Postshield Lavas Research Articles

Evidence for a primitive deep mantle component in the source of Marquesas Islands Lavas from Os isotope and highly siderophile element abundance systematics

The Marquesas islands are an age-progressive volcanic chain in French Polynesia formed by partial melting above a mantle plume. Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of an enriched mantle (EM2) endmember mixed with a high-3He/4He (up to 14.4 RA) component in Marquesas post-shield lavas. In contrast, Marquesas shield lavas sample a dilute high-μ (HIMU) type component with lower 3He/4He (∼8 RA). We report new incompatible trace element and highly siderophile element (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Pd, Re) abundances and osmium isotope data for bulk rocks from the islands of Fatu Hiva, Hiva Oa and Nuku Hiva, for which He, Sr, Nd and Pb isotope compositions have been reported previously (Castillo et al., 2007). As the HSE are chiefly hosted in sulfide phases in the mantle and all but Re are compatible during partial melting, they offer information on both sulfide-rich and melt-depleted mantle lithologies within the Marquesas plume. Primitive mantle-normalized HSE abundances show depletions in Ru and Pd, and fractionated (Ir/Os)N in fourteen of the seventeen analyzed samples. Ruthenium depletions and Ir-Os fractionations are likely caused by parental magma fractional crystallization. Palladium depletions are not easily explained by magmatic or secondary alteration processes and are instead likely to be a feature of the source mantle which was partially depleted in the more incompatible HSE by previous melting events within the Marquesas plume. Osmium isotopic systematics are mildly radiogenic relative to chondrites and are identical within uncertainties for shield-building Fatu Hiva (γOs = +2.9 ± 1.6; 2 SD; n = 7) and post-shield Hiva Oa (+2.7 ± 2.2; n = 9), showing no evidence for significant assimilation of radiogenic oceanic crust. The osmium budget of Marquesas lavas is controlled by a volumetrically dominant peridotite endmember that is incompatible element depleted while the Sr, Nd, and Pb budgets are strongly influenced by a volumetrically minor, incompatible element enriched EM2 component. The Nd-Sr-Os isotope systematics of the lavas can be explained by mixing of 0.3–0.7% of an EM2 type melt into the Marquesas source. Marquesas lavas offer further support that the high-3He/4He “focus zone” (FOZO) mantle has 187Os/188Os mildly more radiogenic than the depleted upper mantle, similar to estimates of the primitive mantle. Osmium isotope systematics offer a useful tool with which to characterize more depleted components within the ocean island basalt-source mantle that may be difficult to detect using lithophile isotope signatures.

An isotopically depleted lower mantle component is intrinsic to the Hawaiian mantle plume

Most ocean island basalts sample an isotopically depleted mantle component, but the origin of this component is unclear. It may come from either the entrained upper mantle or from a reservoir intrinsic to the plume, sourced from the lower mantle. For Hawaii, the isotopically depleted component is primarily sampled during the secondary rejuvenated-stage volcanism, 0.5–2 million years after the initial shield-stage volcanism. However, it is also inferred in shield and post-shield lavas. We analyse the radiogenic isotopic and trace element compositions of a suite of Mauna Kea shield-stage tholeiites, and found that they have the same isotopic compositions as rejuvenated-stage lavas. We use trace element models to show that these shield-stage basalts can be explained as higher degree partial melts of a rejuvenated-stage source. Our data, therefore, show that the depleted rejuvenated-stage component was directly sampled during shield-stage volcanism. The common source for both shield-stage and secondary rejuvenated volcanism implies that the depleted rejuvenated component is intrinsic to the Hawaiian mantle plume. It is further inferred that the mantle region from which the Hawaiian plume originates, probably in the lower mantle, is also isotopically depleted, similar but not identical to the upper mantle. A mantle component that is isotopically depleted is intrinsic to the Hawaiian mantle plume, and is probably sourced from the lower mantle, according to radiogenic isotope analyses on shield-stage tholeitic basalts from Mauna Kea.

The aluminum conundrum in Hawaiian shield-building lavas: An argument for a deep, garnet-bearing, mantle source

In contrast with other major elements (e.g. SiO2, CaO, TiO2), isotopic ratios (e.g.Sr, Nd, Pb), and some trace element ratios (e.g. Zr/Nb, Zr/Y, La/Nb), the Al2O3 content of Hawaiian shield lavas, at a given MgO content, is remarkably uniform within and between volcanoes. The overall range at 10% MgO is about 0.8% from Loihi (12.1%) to Koolau (12.9%). There is substantial overlap between the “Loa” and “Kea” trend volcanoes, but the regression data for “Loa” trend volcanoes are slightly higher (0.2%) in Al2O3 than “Kea” trend volcanoes. Post-shield lavas, from both “Kea” and “Loa” trends are higher in Al2O3 at a given MgO content than corresponding shield lavas. These observations are completely at odds with what we think we know about melt production in a heterogeneous, thermally zoned, mantle plume. Peridotite melting models and experiments, at varying pressures and temperatures, result in melts with significantly different Al2O3 contents at a given MgO content. The almost constant Al2O3 at a given MgO content is analogous to the almost constant normalized Yb abundances in Hawaiian tholeiites. Both require melting in the presence of a garnet residue. The aluminum conundrum can be explained if Hawaiian shield lavas result from melting garnet peridotite at depths corresponding to around 120km. However, this explanation is at odds with the variable, but relatively high SiO2 contents of most of these lavas, which imply melt production at relatively shallow depths corresponding to less than 90km. This paradox can be resolved if low SiO2 parental magmas derived from garnet peridotite react with a depleted harzburgite residue from prior melting as the magma ascends through the upper regions of the plume.

Volcanic successions in Marquesas eruptive centers: A departure from the Hawaiian model

The temporal evolution and geochemical evolution of Marquesas hotspot volcanoes have often been interpreted with reference to the Hawaiian model, where a tholeiitic shield-building stage is followed by an alkali basaltic post-shield stage, followed after a 0.4 to 2.5Myr long quiescence period, by a rejuvenated basanitic/nephelinitic stage. Here we discuss geochemical data on 110 Marquesas lavas also dated using the unspiked 40K–40Ar method on separated groundmass (including 45 new ages measured on the southern islands of Hiva Oa, Motane, Tahuata and Fatu Hiva). Sample locations were positioned on detailed geological maps to determine their shield or post-shield position with respect to the caldera collapse event(s), without taking into account their geochemical features. A rather regular decrease of the ages towards SE, consistent with the Pacific plate motion, is observed from Eiao (5.52Ma) to Fatu Hiva (1.11Ma), and rejuvenated basanitic volcanism occurs only in Ua Huka (1.15–0.76Ma). The occurrence of intermediate and evolved lavas is restricted to the post-caldera stage, with the exception of Eiao island. However, many other features of the Marquesas chain are rather atypical with respect to those of Hawaii. Although Marquesas shields are tholeiitic, several of them (Eiao, Tahuata) contain interbedded alkali basaltic and basanitic flows. Moreover, post-shield volcanoes are either alkali basalts (Ua Huka), tholeiites (Hiva Oa, Tahuata, Fatu Hiva) or both (Nuku Hiva). This feature is consistent with the temporal continuity of the two stages and the usually short length of the post-shield period (<0.2Myr). In a given island, the trace element and isotopic compositions of shield and post-shield lavas overlap, although both display large variations. The sources of alkali basalts and basanites are more enriched than those of the contemporaneous tholeiites. These specific features support the hypothesis of an extremely heterogeneous Marquesas plume. The “weak” character of this plume led to low partial melting degrees, which in turn resulted in the preservation in the basaltic magmas of geochemical features inherited from small-size source heterogeneities.

How double volcanic chains sample geochemical anomalies from the lowermost mantle

The distinct isotopic compositions of basalts from the two parallel tracks of Hawaiian volcanoes suggest a bilateral zonation of the underlying mantle plume, with an enriched southern side. Such zonation is not unique to Hawaii, but may well be a common feature of other Pacific hotspots. This remarkable isotopic pattern, revealed by double volcanic chains, appears to be related to the so-called DUPAL isotopic anomaly in the Pacific mantle, which correlates with the seismically imaged ‘Large Low-Shear-Velocity Province’. Here we show how a large-scale isotopic gradient, exemplified by the radiogenic isotope ratio Pb⋆208/Pb⋆206, maps from the deep mantle into the Hawaiian plume conduit, and how it ultimately surfaces as Pb⋆208/Pb⋆206 variations in double-chain volcanoes. Our numerical simulations reveal a novel ‘lobate’ conduit structure which generates an overall bilateral isotopic zonation within the Hawaiian melting zone. Comparison between our model predictions and Pb⋆208/Pb⋆206 of several Hawaiian volcanoes shows that a deep-seated, north-south, isotopic gradient can explain the enriched southern (Loa) chain as well as the Pb⋆208/Pb⋆206 decline from shield to post-shield lavas, observed in several of the volcanoes. The results provide a mechanism for directly linking geochemical maps of ocean island basalts to the structure and composition of the lowermost mantle inferred by seismic tomography.

Age, geology, geophysics, and geochemistry of Mahukona Volcano, Hawai`i

The size, shape, and magmatic history of the most recently discovered shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, Mahukona, have been controversial. Mahukona corresponds to what was thought to be a gap in the paired sequence (Loa and Kea trends) of younger Hawaiian volcanoes (<4 Ma). Here, we present the results of marine expeditions to Mahukona where new bathymetry, sidescan sonar, gravity data, and lava samples were collected to address these controversies. Modeling of bathymetric and gravity data indicate that Mahukona is one of the smallest Hawaiian volcanoes (∼6,000 km3) and that its magmatic system was not focused in a long-lived central reservoir like most other Hawaiian volcanoes. This lack of a long-lived magmatic reservoir is reflected by the absence of a central residual gravity high and the random distribution of cones on Mahukona Volcano. Our reconstructed subsidence history for Mahukona suggests it grew to at least ∼270 m below sea level but probably did not form an island. New 40Ar–39Ar plateau ages range from 350 to 654 ka providing temporal constraints for Mahukona’s post-shield and shield stages of volcanism, which ended prematurely. Mahukona post-shield lavas have high 3He/4He ratios (16–21 Ra), which have not been observed in post-shield lavas from other Hawaiian volcanoes. Lava compositions range widely at Mahukona, including Pb isotopic values that straddle the boundary between Kea and Loa sequences of volcanoes. The compositional diversity of Mahukona lavas may be related to its relatively small size (less extensive melting) and the absence of a central magma reservoir where magmas would have been homogenized.

Kahoolawe Island, Hawaii: The role of an ‘inaccessible’ shield volcano in the petrology of the Hawaiian islands and plume

Kahoolawe volcano (∼10×17 km) forms one of the eight major Hawaiian islands. Access for geologic sampling has long been restricted due to military and preservation policies. However, limited visits to Kahoolawe in the 1980s yielded >200 samples, many of which have since been used to study the volcano within the framework of Hawaiian shield and mantle source geochemistry, petrology, mineralogy, and igneous processes. Kahoolawe is a tholeiitic shield with tholeiitic caldera-filling lavas, and at least seven postshield vents that erupted tholeiitic and (sparse) alkalic lavas. On smaller scales are a gabbro intrusion and ultramafic and gabbroic xenoliths in some postshield lavas. There is no evidence for rejuvenated volcanism. In its structural setting, Kahoolawe lies along the “Loa” trend of Hawaiian shields. Major element compositions of shield and caldera-filling lavas are similar and cluster at ∼6–7 wt% MgO, range from ∼5.5 to 16 wt% MgO, and include ∼9 wt% MgO examples that can be modeled as parental to the evolved lavas. For example, least squares mass balancing demonstrates that from ∼15% to 30% crystallization of olivine (±orthopyroxene), clinopyroxene, and plagioclase accounts for the ∼5.5–6 wt% MgO range of tholeiitic lavas. Greater differentiation occurred in the gabbro (diabasic) intrusive body as a segregation vein with ∼2.9 wt% MgO, and extreme differentiation produced local, small-volume rhyolitic melts that segregated into lava vesicles. Postshield lavas are mainly tholeiitic, have ∼5–7 wt% MgO, and overlap shield compositions. Some are alkalic, as low as ∼3.9 wt% MgO (hawaiite), and can be modeled as liquids after a ∼9 wt% MgO alkalic magma crystallized ∼30% olivine, clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and magnetite. Important aspects of Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb isotopic ratios in Kahoolawe shield and caldera-filling lavas are slightly higher 87Sr/ 86Sr than in Koolau shield lavas (Oahu island; Makapuu-stage; e.g., Koolau mantle ‘endmember’) when compared at a given 143Nd/ 144Nd (e.g., ∼0.7042 at 0.5128), 206Pb/ 204Pb largely at the low end of the range for Hawaiian shields (e.g., ∼18), and ε Hf generally comparable to the values of other Hawaiian shields and ocean islands (e.g., ε Hf 8 at ε Nd 4). The isotopic ratios overall suggest small-scale source heterogeneity, considering the island size, and that Kahoolawe shield and caldera lavas were derived from a Hawaiian plume source containing recycled oceanic crust of gabbro and sediments. Based on certain geochemical indicators, however, such as Ce/Sr and La/Nb vs. 87Sr/ 86Sr, the source contained slightly less gabbro component than other shield sources (e.g., Koolau). Isotopic data for Kahoolawe postshield lavas are scarce, but those available generally overlap the shield data. However, ratios among certain alteration-resistant incompatible trace elements (e.g., Zr/Nb) discriminate some postshield alkalic from shield lavas. But because the different ratios for those postshield lavas can be explained by smaller partial-melting percentages of the shield source and by differentiation, neither isotopes nor trace elements identify postshield magmas as originating in a source unlike that for the shield lavas.

Horizontal and vertical zoning of heterogeneities in the Hawaiian mantle plume from the geochemistry of consecutive postshield volcano pairs: Kohala‐Mahukona and Mauna Kea–Hualalai

Sr‐Nd‐Pb‐Hf isotopic compositions of postshield lavas from two pairs of Hawaiian volcanoes, Mauna Kea and Kohala (Kea trend) and Hualalai and Mahukona (Loa trend), allow for identification of small‐scale (tens of kilometers) heterogeneities in the Hawaiian mantle plume and provide constraints on their distribution. The postshield lavas range from transitional/alkalic basalt to trachyte and are enriched in incompatible trace elements (e.g., LaN/YbN = 6.0–16.2). These lavas are characterized by a limited range of Sr‐Nd‐Hf isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sr = 0.70343–0.70365, 143Nd/144Nd = 0.51292–0.51301, and 176Hf/177Hf = 0.28311–0.28314) and have distinct Pb isotopic compositions (206Pb/204Pb = 17.89–18.44, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.44–15.49, and 208Pb/204Pb = 37.68–38.01) that correspond to their respective Kea or Loa side of the Pb‐Pb isotopic boundary. Mauna Kea lavas show a systematic shift to less radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions from the shield to postshield stage and they trend to low 87Sr/86Sr toward, but not as extreme as, compositions characteristic of rejuvenated stage lavas. Hualalai postshield lavas lie distinctly above the Hf‐Nd Hawaiian array and have much lower Pb isotopic ratios than shield lavas, including some of the least radiogenic values (e.g., 206Pb/204Pb = 17.89–18.01) of recent Hawaiian volcanoes. In contrast, comparison of Kohala with the adjacent Mahukona volcano shows that these older postshield lavas become more radiogenic in Pb during the late stages of volcanism. The isotope systematics of the postshield lavas cannot be explained by mixing between Hawaiian plume end‐members (e.g., Kea, Koolau, and Loihi) or by assimilation of Pacific lithosphere and are consistent with the presence of ancient recycled lower oceanic crust (±sediments) in their source. More than one depleted component is sampled by the postshield lavas and these components are long‐lived features of the Hawaiian plume that are present in both the Kea and Loa source regions. The depleted components in the postshield lavas, particularly as sampled at Hualalai, are different from the much more homogeneous component present in rejuvenated lavas. The geochemistry of the postshield lavas provides evidence for a bilateral symmetry to the plume where the compositional boundary between the Kea and Loa sources is complex and vertical components of heterogeneity are significant.

Combined U–Th/He and 40Ar/ 39Ar geochronology of post-shield lavas from the Mauna Kea and Kohala volcanoes, Hawaii

Late Quaternary, post-shield lavas from the Mauna Kea and Kohala volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii have been dated using the 40Ar/ 39Ar and U–Th/He methods. The objective of the study is to compare the recently demonstrated U–Th/He age method, which uses basaltic olivine phenocrysts, with 40Ar/ 39Ar ages measured on groundmass from the same samples. As a corollary, the age data also increase the precision of the chronology of volcanism on the Big Island. For the U–Th/He ages, U, Th and He concentrations and isotopes were measured to account for U-series disequilibrium and initial He. Single analyses U–Th/He ages for Hamakua lavas from Mauna Kea are 87 ± 40 to 119 ± 23 ka (2 σ uncertainties), which are in general equal to or younger than 40Ar/ 39Ar ages. Basalt from the Polulu sequence on Kohala gives a U–Th/He age of 354 ± 54 ka and a 40Ar/ 39Ar age of 450 ± 40 ka. All of the U–Th/He ages, and all but one spurious 40Ar/ 39Ar ages conform to the previously proposed stratigraphy and published 14C and K–Ar ages. The ages also compare favorably to U–Th whole rock–olivine ages calculated from 238U– 230Th disequilibria. The U–Th/He and 40Ar/ 39Ar results agree best where there is a relatively large amount of radiogenic 40Ar (>10%), and where the 40Ar/ 36Ar intercept calculated from the Ar isochron diagram is close to the atmospheric value. In two cases, it is not clear why U–Th/He and 40Ar/ 39Ar ages do not agree within uncertainty. U–Th/He and 40Ar/ 39Ar results diverge the most on a low-K transitional tholeiitic basalt with abundant olivine. For the most alkalic basalts with negligible olivine phenocrysts, U–Th/He ages were unattainable while 40Ar/ 39Ar results provide good precision even on ages as low as 19 ± 4 ka. Hence, the strengths and weaknesses of the U–Th/He and 40Ar/ 39Ar methods are complimentary for basalts with ages of order 100–500 ka.

Postshield stage transitional volcanism on Mahukona Volcano, Hawaii

Age spectra from 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating experiments yield ages of 298 ± 25 ka and 310 ± 31 ka for transitional composition lavas from two cones on submarine Mahukona Volcano, Hawaii. These ages are younger than the inferred end of the tholeiitic shield stage and indicate that the volcano had entered the postshield alkalic stage before going extinct. Previously reported elevated helium isotopic ratios of lavas from one of these cones were incorrectly interpreted to indicate eruption during a preshield alkalic stage. Consequently, high helium isotopic ratios are a poor indicator of eruptive stage, as they occur in preshield, shield, and postshield stage lavas. Loihi Seamount and Kilauea are the only known Hawaiian volcanoes where the volume of preshield alkalic stage lavas can be estimated.

Geochemical characteristics of West Molokai shield‐ and postshield‐stage lavas: Constraints on Hawaiian plume models

There are systematic geochemical differences between the &lt;2 Myr Hawaiian shields forming the subparallel spatial trends, known as Loa and Kea. These spatial and temporal geochemical changes provide insight into the spatial distribution of geochemical heterogeneities within the source of Hawaiian lavas, and the processes that create the Hawaiian plume. Lavas forming the ∼1.9 Ma West Molokai volcano are important for evaluating alternative models proposed for the spatial distribution of geochemical heterogeneities because (1) the geochemical distinction between Loa and Kea trends may end at the Molokai Fracture Zone and (2) West Molokai is a Loa‐trend volcano that has exposures of shield and postshield lavas. This geochemical study (major and trace element abundances and isotopic ratios of Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb) shows that the West Molokai shield includes lavas with Loa‐ and Kea‐like geochemical characteristics; a mixed Loa‐Kea source is required. In contrast, West Molokai postshield lavas are exclusively Kea‐like. This change in source geochemistry can be explained by the observed change in strike of the Pacific plate near Molokai Island so that as West Molokai volcano moved away from a mixed Loa‐Kea source it sampled only the Kea side of a bilaterally zoned plume.

Petrogenesis of Hawaiian postshield lavas: Evidence from Nintoku Seamount, Emperor Seamount Chain

We report major and trace element and Sr and Nd isotope data for a 283 m thick sequence of postshield lavas drilled during Ocean Drilling Project Leg 197 from Site 1205, Nintoku Seamount, an approximately 56 m.y. old volcano from the Emperor Seamount Chain. At least 25 subaerially erupted lava flow units were sampled, of which all but one are alkali basalts. Clasts of hawaiite and mugearite are present in a conglomerate overlying the basement sequence. Similar rock types characterize the postshield stage of many young Hawaiian volcanoes. Major and trace element, and age‐corrected Sr and Nd isotope compositions of the Nintoku lavas are similar to those of young postshield lavas from the Hawaiian Islands. Concentrations of highly incompatible elements tend to increase, La/Yb and Nb/Zr ratios increase, and 87Sr/86Sr decreases with decreasing depth in the drill core. The more evolved rock types can be related to the underlying alkali basalts by fractional crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and Fe‐Ti oxides, all of which occur as phenocryst or significant groundmass phases in these lavas. However, variations in the trace element and isotopic compositions of the Nintoku lavas indicate derivation from a heterogeneous mantle source. The isotopic and trace element compositions of the lavas can be modeled using a modified version of the Chen and Frey (1985) mixing model for Hawaiian lavas, in which small‐degree melts of the ∼60 m.y. old oceanic lithosphere beneath Nintoku, previously fertilized by small‐degree melts soon after its formation at a ridge axis, are mixed with melts from the Hawaiian plume. The contribution from the oceanic lithosphere became more important with time as Nintoku Seamount moved away from the Hawaiian plume axis. Together with other data from Leg 197, our results show that the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of not only shield but also postshield lavas from the Emperor Seamounts increased with decreasing age between ∼80 and 50 m.y. ago. For alkalic postshield lavas, this could result from either increased melting of the oceanic lithosphere beneath volcanoes situated on younger oceanic crust or lower degrees of incompatible trace element enrichment in the lowermost portions of younger oceanic lithosphere.

East Molokai and other Kea‐trend volcanoes: Magmatic processes and sources as they migrate away from the Hawaiian hot spot

There are geochemical differences between shield lavas from the two parallel trends, Kea and Loa, defined by young Hawaiian volcanoes. The shield of East Molokai volcano, at greater than 1.5 Ma, is the oldest volcano on the Kea trend. Sequences of older tholeiitic to younger alkalic basalt that erupted as this volcano evolved from the shield to postshield stage of volcanism are well exposed. Much younger, ∼0.34–0.57 Ma, alkalic basalt and basanite erupted during rejuvenated stage volcanism. Like rejuvenated stage lavas erupted at other Hawaiian volcanoes, rejuvenated stage East Molokai lavas have relatively low 87Sr/86Sr and high 143Nd/144Nd. Such ratios reflect a source component with a long‐term depletion in abundance of incompatible elements. On the basis of positive correlations of 87Sr/86Sr versus 206Pb/204Pb and negative correlations of these isotopic ratios with Nb/Zr, a smaller proportion of this depleted component also contributed to the late shield/postshield lavas erupted at East Molokai and the other Kea‐trend volcanoes, Haleakala and Mauna Kea. At each of these Kea‐trend volcanoes, as the volcano moved away from the hot spot, the extent of melting and magma supply from the mantle decreased, the depth of melt segregation increased, and there was an increasing role for a component with long‐term relative depletion in incompatible elements. This depleted component has Kea‐trend Pb isotopic characteristics and relatively low 208Pb/204Pb at a given 206Pb/204Pb, and it is probably not related to oceanic lithosphere or the source of mid‐ocean ridge basalt. The overlap in Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios of recent Kilauea shield lavas and 550 ka Mauna Kea shield lavas has been used to argue that Kea‐trend shield volcanism samples a vertically continuous, geochemically distinct stripe which persisted in the hot spot source for 550 kyr (Eisele et al., 2003; Abouchami et al., 2005). As Kea‐trend volcanoes migrate away from the hot spot and evolve from the shield to postshield stage, there are systematic changes in Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios. However, the overlap of Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios in late shield/postshield lavas from Mauna Kea (&lt;350 ka) and East Molokai (∼1.5 Ma) show that the periphery of the hot spot sampled by Kea‐trend postshield lavas also had long‐term geochemical homogeneity.

Petrogenesis of lavas from Detroit Seamount: Geochemical differences between Emperor Chain and Hawaiian volcanoes

The Hawaiian Ridge and Emperor Seamount Chain define a hot spot track that provides an 80 Myr record of Hawaiian magmatism. Detroit Seamount (∼76 to 81 Ma) is one of the oldest Emperor Seamounts. Volcanic rocks forming this seamount have been cored by the Ocean Drilling Program at six locations. Only tholeiitic basalt occurs at Site 884 on the eastern flank and only alkalic basalt, probably postshield lavas, occurs at Sites 883 and 1204 on the summit plateau. However, at Site 1203 the basement core (453 m penetration) includes four thick flows of pahoehoe alkalic basalt underlying ∼300 m of volcaniclastic rocks interbedded with submarine erupted tholeiitic basalt. The geochemical characteristics of these alkalic lavas indicate that phlogopite was important in their petrogenesis; they may represent preshield stage volcanism. The surprising upward transition from subaerial to submarine eruptives implies rapid subsidence of the volcano, which can be explained by the inferred near‐ridge axis setting of the seamount at ∼80 Ma. A near‐ridge axis setting with thin lithosphere is also consistent with a shallow depth of melt segregation for Detroit Seamount magmas relative to Hawaiian magmas, and the significant role for plagioclase fractionation as the Detroit Seamount magmas evolved in the crust. An important long‐term trend along the hot spot track is that 87Sr/86Sr decreases in lavas erupted from ∼40 to 80 Ma. Tholeiitic basalt at Site 884 on Detroit Seamount is the extreme and overlaps with the 87Sr/86Sr‐143Nd/144Nd field of Pacific mid‐ocean ridge basalts (MORB). Complementary evidence for a depleted component in Detroit Seamount lavas is that relative to Hawaiian basalt, Detroit Seamount lavas have lower abundances of incompatible elements at a given MgO content. These lavas, especially from Sites 883 and 884, trend to extremely unradiogenic Pb isotopic ratios which are unlike MORB erupted at the East Pacific Rise. A component with relatively low 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb is required. Lavas erupted from a spreading center in the Garrett transform fault, 13°28′S on the East Pacific Rise, have this characteristic. A plausible hypothesis is mixing of a plume‐related component with a component similar to that expressed in lavas from the Garrett transform fault. However, basaltic glasses from Detroit Seamount also have relatively high Ba/Th, a distinctive characteristic of Hawaiian lavas. We argue that all Detroit Seamount lavas, including those from Site 884, are related to the Hawaiian hot spot. Rejuvenated stage Hawaiian lavas also have high Ba/Th and define a trend to low 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb. We speculate that rejuvenated stage lavas and Detroit Seamount lavas sample a depleted mantle component, intrinsic to the plume, over the past 80 Myr.

Growth and collapse of Waianae Volcano, Hawaii, as revealed by exploration of its submarine flanks

Wai‘anae Volcano comprises the western half of O‘ahu Island, but until recently little was known about the submarine portion of this volcano. Seven new submersible dives, conducted in 2001 and 2002, and multibeam bathymetry offshore of Wai‘anae provide evidence pertaining to the overall growth of the volcano's edifice as well as the timing of collapses that formed the Wai‘anae slump complex. A prominent slope break at ∼1400 mbsl marks the paleoshoreline of Wai‘anae at the end of its shield‐building stage and wraps around Ka‘ena Ridge, suggesting that this may have been an extension of Wai‘anae's northwest rift zone. Subaerially erupted tholeiitic lavas were collected from a small shield along the crest of Ka‘ena Ridge. The length of Wai‘anae's south rift zone is poorly constrained but reaches at least 65 km on the basis of recovered tholeiite pillows at this distance from the volcano's center. Wai‘anae's growth was marked by multiple collapse and deformation events during and after its shield stage, resulting in the compound mass wasting features on the volcano's southwest flank (Wai‘anae slump complex). The slump complex, one of the largest in Hawai‘i, covering an area of ∼5500 km2, is composed of several distinct sections on the basis of morphology and the lithologies of recovered samples. Two dives ascended the outer bench of the slump complex and collected predominantly low‐S tholeiites that correlate with subaerial lavas erupted early during the volcano's shield stage, from 3.9 to 3.5 Ma. Pillow lavas from the outer bench have Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopic values that overlap with previously published subaerial Wai‘anae lavas. On the basis of the compositions of the recovered samples, the main body of the slump complex, as represented by the outer bench, probably formed during and shortly after the early shield stage. To the southwest of the outer bench lies a broad debris field on the seafloor, interpreted to have formed by a catastrophic collapse event that breached the outer bench. A dive within the debris field recovered subaerially derived volcaniclastic rocks; analyzed glasses are tholeiitic and resemble early shield stage compositions. The breach may have then been filled by slumping material from the main volcanic edifice. Finally, atop the northern main body of the slump is a rotated landslide block that detached from the proximal part of Ka‘ena Ridge after the volcano's late shield stage (3.2 to 3.0 Ma). From the inner scarp of this block we recovered subaerially erupted tholeiitic pillow breccias and hyaloclastites that are systematically higher in alkalis and more fractionated than those collected from the outer bench. These rocks correlate compositionally with late shield‐stage subaerial Kamaile‘unu lavas. None of the collected slump complex samples correlate with alkalic subaerial postshield lavas. Volcaniclastic rocks and glass disseminated in pelagic sediment, collected from north of Ka‘ena Ridge, originated from Wai‘anae's postshield stage and Ko‘olau's shield stage, respectively.

Composition of basaltic lavas sampled by phase‐2 of the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project: Geochemical stratigraphy and magma types

This paper presents major and trace element compositions of lavas from the entire 3098 m stratigraphic section sampled by phase‐2 of the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project. The upper 245 m are lavas from Mauna Loa volcano, and the lower 2853 m are lavas and volcanoclastic rocks from Mauna Kea volcano. These intervals are inferred to represent about 100 ka and 400 ka respectively of the eruptive history of the two volcanoes. The Mauna Loa tholeiites tend to be higher in SiO2 and lower in total iron, TiO2, alkalis, and incompatible elements at a given MgO content than Mauna Kea lavas. The transition from Mauna Loa to Mauna Kea lavas is all the more pronounced because the Mauna Loa tholeiites overlie a thin sequence of postshield Mauna Kea alkalic to transitional tholeiitic lavas. The Mauna Loa tholeiites display well‐developed coherent trends with MgO that are indistinguishable in most respects from modern lavas. With depth, however, there is a slight decline in incompatible element abundances, and small shifts to depleted isotopic ratios. These characteristics suggest small changes in melt production and source components over time, superimposed on shallow melt segregation. The Mauna Kea section is subdivided into a thin, upper 107 m sequence of postshield tholeiites, transitional tholeiites and alkali basalts of the Hamakua volcanics, overlying four tholeiitic magma types that are intercalated throughout the rest of the core. These four magma types are recognized on the basis of MgO‐normalized SiO2 and Zr/Nb values. Type‐1 lavas (high SiO2 and Zr/Nb) are ubiquitous below the postshield lavas and are the dominant magma type on Mauna Kea. They are inter‐layered with the other three lava types. Type‐2 lavas (low SiO2 but high Zr/Nb) are found only in the upper core, and especially above 850 m. Type‐3 lavas (low SiO2 and Zr/Nb) are very similar to tholeiites from Loihi volcano and are present only below 1974 m. There are only 3 discrete samples of type‐4 lavas (high SiO2 and low Zr/Nb), which are present in the upper and lower core. The differences between these magma types are inferred to reflect changes in melt production, depth of melt segregation, and differences in plume source components over about 400 ka of Mauna Kea's eruptive history. At the start of this record, eruption rates were high, and two distinct tholeiitic magmas (type‐1 and 3) were erupting concurrently. These two magmas require two distinct source components, one similar to that of modern Loihi tholeiites and the other close to that of Kilauea magmas. Subsequently, the Loihi‐like source of the type‐3 magmas was exhausted, and these lavas are absent from the remainder of the core. For the next 200 ka or so, the eruptive sequence consists of inter‐layered type‐1 and ‐2 lavas that are derived from a common Mauna Kea source, the major difference between the two being the depth at which the melts segregated from the source. At around 440 ka (corresponding with the transition in the core from submarine to subaerial lavas) eruption rates began to decline and low‐MgO lavas are suddenly much more abundant in the record. Continuing gradual decline in melting and eruption rates was accompanied by a decline in normalized SiO2 content of the type‐1 magmas, and the eventual onset of postshield magmatism.

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

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

Geochemistry of Lavas from the Emperor Seamounts, and the Geochemical Evolution of Hawaiian Magmatism from 85 to 42 Ma

The Hawaiian–Emperor Seamount Chain (ESC), in the northern Pacific Ocean, was produced during the passage of the Pacific Plate over the Hawaiian hotspot. Major and trace element concentrations and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of shield and post-shield lavas from nine of the Emperor Seamounts provide a 43 Myr record of the chemistry of the oldest preserved Hawaiian magmatism during the Late Mesozoic and Early Cenozoic (from 85 to 42 Ma). These data demonstrate that there were large variations in the composition of Hawaiian magmatism over this period. Tholeiitic basalts from Meiji Seamount (85 Ma), at the northernmost end of the ESC, have low concentrations of incompatible trace elements, and unradiogenic Sr isotopic compositions, compared with younger lavas from the volcanoes of the Hawaiian Chain (<43 Ma). Lavas from Detroit Seamount (81 Ma) have highly depleted incompatible trace element and Sr–Nd isotopic compositions, which are similar to those of Pacific mid-ocean ridge basalts. Lavas from the younger Emperor Seamounts (62–42 Ma) have trace element compositions similar to those of lavas from the Hawaiian Islands, but initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios extend to lower values. From 81 to 42 Ma there was a systematic increase in 87Sr/86Sr of both tholeiitic and alkalic lavas. The age of the oceanic lithosphere at the time of seamount formation decreases northwards along the Emperor Seamount Chain, and the oldest Emperor Seamounts were built upon young, thin lithosphere close to a former spreading centre. However, the inferred distance of the Hawaiian plume from a former spreading centre, and the isotopic compositions of the oldest Emperor lavas appear to rule out plume–ridge interaction as an explanation for their depleted compositions. We suggest that the observed temporal chemical and isotopic variations may instead be due to variations in the degree of melting of a heterogeneous mantle, resulting from differences in the thickness of the oceanic lithosphere upon which the Emperor Seamounts were constructed. During the Cretaceous, when the Hawaiian plume was situated beneath young, thin lithosphere, the degree of melting within the plume was greater, and incompatible trace element depleted, refractory mantle components contributed more to melting.

Structural and petrologic evolution of the Lihue basin and eastern Kauai, Hawaii

The topography of the eastern part of the Hawaiian island of Kauai is dominated by the Lihue basin, a large (∼110 km 2 ) semicircular depression bounded by steep cliffs and partly filled by late rejuvenated-stage (or posterosional stage) volcanic material. As with other large, semicircular basins on ocean-island volcanoes, the subsurface geology and origin (e.g., structural collapse vs. fluvial erosion) of the Lihue basin are poorly understood. New analyses of samples collected from eastern Kauai and drill holes within the basin document several important features of the late-stage geologic evolution of Kauai. First, thick (>300 m) sequences of rejuvenated-stage Koloa Volcanics in the Lihue basin show systematic, basin-wide geochemical trends of increasingly incompatible elements with time, indicating a gradual decrease in the extent of partial melting of mantle sources with time. Second, beneath the rejuvenated-stage volcanics in the basin, a thin layer of postshield alkalic stage lavas (e.g., hawaiites and mugearites) overlies older shield-stage tholeiitic lavas of the Napali Member, indicating that the Lihue basin formed by structural collapse, not fluvial erosion. Third, a large (∼2–5 km 3 ) matrix-supported breccia, interpreted as deposits of one or more debris flows, is within the rejuvenated-stage volcanics throughout the basin, and correlates with surficial exposures of the Palikea Breccia west of the basin. Isotopic compositions of the bulk breccia are similar to those of tholeiites from the east side of Kauai, and distinct from those of west Kauai tholeiites. Clasts within the breccia are dominantly hawaiite and alkali gabbro. The source region of the breccia in the steep cliffs and highlands of the central massif to the west of the basin must contain magmatic products of an extensive postshield alkalic stage, including hawaiite flows and one or more large intrusive bodies or ponded sequences of alkali gabbro.

Alkalic magma modified by incorporation of diverse tholeiitic components: ?Complex? hybridization on Kahoolawe Island, Hawaii

Kahoolawe Island is a ∼ 1.4 to 1 Ma shield volcano composed of shield, caldera-fill, and postshield tholeiitic lavas, and postshield alkalic basalt and hawaiite lavas. One postshield vent erupted alkalic lavas (K2O 1.1–1.6 wt.%) with resorbed olivines of wide compositional range (cores, Fo86–71), resorbed Na-plagioclase (An57–30; largely andesine) and clinopyroxene (evolved; Mg#s 76–71), and groundmass orthopyroxene (Mg# ≤62). They also contain tholeiitic gabbro xenoliths, which, as a suite, have a continuum of mineral compositions — clinopyroxene Mg#s 83–74, orthopyroxene Mg#s 83–76, and plagioclase An69–35 (e.g., includes andesine gabbro). Lava compositions do not fall on expected ‘Hawaiian’ fractionation trends due to MgO ‘enrichment’ (e.g., CaO ∼ 7 wt.% @ MgO ∼6 wt.%). This assortment of mineral and rock components within alkalic lavas with apparent Mg enrichment is owed to a complex history that began with protracted mixing among primitive and differentiated tholeiitic magmas, probably near the end of shield building. These hybrid magmas crystallized a compositional variety of olivines that were resorbed during reservoir replenishments, and also crystallizedin situ to form orthopyroxene-bearing gabbro on reservoir walls. When magma production rates declined during the shield to postshield transition of tholeiitic to alkalic magmatism, the tholeiitic hybrids in reservoirs fractionated to yield highly evolved phases such as andesine and clinopyroxene with Mg# < 75. When postshield hawaiite magmas subsequently entered reservoirs, alkalic-tholeiitic hybridization occurred; the resulting `complex' mixture of hawaiite+tholeiitic hybrids resorbed andesine and clinopyroxene crystals and, upon eruption, entrained xenoliths of gabbro. Mass balancing suggests that the alkalic-tholeiitic hybridization involved ∼44% hawaiite mixed with a nearly equal amount of tholeiitic hybrid (MgO ∼9.5 wt.%) plus olivine and andesine. This type of complex hybridization is a logical process for magmatism associated with tholeiitic to alkalic transitions and waning magma production, and this Kahoolawe example is the first to document such mixing in Hawaiian reservoirs.