dykes based on geophysical and drilling results, the formation of the gabbroic lower crust is still debated. Here we perform a full waveform inversion of wide-angle seismic data from relatively young (7–12-Myr-old) crust formed at the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The seismic velocity model reveals alternating, 400–500 m thick, high- and low-velocity layers with ±200 m s−1 velocity variations, below ~2 km from the oceanic basement. The uppermost low-velocity layer is consistent with hydrothermal alteration, defining the base of extensive hydrothermal circulation near the ridge axis. The underlying layering supports that the lower crust is formed through the intrusion of melt as sills at different depths, which cool and crystallize in situ. The layering extends up to 5–15 km distance along the seismic profile, covering 300,000–800,000 years, suggesting that this form of lower crustal accretion is a stable process.

A Reference Section Through Fast‐Spread Lower Oceanic Crust, Wadi Gideah, Samail Ophiolite (Sultanate of Oman): Whole Rock Geochemistry

AbstractDue to its inaccessibility, no complete and coherent data set exists for the composition of modern fast‐spreading oceanic crust. We sampled outcrops through 6,500 m of fossil oceanic crust in the Oman Ophiolite (Wadi Gideah Transect) that is regarded as best analogue of fast‐spreading crust on land. Here we report a complete set of whole‐rock major and trace element data displaying systematic and contrasting compositional trends in lower and upper gabbros being correlated with stratigraphic depth. A significant discontinuity in crystallization regime is observed at ∼3,525 m above the mantle‐crust boundary: gabbros below ∼3,525 m have in general very low incompatible element mass fractions which develop upwards in a barely noticeable way to more differentiated compositions while Mg# decreases. More pronounced trends indicating progressive fractionation of ascending melts can be observed for incompatible elements and their element ratios as a consequence of in situ crystallization. Locally, more variable compositions within narrow depth intervals testify for advanced differentiation in situ within individual sills. Gabbros above ∼3,525 m become significantly more evolved and show considerable variations in composition. Fractional crystallization and mixing processes in a transient axial melt lens control the composition of isotropic “varitextured” gabbros and sheeted dike basalts where fractionation of high field strength elemental ratios is minor. New average compositions of fast‐spread (paleo) oceanic crust are reported for major and 38 trace elements. Comparison with new data from Wadi Khafifah close to Wadi Gideah suggests robustness of crustal accretion processes in both space and time.

Mantle and Crustal Xenoliths in a Tephriphonolite From La Palma (Canary Islands): Implications for Phonolite Formation at Oceanic Island Volcanoes

The occurrence of mantle-derived peridotite xenoliths in phonolitic melts is a rare phenomenon, and is commonly ascribed to a mantle origin of the phonolite. The alternative possibility, that xenoliths are transported into evolving phonolite melts by mafic magmas, has received little attention. A unique tephriphonolite lava with phonolitic groundmass composition, from the active Cumbre Vieja volcano of La Palma (Canary Islands), allows to test these models. The lava contains abundant inclusions that represent the island’s major xenolith types: kaersutite-dominated cumulates, gabbros from the lower oceanic crust, and peridotites from the mantle. Our petrological investigations indicate that the tephriphonolite magma contained 3–4 wt% H2O and was stored in the lower crust at around 250–350 MPa and 900–950°C, at oxidized conditions (∆NNO of 2–3). The peridotite xenoliths are mantled by complex polyphase selvages, with adjacent up to 1.6 mm wide zonations where olivine compositions change from Fo78-86 at the selvage contact to Fo89-91 inside the xenoliths. We carried out diffusion modelling for Fe-Mg exchange and found that the peridotites had contact with intermediate to evolved alkaline melts over decades to centuries. This timescale is comparable to that inferred for basanite-hosted peridotite xenoliths from Cumbre Vieja. The following model is proposed: differentiation of evolved melts occurs in a magma accumulation zone in the lowermost oceanic crust beneath La Palma. The evolving melts receive periodic recharge by mantle-derived mafic magmas at intervals on the order of decades to a few centuries, comparable to historic eruption recurrences (80 years on average). Some of these recharge pulses carry mantle peridotite fragments that become deposited in the accumulation zone. Thus, these xenoliths do not reflect formation of the evolved melts in the mantle. Final ascent of the tephriphonolite was triggered by magma recharge some weeks before its eruption, resulting in entrainment and thorough mingling of a mixed xenolith population (cumulates, oceanic crust gabbros, peridotites). We infer that formation of phonolites in the lower crust beneath oceanic island volcanoes, and subsequent eruption, requires a balance between rates and volumes of magma recharge pulses and of eruptive events.

A Reference Section Through Fast‐Spread Lower Oceanic Crust, Wadi Gideah, Samail Ophiolite (Sultanate of Oman): Trace Element Systematics and REE Crystallization Temperatures—Implications for Hybrid Crustal Accretion

AbstractOceanic gabbros are the most abundant rocks close to Earth's surface. Here we present new data from a consistent profile through the paleocrust of the Samail Ophiolite (Oman), which is thought to provide the best analog for modern fast‐spreading oceanic crust. Incompatible trace elements of co‐existing plagioclase and clinopyroxene fractionate from the mineral core to rim and up section from layered to foliated to varitextured gabbros. Layered gabbro parental melts correspond to mid‐ocean‐ridge basalts (MORB), and plagioclase Ca# shows a pronounced inverse zonation. Likely, they crystallized in situ from hydrous melts, compositionally buffered by replenishment at equilibrium to MORB and near steady‐state boundary conditions. Further upsection, the compositional variability increases. Foliated gabbro rim and core compositions indicate increased fractionation and disequilibrium to MORB, triggered by open‐system fractional crystallization within a heterogeneous magma plumbing structure, characterized by magma mixing, varying ambient water activities, and boundary conditions. Varitextured gabbros are chemically diverse with parental melts partially more primitive than MORB, suggesting that primitive melts directly reach the axial melt lens (AML). REE‐in‐plagioclase‐clinopyroxene thermometry compared to and supported by anorthite‐in‐plagioclase thermometry reveals a relationship of [°C] = 6.1 ± 0.2 × An + 706 ± 19. Crystallization temperatures of the layered gabbros cover a narrow range of 1216 ± 14°C. Considerable temperature variability of 1077–1231°C is observed further upsection, featuring a thermal minimum within the foliated gabbros. This minimum is assumed to represent a zone where the fractionated descending crystal mushes originating from the AML meet with evolved liquids expelled from deeper crustal levels. Our findings suggest hybrid accretion of fast‐spread crust.

Formation of mixed paragenesis diamonds during multistage growth – Constraints from in situ δ13C–δ15N–[N] analyses of Koidu diamonds

Inclusion-bearing diamonds from the Koidu kimberlite complex, Sierra Leone (West African Craton) were analyzed in situ for carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions, nitrogen concentrations and nitrogen aggregation states. In a suite of 105 diamonds, 78% contain eclogitic mineral inclusions, 17% contain peridotitic mineral inclusions, and 5% − an unusually high proportion − contain co-occurring eclogitic and peridotitic mineral inclusions indicating a mixed paragenesis. Major and trace element compositions of mineral inclusions from two mixed paragenesis diamonds (one with omphacite + Mg-chromite, the other with eclogitic garnet + forsteritic olivine) were determined. The presence of positive Eu anomalies in centrally located omphacite and eclogitic garnet inclusions indicates derivation from subducted protoliths, formed as igneous cumulates in lower oceanic crust. Mg-chromite (Cr# 85.5; Mg# 65.2) and olivine (Mg# 94.5) inclusions, located in outer portions of the mixed paragenesis diamonds, have compositions indicative of derivation from strongly depleted cratonic peridotites. Given that the olivine Mg# of 94.5 is the highest reported to date for the West African Craton, the eclogitic and peridotitic inclusions in these mixed paragenesis diamonds cannot have precipitated during infiltration of peridotitic substrates by eclogite-derived fluids, as the consequent fluid-rock interaction should lead to Mg# lower than that for the original peridotitic diamond substrate. The different origins of eclogitic and peridotitic inclusions could be explained by physical transport of their host diamonds from eclogitic into peridotitic substrates, possibly along high-strain shear zones, before renewed diamond growth.Based on the δ13C–δ15N systematics of the entire inclusion-bearing diamond suite from Koidu, three major compositional clusters are identified. Cluster 1 (eclogitic diamond cores; δ13C = –33.2 to −14.4‰ and δ15N = −5.3 to +10.1‰) bears the isotopic signature of recycled crustal material (± a mantle component). Cluster 2 (peridotitic diamonds and including the core of a diamond containing omphacite + Mg-chromite; δ13C = −6.0 to −1.1‰ and δ15N = −4.2 to +9.7‰) likely involves mixing of carbon and nitrogen from subducted and mantle sources. Cluster 3 (rims of eclogitic diamonds and including the eclogitic garnet + olivine included diamond and the rim of the omphacite + Mg-chromite included diamond; δ13C = −7.8 to −3.6‰ and δ15N = −7.9 to −2.1‰) matches convecting mantle-derived fluids/melts. The distinct isotopic signatures of the three diamond clusters, together with differences in nitrogen aggregation and cathodoluminescence response between diamond cores and rims, suggest episodic diamond growth during multiple fluid/melt pulses.

Sulfide enrichment along igneous layer boundaries in the lower oceanic crust: IODP Hole U1473A, Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge

Reactive porous or focused melt flows are common in crystal mushes of mid-ocean ridge magma reservoirs. Although they exert significant control on mid-ocean ridge magmatic differentiation, their role in metal transport between the mantle and the ocean floor remains poorly constrained. Here we aim to improve such knowledge for oceanic crust formed at slow-spreading centers (approximately half of present-day oceanic crust), by focusing on specific igneous features where sulfides are concentrated. International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 360 drilled Hole U1473A 789 m into the lower crust of the Atlantis Bank oceanic core complex, located at the Southwest Indian Ridge. Coarse-grained (5–30 mm) olivine gabbro prevailed throughout the hole, ranging locally from fine- (<1 mm), to very coarse-grained (>30 mm). We studied three distinct intervals of igneous grain size layering at 109.5–110.8, 158.0–158.3, and 593.0–594.4 meters below seafloor to understand the distribution of sulfides. We found that the layer boundaries between the fine- and coarse-grained gabbro were enriched in sulfides and chalcophile elements. On average, sulfide grains throughout the layering were composed of pyrrhotite (81 vol.%; Fe1-xS), chalcopyrite (16 vol.%; CuFeS2), and pentlandite (3 vol.%; [Ni,Fe,Co]9S8), which reflect paragenesis of magmatic origin. The sulfides were most commonly associated with Fe-Ti oxides (titanomagnetites and ilmenites), amphiboles, and apatites located at the interstitial positions between clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and olivine. Pentlandite exsolution textures in pyrrhotite indicate that the sulfides formed from high-temperature sulfide liquid separated from mafic magma that exsolved upon cooling. The relatively homogenous phase proportion within sulfides along with their chemical and isotopic compositions throughout the studied intervals further support the magmatic origin of sulfide enrichment at the layer boundaries. The studied magmatic layers were likely formed as a result of intrusion of more primitive magma (fine-grained gabbro) into the former crystal mush (coarse-grained gabbro). Sulfides from the coarse-grained gabbros are Ir-Platinum Group Element-rich (PGE; i.e., Ir, Os, Ru) but those from the fine-grained gabbros are Pd-PGE-rich (i.e., Pd, Pt, Rh). Notably, the sulfides from the layer boundaries are also enriched in Pd-PGEs, and therefore elevated sulfide contents at the boundaries were likely related to the new intruding melt. Because S concentration at sulfide saturation level is dependent on the Fe content of the melt, sulfide crystallization may have been caused by FeO loss, both via crystallization of late-precipitating oxides at the boundaries, and by exchange of Fe and Mg between melt and Fe-bearing silicates (olivine and clinopyroxene). The increased precipitation of sulfide grains at the layer boundaries might be widespread in the lower oceanic crust, as also observed in the Semail ophiolite and along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Therefore, this process might affect the metal budget of the global lower oceanic crust. We estimate that up to ∼20% of the Cu, ∼8% of the S, and ∼84% of the Pb of the oceanic crust inventory is accumulated at the layer boundaries only from the interaction between crystal mush and new magma.

A Reference Section Through Fast‐Spread Lower Oceanic Crust, Wadi Gideah, Samail Ophiolite (Sultanate of Oman): Petrography and Petrology

AbstractIn the absence of a complete profile through fast‐spreading modern oceanic crust, we established a reference profile through the whole paleo crust of the Samail ophiolite (Sultanate of Oman), which is regarded as the best analogue for fast‐spreading oceanic crust on land. To establish a coherent data set, we sampled the Wadi Gideah in the Wadi‐Tayin massif from the mantle section up to the sheeted dikes and performed different analytical and structural investigations on the same suite of samples. This paper reports our studies of the lower crust, a 5 km thick pile of gabbros, focusing on petrographic features and on the results of mineral analyses. Depth profiles of mineral compositions combined with petrological modeling reveal insights into the mode of magmatic formation of fast‐spreading lower oceanic crust, implying a hybrid accretion mechanism. The lower two thirds of the crust, mainly consisting of layered gabbros, formed via the injection of melt sills and in situ crystallization. Here, upward moving fractionated melts mixed with more primitive melts through melt replenishments, resulting in a slight but distinct upward differentiation trend. The upper third of the gabbroic crust is significantly more differentiated, in accord with a model of downward differentiation of a primitive parental melt originated from the axial melt lens located at the top of the gabbroic crust. Our hybrid model for crustal accretion requires a system to cool the deep crust, which was established by hydrothermal fault zones, initially formed on‐axis at very high temperatures.

Compositions of cumulates in lower oceanic crust and implications for ophiolite studies

大洋下地壳是大洋岩石圈和蛇绿岩的重要组成部分，在洋中脊及俯冲带演化以及蛇绿岩成因研究中具有重要的意义。本文总结了不同构造环境形成的大洋下地壳堆晶岩的岩石组合、地球化学组成，以建立起适用于蛇绿岩中堆晶岩的构造环境判别标志。洋中脊和俯冲相关环境堆晶岩在Pearce图解上均区别于对应的熔岩成分，表明蛇绿岩中的堆晶岩无法应用Pearce图解进行构造环境判别。不同构造环境产出的堆晶岩在岩石组合、结晶顺序和地球化学上存在明显差异：（1）绝大多数洋中脊堆晶岩和弧后盆地堆晶岩较为类似，反映其来源于洋中脊玄武岩型母岩浆低压、贫水体系的分离结晶；（2）中大西洋脊DSDP 334的洋中脊堆晶岩较为类似弧前堆晶岩，是海水蚀变难熔橄榄岩重熔或混染的产物；（3）弧前堆晶岩的岩石学、地球化学特征与亏损的富水、富硅的玻安质熔体的低压分离结晶过程相吻合；（4）洋岛堆晶岩的特征与相对贫水、成分富集的洋岛玄武岩高压分离结晶的特征相吻合。最后，本文总结了应用堆晶岩进行蛇绿岩构造环境判别的一系列岩石学、地球化学指标，并结合日喀则蛇绿岩中的堆晶岩体和辉长岩脉的实例论述堆晶岩在蛇绿岩研究中的应用。

Bimodal Alteration of the Oceanic Crust Revealed by Halogen and Noble Gas Systematics in the Oman Ophiolite

AbstractHydrothermal alteration of oceanic crust represents a globally significant geochemical exchange between the crust and oceans, introducing volatile elements into the oceanic lithosphere and removing latent heat from crystallization. The extent to which hydrothermal systems penetrate the lower oceanic crust is debated and is significant for competing models of lower oceanic crust formation. In this study, we apply halogen and noble gas geochemistry in order to better understand the fluid sources and conditions during a hydrothermal alteration in a suite of gabbros sampled from drill cores in the mid‐ (hole GT3A) and lower‐ (hole GT1A) crust of the Oman Ophiolite. Low Br/Cl in mid‐crustal samples is controlled by amphibole formed at relatively high fluid/rock ratios. Lower crustal samples, meanwhile, have Br/Cl ranging from seawater to much higher values (&lt;5 × 10−3). These require alteration at highly variable fluid/rock ratios from ∼1 to &lt;0.01 in the lower crust. Noble gas isotopes also suggest alteration at relatively high and low fluid/rock ratios in the mid‐ and lower‐crust, respectively. Indicators of alteration and proxies for fluid/rock ratios (loss on ignition, Pb/Ce, Br/Cl, 40Ar/36Ar96Ma) vary systematically with distance from major fault zones in the lower crust with the strongest correlation in the least altered minerals. Together with age constraints derived from K‐Ar decay, these data indicate faults were major conduits, supplying seawater to the lower crust roughly contemporaneous with the formation of the ophiolite, and commencing at the magmatic stage. These results suggest that hydrothermal alteration of the lower crust is primarily controlled by major fault structures.

Behavior of water in the lower oceanic crust

Behavior of water in the lower oceanic crust

Thermal History of Lithosphere Formed Beneath Fast Spreading Ridges: Constraints From the Mantle Transition Zone of the East Pacific Rise at Hess Deep and Oman Drilling Project, Wadi Zeeb, Samail Ophiolite

AbstractWe investigate the cooling histories of peridotites and gabbros from localities that expose oceanic lithosphere formed beneath two fast seafloor spreading centers: Hess Deep as recovered from IODP Expedition 345 and ODP Leg 147, and the Oman Ophiolite as sampled by the Oman Drilling Project, ICDP Expedition 5057 (OmanDP). At these locations, relict crust‐mantle transition zones are directly sampled, enabling characterization of the thermal history of the crust‐mantle transition, and by inference, the depth extent of hydrothermal circulation beneath spreading centers. We measured major and trace element abundances in crustal gabbros and mantle peridotites from Hess Deep and OmanDP, and applied major and trace element‐based thermometers. Geospeedometric interpretation of the temperatures suggests similar cooling histories at both locations; cooling rates ranged from 0.02 to 2.6 °C/y from peak temperatures up to 1,350°C. The rates are consistent on either side of the paleo‐Moho (i.e., in the crust and mantle). Models for conductive cooling of the lower oceanic crust predict rates more than two orders of magnitude slower at the crust‐mantle transition zone, while thermal models that invoke deep and efficient hydrothermal circulation throughout the entire crustal section predict rates consistent with our observations. We infer that hydrothermal cooling extended to or near the petrologic Moho beneath the East Pacific Rise and the OmanDP paleo‐spreading center, consistent with the Sheeted Sills model for crustal accretion. Comparison with previously published rates recalculated using the methods we employed suggests the oceanic lower crust is cooled hydrothermally in some places and by conduction at others.

The Composition of the Lower Oceanic Crust in the Wadi Khafifah Section of the Southern Samail (Oman) Ophiolite

AbstractThe composition of the intrusive gabbroic lower oceanic crust remains poorly characterized in comparison to the extrusive portion of the oceanic crust, especially for intermediate‐fast spreading mid‐ocean ridges. This is a consequence of limited exposures of extant lower oceanic crust or ophiolites similar to mid‐ocean ridge crust. One of the best analogues for mid‐ocean ridge crust is the southern Samail ophiolite that formed during a period of rapid seafloor spreading above a nascent subduction zone. Here, we focus on the geochemical stratigraphy (whole rock and mineral major and trace element compositions) of the 5,200 m‐thick, lower crustal, Wadi Khafifah section of the Wadin Tayin massif in the southern Samail (Oman) ophiolite. Gabbros from the lowermost 3,700 m of this section (the “lower gabbros”) show no systematic changes in composition with height above the Mantle Transition Zone. In contrast, gabbros from the uppermost 1,500 m (the “upper gabbros”) display marked increases in incompatible trace element concentration with increasing height. Liquids in equilibrium with the lower gabbros have major and trace element compositions that overlap with those measured in the upper gabbros and sheeted dikes. Upper gabbros preserve mineral cores with primitive major element compositions that overlap with the range of lower gabbros; however, upper gabbro whole rock compositions are significantly more enriched in incompatible trace elements relative to the lower gabbros. Our data reveal that the upper gabbros are a composite of accumulated minerals derived from primitive melts and a large fraction of evolved melts derived from the fractionation of the lower gabbros. We propose a new “Full Sheeted Sills” model for the lower oceanic crust in which primitive magmas from the mantle are emplaced throughout the lower crust and crystallized in situ. After diking events, evolved magmas leave the lower gabbros and replenish the upper gabbros, thereby contributing to the higher incompatible trace element budget in the upper gabbros relative to the lower gabbros. Our reconstructed bulk compositions of the lower plutonic crust and the bulk oceanic crust from the Wadi Khafifah section yield a plausible primary mantle‐derived magma composition in equilibrium with depleted mid‐ocean ridge basalts mantle.

Characterizing Hydration of the Ocean Crust Using Shortwave Infrared Microimaging Spectroscopy of ICDP Oman Drilling Project Cores

AbstractAlthough ocean crust covers over 60% of Earth's surface, the processes that form, cool, and alter the ocean crust are not completely understood. We utilize shortwave infrared micro‐imaging spectroscopy of ∼1.2 km of rock cored by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program's Oman Drilling Project to quantify hydration of basaltic dikes and gabbros from the Samail ophiolite as a function of depth, mineralogy and deformation. We develop a regression (R2 = 0.66) between area of the ∼1,350–1,650 nm OH/H2O absorption and measurements of loss on ignition of samples and apply this relationship to generate quantitative ∼250 μm/pixel hydration maps for all cores. The lowest mean hydration is observed in the most pervasively altered dike‐gabbro boundary (GT3A, H2Omean = 2.1 ± 1.6 wt%), consistent with the low H2O content of the dominant alteration minerals, amphibole and epidote. The highest H2O content occurs in deeper foliated and layered gabbros (GT2A, H2Omean = 3.2 ± 3.0 wt%) and layered gabbros (GT1A, H2Omean = 2.8 ± 3.1 wt%). The greater prevalence with depth of zeolite alteration as opposed to lower wt% H2O amphibole at shallow stratigraphic depths, as well as the occurrence of zones of intensive hydration associated with fault zones (H2Omean = 5.7 ± 4.0 wt%) lead to greater hydration of the lower ocean crust. This new approach provides an objective quantification of hydration in these cores, enabling an improved understanding of quantities and characteristics of ocean crust hydration. It highlights the importance of specific phases and faulting in controlling hydration, which has implications for ocean crust cooling, rheological properties, and the role of alteration in global biogeochemical cycling.

Three-dimensional magnetic stripes require slow cooling in fast-spread lower ocean crust.

Earth's magnetic field is recorded as oceanic crust cools, generating lineated magnetic anomalies that provide the pattern of polarity reversals for the past 160 million years1. In the lower (gabbroic) crust, polarity interval boundaries are proxies for isotherms that constrain cooling and hence crustal accretion. Seismic observations2-4, geospeedometry5-7 and thermal modelling8-10 of fast-spread crust yield conflicting interpretations of where and how heat is lost near the ridge, a sensitive indicator of processes of melt transport and crystallization within the crust. Here we show that the magnetic structure of magmatically robust fast-spread crust requires that crustal temperatures near the dike-gabbro transition remain at approximately 500degreesCelsius for 0.1millionyears. Near-bottom magnetization solutions over two areas, separated by approximately 8kilometres, highlight subhorizontal polarity boundaries within 200metres of the dike-gabbro transition that extend 7-8kilometres off-axis. Oriented samples with multiple polarity components provide direct confirmation of a corresponding horizontal polarity boundary across an area approximately onekilometre wide, and indicate slow cooling over three polarity intervals. Our results are incompatible with deep hydrothermal cooling within a few kilometres of the axis2,7 and instead suggest a broad, hot axial zone that extends roughly 8 kilometres off-axis in magmatically robust fast-spread ocean crust.