Melt Depletion Events Research Articles

Tungsten in the mantle constrained by continental lithospheric peridotites: Less incompatible and more abundant

Isotope dilution W whole-rock data, coupled with data for other trace elements in 42 peridotite xenoliths from Tariat (Mongolia), Yangyuan and Hannuoba (China), and Letlhakane (Botswana) are used to constrain the W abundance and behavior in the continental lithospheric mantle. Tungsten concentrations are >11 ng g−1, even in the most depleted peridotites, and higher than the W abundance estimate of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) in all but one sample. Combined W-Th-U systematics reveal fractionation of W from Th and U with increasing degree of melt depletion, while incompatible element-enriched samples display no such fractionation. Integrated melt reactions and degrees of melt depletion are estimated based on either residual Th or residual Yb abundances for each sample, relative to a BSE precursor. This allows modelling of different partial melting scenarios that consider maximized trace element retention (Th-based model; where measured Th contents are decoupled from Al2O3 contents) or correction for metasomatic trace element contributions (Yb-based model; where measured Yb contents are well-coupled with Al2O3 contents). Modelled residual W concentrations reveal W excesses of 11–19 ng g−1, even when correcting for metasomatic W contributions. Combined with available in situ trace element mineral data for the rock-forming silicates and spinel, which all display W abundances much higher than expected, these findings suggest that either (i) W is less incompatible than previously thought, or that (ii) the peridotites experienced W metasomatism after the last melt depletion event with subsequent re-equilibration. The latter is unlikely, as similar geochemical patterns are observed for oceanic lithospheric mantle based on published data, requiring such W metasomatism to be a global phenomenon. We thus conclude that W is not as incompatible as Th and U during upper mantle melting and potential W-Th-U fractionation mechanisms are examined to explain near-constant W/Th and W/U in mantle melts. We propose revised W concentrations for the BSE of 27 ± 16 ng g−1 to 31 ± 14 ng g−1 and for the depleted mantle of 22 ± 13 ng g−1.

Proterozoic mantle melting recorded by the Re-Os isotopic systematics of ophiolites from the Qilian Orogenic Belt, northwestern China

• The Minhe serpentinites are mantle residues of multi-episode partial melting. • Fluid/melt metasomatism exerted a limited impact on the Re-Os systematics. • Re-Os ages provide temporal constraints on Proterozoic melt extraction. Re-Os isotopes of the mantle-derived ultramafic rocks can provide temporal constraints on the melt extraction of ancient mantle. Here, new geochemistry and Re-Os isotopes of serpentinites from the Minhe ophiolite in the Qilian Orogenic Belt (QOB) are presented. Their geochemical compositions (e.g., abundances of heavy rare earth elements, Al 2 O 3 , Yb, Re, and Th/Yb ratio) suggest that protoliths of the serpentinites originated as mantle residues. They underwent multiple episodes of melt depletion, leading to a highly refractory nature and high degrees of partial melting (> 18%). Moreover, subchondritic 187 Re/ 188 Os (0.0023 – 0.0399) and 187 Os/ 188 Os (0.1135 – 0.1210) ratios of the serpentinites, and decoupling of the Re-Os systematics and metasomatic proxies (e.g., LOI, Sr, La, and Th/Yb), demonstrate that fluid/melt metasomatism exerted a limited impact on their Re-Os isotopic systematics. Their Re-depletion ages (T RD ), varying from 1.22 – 2.21 Ga, are analogues to their Re-Os model ages (T MA , 1.29 – 2.31 Ga). Therefore, Re-Os isotopic ages recorded by ophiolites in QOB indicate that at least two major melt-extraction episodes occurred in the lithospheric mantle during Proterozoic (1.2 – 1.6 Ga and 2.0 – 2.2 Ga). Notably, the 1.2 – 1.6 Ga mantle melt-depletion event may have a genetic affinity with the 1.1 – 1.7 Ga crustal growth. Mantle rocks from an ophiolite have a great potential in tracking ancient geological events, such as Precambrian mantle melting.

Petrogenesis of the East Hoerba harzburgites, SW Tibet: Implications for melt stagnation in the lithospheric mantle of Neo-Tethys

In this study we present petrographic and compositional data for harzburgites from the eastern parts of the Hoerba Massif of the Yarlung-Zangbo Suture Zone (YZSZ), SW Tibet. These harzburgites are cross cut by semi-ductile mylonitic zones. The investigated rock samples contain aggregates of unstrained clinopyroxene with tapered edges. They also contain olivine with a high forsterite [Fo# = Mg/(Mg + Fe) × 100] content (89.3–91.8), orthopyroxene with a low Al 2 O 3 content (2.0–5.6 wt%), and clinopyroxene porphyroclasts with Cr 2 O 3 contents between 0.2 and 1.0 wt% and low lanthanide contents. Chromian spinel (Cr-spinel) in the East Hoerba harzburgites has low Cr# [100 × Cr/(Cr + Al)] and high Mg# [100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe)] values (23.7–39.2 and 62.2–76.3, respectively). These harzburgites have chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns characterized by enrichments in the light (L-)REE and positive slopes from the middle to the heavy REE. Semi-quantitative geochemical modeling demonstrates that the bulk-rock compositions of the East Hoerba harzburgites differ from those of typical abyssal and forearc peridotites. Clinopyroxene trace element modeling suggests that the East Hoerba harzburgites initially underwent melting below a mature spreading center, followed by melting in the mantle wedge above a Cretaceous Neo-Tethyan subduction system. Enrichment of the harzburgite samples in LREE is interpreted as due to post-melting entrapment of small volumes of a LREE-rich melt in the lithospheric mantle. We suggest that the East Hoerba harzburgites are sub-oceanic peridotites that underwent melt depletion events and melt stagnation before their exhumation at the Neo-Tethyan seafloor. • The East Hoerba Massif is composed of variably depleted harzburgites. • They were formed from mantle depletion events and post-melting magma stagnation. • They were generated beneath a transitional arc–back-arc setting. • They do not represent fragments of old sub-continental lithospheric mantle.

Highly refractory dunite formation at Gibbs Island and Bruce Bank, and its role in the evolution of the circum-Antarctic continent

ABSTRACT The continental margin is of profound importance as it records continental growth by accretion of orogenic magmas and following continental rifting. A high degree of mantle melting due to hydrous fluid input is expected to simultaneously stimulate continental growth and lower the intrinsic density of the mantle than more fertile mantle, which in turn isolates the continental lithosphere from the convective mantle. The mantle peridotites from Gibbs Island (South Shetland Islands) and Bruce Bank in the Drake Passage provide us an insight into the tectonic history in the circum-Antarctic region. To elucidate the continental growth of Antarctica, we present geochemical data of eight dunites from Gibbs Island and one dunite from Bruce Bank, including Re–Os isotope and highly siderophile element compositions. The dunites are severely affected by serpentinization as evidenced by antigorite + brucite or lizardite (loss on ignition = LOI ranging from 3 to 34 wt.%) but contain primary euhedral to subhedral chromites with or without spherical inclusions. The chromites rarely form lens-shaped aggregates. A dunite from Gibbs Island contains fresh olivine grains filling a fracture in the chromite with low LOI (3 wt.%), indicating a deserpentinization origin from a precursor serpentinized dunite. The dunites show highly depleted bulk-rock major element compositions (Mg/Si = 1.4–1.6 and Al/Si = 0.004–0.01 for Gibbs Island dunites, Mg/Si = 0.66 and Al/Si = 0.008 for Bruce Bank dunite), overlapping a compositional field defined by forearc peridotites. The positive correlation in Re/Ir–LOI space corroborates Re input during the later serpentinization process. The 187Os/188Os ratios of the dunites range from 0.11907 to 0.14493. Phanerozoic Re-depletion (melt depletion) ages of ca. 535–129 Ma are recorded in the Gibbs Island dunites, except for one with a Mesoproterozoic Re-depletion age of ca. 1.2 Ga. Since there exists serpentinization-related perturbation of Re, the ages provide minimum time estimates for melt depletion events. The early Paleozoic melt depletion is inferred to have occurred at a very early stage of Antarctic Peninsula formation in response to plate convergence along the margin of Gondwana, whereas the Mesoproterozoic Re-depletion age reflects convecting mantle heterogeneity unrelated to any nearby crust-forming events. The petrographic characteristics of the chromites and highly depleted nature of the dunites are attributed to melt–peridotite reaction in a subduction zone setting. A feasible interpretation for the dunite formation is that the mantle had experienced two stages of melting with the final stage occurring along the Gondwana continental margin in the subduction zone setting. Resultant highly refractory lithospheric mantle was later displaced and dispersed during the Gondwana breakup. Widespread existence of the dunite may be attributed to multi-stage melt depletion along the continental margin.

Ancient Melt-Depletion in Fresh to Strongly Serpentinized Tonga Trench Peridotites

ABSTRACT Peridotites from the Tonga Trench are some of the deepest-derived and freshest ever obtained from the seafloor. This study reports new bulk-rock major-, trace-, highly siderophile-element (HSE) abundance and 187Os/188Os data, as well as major- and trace-element abundances of mineral phases for NOVA88D dredge peridotites. The samples are harzburgites that experienced varying degrees of serpentinization, recorded in their loss on ignition (LOI) values, from zero to 16.7%. Degree of serpentinization in samples is correlated with Na, B, K, Sr, Ca, Rb and U, and weakly correlated with W, Fe, Pb, Cs and Li abundances, but is uncorrelated with other lithophile elements, most especially the rare earth elements (REE). Serpentinization had no systematic effect on the HSE abundances or 187Os/188Os compositions in the harzburgites. NOVA88D harzburgites record >18% melt depletion which has resulted in heterogenous distribution of the HSE within the rocks, likely due to retention of these elements within sub-micron sized alloy or sulphide phases. Time of rhenium depletion (TRD) ages, recorded by Os isotopes, average ~ 0.7 ± 0.4 Ga and can be as ancient as 1.5 Ga. Some harzburgite compositions are consistent with minor melt infiltration processes modifying incompatible trace element compositions and Re abundances, with a possible melt infiltration event at ~120 Ma based on 187Re-188Os, prior to the inception of subduction at the Tonga Trench at ~52 Ma. Evidence for ancient melt depletion, combined with limited melt processing since inception of subduction suggests that NOVA88D harzburgites represent melt residues incorporated into the Tonga arc, rather than their geochemical signatures being produced beneath the recent arc. Estimates of fO2 (~ − 0.4 ± 0.4 ΔFMQ) and olivine-spinel equilibration temperatures for the Tonga Trench samples (830 ± 120 ̊C) are similar to abyssal peridotites and some Izu-Mariana-Bonin peridotites. These values are unlikely to relate directly to recorded degrees of melt depletion and melt depletion ages in the rocks. Refractory residues from prior melt depletion events are probably common in the convecting mantle, and those with high degrees of melt depletion (>18%) and relatively ancient melt depletion ages (<2 Ga) are likely to have been formed during prior melting processes rather than melting processes within their current tectonic setting. These refractory peridotites can be incorporated into a range of tectonic settings, including into mid-ocean ridges, succeeding arcs, or within the continental lithospheric mantle, where they may play a limited role in melt generation processes.

A review of mantle xenoliths in volcanic rocks from southern Victoria Land, Antarctica

Abstract Mantle xenoliths from southern Victoria Land have been collected and extensively studied for over a century. In this chapter, chemical and petrological data are, for the first time, comprehensively collated, and petrogenetic models for the regional mantle are reviewed and assessed. The most common lithologies are spinel lherzolite and harzburgite; plagioclase lherzolite also occurs, and pyroxenite xenoliths found across the province comprise <20% of all mantle xenoliths. The lithospheric mantle in the region has Paleoproterozoic stabilization ages, although pockets of younger mantle may exist. This peridotite mantle comprises a HIMU (high 238 U/ 204 Pb = high μ)-component sensu stricto , has been variably carbonated and has undergone multiple melt-depletion events. Regional variations in a sedimentary (EMI: Enriched Mantle I) component to the west, and iron-rich components to the east, reflect a complex history of refertilization and metasomatism. The sources of these fluids are likely to have been oceanic crust subducted during c. 0.5 Ga and older events. Peridotites have been cross-cut by pyroxenite veins, probably in multiple episodes, with the geochemistry of some samples reflecting the involvement of an upper continental crust (EMII: Enriched Mantle II) component. Future research directions should apply advanced isotopic, noble gas and volatile techniques to better understand the upper mantle below this dynamic rifting environment.

Age and provenance of the lithospheric mantle beneath the Chidliak kimberlite province, southern Baffin Island: Implications for the evolution of the North Atlantic Craton

A suite of peridotite xenoliths from the Chidliak kimberlite province provides an ideal opportunity to assess the age of the mantle lithosphere beneath the eastern Hall Peninsula Block (EHPB) in southern Baffin Island, Nunavut and to provide constraints on the lithospheric architecture of this region. The new dataset comprises highly siderophile element (HSE) abundances and ReOs isotopic compositions for 32 peridotite xenoliths sampled from four Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous kimberlite pipes (CH-1, -6, -7, and -44). These peridotites represent strongly depleted mantle residues, with bulk-rock and olivine chemistry denoting melt extraction extents of up to 40%. The vast majority of samples show PPGE (Pt and Pd) depletion relative to IPGE (Os, Ir, and Ru) ((Pt/Ir)N: 0.10–0.96, median = 0.57; (Pd/Ir)N: 0.03–0.79, median = 0.24), coupled with mostly unradiogenic Os isotopic compositions (187Os/188Os = 0.1084–0.1170). These peridotites display strong correlations between 187Os/188Os and melt depletion indicators (such as olivine Mg number and bulk-rock Al2O3, (Pd/Ir)N), suggesting that an ancient (~2.8 Ga) melt depletion event governed the formation of the Chidliak lithosphere. The prominent mode of TRDerupt model ages at ca. 2.8 Ga matches the main crust-building ages of the EHPB, demonstrating temporal crust-mantle coupled in the Meso-Neoarchean. These ancient melt-depletion ages are present throughout the depth of the ~200 km thick lithospheric mantle column beneath Chidliak. The Meso-Neoarchean formation age of the EHPB mantle broadly coincides with the timing of stabilization of the lithospheric mantle beneath the Greenlandic portion of the North Atlantic Craton (NAC). This, along with the similarity in modal mineralogy, chemical composition and evolutionary history, indicates that the EHPB, southern Baffin Island was once contiguous with the Greenlandic NAC. The mantle lithosphere beneath both the EHPB and the NAC show a similar metasomatic history, modified by multiple pulses of metasomatism. These multiple metasomatic events combined to weaken and thin the lithospheric mantle, culminating in the formation of the Labrador Sea and Davis Strait separating the EHPB from the Greenlandic NAC in the Paleocene.

The formation of continental roots

AbstractNew evidence from seismic tomography reveals a unique mineral fabric restricted to the thick mantle lithosphere beneath ancient continental cratons, providing an important clue to the formation of these prominent and influential features in Earth’s geological history. Olivine, the dominant mineral of Earth’s upper mantle, has elastic properties that differ along its three crystallographic axes, and preferential alignment of individual olivine grains during plastic deformation can affect the bulk nature of seismic-wave propagation. Surface-wave tomography has shown that over most of Earth, deformation of the mantle lithosphere has oriented olivine crystals with the fast axis in the horizontal plane, but at depths centered at ∼150 km within cratonic continental-lithosphere roots, the fast crystallographic axis is preferentially aligned vertically. Because of the high viscosity of the cratonic roots, this fabric is likely to be a vestige from craton formation. Geochemical and petrological studies of upper-mantle garnet-peridotite nodules demonstrate that the cratonic mantle roots are stabilized by their reduced density, which was caused by melt removal at much shallower depths than those from which the nodules were subsequently extracted. The mineral fabric inferred from surface-wave tomography suggests that horizontal shortening carried the depleted zone downward after the melt-depletion event to form the thick continental roots, stretching the depleted material in the vertical dimension by pure shear and causing the fast crystallographic axis to be aligned vertically. This seismological fabric at ∼150 km is evidence of the shortening event that created the cratonic roots.

Testing oceanic crust–mantle decoupling by Sr–Nd–Hf–Os isotopes of Neo-Tethyan ophiolites

Oceanic crust and the mantle are thought to have identical Sr–Nd–Hf–Os isotopic compositions. However, there is increasing evidence of isotopic differences between the two units, suggesting the existence of oceanic crust–mantle decoupling. Here we present updated whole-rock and mineral Sr–Nd–Hf–Os isotope data for the Kızıldağ (southeast Turkey) and Xigaze (south Tibet, China) Neo-Tethyan ophiolites to test if oceanic crust–mantle decoupling characterizes these ophiolites. Mantle peridotites from the Kızıldağ ophiolite have large variations in clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene Hf isotopic compositions (εHf (t) = −27.7 to +20.6) and unradiogenic Os isotope ratios (187Os/188Os = 0.11853–0.12720). These mantle peridotites have experienced ancient (up to ~1.6 Ga) melt depletion events, as evidenced by their old Re depletion ages (TRD = 1632–357 Ma), although Hf isotopes have been locally reset by recent melt re-fertilization, which likely occurred in a forearc basin setting. Mantle peridotites from the Xigaze ophiolite mainly have DMM (depleted mid-ocean ridge basalt mantle)-like to ultra-depleted clinopyroxene Hf isotopic compositions (εHf (t) = +9.1 to +29.8 for 17 out of 19 analyses), which were extensively overprinted by silicate melt percolation. However, the Os isotopic compositions of the Xigaze mantle peridotites are similar to those of the Kızıldağ ophiolite, again suggestive of ancient melt extraction long before the Early Cretaceous formation of this oceanic crust. These ancient and ultra-depleted mantle domains are not uncommon in modern oceanic lithosphere, forearc basins and ophiolites, and are less dense than the fertile mantle, and also are too refractory to contribute to the recent generation of oceanic crust. Sampling bias is unavoidable when comparing the oceanic crust and its underlying lithospheric mantle. As such, the oceanic crust alone cannot be used to estimate the isotopic composition of its entire mantle source.

Isotopic fractionation of zirconium during magmatic differentiation and the stable isotope composition of the silicate Earth

Abstract High-precision double-spike Zr stable isotope measurements (expressed as δ94/90ZrIPGP-Zr, the permil deviation of the 94Zr/90Zr ratio from the IPGP-Zr standard) are presented for a range of ocean island basalts (OIB) and mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) to examine mass-dependent isotopic variations of zirconium in Earth. Ocean island basalt samples, spanning a range of radiogenic isotopic flavours (HIMU, EM) show a limited range in δ94/90ZrIPGP-Zr (0.046 ± 0.037‰; 2sd, n = 13). Similarly, MORB samples with chondrite-normalized La/Sm of >0.7 show a limited range in δ94/90ZrIPGP-Zr (0.053 ± 0.040‰; 2sd, n = 8). In contrast, basaltic lavas from mantle sources that have undergone significant melt depletion, such as depleted normal MORB (N-MORB) show resolvable variations in δ94/90ZrIPGP-Zr, from −0.045 ± 0.018 to 0.074 ± 0.023‰. Highly evolved igneous differentiates (>65 wt% SiO2) from Hekla volcano in Iceland are isotopically heavier than less evolved igneous rocks, up to 0.53‰. These results suggest that both mantle melt depletion and extreme magmatic differentiation leads to resolvable mass-dependent Zr isotope fractionation. We find that this isotopic fractionation is most likely driven by incorporation of light isotopes of Zr within the 8-fold coordinated sites of zircons, driving residual melts, with a lower coordination chemistry, towards heavier values. Using a Rayleigh fractionation model, we suggest a αzircon-melt of 0.9995 based on the whole rock δ94/90ZrIPGP-Zr values of the samples from Hekla volcano (Iceland). Zirconium isotopic fractionation during melt-depletion of the mantle is less well-constrained, but may result from incongruent melting and incorporation of isotopically light Zr in the 8-fold coordinated M2 site of orthopyroxene. Based on these observations lavas originating from the effect of melt extraction from a depleted mantle source (N-MORB) or that underwent zircon saturation (SiO2 > 65 wt%) are removed from the dataset to give an estimate of the primitive mantle Zr isotope composition of 0.048 ± 0.032‰; 2sd, n = 48. These data show that major controls on Zr fractionation in the Earth result from partial melt extraction in the mantle and by zircon fractionation in differentiated melts. Conversely, fertile mantle is homogenous with respect to Zr isotopes. Zirconium mass-dependent fractionation effects can therefore be used to trace large-scale mantle melt depletion events and the effects of felsic crust formation.

Age and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle beneath the Cameroon Volcanic Line: Constraints from the Nyos mantle xenoliths

To better constrain the age and composition of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL), we present Sr-Nd-Hf-Os isotopes of the Nyos mantle xenoliths (nine lherzolites and four harzburgites). The Nyos lherzolites have fertile compositions with 37.69–41.12wt.% MgO and 2.49–4.38wt.% Al2O3, whereas the harzburgites are more refractory containing 43.2–45.42wt.% MgO and 1.43–2.1wt.% Al2O3. The MgO contents of the Nyos xenoliths overall show negative correlations with CaO, Al2O3, Na2O and TiO2 contents, indicating that they represent mantle residues after melt depletion. Modal minerals like pargasitic amphibole have only been discovered in one Nyos lherzolite, suggesting modal metasomatism locally occurred. Clinopyroxenes in most Nyos xenoliths show enriched trace element compositions, indicating pervasive cryptic metasomatism within the SCLM. Clinopyroxenes in the Nyos lherzolites have less radiogenic Sr and more radiogenic Nd isotopes than the Nyos harzburgites. Clinopyroxene Hf isotopes of the harzburgites are comparable to those of the lherzolites. Although the CVL basalts have similar Sr-Nd isotopes with the Nyos harzburgites, they have different Hf isotopes. Therefore, the CVL basalts could not be sourced solely from the lithospheric mantle. The Nyos lherzolites show consistent HSE patterns, with slight depletion in both Re and Pt over Pd. The harzburgites are remarkably depleted in Pt, Pd and Re relative to Os, Ir and Ru. The Nyos lherzolites have variable 187Os/188Os ratios ranging from 0.11700 to 0.13129, yielding Os model ages (TMA) relative to the primitive upper mantle (PUM) of 0.27–2.18Ga and Re depletion ages (TRD) of 0.12–1.76Ga. In comparison, four harzburgites have more unradiogenic 187Os/188Os ratios of 0.11485–0.11705. Three of the four harzburgites with low Re/Os ratios yield similar TMA and TRD ages, i.e., 1.91–2.43Ga vs. 1.87–2.05Ga, respectively. The 187Os/188Os ratios of the Nyos xenoliths show a good correlation with bulk Al2O3 contents. An initial 187Os/188Os ratio of 0.11064 can be inferred from the 187Os/188Os-Al2O3 correlation, giving an Archean TRD age of ~2.6Ga. This suggests that the Nyos mantle xenoliths have been subjected to melt depletion events during the Paleoproterozoic convergence of the Congo and West Africa cratons, which formed the lithospheric mantle intruded by the CVL. The SCLM beneath the CVL is coeval with or slightly younger than the charnockite and tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite in the Ntem Complex of NW Congo Craton. We proposed that the old SCLM was a part of the Congo cratonic mantle. Therefore, our results suggest that old cratonic mantle beneath the CVL has not been completely removed during the Pan-African Orogeny, although the overlying crust might have been strongly deformed and reworked.

Geochemical and Os–Hf–Nd–Sr Isotopic Characterization of North Patagonian Mantle Xenoliths: Implications for Extensive Melt Extraction and Percolation Processes

Alkali basalt hosted mantle xenoliths were sampled at four locations within the North Patagonian Massif, Argentina. The subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath Comallo, Puesto Diaz and Cerro Chenque is mostly represented by spinel-harzburgites, whereas at Prahuaniyeu, spinel–garnet- and garnet-peridotites occur next to spinel-peridotites. Partial melting estimates for the north Patagonian mantle xenoliths determined from clinopyroxene trace element abundances reveal up to 25% melt extraction. Whereas the SCLM beneath Puesto Diaz, Cerro Chenque and Comallo is exclusively represented by highly depleted mantle xenoliths, the Prahuaniyeu sample suite comprises both fertile lherzolites and depleted harzburgites. Elevated trace element contents in all the studied north Patagonian mantle samples indicate that melt–rock interaction took place after an initial melt depletion event. Variable primitive mantle normalized REE patterns of clinopyroxenes from within one sample locality suggest compositional changes attributed to melt percolation, which has not significantly affected the bulk-rock and mineral major element compositions. Melt percolation processes have also been detected in the isotopic compositions of the xenoliths, as well as in their highly siderophile element systematics. Hf isotopic compositions are decoupled from those of Nd and Sr and have been affected by variable degrees of enrichment. Platinum group element (PGE) abundances also reveal indications of melt–rock reaction. In some samples this is reflected in fractionation of the iridium-group PGE and/or enrichment in the palladium-group PGE and/or rhenium, which cannot result merely from partial melting processes. Rhenium depletion ages (T RD ) determined from Os isotopic analyses reveal an at least late Paleoproterozoic (1·7 Ga) stabilization of the Prahuaniyeu SCLM. Mantle xenoliths sampled from beneath Comallo and Puesto Diaz–Cerro Chenque yield distinctly younger T RD of 1·3 Ga and 1·0 Ga, respectively. Distinct differences in the character of mantle xenoliths from Prahuaniyeu and from Puesto Diaz and Cerro Chenque (i.e. SCLM stabilization age and range of fertility) suggest that at least two SCLM domains exist below the North Patagonian Massif.

Generations of Melt Extraction, Melt–Rock Interaction and High-Temperature Metasomatism Preserved in Peridotites of the ∼497 Ma Leka Ophiolite Complex, Norway

Ophiolites allow spatial and temporal assessment of the causes and length-scales of upper mantle compositional heterogeneity because they permit field-based observations to be coupled with geochemical investigations of upper mantle lithologies. The � 497 Ma Leka Ophiolite Complex (Norway) comprises a section of early Palaeozoic (Iapetus) oceanic lithosphere with well-exposed mantle and lower crustal sections and generally low degrees of serpentinization. The Leka upper mantle section is heterogeneous at the centimetre to metre scale, manifested by abundant dunite lenses and sheets in harzburgitic host-rock, especially within � 500 m of the palaeo Moho. Abundant chromitite (� 60 vol. % Cr-spinel) and pyroxenite lenses and layers also occur in the uppermost 200‐300 m of the mantle section. These diverse mantle lithologies probably developed in a suprasubduction-zone (SSZ) setting, as a result of fluid-assisted melt extraction, offering an opportunity to interrogate the nature of chemical heterogeneities developed in such rocks. At � 497 Ma, the Os isotopic compositions of Leka harzburgites averaged � 2% more radiogenic than the projected average for abyssal peridotites at that time, yet they exhibit nearly chondritic relative abundances of the highly siderophile elements (HSE). Several of the harzburgites are characterized by low initial 187 Os/ 188 Os (<0� 121), reflecting Proterozoic melt depletion. Preservation of Os isotopic compositions consistent with ancient (<0� 5 to 2 Ga) melt depletion episodes is a common characteristic of melt-depleted oceanic peridotites. There is no clear evidence that SSZ melt extraction had a discernible impact on the bulk Os isotopic composition of the Iapetus oceanic mantle, as represented by the Leka harzburgites. By contrast, non-harzburgitic lithologies are generally characterized by more radiogenic initial 187 Os/ 188 Os and more variable HSE abundances. The dunites, chromitites and pyroxenites of the LOC can be separated into two groups on the basis of their trace element geochemistry and the Re-Os isotope errorchrons that they define, yielding ages of 485 6 32 Ma and 589 6 15 Ma, respectively. The former age corresponds, within error, to the accepted age of the ophiolite (497 6 2 Ma). The meaning of the latter age is uncertain, but possibly corresponds to the early stages of Iapetus opening. The Leka ophiolite reveals the importance of oceanic lithosphere formation processes for mantle heterogeneity at metre to kilometre scales, but also emphasizes the robustness of Os isotopes in recording older melt-depletion events.

Depletion and refertilization of the Tethyan oceanic upper mantle as revealed by the early Jurassic Refahiye ophiolite, NE Anatolia—Turkey

We present new whole-rock major and trace element, Re–Os isotope and mineral chemistry data for the upper mantle peridotites and mafic rocks in the Rehafiye ophiolite in NE Anatolia (Turkey), and discuss their significance for the mantle evolution in Neotethys. The Refahiye peridotites include clinopyroxene (cpx)-rich and cpx-poor harzburgites. Assuming an initial fertile mantle composition, the cpx-rich harzburgites have a limited range of Cr-spl Cr# (33–38), implying 14–18% melt extraction. However, TiO2 contents of the Cr-spl in these rocks are too high (up to 0.24wt.%) to explain their Ti concentrations with a simple melt extraction model in a mid-ocean ridge (MOR) setting, and suggest re-crystallization from an impregnating fertile melt. The interstitial phases of cpx in these samples have high TiO2 (up to 0.40wt.%) and Na2O (up to 0.25wt.%) contents. They also contain interstitial pargasitic amphibole with TiO2 contents varying between 0.69 and 0.88wt.%. These textures and the mineral chemistry data indicate refertilization of the previously depleted, MOR-type peridotites by percolating hydrous melts. The whole-rock REE partial melting modeling is consistent with slightly lower degrees of mantle melting (~12–14%) compared to the melt extraction degrees obtained from the Cr-spl compositions (~15%). Chromian spinel (Cr-spl) phases in the cpx-poor harzburgites show a wider variation of Cr#, ranging between 57 and 75, and reflect 30–40% of partial melting. In contrast, the whole-rock geochemistry of these rocks represents slightly lower degrees of partial melting, varying between 30 and 35%. The enrichment of TiO2 contents of the Cr-spl (up to 0.20wt.%) in some of the cpx-poor harzburgites can be explained by their interaction with Ti-rich hydrous melt formed at supra-subduction (SSZ) tectonic setting. Highly unradiogenic Os isotope composition (0.11956) of a cpx-poor harzburgite sample suggests an ancient melt depletion event experienced by these rocks, whereas its high Re content is a manifestation of subduction enrichment. The mafic units of the Refahiye ophiolite show MORB-like to island arc tholeiite (IAT) geochemical signatures typical of SSZ oceanic crust. A U–Pb zircon age of 183±1Ma obtained from an isotropic gabbro sample suggests that the crystallization of the SSZ-type mafic units in the Refahiye ophiolite is as old as the early Jurassic.

Comparative Sr–Nd–Hf–Os–Pb isotope systematics of xenolithic peridotites from Yangyuan, North China Craton: Additional evidence for a Paleoproterozoic age

Concentrations of trace elements in orthopyroxenes and clinopyroxenes, and the Sr, Nd, Hf and Pb isotopic compositions of clinopyroxenes from 11 well-characterized spinel peridotite xenoliths carried in the ~30Ma Yangyuan alkali basalts, North China Craton, reveal a complex history of chemical modification of the lithospheric mantle. The clinopyroxenes were separated from a suite of peridotites for which whole-rock Re–Os isotopic systematics have previously suggested a melt depletion event at ~1.8Ga, and were chosen to span a range of rare earth element (REE) patterns with (La/Yb)N=0.13 to 8.2. Present-day isotopic compositions are highly variable: 87Sr/86Sr=0.70229 to 0.70443, εNd=−0.6 to +24, 206Pb/204Pb=15.74 to 19.08, and εHf=+13.5 to +167. Partial melting models indicate that the Yangyuan clinopyroxenes have light REE (LREE) abundances that are too high to be pristine residues of fractional melting, reflecting subsequent enrichment of the LREE, e.g., via melt addition. Ancient melt addition accounts for the decoupling observed between Nd and Hf isotopic data for most samples, although a few samples may also have been modified by recent melt addition, shortly before the entrainment of the xenoliths into the host basalt.Strontium, Nd and Pb isotopic systems provide no useful age constraints for this suite, although some samples have Paleoproterozoic model ages. By contrast, Yangyuan clinopyroxenes yield a Lu–Hf correlation trend corresponding to an apparent age of 1.66±0.10Ga (2σ) that is within uncertainty of their whole-rock Os model age (1.8±0.2Ga). Given that the crust in this area originally formed during the Archean, these results suggest mantle lithosphere removal and replacement during the Paleoproterozoic. Our data demonstrate that, in some instances, the Lu–Hf isotope system may be used as a complement to the whole‐rock Re–Os isotope system in dating melt depletion of peridotites.

Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd isotope systematics of Korean spinel peridotites: A case for metasomatically induced Nd–Hf decoupling

We determined the Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd isotope compositions of spinel peridotite xenoliths in alkali basalts from Baengnyeong and Jeju islands, South Korea, to constrain the timing of melt-depletion events and stabilization of the lithospheric mantle beneath the region. Equilibration temperatures estimated by two-pyroxene thermometry range from 780 to 950°C, and from 960 to 1010°C for Baengnyeong and Jeju peridotites, respectively. The Baengnyeong peridotite clinopyroxenes are characterized by extremely radiogenic Hf in association with isotopically less extreme Nd, resulting in strong Nd–Hf decoupling referenced to the mantle array. This is in stark contrast to the well-correlated isotopic compositions of Hf and Nd in the Jeju peridotite clinopyroxenes, which plot along the Nd–Hf mantle array. The Hf abundances and isotopic compositions of the Baengnyeong clinopyroxenes were less affected by relatively recent secondary enrichments that overprinted the light rare earth element abundances and Nd isotopes, causing the decoupling of the Nd–Hf isotopes. The Nd–Hf isotopic compositions of the Jeju peridotites appear to have been re-equilibrated, probably as a result of efficient diffusion at the relatively higher temperatures of the Jeju peridotites.Lu–Hf tie lines for clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene from four of the Korean peridotites have negative slopes on a Lu–Hf isochron diagram, yielding negative ages. This is interpreted to indicate recent isotopic exchange in orthopyroxene by reaction with metasomatic agents having low 176Hf/177Hf components. Secondary overprinting in orthopyroxene was facilitated by the considerably lower Hf concentrations than in co-located clinopyroxene. Baengnyeong lherzolite clinopyroxenes yield a Lu–Hf errorchron age of 1.9±0.1Ga, which is independently supported by a model Os age (based on Re depletion or TRD) of 1.8Ga on a refractory Baengnyeong peridotite. We interpret this age range to mark the time of stabilization of the mantle section beneath this area by major melt extraction. This Proterozoic melt removal coincided in time with widespread ca. 2.1 to 1.8Ga tectonothermal events documented throughout the Korean Peninsula. These observations indicate that the Lu–Hf system can be used to date mantle melting events recorded in lherzolite xenoliths.

Chemical heterogeneity in the upper mantle recorded by peridotites and chromitites from the Shetland Ophiolite Complex, Scotland

The timing, causes and extent of mantle heterogeneity preserved in the ∼492Ma Shetland Ophiolite Complex (Scotland) are evaluated using Re–Os isotope and whole rock highly siderophile element (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Pd, Re) abundance measurements of a suite of eight chromitites and 21 serpentinised harzburgites and dunites. Shetland dunites have more variable initial 187Os/188Os, as well as absolute and relative abundances of the HSE, compared to spatially associated harzburgites. As is common for ophiolitic peridotites, the harzburgites (γOs492Ma of −5.3 to +2.6) preserve evidence for a Mesoproterozoic depletion event, but are dominated by contemporary chondritic, ambient upper mantle compositions. The dunites have γOs492Ma values ranging between −3.3 and +12.4, reflecting dunite formation by higher degrees of melt interaction with mantle rock than for the spatially associated harzburgites.Chromitite seams from three locations separated by <500m have a large range in HSE concentrations (e.g., 0.09 to ∼2.9μgg−1 Os) with initial γOs492Ma values ranging only from +0.48 to +3.95. Sulphides, arsenides and platinum-group minerals are the primary hosts for the HSE in the chromitites. Their isotopic variations reflect initial isotopic heterogeneity in their primary magmatic signatures. Coupled with field observations that support chromitite formation in concentrated zones of enhanced melt flow, the isotopic dichotomy between the harzburgites and the chromitites suggests that chromitite 187Os/188Os compositions may better approximate the upper limit, rather than an average value, of the bulk convecting upper mantle.The Shetland peridotite compositions reflect protracted melt depletion (low-Al2O3) and melt percolation events in a supra-subduction zone (SSZ) setting at ∼492Ma, following an earlier (Mesoproterozoic) melt-depletion event. These results provide further evidence that ancient chemical complexities can be preserved in the upper mantle during ocean plate formation. Chromitites and peridotites from the Shetland Ophiolite Complex also attest to lithological and geochemical heterogeneities generated at scales of less than tens of metres during the formation of ancient oceanic lithosphere by high-degree SSZ melt extraction, percolation and during chromitite formation in the oceanic lithosphere.

Initial Os-isotopic composition of Os-Ir-Ru alloys from ultramafic massifs of the Polar Siberia

This study firstly presents chemical and initial Os-isotopic compositions of Os-Ir-Ru minerals of two ultramafic formations of Polar Siberia, which are exemplified by Guli clinopyroxene-dunite massif of the Maimecha-Kotui Province and the Kunar dunite-harzburgite massif from the Chelyuskin ultramafic belt of the Taimyr Peninsula. The study employed a range of methods, including electron microprobe analysis, negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry (N-TIMS) and laser ablation attached to an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA MC-ICP-MS). The majority of platinum-group minerals (PGM) from the Guli massif are Os-(Ir-Ru) solid solutions or Os-rich minerals. At Kunar, minerals of Ru-Os-Ir system (i.e., osmium, ruthenium, iridium and rutheniridosmine) dominate the PGM assemblage. The ruthenium trend in the mineral compositions is due to the formation of these minerals under high pressures and temperatures at considerable depths. The 187Os/188Os values of Os-rich minerals from the Guli massif range from 0.12309 ± 0.00002 to 0.12606 ± 0.00003 (n = 168). The initial Os-isotopic composition of PGM from the central block of the Guli massif is characterized by the 187Os/188Os values, varying in the range 0.12404–0.12606. Osmiumrich minerals from the southwestern block of the Guli massif are characterized by the least “radiogenic” 187Os/188Os values (i.e., 0.12309–0.12341). Low relative to the chondritic universal reservoir (CHUR) 187Os/188Os values are indicative of a near-to-chondritic source of platinum-group elements (PGE). The most “productive” stage of PGM formation at Guli (n = 121) is recorded in the time interval of 545–615 Ma. The older model 187Os/188Os ages of osmium minerals are characteristic of the southwestern block of the Guli massif (e.g., 745–760 Ma). The results of the initial Os-isotopic composition for Os-rich alloys are consistent with a model, in which PGM were formed during multi-stage melt depletion events in the mantle. This agrees well with the suggestion that the Guli massif consists of heterogeneous blocks of ultramafic rocks. The 187Os/188Os ratio in the investigated PGM from the Kunar massif varies in a wider range (0.1094–0.1241, n = 28). For the dominant set of PGM samples (n = 25), regardless of their chemical composition, four groups of the initial osmium isotopic compositions can be estimated, with average 187Os/188Os values of 0.1217 ± 0.0002 (n = 7), 0.1223 ± 0.0002 (n = 7), 0.1230 ± 0.0002 (n = 6) and 0.1238 ± 0.0003 (n = 6), respectively. The average model Re-Os ages for the defined groups of the Kunar massif are consistent with Late Riphean age interval (e.g., 975 ± 42 Ma, 892 ± 42 Ma, 791 ± 28 Ma and 681 ± 42 Ma, respectively). Significant variations in the 187Os/188Os values and model ages for Ru-Os-Ir alloys at Kunar are close to those from other duniteharzburgite massifs of the Earth, pointing out for their prolonged multi-stage evolution within the upper mantle.

Contrasting types of metasomatism in dunite, wehrlite and websterite xenoliths from Kimberley, South Africa

Dunite, wehrlite and websterite are rare members of the mantle xenolith suite in the Kimberley kimberlites of the Kaapvaal Craton in southern Africa. All three types were originally residues of extensive melt extraction and experienced varying amounts and types of melt re-enrichment. The melt depletion event, dated by Re–Os isotope systematics at 2.9 Ga or older, is evidenced by the high Mg# (Mg/(Mg + Fe)) of silicate minerals (olivine (0.89–0.93); pyroxene (0.88–0.93); garnet (0.72–0.85)), high Cr# (Cr/(Cr + Al)) of spinel (0.53–0.84) and mostly low whole-rock SiO 2, CaO and Al 2O 3 contents. Shortly after melt depletion, websterites were formed by reaction between depleted peridotites and silica-rich melt (>60 wt% SiO 2) derived by partial melting of eclogite before or during cratonization. The melt–peridotite interaction converted olivine into orthopyroxene. All three xenolith types have secondary metasomatic clinopyroxene and garnet, which occur along olivine grain boundaries and have an amoeboid texture. As indicated by the preservation of oxygen isotope disequilibrium in the minerals and trace-element concentrations in clinopyroxene and garnet, this metasomatic event is probably of Mesozoic age and was caused by percolating alkaline basaltic melts. This melt metasomatism enriched the xenoliths in CaO, Al 2O 3, FeO and high-field-strength-elements, and might correspond to the Karoo magmatism at 200 Ma. The websterite xenoliths experienced both the orthoyproxene-enrichment and clinopyroxene–garnet metasomatic events, whereas dunite and wehrlite xenoliths only saw the later basaltic melt event, and may have been situated further away from the source of melt migration channels.

A link between large mantle melting events and continent growth seen in osmium isotopes

Although Earth's continental crust is thought to have been derived from the mantle, the timing and mode of crust formation have proven to be elusive issues. The area of preserved crust diminishes markedly with age, and this can be interpreted as being the result of either the progressive accumulation of new crust or the tectonic recycling of old crust. However, there is a disproportionate amount of crust of certain ages, with the main peaks being 1.2, 1.9, 2.7 and 3.3 billion years old; this has led to a third model in which the crust has grown through time in pulses, although peaks in continental crust ages could also record preferential preservation. The 187Re-187Os decay system is unique in its ability to track melt depletion events within the mantle and could therefore potentially link the crust and mantle differentiation records. Here we employ a laser ablation technique to analyse large numbers of osmium alloy grains to quantify the distribution of depletion ages in the Earth's upper mantle. Statistical analysis of these data, combined with other samples of the upper mantle, show that depletion ages are not evenly distributed but cluster in distinct periods, around 1.2, 1.9 and 2.7 billion years. These mantle depletion events coincide with peaks in the generation of continental crust and so provide evidence of coupled, global and pulsed mantle-crust differentiation, lending strong support to pulsed models of continental growth by means of large-scale mantle melting events.