Ocean Island Basalts Research Articles

The root to the Galápagos mantle plume on the core-mantle boundary


 Ultra-low velocity zones (ULVZs) are thin anomalous patches on the boundary between the Earth's core and mantle, revealed by their effects on the seismic waves that propagate through them. Here we map a broad ULVZ near the Galápagos hotspot using shear-diffracted waves. Forward modelling assuming a cylindrical shape shows the patch is ~600 km wide, ~20 km high, and its shear velocities are ~25% reduced. The ULVZ is comparable to other broad ULVZs mapped on the core-mantle boundary near Hawaii, Iceland, and Samoa. Strikingly, all four hotspots where the mantle plume appears rooted by these ‘mega-ULVZs’, show similar anomalous isotopic signatures in He, Ne, and W in their ocean island basalts. This correlation suggests mega-ULVZs might be primordial or caused by interaction with the core, and some material from ULVZs is entrained within the plume. For the Galápagos, the connection implies the plume is offset to the west towards the base of the mantle. 

Molybdenum isotopes in mafic igneous rocks record slabmantle interactions from subarc to postarc depths

Abstract Arc volcanic rocks erupted above oceanic subduction zones generally have heavy molybdenum (Mo) isotopic compositions, which are attributed to contributions from oceanic slab–derived fluids with isotopically heavy Mo at subarc depths. Given that mafic igneous rocks with light Mo isotopic compositions have been rarely identified, it is unclear where light Mo isotope reservoirs reside, as these must exist due to oceanic subduction through geologic time. We present Mo isotope data from Mesozoic–Cenozoic mafic igneous rocks from the eastern North China craton, which were affected by continuous subduction of the oceanic slab. The Mesozoic mafic igneous rocks have island-arc basalt (IAB)–like features and high δ98Mo values of –0.15‰ to +0.09‰. In contrast, the Cenozoic mafic igneous rocks have ocean-island basalt (OIB)–like features and low δ98Mo values of –0.53‰ to –0.19‰. In addition, these two suites of rocks exhibit systematic differences in Sr-Nd isotopic compositions and fluid- and melt-mobile element contents, indicating that their mantle sources contained crustal components derived from different depths. The heavy Mo and weakly enriched Sr-Nd isotopic compositions and IAB-like trace-element signatures were inherited from slab fluids (including oceanic crust–derived aqueous solutions and seafloor sediment–derived hydrous melts) liberated at subarc depths. The light Mo and depleted Sr-Nd isotopic compositions and OIB-like trace-element signatures were inherited from dehydrated slab–derived melts (with rutile breakdown) at postarc depths. Therefore, Mo isotope systematics of mafic igneous rocks are a powerful means with which to trace the geochemical fluxes from subducting oceanic slabs to the mantle wedge at different depths.

Effects of Mantle Hybridization by Interaction with Slab Derived Melts in the Genesis of Alkaline Lavas across the Back-Arc Region of South Shetland Subduction System

AbstractLate Miocene to Late Pleistocene alkaline lavas in the northernmost part of the Antarctic Peninsula and its off-lying islands are the latest stage of magmatic activity that took place in response to lithospheric extension in the back-arc region of the South Shetland subduction system. The alkaline magmatism occurred much later than the main pulse of Cretaceous arc magmatism and generated basaltic extrusive rocks during several sub-aqueous/sub-glacial and sub-aerial eruption periods. The suite consists primarily of alkali olivine basalts with oceanic island basalt (OIB)-like trace element signatures, characterized by elevated highly to less incompatible element ratios compared to MORB. The samples have higher 87Sr/86Sr (0.70301–0.70365), and lower 143Nd/144Nd (0.51283–0.51294) and 176Hf/177Hf (0.28291–0.28298) than depleted MORB mantle. Their lead isotope ratios vary within a limited range with 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 208Pb/204Pb ratios of 18.797–18.953, 15.577–15.634, and 38.414–38.701, respectively. Sr, Nd, Hf and Pb isotope systematics suggest involvement of diverse source materials in the genesis of the alkaline magmas. Evaluation of radiogenic isotope and trace element data indicates that the source of the alkaline melts had a complex petrogenetic history, reflecting the effects of mantle hybridization along the slab mantle interface through interaction of mantle wedge peridotites with volatile-bearing, siliceous melts produced by melting of subducted sediments and basaltic oceanic crust. Hf-Nd isotope and trace element projections further demonstrate that the metasomatizing melt was likely generated by eclogite partial melting at sub-arc to post-arc depths, in equilibrium with a garnet-bearing residue and involved breakdown of high field strength elements (HFSE) retaining phases. Consumption of metasomatic amphibole during partial melting of hybridized peridotite at the wet solidus appears to have had a significant effect on the final melt compositions with high HFSE, Na and H2O contents.

Zinc isotopic evidence for recycled carbonate in the deep mantle

Carbonate, the major carbon reservoir on Earth’s surface, can enter into the mantle by subduction. However, evidence for recycled surficial carbonates in the deep mantle is still scarce. Ocean island basalts from Cook-Austral islands and St. Helena Island, widely called HIMU basalts because of their high μ = 238U/204Pb sources, are thought to be fed by mantle plumes originating in the lower mantle. Here we report exceptionally high δ66Zn values (δ66Zn = 0.38 ± 0.03‰) of these HIMU lavas relative to most published data for oceanic basalts (δ66Zn = 0.31 ± 0.10‰), which requires a source contributed by isotopically heavy recycled surficial carbonates. During subduction of the oceanic lithosphere, melting of mixed surficial carbonates and basaltic crust in the deep mantle generates carbonatite melts, which metasomatizes the nearby mantle and the resultant carbonated mantle ultimately evolves into a high-δ66Zn HIMU source. High-δ66Zn signatures of HIMU basalts, therefore, demonstrate that carbonates can be transported into Earth’s deep mantle.

Chemical Geodynamics Insights From a Machine Learning Approach

AbstractThe radiogenic isotope heterogeneity of oceanic basalts is often assessed using 2D isotope ratio diagrams. But because the underlying data are at least six dimensional (87Sr/86Sr, 143Nd/144Nd, 176Hf/177Hf, and 208,207,206Pb/204Pb), it is important to examine isotopic affinities in multi‐dimensional data space. Here, we apply t‐distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t‐SNE), a multi‐variate statistical data analysis technique, to a recent compilation of radiogenic isotope data of mid ocean ridge (MORB) and ocean island basalts (OIB). The t‐SNE results show that the apparent overlap of MORB‐OIB data trends in 2‐3D isotope ratios diagrams does not exist in multi‐dimensional isotope data space, revealing that there is no discrete “component” that is common to most MORB‐OIB mantle sources on a global scale. Rather, MORB‐OIB sample stochastically distributed small‐scale isotopic heterogeneities. Yet, oceanic basalts with the same isotopic affinity, as identified by t‐SNE, delineate several globally distributed regional domains. In the regional geodynamic context, the isotopic affinity of MORB and OIB is caused by capturing of actively upwelling mantle by adjacent ridges, and thus melting of mantle with similar origin in on, near, and off‐ridge settings. Moreover, within a given isotopic domain, subsidiary upwellings rising from a common deep mantle root often feed OIB volcanism over large surface areas. Overall, the t‐SNE results define a fundamentally new basis for relating isotopic variations in oceanic basalts to mantle geodynamics, and may launch a 21st century era of “chemical geodynamics.”

Petrogenesis of submarine volcanic rocks dredged from Dokdo, Ulleungdo, and the neighboring seamounts in the East Sea: Constraints from mineral chemistry, geochemistry, and 40Ar/39Ar ages

Several seamounts, including the Dokdo (DD), Ulleungdo (UD) Anyongbok (AYB), Simheungtack (SHT), and Isabu, were formed from intraplate volcanism in the southwest of the East Sea back-arc basin during the Quaternary. In the present study, mineralogy and geochemistry data generated using submarine volcanic rocks collected from the DD, UD, AYB, and SHT locations were utilized to investigate characteristics of the source, evolution, and storage conditions of the associated magmas. Analyses of representative samples from the DD, UD, and AYB using the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar method yielded plateau ages of 1.566–2.658, 0.533–0.714, and 1.736 Ma, respectively. The dredged samples consist of trachybasalt, phonotephrite, trachyandesite, and trachyte and have oceanic island basalt (OIB)-like characteristics. According to numerical modeling using trace element data, the primary magma linked to the formation of these samples can originate from ≤5% partial melting of an enriched garnet–peridotite facies metasomatized by melt derived from a subducted slab. The composition of major oxides, from the trachybasalts to trachytes, and mass balance calculations suggest that the trachyandesites and trachytes were formed via fractional crystallization from a basaltic melt. These diverse rock compositions probably highlight pulses of magma that separated from the main reservoir in the shallow crust. Results from mineral–melt thermometry indicate that the olivine and plagioclase in these basaltic rocks crystallized at temperatures of 1213 ± 56 °C and 1163 ± 23 °C, respectively. Thermobarometric calculations using clinopyroxene–melt pairs indicate that the Quaternary volcanism was associated with two magma storage regions that correspondingly involved pressures of 791 ± 253 MPa (1098 ± 34 °C) and 187 ± 123 MPa (938 ± 77 °C). The primary magma was likely present in a reservoir beneath the Moho (17–32 km), and it evolved by fractional crystallization to produce rocks, such as trachybasalts and phonotephrites. Crystallization and differentiation of the basaltic magma that was transported to crustal reservoirs explain the evolved compositions. The trachytic magma generated were present at depths of 2–11 km, and crystallization produced a paragenetic assemblage comprising clinopyroxene, amphibole, plagioclase, biotite, apatite, and titanomagnetite. • Quaternary intraplate volcanisms occurred in the East Sea back-arc basin. • New 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages of submarine volcanic rocks were obtained. • Basaltic rocks were originated from an enriched garnet-bearing mantle source. • Trachytes were formed by fractional crystallization from basaltic magma. • The Quaternary volcanism had at least two magma storage regions.

Mafic dikes of the Mariinsky Taiga Alkaline Province, Kuznetsk Alatau terrane, southwestern Siberia: Intraplate alkaline magmatism in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

The Mariinsky Taiga Alkaline Province (MTAP) is located in the Kuznetsk Alatau terrane of southwestern Siberia, which is part of Altai-Sayan orogenic system, of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. The MTAP consists of a wide distribution of Paleozoic alkaline-basite magmatism (volcanic, subvolcanic and intrusive), which has been recently characterized with the recognition of at least two main timings, ca. 500 and ca. 400 Ma (herein labeled MTAP-1 and MTAP-2, respectively). We newly characterize the petrology, geochemistry, and age constraints of NNW and NNE trending alkaline dikes which cross-cut the alkaline intrusions and host volcanogenic and carbonate units and which are inferred to belong to MTAP-2. The dikes consist of ultrabasic foidolites (urtites, urtite-porphyry, ijolite-porphyry, microijolites), basic foidolites (plagioclase ijolites), alkaline basites (gabbro-diabase, labradorite porphyrites, camptonites and tamaraites), and nepheline, analcime and alkaline syenites. Their chemical composition is characterized by a wide range in silica (SiO 2 = 38.7–60.7 wt%), and alkalinity (Na 2 O + K 2 O = 4–18.7 wt%; Na 2 O/K 2 O = 0.5–8.3 wt%), low titanium (TiO 2 = 0.07–2.15 wt%) and high alumina content (Al 2 O 3 = 11.1–28.5 wt%), which corresponds to the K-Na differentiates of the basic alkaline magmatic series. The sum of rare-earth elements (ΣREE) increases from alkaline basite (ΣREE = 103.58–218.94 ppm), to the main foidolites (ΣREE = 137.74–217.61 ppm), and then to the ultrabasic foidolites (ΣREE = 55.56–268.88 ppm). Maximum REE content occurs in nepheline syenites and microsyenites (ΣREE = 73.24–1566.96 ppm) and they are the final product of the differentiation of foidite and basite melts. All dike varieties are characterized by low concentrations of the most highly charged elements (Th, Nb, Ta, Hf, and Y), which, according to their concentrations, plot between oceanic island basalt (OIB) and island arc basalt (IAB). The presence of a negative Nb-Ta anomaly and the relative enrichment of Rb, Ba, Sr and U indicate probable interaction of a mantle plume melts with lithospheric mantle metasomatized in an earlier subduction event. The primary isotope ratio 87 Sr/ 86 Sr(t) = 0.705388–0.706025 and the range of ɛNd(t) from +3.5 to +6.53 in the rocks indicate interaction of mantle derived melts with crustal components. Sm-Nd and U-Pb dating of the alkaline-basite dikes matches the boundary of the Early-Middle Devonian (406–389 Ma) and indicates membership in MTAP-2, which can be linked to the regional ca. 400 Ma Altai-Sayan Large Igneous Province/Rift System. Both the NNW and NNE trending dikes are associated with, and probably fed from, nearby alkaline intrusions such as i.e. Kiya-Shaltyr pluton which are also ca. 400 Ma (part of MTAP-2), but are independent of older ca. 500 Ma intrusions (which belong to MTAP-1) such as the University pluton and which are suggested to belong to a older plume-generated regional event. • Characterization of NNW and NNE trending dike belts in the MTAP, western Siberia. • They formed in the Middle Paleozoic (406–389 Ma) in a plume-rifting event. • Isotopic parameters ɛSr(t) indicate a strong contamination by crustal components. • The dike represent intraplate magmas emplaced in a shear setting.

Magmatic records of Gondwana assembly and break-up in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, northeast India

The Indian sub-continent was an integral part of the Gondwana supercontinent with multiple magmatic episodes during the Gondwana assembly and break-up events. However, most of these vital records to understand the past magmatism were obliterated during the Himalayan orogeny due to the subduction of the Indian plate. In this contribution, we attempt to tackle this issue by investigating the Abor magmatic rocks from the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, which are likely to represent the leftover fragments of the eastern Gondwana continental margin. This study uses zircon U-Pb dating, whole-rock geochemistry, and Sr-Nd isotopic ratios data of the mafic intrusive and felsic volcanic rocks of the Abor magmatism. The mafic intrusive rocks have zircon ages of 500–473 Ma, while the felsic rocks yield ages of 145–132 Ma, indicating two temporally separated episodes of magmatism. The mafic intrusives are sub-alkaline/tholeiitic (Nb/Y < 0.65), with high TiO2 (1.63–3.42 wt%) and ocean island basalt to enriched-mid oceanic ridge basalt affinities. A relatively narrow range of initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.703887–0.705513), 143Nd/144Nd (0.511978–0.512118), and εNd(t) (-0.323–+2.43) of the mafic intrusives suggest fractional crystallization with negligible crustal contamination, generated by low degree (∼3–13 %) partial melting of a primitive mantle (garnet and spinel lherzolite). The felsic rocks display low MgO (0.38–1.17 wt%), CaO (1.06–5.31 wt%), LREE and LILE (Rb, K, Pb) enrichment, depletion in HREE, Sr, Nb, Ti, with strong negative Eu-anomaly (0.48–0.73), high initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.707878–0.717650), and negative εNd(t) (-14.35 to −9.21), suggesting A-type felsic magmatism. The older mafic intrusions were thus attributed to the events of the Gondwana assembly and were inferred to form in an extensional passive margin during the early Paleozoic. However, the younger felsic rocks were likely to have been generated by the interaction of the upwelling Kerguelen mantle plume and the pre-existing crust during the initiation of the eastern Gondwana break-up during the early Cretaceous. Our new findings reveal that two episodic magmatic events related to the eastern Gondwana assembly and the subsequent Gondwana break-up are responsible for the magmatism in the Siang window of eastern Himalayan syntaxis, northeast India.

Petrogenesis and tectonic implication of the alkaline ferroan granites from Ropp complex, north‐central Nigeria: Clues from zircon chemistry, U–Pb dating, and Lu–Hf isotope

Zircon holds crucial information for deciphering the origin of granitic rocks, enabling robust scrutiny of their magmatic evolution. Herein, we report an integrated whole‐rock and zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotope chemistry of Ropp alkaline granites in north‐central Nigeria. The rock units include riebeckite‐biotite granite porphyries (161.1 ± 1.7 Ma), aegirine‐biotite granites (162.4 ± 1.6 Ma), biotite granites (162.3 ± 5.1 Ma), and albite riebeckite granites. They show diagnostic characteristics of ferroan alkaline granites such as high FeOt/(FeOt + MgO), low Y/Nb (&lt;1.2), and high Nb/Y (&gt;1.0). Their zircon Hf isotopic compositions (εHf(t) = −8.08 to −4.38; 176Hf/177Hf = 0.282492–0.282543), major and trace element compositions such as high SiO2 &gt;70% and incompatible trace elements (e.g., Rb, Ba, and La), low ratios of whole rock Th/U, Hf/Ta. Ni/Co and Th/Ta = 2.82, and zircon U/Yb, Gd/Yb, and Th/Yb ratios as well as oxygen fugacity (logfO2 = −26.09 to −12.32) reflect protracted fractional crystallization of a highly reduced mantle‐derived oceanic island basalt (OIB) magma from EM2 with considerable crustal involvement. Magma evolution was fuelled by fractionation of calcic‐pyroxene, calcic‐amphibole, Mg‐olivines, feldspars, titanite, and apatite, as corroborated by the marked depletions of CaO, MgO, TiO2, and P2O5. Intense crustal assimilation, particularly in the biotite granite masked their enriched mantle (EM) ancestry. This is attested by the presence of inherited Pan‐African (ca. 582 Ma) zircon, elevated crustal‐like zircon U/Yb, low zircon Gd/Yb, and Th/Yb ratios as well as high whole‐rock Rb/Nb ratios and relatively low estimated temperatures, which mimic crustal‐derived granites. Reactivation of pre‐existing megashear zones of weaknesses and opening of related transcurrent faults following periodic plate movements generated intense stress field which invoked the release of pressure and hot metasomatic fluids that partially melted the lower EM, giving rise to the Ropp OIB magmas.

Intraplate Volcanism of the Alba Guyot: Geodynamic Formation Models of the Magellan Seamounts in the Pacific Ocean for 100 million years

Abstract -We report data on 9 samples of basaltic rocks and a spinel lherzolite xenolith collected during dredging in the area of Alba Guyot (Magellan Seamounts, Pacific Ocean). The data include 40Ar–39Ar ages of five samples and mineral chemistry of rock-forming and accessory minerals and glasses, with implications for the formation conditions of Ti-amphibole in basaltic melts. The upper slope parts at Alba Guyot and its satellite Oma Vlinder at sea depths of 3600 to 2200 m, are composed of ~1400 m thick basaltic rocks that formed within the 112 to 86 Ma interval (40Ar–39Ar plateau ages). Later, in its 60 Myr history postdating the Cretaceous volcanism, the guyot was exposed to erosion, which produced a plateau-like flat top, and underwent another pulse of volcanism in the Cenozoic. Miocene (&amp;lt;20 Ma) eruptions of basanitic magma on the Alba Gyot plateau were associated with petit-spot volcanoes. Judging by the absence of hyaloclastic deposits around those volcanoes and the age of the lavas, the Cenozoic eruptions occurred in subaerial conditions before the guyot submerged below the sea level. The Alba volcanics have greater contents of incompatible elements than typical oceanic island basalts (OIB), apparently, because they formed by low-degree partial melting of different sources: pargasite-bearing spinel peridotite of the metasomatized oceanic lithosphere, mainly for Cretaceous basaltic rocks, and/or garnet peridotite for Miocene petit-spot basanites. Multiple eruptions at Alba Guyot for 100 Myr may have been maintained either by the Southern Pacific Superplume in the region of the South Pacific Thermal and Isotopic Anomaly (SOPITA) in the Mesozoic or by translithospheric faulting originated at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) in the Cenozoic.

Barium isotope evidence of a fluid-metasomatized mantle component in the source of Azores OIB

This study presents Ba isotope compositions of ocean island basalts (OIB) from the Azores Archipelago to investigate the origin of the enriched components within their mantle sources. These samples have large variations in radiogenic Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotope compositions, indicating that they tap highly heterogeneous mantle sources. They display two types of Ba isotope characteristics. Samples from the Faial, Pico, São Jorge, and São Miguel Islands exhibit homogeneous and MORB-like Ba isotope compositions, whereas samples from Terceira Island have variable Ba isotopes. The δ138/134Ba values of the Terceira samples range from −0.03 to +0.24‰, extending to values significantly higher than those of the other islands.The MORB-like Ba isotope composition of the São Jorge samples indicates that the enriched HIMU/FOZO material in the Azores mantle plume source has a homogeneous and MORB-like Ba isotope composition. In contrast, the Terceira samples are characterized by heavy Ba isotope compositions, which are likely inherited from subducted altered oceanic crust (AOC) and may reflect the presence of a shallower enriched source beneath Terceira. As the Azores archipelago is located at a triple junction far from any active subduction zone, the signature of subducted AOC must be an ancient feature, potentially derived from a recycled fluid-metasomatized mantle component now present beneath the Azores archipelago. The negative correlation between δ138/134Ba and 206Pb/204Pb and the positive correlation between δ138/134Ba and Ba/Th among selected Terceira samples likely reflect mixing between the mantle plume and shallower, recycled, fluid-metasomatized mantle components enriched in heavy Ba isotopes.

Multiple volcanic episodes of the Kermanshah forearc basin, SW Iran: a record of the deactivation and re-initiation of Neotethyan subduction involving a mid-ocean ridge

Numerical simulations and theoretical analyses predict that forearc ophiolites probably record the end of subduction followed by re-initiation. We report here the results of a field study and new geochronological data that enable identification of the Kermanshah forearc basin, SW Iran. This basin is filled with two terrestrial volcaniclastic successions separated by an Upper Cretaceous reef facies limestone. Early Late Cretaceous ocean island basalts, early Eocene incompatible element-enriched mid-ocean ridge basalts/normal-type mid-ocean ridge basalts and late Eocene arc basalts of the basin indicate that Neotethyan subduction ended during the early Late Cretaceous and then re-initiated during the late Eocene. We suggest that the Neotethyan Ocean between the Iranian and Arabian continents consisted of leading and trailing oceanic plates separated by a mid-ocean ridge (MOR). Subduction of the leading plate generated the Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Sanandaj–Sirjan arc, which was ended by MOR–trench collision. The Zagros late Early Cretaceous forearc ophiolites represent the youngest/hottest segments of the leading plate emplaced during the MOR–trench collision. Subsequently, subduction of the MOR generated the forearc basin and basalts with diverse geochemistry. After c. 60 myr, the cooled trailing plate started to subduct, generating the late Eocene arc basalts. This model has significant implications for investigating and understanding other fossil subduction zones elsewhere in the world. Supplementary material: Supplementary material is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6086586

Petrology and geochemistry of Plio-Quaternary high-Nb basalts from Shahr-e-Babak area:Insights into post-collision magmatic processes in the Kerman Cenozoic Magmatic Arc

Post-collision Pliocene-Quaternary basaltic rocks outcrop in the Kerman Cenozoic Magmatic Arc (KCMA) to the northwest and east of Shahr-e-Babak city. These porphyritic and vesicular basaltic rocks are composed essentially of clinopyroxene, olivine, and plagioclase. These basalts display alkaline affinity and negative Ta, Zr, Rb anomaly, but slightly negative Nb anomaly, relative to elements with similar compatibility, and positive Ba, K, Sr anomaly, suggesting their magma source related to subduction-accretion with implication of subducted slab derived components to the source. In the primitive mantle and chondrite normalized diagrams, these rocks show trace elements (except depletion in Nb, Ta) and Rare Earth Element (REE) patterns similar to the Ocean Island Basalts (OIB) and share trace and major element characteristics similar to High-Nb Basalts (HNBs). Geochemical analyses for major and trace elements suggest that the Shahr-e-Babak HNBs have undergone insignificant crustal contamination and minor olivine + Fe-Ti oxide ±clinopyroxene fractional crystallization. These HNBs derived from a partial melting (~5%) of garnet-peridotite mantle wedge, which have already metasomatized by overlying sediments, fluids, and adakitic (slab-derived) melts as major metasomatic agents in post-collision setting in the KCMA. We conclude that asthenospheric upwelling arising from slab break-off followed by the roll-back of subducting Neotethys slab also triggered metasomatized peridotite mantle wedge and caused its partial melting in the subduction zone.

40Ar/39Ar Geochronology, Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of the Volcanic Rocks in the Jiangling Basin, China

In this study, 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and major and trace element data were presented for Paleogene basaltic rocks from the Jiangling Basin, China. The volcanic rocks erupted at ca. 53.19–60.78 Ma and belonged to the sub alkaline series. These basaltic rocks are generally characterized by enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare earth elements (LREEs) ((La/Yb)cn = 6.14–11.72) and lack of Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.98–1.09), similar to ocean island basalts. The geochemical signatures of these rocks are similar to hotspot-related Paleogene volcanic rocks in the North China Block and late Cenozoic volcanic rocks in Southeast China. The Cenozoic lithospheric mantle, as well as the Mesozoic basalts that are beneath the northern Yangtze Blocks, might be inherited from the Mesozoic lithospheric mantle. The basaltic rocks from the Jiangling Basin in the northern Yangtze Block were generated from the partial melting of EMII (enrichedmantleII)-like lithospheric mantle due to the intracontinental extension.

Barium isotopes in ocean island basalts as tracers of mantle processes

The compositions of ocean island basalts (OIB) can record signatures of ancient subducted crust that has been recycled through the mantle. Based on their radiogenic isotope, major and trace element compositions, several geochemically-extreme mantle compositions are suggested to host components of recycled crust. Barium (Ba) stable isotopes can serve as a tracer of crustal recycling into the mantle sources of OIB because 1) Ba isotopes are fractionated in surface crustal reservoirs and 2) Ba is highly enriched in crust relative to the mantle. Therefore, the Ba isotopic compositions of the subducted crust could be detected in OIB. Here, we characterized Ba isotopic compositions of fresh OIB from hotspots sampling a range of mantle compositions. We first explore δ138/134Ba (permil deviation of the 138Ba/134Ba ratio from the standard SRM3104a) in a suite of Hekla samples and demonstrate that magmatic differentiation does not impact the δ138/134Ba values of OIB over MgO concentrations from 2.3 to 8.0 wt%, and higher MgO lavas are unlikely to experience δ138/134Ba fractionation. After excluding OIB samples that experienced low-temperature alteration—which may shift the δ138/134Ba values of samples away from their mantle sources—the δ138/134Ba values of Samoan (including EM2 and high 3He/4He) lavas range from -0.07 to 0.07‰, while for Cook-Austral (HIMU) lavas the δ138/134Ba values range from 0.00 to 0.11‰, and for St. Helena (HIMU) samples the δ138/134Ba values range from 0.02 to 0.05‰. High 3He/4He (> 20 Ra, ratio to atmosphere) lavas from Vestfirðir of Iceland (-0.09 to 0.14‰) and Samoa (-0.02 to 0.01‰) also exhibit Ba isotopic variability. An extreme EM2 lava examined here (143Nd/144Nd = 0.512582) has lighter Ba isotopic composition (-0.07 ± 0.02‰, 2SE) than the depleted mantle sampled by MORB (0.05 ± 0.05‰, 2SD). The Samoan lavas show a possible positive trend between δ138/134Ba values and 143Nd/144Nd ratios, and can be modeled as a binary mixing between the high 3He/4He (FOZO) mantle and recycled heterogeneous continental crust. In contrast, the extreme HIMU composition (206Pb/204Pb > 21.7) shows heavier Ba isotope signatures (0.11 ± 0.02‰, 2SE); δ138/134Ba values positively correlate strongly with 206Pb/204Pb ratios in HIMU lavas, consistent with a contribution from recycled oceanic crust.

Davulalan A-type granitoid-associated Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn, and REEs mineralization, Central Anatolia, Turkey

In recent years, due to the high-reserve metallic and/or non-metallic mines detected in A-type granitoids, this interest is growing in these granitoids. Davulalan syenitoid is one of the A-type granitoids which are intruded in the Central Anatolian Crystalline Complex (CACC) in Turkey. This research discusses the ore productivity and fertility of the Davulalan syenitoid based on field studies, petrographic examinations, and geochemical data. The syenitoid consist of alkaline composition syenite and quartz-syenite, and calcic composition nepheline-syenite rocks. Two type mineral occurrences as vein and veinlets (stockwork) bearing Cu (up to 60 ppm), Mo (up to 308 ppm), Pb (up to 3600 ppm), Zn (up to 745 ppm), and REEs (up to 880 ppm), which are located in the center of the syenitoid and the contact zones of the marbles. As microscopically, argillization, sericitization, chloritization, carbonization, and silicification in the samples where are between the veins. The veins and veinlets include mainly galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite, native gold, magnetite, maghemite, specular hematite and hematite as ore minerals, and calcite, fluorite and quartz as gangue minerals. The geochemical data of unaltered/altered samples show tending to the K-feldspar and argillic/sericite alterations. Due to its similar to the Ocean Island Basalt (OIB) composition, strongly evolved and fractionated, likely high oxygen fugacity, the syenitoid a productive and fertility in terms of Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn, and REEs.

Iron isotope evidence in ocean island basalts for plume- and plate-controlled melting, São Miguel, Azores

Primitive ocean island basalts (OIB) display a large variability in stable iron (Fe) isotopes, beyond what can plausibly be explained by partial melting and crystal fractionation processes. This Fe isotopic heterogeneity is widely ascribed to inheritance from various exotic mantle components of enriched crustal origin, i.e., subducted and resurfacing oceanic or continental crust, its underlying lithosphere or overlying sediments. These enriched mantle components are characterised by variations in radiogenic Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopes. The extent to which the inherited Fe isotopic signature of subducted and recycled material influences the Fe isotopic composition of OIB and which role secondary processes accompanied with partial melting play is, however, not well understood. The eastern Azores island of São Miguel displays a systematic change from a mantle source less radiogenic in Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopes in the West to a highly enriched source in the East. These variations are among the largest reported in an OIB, indicating variable source component additions to the melt that offer a natural laboratory to elucidate sub-oceanic island processes. Among these, the eastern São Miguel component is unique amongst global OIB in that it has both, extremely radiogenic 206Pb/204Pb and 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios. The spatial distribution, complexity and uniqueness of these isotopic source characteristics are ideally suited to gain insights into the spatial distribution of mantle components and their potential controls on Fe isotope systematics. Comparing δ57Feprim, which is the isotopic composition calculated to primitive lavas along a liquid line of descent, with 87Sr/86Sr, 143Nd/144Nd, 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb reveals that the depleted component of western São Miguel shows a heavy Fe isotopic composition ranging from δ57Feprim = +0.09 to +0.18‰ (excluding one outlier at −0.02‰ δ57Feprim), whereas the enriched component of eastern São Miguel shows lighter δ57Feprim = +0.05 to +0.12‰. Both suites show a continuum of isotopic compositions between two apparent endmembers. The light Fe isotopic signature of eastern São Miguel lavas, coupled with elevated Rb/Sr and K2O, indicate K-rich mantle metasomatism in their source. The Fe isotopic composition of western São Miguel’s lavas are likely related to a similar source, but have been overprinted by the active Terceira Rift. The latter adds low-degree mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-type melts to the original OIB, likely in the form of a re-fertilised depleted mantle component that underpins the ultraslow spreading region. The two-component mix that contributes to western São Miguel lavas highlights that both enriched mantle components and shallow crustal features can add to the Fe isotopic signatures of erupting OIB, with spatial separation within single volcanic islands. This suggests that a careful evaluation of local geologic features, such as rifting, is required when OIB are probed for their mantle sources, and that heavy Fe isotopic signatures in OIB may not reflect deep, plume-source lithologies. In summary, São Miguel lavas are sourced by a mantle plume, but within a spatially controlled region accompanied by a plate-controlled melt associated with a rifting zone. This dichotomy adds another complication to the genesis of OIB, which however maybe elucidated through combined radiogenic-stable isotope systematics.

U–Pb Zircon Ages and Geochemistry of the Wuguan Complex and Liuling Group: Implications for the Late Paleozoic Tectonic Evolution of the Qinling Orogenic Belt, Central China

The tectonic evolution of the Qinling orogen is key to understanding the process of convergence between the North China Block (NCB) and the South China Block (SCB). The Wuguan Complex and Liuling Group, situated along the southern margin of the Shangnan–Danfeng suture zone (SDSZ) between the North Qinling Terrane (NQT) and the South Qinling Terrane (SQT), are important indicators of the late Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the Qinling orogen. In this paper, the detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology and geochemical analysis of the Wuguan Complex and Liuling Group are carried out. Detrital zircons from two metasedimentary rock samples of the Liuling Group yield a major age peak at 460 Ma and two subordinate peaks at 804 Ma and 920 Ma, with a few older grains having formed between 1000–2549 Ma. One metasedimentary rock sample of the Wuguan Complex has a similar age spectrum as that of the Liuling Group, which shows the main age peak at 440 Ma and two subordinate peaks at 786 and 927 Ma, indicating all detrital zircon age results have the same source area. Geochemical analyses suggest that the sedimentary rocks of the Liuling Group and part of the Wuguan Complex were deposited in the tectonic setting of the continental island arc (CIA), while the geochemical characteristics of the other group of sedimentary rocks of the Wuguan Complex indicate the mixing of basic rock sources. The protolith of garnet amphibolite and hornblende schist, which were collected from the Wuguan Complex, were classified as andesite and basalt, with the nature of arc andesite and oceanic island basalt, respectively. In combination with regional data, we suggest that the Liuling Group and the Wuguan Complex were deposited in a fore-arc basin. Additionally, the Wuguan Complex was subsequently incorporated into the tectonic mélange by the northward subduction of the Paleo-Qinling Ocean. Zircons from the subduction-related metamorphic igneous rocks in the Wuguan Complex yielded a weighted mean age of 365 ± 19 Ma, indicating that the Paleo-Qinling Ocean between the SQT and NQT was still subducted at the end of Devonian.

Nitrogen isotope evidence for Earth’s heterogeneous accretion of volatiles

The origin of major volatiles nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and sulfur in planets is critical for understanding planetary accretion, differentiation, and habitability. However, the detailed process for the origin of Earth’s major volatiles remains unresolved. Nitrogen shows large isotopic fractionations among geochemical and cosmochemical reservoirs, which could be used to place tight constraints on Earth’s volatile accretion process. Here we experimentally determine N-partitioning and -isotopic fractionation between planetary cores and silicate mantles. We show that the core/mantle N-isotopic fractionation factors, ranging from −4‰ to +10‰, are strongly controlled by oxygen fugacity, and the core/mantle N-partitioning is a multi-function of oxygen fugacity, temperature, pressure, and compositions of the core and mantle. After applying N-partitioning and -isotopic fractionation in a planetary accretion and core–mantle differentiation model, we find that the N-budget and -isotopic composition of Earth’s crust plus atmosphere, silicate mantle, and the mantle source of oceanic island basalts are best explained by Earth’s early accretion of enstatite chondrite-like impactors, followed by accretion of increasingly oxidized impactors and minimal CI chondrite-like materials before and during the Moon-forming giant impact. Such a heterogeneous accretion process can also explain the carbon–hydrogen–sulfur budget in the bulk silicate Earth. The Earth may thus have acquired its major volatile inventory heterogeneously during the main accretion phase.

Equilibrium boron isotope fractionation during serpentinization and applications in understanding subduction zone processes

Serpentinites entering subduction zones show selective enrichment in trace elements and are the most important carriers of B in this setting. The evolving B isotopic composition (δ11B) of serpentinite is used in studying water-mediated interactions between mantle and crust in subduction zones, but we lack a full understanding of the processes controlling B isotope fractionation during serpentinization that would allow this tracer to be better utilized. Boron isotope fractionation between lizardite/forsterite/diopside and aqueous fluids is investigated using quantum mechanics (density functional theory, DFT) and the first-principles molecular dynamics simulation (FPMD) here. The 11B enrichment sequence in minerals follows the order of forsterite > clinopyroxene (diopside) > white mica > phlogopite > lizardite. On the basis of boron configurations in aqueous fluid acquired from FPMD simulations based on DFT, the reduced isotopic partition function ratio (β-factor) of aqueous B(OH)3 and B(OH)4− are 1000lnβB(OH)3 = −20.1 + 37.07(1000/T) + 8.2(1000/T)2 and 1000lnβB(OH)4- = −13.94 + 24.43(1000/T) + 9.12(1000/T)2 at the P-T range of 0–500 MPa and 298–1000 K. This theoretical approach gives an equilibrium B isotope fractionation of Δ11Blizardite-fluid = 15.89–22.88(1000/T) - 0.19(1000/T)2 between lizardite and neutral serpentinization fluid in the temperature range from 298 to 673 K. By contrast, the boron isotope fractionation between minerals formed as the slab descends (e.g., forsterite, diopside) and fluid released from subducted crustal lithologies is limited, indicating that secondary olivine minerals may inherit the δ11B signatures of the dehydrated serpentinites. This study provides new insights into how B isotopes can constrain boron sources and pathways in subduction zones, and trace phases recycled into the deep mantle and their later recycling in ocean island basalts.