Melting Of Mid-ocean Ridge Basalt Research Articles

Evidence for Ultra-Low Velocity Zone Genesis in Downwelling Subducted Slabs at the Core–Mantle Boundary

Abstract We investigate broadband SPdKS waveforms from earthquakes occurring beneath Myanmar. These paths sample the core–mantle boundary beneath northwestern China. Waveform modeling shows that two ∼250 × 250 km wide ultra-low velocity zones (ULVZs) with a thickness of roughly 10 km exist in the region. The ULVZ models fitting these data have large S-wave velocity drops of 55% but relatively small 14% P-wave velocity reductions. This is almost a 4:1 S- to P-wave velocity ratio and is suggestive of a partial melt origin. These ULVZs exist in a region of the Circum-Pacific with a long history of subduction and far from large low-velocity province (LLVP) boundaries where ULVZs are more commonly observed. It is possible that these ULVZs are generated by partial melting of mid-ocean ridge basalt.

Genesis and Geodynamic Significance of Chromitites from the Fuchuan Ophiolite, Southern China, as Evidenced by Trace Element Fingerprints of Chromite, Olivine and Pyroxene

AbstractThe Fuchuan ophiolite is located in the northeasternmost segment of the Neoproterozoic Jiangnan orogen and consists mainly of harzburgites, with minor dunites, pyroxenite and gabbro veins and dykes. In order to investigate the genesis and tectonic setting of the Fuchuan ophiolite and chromitites, in situ analyses of unaltered chromites and silicates were carried out. Trace element analyses of unaltered chromites from the Fuchuan chromitites indicate the parental magma is of mid‐ocean ridge basalt (MORB)‐like origin, with the Ti/Fe3+#–Ga/Fe3+# diagram of chromites showing that the chromitites are a result of melt/rock interaction of MORB melts with mantle peridotites, and that the Fuchuan harzburgites present the dual features of MORB and supra‐subduction zone peridotites (SSZP). Trace and rare earth element (REE) analyses of olivines and orthopyroxenes from the Fuchuan harzburgites hint at the possibility of mantle metasomatism influenced by SSZ‐subducted fluids. Finally, integrating with previous study, the Fuchuan ophiolite and chromitites might have been formed in a back‐arc spreading ridge between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks during the Neoproterozoic.

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.

MORB Melt Transport through Atlantis Bank Oceanic Batholith (SW Indian Ridge)

AbstractThe Atlantis Bank Oceanic Batholith is a 660 km2 gabbro massif representing the plutonic foundation of a major ridge magmatic center. It was continuously accreted, emplaced, and exposed in the rift mountains of the paleo-SW Indian Ridge from 13 to 10·3 Ma. Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 735B, drilled to 1508 m at Atlantis Bank, recovered evolved intercalated olivine and oxide gabbros representing the upper levels of the lower ocean crust. Within this section, ∼5·6 m of primitive chromian-spinel-bearing troctolites (0·1–2 m thick), with sharp modal contacts with the host gabbros, were cored between 410 and 500 m depth. Here we present new mineral (chromian spinel, clinopyroxene, olivine, and plagioclase) major and trace element and petrographic data for the troctolite suites (i.e. troctolites, clinopyroxene-rich troctolites, troctolitic gabbros) from 410 to 528 mbsf (meters below seafloor) and olivine gabbros in the 0–274 mbsf and 410–500 mbsf intervals, and examine the origin of these troctolite layers. Equilibrium melts for the troctolites are primitive to moderately evolved, with Mg# [= 100Mg/(Mg + Fe), 48–68 mol%] comparable with those of Atlantis Bank basalts. By contrast, equilibrium melts for both the 0–274 mbsf and 410–500 mbsf host olivine gabbros are highly to moderately evolved (Mg# 27–63 mol%). The 410–500 mbsf troctolite suites maintain high clinopyroxene Mg# (81–89 mol%) and mineral concentrations of compatible elements (i.e. clinopyroxene Cr2O3 0·1–1·2 wt%, Ni 151–330 μg g–1 and olivine Ni 1055–1559 μg g–1) with the increase in incompatible trace element abundances (i.e. clinopyroxene TiO2 0·3–2·1 wt%, Zr 5·8–112 μg g–1 and olivine Ti up to 293 μg g–1). Combined with abundant dissolution–reprecipitation textures, our results indicate that the troctolites were formed by the reaction between a spinel-bearing, troctolitic mush, from which they inherited the high Mg#, Ni and Cr, and percolating melts adding incompatible trace elements. Moreover, the spinel (NiO versus TiO2) and olivine (Ti versus Y) trace element compositions indicate that the troctolites were affected by low-degree Fe–Ti-rich melt metasomatism. In contrast, both the 0–274 mbsf and 410–500 mbsf olivine gabbros display a prominent decrease in clinopyroxene Mg# (from 88 to 66) and mineral compatible element concentrations (i.e. clinopyroxene Cr2O3 from 1·1 to ∼0 wt%, Ni from 208 to 34 μg g–1 and olivine Ni from 1200 to 136 μg g–1) with increasing incompatible trace element abundances (e.g. clinopyroxene Zr from 4·8 to 157 μg g–1). These features are compatible with the reactive porous flow of slightly to highly evolved melts through the cooling crystal mush zone. Our results, combined with the literature data, indicate that most olivine gabbros between 410 and 500 mbsf were formed prior to the troctolite layers. We document that the troctolites represent conduits for mid-ocean ridge basalt melt transport through the lower oceanic crust, whereas the olivine gabbros represent crystallization of a large crystal mush, recording initial gabbro emplacement, hyper- and sub-solidus deformation, and melt–rock reaction owing to upward penetrative flow of intercumulus melt.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of cumulates from the Hongguleleng ophiolitic mélange, western Junggar, Xinjiang: Implications for the origin and tectonic setting

The Hongguleleng ophiolitic mélange is located in western Junggar, Xinjiang, which has relatively complete rock assemblages. The well-developed cumulate facies is an important feature and can provide important clues for studying the genesis and tectonic setting of the ophiolitic mélange. The Hongguleleng ophiolitic mélange can be classified into metamorphicperidotite, ultramafic-mafic cumulates and volcanic rocks from bottom to top. The cumulates include ultramafic cumulates and mafic cumulates. The ultramafic cumulates are mainly composed of cumulate peridotite and dunite, which are the major lithofacies hosting chromite. The mafic cumulates consist of troctolite and gabbro, which are the end-member or transition types with olivine-mafic plagioclase-clinopyroxene. The results show that olivine in the cumulates is chrysolite (Fo = 83–88), the clinopyroxene is diopside (En = 44–59) and the plagioclase is bytownite (An = 70–87). Mafic cumulates have similar distribution patterns of rare earth elements (REEs) and trace elements, such as obvious positive Eu anomalies that indicate the accumulation of plagioclase. The εNd(t) values of the Hongguleleng cumulates range from 3.47 to 6.11, which indicates that their source was mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB). According to the chemical compositions of chromian spinel, we calculated that the parent magma melt contained 12.95–16.25 wt% Al2O3, 0.59–1.90 wt% TiO2 and 1.43–3.96 FeO/MgO, which is basically equivalent to the composition of MORB. Petrological and geochemical characteristics show that the diagenetic process of the Hongguleleng cumulates was mainly controlled by crystallization differentiation. The cumulates may have formed in a plate tectonic mid-ocean ridge spreading environment. The cumulate chromitites were formed through fractional crystallization of MORB melts.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of the peridotites and high-Cr podiform chromitites from the Tangbale Ophiolite Complex, West Junggar (NW China): Implications for the origin and tectonic environment of formation

The Tangbale Ophiolite Complex is located in southwestern part of the West Junggar, NW China, which is a major component of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The Tangbale Ophiolite Complex consists of voluminous dunites, harzburgites and high-Cr podiform chromitites. Harzburgite contains chromian spinel of low Cr# (100 × Cr/(Cr + Al) = 38–64) but high Mg# (100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe2+) = 55–61), whereas dunite contains spinel of higher Cr# (56–82) and lower Mg# (41–55). Numerical modeling of heavy rare earth element (HREE) contents in harzburgites are consistent with derivation from ~15% to 20% partial melting of a fertile mantle source, and dunites with low concentrations of HREE are suggested to be generated by higher degrees (~20%–25%) melting of the same source. The peridotites have REE signatures with enrichments in LREE, indicating the involvement of metasomatism and interaction by subduction-related melts in their formation. The chromite in podiform chromitite displays the highest Cr# (80–84) and Mg# (65–76), as well as moderate TiO2 contents, suggesting crystallization from hydrous, high-Si and high-Mg melts in supra-subduction zones, which is consistent with the calculated compositions of parental melts for spinels in chromitites. The genesis of high-Cr chromitites is likely to be triggered by the metasomatism and interaction between high-Mg boninitic-like melts and mantle peridotites. The addition of SiO2 and chrome in boninitic-like melts via interaction with peridotites trigger high-Cr chromite to precipitate and separate from parental magma, and finally concentrate into chromitites with boninitic-like signature at SSZ zone. The calculated parental melts for spinels in peridotites show hybrid compositions between MORB (mid-ocean ridge basalt) and arc melts, suggesting a two-stage formation in an evolving from MOR (mid-ocean ridge) to SSZ (supra-subduction zone) setting. The peridotites in the Tangbale body were most likely formed at a MOR setting and trapped above an intra-oceanic subduction zone as part of the mantle wedge, where the upper peridotites were metasomatized and partially re-melted under fluid-saturated and high temperature conditions to generate boninitic melts. The interaction between upward-migrating boninitic melts and/or rising asthenospheric mantle-derived melts with the peridotites beneath the Moho triggered the generation of high-Cr podiform chromitites and associated dunite envelopes.

Iron isotope fractionation during mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) evolution: Evidence from lavas on the East Pacific Rise at 10°30′N and its implications

Whether the Earth’s mantle has a chondritic δ56Fe (deviation in 56Fe/54Fe from the IRMM-014 standard in parts per thousand) value or not remains under debate. The current view is that the observed average δ56Fe of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) cannot be explained by partial melting of mantle source with chondritic value alone. Here, we report Fe isotope compositions on 29 MORB glasses sampled along a flowline traverse across the East Pacific Rise (EPR) axis at 10°30′N. These glasses show large MgO variation (1.8–7.4 wt.%) that forms a compositional continuum resulting from varying extent of fractional crystallization, which is accompanied by systematic Fe isotopic variation. Fractional crystallization modeling suggests that early crystallization of olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase gives rise to an iron enrichment trend and an increase in δ56Fe. Once Fe-Ti oxides appear on the liquidus and begin to crystallize, the FeOt and TiO2 contents of the residual melt decrease rapidly, which lead to a slight decrease in δ56Fe. These observations indicate that significant Fe isotope fractionation can indeed take place during MORB melt evolution. Hence, δ56Fe values of variably evolved MORB melts do not represent those of primary MORB melts and thus cannot be used to infer mantle source Fe isotope compositions. Importantly, δ56Fe values of primary MORB melts after correction for the effect of fractional crystallization can be well reproduced by mantle melting. Therefore, our study supports the idea that the Fe isotope composition of the accessible Earth is close to be chondritic. We note that conclusion would assume that the core, which takes up ∼90% of the Earth’s Fe, must have a chondritic Fe isotope composition.

Felsic Plutonic Rocks from IODP Hole 1256D, Eastern Pacific: Implications for the Nature of the Axial Melt Lens at Fast-Spreading Mid-Ocean Ridges

Although the axial melt lens (AML) beneath fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges has been detected by seismic reflection for decades, its nature and role in the accretion of lower oceanic crust and the evolution and eruption of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) are still poorly constrained. Plutonic rocks consisting of quartz-bearing gabbros, diorites and tonalites, which might represent the upper part of a fossilized AML, have for the first time been recovered from an intact fast-spreading oceanic crust section by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Hole 1256D. Whole-rock major elements show a wide and continuous compositional range (e.g. Mg# 24–70) and apparent enrichments in Ti and Fe at intermediate MgO contents (4–6 wt %). Trace element characteristics are coherent for the different lithology groups defined by petrography and mineral modes; that is, gabbro, clinopyroxene-rich diorite, amphibole-rich or oxide-rich diorite and tonalite. The gabbros and diorites are consistent with modeled products of MORB fractional crystallization, composed of mixed melt and cumulate in varying ratios. Modeled trace elements (especially with respect to Eu) support a model in which the tonalites originated from low-degree partial melting of the sheeted dikes overlying the AML, rather than extreme fractional crystallization. Enrichments in rare earth elements (REE) in clinopyroxenes from the gabbroic and dioritic intrusive rocks suggest strong assimilation of REE-rich tonalitic components by evolved MORB magmas. Hydrothermal alteration was pervasive during cooling of the plutonic system, which can be traced by petrography, mineral compositions and bulk-rock geochemistry. The upper part of AML, largely composed of low-density and high-viscosity felsic magmas, may serve as a barrier to eruptible MORB melts in the lower part of AML.

Trace element partitioning between plagioclase and silicate melt: The importance of temperature and plagioclase composition, with implications for terrestrial and lunar magmatism

Trace element partition coefficients between anorthitic plagioclase and basaltic melts (D) have been determined experimentally at 0.6GPa and 1350–1400°C in a lunar high-Ti picritic glass and a mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB). Plagioclases with 98mol% and 86mol% anorthite were produced in the lunar picritic melt and MORB melt, respectively. Based on the new experimental partitioning data and those selected from the literature, we developed parameterized lattice strain models for the partitioning of monovalent (Na, K, Li), divalent (Ca, Mg, Ba, Sr, Ra) and trivalent (REE and Y) cations between plagioclase and silicate melt. Through the new models we showed that the partitioning of these trace elements in plagioclase depends on temperature, pressure, and the abundances of Ca and Na in plagioclase. Particularly, Na content in plagioclase primarily controls divalent element partitioning, while temperature and Ca content in plagioclase are the dominant factors for REE partitioning in plagioclase. From these models, we also derived a new expression for DRa/DBa that can be used for Ra-Th dating on volcanic plagioclase phenocrysts, and a new model for plagioclase-melt noble gas partitioning. Applications of these partitioning models to fractional crystallization of MORB and lunar magma ocean (LMO) indicate that (1) the competing effect of temperature and plagioclase composition leads to small variations of plagioclase-melt DREE during MORB differentiation, but (2) the temperature effect is especially significant and can vary anorthite-melt DREE by over one order of magnitude during LMO solidification. Temperature and plagioclase composition have to be considered when modeling the chemical differentiation of mafic to felsic magmas involving plagioclase.

The Meaning of Global Ocean Ridge Basalt Major Element Compositions

Mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) are arguably the most abundant and also the simplest igneous rocks on the Earth. A correct understanding of their petrogenesis thus sets the cornerstone of igneous petrogenesis in general and also forms the foundation for studying mantle dynamics. Because major element compositions determine the mineralogy, phase equilibria and physical properties of rocks and magmas, understanding global MORB major element systematics is of prime importance. The correlated large MORB major element compositional variations are well understood as the result of cooling-dominated crustal-level processes (e.g. fractional crystallization, magma mixing, melt–rock assimilation or reaction, and other aspects of complex open-magma chamber processes), but it remains under debate what messages MORB major elements may carry about mantle sources and processes. To reveal mantle messages, it is logical to correct MORB melts for the effects of crustal-level processes to Mg# ≥ 0·72 to be in equilibrium with mantle olivine of ≥Fo90. Such corrected MORB major element (e.g. Si72, Ti72, Al72, Fe72, Mg72, Ca72 and Na72) compositional variations thus reflect fertile mantle compositional variation, composition-controlled mantle physical property variation (e.g. density and solidus), variation in the extent and pressure of melting, and uncertainties associated with the correction. The correction-related uncertainties can be removed through justified heavy averaging. Because ridge axial depth variation (∼0 to ∼6000 m below sea level) and plate spreading rate variation ( 150 mm a–1) are the two largest known physical variables along the global ocean ridge system, possible correlations of MORB major element compositions at Mg# ≥ 0·72 with these two physical variables are expected to reveal intrinsic controls on global MORB petrogenesis and ocean ridge dynamics. Indeed, global MORB major element data averaged with respect to both ridge axial depth intervals and ridge spreading rate intervals show significant first-order correlations. These correlations lead to the conclusion that the ridge axial depth variation and MORB chemistry variation are two different effects of a common cause, induced by fertile mantle compositional variation. The latter determines (1) variation in both composition and mode of mantle mineralogy, (2) variation of mantle density, (3) variation of ridge axial depth, (4) source-inherited MORB compositional variation, (5) density-controlled variation in the maximum extent of mantle upwelling, (6) apparent variation in the extent of melting, and (7) the correlated variation of MORB chemistry with ridge axial depth. These correlations also confirm the recognition that the extent of mantle melting increases with, and is caused by, increasing plate spreading rate. Mantle temperature variation could play a part, but its overstated role in the literature results from a basic error (1) in treating ridge axial depth variation as solely caused by mantle temperature variation by ignoring the intrinsic control of mantle composition, (2) in treating mantle plume-influenced ridges (e.g. Iceland) as normal ridges of plate spreading origin, and (3) in treating seismic low velocity at great depths (>300 km) beneath these mantle plume-influenced ridges as evidence for hot ridge mantle. There is no evidence for large mantle temperature variation beneath ridges away from mantle plumes. The suggested conclusions of this study may continue to be debated, but they are most objective, and are most consistent with petrological, geochemical, geological and geophysical principles and observations.

Transition from ultra-enriched to ultra-depleted primary MORB melts in a single volcanic suite (Macquarie Island, SW Pacific): Implications for mantle source, melting process and plumbing system

Compositional diversity of basalts forming the oceanic floor is attributed to a variety of factors such as mantle heterogeneities, melting conditions, mixing of individual melt batches, as well as fractionation and assimilation processes during magma ascent and emplacement. In this study the compositional range and origin of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) is approached by petrological, mineralogical and geochemical studies of the Miocene Macquarie Island ophiolite, an uplifted part of the Macquarie Ridge at the boundary between the Australian and Pacific plates. In this study, earlier results on the enriched to ultra-enriched (La/Sm 1.4–7.9), isotopically homogeneous basaltic glasses are complemented by the compositions of olivine-phyric rocks, principal phenocrystic minerals and Cr-spinel hosted melt inclusions. Studied olivine, clinopyroxene and Cr-spinel phenocrysts are among the most primitive known for MORB (85–91mol% forsterite in olivine, 81–91 Mg# in clinopyroxene, and 66–77 Mg# and 34–60 Cr# in spinel) and represent primary and near-primary compositions of their parental melts. Geochemical characteristics of the liquids parental to clinopyroxene (La/Sm 0.8–6.3) and Cr-spinel (La/Sm 0.4–5) partly overlap with those of the basaltic glasses, but also strongly advocate the role of depleted to ultra-depleted primary melts in the origin of the Macquarie Island porphyritic rocks. The trace element composition of olivine phenocrysts and the systematics of rare-earth elements in glasses, melt inclusions, and clinopyroxene provide evidence for a peridotitic composition of the source mantle. Our data supports the mechanism of fractional “dynamic” melting of a single mantle peridotite producing individual partial melt batches with continuously changing compositions from ultra-enriched towards ultra-depleted. The incipient enriched melt batches, represented by basaltic glasses in this study, may erupt without significant modification, whereas consecutively derived less enriched and depleted melt fractions are affected by mixing and crystal fractionation. Continuous melt generation, extraction, replenishment of the plumbing system, mixing and eruption of “integrated” melts lead to obliteration of the initially enriched geochemical characteristics and ultimately result in dominantly “normal”, depleted MORB compositions.

Melting of MORB at core–mantle boundary

We investigated the melting properties of natural mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) up to core–mantle boundary (CMB) pressures using laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Textural and chemical characterizations of quenched samples were performed by analytical transmission electron microscopy. We used in situ X-ray diffraction primarily for phase identification whereas our melting criterion based on laser power versus temperature plateau combined with textural analysis of recovered solidus and subsolidus samples is accurate and unambiguous. At CMB pressure (135 GPa), the MORB solidus temperature is 3970(±150) K. Quenched melt textures observed in recovered samples indicate that CaSiO3 perovskite (CaPv) is the liquidus phase in the entire pressure range up to CMB. The partial melt composition derived from the central melt pool is enriched in FeO, which suggests that such melt pockets may be gravitationally stable at the core mantle boundary.

The Role of Subducted Basalt in the Source of Island Arc Magmas: Evidence from Seafloor Lavas of the Western Aleutians

Discovery of seafloor volcanism west of Buldir Volcano, the westernmost emergent volcano in the Aleutian arc, demonstrates that surface expression of active Aleutian volcanism falls below sea level just west of 175·9°E longitude, but is otherwise continuous from mainland Alaska to Kamchatka. Lavas dredged from newly discovered seafloor volcanoes up to 300 km west of Buldir have end-member geochemical characteristics that provide new insights into the role of subducted basalt as a source component in Aleutian magmas. Western Aleutian seafloor lavas define a highly calc-alkaline series with 50–70% SiO2. Most samples have Mg-numbers [Mg# = Mg/(Mg + Fe)] greater than 0·60, with higher MgO and lower FeO* compared with average Aleutian volcanic rocks at all silica contents. Common basalts and basaltic andesites in the series are primitive, with average Mg# values of 0·67 (±0·02, n = 99, 1SD), and have Sr concentrations (423 ± 29 ppm, n = 99) and La/Yb ratios (4·5 ± 0·4, n = 29) that are typical of island arc basaltic lavas. A smaller group of basaltic samples is more evolved and geochemically more enriched, with higher and more variable Sr and La/Yb (average Mg# = 0·61 ± 0·1, n = 31; Sr = 882 ± 333 ppm, n = 31; La/Yb = 9·1 ± 0·9, n = 16). None of the geochemically enriched basalts or basaltic andesites has low Y ( 1000 ppm) and are adakitic, with strongly fractionated trace element patterns (Sr/Y = 50–350, La/Yb = 8–35, Dy/Yb = 2·0–3·5) with low relative abundances of Nb and Ta (La/Ta > 100), consistent with an enhanced role for residual or cumulate garnet + rutile. All western seafloor lavas have uniformly radiogenic Hf and Nd isotopes, with eNd = 9·1 ± 0·3 (n = 31) and eHf = 14·5 ± 0·6 (n = 27). Lead isotopes are variable and decrease with increasing SiO2 from basalts with 206Pb/204Pb = 18·51 ± 0·05 (n = 11) to dacites and rhyodacites with 206Pb/204Pb = 18·43 ± 0·04 (n = 18). Western seafloor lavas form a steep trend in 207Pb/204Pb–206Pb/204Pb space, and are collinear with lavas from emergent Aleutian volcanoes, which mostly have 206Pb/204Pb > 18·6 and 207Pb/204Pb > 15·52. High MgO and Mg# relative to silica, flat to decreasing abundances of incompatible elements, and decreasing Pb isotope ratios with increasing SiO2 rule out an origin for the dacites and rhyodacites by fractional crystallization. The physical setting of some samples (erupted through Bering Sea oceanic lithosphere) rules out an origin for their garnet + rutile trace element signature by melting in the deep crust. Adakitic trace element patterns in the dacites and rhyodacites are therefore interpreted as the product of melting of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) eclogite in the subducting oceanic crust. Western seafloor andesites, dacites and rhyodacites define a geochemical end-member that is isotopically like MORB, with strongly fractionated Ta/Hf, Ta/Nd, Ce/Pb, Yb/Nd and Sr/Y. This eclogite component appears to be present in lavas throughout the arc. Mass-balance modeling indicates that it may contribute 36–50% of the light rare earth elements and 18% of the Hf that is present in Aleutian volcanic rocks. Close juxtaposition of high-Mg# basalt, andesite and dacite implies widely variable temperatures in the western Aleutian mantle wedge. A conceptual model explaining this shows interaction of hydrous eclogite melts with mantle peridotite to produce buoyant diapirs of pyroxenite and pyroxenite melt. These diapirs reach the base of the crust and feed surface volcanism in the western Aleutians, but are diluted by extensive melting in a hotter mantle wedge in the eastern part of the arc.

Melt–Peridotite Reactions and Fluid Metasomatism in the Upper Mantle, Revealed from the Geochemistry of Peridotite and Gabbro from the Horoman Peridotite Massif, Japan

An investigation of the petrology and geochemistry of peridotites and gabbros in the Horoman massif, Hokkaido, Japan was undertaken to constrain geochemical processes in the upper mantle. Two types of sample were studied: one type comprises peridotites and gabbros forming thin layers varying from a few millimeters to centimeters in scale (thin-layer peridotites and gabbros); the other comprises thick layers (>1 m scale; massive peridotites and gabbros). There is no clear trace element evidence for metasomatism in the thin-layer peridotites. Instead, they have melt–rock reaction textures interpreted in terms of the formation of secondary pyroxene at the expense of primary porphyroclastic olivine and dissolution of primary porphyroclastic pyroxene to form secondary olivine. The thin-layer gabbros also exhibit no metasomatic effects; they have incompatible element depleted trace element characteristics and mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like isotopic signatures consistent with the presence of a new type of gabbro that previously has not been described from the Horoman Massif. The whole-rock chemistry of the thin-layer peridotites and thin-layer gabbros can be explained by melt–peridotite reactions between isotopically highly depleted MORB mantle (represented by the thin-layer peridotites) and melt with geochemical affinity to Pacific MORB (represented by the thin-layer gabbros). Sm–Nd and Lu–Hf isotope systematics suggest that these reactions might have occurred at ∼300 Ma. Some of the plagioclase lherzolites and all of the spinel lherzolites and harzburgites within the massive peridotites show enrichment in incompatible trace elements and more radiogenic Hf–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions than the incompatible-element depleted thin-layer peridotites. The analyzed massive gabbros are interpreted as subduction-related magmas formed in a MORB-source mantle wedge, which have subsequently interacted with a fluid or melt in the Hidaka subduction zone. Hf–Nd–Pb isotope systematics reveal that this interaction may have occurred at an age younger than ∼50 Ma. Melt- and fluid-related processes occurring in the upper mantle are systematically identified from the samples of the Horoman Massif based on petrography, major and trace element, and Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotope geochemistry. These processes occurred in different tectonic settings such as the convecting oceanic mantle and supra-subduction zone mantle wedge and have variably modified the original chemistry of residual mantle protolith, formed by partial melting of a depleted MORB source mantle at ∼1 Ga.

Melting Relations of MORB-Sediment Melanges in Underplated Mantle Wedge Plumes; Implications for the Origin of Cordilleran-type Batholiths

This paper gives the results of a set of laboratory experiments designed to analyse the petrological implications of mantle wedge plumes—large buoyant structures predicted by thermomechanical numerical modelling of subduction zones. A particular design of layered capsule was used to simulate the complex multilayer formed by intense flow within the mantle wedge as predicted by numerical models. A basaltic [mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-derived amphibolite] component was sandwiched between two adjacent layers of a sedimentary (Bt-rich metagreywacke) component. Conditions were fixed at temperatures of 1000–1200°C at pressures of 1·5–2·0 GPa. Our results suggest that significant volumes of hybrid, Cordilleran-type granodioritic magmas can be generated by sub-lithospheric partial melting of a mechanically mixed source. Partial melting of the end-members is not buffered, forming granitic (melting of metasediment) and trondhjemitic (melting of MORB) melts in high-variance assemblages Melt + Grt + Pl and Melt + Grt + Cpx, respectively. However, the composition of melts formed from partial melting of metasediment–MORB melanges is buffered for sediment-to-MORB ratios ranging from 3:1 to 1:3, producing liquids of granodiorite to tonalite composition along a cotectic with the lower-variance phase assemblage Melt + Grt + Cpx + Pl. Our model explains the geochemical and isotopic characteristics of Cordilleran batholiths. In particular, it accounts for the observed decoupling between major element and isotopic compositions. Large variations in isotopic ratios can be inherited from a compositionally heterogeneous source; however, major element compositions are more strongly dependent on the temperature of melting rather than on the composition of the source.

The Monte Maggiore peridotite (Corsica, France): a case study of mantle evolution in the Ligurian Tethys

AbstractThe Monte Maggiore peridotite represents subcontinental mantle that underwent tectonic and magmatic evolution during the rifting stage of the Jurassic Ligurian Tethys oceanic basin. Pristine garnet peridotites were first equilibrated under spinel-facies conditions. During continental extension they were diffusely infiltrated by asthenospheric melts that consisted of single fractional melt increments (6% melting degree) showing depleted MORB (mid-ocean ridge basalt) signature. Diffuse melt migration of undersaturated melts at spinel-facies conditions formed reactive spinel peridotites, and melt impregnation at plagioclase-facies conditions formed impregnated plagioclase peridotites. Further focused melt migration occurred within high-porosity dunite channels.Subsequently, the single melt fractions underwent coalescence to form aggregate MORB melts that were intruded into shallow magma chambers. They underwent fractional crystallization and formation of variably evolved Mg-rich and Fe–Ti-rich magmas. Mg- and Fe–Ti-gabbroic dykes were formed by intrusion along fractures of these magmas. Melt-percolated peridotites and gabbroic rocks are isotopically homogeneous, suggesting that melts which percolated and intruded the mantle lithosphere derived from isotopically homogeneous asthenospheric mantle sources.The magmatic cycle, that is, asthenosphere partial melting, lithosphere diffuse melt percolation and dyke intrusion, occurred during Late Jurassic times (163–150 Ma) and represents the youngest events of lithosphere–asthenosphere interaction so far documented in ophiolitic peridotites from the Ligurian Tethys. The Ligurian Tethys basin never reached a mature oceanic stage, that is, the genetic link between exposed oceanic crustal rocks and refractory mantle peridotites.

MORB mantle hosts the missing Eu (Sr, Nb, Ta and Ti) in the continental crust: New perspectives on crustal growth, crust–mantle differentiation and chemical structure of oceanic upper mantle

We have examined the high quality data of 306 mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glass samples from the East Pacific Rise (EPR), near-EPR seamounts, Pacific Antarctic Ridge (PAR), near-PAR seamounts, Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), and near-MAR seamounts. The data show a correlated variation between Eu/Eu⁎ and Sr/Sr⁎, and both decrease with decreasing MgO, pointing to the effect of plagioclase crystallization. The observation that samples with MgO>9.5 wt.% (before plagioclase on the liquidus) show Eu/Eu⁎>1 and Sr/Sr⁎>1 and that none of the major phases (i.e., olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, spinel and garnet) in the sub-ridge mantle melting region can effectively fractionate Eu and Sr from otherwise similarly incompatible elements indicates that the depleted MORB mantle (DMM) possesses excess Sr and Eu, i.e., [Sr/Sr⁎]DMM>1 and [Eu/Eu⁎]DMM>1. Furthermore, the well-established observation that DNb≈DTh, DTa≈DU and DTi≈DSm during MORB mantle melting, yet primitive MORB melts all have [Nb/Th]PMMORB>1, [Ta/U]PMMORB>1 and [Ti/Sm]PMMORB>1 (where PM indicates primitive mantle normalized), also points to the presence of excess Nb, Ta and Ti in the DMM, i.e., [Nb/Th]PMDMM>1, [Ta/U]PMDMM>1 and [Ti/Sm]PMDMM>1. The excesses of Eu, Sr, Nb, Ta and Ti in the DMM complement the well-known deficiencies of these elements in the bulk continental crust (BCC). These new observations, which support the notion that the DMM and BCC are complementary in terms of the overall abundances of incompatible elements, offer new insights into the crust–mantle differentiation. These observations are best explained by partial melting of amphibolite of MORB protolith during continental collision, which produces andesitic melts with a remarkable compositional (major and trace element abundances as well as key elemental ratios) similarity to the BCC, as revealed by andesites in southern Tibet produced during the India–Asia continental collision. An average amphibolite of MORB protolith consists of ~66.4% amphibole, ~29.2% plagioclase and 4.4% ilmenite. In terms of simple modal melting models, the bulk distribution coefficient ratios D2Eu/(Sm+Gd)=1.21, D2Sr/(Pr+Nd)=1.04, DNb/Th=44, DTa/U=57, DTi/Sm=3.39 and DNb/Ta=1.30 readily explains the small but significant negative Eu and Sr anomalies, moderate negative Ti anomaly and huge negative Nb and Ta anomalies as well as the more sub-chondritic Nb/Ta ratio in the syncollisional andesitic melt that is characteristic of and contributes to the continental crust mass. These results support the hypothesis that continental collision zones are primary sites of net continental crust growth, whereas the standard “island arc” model has many more difficulties than certainties. That is, it is the continental collision (vs. "island arc magmatism" or "episodic super mantle avalanche events") that produces and preserves the juvenile crust, and hence maintains net continental growth. The data also allow us to establish the robust composition of depleted and most primitive (or “primary”) MORB melt with 13% MgO. This, together with the estimated positive Eu and Sr anomalies in the DMM, further permits estimation that the DMM may occupy the uppermost ~680 km of the convective mantle following the tradition that the DMM lies in the shallowest mantle. However, the tradition may be in error. The seismic low velocity zone (LVZ) may be compositionally stratified with small melt fractions concentrated towards the interface with the growing lithosphere because of buoyancy. Such small melt fractions, enriched in volatiles and incompatible elements, continue to metasomatize the growing lithosphere before it reaches the full thickness after ~70 Myrs. Hence, the oceanic mantle lithosphere is a huge enriched geochemical reservoir. On the other hand, deep portions of the LVZ, which are thus relatively depleted, become the primary source feeding the ridge because of ridge-suction-driven lateral material supply to form the crust and much of the lithosphere at and in the vicinity of the ridge.

Origin of xenocrystic garnet and kyanite in clinopyroxene-hornblende-bearing adakitic meta-tonalites from Cape Hinode, Prince Olav Coast, East Antarctica

AbstractXenocrystic garnet and kyanite, in addition to clinopyroxene and rare orthopyroxene, are newly found to occur in middle Proterozoic slightly metamorphosed adakitic trondhjemites and tonalites (meta-tonalites) at Cape Hinode on the eastern Prince Olav Coast in the latest Proterozoic–Early Palaeozoic Lützow-Holm Complex, East Antarctica. Textural and compositional features of garnet and kyanite suggest that these minerals formed most probably as restite phases of partial melting of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) between 15 and 20 kbar pressure, and were entrained by the tonalitic magmas, which underwent fractional crystallization upon ascent to form cumulates that were also entrained and metamorphosed to basic–intermediate granulite blocks. Available geochronological data for the meta-tonalites indicate that all these events including MORB formation took place in the middle Proterozoic. The meta-tonalites and associated basic, calc-silicate, and pelitic rocks were emplaced as an allochthonous block in the Lützow-Holm Complex at the waning stage of its main regional metamorphism, most probably as a part of the final amalgamation of East and West Gondwana into the Gondwana supercontinent.

The Jurassic Ligurian Tethys, a fossil ultraslow‐spreading ocean: the mantle perspective

AbstractAlpine–Apennine ophiolites derive from the Jurassic Ligurian Tethys oceanic basin formed by lithosphere extension and failure in the pre-Triassic Europe–Adria system. The basin was floored by mantle peridotites and was characterized by along-axis alternation of avolcanic and volcanic segments. Lithosphere extension and thinning caused asthenosphere adiabatic upwelling and decompressional melting. Mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-type melts diffusely percolated through and reacted with the overlying lithospheric peridotites, which were strongly modified, both depleted (harzburgites and dunites) and enriched (plagioclase peridotites), by melt–peridotite interaction and melt refertilization. The stratigraphic–structural features (mantle at the sea floor and alternation of avolcanic and volcanic segments) coupled with petrological features (presence of alkaline melts and strongly heterogeneous, melt-modified peridotites) allow us to interpret the Ligurian Tethys as a Jurassic analogue of modern ultraslow‐spreading oceans. The Liguria Mode for the inception of an oceanic basin consists of: (1) the rifting (continental) stage, dominated by extension of continental lithosphere and tectonic exhumation of lithospheric mantle; (2) the drifting (transition) stage, characterized by melt-related processes (i.e. inception of asthenosphere partial melting and MORB melt percolation through the overlying mantle lithosphere); (3) the spreading (oceanic) stage, characterized by failure of the continental crust, sea‐floor exposure of mantle peridotites and discontinuous MORB extrusion.

Pyroxenites from the Southwest Indian Ridge, 9-16 E: Cumulates from Incremental Melt Fractions Produced at the Top of a Cold Melting Regime

The Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) at 9–16°E and 52–53°S is characterized by ultra-slow, oblique spreading and contains one of the few documented occurrences of pyroxenite veins associated with abyssal peridotites. The origin of these uncommon lithologies is still debated. We present a detailed study (including electron microprobe and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) of spinel websterites collected during Cruise 162, Leg 9, of the R.V. Knorr. Rare earth element patterns in clinopyroxenes (Cpx) lead us to discard a possible origin of the pyroxenites as residues from partial melting of garnet pyroxenites (i.e. relics of a layered mantle protolith). Their composition and cumulate texture (when not obscured by mylonitization related to emplacement on the seafloor) are better interpreted in terms of fractional crystallization from a basaltic melt at relatively high pressure. Evidence for a high pressure of crystallization includes the lack of plagioclase in the cumulate assemblage and the high Al2O3 contents of the pyroxenes: up to 5 wt % in orthopyroxene (Opx) and up to 7 wt % in Cpx. These values are among the highest reported for pyroxenes in a mid-ocean ridge setting. Sub-solidus breakdown of spinel to plagioclase (now altered) is observed in one sample, providing a rough estimate of the final equilibration pressure of these cumulates, around 0· 6–0· 7 GPa (plagioclase–spinel transition for a bulk pyroxenite composition). The inferred pyroxenite parent melts were close to equilibrium with the associated residual peridotites; some samples have a slightly evolved composition in terms of the Mg-number [Mg/(Mg + total Fe)]. These parental melts had major and trace element compositions consistent with a mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) affinity, although they were not rigorously identical to MORB. Among other characteristics, these melts were relatively depleted in highly incompatible elements. We propose that they correspond to the latest, shallowest, incremental melt fractions produced during fractional decompression melting of a normal MORB (N-MORB) mantle source. These melts experienced fractional crystallization as soon as they segregated from the peridotite matrix, moved upward, and crossed the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (defined here as the base of the conductive lid). As a consequence, these shallow melt fractions produced beneath mid-ocean ridges did not fully mix with melt fractions produced and extracted at greater depths. Our study provides concrete evidence for the actuality of pyroxene crystallization in melt channels beneath mid-ocean ridges at relatively high pressures, a process frequently invoked to account for the ‘pyroxene paradox’ in MORB petrogenesis.