Aqueous fluids and sedimentary melts as agents for mantle wedge metasomatism, as inferred from peridotite xenoliths at Pinatubo and Iraya volcanoes, Luzon arc, Philippines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshikawa, Masako; Tamura, Akihiro; Arai, Shoji; Kawamoto, Tatsuhiko; Payot, Betchaida D.; Rivera, Danikko John; Bariso, Ericson B.; Mirabueno, Ma. Hannah T.; Okuno, Mitsuru; Kobayashi, Tetsuo

2016-10-01

Mantle xenoliths entrained in subduction-zone magmas often record metasomatic signature of the mantle wedge. Such xenoliths occur in magmas from Iraya and Pinatubo volcanoes, located at the volcanic front of the Luzon arc in the Philippines. In this study, we present the major element compositions of the main minerals, trace element abundances in pyroxenes and amphiboles, and Nd-Sr isotopic compositions of amphiboles in the peridotite xenoliths from Pinatubo volcano. The data indicate enrichment in fluid-mobile elements, such as Rb, Ba, U, Pb, and Sr, and Nd-Sr isotopic ratios relative to those of mantle. The results are considered in terms of mixing of asthenospheric mantle and subducting oceanic crustal components. The enrichments observed in the Pinatubo mantle xenoliths are much less pronounced than those reported for the Iraya mantle xenoliths. This disparity suggests differences in the metasomatic agents contributing to the two suites; i.e., aqueous fluids infiltrated the mantle wedge beneath the Pinatubo volcano, whereas aqueous fluids and sediment-derived melts infiltrated the mantle wedge beneath the Iraya volcano.

Kimberlite-related metasomatism recorded in MARID and PIC mantle xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitzpayne, Angus; Giuliani, Andrea; Phillips, David; Hergt, Janet; Woodhead, Jon D.; Farquhar, James; Fiorentini, Marco L.; Drysdale, Russell N.; Wu, Nanping

2018-05-01

MARID (Mica-Amphibole-Rutile-Ilmenite-Diopside) and PIC (Phlogopite-Ilmenite-Clinopyroxene) xenoliths are thought to be formed by intense "primary" mantle metasomatism. These rocks also display secondary features, such as cross-cutting veins and geochemical zonation of matrix minerals, which probably reflect later metasomatic events. To investigate the nature and origin(s) of these secondary features, 28 MARID and PIC xenoliths from southern African kimberlites and orangeites have been studied. MARID-hosted veins contain both carbonate and Ti-rich phases (e.g., titanite, phlogopite), suggesting that they formed by the infiltration of a carbonated silicate melt. Elevated TiO2 contents in MARID matrix mineral rims are spatially associated with carbonate-dominated veins, suggesting a genetic relationship between vein formation and geochemical zonation. Spongy rims around primary MARID and PIC clinopyroxene are depleted in Na2O and Al2O3 relative to their cores, possibly reflecting mineral dissolution in the xenoliths during ascent and emplacement of the entraining kimberlite. The preservation of compositional differences between primary and secondary phases in MARID and PIC xenoliths indicates that metasomatism occurred shortly before, or broadly coeval with, kimberlite/orangeite magmatism; otherwise, at typical mantle temperatures, such features would have quickly re-equilibrated. Increased Na2O in some mineral rims (e.g., K-richterite) may therefore reflect equilibration with a more Na-enriched primitive kimberlite melt composition than is commonly suggested. Vein-hosted clinopyroxene 87Sr/86Sri (0.70539 ± 0.00079) in one MARID sample is intermediate between primary clinopyroxene in the sample (0.70814 ± 0.00002) and the host Bultfontein kimberlite (0.70432 ± 0.00005), suggesting that vein minerals are derived from interactions between primary MARID phases and kimberlite-related melts/fluids. Sulfur isotope compositions of barite (δ34SVCDT = +4.69 ‰) and

Mantle xenoliths from Central Vietnam: evidence for at least Meso-Proterozoic formation of the lithospheric mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Proßegger, Peter; Ntaflos, Theodoros; Ackerman, Lukáš; Hauzenberger, Christoph; Tran, Tuan Anh

2016-04-01

Intraplate Cenozoic basalts that are widely dispersed along the continental margin of East Asia belong to the Western Pacific "diffuse" igneous province. They consist mainly of alkali basalts, basanites,rarely nephelinites, which are mantle xenolith-bearing, potassic rocks and quartz tholeiites. The volcanism in this area has been attributed to the continental extension caused by the collision of India with Asia and by the subduction of the Pacific Ocean below Asia. We studied a suite of 24 mantle xenoliths from La Bang Lake, Dak Doa district and Bien Ho, Pleiku city in the Gia Province, Central Vietnam. They are predominantly spinel lherzolites (19) but spinel harburgites (3) and two garnet pyroxenites are present as well. The sizes of the xenoliths range from 5 to 40 cm in diameter with medium to coarse-grained protogranular textures. Whole rock major and trace element analyses display a wide range of compositions. The MgO concentration varies from 36.0 to 45.8 wt% whereas Al2O3 and CaO range from 0.63 to 4.36 wt% and from 0.52 to 4.21 wt% (with one sample having CaO of 6.63 wt%) respectively. Both CaO and Al2O3 positively correlate with MgO most likely indicating that the sampled rocks were derived from a common mantle source experienced variable degrees of partial melting. Mineral analyses show that the rock forming minerals are chemically homogeneous. The Fo contents of olivine vary between 89.2 and 91.2 and the Mg# of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene range from 89 to 92 and 89 to 94 respectively. The range of Cr# for spinel is 0.06-0.26. Model calculations in both whole rock and clinopyroxenes show that lithospheric mantle underneath Central Vietnam experienced melt extractions that vary between 2-7, 12-15 and 20-30%. The majority of the primitive mantle-normalized whole rock and clinopyroxene REE patterns are parallel to each other indicating that clinopyroxene is the main repository of the trace elements. Clinopyroxenes are divided into two groups: group A

Isotopic and trace element compositions of upper mantle and lower crustal xenoliths, Cima volcanic field, California: Implications for evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mukasa, S.B.; Wilshire, H.G.

1997-01-01

Ultramafic and mafic xenoliths from the Cima volcanic field, southern California, provide evidence of episodic modification of the upper mantle and underplating of the crust beneath a portion of the southern Basin and Range province. The upper mantle xenoliths include spinel peridotite and anhydrous and hydrous pyroxenite, some cut by igneous-textured pyroxenite-gabbro veins and dikes and some by veins of amphibole ?? plagioclase. Igneous-textured pyroxenites and gabbros like the dike rocks also occur abundantly as isolated xenoliths inferred to represent underplated crust. Mineral and whole rock trace element compositions among and within the different groups of xenoliths are highly variable, reflecting multiple processes that include magma-mantle wall rock reactions, episodic intrusion and it filtration of basaltic melts of varied sources into the mantle wall rock, and fractionation. Nd, Sr, and Pb isotopic compositions mostly of clinopyroxene and plagioclase mineral separates show distinct differences between mantle xenoliths (??Nd = -5.7 to +3.4; 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7051 - 0.7073; 206Pb/204Pb = 19.045 - 19.195) and the igneous-textured xenoliths (??Nd = +7.7 to +11.7; 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7027 - 0.7036 with one carbonate-affected outlier at 0.7054; and 206Pb/204Pb = 18.751 - 19.068), so that they cannot be related. The igneous-textured pyroxenites and gabbros are similar in their isotopic compositions to the host basaltic rocks, which have ??Nd of+5.1 to +9.3; 87Sr/86Sr of 0.7028 - 0.7050, and 206Pb/204Pb of 18.685 - 21.050. The igneous-textured pyroxenites and gabbros are therefore inferred to be related to the host rocks as earlier cogenetic intrusions in the mantle and in the lower crust. Two samples of peridotite, one modally metasomatized by amphibole and the other by plagioclase, have isotopic compositions intermediate between the igneous-textured xenoliths and the mantle rock, suggesting mixing, but also derivation of the metasomatizing magmas from two separate and

Olivine inclusions in Siberian diamonds and mantle xenoliths: Contrasting water and trace-element contents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jean, M. M.; Taylor, L. A.; Howarth, G. H.; Peslier, A. H.; Fedele, L.; Bodnar, R. J.; Guan, Y.; Doucet, L. S.; Ionov, D. A.; Logvinova, A. M.; Golovin, A. V.; Sobolev, N. V.

2016-11-01

A subject of continuing debate is how the Earth's lithospheric portion of the upper mantle has remained the thickest (> 200 km) and oldest (> 3 Gy) beneath cratons and is yet surrounded by a vigorously convecting asthenosphere. It is generally admitted that water is a key parameter in the strength and longevity of cratonic roots, because olivine, the main phase of the lithospheric mantle, becomes stronger if its water content decreases. Expanding upon the work presented in Novella et al. (2015) and Taylor et al. (2016), we report new water contents for additional olivine inclusions in diamonds together with the trace-element composition for all olivine inclusions, as well as for mantle xenoliths from various kimberlite pipes located on the Siberian craton. The olivine diamond inclusions from this study have systematically low-water contents (< 50 ppmw H2O), moderate to high forsterite (e.g., Fo91-94) contents and low Ni, Co, and Zn ppm contents (e.g., < 2848, < 108, and < 47 ppm, respectively). In contrast, olivines from Siberian craton mantle xenoliths have a wide range of water contents (6-323 ppmw H2O) and extend to lower-Fo (91-92), Ni, Co, and Zn-rich compositions, compared to the diamond inclusions. Depleted incompatible trace-element concentrations in olivine (0.1-0.001 × Primitive Mantle) advance our hypothesis for the protogenetic origins for the majority of Siberian diamond inclusions. These observations are consistent with the peridotite xenoliths as representing a part of the cratonic lithosphere that has experienced melt re-fertilization, which has also transported water. The olivine diamond inclusions, on the other hand, preserve "micro-samples" of an initial, dry cratonic lithosphere, mostly resulting from melting events. These inclusions are likely sourced from the initial cratonic mantle lithosphere, which thereby, resisted delamination over time, due to its buoyancy and strength, imparted from melt and water depletion, respectively. And thus, our

Origin of the DUPAL anomaly in mantle xenoliths of Patagonia (Argentina) and geodynamic consequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazzucchelli, Maurizio; Cipriani, Anna; Hémond, Christophe; Zanetti, Alberto; Bertotto, Gustavo Walter; Cingolani, Carlos Alberto

2016-04-01

The sub-continental lithospheric mantle of South America has been known for some time to carry the DUPAL isotope anomaly as seen in volcanics from the Paraná volcanic province. However, this has not allowed discriminating whether the DUPAL anomaly is a primary feature of the mantle source or acquired during the upwelling and emplacement of the primary magmas. We discovered mantle xenoliths from the Tres Lagos location in Patagonia that carry evidence of percolation by metasomatic melts that imparted the DUPAL isotope anomaly signature. We discuss a model that requires four isotope components (LCC, EM2, HIMU and DM) to account for the Sr, Nd and Pb isotope variability of our samples. We propose that upwelling of hot astenosphere during the Miocene could have triggered the melting of the LCC and EM2 components carrying the DUPAL anomaly, previously entrained in the subcontinental mantle by subduction. These ascending melts would have then metasomatised the local SCLM characterised by DMM and HIMU geochemical affinity generating the hybrid DUPAL-bearing mantle sampled by the Tres Lagos xenoliths.

Carbonates in mantle xenoliths from French Massif Central: inference for carbonatite-related metasomatism.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Christiane; Deloule, Etienne

2016-04-01

Mantle xenoliths from the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) frequently display evidence of metasomatism by melts or fluids of variable composition, e.g. alkali-basaltic, alkali-carbonate or carbonate melts. Carbonate-bearing mantle xenoliths are particularly interesting as highly mobile carbonate melts are likely prominent metasomatic agents of the mantle. This study presents detailed petrographic descriptions and major and trace element compositions of minerals in protogranular spinel lherzolites from the Mont Coupet occurrence (Devès province, French Massif Central), with focus on the carbonate phases to discuss their possible link to carbonatite melt. Two representative samples are described here. MC9 shows no evidence for infiltration of the host basanitic magma. Carbonates occur (1) as large (100 μm - 200 μm) anhedral crystals in interstitial pockets at triple point of primary olivine grains, (2) in a few cross-cutting veins (up to 200 μm width), (3) along grain boundaries and (4) in composite carbonate-silicate pockets from well-developed reaction zones, in which carbonates fill globular vesicles. The reaction zone contains secondary subhedral to euhedral phases: Al- and Ti-rich clinopyroxene, Ca-rich olivine, Cr-rich spinel and quenched plagioclase and relict sieved-textured primary spinel. MC2 shows carbonate-bearing thin (< 50 μm width) interconnected veinlets and only a few poorly-developed reaction zones around primary spinel. Large carbonate crystals (1), as in sample MC9, occur associated with (2) fibrous carbonate with a well-formed meniscus at the boundary between the two carbonate types. In some reaction zones the carbonate patches (3) show well-developed concentric carbonate structures, similar to those observed in the globular vesicles from the host basanite. In sample MC9, the carbonate is an alkali-free Mg-poor calcite (XCa = 0.95 - 0.98; with 0.5 - 1.8 wt. % MgO) whatever the occurrence. In sample MC2, carbonates are Mg

Mantle metasomatism above subduction zones: Trace-element and radiogenic isotope characteristics of peridotite xenoliths from Batan Island (Philippines)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vidal, Ph.; Dupuy, C.; Maury, R.

1989-12-01

Trace-element abundances and radiogenic isotope ratios have been determined for a suite of upper mantle-derived xenoliths collected from Pliocene-Quaternary andesitic lavas on Batan Island, northernmost Philippines. The xenoliths exhibit mineralogical changes and large ion lithophile enrichment indicative of metasomatism involving H{sub 2}O-rich fluids. Strontium and neodymium isotopes in the xenoliths are not totally consistent with those in host lavas, but a common signature is indicated by the fact that all samples plot below the mantle array. The flux of fluids in the mantle wedge probably occurred over a long period of time. The flux induced large but variable changes inmore » mineral and trace and isotopic compositions, and ultimately resulted in the melting of the peridotites and production of island-arc lavas.« less

Geochemistry of ultramafic xenoliths from Kapfenstein, Austria: evidence for a variety of upper mantle processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurat, G.; Palme, H.; Spettel, B.; Baddenhausen, Hildegard; Hofmeister, H.; Palme, Christl; Wänke, H.

1980-01-01

Major, minor, and trace element contents have been determined in seven ultramafic xenoliths, the host basanite, and some mineral separates from xenoliths from Kapfenstein, Austria. Most of the xenoliths represent residues after extraction of different amounts of basaltic liquid. Within the sequence Iherzolite to harzburgite contents of Al, Ca, Ti, Na, Sc, V, Cr and the HREE decrease systematically with increasing Mg/Fe and decreasing Yb/Sc. Although all samples are depleted in highly incompatible elements, the less depleted end of our suite very closely approaches the chondritic Yb/Sc ratio and consequently the primitive upper mantle composition. Chromium behaved as a non-refractory element. Consequently it should have higher abundances in basalts than observed, suggesting that most basalts experienced Cr fractionation by chromite separation during ascent. Several processes have been active in addition to partial melting within the upper mantle beneath Kapfenstein: (1) a hornblendite has been identified as wet alkali-basaltic mobilisate; (2) an amphibole Iherzolite is the product of alkali-basalt metasomatism of a common depleted Iherzolite; (3) two amphibole Iherzolites contain evidence for rather pure water metasomatism of normal depleted Iherzolites; (4) a garnet-spinel websterite was a tholeiitic liquid trapped within the upper mantle and which suffered a subsequent partial melting event (partial remobilization of a mobilisate). (5) Abundances of highly incompatible elements are generally very irregular, indicating contamination of upper mantle rocks by percolating liquids (in the mantle). Weathering is an important source of contamination: e.g. U mobilization by percolating groundwater. Contamination of the xenoliths by the host basanite liquid can only amount to approximately 5.5 × 10 -4 parts. Distributions of minor and trace elements between different minerals apparently reflect equilibrium and vary with equilibration temperature.

Sedimentary halogens and noble gases within Western Antarctic xenoliths: Implications of extensive volatile recycling to the sub continental lithospheric mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broadley, Michael W.; Ballentine, Chris J.; Chavrit, Déborah; Dallai, Luigi; Burgess, Ray

2016-03-01

Recycling of marine volatiles back into the mantle at subduction zones has a profound, yet poorly constrained impact on the geochemical evolution of the Earth's mantle. Here we present a combined noble gas and halogen study on mantle xenoliths from the Western Antarctic Rift System (WARS) to better understand the flux of subducted volatiles to the sub continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) and assess the impact this has on mantle chemistry. The xenoliths are extremely enriched in the heavy halogens (Br and I), with I concentrations up to 1 ppm and maximum measured I/Cl ratios (85.2 × 10-3) being ∼2000 times greater than mid ocean ridge basalts (MORB). The Br/Cl and I/Cl ratios of the xenoliths span a range from MORB-like ratios to values similar to marine pore fluids and serpentinites, whilst the 84Kr/36Ar and 130Xe/36Ar ratios range from modern atmosphere to oceanic sediments. This indicates that marine derived volatiles have been incorporated into the SCLM during an episode of subduction related metasomatism. Helium isotopic analysis of the xenoliths show average 3He/4He ratios of 7.5 ± 0.5 RA (where RA is the 3He/4He ratio of air = 1.39 × 10-6), similar to that of MORB. The 3He/4He ratios within the xenoliths are higher than expected for the xenoliths originating from the SCLM which has been extensively modified by the addition of subducted volatiles, indicating that the SCLM beneath the WARS must have seen a secondary alteration from the infiltration and rise of asthenospheric fluids/melts as a consequence of rifting and lithospheric thinning. Noble gases and halogens within these xenoliths have recorded past episodes of volatile interaction within the SCLM and can be used to reconstruct a tectonic history of the WARS. Marine halogen and noble gas signatures within the SCLM xenoliths provide evidence for the introduction and retention of recycled volatiles within the SCLM by subduction related metasomatism, signifying that not all volatiles that survive

Mg-Fe Isotope Systems of Mantle Xenoliths: Constrains on the Evolution of Siberian Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, Y.; Kiseeva, E. S.; Sobolev, N. V.; Zhang, Z.

2017-12-01

Mantle xenoliths bring to the surface a variety of lithologies (dunites, lherzolites, harzburgites, wehrlites, eclogites, pyroxenites, and websterites) and represent snapshots of the geochemical processes that occur deep within the Earth. Recent improvements in the precision of the MC-ICP-MS measurements have allowed us to expand the amount of data on Mg and Fe isotopes for mantle-derived samples. For instance, to constrain the isotopic composition of the Earth based on the study of spinel and garnet peridotites (An et al., 2017; Teng et al., 2010), to trace the origin and to investigate the isotopic fractionation mechanism during metamorphic process using cratonic or orogenic eclogites (Li et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2012) and to reveal the metasomatism-induced mantle heterogeneity by pyroxenites (Hu et al., 2016). Numerous multi-stage modification events and mantle layering are detected in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle under the Siberian craton (Ashchepkov et al., 2008a; Sobolev et al., 1975, etc). Combined analyses of Mg and Fe isotopic systems could provide new constraints on the formation and evolution of the ancient cratonic mantle. In order to better constrain the magnitude and mechanism of inter-mineral Mg and Fe isotopic fractionations at high temperatures, systematic studies of mantle xenoliths are needed. For example, theoretical calculations and natural samples measurements have shown that large equilibrium Mg isotope fractionations controlled by the difference in coordination number of Mg among minerals could exist (Huang et al., 2013; Li et al., 2011). Thus, the Mg isotope geothermometer could help us trace the evolution history of ancient cratons. In this study we present Mg and Fe isotopic data for whole rocks and separated minerals (clinopyroxene (cpx) and garnet (grt)) from different types of mantle xenoliths (garnet pyroxenites, eclogites, grospydites and garnet peridotites) from a number of kimberlite pipes in Siberian craton (Udachnaya

The Homestead kimberlite, central Montana, USA: Mineralogy, xenocrysts, and upper-mantle xenoliths

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Hearn B.

2004-01-01

The Homestead kimberlite was emplaced in lower Cretaceous marine shale and siltstone in the Grassrange area of central Montana. The Grassrange area includes aillikite, alnoite, carbonatite, kimberlite, and monchiquite and is situated within the Archean Wyoming craton. The kimberlite contains 25-30 modal% olivine as xenocrysts and phenocrysts in a matrix of phlogopite, monticellite, diopside, serpentine, chlorite, hydrous Ca-Al-Na silicates, perovskite, and spinel. The rock is kimberlite based on mineralogy, the presence of atoll-textured groundmass spinels, and kimberlitic core-rim zoning of groundmass spinels and groundmass phlogopites. Garnet xenocrysts are mainly Cr-pyropes, of which 2-12% are G10 compositions, crustal almandines are rare and eclogitic garnets are absent. Spinel xenocrysts have MgO and Cr2O3 contents ranging into the diamond inclusion field. Mg-ilmenite xenocrysts contain 7-11 wt.% MgO and 0.8-1.9 wt.% Cr2O3, with (Fe+3/Fetot) from 0.17-0.31. Olivine is the only obvious megacryst mineral present. One microdiamond was recovered from caustic fusion of a 45-kg sample. Upper-mantle xenoliths up to 70 cm size are abundant and are some of the largest known garnet peridotite xenoliths in North America. The xenolith suite is dominated by dunites, and harzburgites containing garnet and/or spinel. Granulites are rare and eclogites are absent. Among 153 xenoliths, 7% are lherzolites, 61% are harzburgites, 31% are dunites, and 1% are orthopyroxenites. Three of 30 peridotite xenoliths that were analysed are low-Ca garnet-spinel harzburgites containing G10 garnets. Xenolith textures are mainly coarse granular, and only 5% are porphyroclastic. Xenolith modal mineralogy and mineral compositions indicate ancient major-element depletion as observed in other Wyoming craton xenolith assemblages, followed by younger enrichment events evidenced by tectonized or undeformed veins of orthopyroxenite, clinopyroxenite, websterite, and the presence of phlogopite

Asphaltene-bearing mantle xenoliths from Hyblean diatremes, Sicily

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scirè, Salvatore; Ciliberto, Enrico; Crisafulli, Carmelo; Scribano, Vittorio; Bellatreccia, Fabio; Ventura, Giancarlo Della

2011-08-01

Microscopic blebs of sulfur-bearing organic matter (OM) commonly occur between the secondary calcite grains and fibrous phyllosilicates in extensively serpentinized and carbonated mantle-derived ultramafic xenoliths from Hyblean nephelinite diatremes, Sicily, Italy. Rarely, coarse bituminous patches give the rock a blackish color. Micro Fourier transform infrared spectra (μ-FTIR) point to asphaltene-like structures in the OM, due to partially condensed aromatic rings with aliphatic tails consisting of a few C atoms. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicates the occurrence of minor S═O (either sulphonyl or sulphoxide) functional groups in the OM. Solubility tests in toluene, thermo-gravimetric (TGA) and differential thermal (DTA) analyses confirm the presence of asphaltene structures. It is proposed that asphaltenes derive from the in situ aromatization (with decrease in H/C ratio) of previous light aliphatic hydrocarbons. Field evidence excludes that hydrocarbon from an external source percolated through the xenolith bearing tuff-breccia. The discriminating presence of hydrocarbon in a particular type of xenolith only and the lack of hydrocarbon in the host breccia matrix, are also inconsistent with an interaction between the ascending eruptive system and a supposed deep-seated oil reservoir. Assuming that the Hyblean unexposed basement consists of mantle ultramafics and mafic intrusive rocks having hosted an early abyssal-type hydrothermal system, one can put forward the hypothesis that the hydrocarbon production was related to hydrothermal activity in a serpentinite system. Although a bacteriogenesis or thermogenesis cannot be ruled out, the coexisting serpentine, Ni-Fe ores and hydrocarbon strongly suggest a Fischer-Tropsch-type (FTT) synthesis. Subsequent variations in the chemical and physical conditions of the system, for example an increase in the water/rock ratio, gave rise to partial oxidation and late carbonation of the serpentinite

Mantle xenoliths hosted in alkali basalts in subduction environment: the example of the SE Alps (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasperini, D.; Maffei, K.; Bosch, D.; Braga, R.; Macera, P.; Morten, L.

2003-04-01

We present petrographic, geochemical, and isotopic (Sr, Nd, and Pb) data of a representative suite of spl-peridotite xenoliths (mg# >88) hosted in alkali basalts from numerous outcrops in the Tertiary Veneto Volcanic Province (VVP; SE Alps, Italy), compared to various world-wide mafic inclusions (French Massif, Australia, China, Philippines, Russia, Kerguelen). The VVP spl-harzburgites and -lherzolites carry textures ranging from protogranular, porphyroclastic, granuloblastic to pyrometamorfic. These samples are characterized by a continuous depletion trend from the cpx-rich lherzolites to harzburgites, with CaO, Al_2O_3, TiO_2, and Na_2O contents decreasing with mg# increasing (Morten, 1987; Beccaluva et al., 2001). Then, the VVP xenoliths spinels show a strong Cr/(Cr+Al) ratio increase at a slight Mg/(Mg+Fe2+) ratio decrease, thus reflecting a variably depleted mantle source. The VVP xenoliths display a large range of enrichment in LREE, K, Rb, Sr and P, suggesting post depletion metasomatic episodes (Morten et al., 2002). Whereas most of the VVP xenoliths' multi-element spectra, incompatible element and isotope ratios are similar to the VVP host basalts, thus with a strong HIMU signature (Macera et al. submitted), some depleted samples show geochemical features typical of crust derived material. These characteristics cannot be related to significant interaction with the local lower continental crust, as represented by several analyzed gabbroic xenoliths. Nevertheless negative Nb and Ta anomalies in analogous peridotitic samples have been previously ascribed to metasomatism inferred by plume rising material in the upper mantle (Bedini et al., 1997). Comparing the VVP peridotites with several mafic xenoliths from various geodynamical environments, we suggest that this crust affinity could be alternatively explained by the presence of a not perfectly homogenized upper crustal component in the source region, probably induced by subduction related episode(s). In this

Petrological processes in mantle plume heads: Evidence from study of mantle xenoliths in the late Cenozoic alkali Fe-Ti basalts in Western Syria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharkov, Evgenii

2015-04-01

It is consensus now that within-plate magmatism is considered with ascending of mantle plumes and adiabatic melting of their head. At the same time composition of the plumes' matter and conditions of its adiabatic melting are unclear yet. The major source of objective information about it can be mantle xenoliths in alkali basalts and basanites which represent fragments of material of the plume heads above magma-generation zone. They are not represent material in melting zone, however, carry important information about material of modern mantle plumes, its phase composition and components, involved in melting. Populations of mantle xenoliths in basalts are characterized by surprising sameness in the world and represented by two major types: (1) dominated rocks of ``green'' series, and (2) more rare rocks of ``black'' series, which formed veins in the ``green'' series matrix. It can evidence about common composition of plume material in global scale. In other words, the both series of xenoliths represent two types of material of thermochemical mantle plumes, ascended from core-mantle boundary (Maruyama, 1994; Dobretsov et al., 2001). The same types of xenoliths are found in basalts and basanites of Western Syria (Sharkov et al., 1996). Rocks of ``green'' series are represented by Sp peridotites with cataclastic and protogranular structures and vary in composition from dominated spinel lherzolites to spinel harzburgites and rare spinel pyroxenites (websterites). It is probably evidence about incomplete homogenizing of the plume head matter, where material, underwent by partial melting, adjoins with more fertile material. Such heterogeneity was survived due to quick cooling of upper rim of the plume head in contact with relatively cold lithosphere. Essential role among xenoliths of the ``black'' series play Al-Ti-augite and water-bearing phases like hornblende (kaersutute) and Ti-phlogopite. Rocks of this series are represented by wehrlite, clinopyroxenite, amphibole

Li Isotope Studies of Olivine in Mantle Xenoliths by SIMS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, D. R.; Hervig, R. L.; Buseck, P. R.

2005-01-01

Variations in the ratio of the stable isotopes of Li are a potentially powerful tracer of processes in planetary and nebular environments [1]. Large differences in the 7Li/6Li ratio between the terrestrial upper mantle and various crustal materials make Li isotope composition a potentially powerful tracer of crustal recycling processes on Earth [2]. Recent SIMS studies of terrestrial mantle and Martian meteorite samples report intra-mineral Li isotope zoning [3-5]. Substantial Li isotope heterogeneity also exists within and between the components of chondritic meteorites [6,7]. Experimental studies of Li diffusion suggest the potential for rapid isotope exchange at elevated temperatures [8]. Large variations in 7Li, exceeding the range of unaltered basalts, occur in terrestrial mantle-derived xenoliths from individual localities [9]. The origins of these variations are not fully understood.

Metasomatic Enrichment of Oceanic Lithospheric Mantle Documented by Petit-Spot Xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilet, S.; Abe, N.; Rochat, L.; Hirano, N.; Machida, S.; Kaczmarek, M. A.; Muntener, O.

2015-12-01

Oceanic lithosphere is generally interpreted as mantle residue after MORB extraction. It has been proposed, however, that metasomatism could take place at the interface between the low-velocity zone and the cooling and thickening oceanic lithosphere or by the percolation of low-degree melts produced in periphery of Mid Ocean Ridges. This later process is observed in slow spreading ridges and ophiolites where shallow oceanic lithospheric mantle could be metasomatized/refertilized during incomplete MORB melt extraction. Nevertheless, direct evidence for metasomatic refertilization of the deep part of the oceanic lithospheric mantle is still missing. Xenoliths and xenocrysts sampled by petit-spot volcanoes interpreted as low-degree melts extracted from the base of the lithosphere in response to plate flexure, provide important new information about the nature and the processes associated with the evolution of oceanic lithospheric mantle. Here, we report, first, the presence of a garnet xenocryst in petit-spot lavas from Japan characterized by low-Cr, low-Ti content and mostly flat MREE-HREE pattern. This garnet is interpreted as formed during subsolidus cooling of pyroxenitic or gabbroic cumulates formed at ~1 GPa during the incomplete melt extraction at the periphery of the Pacific mid-ocean ridge. It is the first time that such processes are documented in fast spreading context. Second, we report petit-spot mantle xenoliths with cpx trace element "signatures" characterized by high U, Th, relative depletion in Nb, Pb, Ti and high but variable LREE/HREE ratio suggesting equilibration depth closed to the Gt/Sp transition zone. Such "signatures" are unknown from oceanic settings and show unexpected similarity to melt-metasomatized gt-peridotites sampled by kimberlites. This similarity suggests that metasomatic processes are not restricted to continental setting, but could correspond to a global mechanism at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. As plate flexure

Probing the structure of the sub-Salinia mantle lithosphere using spinel lherzolite xenoliths from Crystal Knob, Santa Lucia Range, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinn, D. P.; Saleeby, J.; Ducea, M. N.; Luffi, P. I.

2013-12-01

We present the first petrogenetic analysis of a suite of peridotite xenoliths from the Crystal Knob volcanic neck in the Santa Lucia Range, California. The neck was erupted during the Plio-Pleistocene through the Salinia terrane, a fragment of the Late Cretaceous southern Sierra-northwest Mojave supra-subduction core complex that was displaced ~310 km in the late Cenozoic along the dextral San Andreas fault. The marginal tectonic setting makes these xenoliths ideal for testing different models of upper-mantle evolution along the western North American plate boundary. Possible scenarios include the early Cenozoic underplating of Farallon-plate mantle lithosphere nappes (Luffi et al., 2009), Neogene slab window opening (Atwater and Stock, 1998), and the partial subduction and stalling of the Monterey microplate (Pisker et al., 2012). The xenoliths from Crystal Knob are spinel lherzolites, which sample the mantle lithosphere underlying Salinia, and dunite cumulates apparently related to the olivine-basalt host. Initial study is focused on the spinel lherzolites: these display an allotriomorphic granular texture with anisotropy largely absent. However, several samples exhibit a weak shape-preferred orientation in elongate spinels. Within each xenolith, the silicate phases are in Fe-Mg equilibrium; between samples, Mg# [molar Mg/(Mg+Fe)*100] ranges from 87 to 91. Spinels have Cr# [molar Cr/(Cr+Al)*100] ranging from 10 to 27. Clinopyroxene Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd radiogenic isotope data show that the lherzolites are depleted in large-ion lithophile (LIL) elements, with uniform enrichment in 143Nd (ɛNd from +10.3 to +11.0) and depletion in 87Sr (87/86Sr of .702). This data rules out origin in the continental lithosphere, such as that observed in xenoliths from above the relict subduction interface found at at Dish Hill and Cima Dome in the Mojave (Luffi et al., 2009). The Mesozoic mantle wedge, which is sampled by xenoliths from beneath the southern Sierra Nevada batholith

Age and evolution of the lithospheric mantle beneath the Khanka Massif: Geochemical and Re-Os isotopic evidence from Sviyagino mantle xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Peng; Xu, Wen-Liang; Wang, Chun-Guang; Wang, Feng; Ge, Wen-Chun; Sorokin, A. A.; Wang, Zhi-Wei

2017-06-01

New geochemical and Re-Os isotopic data of mantle xenoliths entrained in Cenozoic Sviyagino alkali basalts from the Russian Far East provide insights into the age and evolution of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath the Khanka Massif, within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). These mantle xenoliths are predominantly spinel lherzolites with minor spinel harzburgite. The lherzolites contain high whole-rock concentrations of Al2O3 and CaO, with low forsterite content in olivine (Fo = 89.5-90.3%) and low Cr# in spinel (0.09-0.11). By contrast, the harzburgite is more refractory, containing lower whole rock Al2O3 and CaO contents, with higher Fo (91.3%) and spinel Cr# (0.28). Their whole rock and mineral compositions suggest that the lherzolites experienced low-degree (1-4%) batch melting and negligible metasomatism, whereas the harzburgite underwent a higher degree (10%) of fractional melting, and experienced minor post-melting silicate metasomatism. Two-pyroxene rare earth element (REE)-based thermometry (TREE) yields predominant equilibrium temperatures of 884-1043 °C, similar to values obtained from two-pyroxene major element-based thermometry (TBKN = 942-1054 °C). Two lherzolite samples yield high TREE relative to TBKN (TREE - TBKN ≥ 71 °C), suggesting that they cooled rapidly as a result of the upwelling of hot asthenospheric mantle material that underplated a cold ancient lithosphere. The harzburgite with a low Re/Os value has an 187Os/188Os ratio of 0.11458, yielding an Os model age (TMA) relative to the primitive upper mantle (PUM) of 2.09 Ga, and a Re depletion ages (TRD) of 1.91 Ga; both of which record ancient melt depletion during the Paleoproterozoic ( 2.0 Ga). The 187Os/188Os values of lherzolites (0.12411-0.12924) correlate well with bulk Al2O3 concentrations and record the physical mixing of ancient mantle domains and PUM-like ambient mantle material within the asthenosphere. This indicates that the SCLM beneath the Khanka

Water in the Lithospheric Mantle Beneath a Phanerozoic Continental Belt: FTIR Analyses of Alligator Lake Xenoliths (Yukon, Canada)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gelber, McKensie; Peslier, Ann H.; Brandon, Alan D.

2015-01-01

Water in the mantle influences melting, metasomatism, viscosity and electrical conductivity. The Alligator Lake mantle xenolith suite is one of three bimodal peridotite suites from the northern Canadian Cordillera brought to the surface by alkali basalts, i.e., it consists of chemically distinct lherzolites and harzburgites. The lherzolites have equilibration temperatures about 50 C lower than the harzburgites and are thought to represent the fertile upper mantle of the region. The harzburgites might have come from slightly deeper in the mantle and/or be the result of a melting event above an asthenospheric upwelling detected as a seismic anomaly at 400-500 km depth. Major and trace element data are best interpreted as the lherzolite mantle having simultaneously experienced 20-25% partial melting and a metasomatic event to create the harzburgites. Well-characterized xenoliths are being analyzed for water by FTIR. Harzburgites contain 29-52 ppm H2O in orthopyroxene (opx) and (is) approximately140 ppm H2O in clinopyroxene (cpx). The lherzolites have H2O contents of 27-150 ppm in opx and 46-361 ppm in cpx. Despite correlating with enrichments in LREE, the water contents of the harzburgite pyroxenes are low relative to those of typical peridotite xenoliths, suggesting that the metasomatic agents were water-poor, contrarily to what has been suggested before. The water content of cpx is about double that of opx indicating equilibrium. Olivine water contents are low ((is) less than 5 ppm H2O) and out of equilibrium with those of opx and cpx, which may be due to H loss during xenolith ascent. This is consistent with olivines containing more water in their cores than their rims. Olivines exclusively exhibit water bands in the 3400-3000 cm-1 range, which may be indicative of a reduced environment.

Mantle Xenoliths from Central and South Vietnam: Petrology and Geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauzenberger, Christoph; Konzett, Juergen; Nguyen, Hoang; Nguyen, Khoi

2014-05-01

Mantle xenoliths, spinel lherzolites and subordinate amounts of spinel harzburgites and pyroxenites, are commonly found in alkali basalts from south-central Vietnam. The basalts are part of widespread Neogene volcanism found in southern China and Indochina regions. Samples from different localities between the cities of Ban Me Thuot and Saigon were recovered. In addition one xenolith sample from an off-shore volcano SE of Ho Chi Minh City in the South China Sea was investigated. The mineral assemblage in most samples consists of the simple lherzolitic mineral assemblage Ol-Opx-Cpx-Sp. The Ol, Cpx and Opx crystals are equigranular while Sp occurs usually as smaller sized intersertal phase or as partly oriented inclusions in Cpx. Cpx II occurs in some samples as recrystallized "spongy rim" around Cpx I. Cpx I has a a very uniform composition between different samples with a typical XMg (=Mg/(Mg+Fe2+) of 0.92 to 0.98, a XNa (=Na/(Na+Ca) of 0.10 to 0.16, a Cr2O3 content of 0.6-0.9 wt. .% and Al2O3 values of c. 6 to 8 wt.%. Cpx II has a lower XNa and Al content as well as higher XMg and Cr content compared to Cpx I. Orthopyroxene typically has a XMg of c. 0.90 to 0.93. The XMg values for Ol differ slightly between different samples but are within 0.84 to 0.94. Spinel grains have a variable composition with XMg from 0.65 to 0.92 and XCr (Cr/Cr+Al+Fe3+) of 0.08 to 0.25. The use of the Cpx-Opx thermometer (BREY & KOEHLER, 1990) and the Al and Cr in Ol thermometer (DE HOOG et al., 2010) allowed to constrain the temperature with 800 to 1100 °C. Trace and rare earth element composition of Cpx was determined by LA-ICPMS. While most Cpx compositions are slightly depleted in LREE, typical for average depleted mantle compositions, some samples are strongly enriched in LREE indicating mantle metasomatic processes. The sample displaying the highest level of LREE enrichment in Cpx has the lowest calculated temperature (T = c. 800°C) and the highest Ni content in olivine (3000 ppm

Flow in the western Mediterranean shallow mantle: Insights from xenoliths in Pliocene alkali basalts from SE Iberia (eastern Betics, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidas, Károly; Konc, Zoltán.; Garrido, Carlos J.; Tommasi, Andréa.; Vauchez, Alain; Padrón-Navarta, José Alberto; Marchesi, Claudio; Booth-Rea, Guillermo; Acosta-Vigil, Antonio; Szabó, Csaba; Varas-Reus, María. Isabel; Gervilla, Fernando

2016-11-01

Mantle xenoliths in Pliocene alkali basalts of the eastern Betics (SE Iberia, Spain) are spinel ± plagioclase lherzolite, with minor harzburgite and wehrlite, displaying porphyroclastic or equigranular textures. Equigranular peridotites have olivine crystal preferred orientation (CPO) patterns similar to those of porphyroclastic xenoliths but slightly more dispersed. Olivine CPO shows [100]-fiber patterns characterized by strong alignment of [100]-axes subparallel to the stretching lineation and a girdle distribution of [010]-axes normal to it. This pattern is consistent with simple shear or transtensional deformation accommodated by dislocation creep. One xenolith provides evidence for synkinematic reactive percolation of subduction-related Si-rich melts/fluids that resulted in oriented crystallization of orthopyroxene. Despite a seemingly undeformed microstructure, the CPO in orthopyroxenite veins in composite xenoliths is identical to those of pyroxenes in the host peridotite, suggesting late-kinematic crystallization. Based on these observations, we propose that the annealing producing the equigranular microstructures was triggered by melt percolation in the shallow subcontinental lithospheric mantle coeval to the late Neogene formation of veins in composite xenoliths. Calculated seismic properties are characterized by fast propagation of P waves and polarization of fast S waves parallel to olivine [100]-axis (stretching lineation). These data are compatible with present-day seismic anisotropy observations in SE Iberia if the foliations in the lithospheric mantle are steeply dipping and lineations are subhorizontal with ENE strike, implying dominantly horizontal mantle flow in the ENE-WSW direction within vertical planes, that is, subparallel to the paleo-Iberian margin. The measured anisotropy could thus reflect a lithospheric fabric due to strike-slip deformation in the late Miocene in the context of WSW tearing of the subducted south Iberian margin

Melt production and mantle refertilisation above a subduction zone: Direct constraints from Antarctic Peninsula spinel-peridotite xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, L. C.; Gibson, S. A.; Leat, P. T.

2010-12-01

Spinel peridotites and pyroxenites from the Antarctic Peninsula provide rare, direct evidence of mantle processes operating during and after a major subduction event. The Antarctic Peninsula consists of a series of suspect arc terranes accreted onto the Gondwana margin. Subduction occured off the west coast and lasted for 200Ma before ceasing after a series of ridge-trench collisions, which began at ~50Ma in the south of the peninsula and ended at ~4Ma in the north. The end of subduction was followed by extensive alkaline volcanism which hosts mantle xenoliths at several localities. The widest variety of peridotites and pyroxenites so far collected occur in ~ 5Ma basanites and tephrites on Alexander Island and Rothschild Island, in the southern fore-arc. Mineral textures and chemistry suggest that the constituent phases are in equilibrium in the xenoliths and can be used to estimate pressures and temperatures. The results of these calculations indicate that, at the time of xenolith entrainment, the Antarctic Peninsula had a normal, unperturbed mantle geotherm and a lithospheric thickness of ~70km. The Alexander and Rothschild Island xenolith suites show an almost continuous range of compositions from harzburgites and lherzolites to pyroxenites. This wide variation in lithologies is confirmed by large ranges in mineral chemistry. For example, olivine compositions range from Fo77 to Fo91 while Al2O3 contents of orthopyroxenes range from 0.17 to 5.84%. Some clinopyroxenes have low LREE/MREE ratios ([La/Sm]n=0.01) whereas others are enriched in LREE relative to MREE ([La/Sm]n=8.56). The ‘depleted’ xenoliths resemble abyssal peridotites and may represent either (i) accreted sub-oceanic lithosphere or (ii) residues of melting in the underlying mantle wedge that have been incorporated in to the base of the Antarctic Peninsula lithosphere post subduction. The ‘enriched’ peridotites and pyroxenites appear to have formed as a result of mantle �

Constraints from Xenoliths on Cenozoic Deformation and Rheology of the Western North American Mantle Lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behr, W. M.; Smith, D.; Bernard, R. E.

2015-12-01

We investigate xenoliths from several volcanic centers in the western US Cordillera, including the Navajo Volcanic Field in the Four Corners region of the Colorado Plateau, the San Carlos Volcanic Field in Arizona, and the Cima and Dish Hill volcanic fields in the western Mojave. We use these xenolith suites to determine to what extent and by what mechanisms the western North American lithospheric mantle has deformed during Cenozoic tectonic events, including Laramide flat-slab subduction, Basin-and-Range extension, and Quaternary strike-slip faulting associated with the San Andreas Fault System. We find the following. 1) Laramide flat-slab subduction substantially and heterogeneously deformed the North American lithospheric mantle. Despite some serpentinization, deformation along the plate interface was accommodated primarily by olivine dislocation creep, and was cold enough that the mantle lithosphere was strong and could transmit basal shear tractions into the upper plate crust, generating high topography. 2) During B&R extension, the mantle lithosphere was thinned and heated, and Laramide-age shear zone foliations were obliterated by grain growth, even in mixed phase lithologies. Despite annealing, LPO in olivine is preserved in several samples. This fossil LPO may control present-day mantle lid seismic anisotropy in the Basin and Range and may also provide an important source of viscous anisotropy. 3) The mantle lithosphere is actively deforming in localized zones beneath faults of the San Andreas system, but high sub-Moho temperatures render it very weak such that most of the strength of the lithosphere resides in the crust. Because deformation is localized, mantle lid anisotropy in the Mojave region is likely controlled by a fossil LPO, despite present-day deformation in the lithospheric mantle.

An EMPA investigation of the redox state of natural glasses from mantle xenoliths and mantle-derived boninitic magmas.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fialin, Michel; Wagner, Christiane; Ohnenstetter, Daniel

2010-05-01

An EMPA investigation of the redox state of natural glasses from mantle xenoliths and mantle-derived boninitic magmas. M. Fialin1*, C. Wagner2, and D. Ohnenstetter3 1 Centre de Microanalyse Camparis, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS-UMR 7094, IPGP, F-75005, Paris, France. * michel.fialin@upmc.fr 2 Lab. "Magmas, Minéraux, Matériaux", UPMC Univ. Paris 06, CNRS-UMR 7193, iSTeP, F-75005, Paris, France. 3 CRPG, CNRS-UPR 2300, BP20, 54501 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France The recent developments of the electron microprobe analytical procedures in our laboratory allow the direct measurement of the glass ferric-ferrous ratios at a scale of a few micrometer. The determination of the oxidation state of iron is based on the measure of the self-absorption induced shift of the emitted Fe L peak [1, 2, 3]. This method is well suited for the study of glassy phases of few tens of squared micrometers disseminated in a mineral matrix. It can be operated on common petrographic thin sections and, thus, it can be easily coupled with conventional chemical analyses by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). This latter point is essential because the total Fe content of the glass must be precisely measured by EPMA to scale the corresponding Fe-L peak position relative to the calibration curves giving the Fe3+/SFe ratios. The samples studied are spinel lherzolite from the French Massif Central, and low Ca type 1 boninites from dykes cutting serpentinized peridotite at Népoui, New Caledonia. Glass occurs commonly in mantle xenoliths as small (<10 micrometers) patches in reactional rims but its origin remains controversy and has been interpreted in relation to mantle processes or to interactions with the xenolith host magma. We have previously demonstrated that these xenoliths have been metasomatized, and that the glasses are reaction products between mantle phases and migrating melts [3, 4]. The consensus emerging from different studies is that metasomatism is oxidizing relative to both primitive

Boron Isotopic Composition of Metasomatized Mantle Xenoliths from the Western Rift, East Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudgins, T.; Nelson, W. R.

2017-12-01

The Western Branch of the East African Rift System is known to have a thick lithosphere and sparse, alkaline volcanism associated with a metasomatized mantle source. Recent work investigating the relationship between Western Branch metasomatized mantle xenoliths and associated lavas has suggested that these metasomes are a significant factor in the evolution of the rift. Hydrous/carbonated fluids or silicate melts are potent metasomatic agents, however gaining insight into the source of a metasomatic agent proves challenging. Here we investigate the potential metasomatic fluid sources using B isotope analysis of mineral separates from Western Branch xenoliths. Preliminary SIMS analyses of phlogopite from Katwe Kikorongo and Bufumbira have and average B isotopic composition of -28.2‰ ± 5.1 and -16.4‰ ± 3.6, respectively. These values are are dissimilar to MORB (-7.5‰ ± 0.7; Marschall and Monteleone, 2015), primitive mantle (-10‰ ± 2; Chaussidon and Marty, 1995), and bulk continental crust (-9.1‰ ± 2.4; Marschall et al., 2017) and display significant heterogeneity across a relatively short ( 150km) portion of the Western Branch. Though displaying large variability, these B isotopic compositions are indicative of a metasomatic agent with a more negative B isotopic composition than MORB, PM, or BCC. These results are consistent with fluids that released from a subducting slab and may be related to 700 Ma Pan-African subduction.

Water Contents of the Mantle Beneath the Rio Grande Rift: FTIR Analysis of Kilbourne Hole Peridotite Xenoliths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaffer, Lillian A.; Peslier, Anne; Brandon, Alan

2013-01-01

Although nominally anhydrous mantle minerals contain only trace amounts of water, they are the main reservoir of water in the mantle. Added up at the scale of the Earth's mantle, these trace amounts of water represent oceans worth in mass]. Mantle xenoliths from Kilbourne Hole in southern New Mexico are ideal to study mantle water distribution in a rift tectonic setting as they come from a recently-erupted maar in the middle of the Rio Grande Rift. Eleven lherzolites, one harzburgite, and one dunite are being analyzed for water contents by FTIR. The xenoliths will also be analyzed for major and trace element composition, Fe3+/Summation (Fe) ratios, and characterized petrologically. Olivines exhibit variable water contents with less water at the rims compared to the cores. This is probably due to H loss during decompression and xenolith transport by the host magma. Mantle water contents appear to have been primarily preserved in the core of the olivines, based on diffusion modeling of the typically plateau-shaped water content profiles across these grains. Water concentrations are in equilibrium between clino- and orthopyroxene, but olivine concentrations are typically not in equilibrium with those of either pyroxene. Lherzolites analyzed so far have water contents of 2-12 ppm H2O in olivines, 125-165 ppm H2O in orthopyroxenes, and 328-447 ppm H2O in clinopyroxenes. These water contents are similar to, but with a narrower range, than those for the respective minerals in other continental peridotite xenoliths. The lherzolites have bulk-rock (BR) Al2O3 contents that range between 3.17 and 3.78 wt%, indicating similar degrees of partial melting, which could explain the narrow range of their pyroxene water contents. Primitive mantle normalized rare earth element (REE) profiles of the bulk lherzolites vary from light REE depleted to flat, with no significant differences between, nor relation to, their mineral water contents. Consequently, the metasomatic agents that

Li-Be-B Systematics of mantle Xenoliths from Harrat Uwayrid (Saudi Arabia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaliwoda, M.; Altherr, R.

2003-04-01

The Harrat Uwayrid is a Late Miocene to Quaternary volcanic field located in the northwestern part of the Arabian plate and related to the opening of the Red Sea. Numerous cinder cones contain abundant mantle xenoliths. Based on mineralogy and textures, these xenoliths can be subdivided into 3 different groups. Group IA1 are "anhydrous" spinel lherzolites and harzburgites consisting of olivine (ol), orthopyroxene (opx), clinopyroxene (cpx) and spinel (spl). Group IA2 xenoliths represent group IA1 materials that were moderately metasomatized. In addition to cpx, opx, ol and spl these xenoliths contain subordinate amounts of Cr-pargasite (par). Group IB xenoliths were strongly metasomatized by fluids and fluid-rich melts resulting in newly formed Ba-phlogopite (phl), Ba-bearing pargasite, Ba-feldspar (celsian) and Ba-rich phonolitic glasses. Li-Be-B systematics of the different xenoliths were studied by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The results show that the partitioning of Li, Be and B among the various minerals is virtually independent of pressure and temperature. The absolute abundances, however, depend on the degree of initial depletion and later metasomatic overprint. Group IA1 spinel lherzolites are characterized by Li(cpx) = 0.65-1.19 µg/g, Li(opx) = 1.29-1.63 µg/g and Li(ol) = 2.15-2.43 µg/g, while group IB xenoliths show much higher abundances of Li: Li(cpx) = 1.89-2.16 µg/g, Li(opx) = 1.88-2.83 µg/g, Li(ol) = 3.06-4.12 µg/g. Similar differences are observed for the abundances of B (IA1: B(cpx) = 0.46-0.83 µg/g, B(opx) = 0.047-0.189 µg/g, B(ol) = 0.16-1.15 µg/g; IB: B(cpx) = 0.16-1.15 µg/g, B(opx)= 1.01-1.47 µg/g, B(ol) = 0.44-0.55 µg/g). In marked contrast to Li and B, the abundances of Be were not changed during metasomatism. Group IA1 xenoliths are characterized by Be(cpx) = 0.09-0.13 µg/g, Be(opx) = 0.023-0.027 µg/g and Be(ol) = 0.002 µg/g and group IB xenoliths show Be(cpx) = 0.05-0.09 µg/g, Be(opx) = 0.03-0.08 µg/g and Be

Petrology of spinel lherzolite xenoliths from Youkou volcano, Adamawa Massif, Cameroon Volcanic Line: mineralogical and geochemical fingerprints of sub-rift mantle processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Njombie, Merlin Patrick Wagsong; Temdjim, Robert; Foley, Stephen F.

2018-02-01

The basaltic maar of Youkou, situated in the Adamawa Volcanic Massif in the eastern branch of the continental segment of the Cameroon Volcanic Line, contains mantle-derived xenoliths of various types in pyroclastites. Spinel-bearing lherzolite xenoliths from the Youkou volcano generally exhibit protogranular textures with olivine (Fo89.4-90.5), enstatite (En89 - 91Fs8.7-9.8Wo0.82-1.13), clinopyroxene, spinel (Cr#Sp = 9.4-13.8), and in some cases amphibole (Mg# = 88.5-89.1). Mineral equilibration temperatures in the lherzolite xenoliths have been estimated from three-two pyroxene thermometers and range between 835 and 937 °C at pressures of 10-18 kbar, consistent with shallow mantle depths of around 32-58 km. Trends displayed by bulk-rock MgO correlate with Al2O3, indicating that the xenoliths are refractory mantle residues after partial melting. The degree of partial melting estimated from spinel compositions is less than 10%: evidences for much higher degrees of depletion are preserved in one sample, but overprinted by refertilization in others. Trace element compositions of the xenoliths are enriched in highly incompatible elements (LREE, Sr, Ba, and U), indicating that the spinel lherzolites underwent later cryptic metasomatic enrichment induced by plume-related hydrous silicate melts. The extreme fertility (Al2O3 = 6.07-6.56 wt% in clinopyroxene) and the low CaO/Al2O3 ratios in the spinel lherzolites suggest that they could not be a simple residue of partial melting of primitive mantle and must have experienced refertilization processes driven by the infiltration of carbonatite or carbonated silicate melts.

Rheological structure of a lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary zone, decoded from EBSD analysis of mantle xenoliths from Ichinomegata, NE Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Y.; Ozawa, K.

2017-12-01

Mantle xenoliths are fragments of mantle materials entrapped in alkali basalts or kimberlites and transported to the surface (Nixon, 1987). They provide information on rheological, thermal, chemical, petrological structures of the upper mantle (e.g. Green et al., 2010; McKenzie and Bickle, 1988; O'Reilly and Griffin, 1996). They potentially represent materials from a boundary zone of lithosphere and asthenosphere (LABZ), where the heat transportation mechanism changes from convection to conduction (Sleep, 2005, 2006). However, difficulties in geobarometry for spinel peridotite (e.g. O'Reilly et al., 1997) have hampered our understanding of shallow LABZ. Ichinomegata located in the back-arc side of NE Japan is a latest Pleistocene andesitic-dacitic volcano yielding spinel peridotite xenoliths (Katsui et al., 1979). Through our works (Sato and Ozawa, 2016, 2017a, 2017b), we have overcome difficulties in geobarometry of spinel peridotites and gained accurate thermal structure (0.74-1.60 GPa, 832-1084 °C) from eight of the nine examined xenoliths. The rheological and chemical features suggest drastic changes: undeformed (granular), depleted, subsolidus mantle representing lithospheric mantle (ca. 28-35 km) and deformed (porphyroclastic), fertile, hydrous supersolidus mantle representing rheological LABZ (ca. 35-54 km). We investigate depth dependent variation of crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of constituent minerals of the xenoliths by electron back-scattered diffraction analysis (using JSM-7000F with a CCD detector and the CHANNEL5 software at the University of Tokyo). A shallower (ca. 32 km) sample with tabulargranular texture and coarse olivine size (0.92 mm) has A-type olivine CPO with [100] maximum as reported by Satsukawa and Michibayashi (2014) (hereafter SM14), whereas a deep (ca. 51 km) sample with porphyroclastic texture and finer olivine size (0.46 mm) has CPO with weaker fabric intensity characterized by a [100] girdle similar to AG-type and

Symplectite in spinel lherzolite xenoliths from the Little Hungarian Plain, Western Hungary: A key for understanding the complex history of the upper mantle of the Pannonian Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falus, György; Szabó, Csaba; Kovács, István; Zajacz, Zoltán; Halter, Werner

2007-03-01

Two spinel lherzolite xenoliths from Hungary that contain pyroxene-spinel symplectites have been studied using EPMA, Laser ablation ICP-MS and universal stage. Based on their geochemical and structural characteristics, the xenoliths represent two different domains of the shallow subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the Pannonian Basin. The occurrence of symplectites is attributed to the former presence and subsequent breakdown of garnets due to significant pressure decrease related to lithospheric thinning. This implies that both mantle domains were once part of the garnet lherzolitic upper mantle and had a similar history during the major extension that formed the Pannonian Basin. Garnet breakdown resulted in distinct geochemical characteristics in the adjacent clinopyroxene crystals in both xenoliths. This is manifested by enrichment in HREE, Y, Zr and Hf towards the clinopyroxene porphyroclast rims and also in the neoblasts with respect to porphyroclast core compositions. This geochemical feature, together with the development and preservation of the texturally very sensitive symplectites, enables us to determine the relative timing of mantle processes. Our results indicate that garnets had been metastable in the spinel lherzolite environment and their breakdown to pyroxene and spinel is one of the latest processes that took place within the upper mantle before the xenoliths were brought to the surface.

Rare gases in Samoan xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poreda, R. J.; Farley, K. A.

1992-09-01

The rare gas isotopic compositions of residual harzburgite xenoliths from Savai'i (SAV locality) and an unnamed seamount south of the Samoan chain (PPT locality) provide important constraints on the rare gas evolution of the mantle and atmosphere. Despite heterogeneous trace element compositions, the rare gas characteristics of the xenoliths from each of the two localities are strikingly similar. SAV and PPT xenoliths have 3He/ 4He ratios of11.1 ± 0.5 R A and21.6 ± 1 R A, respectively; this range is comparable to the 3He/ 4He ratios in Samoan lavas and clearly demonstrates that they have trapped gases from a relatively undegassed reservoir. The neon results are not consistent with mixing between MORB and a plume source with an atmospheric signature. Rather, the neon isotopes reflect either a variably degassed mantle (with a relative order of degassing of Loihi < PPT < Reunion < SAV < MORB), or mixing between the Loihi source and MORB. The data supports the conclusions of Honda et al. that the 20Ne/ 22Ne ratio in the mantle more closely resembles the solar ratio than the atmospheric one. 40Ar/ 36Ar ratios in the least contaminated samples range from 4,000 to 12,000 with the highest values in the 22 RA PPT xenoliths. There is no evidence for atmospheric 40Ar/ 36Ar ratios in the mantle source of these samples, which indicates that the lower mantle may have 40Ar/ 36Ar ratios in excess of 5,000. Xenon isotopic anomalies in 129Xe and 136Xe are as high as 6%, or about half of the maximum MORB excess and are consistent with the less degassed nature of the Samoan mantle source. These results contradict previous suggestions that the high 3He/ 4He mantle has a near-atmospheric heavy rare gas isotopic composition.

Lithospheric mantle beneath the south-eastern Siberian craton: petrology of peridotite xenoliths in basalts from the Tokinsky Stanovik

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ionov, Dmitri A.; Prikhodko, Vladimir S.; Bodinier, Jean-Louis; Sobolev, Alexander V.; Weis, Dominique

2005-08-01

We provide petrographic, major and trace element data for over 30 spinel peridotite xenoliths from the Tokinsky Stanovik (Tok) volcanic field on the Aldan shield to characterize the lithospheric mantle beneath the south-eastern margin of the Siberian craton, which formed in the Mesoproterozoic. High equilibration temperatures (870 1,010°C) of the xenoliths and the absence of garnet-bearing peridotites indicate a much thinner lithosphere than in the central craton. Most common among the xenoliths are clinopyroxene-poor lherzolites and harzburgites with Al2O3 and CaO contents nearly as low as in refractory xenoliths from kimberlite pipes (Mir, Udachnaya) in the central and northern Siberian craton. By contrast, the Tok peridotites have higher FeO, lower Mg-numbers and lower modal orthopyroxene and are apparently formed by shallow partial melting (≤3 GPa). Nearly all Tok xenoliths yield petrographic and chemical evidence for metasomatism: accessory phlogopite, amphibole, phosphates, feldspar and Ti-rich oxides, very high Na2O (2 3.1%) in clinopyroxene, LREE enrichments in whole-rocks.

Early mantle heterogeneities in the Réunion hotspot source inferred from highly siderophile elements in cumulate xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, Bradley J.; Day, James M. D.; Taylor, Lawrence A.

2016-08-01

Ultramafic cumulate rocks form during intrusive crystallization of high-MgO magmas, incorporating relatively high abundances of compatible elements, including Cr and Ni, and high abundances of the highly siderophile elements (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Pd, Re). Here, we utilize a suite of cumulate xenoliths from Piton de la Fournaise, La Réunion (Indian Ocean), to examine the mantle source composition of the Réunion hotspot using HSE abundances and Os isotopes. Dunite and wherlite xenoliths and associated lavas from the Piton de la Fournaise volcanic complex span a range of MgO contents (46 to 7 wt.%), yet exhibit remarkably homogeneous 187Os/188Os (0.1324 ± 0.0014, 2σ), representing the Os-isotopic composition of Réunion hotspot primary melts. A significant fraction of the xenoliths also have primitive upper-mantle (PUM) normalized HSE patterns with elevated Ru and Pd (PUM-normalized Ru/Ir and Pd/Ir of 0.8-6.3 and 0.2-7.2, respectively). These patterns are not artifacts of alteration, fractional crystallization, or partial melting processes, but rather require a primary magma with similar relative enrichments. Some highly olivine-phyric (>40 modal percent olivine) Piton de la Fournaise lavas also preserve these relative Ru and Pd enrichments, while others preserve a pattern that is likely related to sulfur saturation in evolved melts. The estimate of HSE abundances in PUM indicates high Ru/Ir and Pd/Pt values relative to carbonaceous, ordinary and enstatite chondrite meteorite groups. Thus, the existence of cumulate rocks with even more fractionated HSE patterns relative to PUM suggests that the Réunion hotspot samples a yet unrecognized mantle source. The origin of fractionated HSE patterns in Réunion melts may arise from sampling of a mantle source that experienced limited late accretion (<0.2% by mass) compared with PUM (0.5-0.8%), possibly involving impactors that were distinct from present-day chondrites, or limited core-mantle interactions. Given the

Flow in the shallow mantle in the westernmost Mediterranean: insights from xenoliths in Plio-Pleistocene alkali basalts from the eastern Betic Cordillera (SE Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konc, Zoltán; Hidas, Károly; Garrido, Carlos J.; Tommasi, Andréa; Vauchez, Alain; Padrón Navarta, José Alberto; Marchesi, Claudio; Acosta-Vigil, Antonio; Szabó, Csaba; Varas-Reus, Maria Isabel

2016-04-01

Peridotite mantle xenoliths in Plio-Pleistocene alkali basalts of the eastern Betic Cordillera (Cartagena area, Murcia, SE Spain) provide a snapshot of the structure and composition of the lithospheric mantle at the northern limb of the Alpine Betic-Rif arched belt in the westernmost Mediterranean. The xenoliths are spinel and plagioclase lherzolite with minor harzburgite and wehrlite, displaying porphyroclastic to equigranular textures. Regardless of composition and texture, the Crystal Preferred Orientation (CPO) of olivine shows an axial-[100] pattern characterized by a strong alignment of [100]-axes near or parallel to the peridotite lineation and a girdle distribution of [010]-axes with a maximum normal to the peridotite foliation. This CPO pattern is consistent with ductile deformation accommodated by dislocation creep with dominant activation of the high temperature {0kl}[100] olivine slip system, indicative of deformation by simple shear or combinations of simple shear and pure shear with a transtensional component. Calculated seismic properties are characterized by fast propagation of P-waves and polarization of fast S-waves parallel to olivine [100]-axis, indicating the flow direction. SKS and Pn anisotropy in the eastern Betics can be explained by a lithospheric mantle peridotite with similar fabric to the one displayed by the studied mantle xenoliths. Considering the limited thickness of the mantle lithosphere in the Betics (40-80 km), the measured azimuths and delays of SKS waves in the eastern Betics are consistent with a steeply dipping mantle foliation and a subhorizontal lineation with ENE strike. This geometry of the lithospheric fabrics implies active or frozen mantle flow with a dominantly strike-slip component subparallel to the paleo-Iberian margin. Synkinematic overprinting of mineral assemblages from the garnet-spinel to the plagioclase facies demonstrates 36-40 km uplift continuously accommodated by ductile shear thinning of the

The peculiar case of Marosticano xenoliths: a cratonic mantle fragment affected by carbonatite metasomatism in the Veneto Volcanic Province (Northern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brombin, Valentina; Bonadiman, Costanza; Coltorti, Massimo; Florencia Fahnestock, M.; Bryce, Julia G.; Marzoli, Andrea

2017-04-01

The Tertiary Magmatic Province of Veneto, known as Veneto Volcanic Province (VVP), in the Northern Italy, represents one of the most important volcanic provinces of the Adria Plate. It is composed by five volcanic districts: Val d'Adige, Marosticano, Mts. Lessini, Berici Hills and Euganean Hills. Most of the volcanic products are relatively undifferentiated lavas, from nephelinites to tholeiites in composition. Commonly VVP nephelinites and basanites carry mantle xenoliths. This study presents a petrological characterization of the new xenolith occurrence of Marosticano and comparison with previously studied VVP xenolith populations (i.e. from the Lessinean and Val d'Adige areas), which represent off-craton lithospheric mantle fragment affected by Na-alkaline silicate metasomatism (Siena & Coltorti 1989; Beccaluva et al., 2001; Gasperini et al., 2006). Marosticano (MA) peridotites are anhydrous spinel-bearing lherzolites and harzburgites, which are geochemically well distinguishible from the other VVP mantle xenoliths. Primary minerals record the "most restitic" composition of the VVP sampled mantle, even calling the geochemical features of a sub-cratonic mantle. Olivines in both lherzolites and harzburgites show high Ni contents compared with the Fo values (Ni→ lherzolite: 2600-3620 ppm; harzburgite: 2600-3540 ppm; Fo → lh: 91-92; hz: 90-93) that follow the trend of olivine from a cratonic area (Kelemen, 1998). Orthopyroxenes have mg# values with 1:1 ratio with coexisting olivines and Al2O3 contents always <4 wt%, even for the most fertile lherzolite. Low Al2O3 (<5 wt%) associated with high Cr2O3 (>0.5 wt%) contents are also the chemical characteristics of the clinopyroxenes. On the whole both MA pyroxenes show major element contents that recall the characteristics of those from cratonic (sp-bearing) peridotites (e.g. from Greenland, South Africa and Tanzania; Downes et al., 2004). In addition, the relationship between the high Fo content of olivine and the

Textures in spinel peridotite mantle xenoliths using micro-CT scanning: Examples from Canary Islands and France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhanot, K. K.; Downes, H.; Petrone, C. M.; Humphreys-Williams, E.

2017-04-01

Spinel pyroxene-clusters, which are intergrowths of spinel, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene in mantle xenoliths, have been investigated through the use of micro-CT (μ-CT) in this study. Samples have been studied from two different tectonic settings: (1) the northern Massif Central, France, an uplifted and rifted plateau on continental lithosphere and (2) Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, an intraplate volcanic island on old oceanic lithosphere. μ-CT analysis of samples from both locations has revealed a range of spinel textures from small < 2 mm microcrystals which can be either spatially concentrated or distributed more evenly throughout the rock with a lineation, to large 4-12 mm individual clusters with ellipsoidal complex vermicular textures in random orientation. Microprobe analyses of pyroxenes inside and outside the clusters show broadly similar compositions. Spinel-pyroxene clusters are the result of a transition of shallow lithospheric mantle from the garnet stability field to the spinel stability field. Both the northern Massif Central and Lanzarote are regions that have experienced significant lithospheric thinning. This process provides a mechanism where the sub-solidus reaction of olivine + garnet = orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + spinel is satisfied by providing a pathway from garnet peridotite to spinel peridotite. We predict that such textures would only occur in the mantle beneath regions that show evidence of thinning of the lithospheric mantle. Metasomatic reactions are seen around spinel-pyroxene clusters in some Lanzarote xenoliths, so metasomatism post-dated cluster formation.

Nanodiamond finding in the hyblean shallow mantle xenoliths.

PubMed

Simakov, S K; Kouchi, A; Mel'nik, N N; Scribano, V; Kimura, Y; Hama, T; Suzuki, N; Saito, H; Yoshizawa, T

2015-06-01

Most of Earth's diamonds are connected with deep-seated mantle rocks; however, in recent years, μm-sized diamonds have been found in shallower metamorphic rocks, and the process of shallow-seated diamond formation has become a hotly debated topic. Nanodiamonds occur mainly in chondrite meteorites associated with organic matter and water. They can be synthesized in the stability field of graphite from organic compounds under hydrothermal conditions. Similar physicochemical conditions occur in serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal systems. Herein, we report the first finding of nanodiamonds, primarily of 6 and 10 nm, in Hyblean asphaltene-bearing serpentinite xenoliths (Sicily, Italy). The discovery was made by electron microscopy observations coupled with Raman spectroscopy analyses. The finding reveals new aspects of carbon speciation and diamond formation in shallow crustal settings. Nanodiamonds can grow during the hydrothermal alteration of ultramafic rocks, as well as during the lithogenesis of sediments bearing organic matter.

Petrological and geochemical studies of mantle xenoliths from La Palma, Canary Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janisch, Astrid; Ntaflos, Theodoros

2015-04-01

La Palma is the second youngest island, after El Hierro, of the Canary archipelago. The archipelago consists of seven large islands, forming an east-west-trending island chain, and several seamounts. All together they form a volcanic belt of around 800 km length and 450 km width, which presumably comprises roughly the Canary hotspot. The islands are located off the western coast of Morocco, Africa. The distance ranges from 100 km to 500 km. Concurrently with the distance, subaerial volcanism age progresses from the oldest lava in the east to the youngest in the west of the archipelago. Presently, La Palma is in the shield building stage of growth (alongside with El Hierro and Tenerife) and is furthermore the fastest growing island of the Canary archipelago. Historical volcanic eruptions are restricted on the younger islands, La Palma and El Hierro, with the last eruption at the south end of La Palma in 1971. Mantle xenoliths described in this work were collected at the slopes of San Antonio Volcano, Fuencaliente, brought to the surface during the 1677/1678 eruption. The mantle xenolith collection comprises sp-lherzolites, sp-harzburgites and pyroxenites. The texture can be distinguished between coarse-grained matrix and fine-grained veins in various thicknesses, mostly with olivine and pyroxene but also with amphibole, phlogopite as well as apatite. Mineral analyses reveal the existence of primary and secondary ol, cpx and opx. Primary ol has Fo contents of 89.2 to 91.7 and NiO ranging from 0.3 to 0.45 wt.%, whereas secondary ol show Fo values of 78.4 to 91.9 but with NiO below 0.3 wt.%. Primary cpx are predominantly Cr-Diopsides with En48.7-51.9-Wo43.5-44.3-Fs4.1-4.9 and Mg# of 91.5 to 92.4. Secondary cpx, primarily Ti-Augit, display En36.7-44.4-Wo47.7-49.6-Fs6.7-13.0 and Mg# of 75.3 to 90.8. Primary opx compositions are in range of En89.3-90.6-Wo1.3-1.5-Fs8.1-9.3 with Mg# between 90.7 and 92.0. Secondary opx exhibit En88.7-89.2-Wo1.7-1.9-Fs9.1-9.5 and Mg# of 90

Deformation, static recrystallization, and reactive melt transport in shallow subcontinental mantle xenoliths (Tok Cenozoic volcanic field, SE Siberia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tommasi, Andréa; Vauchez, Alain; Ionov, Dmitri A.

2008-07-01

Partial melting and reactive melt transport may change the composition, microstructures, and physical properties of mantle rocks. Here we explore the relations between deformation and reactive melt transport through detailed microstructural analysis and crystallographic orientation measurements in spinel peridotite xenoliths that sample the shallow lithospheric mantle beneath the southeastern rim of the Siberian craton. These xenoliths have coarse-grained, annealed microstructures and show petrographic and chemical evidence for variable degrees of reaction with silicate melts and fluids, notably Fe-enrichment and crystallization of metasomatic clinopyroxene (cpx). Olivine crystal preferred orientations (CPO) range from strong to weak. [010]-fiber patterns, characterized by a point concentration of [010] normal to the foliation and by dispersion of [100] in the foliation plane with a weak maximum parallel to the lineation, predominate relative to the [100]-fiber patterns usually observed in lithospheric mantle xenoliths and peridotite massifs. Variations in olivine CPO patterns or intensity are not correlated with modal and chemical compositions. This, together with the analysis of microstructures, suggests that reactive melt percolation postdated both deformation and static recrystallization. Preferential crystallization of metasomatic cpx along (010) olivine grain boundaries points to an influence of the preexisting deformation fabrics on melt transport, with higher permeability along the foliation. Similarity between orthopyroxene (opx) and cpx CPO suggests that cpx orientations may be inherited from those of opx during melt-rock reaction. As observed in previous studies, reactive melt transport does not weaken olivine CPO and seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle, except in melt accumulation domains. In contrast, recovery and selective grain growth during static recrystallization may lead to development of [010]-fiber olivine CPO and, if foliations are

Paradoxical co-existing base metal sulphides in the mantle: The multi-event record preserved in Loch Roag peridotite xenoliths, North Atlantic Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Hannah S. R.; McDonald, Iain; Loocke, Matthew; Butler, Ian B.; Upton, Brian G. J.; Faithfull, John W.

2017-04-01

The role of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle as a source of precious metals for mafic magmas is contentious and, given the chalcophile (and siderophile) character of metals such as the platinum-group elements (PGE), Se, Te, Re, Cu and Au, the mobility of these metals is intimately linked with that of sulphur. Hence the nature of the host phase(s), and their age and stability in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle may be of critical importance. We investigate the sulphide mineralogy and sulphide in situ trace element compositions in base metal sulphides (BMS) in a suite of spinel lherzolite mantle xenoliths from northwest Scotland (Loch Roag, Isle of Lewis). This area is situated on the margin of the North Atlantic Craton which has been overprinted by a Palaeoproterozoic orogenic belt, and occurs in a region which has undergone magmatic events from the Palaeoproterozoic to the Eocene. We identify two populations of co-existing BMS within a single spinel lherzolite xenolith (LR80) and which can also be recognised in the peridotite xenolith suite as a whole. Both populations consist of a mixture of Fe-Ni-Cu sulphide minerals, and we distinguished between these according to BMS texture, petrographic setting (i.e., location within the xenolith in terms of 'interstitial' or within feldspar-spinel symplectites, as demonstrated by X-ray Computed Microtomography) and in situ trace element composition. Group A BMS are coarse, metasomatic, have low concentrations of total PGE (< 40 ppm) and high (Re/Os)N (ranging 1 to 400). Group B BMS strictly occur within symplectites of spinel and feldspar, are finer-grained rounded droplets, with micron-scale PtS (cooperite), high overall total PGE concentrations (15-800 ppm) and low (Re/Os)N ranging 0.04 to 2. Group B BMS sometimes coexist with apatite, and both the Group B BMS and apatite can preserve rounded micron-scale Ca-carbonate inclusions indicative of sulphide-carbonate-phosphate immiscibility. This carbonate

Mantle Recycling of Crustal Materials through Study of Ultrahigh-Pressure Minerals in Collisional Orogens, Ophiolites, and Xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liou, J. G.; Tsujimori, T.; Yang, J.; Zhang, R. Y.; Ernst, W. G.

2014-12-01

Newly recognized ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) mineral occurrences including diamonds in ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) felsic granulites of orogenic belts, in chromitites associated with ophiolitic complexes, and in mafic/ultramafic xenoliths suggest the recycling of crustal materials through profound subduction, mantle upwelling, and return to the Earth's surface. Recycling is supported by unambiguously crust-derived mineral inclusions in deep-seated zircons, chromites, and diamonds from collision-type orogens, from eclogitic xenoliths, and from ultramafic bodies of several Alpine-Himalayan and Polar Ural ophiolites; some such phases contain low-atomic number elements typified by crustal isotopic signatures. Ophiolite-type diamonds in placer deposits and as inclusions in chromitites together with numerous highly reduced minerals and alloys appear to have formed near the mantle transition zone. In addition to ringwoodite and stishovite, a wide variety of nanometric minerals have been identified as inclusions employing state-of-the-art analysis. Reconstitution of now-exsolved precursor UHP phases and recognition of subtle decompression microstructures produced during exhumation reflect earlier UHP conditions. Some podiform chromitites and associated peridotites contain rare minerals of undoubted crustal origin, including Zrn, corundum, Fls, Grt, Ky, Sil, Qtz, and Rtl; the zircons possess much older U-Pb ages than the formation age of the host ophiolites. These UHP mineral-bearing chromitites had a deep-seated evolution prior to extensional mantle upwelling and its partial melting at shallow depths to form the overlying ophiolite complexes. These new findings plus stable isotopic and inclusion characteristics of diamonds provide compelling evidence for profound underflow of both oceanic and continental lithosphere, recycling of biogenic carbon into the lower mantle, and ascent to the Earth's surface through deep mantle ascent.

Rheological properties of the lower crust and upper mantle beneath Baja California: a microstructural study of xenoliths from San Quintin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van der Werf, Thomas F.; Chatzaras, Vasileios; Tikoff, Basil; Drury, Martyn R.

2016-04-01

Baja California is an active transtensional rift zone, which links the San Andreas Fault with the East Pacific Rise. The erupted basalts of the Holocene San Quintin volcanic field contain xenoliths, which sample the lower crust and upper mantle beneath Baja California. The aim of this research is to gain insight in the rheology of the lower crust and the upper mantle by investigating the xenolith microstructure. Microstructural observations have been used to determine the dominant deformation mechanisms. Differential stresses were estimated from recrystallized grain size piezometry of plagioclase and clinopyroxene for the lower crust and olivine for the upper mantle. The degree of deformation can be inferred from macroscopic foliations and the deformation microstructures. Preliminary results show that both the lower crust and the upper mantle have been affected by multiple stages of deformation and recrystallization. In addition the dominant deformation mechanism in both the lower crust and the upper mantle is dislocation creep based on the existence of strong crystallographic preferred orientations. The differential stress estimates for the lower crust are 10-29 MPa using plagioclase piezometry and 12-35 MPa using clinopyroxene piezometry. For the upper mantle, differential stress estimates are 10-20 MPa. These results indicate that the strength of the lower crust and the upper mantle are very similar. Our data do not fit with the general models of lithospheric strength and may have important implications for the rheological structure of the lithosphere in transtensional plate margins and for geodynamic models of the region.

Exsolved silicate and oxide phases from clinopyroxenes in a single Hawaiian xenolith: Implications for oxidation state of the Hawaiian upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sen, Gautam; Jones, Robert E.

1988-01-01

A single garnet-bearing clinopyroxenite xenolith from the Salt Lake crater on Oahu, Hawaii, contains two distinct types of clinopyroxene; one contains exsolved garnet, ilmenite, and magnetite, and the other contains exsolved hercynite-pleonaste spinel, orthopyroxene, and ilmenite. Application of mineral geothermometers, barometers, and oxygen barometers to this unusual combination of exsolved phases defines the following conditions of last mantle equilibration of this xenolith: P = 19 kbar, T =1153 °C, and log10fO2 = -9.7.

Peridotite xenoliths from the Polynesian Austral and Samoa hotspots: Implications for the destruction of ancient 187Os and 142Nd isotopic domains and the preservation of Hadean 129Xe in the modern convecting mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, M. G.; Shirey, S. B.; Hauri, E. H.; Kurz, M. D.; Rizo, H.

2016-07-01

The Re-Os systematics in 13 peridotite xenoliths hosted in young (<0.39 myr) rejuvenated lavas from the Samoan island of Savai'i and 8 peridotite xenoliths from 6 to 10 myr old lavas from the Austral island of Tubuai have been examined to evaluate the history of the oceanic mantle in this region. Modal mineralogy, trace element compositions and 187Os/188Os ratios suggest that these peridotites are not cognate or residual to mantle plumes but rather samples of Pacific oceanic lithosphere created at the ridge. Savai'i and Tubuai islands lie along a flow line in the Pacific plate, and provide two snapshots (separated by over 40 Ma in time) of Pacific mantle that originated in the same region of the East Pacific rise. Tubuai xenoliths exhibit 187Os/188Os from 0.1163 to 0.1304, and Savai'i (Samoa) xenoliths span a smaller range from 0.1173 to 0.1284. The 187Os/188Os ratios measured in Tubuai xenoliths are lower than (and show no overlap with) basalts from Tubuai. The 187Os/188Os of the Savai'i xenoliths overlap the isotopic compositions of lavas from the island of Savai'i, but also extend to lower 187Os/188Os than the lavas. 3He/4He measurements of a subset of the xenoliths range from 2.5 to 6.4 Ra for Tubuai and 10.8 to 12.4 Ra for Savai'i. Like abyssal peridotites and xenoliths from oceanic hotspots that sample the convecting mantle, Os isotopes from the Savai'i and Tubuai xenolith suites are relatively unradiogenic, but do not preserve a record of depleted early-formed (Hadean and Archean) mantle domains expected from earlier cycles of ridge-related depletion, continent extraction, or subcontinental lithospheric mantle erosion. The lack of preservation of early-formed, geochemically-depleted Os-isotopic and 142Nd/144Nd domains in the modern convecting mantle contrasts with the preservation of early-formed (early-Hadean) 129Xe/130Xe isotopic heterogeneities in the convecting mantle. This can be explained if the initial isotopic signatures in Re-Os and Sm-Nd systems

Lithospheric strength in the active boundary between the Pacific Plate and Baja California microplate constrained from lower crustal and upper mantle xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatzaras, Vasileios; van der Werf, Thomas; Kriegsman, Leo M.; Kronenberg, Andreas; Tikoff, Basil; Drury, Martyn R.

2017-04-01

The lower crust is the most poorly understood of the lithospheric layers in terms of its rheology, particularly at active plate boundaries. We studied naturally deformed lower crustal xenoliths within an active plate boundary, in order to link their microstructures and rheological parameters to the well-defined active tectonic context. The Baja California shear zone (BCSZ), located at the western boundary of the Baja California microplate, comprises the active boundary accommodating the relative motion between the Pacific plate and Baja California microplate. The basalts of the Holocene San Quintin volcanic field carry lower crustal and upper mantle xenoliths, which sample the Baja California microplate lithosphere in the vicinity of the BCSZ. The lower crustal xenoliths range from undeformed gabbros to granoblastic two-pyroxene granulites. Two-pyroxene geothermometry shows that the granulites equilibrated at temperatures of 690-920 oC. Phase equilibria (P-T pseudosections using Perple_X) indicate that symplectites with intergrown pyroxenes, plagioclase, olivine and spinel formed at 3.6-5.4 kbar, following decompression from pressures exceeding 6 kbar. FTIR spectroscopy shows that the water content of plagioclase varies among the analyzed xenoliths; plagioclase is relatively dry in two xenoliths while one xenolith contains hydrated plagioclase grains. Microstructural observations and analysis of the crystallographic texture provide evidence for deformation of plagioclase by a combination of dislocation creep and grain boundary sliding. To constrain the strength of the lower crust and upper mantle near the BCSZ we estimated the differential stress using plagioclase and olivine grain size paleopiezomtery, respectively. Differential stress estimates for plagioclase range from 10 to 32 MPa and for olivine are 30 MPa. Thus the active microplate boundary records elevated crustal temperatures, heterogeneous levels of hydration, and low strength in both the lower crust and

Helium isotopes of the Siberian sub-continental lithospheric mantle: Insights from eclogite xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barry, P. H.; Hilton, D. R.; Day, J. M.; Pernet-Fisher, J.; Howarth, G. H.; Taylor, L. A.

2014-12-01

Helium isotopes (3He/4He) have been extensively used to define distinct segments of Earth's mantle and characterize its chemical structure. Specifically, they have been used to illustrate the long-term isolation and preservation of high-3He/4He (≥50 RA; [1]) plume-derived materials from the well-mixed and more-extensively degassed depleted MORB mantle (DMM) (8 RA; [2]). However, the He-isotope signature of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) remains relatively poorly characterized (6.1 RA; [3]). The Siberian craton hosts >1000 kimberlite intrusions, which carry mantle-derived xenoliths - of varying compositions (i.e., peridotites, dunites, and eclogites) - to the Earth's surface, making it an ideal setting for investigating the chemical evolution of the SCLM. Here, we report new He-isotope and concentration data for a suite of eclogitic xenoliths (n=10) from the Udachnaya pipe, Siberia. He-isotopes and [He] contents were determined by crushing garnet and pyroxene mineral separates from 2.7-3.1 Ga Siberian eclogites. 3He/4He values ranged from 0.11 to 1.0 RA, displaying predominantly radiogenic (i.e., low 3He/4He) He-isotope values. In contrast, Siberian flood basalt values extend up to ~13 RA [4]. Helium concentrations span ~4 orders of magnitude from 60 to 569,000 [4He]C ncm3STP/g. The radiogenic nature of Udachnaya eclogites indicate that they have been largely isolated from basaltic metasomatic fluxes over geological time due to position within the lithosphere and/or lithospheric age. Further, low 3He/4He values may reflect the addition of high U-Th material into the lithosphere by accretion of ancient island-arc terrains. These new data add to the growing He-isotope database [5,6] for the Siberian SCLM, and reveal the heterogeneous nature of this region with respect to He-isotopes, as well as the potential importance of crustal recycling and metasomatic processes. [1] Stuart et al., 2003. Nature. [2] Graham, 2002. Reviews in Mineralogy and

Trace element distribution in peridotite xenoliths from Tok, SE Siberian craton: A record of pervasive, multi-stage metasomatism in shallow refractory mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ionov, Dmitri A.; Chazot, Gilles; Chauvel, Catherine; Merlet, Claude; Bodinier, Jean-Louis

2006-03-01

Spinel peridotite xenoliths in alkali basalts at Tok, SE Siberian craton range from fertile lherzolites to harzburgites and wehrlites; olivine-rich (70-84%) rocks are dominant. REE patterns in the lherzolites range from nearly flat for fertile rocks (14-17% cpx) to LREE-enriched; the enrichments are positively correlated with modal olivine, consistent with high-permeability of olivine-rich rocks during melt percolation. Clinopyroxene in olivine-rich Tok peridotites typically has convex-upward trace element patterns (La/Nd PM < 1 and Nd/Yb PM ≫ 1), which we consider as evidence for equilibration with evolved silicate liquids (with higher REE and lower Ti contents than in host basalts). Whole-rock patterns of the olivine-rich xenoliths range from convex-upward to LREE-enriched (La/Nd PM > 1); the LREE-enrichments are positively correlated with phosphorus abundances and are mainly hosted by accessory phosphates and P-rich cryptocrystalline materials. In addition to apatite, some Tok xenoliths contain whitlockite (an anhydrous, halogen-poor and Na-Mg-rich phosphate), which is common in meteorites and lunar rocks, but has not been reported from any terrestrial mantle samples. Some olivine-rich peridotites have generations of clinopyroxene with distinct abundances of Na, LREE, Sr and Zr. The mineralogical and trace element data indicate that the lithospheric mantle section represented by the xenoliths experienced a large-scale metasomatic event produced by upward migration of mafic silicate melts followed by percolation of low- T, alkali-rich melts and fluids. Chromatographic fractionation and fractional crystallisation of the melts close to the percolation front produced strong LREE-enrichments, which are most common in the uppermost mantle and are related to carbonate- and P 2O 5-rich derivatives of the initial melt. Reversal and gradual retreat of the percolation front during thermal relaxation to ambient geotherm ("retrograde" metasomatism) caused local migration

Evolution of the upper mantle beneath the southern Baikal rift zone: an Sr-Nd isotope study of xenoliths from the Bartoy volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ionov, D. A.; Kramm, U.; Stosch, H.-G.

1992-06-01

Anhydrous and amphibole-bearing peridotite xenoliths occur in roughly equal quantitites in the Bartoy volcanic field about 100 km south of the southern tip of Lake Baikal in Siberia (Russia). Whole-rock samples and pure mineral separates from nine xenoliths have been analyzed for Sr and Nd isotopes in order to characterize the upper mantle beneath the southern Baikal rift zone. In an Sr-Nd isotope diagram both dry and hydrous xenoliths from Bartoy plot at the junction between the fields of MORB and ocean island basalts. This contrasts with data available on two other localities around Lake Baikal (Tariat and Vitim) where peridotites typically have Sr-Nd isotope compositions indicative of strong long-term depletion in incompatible elements. Our data indicate significant chemical and isotopic heterogeneity in the mantle beneath Bartoy that may be attributed to its position close to an ancient suture zone separating the Siberian Platform from the Mongol-Okhotsk mobile belt and occupied now by the Baikal rift. Two peridotites have clinopyroxenes depleted in light rare earth elements (LREE) with Sr and Nd model ages of about 2 Ga and seem to retain the trace element and isotopic signatures of old depleted lithospheric mantle, while all other xenoliths show different degrees of LREE-enrichment. Amphiboles and clinopyroxenes in the hydrous peridotites are in Sr-Nd isotopic disequilibrium. If this reflects in situ decay of 147Sm and 87Rb rather than heterogeneities produced by recent metasomatic formation of amphiboles then 300 400 Ma have passed since the minerals were last in equilibrium. This age range then indicates an old enrichment episode or repeated events during the Paleozoic in the lithospheric mantle initially depleted maybe ˜2 Ga ago. The Bartoy hydrous and enriched dry peridotites, therefore, are unlikely to represent fragments of a young asthenospheric bulge which, according to seismic reflection studies, reached the Moho at the axis of the Baikal rift zone

Highly Siderophile Elements as Tracers for the Subcontinental Mantle Evolution Beneath the Southwestern USA: The San Carlos and Kilbourne Hole Peridotite Xenoliths Revisited

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

vanAcken, D.; Brandon, A. D.; Peslier, A. H.; Lee, C.-T. A.

2010-01-01

Peridotite xenoliths from San Carlos, Arizona, and Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico, have been studied since the 1970 s to give insights into melting and metasomatism in the subcontinental mantle beneath the southwestern USA. More recently, the highly siderophile elements (HSE; Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd, and Re) and the included Re-Os isotope system have been established as powerful tools for the study of mantle processes because of their range in compatibility during mantle melting and their siderophile and chalcophile geochemical behavior. Model aluminachron Re-Os ages for San Carlos and Kilbourne Hole, as well as for the nearby Dish Hill and Vulcan's Throne sites, give consistent depletion ages of around 2.2 Ga. This age can be interpreted as a single large scale mantle melting event linked to crustal formation and continental growth under the southwestern USA. Highly siderophile elements, however, may be added to depleted peridotites via melt-rock interaction, especially the more incompatible and hence mobile Pt, Pd, and Re. This may result in overprinting of the signature of melt extraction, thus abating the usefulness of Re-Os mantle extraction model ages. A comprehensive characterization of the suite of mantle xenoliths from the SW USA in terms of HSE concentrations is thus necessary to re-assess the Re-Os system for dating purposes. San Carlos peridotites are depleted to moderately fertile, as indicated by their bulk Al2O3 contents between 0.66 wt% and 3.13 wt%. Bulk Os-187/Os-188 in San Carlos peridotites range from 0.1206 to 0.1357. In contrast, Kilbourne Hole peridotites tend to be more fertile with Al2O3 between 2.11 and 3.78 wt%, excluding one extremely depleted sample with 0.30 wt% Al2O3, and have Os-187/Os-188 between 0.1156 and 0.1272, typical for mantle peridotites. No large fractionation between the more compatible HSE Os, Ir, and Ru are observed. The more incompatible HSE Re, Pd, and to a minor extent, Pt, however, are depleted in a number of samples by

Thermobarometry for spinel lherzolite xenoliths in alkali basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozawa, Kazuhito; Youbi, Nasrrddine; Boumehdi, Moulay Ahmed; Nagahara, Hiroko

2016-04-01

Application of geothermobarometers to peridotite xenoliths has been providing very useful information on thermal and chemical structure of lithospheric or asthenospheric mantle at the time of almost instantaneous sampling by the host magmas, based on which various thermal (e.g., McKenzie et al., 2005), chemical (e.g., Griffin et al., 2003), and rheological (e.g., Ave Lallemant et al., 1980) models of lithosphere have been constructed. Geothermobarometry for garnet or plagioclase-bearing lithologies provide accurate pressure estimation, but this is not the case for the spinel peridotites, which are frequently sampled from Phanerozoic provinces in various tectonic environments (Nixon and Davies, 1987). There are several geobarometers proposed for spinel lherzolite, such as single pyroxene geothermobarometer (Mercier, 1980) and geothermobarometer based on Ca exchange between olivine and clinopyroxene (Köhler and Brey, 1990), but they have essential problems and it is usually believed that appropriated barometers do not exist for spinel lherzolites (O'Reilly et al., 1997; Medaris et al., 1999). It is thus imperative to develop reliable barometry for spinel peridotite xenoliths. We have developed barometry for spinel peridotite xenoliths by exploiting small differences in pressure dependence in relevant reactions, whose calibration was made through careful evaluation of volume changes of the reactions. This is augmented with higher levels of care in application of barometer by choosing mineral domains and their chemical components that are in equilibrium as close as possible. This is necessary because such barometry is very sensitive to changes in chemical composition induced by transient state of the system possibly owing to pressure and temperature changes as well as chemical modification, forming chemical heterogeneity or zoning frequently reported from various mantle xenoliths (Smith, 1999). Thus very carful treatment of heterogeneity, which might be trivial for

Geochemical and Textural Constraints on Wehrlite Formation by Melt-rock Reaction in the Shallow Subcontinental Lithospheric Mantle (Oran, Tell Atlas, N-Algeria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidas, Károly; Garrido, Carlos J.; Marchesi, Claudio; Bodinier, Jean-Louis; Louni-Hacini, Amina; Azzouni-Sekkal, Abla; Konc, Zoltán; Dautria, Jean-Marie; Varas-Reus, Maria Isabel

2017-04-01

and development of fine-grained equigranular texture are both accompanied with a dispersion of olivine CPO. The lithological, textural and geochemical variations of these xenoliths indicate that wehrlite-forming melt-rock reactions took place in the shallow subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the southern limb of the Betic-Rif-Tell orogenic belt during the Neogene geodynamic evolution of the westernmost Mediterranean. REFERENCES 1. Platt, J.P., Behr, W.M., Johanesen, K., Williams, J.R., 2013. The Betic-Rif Arc and Its Orogenic Hinterland: A Review. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 41, 313-357. 2. Hidas, K., Booth-Rea, G., Garrido, C.J., Martínez-Martínez, J.M., Padrón-Navarta, J.A., Konc, Z., Giaconia, F., Frets, E., Marchesi, C., 2013. Backarc basin inversion and subcontinental mantle emplacement in the crust: kilometre-scale folding and shearing at the base of the proto-Alborán lithospheric mantle (Betic Cordillera, southern Spain). Journal of the Geological Society 170, 47-55. 3. Frets, E.C., Tommasi, A., Garrido, C.J., Vauchez, A., Mainprice, D., Targuisti, K., Amri, I., 2014. The Beni Bousera peridotite (Rif Belt, Morocco): an oblique-slip low-angle shear zone thinning the Subcontinental Mantle Lithosphere. Journal of Petrology 55, 283-313. 4. Rampone, E., Vissers, R.L.M., Poggio, M., Scambelluri, M., Zanetti, A., 2010. Melt migration and intrusion during exhumation of the Alboran lithosphere: the Tallante mantle xenolith record (Betic Cordillera, SE Spain). Journal of Petrology 51, 295-325. 5. Hidas, K., Konc, Z., Garrido, C.J., Tommasi, A., Vauchez, A., Padrón-Navarta, J.A., Marchesi, C., Booth-Rea, G., Acosta-Vigil, A., Szabó, C., Varas-Reus, M.I., Gervilla, F., 2016. Flow in the western Mediterranean shallow mantle: Insights from xenoliths in Pliocene alkali basalts from SE Iberia (eastern Betics, Spain). Tectonics 35, 2657-2676. 6. Marchesi, C., Konc, Z., Garrido, C.J., Bosch, D., Hidas, K., Varas-Reus, M.I., Acosta-Vigil, A., 2017

Actualistic models of mantle metasomatism documented in a composite xenolith from Dish Hill, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nielson, J.E.; Budahn, J.R.; Unruh, D.M.; Wilshire, H.G.

1993-01-01

Major and trace-element whole rock and mineral variations in composite hornblendite-peridotite xenolith Ba-2-1, from Dish Hill, CA, are due to a single event of metasomatism in the mantle. The hornblendite is the crystallized selvage of a dike conduit charged with incompatible-element-enriched hydrous mafic magma. The magma infiltrated the refractory peridotite wallrock, reacted with its constituent minerals, and simultaneously deposited amphibole. The systematic data from this study show considerable variation in isotopic values and trace elements. These data provide insight into a mantle process that was defined previously from samples without context, lacking evidence about the number or source of metasomatic events. In the contact zone of Ba-2-1, peridotite is enriched in Fe, Ti, CO2) and H2O; clinopyroxene and amphibole also are enriched in Fe and Ti, but clinopyroxene appears slightly depleted in CaO. Compared to chondrites, peridotite, clinopyroxene, and probably amphibole are enriched in light rare earth (LREEcn) and other incompatible trace elements. Values of 87Sr 86Sr and 143Nd 144Nd in the contact zone are close to isotopic equilibrium with the dike. Whole rock and constituent clinopyroxene compositions change to those of refractory peridotite with distance from the contact. These compositional variations were modelled using Gresens' equation for whole-rock major and minor elements, and calculations for isotopic ratios and REEs, which emulate the effects of Chromatographic fractionation. The choice of endmembers was restricted to compositions actually present in mantle samples from Dish Hill. Model results indicate that: 1. (1) the variations can be explained as the result of a single metasomatic event, probably a single pulse of previously fractionated liquid; 2. (2) the ratio of total interacting liquid to peridotite was at least 1:3 by weight in the contact zone; and 3. (3) the composition of the metasomatic liquid changed progressively as it

Restitic or not? Insights from trace element content and crystal - Structure of spinels in African mantle xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenaz, Davide; Musco, Maria Elena; Petrelli, Maurizio; Caldeira, Rita; De Min, Angelo; Marzoli, Andrea; Mata, Joao; Perugini, Diego; Princivalle, Francesco; Boumehdi, Moulay Ahmed; Bensaid, Idris Ali Ahmadi; Youbi, Nasrrddine

2017-05-01

The lithospheric architecture of Africa consists of several Archean cratons and smaller cratonic fragments, stitched together and flanked by polycyclic fold belts. Here we investigate the structure and chemistry of spinels from lithospheric mantle xenoliths from distinct tectonic settings, i.e. from the Saharan metacraton in Libya (Waw-En-Namus) which could show archaic chemical features, Cameroon (Barombi Koto and Nyos Lakes) where the Sub Continental Lithospheric Mantle was modified during the Pan-African event and fluxed by asthenospheric melts of the Tertiary Cameroon Volcanic Line and Morocco (Tafraoute, Bou-Ibalrhatene maars) in the Middle Atlas where different metasomatic events have been recorded. From a structural point of view it is to notice that the Libyan spinels can be divided into two groups having different oxygen positional parameter (u > 0.2632 and u < 0.2627, respectively), while those from Cameroon are in between those values as the Moroccan ones already studied by other authors. The intracrystalline closure temperature (Tc) of the here studied spinels is different among the different samples with one Libyan group (LB I) showing Tc in the range 490-640 °C and the other 680-950 °C (LB II). Cameroon and Morocco spinels show a Tc in the range 630-760 °C. About 150 different spinels have been studied for their trace element content and it can be seen that many of them are related to Cr content, while Zn and Co are not and clearly distinguish the occurrences. Differences in the trace element chemistry, in the structural parameters and in the intracrystalline closure temperatures suggest that a different history should be considered for Cameroon, Morocco and LB I and LB II spinels. Even if it was not considered for this purpose, we tentatively used the Fe2 +/Fe3 + vs. TiO2 diagram that discriminate between peridotitic and the so-called "magmatic" spinels, i.e. spinel crystallized from melts. LB I and LB II spinels plot in the peridotitic field

Seismic structure and lithospheric rheology from deep crustal xenoliths, central Montana, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahan, K. H.; Schulte-Pelkum, V.; Blackburn, T. J.; Bowring, S. A.; Dudas, F. O.

2012-10-01

Improved resolution of lower crustal structure, composition, and physical properties enhances our understanding and ability to model tectonic processes. The cratonic core of Montana and Wyoming, USA, contains some of the most enigmatic lower crust known in North America, with a high seismic velocity layer contributing to as much as half of the crustal column. Petrological and physical property data for xenoliths in Eocene volcanic rocks from central Montana provide new insight into the nature of the lower crust in this region. Inherent heterogeneity in xenoliths derived from depths below ˜30 km support a composite origin for the deep layer. Possible intralayer velocity steps may complicate the seismic definition of the crust/mantle boundary and interpretations of crustal thickness, particularly when metasomatized upper mantle is considered. Mafic mineral-dominant crustal xenoliths and published descriptions of mica-bearing peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths suggest a strong lower crust overlying a potentially weaker upper mantle.

Timescales between mantle metasomatism and kimberlite ascent indicated by diffusion profiles in garnet crystals from peridotite xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jollands, Michael C.; Hanger, Brendan J.; Yaxley, Gregory M.; Hermann, Jörg; Kilburn, Matthew R.

2018-01-01

Rare garnet crystals from a peridotite xenolith from the Wesselton kimberlite, South Africa, have distinct zones related to two separate episodes of mantle metasomatism. The garnet cores were firstly depleted through melt extraction, then equilibrated during metasomatism by a potentially diamond-forming carbonate-bearing or proto-kimberlitic fluid at 1100-1300 °C and 4.5-5.5 GPa. The garnet rim chemistry, in contrast, is consistent with later overgrowth in equilibrium with a kimberlite at around 1025 ± 25 °C and 4.2 ± 0.5 GPa. This suggests that the rock was physically moved upwards by up to tens of kilometres between the two metasomatic episodes. Preserved high Ca, Al and Cr contents in orthopyroxenes suggest this uplift was tectonic, rather than magmatic. Diffusion profiles were measured over the transitions between garnet cores and rims using electron microprobe (Mg, Ca, Fe for modelling, plus Cr, Mn, Ti, Na, Al) and nano Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (NanoSIMS; 89Y, along with 23Na, Ca, Cr, Fe, Mn and Ti) analyses. The short profile lengths (generally <10 μm) and low Y concentrations (0.2-60 ppm) make the NanoSIMS approach preferable. Diffusion profiles at the interface between the zones yield constraints on the timescale between the second metasomatic event and eruption of the kimberlite magma that brought the xenolith to the surface. The time taken to form the diffusion profiles is on the order of 25 days to 400 yr, primarily based on modelling of Y diffusion along with Ca, Fe and Mg (multicomponent diffusion) profiles. These timescales are too long to be produced by the interaction of the mantle xenolith with the host kimberlite magma during a single-stage ascent to the crust (hours to days). The samples offer a rare opportunity to study metasomatic processes associated with failed eruption attempts in the cratonic lithosphere.

Constant average olivine Mg# in cratonic mantle reflects Archaean mantle melting to the exhaustion of orthopyroxene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernstein, S.; Kelemen, P. B.; Hanghoj, K.

2006-12-01

Shallow (garnet-free) cratonic mantle, occurring as xenoliths in kimberlites and alkaline basaltic lavas, has high Mg# (100x Mg/(Mg+Fe)>92) and is poor in Al and Ca compared to off-cratonic mantle. Many xenoliths show rhenium-depletion age of > 3 Ga, and are thus representative of depleted mantle peridotite that form an integral part of the stable nuclei of Archaean (2.5-3.8 Ga) cratons. Accordingly, the depleted composition of the xenolith suites is linked to Archaean melt extraction events. We have compiled data for many suites of shallow cratonic mantle xenoliths worldwide, including samples from cratons of Kaapvaal, Tanzania, Siberia, Slave, North China and Greenland, and encompassing both the classic orthopyroxene-rich peridotites of Kaapvaal and orthopyroxene-poor peridotites from Greenland. The suites show a remarkably small range in average olivine Mg# of 92.8 +/- 0.2. Via comparison with data for experimental melting of mantle peridotite compositions, we explain consistent olivine Mg# in the shallow cratonic mantle as the result of mantle melting and melt extraction to the point of orthopyroxene exhaustion, leaving a nearly monomineralic olivine, or dunitic, residue. Experimental data for peridotite melting at pressures less than 4 GPa and data on natural rocks suggest that mantle olivine has a Mg# of about 92.8 at the point of orthopyroxene exhaustion. If the melt extraction was efficient, no further melting could take place without a considerable temperature increase or melt/fluid flux through the dunite residue at high temperatures. While the high Mg#, dunite-dominated xenolith suites from e.g. Greenland represent simple residues from mantle melting, the orthopyroxene-rich xenolith suites with identical Mg# as known from e. g. Kaapvaal must reflect some additional processes. We envisage their derivation from dunite protoliths via subsequent melt/rock reaction with silica-rich melts or, in some cases, possibly as residues at higher average melting

Interaction of extended mantle plume head with ancient lithosphere: evidence from deep-seated xenoliths in basalts and lamprophyre diatremes in Western Syria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharkov, Evgenii

2016-04-01

The Middle Cretaceous lamprophyric diatremes of the Jabel Ansaria Ridge contain xenoliths of ancient lower crustal rocks mainly represented by the suite of partly altered garnet granulite and eclogite-like rocks, which were formed at the expense of ferrogabbros and ferroclinopyroxenites most likely in the course of underplating of Fe-Ti basalt. Garnet (Alm26Grs11Py63) megacrysts and coarse-granular garnet-clinopyroxene intergrowths are most likely the varieties of rocks of this series. Garnet megacrysts are represented by large (up to 10 cm in diameter) round "nodules," often molten from the surface. Garnet is usually fractured, and the kelyphite material similar to that in rocks of the eclogite-granulite series occurs in fractures. In addition, we found several intergrowths of garnet with large (up to 3-5 cm in length) crystals of high-Al augite with the low of Ti and Na contents like in rocks of the eclogite-granulite suite. Coarse-grained garnet-clinopyroxene-hornblende rocks with spinel, as well as megacrysts of Al-Ti augite with kaersutite, form the second group in prevalence. This group is close to mantle xenoliths of the "black series" in alkali Fe-Ti basalt worldwide. Kaersutite in these rocks contains gaseous cavities, which provides evidence for the origin of rocks at the expense of a strongly fluidized melt/fluid. In contrast to rocks of the eclogite-granulite series, these rocks did not undergo alteration. Garnet Alm19-26Grs12-13.5Py59-67.5 usually associates with dark opaque spinel. In contrast, the Late Cenozoic plateaubasalts of the region practically do not contain lower crustal xenoliths, whereas xenoliths of mantle spinel lherzolite (fragments of the upper cooled rim of the plume head) are widely abundant. According to data of mineralogical thermobarometry, rocks of the eclogite-granulite suite were formed at 13.5-15.4 kbar (depths of 45-54 km) and 965-1115°C. Rocks of this suite are typical representatives of the continental lower crust

Petrological constraints on evolution of continental lithospheric mantle beneath the northwestern Ethiopian plateau: Insight from mantle xenoliths from the Gundeweyn area, East Gojam, Ethiopia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alemayehu, Melesse; Zhang, Hong-Fu; Zhu, Bin; Fentie, Birhanu; Abraham, Samuel; Haji, Muhammed

2016-01-01

Detailed petrographical observations and in-situ major- and trace-element data for minerals from ten spinel peridotite xenoliths from a new locality in Gundeweyn area, East Gojam, have been examined in order to understand the composition, equilibrium temperature and pressure conditions as well as depletion and enrichment processes of continental lithospheric mantle beneath the Ethiopian plateau. The peridotite samples are very fresh and, with the exception of one spinel harzburgite, are all spinel lherzolites. Texturally, the xenoliths can be divided into two groups as primary and secondary textures. Primary textures are protogranular and porphyroclastic while secondary ones include reaction, spongy and lamellae textures. The Fo content of olivine and Cr# of spinel ranges from 86.5 to 90.5 and 7.7 to 14.1 in the lherzolites, respectively and are 89.8 and 49.8, respectively, in the harzburgite. All of the lherzolites fall into the lower Cr# and Fo region in the olivine-spinel mantle array than the harzburgite, which indicates that they are fertile peridotites that experienced low degrees of partial melting and melt extraction. Orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene show variable Cr2O3 and Al2O3 contents regardless of their lithology. The Mg# of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene are 87.3 to 90.1 and 85.8 to 90.5 for lherzolite and 90.4 and 91.2 for harzburgite, respectively. The peridotites have been equilibrated at a temperature and pressure ranging from 850 to 1100 °C and 10.2 to 30 kbar, respectively, with the highest pressure record from the harzburgite. They record high mantle heat flow between 60 and 150 mW/m2, which is not typical for continental environments (40 mW/m2). Such a high geotherm in continental area shows the presence of active mantle upwelling beneath the Ethiopian plateau, which is consistent with the tectonic setting of nearby area of the Afar plume. Clinopyroxene of five lherzolites and one harzburgite samples have a LREE enriched pattern and the rest

Nd-isotopes in selected mantle-derived rocks and minerals and their implications for mantle evolution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Basu, A.R.; Tatsumoto, M.

1980-01-01

The Sm-Nd systematics in a variety of mantle-derived samples including kimberlites, alnoite, carbonatite, pyroxene and amphibole inclusions in alkali basalts and xenolithic eclogites, granulites and a pyroxene megacryst in kimberlites are reported. The additional data on kimberlites strengthen our earlier conclusion that kimberlites are derived from a relatively undifferentiated chondritic mantle source. This conclusion is based on the observation that the e{open}Nd values of most of the kimberlites are near zero. In contrast with the kimberlites, their garnet lherzolite inclusions show both time-averaged Nd enrichment and depletion with respect to Sm. Separated clinopyroxenes in eclogite xenoliths from the Roberts Victor kimberlite pipe show both positive and negative e{open}Nd values suggesting different genetic history. A whole rock lower crustal scapolite granulite xenolith from the Matsoku kimberlite pipe shows a negative e{open}Nd value of -4.2, possibly representative of the base of the crust in Lesotho. It appears that all inclusions, mafic and ultramafic, in kimberlites are unrelated to their kimberlite host. The above data and additional Sm-Nd data on xenoliths in alkali basalts, alpine peridotite and alnoite-carbonatites are used to construct a model for the upper 200 km of the earth's mantle - both oceanic and continental. The essential feature of this model is the increasing degree of fertility of the mantle with depth. The kimberlite's source at depths below 200 km in the subcontinental mantle is the most primitive in this model, and this primitive layer is also extended to the suboceanic mantle. However, it is clear from the Nd-isotopic data in the xenoliths of the continental kimberlites that above 200 km the continental mantle is distinctly different from their suboceanic counterpart. ?? 1980 Springer-Verlag.

Glass in garnet pyroxenite xenoliths from Kaula Island, Hawaii: Product of infiltration of host nephelinite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Michael O.; Presti, A. A.

1987-10-01

Garnet-bearing, mantle-derived pyroxenites have been found at a new locality in Hawaii, Kaula Island. They occur as xenoliths in a nephelinite tuff. Some of the pyroxenites contain basaltic glasses, a common feature in mantle-derived xenoliths. Results of petrography, mineral chemistry, and least-squares mixing calculations show that the glasses are products of infiltration of the host nephelinite into the xenoliths and partial assimilation of garnet, spinel, and clinopyroxene. These results should encourage others to thoroughly test petrographically viable explanations for glasses in xenoliths before invoking absent phases or metasomatic fluids as explanations for the glasses. *Currently with Mobil Oil Company, Houston, Texas

Os and HSE of the hot upper mantle beneath southern Tibet: Indian mantle affinity?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Z.; Dale, C. W.; Pearson, D. G.; Niu, Y.; Zhu, D.; Mo, X.

2011-12-01

The subduction of the Indian plate (including cratonic continental crust and/or upper mantle) beneath southern Tibet is widely accepted from both geological and geophysical studies. Mantle-derived xenoliths from this region provide a means of directly investigating the mantle underlying the southern part of the plateau. Studies of xenoliths hosted in the Sailipu ultrapotassic volcanic rocks, erupted at ~17 Ma, have indicated that the subcontinental mantle of southern Tibetan Plateau is hot and strongly influenced by metasomatism (Zhao et al., 2008a, b; Liu et al., 2011). Here we report comprehensive EPMA and LA-ICP-MS major and trace element data for the Sailipu xenoliths and also whole rock Os isotope and HSE data in order to constrain the depletion history of the mantle and to identify the presence of any potential Indian cratonic mantle. The xenoliths, ranging in size from 0.5cm to 1.5cm in diameter, are mostly peridotites. The calculated temperatures are 1010-1230°C at the given pressures of ~1.6-2.0 GPa (n=47). These P-T conditions are similar to rift-related upper mantle regimes (e.g. Kenya), indicating the influence of regional extension beneath southern Tibet in the Miocene. A series of compositional discriminations for minerals (Cpx, Opx, Ol, and Phl), e.g. Fo<90, suggest that the xenoliths are non-cratonic spinel-peridotite (cratonic peridotite olivine Fo> ~91), with a clear metasomatic signature We obtained Os isotope data and abundances of highly siderophile elements (HSE, including Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Pd and Re) on a set of six olivine-dominated peridotite samples from Sailipu volcanics, less than 1 cm in dimension. They allow us to further constrain the nature and state of the upper mantle beneath the southern Tibet. Sailipu samples display low total HSE abundances (Os+Ir+Ru+Pt+Pd+Re) ranging from 8.7 to 25 ppb, with nearly constant Os, Ir , and Ru, but rather varied Pt (2-13), Pd (0.4-5.2), and Re (0.01-0.5). Chondrite-normalised Pd/Ir ratios range from

Mantle xenolith-xenocryst-bearing monogenetic alkali basaltic lava field from Kutch Basin, Gujarat, Western India: Estimation of magma ascent rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, Arijit; Hatui, Kalyanbrata; Paul, Dalim Kumar; Sen, Gautam; Biswas, S. K.; Das, Brindaban

2016-02-01

Kutch rift basin of northwestern India is characterized by a topography that is controlled by a number of fault controlled uplifted blocks. Kutch Mainland Uplift, the largest uplifted block in the central part of the basin, contains alkali basalt plugs and tholeiitic basalt flows of the Deccan age. Alkali plugs often contain small, discoidal mantle xenoliths of spinel lherzolite and spinel wehrlite composition. Olivine occurs as xenocrysts (coarse, fractured, broken olivine grains with embayed margin; Fo> 90), phenocrysts (euhedral, smaller, and less forsteritic ~ Fo80), and as groundmass grains (small, anhedral, Fo75) in these alkali basalts. In a few cases, the alkali plugs are connected with feeder dykes. Based on the width of feeder dykes, on the sizes of the xenocrysts and xenoliths, thickness of alteration rim around olivine xenocryst, we estimate that the alkali magmas erupted at a minimum speed of 0.37 km per hour. The speed was likely greater because of the fact that the xenoliths broke up into smaller fragments as their host magma ascended through the lithosphere.

Mantle Water Contents Beneath the Rio Grande Rift (NM, USA): FTIR Analysis of Rio Puerco and Kilbourne Hole Peridotite Xenoliths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaffer, L. A.; Peslier, A. H.; Brandon, A.; Selverstone, J.

2015-01-01

Peridotite xenoliths from the Rio Grande Rift (RGR) are being analyzed for H (sub 2) O contents by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) as well as for major and trace element compositions. Nine samples are from the Rio Puerco Volcanic Field (RP) which overlaps the central RGR and southeastern Colorado Plateau; seventeen samples are from Kilbourne Hole (KH) in the southern RGR. Spinel Cr# (Cr/(Cr+Al)) (0.08-0.46) and olivine Mg# (Mg/(Mg plus Fe)) (0.883-0.911) of all RGR samples fall within the olivine-spinel mantle array from [1], an indicator that peridotites are residues of partial melting. Pyroxene H (sub 2) O in KH correlate with bulk rock and pyroxene Al (sub 2) O (sub 3).The KH clinopyroxene rare earth element (REE) variations fit models of 0-13 percent fractional melting of a primitive upper mantle. Most KH peridotites have bulk-rock light REE depleted patterns, but five are enriched in light REEs consistent with metasomatism. Variation in H (sub 2) O content is unrelated to REE enrichment. Metasomatism is seen in RP pyroxenite xenoliths [2] and will be examined in the peridotites studied here. Olivine H (sub 2) O contents are low (less than or equal to 15 parts per million), and decrease from core to rim within grains. This is likely due to H loss during xenolith transport by the host magma [3]. Diffusion models of H suggest that mantle H (sub 2) O contents are still preserved in cores of KH olivine, but not RP olivine. The average H (sub 2) O content of Colorado Plateau clinopyroxene (670 parts per million) [4] is approximately 300 parts per million higher than RGR clinopyroxene (350 parts per million). This upholds the hypothesis that hydration-induced lithospheric melting occurred during flat-slab subduction of the Farallon plate [5]. Numerical models indicate hydration via slab fluids is possible beneath the plateau, approximately 600 kilometers from the paleo-trench, but less likely approximately 850 kilometers away beneath the rift [6].

Lithospheric-Mantle Structure of the Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa, Derived From Thermodynamically Self-Consistent Modelling of Seismic Surface-Wave and S-wave Receiver Function, Heat-flow, Elevation, Xenolith and Magnetotelluric Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muller, M. R.; Fullea, J.; Jones, A. G.; Adam, J.; Lebedev, S.; Piana Agostinetti, N.

2012-12-01

Results from recent geophysical and mantle-xenolith geochemistry studies of the Kaapvaal Craton appear, at times, to provide disparate views of the physical, chemical and thermal structure of the lithosphere. Models from our recent SAMTEX magnetotelluric (MT) surveys across the Kaapvaal Craton indicate a resistive, 220-240 km thick lithosphere for the central core of the craton. One published S-wave receiver function (SRF) study and other surface-wave studies suggest a thinner lithosphere characterised by a ~160 km thick high-velocity "lid" underlain by a low-velocity zone (LVZ) of between 65-150 km in thickness. Other seismic studies suggest that the (high-velocity) lithosphere is thicker, in excess of 220 km. Mantle xenolith pressure-temperature arrays from Mesozoic kimberlites require that the base of the "thermal" lithosphere (i.e., the depth above which a conductive geotherm is maintained) is at least 220 km deep, to account for mantle geotherms in the range 35-38 mWm-2. Richly diamondiferous kimberlites across the Kaapvaal Craton require a lithospheric thickness substantially greater than 160 km - the depth of the top of the diamond stability field. In this paper we use the recently developed LitMod software code to derive, thermodynamically consistently, a range of 1-D seismic velocity, density, electrical resistivity and temperature models from layered geochemical models of the lithosphere based on mantle xenolith compositions. In our work, the "petrological" lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (pLAB) (i.e., the top of the fertile asthenospheric-mantle) and the "thermal" LAB (tLAB as defined above) are coincident. Lithospheric-mantle models are found simultaneously satisfying all geophysical observables: new surface-wave dispersion data, published SRFs, MT responses, surface elevation and heat-flow. Our results show: 1. All lithospheric-mantle models are characterised by a seismic LVZ with a minimum velocity at the depth of the petrological/thermal LAB. The

Lithospheric-Mantle Structure of the Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa, Derived from Thermodynamically Self-Consistent Modelling of Magnetotelluric, Surface-Wave Dispersion, S-wave Receiver Function, Heat-flow, Elevation and Xenolith Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muller, Mark; Fullea, Javier; Jones, Alan G.; Adam, Joanne; Lebedev, Sergei; Piana Agostinetti, Nicola

2013-04-01

Results from recent geophysical and mantle-xenolith geochemistry studies of the Kaapvaal Craton appear, at times, to provide disparate views of the physical, chemical and thermal structure of the lithosphere. Models from our recent SAMTEX magnetotelluric (MT) surveys across the Kaapvaal Craton indicate a resistive, 220-240 km thick lithosphere for the central core of the craton. One published S-wave receiver function (SRF) study and other surface-wave studies suggest a thinner lithosphere characterised by a ~160 km thick high-velocity "lid" underlain by a low-velocity zone (LVZ) of between 65-150 km in thickness. Other seismic studies suggest that the (high-velocity) lithosphere is thicker, in excess of 220 km. Mantle xenolith pressure-temperature arrays from Mesozoic kimberlites require that the base of the "thermal" lithosphere (i.e., the depth above which a conductive geotherm is maintained - the tLAB) is at least 220 km deep, to account for mantle geotherms in the range 35-38 mWm-2. Richly diamondiferous kimberlites across the Kaapvaal Craton require a lithospheric thickness substantially greater than 160 km - the depth of the top of the diamond stability field. In this paper we use the recently developed LitMod software code to derive, thermodynamically consistently, a range of 1-D electrical resistivity, seismic velocity, density and temperature models from layered geochemical models of the lithosphere based on mantle xenolith compositions. In our work, the "petrological" lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (pLAB) (i.e., the top of the fertile asthenospheric-mantle) and the "thermal" LAB (tLAB) are coincident. Lithospheric-mantle models are found simultaneously satisfying all geophysical observables: MT responses, new surface-wave dispersion data, published SRFs, surface elevation and heat-flow. Our results show: 1. All lithospheric-mantle models are characterised by a seismic LVZ with a minimum velocity at the depth of the petrological/thermal LAB. The top of

Recycling of crustal materials through study of ultrahigh-pressure minerals in collisional orogens, ophiolites, and mantle xenoliths: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liou, Juhn G.; Tsujimori, Tatsuki; Yang, Jingsui; Zhang, R. Y.; Ernst, W. G.

2014-12-01

Newly recognized occurrences of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) minerals including diamonds in ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) felsic granulites of orogenic belts, in chromitites associated with ophiolitic complexes, and in mantle xenoliths suggest the recycling of crustal materials through deep subduction, mantle upwelling, and return to the Earth's surface. This circulation process is supported by crust-derived mineral inclusions in deep-seated zircons, chromites, and diamonds from collision-type orogens, from eclogitic xenoliths in kimberlites, and from chromitities of several Alpine-Himalayan and Polar Ural ophiolites; some of these minerals contain low-atomic number elements typified by crustal isotopic signatures. Ophiolite-type diamonds in placer deposits and as inclusions in chromitites together with numerous highly reduced minerals and alloys appear to have formed near the mantle transition zone. In addition to ringwoodite and inferred stishovite, a number of nanometric minerals have been identified as inclusions employing state-of-the-art analytical tools. Reconstitution of now-exsolved precursor UHP phases and recognition of subtle decompression microstructures produced during exhumation reflect earlier UHP conditions. For example, Tibetan chromites containing exsolution lamellae of coesite + diopside suggest that the original chromitites formed at P > 9-10 GPa at depths of >250-300 km. The precursor phase most likely had a Ca-ferrite or a Ca-titanite structure; both are polymorphs of chromite and (at 2000 °C) would have formed at minimum pressures of P > 12.5 or 20 GPa respectively. Some podiform chromitites and host peridotites contain rare minerals of undoubted crustal origin, including zircon, feldspars, garnet, kyanite, andalusite, quartz, and rutile; the zircons possess much older U-Pb ages than the time of ophiolite formation. These UHP mineral-bearing chromitite hosts evidently had a deep-seated evolution prior to extensional mantle upwelling and partial

Reworking of Archean mantle in the NE Siberian craton by carbonatite and silicate melt metasomatism: Evidence from a carbonate-bearing, dunite-to-websterite xenolith suite from the Obnazhennaya kimberlite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ionov, Dmitri A.; Doucet, Luc S.; Xu, Yigang; Golovin, Alexander V.; Oleinikov, Oleg B.

2018-03-01

The Obnazhennaya kimberlite in the NE Siberian craton hosts a most unusual cratonic xenolith suite, with common rocks rich in pyroxenes and garnet, and no sheared peridotites. We report petrographic and chemical data for whole rocks (WR) and minerals of 20 spinel and garnet peridotites from Obnazhennaya with Re-depletion Os isotope ages of 1.8-2.9 Ga (Ionov et al., 2015a) as well as 2 pyroxenites. The garnet-bearing rocks equilibrated at 1.6-2.8 GPa and 710-1050 °C. Some xenoliths contain vermicular spinel-pyroxene aggregates with REE patterns in clinopyroxene mimicking those of garnet. The peridotites show significant scatter of Mg# (0.888-0.924), Cr2O3 (0.2-1.4 wt.%) and high NiO (0.3-0.4 wt.%). None are pristine melting residues. Low-CaO-Al2O3 (≤0.9 wt.%) dunites and harzburgites are melt-channel materials. Peridotites with low to moderate Al2O3 (0.4-1.8 wt.%) usually have CaO > Al2O3, and some have pockets of calcite texturally equilibrated with olivine and garnet. Such carbonates, exceptional in mantle xenoliths and reported here for the first time for the Siberian mantle, provide direct evidence for modal makeover and Ca and LREE enrichments by ephemeral carbonate-rich melts. Peridotites rich in CaO and Al2O3 (2.7-8.0 wt.%) formed by reaction with silicate melts. We infer that the mantle lithosphere beneath Obnazhennaya, initially formed in the Mesoarchean, has been profoundly modified. Pervasive inter-granular percolation of highly mobile and reactive carbonate-rich liquids may have reduced the strength of the mantle lithosphere leading the way for reworking by silicate melts. The latest events before the kimberlite eruption were the formation of the carbonate-phlogopite pockets, fine-grained pyroxenite veins and spinel-pyroxene symplectites. The reworked lithospheric sections are preserved at Obnazhennaya, but similar processes could erode lithospheric roots in the SE Siberian craton (Tok) and the North China craton, where ancient melting residues and

Petrochemistry of a xenolith-bearing Neogene alkali olivine basalt from northeastern Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saadat, Saeed; Stern, Charles R.

2012-05-01

A small isolated Neogene, possibly Quaternary, monogenetic alkali olivine basalt cone in northeastern Iran contains both mantle peridotite and crustal gabbroic xenoliths, as well as plagioclase megacrysts. The basaltic magma rose to the surface along pathways associated with local extension at the junction between the N-S right-lateral and E-W left-lateral strike slip faults that form the northeastern boundary of the Lut microcontinental block. This basalt is enriched in LREE relative to HREE, and has trace-element ratios similar to that of oceanic island basalts (OIB). Its 87Sr/86Sr (0.705013 to 0.705252), 143Nd/144Nd (0.512735 to 0.512738), and Pb isotopic compositions all fall in the field of OIB derived from enriched (EM-2) mantle. It formed by mixing of small melt fractions from both garnet-bearing asthenospheric and spinel-facies lithospheric mantle. Plagioclase (An26-32) megacrysts, up to 4 cm in length, have euhedral crystal faces and show no evidence of reaction with the host basalt. Their trace-element concentrations suggest that these megacrysts are co-genetic with the basalt host, although their 87Sr/86Sr (0.704796) and 143Nd/144Nd (0.512687) ratios are different than this basalt. Round to angular, medium-grained granoblastic meta-igneous gabbroic xenoliths, ranging from ~ 1 to 6 cm in dimension, are derived from the lower continental crust. Spinel-peridotite xenoliths equilibrated in the subcontinental lithosphere at depths of 30 to 60 km and temperatures of 965 °C to 1065 °C. These xenoliths do not preserve evidence of extensive metasomatic enrichment as has been inferred for the mantle below the Damavand volcano further to the west in north-central Iran, and clinopyroxenes separated from two different mantle xenoliths have 87Sr/86Sr (0.704309 and 0.704593) and 143Nd/144Nd (0.512798) ratios which are less radiogenic than either their host alkali basalt or Damavand basalts, implying significant regional variations in the composition and extent of

Iron isotopic systematics of pyroxenite xenoliths from North China Craton: implications for Melt-rock interaction in the sub-continental lithospheric mantle beneath eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, X.; Cao, H.; Yu, H.; Huang, F.

2016-12-01

Iron isotope systems have become widely used tools in high temperature geochemistry and provide important constraints on mantle dynamics. Here, we report Fe isotopic data on a series of pyroxenite xenoliths from Hannuoba, North China Craton to further constrain the Fe isotopic composition of the mantle and investigate the behavior of Fe isotopes during mantle processes. These xenoliths range from Cr- pyroxenites, Al-pyroxenites to garnet pyroxenites, and are taken as physical evidence for different episodes of melt injection events. Our results show that both Cr- pyroxenites and Al-pyroxenites have a narrow range of Fe isotopes (δ57Fe=-0.01 to 0.09), similar to that reported typical mantle peridotites and they show equilibrium inter-mineral Fe isotope fractionation between coexisting mantle minerals. In contract, the garnet pyroxenites, which are products of reaction between a silicate melt and peridotite, exhibit larger Fe isotopic variations, with δ57Fe ranging from 0.08 to 0.30. The δ57Fe values of minerals in these garnet pyroxenites also vary widely from -0.25 to -0.03 in olivines, from -0.04 to 0.14 in orthopyroxenes, from -0.07 to 0.31 in clinopyroxenes, from 0.07 to 0.26 in spinels and from 0.30 to 0.39 in garnets. These observed data stand in marked contrast to the calculated equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation between coexisting mantle minerals at mantle temperature from theory, indicating disequilibrium isotope fractionation. The disequilibrium isotope fractionations between coexisting mantle minerals in garnet pyroxenites most likely reflect kinetic isotope fractionation during melt-peridotite interaction. In addition, the phlogopite clinopyroxenite with an apparent metasomatic overprint has the heaviest δ57Fe (as high as 1.00) but lightest δ26Mg (as low as -1.50) values of the investigated samples. Our study shows that mantle metasomatism plays an important role in producing Fe isotopic heterogeneity of the subcontinental mantle.

Relationships between oxygen fugacity and metasomatism in the Kaapvaal subcratonic mantle, represented by garnet peridotite xenoliths in the Wesselton kimberlite, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanger, Brendan J.; Yaxley, Gregory M.; Berry, Andrew J.; Kamenetsky, Vadim S.

2015-01-01

A suite of 12 peridotite xenoliths from the Wesselton kimberlite was studied and found to sample the subcratonic lithospheric mantle over a pressure range from 3.6 to 4.7 GPa and a temperature range of 880 to 1120 °C. Major, minor and trace element compositions indicate that both metasomatised and un-metasomatised samples are present over this pressure range. Fe3 +/∑ Fe in garnet from four xenoliths was determined using Fe K-edge XANES spectroscopy, enabling the redox state of the sampled subcratonic mantle to be determined for three garnet bearing samples. ΔlogfO2[FMQ] varied from 0 to - 3.3 over the sampled pressure interval, with the un-metasomatised samples falling within the global trend of decreasing ΔlogfO2[FMQ] with increasing depth. Superimposed on this was an oxidation trend, at higher pressures (≥ 4.5 GPa), with ΔlogfO2 increasing by 1.5 to 2 units in the metasomatically enriched samples, indicating a clear link between metasomatism and oxidation. One potential source of this oxidation is a carbonated silicate melt, which will increase in carbonate content as ΔlogfO2 increases. Mantle minerals affected by such a melt have the potential to shift from the field of diamond stability into that of carbonate, threatening the stability of diamond.

Slab-derived components in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath Chilean Patagonia: Geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes of mantle xenoliths and host basalt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalowitzki, Tiago; Gervasoni, Fernanda; Conceição, Rommulo V.; Orihashi, Yuji; Bertotto, Gustavo W.; Sumino, Hirochika; Schilling, Manuel E.; Nagao, Keisuke; Morata, Diego; Sylvester, Paul

2017-11-01

In subduction zones, ultramafic xenoliths hosted in alkaline basalts can yield significant information about the role of potential slab-derived components in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). Chemical and isotopic heterogeneities in such xenoliths are usually interpreted to reflect melt extraction followed by metasomatic re-enrichment. Here we report new whole-rock major, trace element and isotopic (Sr-Nd-Pb) data for a Proterozoic suite of 17 anhydrous spinel-lherzolites and Eocene (new K-Ar data) host alkaline basalt found near Coyhaique ( 46°S), Aysén Region, Chile. These Patagonian nodules are located in a current back-arc position, 100 km east of the present day volcanic arc and 320 km from the Chile Trench. The mantle xenoliths consist of coarse- to medium-grained spinel-lherzolites with trace element compositions characteristic of a subduction zone setting, such as pronounced negative Nb, Ta and Ti anomalies coupled with significant enrichment of LILEs (e.g., U) and chalcophile elements (W, Pb and Sn). Most of them are characterized by flat to depleted light-rare earth element (LREE) patterns (Ce/YbN = 0.6-1.1) coupled with less radiogenic Sr-Pb (87Sr/86Sr = 0.702422-0.703479; 206Pb/204Pb = 18.212-18.539) and more radiogenic Nd isotopic compositions (143Nd/144Nd = 0.512994-0.513242), similar to the depleted mantle component (DMM or PREMA). In contrast, samples with slight LREE enrichment (Ce/YbN = 1.3-1.8) show more radiogenic Sr-Pb (87Sr/86Sr = 0.703791-0.704239; 206Pb/204Pb = 18.572-18.703) and less radiogenic Nd isotopic compositions (143Nd/144Nd = 0.512859-0.512934), similar to the EM-2 reservoir. These new geochemical and isotope data suggest that the Coyhaique spinel-lherzolites are derived from a heterogeneous SCLM resulting from mixing between a depleted mantle component and up to 10% of slab-derived components. The enriched component added to the SCLM represents variable extents of melts of both subducted Chile Trench sediments and

Water Distribution in the Continental and Oceanic Upper Mantle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peslier, Anne H.

2015-01-01

Nominally anhydrous minerals such as olivine, pyroxene and garnet can accommodate tens to hundreds of ppm H2O in the form of hydrogen bonded to structural oxygen in lattice defects. Although in seemingly small amounts, this water can significantly alter chemical and physical properties of the minerals and rocks. Water in particular can modify their rheological properties and its distribution in the mantle derives from melting and metasomatic processes and lithology repartition (pyroxenite vs peridotite). These effects will be examined here using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) water analyses on minerals from mantle xenoliths from cratons, plume-influenced cratons and oceanic settings. In particular, our results on xenoliths from three different cratons will be compared. Each craton has a different water distribution and only the mantle root of Kaapvaal has evidence for dry olivine at its base. This challenges the link between olivine water content and survival of Archean cratonic mantle, and questions whether xenoliths are representative of the whole cratonic mantle. We will also present our latest data on Hawaii and Tanzanian craton xenoliths which both suggest the intriguing result that mantle lithosphere is not enriched in water when it interacts with melts from deep mantle upwellings (plumes).

Great Basin Mantle Xenoliths Record Deformation Associated with Active Lithospheric Downwelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dygert, N. J.; Bernard, R. E.; Behr, W. M.

2017-12-01

Intensely deformed mylonitic mantle peridotite xenoliths are preserved in Pleistocene flows and cinder cones at Lunar Crater volcanic field in central Nevada. They are spatially and chemically associated with coarse-grained lherzolites and harzburgites with remarkably high two-pyroxene and Ca-in-olivine temperatures (all 1200-1300°C [1]), suggesting they originate from the base of the mantle lithosphere. Here we report results of a chemical and microstructural investigation of 14 previously unstudied mylonitic dunites, wehrlites, and pyroxene-poor harzburgites. Orthopyroxenes exhibit little evidence for plastic deformation and in some samples show brittle deformation. Extremely flattened porphyroclastic grains and substantial dynamic recrystallization in olivine suggests deformation occurred by dislocation creep (Fig. 1). Recrystallized olivine grain sizes are 50-86 µm yielding flow stresses of 43-63 MPa according to the grain size piezometer of [2]. Olivines in the dunites and wehrlites have Mg#s of 87-88.5, lower than in coarse grained harzburgites (Mg#s =87.5-91.3). Relatively low mylonite Mg#s suggests the rocks formed as cumulates or products of melt-rock reaction prior to deformation. Electron microprobe analyses confirm the mylonites have two-pyroxene and Ca-in-olivine temperatures >1200°C, consistent with the coarser harzburgites and lherzolites. Trace elements measured in pyroxenes in coarse-grained and mylonitic samples yield REE-in-two-pyroxene temperatures of 1278-1338°C (n=4), demonstrating that the high-temperature signature predates entrainment and eruption. Using our paleostress magnitudes and assuming a hot (1250°C) dry mantle lithosphere implies deformation occurred at strain rates of 10-10/s, too rapid for steady-state lithospheric deformation. We interpret such localized, transient deformation to be a consequence of delamination of a mantle lithospheric drip, as suggested by cylindrical shear wave splitting and body wave anomalies beneath

Calcium isotopic composition of mantle xenoliths and minerals from Eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Jin-Ting; Zhu, Hong-Li; Liu, Yu-Fei; Liu, Fang; Wu, Fei; Hao, Yan-Tao; Zhi, Xia-Chen; Zhang, Zhao-Feng; Huang, Fang

2016-02-01

This study presents calcium isotope data for co-existing clinopyroxenes (cpx), orthopyroxenes (opx), and olivine (ol) in mantle xenoliths to investigate Ca isotopic fractionation in the upper mantle. δ44/40Ca (δ44/40Ca (‰) = (44Ca/40Ca)SAMPLE/(44Ca/40Ca)SRM915a - 1) in opx varies from 0.95 ± 0.05‰ to 1.82 ± 0.01‰ and cpx from 0.71 ± 0.06‰ to 1.03 ± 0.12‰ (2se). δ44/40Ca in ol (P-15) is 1.16 ± 0.08‰, identical to δ44/40Ca of the co-existing opx (1.12 ± 0.09‰, 2se). The Δ44/40Caopx-cpx (Δ44/40Caopx-cpx = δ44/40Caopx-δ44/40Cacpx) shows a large variation ranging from -0.01‰ to 1.11‰ and it dramatically increases with decreasing of Ca/Mg (atomic ratio) in opx. These observations may reflect the effect of opx composition on the inter-mineral equilibrium fractionation of Ca isotopes, consistent with the theoretical prediction by first-principles theory calculations (Feng et al., 2014). Furthermore, Δ44/40Caopx-cpx decreases when temperature slightly increases from 1196 to 1267 K. However, the magnitude of such inter-mineral isotopic fractionation (1.12‰) is not consistent with the value calculated by the well-known correlation between inter-mineral isotope fractionation factors and 1/T2 (Urey, 1947). Instead, it may reflect the temperature control on crystal chemistry of opx (i.e., Ca content), which further affects Δ44/40Caopx-cpx. The calculated δ44/40Ca of bulk peridotites and pyroxenites range from 0.76 ± 0.06‰ to 1.04 ± 0.12‰ (2se). Notably, δ44/40Ca of bulk peridotites are positively correlated with CaO and negatively with MgO content. Such correlations can be explained by mixing between a fertile mantle end-member and a depleted one with low δ44/40Ca, indicating that Ca isotopes could be a useful tool in studying mantle evolution.

Mantle water contents beneath the Rio Grande Rift (NM, USA): FTIR analysis of Rio Puerco and Kilbourne Hole peridotite xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaffer, L. A.; Peslier, A. H.; Brandon, A. D.; Selverstone, J.

2015-12-01

Peridotite xenoliths from the Rio Grande Rift (RGR) are being analyzed for H2O contents by FTIR as well as for major and trace element compositions. Nine samples are from the Rio Puerco Volcanic Field (RP) which overlaps the central RGR and southeastern Colorado Plateau; seventeen samples are from Kilbourne Hole (KH) in the southern RGR. Spinel Cr# (Cr/(Cr+Al) = 0.08-0.46) and olivine Mg# (Mg/(Mg+Fe) = 0.883-0.911) of samples fall within the olivine-spinel mantle array from [1], an indicator that these are residues of partial melting. Pyroxene H2O contents in KH correlate with bulk rock and pyroxene Al2O3 contents. The KH clinopyroxene rare earth element (REE) variations fit models of 0-13% fractional melting of a primitive upper mantle. Most KH peridotites have bulk-rock light REE depleted patterns, but five are enriched in light REEs consistent with metasomatism. Variation in H2O content seems unrelated to REE enrichment. Metasomatism is seen in RP pyroxenite xenoliths [2] and will be examined in the peridotites studied here. Olivine H2O contents are low (≤20 ppm), and decrease from core to rim within grains. This is likely due to H loss during xenolith transport by the host magma [3]. Diffusion models of H suggest that mantle H2O contents are still preserved in cores of KH olivine, but not those of RP olivine. The average H2O content of Colorado Plateau clinopyroxene (670 ppm) [4] is ~300 ppm higher than RGR clinopyroxene (350 ppm). This upholds the hypothesis that hydration-induced lithospheric melting occurred during flat-slab subduction of the Farallon plate [5]. Numerical models indicate hydration via slab fluids is possible beneath the plateau, ~600 km from the paleo-trench, but less likely ~850 km away beneath the rift [6]. [1]Arai, 1994 CG 113, 191-204.[2]Porreca et al., 2006 Geosp 2, 333-351.[3]Peslier and Luhr, 2006 EPSL 242, 302-319.[4]Li et al., 2008 JGR 113, 1978-2012.[5]Humphreys et al., 2003 Int Geol Rev 45, 575-595.[6]English et al., 2003 EPSL

Mafic/Ultramafic xenoliths from Saurashtra peninsula of Gujarat; northwestern Deccan Trap, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naushad, M.; Behera, J. R.; Chakra, M.; Murthy, P. V.

2017-12-01

The crustal growth forming processes at the crust-mantle interface or within the crust due to magma underplating is important for the formation and emplacement of continental flood basalt and large igneous provinces. Mafic/ultramafic xenoliths from lower crust or upper mantle provide clue to characterize the underplated material and magmatic processes. Earlier study of ultramafic xenoliths suggested magma underplating and crustal growth in Kuchchh, Gujarat, northwestern Deccan Trap (NWDT). Absence of such xenoliths in Saurashtra peninsula (SP) of NWDT however could not supplement this. Here, we report the mafic/ultramafic xenoliths entrained in high MgO basaltic lava flows of NWDT of SP in Rajkot district of Gujarat, India. The xenoliths are medium to coarse grained, meso - to melanocratic, elongated to angular pyroxenite (Type-I), two pyroxenes gabbro (Type-II) and anorthosite (Type-III) showing sharp contact with host basalt flows. Type-I xenoliths dominated by clinopyroxene (cpx) (Wo49-45 En49-38) with olivine (ol) (Fo84-78), exhibit cumulate texture, Type-II composed of cpx (core-Wo49-48 En42-41), orthopyroxene (opx) (core- En77-76 Fs23-22) and plagioclase (plag) (Ab35-28 An71-64) and Type-III, composed dominantly of plag (Ab67-29 An68-28) with minor opx (En78-76 Fs20-18) and a grain of hercynite (Al2O3=59%) in close association with plag. The basaltic lavas are porphyritic containing ol (Fo88-75), cpx (Wo50-48 En39-37), plag (Ab43-26 An74-54) and opaques. Whole rock geochemical data of xenolith entrained lava flows indicates high MgO (10-11 wt%) with high Ni (421-430 ppm) and Cr (795-1076 ppm). The equilibration temperature calculated from cpx - opx (adjacent grain of cpx and opx, pair-A; inclusion of cpx within opx, pair-B) for Type-II xenolith indicates 778°C and 789°C (pair-A) and 821°C and 832°C (pair-B) at 5 kbar and 10 kbar pressure respectively. Present study suggests that the possibility of magma underplating at crust-mantle interface or presence

Metasomatic processes in the mantle beneath the Arkhangelsk province, Russia: evidence from garnet in mantle peridotite xenoliths, Grib pipe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kargin, Alexei; Sazonova, Lyudmila; Nosova, Anna; Kovalchuk, Elena; Minevrina, Elena

2015-04-01

The Arkhangelsk province is located in the northern East European Craton and includes more than 80 bodies of kimberlite, alkaline picrite and other ultramafic and mafic rocks. They erupted through the Archean-Early Proterozoic basement into the Riphean-Paleozoic sedimentary cover. The Grib kimberlite pipe is located in the central part of the Arkhangelsk province in the Verkhotina (Chernoozerskoe) kimberlite field. The age of the Grib kimberlite is 376+-3 Ma (Rb-Sr by phlogopite). The Grib kimberlite pipe is the moderate-Ti kimberlites (TiO2 1-2 wt %) with strongly fractionated REE pattern , (La/Yb)n = 38-87. The Nd isotopic composition of the Grib pipe ranges epsilon Nd from -0.4 to + 1.0 and 87Sr/86Sr(t) from 0.7042 to 0.7069 (Kononova et al., 2006). Geochemical (Jeol JXA-8200 electron microprobe; SIMS; LA-ICP-MS) composition of clinopyroxene and garnet from mantle-derived xenoliths of the Grib kimberlite pipe was studied to provide new insights into metasomatic processes in the mantle beneath the Arkhangelsk province. Based on both major and trace element data, five geochemical groups of peridotitic garnet were distinguished. The partial melting of metasomatic peridotite with crystallization of a garnet-clinopyroxene association, and orthopyroxene assimilation by protokimberlitic melts was simulated and a model of garnet and clinopyroxene metasomatic origin was proposed. The model includes three stages: 1. Mantle peridotite was fertilized by subduction-derived sediment partial melts/fluids at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary to yield a CO2-bearing mantle peridotite (source I). 2. The partial melting of the carbonate-bearing mantle source 1 produced carbonatite-like melts (a degree of partial melting was 1,5 %), which could form the carbonatite-kimberlite rocks of the Mela River (Arkhangelsk province, 50 km North-West of Grib kimberlite) and also produce the metasomatic reworking of (carbonate-bearing) mantle peridotite (mantle source II) and form type-1

Deformation and seismic anisotropy of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle in NE Spain: EBSD data on xenoliths from the Catalan Volcanic Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Roig, Mercè; Galán, Gumer; Mariani, Elisabetta

2017-02-01

Mantle xenoliths in Neogene-Quaternary basaltic rocks related to the European Cenozoic Rift System serve to assess the evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the Catalan Volcanic Zone in NE Spain. Crystallographic preferred orientations, major element composition of minerals, and temperature and pressure estimates have been used to this end. The mantle consists of spinel lherzolites, harzburgites and subordinate websterites. Protogranular microstructures are found in all peridotites and websterites, but lherzolites also display finer-grained porphyroclastic and equigranular microstructures. The dominant olivine deformation fabric is [010] fiber, but subordinate orthorhombic and [100]-fiber types are also present, especially in porphyroclastic and equigranular lherzolites. The fabric strength (J index = 10.12-1.91), equilibrium temperature and pressure are higher in xenoliths with [010]-fiber fabric and decrease in those with orthorhombic and [100]-fiber type. Incoherence between olivine and pyroxene deformation fabric is mostly found in porphyroclastic and equigranular lherzolites. Seismic anisotropy, estimated from the crystal preferred orientations, also decreases (AVp = 10.2-2.60%; AVs max = 7.95-2.19%) in porphyroclastic and equigranular lherzolites. The olivine [010]-fiber fabric points to deformation by simple shear or transpression which is likely to have occured during the development of late-Hercynian strike-slip shear zones, and to subsequent annealing during late Hercynian decompression, Permian and Cretaceous rifting. Also, it cannot be excluded that the percolation of mafic magmas during these extensional events provoked the refertilization of the lithospheric mantle. However, no clear relationship has been observed between fabric strength and mineral mode and composition. Later transtensional deformation during late Alpine orogenesis, at higher stress and decreasing temperature and pressure, transformed the earlier fabric into

Widespread melt/rock interaction and seismic properties of the lithosphere above mantle plumes: Evidence from mantle xenoliths from French Polynesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tommasi, A.; Godard, M.; Coromina, G.; Dautria, J. M.; Barczus, H.

2003-04-01

In addition to thermal erosion, plume/lithosphere interaction may induce significant changes in the lithosphere chemical composition. To constrain the extent of this process in an oceanic environment and its consequences on the lithosphere seismic properties, we studied the relationship between petrological processes and microstructure in mantle xenoliths from the Austral-Cook, Society and Marquesas islands. Olivine forsterite contents in our sp-peridotites vary continuously from Fo91 to Fo83, the lowest Fo being observed in dunites and wehrlites. Yet, their high Ni content (up to 2500 ppm) precludes a cumulate origin. These rocks are rather interpreted as resulting from melt/rock reactions involving olivine precipitation and pyroxene dissolution, the dunites indicating high melt-rock ratios. Moreover, wehrlites display poikiloblastic diopside enclosing corroded olivines. Late crystallization of clinopyroxene, also observed in lherzolites, may result from a near-solidus melt-freezing reaction occurring at the boundary of a partial melting domain developed at the expenses of lithospheric mantle. These data suggest that the lithosphere above a mantle plume undergoes a complex sequence of magmatic processes that significantly change its composition. Yet, crystal preferred orientations and thus seismic anisotropy are little affected by these processes. Lherzolites and harzburgites, independent from composition, show high-temperature porphyroclastic microstructures and strong olivine CPO. Although dunites and wehrlites display annealing microstructures to which is associated a progressive dispersion of the olivine CPO, very weak CPO are limited to a few dunites and wehrlites, suggesting that CPO destruction is restricted to domains of intense magma-rock interaction due to localized flow or accumulation of magmas. Conversely, the compositional changes result in lower seismic velocities for P- and S-waves. Relative to normal mantle, seismic anomalies may attain -2.5 (2

Petrochemical and petrophysical characterization of the lower crust and the Moho beneath the West African Craton, based on Xenoliths from Kimberlites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haggerty, Stephen E.; Toft, Paul B.

1988-01-01

Additional evidence to the composition of the lower crust and uppermost mantle was presented in the form of xenolith data. Xenoliths from the 2.7-Ga West African Craton indicate that the Moho beneath this shield is a chemically and physically gradational boundary, with intercalations of garnet granulite and garnet eclogite. Inclusions in diamonds indicate a depleted upper mantle source, and zenolith barometry and thermometry data suggest a high mantle geotherm with a kink near the Moho. Metallic iron in the xenoliths indicates that the uppermost mantle has a significant magnetization, and that the depth to the Curie isotherm, which is usually considered to be at or above the Moho, may be deeper than the Moho.

Os-Hf-Sr-Nd isotope and PGE systematics of spinel peridotite xenoliths from Tok, SE Siberian craton: Effects of pervasive metasomatism in shallow refractory mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ionov, Dmitri A.; Shirey, Steven B.; Weis, Dominique; Brügmann, Gerhard

2006-01-01

Os-Hf-Sr-Nd isotopes and PGE were determined in peridotite xenoliths carried to the surface by Quaternary alkali basaltic magmas in the Tokinsky Stanovik Range on the Aldan shield. These data constrain the timing and nature of partial melting and metasomatism in the lithospheric mantle beneath SE Siberian craton. The xenoliths range from the rare fertile spinel lherzolites to the more abundant, strongly metasomatised olivine-rich (70-84%) rocks. Hf-Sr-Nd isotope compositions of the xenoliths are mainly within the fields of oceanic basalts. Most metasomatised xenoliths have lower 143Nd / 144Nd and 176Hf / 177Hf and higher 87Sr / 86Sr than the host basalts indicating that the metasomatism is older and has distinct sources. A few xenoliths have elevated 176Hf / 177Hf (up to 0.2838) and plot above the Hf-Nd mantle array defined by oceanic basalts. 187Os / 188Os in the poorly metasomatised, fertile to moderately refractory (Al2O3 ≥ 1.6%) Tok peridotites range from 0.1156 to 0.1282, with oldest rhenium depletion ages being about 2 Ga. The 187Os / 188Os in these rocks show good correlations with partial melting indices (e.g. Al2O3, modal cpx); the intercept of the Al-187Os / 188Os correlation with lowest Al2O3 estimates for melting residues (∼0.3-0.5%) has a 187Os / 188Os of ∼0.109 suggesting that these peridotites may have experienced melt extraction as early as 2.8 Gy ago. 187Os / 188Os in the strongly metasomatised, olivine-rich xenoliths (0.6-1.3% Al2O3) ranges from 0.1164 to 0.1275 and shows no apparent links to modal or chemical compositions. Convex-upward REE patterns and high abundances of heavy to middle REE in these refractory rocks indicate equilibration with evolved silicate melts at high melt / rock ratios, which may have also variably elevated their 187Os / 188Os. This inference is supported by enrichments in Pd and Pt on chondrite-normalised PGE abundance patterns in some of the rocks. The melt extraction ages for the Tok suite of 2.0 to 2.8 Ga are

Refertilized mantle keel below the Southern Alps domain (North-East Italy): Evidence from Marosticano refractory mantle peridotites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brombin, Valentina; Bonadiman, Costanza; Coltorti, Massimo; Fahnestock, M. Florencia; Bryce, Julia G.; Marzoli, Andrea

2018-02-01

The Veneto Volcanic Province (VVP), a Cenozoic magmatic province in northeastern Italy, is one of the widest volcanic areas of the Adria plate. It consists of five main magmatic districts, and its most primitive products commonly host mantle xenoliths. In this study, we present a newly discovered xenolith suite from the Marosticano district that contains peridotites with compositional characteristics of mineral assemblages that provide insight into an unexpected nature of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) of the Adria plate. In contrast to xenoliths from other VVP sites previously studied (i.e., Val d'Adige and Lessini Mts.), Marosticano xenoliths exhibit highly refractory compositions typical of on-craton peridotites. High olivine forsteritic contents (Fo: 91-93) indicate high degrees of partial melting (> 25%) that should have been associated with the complete consumption of clinopyroxene. Major and trace element compositions further link these peridotite fragments to early Proterozoic cratonic mantle. The occurrence of clinopyroxene within such rocks suggests Marosticano clinopyroxene testify to a metasomatic legacy. The i) LREE-enrichments of Marosticano clinopyroxene and ii) the dissolved CO2 mole fractions (up to 1.0) for the inferred clinopyroxene-forming melt are consistent with carbonatite/CO2-rich silicatic melts as metasomatic agents. The latter could be responsible for the equilibrium temperatures (1033-1117 °C) and oxidizing conditions [ΔlogfO2 (FMQ) = - 0.6 - + 1.1], anomalously high for a cratonic environment but similar to the off-craton VVP xenoliths. The cratonic signature and carbonatite/CO2-rich silicate metasomatism found together in the Marosticano mantle xenoliths reveal that ancient features can be preserved in SCLM in a young, active geodynamic setting such as the Adria plate boundary. In this framework Lessini Mts. and Val d'Adige xenoliths could be interpreted as circumcratonic reminiscent domains affected by

Eight good reasons why the uppermost mantle could be magnetic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferre, E. C.; Friedman, S. A.; Martin Hernandez, F.; Till, J. L.; Ionov, D. A.; Conder, J. A.

2012-12-01

The launch of Magsat in 1979 prompted a broad magnetic investigation of mantle xenoliths (Wasilewski et al., 1979). The study concluded that no magnetic remanence existed in the uppermost mantle and that even if present, such sources would be at temperatures too high to contribute to long wavelength magnetic anomalies (LWMA). However, new collections of unaltered mantle xenoliths from four different tectonic settings, along with updated views on the sources of LWMA and modern petrologic constraints on fO2 in the mantle indicate that the uppermost mantle could, in certain cases, contain ferromagnetic minerals. 1. The analysis of some LWMA over areas such as, for example, Bangui in the Central African Craton, the Cascadia subduction zone and serpentinized oceanic lithosphere suggest magnetic sources in the uppermost mantle. 2. The most common ferromagnetic phase in the uppermost mantle is pure magnetite, which has a pressure-corrected Curie temperature at 10 kbars of 600C instead of the generally used value of 580C. Assuming 30 km-thick continental crust, and crustal and mantle geotherms of 15C/km and 5C/km, respectively, the 600C Curie temperature implies the existence of a 30 km-thick layer of mantle rocks, whose remanent and induced magnetizations could contribute to LWMA. The thickness of this layer decreases to about 15 km for a 35 km-thick crust. 3. The uppermost mantle is cooler than 600C in some tectonic settings, including Archean and Proterozoic shields (>350C), subduction zones (>300C) and old oceanic basins (>250C). 4. Recently investigated sets of unaltered mantle xenoliths contain pure SD and PSD magnetite inclusions exsolved in olivine and pyroxene. The fact that these magnetite grains are not associated with any alteration phases, such as serpentine, and exhibit a subhedral shape, demonstrates that they formed in equilibrium with the host silicate. 5. The ascent of mantle xenoliths in volcanic conduits through cratons and subduction zones occurs in

Olivine tablets in peridotite xenoliths: Evidence for a static, foliation-producing recrystallization mechanism operative in the strained, fluid-bearing mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Špaček, Petr; Habler, Gerlinde; Krmíček, Lukáš; Libowitzky, Eugen

2014-05-01

counting times) show Ca-enrichment (from 0.02-0.03 to 0.06-0.09 wt% CaO) in ≤50 μm wide rims both in tablets and host grains, and, in some cases a non-identified Al-rich phase at the grain boundary itself. However, the Ca-profiles are symmetric with respect to grain boundaries and therefore this enrichment is assumed to post-date the tablet growth, probably being linked to infiltration of components from the xenolith host magma (which is observed independently as pockets with alkali feldspar, a second generation of clinopyroxene and a third, high-Ca generation of olivine). Compositions in the cores of tablets and olivine(I) are virtually identical within the resolution of conventional EMPA. Trace element composition, analyzed by LA-ICP-MS in several tablet/host grain pairs, shows systematically and significantly higher P and Li contents in tablets relative to host grains: (P: 30-40 ppm in olivine(I) vs. 76-87 ppm in tablets; Li: 4.6-5.7 ppm in olivine(I) vs. 7.6-10.0 ppm in tablets). Preliminary polarized micro-FTIR spectra show generally low water contents in olivine, mostly below 10 ppm of H2O. The observed microstructural and compositional features suggest formation of tablets by fluid-assisted static recrystallization which took place in-situ in the upper mantle interacting with P- and Li-rich, Ca- and Fe-poor agents. This recrystallization resulted in the formation of a foliation in peridotite by parallelization of grain boundaries in recrystallized domains with the (010) plane of the original LPO pattern. Although such observations are relatively uncommon, they might document a poorly sampled but widespread process potentially important for shear localization and the acceleration of fluid migration in the mantle.

Slab-derived metasomatism in the Carpathian-Pannonian mantle revealed by investigations of mantle xenoliths from the Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Créon, Laura; Delpech, Guillaume; Rouchon, Virgile; Guyot, François

2017-08-01

A suite of fifteen peridotite xenoliths from the Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field (BBHVF, Pannonian Basin, Central Europe) that show abundant petrographic evidence of fluid and melt percolation were studied in order to decipher the formation of their melt pockets and veins. The suite mainly consists of "fertile" lherzolites (5.8-19.9 vol.% clinopyroxene) and a few harzburgites (1.9-5.4 vol.% clinopyroxene) from well-known localities (Szentbékkálla, Szigliget) and two previously unreported localities (Füzes-tó and Mindszentkálla). Major and trace element data indicate that most of the peridotites record variable degrees of partial melt extraction, up to > 15% for the harzburgites. Subsequently, the xenoliths experienced at least two stages of metasomatic modification. The first stage was associated with percolation of a volatile-bearing silicate melt and resulted in crystallization of amphibole, enrichment in the most incompatible trace elements (Ba, Th, U, Sr), and development of negative Nb-Ta anomalies in clinopyroxene. The second and last metasomatic event, widespread beneath the BBHVF, is associated with the formation of silicate melt pockets, physically connected to a network of melt veins, with large and abundant CO2 vesicles. The glass in these veins has sub-alkaline trachy-andesitic composition and displays an OIB-like trace element signature. Its composition attests to the migration through a supra-subduction zone mantle wedge of silicic melt highly enriched in volatiles (CO2, H2O, Cl, F), LILE, REE and HFSE and consistent with compositions of natural and experimental examples of slab melting-derived magma. In the present case, however, melt was likely derived from melting of oceanic crust and carbonated sediments under conditions where Nb-rich mineral phases were not stable in the residue. A likely scenario for the origin such melts involves melting after subduction ceased as the slab thermally equilibrated with the asthenosphere. Melt

A Sharp Continent-Ocean Transition in the Area of the Canary Islands: Evidence From Upper Mantle and Lower Crustal Xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neumann, E.; Vannucci, R.; Tiepolo, M.; Griffin, W. L.; Pearson, N. J.; O'Reilly, S. Y.

2005-05-01

Our present information on passive margins rests almost exclusively on seismic and density data. An important exception is the west Iberia margin where petrological and geochemical information on crustal and mantle rocks have been made available through drilling experiments. In order to increase our information about, and understanding of, passive margins and their mode of formation, more information on crustal and mantle rocks along different types of passive margins are needed. In the area of the Canary Islands such information has been obtained through the study of mantle and deep crustal xenoliths brought to the surface by basaltic magmas. In-situ laser ablation (LA) ICP-MS mineral analyses have enabled us to "see through" the effects of the Canary Islands event and obtain robust information about the original (pre-Canarian) chemical character of the crust and upper mantle on which these islands are built. Our studies show that the lithosphere beneath the Canary Islands originated as highly refractory N-MORB type oceanic mantle overlain by highly refractory N-MORB crust. Both the lithospheric mantle and lower crust have been metasomatized to different degrees by a variety of fluid and melts. The enriched material is commonly concentrated along grain boundaries and cracks through mineral grains, suggesting that the metasomatism is relatively recent, and is thus associated with the Canary Islands magmatism. The original, strongly depleted trace element patterns and the low 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios typical of the oceanic lithosphere are preserved in the minerals in the least metasomatized rocks (e.g. LaN/LuN<0.1 in orthopyroxene and 87Sr/86Sr=0.7027-0.7029 in clinopyroxene in mantle xenoliths). The compositions of the most depleted gabbro samples from the different islands are closely similar, implying that there was no significant change in chemistry during the early stages of formation of the Atlantic oceanic crust in this area. Strongly depleted gabbros

Within-plate Cenozoic Volcanism and Mantle Sources Within The Western-central Mediterranean Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beccaluva, L.; Bianchini, G.; Bonadiman, C.; Coltorti, M.; Siena, F.

An integrated study of anorogenic basic magmas and entrained mantle xenoliths rep- resents a promising approach for a comprehension of the magmatogenic events occur- ring within the lithospheric mantle in the western-central Mediterranean area. In this contribution we review the geochemical characteristics of mafic lavas and associated peridotite xenoliths from three anorogenic volcanic districts: Pliocene-Quaternary vol- canism of Sardinia; Pliocene-Quaternary volcanism of the Iblean area (eastern Sicily); Paleocene-Oligocene Veneto Volcanic Province. Investigations have been focused on 1) petrological features of parental magmas, which may contribute to infer the com- positional characteristics of mantle sources and to constrain the modes of partial melt- ing; 2) modelling the depletion events and metasomatic enrichments in mantle xeno- liths of the three volcanic districts, as well as the nature of their causative agents. Petrological features and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data, both of lava and xenoliths, indicate that DM+HIMU components distinguish the lithospheric mantle sections of Iblean and Veneto Volcanic Provinces. On the other hand, lavas and xenoliths from Sardinia display a significant different isotopic signature characterised by DM+EM1. Similar geochemical fingerprints, i.e. the significant presence of EM components are gener- ally recorded by mafic lavas and mantle xenoliths from the European Plate, whereas they are not observed in the stable African lithospheric domain.

Petrology, geochemistry and Resbnd Os isotopes of peridotite xenoliths from Maguan, Yunnan Province: Implications for the Cenozoic mantle replacement in southwestern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chuan-Zhou; Wu, Fu-Yuan; Sun, Jing; Chu, Zhu-Yin; Yu, Xue-Hui

2013-05-01

Petrology, geochemistry and Resbnd Os isotopes of peridotite xenoliths from Maguan (Yunnan Province) are reported in this paper with the aims of constraining the age and evolution of the lithospheric mantle beneath the western margin of the Cathyasia block. The Maguan mantle xenoliths contain predominantly fertile lherzolites with whole-rock Al2O3 contents of 2.42-4.99 wt.%, and subordinate clinopyroxene-poor lherzolites with Al2O3 contents of 1.19-1.98 wt.%. Their whole-rock CaO, Al2O3 and Na2O decrease along with the increase of MgO, following melt depletion trends. This suggests that the Maguan lherzolites represent mantle residues after variable degrees of partial melting. Clinopyroxenes in the fertile lherzolites display flat to depleted REE patterns, whereas those in the clinopyroxene-poor lherzolites are variably enriched in LREE. Modeling results of Y and Yb contents in clinopyroxenes suggest that the fertile lherzolites have experienced ~ 1-5% degrees of partial melting, in contrast with ~ 10-15% for the clinopyroxene-poor lherzolites. Both fertile and clinopyroxene-poor lherzolites have similarly high equilibrium temperatures, i.e., 911-1120 °C versus 919-941 °C, respectively. The whole-rock 187Os/188Os ratios of clinopyroxene-poor lherzolites vary from 0.11764 to 0.12506, which are slightly lower than most fertile lherzolites (0.12272-0.12854). Their 187Os/188Os ratios show no correlation with 187Re/188Os ratios or bulk-rock Al2O3 contents. The rhenium depletion ages (TRD) of the lherzolites range from 0.15 to 1.08 Ga, whereas the clinopyroxene-poor lherzolites have TRD ages of 0.64-1.67 Ga. This suggests the co-existence of Phanerozoic and Proterozoic mantle beneath the western Cathyasia block. Alternatively, the whole lithospheric mantle beneath Maguan was likely formed during the Phanerozoic, given the resemblance of their Os isotopic ratios with those of abyssal peridotites. The latter explanation is consistent with the fact that all the studied

The geological record of base metal sulfides in the cratonic mantle: A microscale 187Os/188Os study of peridotite xenoliths from Somerset Island, Rae Craton (Canada)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bragagni, A.; Luguet, A.; Fonseca, R. O. C.; Pearson, D. G.; Lorand, J.-P.; Nowell, G. M.; Kjarsgaard, B. A.

2017-11-01

We report detailed petrographic investigations along with 187Os/188Os data in Base Metal Sulfide (BMS) on four cratonic mantle xenoliths from Somerset Island (Rae Craton, Canada). The results shed light on the processes affecting the Re-Os systematics and provide time constraints on the formation and evolution of the cratonic lithospheric mantle beneath the Rae craton. When devoid of alteration, BMS grains mainly consist of pentlandite + pyrrhotite ± chalcopyrite. The relatively high BMS modal abundance of the four investigated xenoliths cannot be reconciled with the residual nature of these peridotites, but requires addition of metasomatic BMS. This is especially evident in the two peridotites with the highest bulk Pd/Ir and Pd/Pt. Metasomatic BMS likely formed during melt/fluid percolation in the Sub Continental Lithospheric Mantle (SCLM) as well as during infiltration of the host kimberlite magma, when djerfisherite crystallized around older Fe-Ni-sulfides. On the whole-rock scale, kimberlite metasomatism is visible in a subset of bulk xenoliths, which defines a Re-Os errorchron that dates the host magma emplacement. The 187Os/188Os measured in the twenty analysed BMS grains vary from 0.1084 to >0.17 and it shows no systematic variation depending on the sulfide mineralogical assemblage. The largest range in 187Os/188Os is observed in BMS grains from the two xenoliths with the highest Pd/Ir, Pd/Pt, and sulfide modal abundance. The whole-rock TRD ages of these two samples underestimate the melting age obtained from BMS, demonstrating that bulk Re-Os model ages from peridotites with clear evidence of metasomatism should be treated with caution. The TRD ages determined in BMS grains are clustered around 2.8-2.7, ∼2.2 and ∼1.9 Ga. The 2.8-2.7 Ga TRD ages document the main SCLM building event in the Rae craton, which is likely related to the formation of the local greenstone belts in a continental rift setting. The Paleoproterozoic TRD ages can be explained by

The Moho as a magnetic boundary. [Earth crust-mantle boundary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wasilewski, P. J.; Thomas, H. H.; Mayhew, M. A.

1979-01-01

Magnetism in the crust and the upper mantle and magnetic results indicating that the seismic Moho is a magnetic boundary are considered. Mantle derived rocks - peridotites from St. Pauls rocks, dunite xenoliths from the Kaupulehu flow, and peridotite, dunite, and eclogite xenoliths from Roberts Victor and San Carlos diatremes - are weakly magnetic with saturation magnetization values from 0.013 emu/gm to less than 0.001 emu/gm which is equivalent to 0.01 to 0.001 wt% Fe304. Literature on the minerals in mantle xenoliths shows that metals and primary Fe304 are absent, and that complex Cr, Mg, Al, and Fe spinels are dominant. These spinels are non-magnetic at mantle temperatures, and the crust/mantle boundary can be specified as a magnetic mineralogy discontinuity. The new magnetic results indicate that the seismic Moho is a magnetic boundary, the source of magnetization is in the crust, and the maximum Curie isotherm depends on magnetic mineralogy and is located at depths which vary with the regional geothermal gradient.

Water in the Cratonic Mantle: Insights from FTIR Data on Lac De Gras Xenoliths (Slave Craton, Canada)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peslier, Anne H.; Brandon, Alan D.; Schaffer, Lillian Aurora; O'Reilly, Suzanne Yvette; Griffin, William L.; Morris, Richard V.; Graff, Trevor G.; Agresti, David G.

2014-01-01

The mantle lithosphere beneath the cratonic part of continents is the deepest (> 200 km) and oldest (>2-3 Ga) on Earth, remaining a conundrum as to how these cratonic roots could have resisted delamination by asthenospheric convection over time. Water, or trace H incorporated in mineral defects, could be a key player in the evolution of continental lithosphere because it influences melting and rheology of the mantle. Mantle xenoliths from the Lac de Gras kimberlite in the Slave craton were analyzed by FTIR. The cratonic mantle beneath Lac de Gras is stratified with shallow (<145 km) oxidized ultradepleted peridotites and pyroxenites with evidence for carbonatitic metasomatism, underlain by reduced and less depleted peridotites metasomatized by kimberlite melts. Peridotites analyzed so far have H O contents in ppm weight of 7-100 in their olivines, 58 to 255 in their orthopyroxenes (opx), 11 to 84 in their garnet, and 139 in one clinopyroxene. A pyroxenite contains 58 ppm H2O in opx and 5 ppm H2O in its olivine and garnet. Olivine and garnet from the deep peridotites have a range of water contents extending to higher values than those from the shallow ones. The FTIR spectra of olivines from the shallow samples have more prominent Group II OH bands compared to the olivines from the deep samples, consistent with a more oxidized mantle environment. The range of olivine water content is similar to that observed in Kaapvaal craton peridotites at the same depths (129-184 km) but does not extend to as high values as those from Udachnaya (Siberian craton). The Slave, Kaapvaal and Siberian cratons will be compared in terms of water content distribution, controls and role in cratonic root longevity.

Thermal state, oxygen fugacity and COH fluid speciation in cratonic lithospheric mantle: New data on peridotite xenoliths from the Udachnaya kimberlite, Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goncharov, A. G.; Ionov, D. A.; Doucet, L. S.; Pokhilenko, L. N.

2012-12-01

Oxygen fugacity (fO2) and temperature variations in a complete lithospheric mantle section (70-220 km) of the central Siberian craton are estimated based on 42 peridotite xenoliths in the Udachnaya kimberlite. Pressure and temperature (P-T) estimates for the 70-140 km depth range closely follow the 40 mW/m2 model conductive geotherm but show a bimodal distribution at greater depths. A subset of coarse garnet peridotites at 145-180 km plots near the "cold" 35 mW/m2 geotherm whereas the majority of coarse and sheared rocks at ≥145 km scatter between the 40 and 45 mW/m2 geotherms. This P-T profile may reflect a perturbation of an initially "cold" lithospheric mantle through a combination of (1) magmatic under-plating close to the crust-mantle boundary and (2) intrusion of melts/fluids in the lower lithosphere accompanied by shearing. fO2 values estimated from Fe3+/∑Fe in spinel and/or garnet obtained by Mössbauer spectroscopy decrease from +1 to -4 Δlog fO2 (FMQ) from the top to the bottom of the lithospheric mantle (˜0.25 log units per 10 km) due to pressure effects on Fe2+-Fe3+ equilibria in garnet. Garnet peridotites from Udachnaya appear to be more oxidized than those from the Kaapvaal craton but show fO2 distribution with depth similar to those in the Slave craton. Published fO2 estimates for Udachnaya xenoliths based on C-O-H fluid speciation in inclusions in minerals from gas chromatography are similar to our results at ≤120 km, but are 1-2 orders of magnitude higher for the deeper mantle, possibly due to uncertainties of fO2 estimates based on experimental calibrations at ≤3.5 GPa. Sheared peridotites containing garnets with u-shaped, sinusoidal and humped REE patterns are usually more oxidized than Yb, Lu-rich, melt-equilibrated garnets, which show a continuous decrease from heavy to light REE. This further indicates that mantle redox state may be related to sources and modes of metasomatism.

Petrological significance of high-pressure ultramafic xenoliths from ultrapotassic rocks of Central Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conticelli, Sandro; Peccerillo, Angelo

1989-08-01

Two suites of ultramafic xenoliths have been found in ultrapotassic lavas from the 0.9 Ma old Torre Alfina volcano sited at the northern border of the Vulsinian district (Central Italy). One group of Xenoliths consists of spinel-bearing lherzolites, harzburgites, minor wherlites and dunites with a maximum size of 3-4 cm. Some samples contain discrete laths of phlogopite. A second class consists of phlogopite-rich, glass-bearing peridotites. The first suite displays textural characteristics such as triple points, deformed olivine with well developed kink banding and porphyroclastic textures indicating equilibration at high pressure. Pressure estimates give values in the range 1.3-2.5 GPa, corresponding to mantle depths in the area, where the present-day Moho is about 25 km deep. Equilibration temperatures have been estimated in the range between 950-1000°C. The chemical composition of some phases, such as the very high Fo contents of olivines (up to Fo 94 in harzburgites), Mg content of orthopyroxenes and {Cr}/{Cr}+Al ratios of clinopyroxenes and spinels, suggest that these xenoliths represent peridotites which suffered different degrees of partial melting before being incorporated into the Torre Alfina magma. On the other hand, the occurrence of phlogopite speaks for metasomatic events. The phlogopite-rich, glass-bearing xenoliths consist of phlogopite, olivine, clinopyroxene, rare orthopyroxene and glass. Apatite is the most common accessory. Olivine is present in both euhedral and strained crystals. A few relics of protogranular textures are also observed. Textural and chemical evidence suggests that these xenoliths represent mica-rich peridotites which have undergone phlogopite breakdown during rapid rise to the surface with the development of a K-rich liquid which reacted with mafic phases producing a rapid growth of olivine and, to a lower extent, pyroxene. Originally, these xenoliths may have represented intensively metasomatized upper mantle. However, a

Petrological significance of high-pressure ultramafic xenoliths from ultrapotassic rocks of Central Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conticelli, Sandro; Peccerillo, Angelo

1990-08-01

Two suites of ultramafic xenoliths have been found in ultrapotassic lavas from the 0.9 Ma old Torre Alfina volcano sited at the northern border of the Vulsinian district (Central Italy). One group of Xenoliths consists of spinel-bearing lherzolites, harzburgites, minor wherlites and dunites with a maximum size of 3-4 cm. Some samples contain discrete laths of phlogopite. A second class consists of phlogopite-rich, glass-bearing peridotites. The first suite displays textural characteristics such as triple points, deformed olivine with well developed kink banding and porphyroclastic textures indicating equilibration at high pressure. Pressure estimates give values in the range 1.3-2.5 GPa, corresponding to mantle depths in the area, where the present-day Moho is about 25 km deep. Equilibration temperatures have been estimated in the range between 950-1000°C. The chemical composition of some phases, such as the very high Fo contents of olivines (up to Fo94 in harzburgites), Mg content of orthopyroxenes and {Cr}/{Cr}+Al ratios of clinopyroxenes and spinels, suggest that these xenoliths represent peridotites which suffered different degrees of partial melting before being incorporated into the Torre Alfina magma. On the other hand, the occurrence of phlogopite speaks for metasomatic events. The phlogopite-rich, glass-bearing xenoliths consist of phlogopite, olivine, clinopyroxene, rare orthopyroxene and glass. Apatite is the most common accessory. Olivine is present in both euhedral and strained crystals. A few relics of protogranular textures are also observed. Textural and chemical evidence suggests that these xenoliths represent mica-rich peridotites which have undergone phlogopite breakdown during rapid rise to the surface with the development of a K-rich liquid which reacted with mafic phases producing a rapid growth of olivine and, to a lower extent, pyroxene. Originally, these xenoliths may have represented intensively metasomatized upper mantle. However, a

A geochemical study of lithospheric mantle beneath Northern Victoria Land (Antarctica): main evidences from volatile content in ultramafic xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correale, Alessandra; Pelorosso, Beatrice; Rizzo, Andrea Luca; Coltorti, Massimo; Italiano, Francesco; Bonadiman, Costanza

2017-04-01

A geochemical study of ultramafic xenoliths from Northern Victoria Land (Green Point, GP and Handler Ridge, HR), is carried out in order to investigate the features of the lithosphere mantle beneath the Western Antarctic Ridge System (WARS). The majority of samples is spinel anhydrous lherzolite with rare presence of secondary phases (secondary cpx and glass). Geothermobarometric calculations, based on the Fe/Mg distribution among the peridotite minerals reveal that Sub Continental Lithospheric Mantle (SCLM) beneath Handler Ridge records temperatures and redox conditions higher then Greene Point (P fixed at 15 Kbar). Moreover, geochemical models evidence that, GP mantle domain represents a residuum after ˜7 to 21 % of partial melting in the spinel stability field, which was variably affected by interaction with infiltrating melts, acting in different times, from at least Jurassic to Cenozoic (Pelorosso et al., 2016). Fluid inclusions (FI) entrapped in olivine and pyroxene crystals were investigated for elemental and isotopic contents of both, noble gases (He, Ne, Ar) and CO2. He, Ar and Ne concentrations range from 1.52×10-14 to 1.07×10-12, from 4.09×10-13 to 3.47×10-11and from 2.84×10-16 to 7.57×10-14 mol/g, respectively, while the CO2amounts are between 7.08×10-10 and 8.12×10-7 mol/g. The 3He/4He varies between 5.95 and 20.18 Ra (where Ra is the 3He/4He ratio of air), being the lowest and the highest values measured in the He-poorer samples. Post-eruptive input of cosmogenic 3He and radiogenic 4He seems to influence mainly the samples associated to a lower He concentrations, increasing and decreasing respectively their primordial 3He/4He values, that for all the other samples range between 6.76 and 7.45 Ra. This range reasonably reflects the isotope signature of mantle beneath the investigated areas. The 4He/40Ar* ratio corrected for atmospheric-derived contamination ranges between 0.004 and 0.39. The lowest 4He/40Ar* values (4He/40Ar*<0.1) are

Crystal preferred orientations of minerals from mantle xenoliths in alkali basaltic rocks form the Catalan Volcanic Zone (NE Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Roig, Mercè; Galán, Gumer; Mariani, Elisabetta

2015-04-01

Mantle xenoliths in alkali basaltic rocks from the Catalan Volcanic Zone, associated with the Neogene-Quaternary rift system in NE Spain, are formed of anhydrous spinel lherzolites and harzburgites with minor olivine websterites. Both peridotites are considered residues of variable degrees of partial melting, later affected by metasomatism, especially the harzburgites. These and the websterites display protogranular microstructures, whereas lherzolites show continuous variation between protogranular, porphyroclastic and equigranular forms. Thermometric data of new xenoliths indicate that protogranular harzburgites, lherzolites and websterites were equilibrated at higher temperatures than porphyroclastic and equigranular lherzolites. Mineral chemistry also indicates lower equilibrium pressure for porphyroclastic and equigranular lherzolites than for the protogranular ones. Crystal preferred orientations (CPOs) of olivine and pyroxenes from these new xenoliths were determined with the EBSD-SEM technique to identify the deformation stages affecting the lithospheric mantle in this zone and to assess the relationships between the deformation fabrics, processes and microstructures. Olivine CPOs in protogranular harzburgites, lherzolites and a pyroxenite display [010]-fiber patterns characterized by a strong point concentration of the [010] axis normal to the foliation and girdle distribution of [100] and [001] axes within the foliation plane. Olivine CPO symmetry in porphyroclastic and equigranular lherzolites varies continuously from [010]-fiber to orthorhombic and [100]-fiber types. The orthorhombic patterns are characterized by scattered maxima of the three axes, which are normal between them. The rare [100]-fiber patterns display strong point concentration of [100] axis, with normal girdle distribution of the other two axes, which are aligned with each other. The patterns of pyroxene CPOs are more dispersed than those of olivine, especially for clinopyroxene, but

Magnetic properties of the upper mantle beneath the continental United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, S. A.; Ferre, E. C.; Demory, F.; Rochette, P.; Martin Hernandez, F.; Conder, J. A.

2012-12-01

The interpretation of long wavelength satellite magnetic data (Magsat, Oersted, CHAMP, SWARM) requires an understanding of magnetic mineralogy in the lithospheric mantle and reliable models of induced and remanent magnetic sources in the lithospheric mantle and the crust. Blakely et al. (2005) proposed the hypothesis of a magnetic lithospheric mantle in subduction zones. This prompted us to reexamine magnetic sources in the lithospheric mantle in different tectonic settings where unaltered mantle xenolith have been reported since the 1990s. Xenoliths from the upper mantle beneath the continental United States show different magnetic properties depending on the tectonic setting in which they equilibrated. Three localities in the South Central United States (San Carlos, AZ; Kilbourne Hole, NM; Knippa, TX) produced lherzolite and harzburgite xenoliths, while the Bearpaw Mountains in Montana (subduction zone) produced dunite and phlogopite-rich dunite xenoliths. Paleomagnetic data on these samples shows the lack of secondary alteration which is commonly caused by post-eruption serpentinization and the lack of basalt contamination. The main magnetic carrier is pure magnetite. The ascent of mantle xenoliths to the surface of the Earth generally takes only a few hours. Numerical modelling shows that nucleation of magnetite during ascent would form superparamagnetic grains and therefore cannot explain the observed magnetic grain sizes. This implies that the ferromagnetic phases present in the studied samples formed at mantle depth. The samples from the South Central United States exhibit a small range in low-field magnetic susceptibility (+/- 0.00003 [SI]), and Natural Remanent Magnetization (NRM) between 0.001 - 0.100 A/m. To the contrary samples from the Bearpaw Mountains exhibit a wider range of low-field susceptibilities (0.00001 to 0.0015 [SI]) and NRM (0.01 and 9.00 A/m). These samples have been serpentinized in-situ by metasomatic fluids related to the Farallon

The role of mantle CO2 in volcanism

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barnes, I.; Evans, William C.; White, L.D.

1988-01-01

Carbon dioxide is the propellant gas in volcanic eruptions and is also found in mantle xenoliths. It is speculated that CO2 occurs as a free gas phase in the mantle because there is no reason to expect CO2 to be so universally associated with volcanic rocks unless the CO2 comes from the same source as the volcanic rocks and their xenoliths. If correct, the presence of a free gas in the mantle would lead to physical instability, with excess gas pressure providing the cause of both buoyancy of volcanic melts and seismicity in volcanic regions. Convection in the mantle and episodic volcanic eruptions are likely necessary consequences. This suggestion has considerable implications for those responsible for providing warnings of impending disasters resulting from volcanic eruptions and earthquakes in volcanic regions. ?? 1988.

Widespread melt/rock interaction and seismic properties of the lithosphere above mantle plumes: A petrological and microstructural study of mantle xenoliths from French Polynesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tommasi, A.; Godard, M.

2002-12-01

In addition to thermal erosion, plume/lithosphere interaction may induce significant changes in the lithosphere chemical composition. To constrain the extent of this process in an oceanic environment and its consequences on the lithosphere seismic properties, we studied the relationship between petrological processes and microstructure in mantle xenoliths from the Austral-Cook, Society and Marquesas islands. Olivine forsterite contents in our sp-peridotites vary continuously from Fo91 to Fo83, the lowest Fo being observed in dunites and wehrlites. Yet, their high Ni content (up to 2500 ppm) precludes a cumulate origin. These rocks are rather interpreted as resulting from melt/rock reactions involving olivine precipitation and pyroxene dissolution, the dunites indicating high melt-rock ratios. Moreover, wehrlites display poikiloblastic diopside enclosing corroded olivines. Late crystallization of clinopyroxene, also observed in lherzolites, may result from a near-solidus melt-freezing reaction occurring at the boundary of a partial melting domain developed at the expenses of lithospheric mantle. These data suggest that the lithosphere above a mantle plume undergoes a complex sequence of magmatic processes that significantly change its composition. Yet, crystal preferred orientations and thus seismic anisotropy are little affected by these processes. Lherzolites and harzburgites, independent from composition, show high-temperature porphyroclastic microstructures and strong olivine CPO. Although dunites and wehrlites display annealing microstructures to which is associated a progressive dispersion of the olivine CPO, very weak CPO are limited to a few dunites and wehrlites, suggesting that CPO destruction is restricted to domains of intense magma-rock interaction due to localized flow or accumulation of magmas. Conversely, the compositional changes result in lower seismic velocities for P- and S-waves. Relative to normal mantle, seismic anomalies may attain -2

Water Content of the Oceanic Lithosphere at Hawaii from FTIR Analysis of Peridotite Xenoliths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peslier, Anne H.; Bizmis, Michael

2013-01-01

Although water in the mantle is mostly present as trace H dissolved in minerals, it has a large influence on its melting and rheological properties. The water content of the mantle lithosphere beneath continents is better constrained by abundant mantle xenolith data than beneath oceans where it is mainly inferred from MORB glass analysis. Using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, we determined the water content of olivine (Ol), clinopyroxene (Cpx) and orthopyroxene (Opx) in spinel peridotite xenoliths from Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii, which are thought to represent fragments of the Pacific oceanic lithosphere that was refertilized by alkalic Hawaiian melts. Only Ol exhibits H diffusion profiles, evidence of limited H loss during xenolith transport to the surface. Water concentrations (Ol: 9-28 ppm H2O, Cpx: 246-566 ppm H2O, Opx: 116-224 ppm H2O) are within the range of those from continental settings but higher than those from Gakkel ridge abyssal peridotites. The Opx H2O contents are similar to those of abyssal peridotites from Atlantic ridge Leg 153 (170-230 ppm) but higher than those from Leg 209 (10- 14 ppm). The calculated bulk peridotite water contents (94 to 144 ppm H2O) are in agreement with MORB mantle source water estimates and lower than estimates for the source of Hawaiian rejuvenated volcanism (approx 540 ppm H2O) . The water content of Cpx and most Opx correlates negatively with spinel Cr#, and positively with pyroxene Al and HREE contents. This is qualitatively consistent with the partitioning of H into the melt during partial melting, but the water contents are too high for the degree of melting these peridotites experienced. Melts in equilibrium with xenolith minerals have H2O/Ce ratios similar to those of OIB

The first allanite-bearing eclogite xenolith in kimberlite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trojman-Nichols, S.; Heaman, L.

2015-12-01

Here we report the first allanite-bearing mantle eclogite xenolith, entrained in the 173 Ma Jericho kimberlite pipe, located in the Slave craton, northwestern Canada. This eclogite is unique among the other Jericho eclogites by an extreme LREE enrichment in all phases, and garnet alteration rims that are more calcic than the garnet cores. Allanite is an abundant accessory phase, present as dull orange, subhedral crystals. Other minerals in the paragenesis are garnet, clinopyroxene, apatite and sulfides; two compositionally and texturally distinct generations of phlogopite constitute a secondary paragenesis where allanite is no longer stable. Allanite in this sample is La-, Ce- and Th- rich, with concentrations at the weight % level, while Y is only present at the relatively low concentration of ~100 ppm. Electron backscatter imaging reveals complex zonation within the allanite crystals that is off-centre, non-symmetric, and patchy. It is often asserted that eclogite xenoliths represent subducted oceanic lithosphere, despite significant differences in the composition and mineralogy between mantle-derived eclogite xenoliths and eclogite massif material. Both types of eclogite occurrences can contain quartz/coesite; massif eclogites often have small, sparse allanite inclusions, but allanite has never been reported in eclogite xenoliths in kimberlite. Allanite in massif eclogite is thought to form during subduction by the break-down of lawsonite and the incorporation of LREE into zoisite. Lawsonite breaks down into grossular and H20 at high pressures, which may explain the anomalous high-Ca rims measured in some garnets in this sample. This allanite-bearing eclogite may provide an unprecedented window for exploring a crucial stage of eclogite metamorphism and fluid mobilization in subduction zones. In addition, the U-Pb systematics currently under investigation may constrain the age of eclogitization.

The Mantle and Basalt-Crust Interaction Below the Mount Taylor Volcanic Field, New Mexico

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schrader, Christian M.; Crumpler, Larry S.; Schmidt, Marick E.

2010-01-01

The Mount Taylor Volcanic Field (MTVF) lies on the Jemez Lineament on the southeastern margin of the Colorado Plateau. The field is centered on the Mt. Taylor composite volcano and includes Mesa Chivato to the NE and Grants Ridge to the WSW. MTVF magmatism spans approximately 3.8-1.5 Ma (K-Ar). Magmas are dominantly alkaline with mafic compositions ranging from basanite to hy-basalt and felsic compositions ranging from ne-trachyte to rhyolite. We are investigating the state of the mantle and the spatial and temporal variation in basalt-crustal interaction below the MTVF by examining mantle xenoliths and basalts in the context of new mapping and future Ar-Ar dating. The earliest dated magmatism in the field is a basanite flow south of Mt. Taylor. Mantle xenolith-bearing alkali basalts and basanites occur on Mesa Chivato and in the region of Mt. Taylor, though most basalts are peripheral to the main cone. Xenolith-bearing magmatism persists at least into the early stages of conebuilding. Preliminary examination of the mantle xenolith suite suggests it is dominantly lherzolitic but contains likely examples of both melt-depleted (harzburgitic) and melt-enriched (clinopyroxenitic) mantle. There are aphyric and crystal-poor hawaiites, some of which are hy-normative, on and near Mt. Taylor, but many of the more evolved MTVF basalts show evidence of complex histories. Mt. Taylor basalts higher in the cone-building sequence contain >40% zoned plagioclase pheno- and megacrysts. Other basalts peripheral to Mt. Taylor and at Grants Ridge contain clinopyroxene and plagioclase megacrysts and cumulate-textured xenoliths, suggesting they interacted with lower crustal cumulates. Among the questions we are addressing: What was the chemical and thermal state of the mantle recorded by the basaltic suites and xenoliths and how did it change with time? Are multiple parental basalts (Si-saturated vs. undersaturated) represented and, if so, what changes in the mantle or in the tectonic

Veined pyroxenite xenoliths in Ugandan kamafugites: mantle or magma? Using in situ techniques for 87Sr/86Sr-isotopes and trace elements as tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Link, Klemens; Tommasini, Simone; Braschi, Eleonora; Conticelli, Sandro; Barifaijo, Erasmus; Tiberindwa, John V.; Foley, Stephen F.

2010-05-01

The genesis of pyroxenite nodules in Ugandan kamafugites and their possible genetic relationships is a matter of debate. In earlier studies the pyroxenites were considered either as xenoliths from pervasively metasomatized peridotite mantle (Lloyd, 1981) or as distinct paragenesises occurring as veins within the peridotitic mantle (Harte et al., 1993). In both cases the xenoliths would represent mantle material that was at least partly involved as source material for the kamafugite melts. A third alternative could be that they represent cumulates of the lavas. In any case, the nodules provide important information for understanding the generation of ultrapotassic lavas and for characterizing the rift-related lithosphere mantle as part of the initial continental rift process. Originally the ultrapotassic kamafugites were considered to be single stage partial melts of pervasively metasomatized mantle but new geochemical studies indicate a multistage development (Rosenthal et al., 2009). Nd, Hf and Os isotopes point to mixing between components derived from metasomatically influenced peridotite and mica-pyroxenite. In-situ investigation of the Sr-isotope and trace element compositions of individual minerals in a number of xenoliths allows us to constrain their genesis and relation to the host lavas. The nodules appear to originate by near-liquidus crystallization of melts derived from enriched peridotite within the cratonic lithosphere mantle. They later partially remelted to form one source of the potassium-rich kamafugites. Sr-isotopes from different domains within single mineral grains in the nodules and host lavas are used to trace the nodules' role as a potential source to lavas, and trace element measurements are used to support the conclusions. Rb/Sr- measurements from the biotites to constrain the time between nodule crystallization and eruption of the Quaternary lavas to about 3.3 Ma. This also suggests a significant increase of the geothermal gradient

Compositional Variation of Terrestrial Mantle Apatites and Implications for the Halogen and Water Budgets of the Terrestrial Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roden, M.; Patino Douce, A. E.; Chaumba, J. B.; Fleisher, C.; Yogodzinski, G. M.

2011-12-01

Apatite in ultramafic xenoliths from various tectonic enviroments including arc (Kamchatka), plume (Hawaii), and intraplate (Lunar Crater, Nunivak, Colorado Plateau) were analyzed by electron microprobe with the aim of characterizing the Cl and F contents, and from these measured compositions to infer the nature of fluids/melts that the apatites equilibrated with. The impetus for the study derived from the generalization of O'Reilly and Griffin (1) that mantle-derived metasomatic apatites tend to be Cl-rich and mantle-derived igneous apatites tend to be F-rich. Our work largely corroborates their generalization with Cl- and/or H2O-rich compositions characterizing the apatites from Nunivak and Kamchatka while apatites from igneous or Group II xenoliths tend to be Cl-poor and be either nearly pure fluorapatite or a mix of hydroxylapatite and fluorapatite. We attribute the Cl-rich nature of the Kamchatka apatites to formation from Cl-rich fluids generated from subducted lithosphere; however the Nunivak occurrence is far removed from subducted lithosphere and may reflect a deep seated source for Cl as also indicated by brine inclusions in diamonds, Cl-rich apatites in carbonate-bearing xenoliths and a Cl-rich signature in some plumes such as Iceland, Azores and Samoa. One curious aspect of mantle-derived apatite compositions is that xenoliths with evidence of carbonatitic metasomatism commonly have Cl-rich apatites while apatites from carbonatites are invariably Cl-poor - perhaps reflecting loss of Cl in fluids evolved from the carbonatitic magma. Apatites from Group II xenoliths at Hawaii are solid solutions between fluorapatite and hydroxylapatite and show no evidence for deep-seated Cl at Hawaii. Samples of the terrestrial mantle are almost uniformly characterized by mineral assemblages with a single Ca-rich phosphate phase but the mantles of Mars, Vesta and the Moon have two Ca-rich phosphates, apatite and volatile-poor merrillite - apatite compositions existing

Hydrated Spinel Websterite Xenoliths From Moses Rock Diatreme, Navajo Volcanic Field: Metasomatism in the Mantle Wedge of the Colorado Plateau Above the De-watering Farallon Plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulze, D. J.; Chow, R.; Helmstaedt, H. H.

2016-12-01

Expansion and density decrease in ultramafic rocks in the mantle wedge above the subducted and dewatering Farallon Plate in the Cenozoic may have been the driving force behind uplift of the Colorado Plateau. Here we document the effects of such hydration on spinel websterites that resulted in rocks dominated by pargasitic amphibole, Mg-chlorite and Cr-magnetite/chromite. Xenoliths of spinel websterite from the Moses Rock diatreme in the Navajo Volcanic Field on the Colorado Plateau have granoblastic to mosaic porphyroclastic texture. Porphyroclasts (up to 2 cm across) of lamellar intergrowths of clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene are set in a granular matrix of sub-equal amounts of the two pyroxenes. Both pyroxenes are magnesian and aluminous, with Mg/(Mg+Fe) in the range 0.89 to 0.93 and Al2O3 contents of approximately 4.0 to 9.5 wt%. Many samples contain aluminous spinel with Al/(Al+Cr) = 0.82 to 0.94. The effects of hydration on these samples exist as partial to complete replacement of the pyroxenes by amphibole (tremolite/edenite/pargasite/magnesio-hornblende), pseudomorphing original pyroxene textures, and replacement of primary spinel by Cr-rich magnetite or chromite with Al/(Al+Cr) = 0.07 to 0.35 intergrown with, and surrounded by, clinochlore. Unusual minerals associated with replacement of primary spinel include one example with corundum + zoisite, one with secondary garnet (molar Ca:Mg:Fe = 20:40:40) and two samples with aluminous talc (5 to 7 wt% Al2O3). By analogy with Alpine peridotites and mantle xenolith suites from basalt occurrences, the spinel websterites probably existed as veins and lenses in spinel peridotite of the shallow upper mantle beneath the Colorado Plateau prior to hydration. De-watering of the subducted Farallon Plate in Cenozoic time was likely the source of water-rich fluids that caused the hydration at fairly shallow depths (within amphibole stability), as suggested for hydration of spinel peridotite xenoliths from the Buell Park and

Silica-enriched mantle sources of subalkaline picrite-boninite-andesite island arc magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bénard, A.; Arculus, R. J.; Nebel, O.; Ionov, D. A.; McAlpine, S. R. B.

2017-02-01

Primary arc melts may form through fluxed or adiabatic decompression melting in the mantle wedge, or via a combination of both processes. Major limitations to our understanding of the formation of primary arc melts stem from the fact that most arc lavas are aggregated blends of individual magma batches, further modified by differentiation processes in the sub-arc mantle lithosphere and overlying crust. Primary melt generation is thus masked by these types of second-stage processes. Magma-hosted peridotites sampled as xenoliths in subduction zone magmas are possible remnants of sub-arc mantle and magma generation processes, but are rarely sampled in active arcs. Published studies have emphasised the predominantly harzburgitic lithologies with particularly high modal orthopyroxene in these xenoliths; the former characteristic reflects the refractory nature of these materials consequent to extensive melt depletion of a lherzolitic protolith whereas the latter feature requires additional explanation. Here we present major and minor element data for pristine, mantle-derived, lava-hosted spinel-bearing harzburgite and dunite xenoliths and associated primitive melts from the active Kamchatka and Bismarck arcs. We show that these peridotite suites, and other mantle xenoliths sampled in circum-Pacific arcs, are a distinctive peridotite type not found in other tectonic settings, and are melting residues from hydrous melting of silica-enriched mantle sources. We explore the ability of experimental studies allied with mantle melting parameterisations (pMELTS, Petrolog3) to reproduce the compositions of these arc peridotites, and present a protolith ('hybrid mantle wedge') composition that satisfies the available constraints. The composition of peridotite xenoliths recovered from erupted arc magmas plausibly requires their formation initially via interaction of slab-derived components with refractory mantle prior to or during the formation of primary arc melts. The liquid

Cognate clinopyroxene from Paleogene mantle xenolith-bearing basanite lavas (East Serbia, SE Europe): the role of dissolution of mantle orthopyroxene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cvetković, Vladica; Erić, Suzana; Radivojević, Maša; Šarić, Kristina

2012-11-01

The study focuses on clinopyroxene from mantle xenolith-bearing East Serbian basanites and suggests that dissolution of mantle orthopyroxene played an important role in at least some stages of the crystallization of these alkaline magmas. Five compositional types of clinopyroxene are distinguished, some of them having different textural forms: megacrysts (Type-A), green/colourless-cored phenocrysts (Type-B), overgrowths and sieve-textured cores (Type-C), rims and matrix clinopyroxene (Type-D), and clinopyroxene from the reaction rims around orthopyroxene xenocrysts (Type-E). Type-A is high-Al diopside that probably crystallized at near-liquidus conditions either directly from the host basanite or from compositionally similar magmas in previous magmatic episodes. Type-B cores show high VIAl/IVAl≥1 and low Mg# of mostly <75 and are interpreted as typical xenocrysts. Type-C, D and E are interpreted as typical cognate clinopyroxene. Type-D has Mg#<78, Al2O3 = 6-13 wt.%, TiO2 = 1.5-4.5 wt.%, and Na2O = 0.4-0.8 wt.% and compositionally similar clinopyroxene is calculated by MELTS as a phase in equilibrium with the last 30 % of melt starting from the average host lava composition. Type-C has Mg# = 72-89, Al2O3 = 4.5-9.5 wt.%, TiO2 = 1-2.5 wt.%, Na2O = 0.35-1 wt.% and Cr2O3 = 0.1-1.5 wt.%. This clinopyroxene has some compositional similarities to Type-E occurring exclusively around mantle orthopyroxene. Cr/Al vs Al/Ti and Cr/Al vs Na/Ti plots revealed that Type-C clinopyroxene can crystallize from a mixture of the host basanite magma and 2-20 wt.% mantle orthopyroxene. Sieve-textured Type-C crystals show characteristics of experimentally produced skeletal clinopyroxene formed by orthopyroxene dissolution suggesting that crystallization of Type-C was both texturally and compositionally controlled by orthopyroxene breakdown. According to FeO/MgOcpx/melt modelling the first clinopyroxene precipitating from the host basanite was Type-A (T ~ 1250 °C, p ~ 1.5 GPa

Subduction-related metasomatism in French Massif Central: evidence from secondary orthopyroxene in mantle xenoliths.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Christiane

2017-04-01

Peridotite xenoliths from the French Massif Central (FMC) have undergone a complex mantle metasomatic history by percolation of various melts/ fluids from alkali basaltic to carbonatite composition. This contribution argues for the imprint of another type of metasomatism related to subduction-derived melts/fluids. The samples come from the Mont Coupet strombolian volcano, Devès, FMC. They are fresh protogranular spinel lherzolites, with no infiltration of the host basanitic magma, but with evidences of alkali and carbonate-related metasomatism discussed elsewhere [1-3]. This study focuses on secondary orthopyroxene (opx2). It occurs +/- minor secondary clinopyroxene (cpx2) in cross-cutting thin (10 µm-20 µm) veinlets, and also as discontinuous patches developed after primary clinopyroxene (cpx1) at the contact with primary olivine (ol1). Opx2 crystals do not form fibrous radial aggregates. Rare small (<1 µm) rounded chloroapatite is included in opx2 after cpx1. Small (2 µm) pores are observed throughout the veins, at the contact with ol1, along sub-grained boundaries between opx2 and cpx2 in the veinlets, and between opx2 and cpx1. The primary minerals crosscut by the veinlets do not show any compositional zoning and the different elements show sharp profiles between opx 2 and primary minerals. Compared to primary opx, opx2 are characterized by a lower content in Al2O3 (1.7-2.5 wt. %) / 3.2-4.0 wt. %). They are slightly MgO (XMg = 90-91/ 89-90) and CaO richer (0.5 wt. % / 0.3 wt. %), and contain slightly less Cr2O3 (<0.2 wt. % / 0.2-0.3wt. %) and TiO2 (<0.06 wt. % / 0.06-0.14 wt. %), although there is some crossover between the two data sets. Na2O contents (<0.05 wt. %) are comparable. Cpx2 and opx2 from the veinlets are in equilibrium (XMg = 90-92). Al and Ti contents in cpx2 exclude any influence of percolation of the host magma. Moreover, their high Al6/Al4 ratio points to an equilibration at higher pressure than igneous cpx, close to that of cpx1. These

Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic composition of metasomatised xenoliths from the backarc Patagonian Mantle Wedge: Insights into the origin of the uprising melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanetti, Alberto; Mazzucchelli, Maurizio; Hemond, Christope; Cipriani, Anna; Bertotto, Gustavo W.; Cingolani, Carlos; Vannucci, Riccardo

2010-05-01

Information about the geochemical composition of metasomatic melts migrating through the Patagonian mantle wedge is provided by the ultramafic xenoliths occurrence of Tres Lagos (TL; lat. 49.13°S, long. 71.18°W), Argentina. Such a locality is placed at the eastern border of the Meseta de la Muerte backarc basaltic plateau, where a post-plateau volcanic diatreme contains mantle xenoliths in both pyroclastites and lavas. Its latitude corresponds with the Northern limit of the Austral Volcanic Arc (AVZ), which is separated from the Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) by a gap in the arc magmatism ranging between 49° and 46°30' latitude S. The analysed xenoliths have been distinguished into two groups (Group 1 & 2). Group 1 consists of lherzolites and harzburgites, whereas Group 2 is formed by harzburgites. The texture of the Group 1 lherzolites varies from protogranular to granoblastic to porphyroblastic, whereas Group 1 harzburgites have always granoblastic texture. Group 2 harzburgites have granular texture, which may change to porphyroblastic owing to the random concentration of large olivine and orthopyroxene crystals. The clinopyroxenes (Cpx) from Group 1 lherzolites have PM-normalised REE patterns ranging from LREE-depleted (LaN/SmN= 0.24-0.37), to LREE-enriched (LaN/YbN up to 4.08) and spoon-shaped: the latter have minimum at Pr and Pr-Yb concentrations similar to those shown by the LREE-depleted Cpx. The Cpx from Group 1 harzburgites have lower REE concentrations with respect to the lherzolite ones and their REE patterns vary from HREE-enriched, steadily fractionated, (LaN/YbN = 0.21-0.35, Ybn ~ 1-2) to spoon-shaped (LaN/SmN = 2.81; SmN/YbN = 0.89; YbN ~ 3. The Cpx from the Group 2 harzburgites have convex-upward (LaN/SmN = 0.31; SmN/YbN = 1.50) to LREE-enriched (LaN/YbN = 2.94) patterns. The Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of the Group 1 clinopyroxenes form arrays spanning from DM to the field delimited by the TL basaltic lavas, pointing to EMI end

Multi-stage metasomatism revealed by trace element and Li isotope distributions in minerals of peridotite xenoliths from Allègre volcano (French Massif Central)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Xiaoyan; Deloule, Etienne; France, Lydéric; Ingrin, Jannick

2016-11-01

The modal, chemical, and isotopic compositions of mantle peridotite are largely modified by metasomatic processes, which may affect them repeatedly. Xenoliths are commonly used to characterize those metasomatic processes along with the structure, and chemical and isotopic compositions of mantle domains. Nevertheless, the original mantle signatures born by mantle xenoliths are potentially obscured by the interactions occurring between the host magma and the xenolith itself. Here we attempt to identify to which degree the original Li content and isotopic composition, as well as other trace element contents of mantle xenoliths, can be modified by interaction with the host magma. Peridotite xenoliths that have suffered extensive exchange with the entraining magma were sampled in the solidified lava lake of Allègre, Southern French Massif Central, in order to decipher the signature related to peridotite-melt interaction, and to further unravel the evolution of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. In-situ trace element analyses of clinopyroxene (Cpx) were performed via LA-ICP-MS, and the Li content and isotopic composition of pyroxene and olivine (Ol) via SIMS. Negative HFSE anomalies (Ti/Eu ratios as low as 437) and markedly high LREE/HREE ratios ((La/Yb)N as high as 79) are characteristic of mantle metasomatism at depth. Lithium isotope systematics indicates that at least two different metasomatic events affected the peridotite. Exceptionally high Li contents in Cpx (up to 50 ppm) and slight Li enrichment of Ol rims are ascribed to diffusive Li influx with a positive δ7Li value (+ 3.2‰) from the host magma after entrainment. Conversely, Ol cores preserve extremely light Li isotopic compositions (δ7Li as low as - 25‰) with high Li contents (up to 4.4 ppm) compared to normal mantle, indicating a metasomatic event that occurred before xenolith entrainment. The negative δ7Li signature of this early metasomatism may be related to subduction-related fluids

Water contents of clinopyroxenes from sub-arc mantle peridotites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Turner, Michael; Turner, Simon; Blatter, Dawnika; Maury, Rene; Perfit, Michael; Yogodzinski, Gene

2017-01-01

One poorly constrained reservoir of the Earth's water budget is that of clinopyroxene in metasomatised, mantle peridotites. This study presents reconnaissance Sensitive High-Resolution, Ion Microprobe–Stable Isotope (SHRIMP–SI) determinations of the H2O contents of (dominantly) clinopyroxenes in rare mantle xenoliths from four different subduction zones, i.e. Mexico, Kamchatka, Philippines, and New Britain (Tabar-Feni island chain) as well as one intra-plate setting (western Victoria). All of the sub-arc xenoliths have been metasomatised and carry strong arc trace element signatures. Average measured H2O contents of the pyroxenes range from 70 ppm to 510 ppm whereas calculated bulk H2O contents range from 88 ppm to 3 737 ppm if the variable presence of amphibole is taken into account. In contrast, the intra-plate, continental mantle xenolith from western Victoria has higher water contents (3 447 ppm) but was metasomatised by alkali and/or carbonatitic melts and does not carry a subduction-related signature. Material similar to the sub-arc peridotites can either be accreted to the base of the lithosphere or potentially be transported by convection deeper into the mantle where it will lose water due to amphibole breakdown.

H Diffusion in Olivine and Pyroxene from Peridotite Xenoliths and a Hawaiian Magma Speedometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peslier, A. H.; Bizimis, M.

2014-01-01

Hydrogen is present as a trace element in olivine and pyroxene and its content distribution in the mantle results from melting and metasomatic processes. Here we examine how these H contents can be disturbed during decompression. Hydrogen was analyzed by FTIR in olivine and pyroxene of spinel peridotite xenoliths from Salt Lake Crater (SLC) nephelinites which are part of the rejuvenated volcanism at Oahu (Hawaii) [1,2]. H mobility in pyroxene resulting from spinel exsolution during mantle upwelling Most pyroxenes in SLC peridotites exhibit exsolutions, characterized by spinel inclusions. Pyroxene edges where no exsolution are present have less H then their core near the spinel. Given that H does not enter spinel [3], subsolidus requilibration may have concentrated H in the pyroxene adjacent to the spinel exsolution during mantle upwelling. H diffusion in olivine during xenolith transport by its host magma and host magma ascent rates Olivines have lower water contents at the edge and near fractures compared to at their core, while the concentrations of all other chemical elements appear homogeneous. This suggests that some of the initial water has diffused out of the olivine. Water loss from the olivine is thought to occur during host-magma ascent and xenolith transport to the surface [4-6]. Diffusion modeling matches best the data when the initial water content used is that measured at the core of the olivines, implying that mantle water contents are preserved at the core of the olivines. The 3225 cm(sup -1) OH band at times varies independantly of other OH bands, suggesting uneven H distribution in olivine defects likely acquired during mantle metasomatism just prior to eruption and unequilibrated. Diffusion times (1-48 hrs) combined with depths of peridotite equilibration or of magma start of degassing allow to calculate ascent rates for the host nephelinite of 0.1 to 27 m/s.

Cobalt and precious metals in sulphides of peridotite xenoliths and inferences concerning their distribution according to geodynamic environment: A case study from the Scottish lithospheric mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Hannah S. R.; McDonald, Iain; Faithfull, John W.; Upton, Brian G. J.; Loocke, Matthew

2016-01-01

Abundances of precious metals and cobalt in the lithospheric mantle are typically obtained by bulk geochemical analyses of mantle xenoliths. These elements are strongly chalcophile and the mineralogy, texture and trace element composition of sulphide phases in such samples must be considered. In this study we assess the mineralogy, textures and trace element compositions of sulphides in spinel lherzolites from four Scottish lithospheric terranes, which provide an ideal testing ground to examine the variability of sulphides and their precious metal endowments according to terrane age and geodynamic environment. Specifically we test differences in sulphide composition from Archaean-Palaeoproterozoic cratonic sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) in northern terranes vs. Palaeozoic lithospheric mantle in southern terranes, as divided by the Great Glen Fault (GGF). Cobalt is consistently elevated in sulphides from Palaeozoic terranes (south of the GGF) with Co concentrations > 2.9 wt.% and Co/Ni ratios > 0.048 (chondrite). In contrast, sulphides from Archaean cratonic terranes (north of the GGF) have low abundances of Co (< 3600 ppm) and low Co/Ni ratios (< 0.030). The causes for Co enrichment remain unclear, but we highlight that globally significant Co mineralisation is associated with ophiolites (e.g., Bou Azzer, Morocco and Outokumpu, Finland) or in oceanic peridotite-floored settings at slow-spreading ridges. Thus we suggest an oceanic affinity for the Co enrichment in the southern terranes of Scotland, likely directly related to the subduction of Co-enriched oceanic crust during the Caledonian Orogeny. Further, we identify a distinction between Pt/Pd ratio across the GGF, such that sulphides in the cratonic SCLM have Pt/Pd ≥ chondrite whilst Palaeozoic sulphides have Pt/Pd < chondrite. We observe that Pt-rich sulphides with discrete Pt-minerals (e.g., PtS) are associated with carbonate and phosphates in two xenolith suites north of the GGF. This three

Ultramafic xenoliths from the Bearpaw Mountains, Montana, USA: Evidence for multiple metasomatic events in the lithospheric mantle beneath the Wyoming craton

USGS Publications Warehouse

Downes, H.; Macdonald, R.; Upton, B.G.J.; Cox, K.G.; Bodinier, J.-L.; Mason, P.R.D.; James, D.; Hill, P.G.; Hearn, B.C.

2004-01-01

Ultramafic xenoliths in Eocene minettes of the Bearpaw Mountains volcanic field (Montana, USA), derived from the lower lithosphere of the Wyoming craton, can be divided based on textural criteria into tectonite and cumulate groups. The tectonites consist of strongly depleted spinel lherzolites, harzbugites and dunites. Although their mineralogical compositions are generally similar to those of spinel peridotites in off-craton settings, some contain pyroxenes and spinels that have unusually low Al2O3 contents more akin to those found in cratonic spinel peridotites. Furthermore, the tectonite peridotites have whole-rock major element compositions that tend to be significantly more depleted than non-cratonic mantle spinel peridotites (high MgO, low CaO, Al2O3 and TiO2) and resemble those of cratonic mantle. These compositions could have been generated by up to 30% partial melting of an undepleted mantle source. Petrographic evidence suggests that the mantle beneath the Wyoming craton was re-enriched in three ways: (1) by silicate melts that formed mica websterite and clinopyroxenite veins; (2) by growth of phlogopite from K-rich hydrous fluids; (3) by interaction with aqueous fluids to form orthopyroxene porphyroblasts and orthopyroxenite veins. In contrast to their depleted major element compositions, the tectonite peridotites are mostly light rare earth element (LREE)-enriched and show enrichment in fluid-mobile elements such as Cs, Rb, U and Pb on mantle-normalized diagrams. Lack of enrichment in high field strength elements (HFSE; e.g. Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf) suggests that the tectonite peridotites have been metasomatized by a subduction-related fluid. Clinopyroxenes from the tectonite peridotites have distinct U-shaped REE patterns with strong LREE enrichment. They have 143Nd/144Nd values that range from 0??5121 (close to the host minette values) to 0??5107, similar to those of xenoliths from the nearby Highwood Mountains. Foliated mica websterites also have low 143Nd

Water in the Cratonic Mantle Lithosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peslier, A. H.

2016-01-01

The fact that Archean and Proterozoic cratons are underlain by the thickest (>200 km) lithosphere on Earth has always puzzled scientists because the dynamic convection of the surrounding asthenosphere would be expected to delaminate and erode these mantle lithospheric "keels" over time. Although density and temperature of the cratonic lithosphere certainly play a role in its strength and longevity, the role of water has only been recently addressed with data on actual mantle samples. Water in mantle lithologies (primarily peridotites and pyroxenites) is mainly stored in nominally anhydrous minerals (olivine, pyroxene, garnet) where it is incorporated as hydrogen bonded to structural oxygen in lattice defects. The property of hydrolytic weakening of olivine [4] has generated the hypothesis that olivine, the main mineral of the upper mantle, may be dehydrated in cratonic mantle lithospheres, contributing to its strength. This presentation will review the distribution of water concentrations in four cratonic lithospheres. The distribution of water contents in olivine from peridotite xenoliths found in kimberlites is different in each craton (Figure 1). The range of water contents of olivine, pyroxene and garnet at each xenolith location appears linked to local metasomatic events, some of which occurred later then the Archean and Proterozoic when these peridotites initially formed via melting. Although the low olivine water contents (<10 ppm wt H2O) at > 6 GPa at the base of the Kaapvaal cratonic lithosphere may contribute to its strength, and prevent its delamination, the wide range of those from Siberian xenoliths is not compatible with providing a high enough viscosity contrast with the asthenophere. The water content in olivine inclusions from Siberian diamonds, on the other hand, have systematically low water contents (<20 ppm wt H2O). The xenoliths may represent a biased sample of the cratonic lithosphere with an over-­abundance of metasomatized peridotites with

Seismic anisotropy and compositionally induced velocity anomalies in the lithosphere above mantle plumes: a petrological and microstructural study of mantle xenoliths from French Polynesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tommasi, Andréa; Godard, Marguerite; Coromina, Guilhem; Dautria, Jean-Marie; Barsczus, Hans

2004-11-01

In addition to thermal erosion, plume/lithosphere interaction may induce significant changes in the lithosphere chemical composition. To constrain the extent of this process in an oceanic environment and its consequences on the lithosphere seismic properties, we investigated the relationship between petrological processes and microstructure in mantle xenoliths from different hotspots tracks in South Pacific Superswell region: the Austral-Cook, Society, and Marquesas islands in French Polynesia. Olivine forsterite contents in the studied spinel peridotites vary continuously from Fo91 to Fo83. Dunites and wehrlites display the lowest forsterite contents. Their microstructure and high Ni contents preclude a cumulate origin, suggesting that these rocks result from melt/rock reactions involving olivine precipitation and pyroxene dissolution. In addition, lherzolites and wehrlites display evidence of late crystallization of clinopyroxene, which may result from a near-solidus melt-freezing reaction. These data suggest that the lithosphere above a mantle plume undergoes a complex sequence of magmatic processes that significantly change its composition. These compositional changes, particularly iron enrichment in olivine, result in lower P- and S-waves velocities. Relative to normal lithospheric mantle, compositionally induced seismic anomalies may attain -2.2% for S-waves and -1% for P-waves. Smaller negative anomalies for P-waves are due to a higher sensitivity to modal composition. Conversely, crystal-preferred orientations (CPO) and seismic anisotropy are little affected by these processes. Lherzolites and harzburgites, independent from composition, show high-temperature porphyroclastic microstructures and strong olivine CPO. Dunites and wehrlites display annealing microstructures to which is associated a progressive dispersion of the olivine CPO. Very weak, almost random olivine CPO is nevertheless rare, suggesting that CPO destruction is restricted to domains of

Multiple enrichment of the Carpathian-Pannonian mantle: Pb-Sr-Nd isotope and trace element constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenbaum, Jeffrey M.; Wilson, Marjorie; Downes, Hilary

1997-07-01

Pb isotope compositions of acid-leached clinopyroxene and amphibole mineral separates from spinel peridotite mantle xenoliths entrained in Tertiary-Quaternary alkali basalts from the Carpathian-Pannonian Region of eastern Europe provide important constraints on the processes of metasomatic enrichment of the mantle lithosphere in an extensional tectonic setting associated with recent subduction. Principal component analysis of Pb-Sr-Nd isotope and rare earth element compositions of the pyroxenes is used to identify the geochemical characteristics of the original lithospheric mantle protolith and a spectrum of infiltrating metasomatic agents including subduction-related aqueous fluids and silicate melts derived from a subduction-modified mantle wedge which contains a St. Helena-type (HIMU) plume component. The mantle protolith is highly depleted relative to mid-ocean ridge basalt-source mantle with Pb-Nd-Sr isotope compositions consistent with an ancient depletion event. Silicate melt infiltration into the protolith accounts for the primary variance in the Pb-Sr-Nd isotope compositions of the xenoliths and has locally generated metasomatic amphibole. Infiltration of aqueous fluids has introduced radiogenic Pb and Sr without significantly perturbing the rare earth element signature of the protolith. The Pb isotope compositions of the fluid-modified xenoliths suggest that they reacted with aqueous fluids released from a subduction zone which had equilibrated with sediment derived from an ancient basement terrain. We propose a model for mantle lithosphere evolution consistent with available textural and geochemical data for the xenolith population. The Pb-Sr-Nd isotope compositions of both alkaline mafic magmas and rare, subduction-related, calc-alkaline basaltic andesites from the region provide important constraints for the nature of the asthenospheric mantle wedge and confirm the presence of a HIMU plume component. These silicate melts contribute to the metasomatism

K-rich glass-bearing wehrlite xenoliths from Yitong, Northeastern China: petrological and chemical evidence for mantle metasomatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Y.; Mercier, J.-C. C.; Lin, Chuanyong; Shi, Lanbin; Menzies, M. A.; Ross, J. V.; Harte, B.

1996-11-01

possibility of percolation of host-basalt related melts for the origin of these glasses. Thus the glasses must have resulted from local penetration of mantle metasomatic melts which may have been produced by partial melting of peridotites with involvement of deep-seated fluids. Such melts may have been significantly modified by subsequent fractional crystallization of ol, cpx and sp, extensive reaction with the mantle conduit and the xenolith transport process.

Crustal evolution at mantle depths constrained from Pamir xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kooijman, E.; Hacker, B. R.; Smit, M. A.; Kylander-Clark, A. R.; Ratschbacher, L.

2012-12-01

Lower crustal xenoliths erupted in the Pamir at ~11 Ma provide an exclusive opportunity to study the evolution of crust at mantle depths during a continent-continent collision. To investigate, and constrain the timing of, the petrologic processes that occurred during burial to the peak conditions (2.5-2.8 GPa, 1000-1100 °C; [1]), we performed chemical- and isotope analyses of accessory minerals in 10 xenoliths, ranging from eclogites to grt-ky-qtz granulites. In situ laser ablation split-stream ICPMS yielded 1) U-Pb ages, Ti concentrations and REE in zircon, 2) U/Th-Pb ages and REE in monazite, and 3) U-Pb ages and trace elements in rutile. In addition, garnet, and biotite and K-feldspar were dated using Lu-Hf and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, respectively. Zircon and monazite U-(Th-)Pb ages are 101.9±1.8, 53.7±1.0, 39.1±0.8, 21.7±0.4, 18.2±0.5, 16.9±0.8, 15.1±0.3 (2σ) and 12.5-11.1 Ma; most samples showed several or all of these populations. The 53.7 Ma and older ages are xenocrystic or detrital. For younger ages, zircon and monazite in individual samples recorded different ages-although zircon in one rock and monazite in another can be the same age. The 39.1 Ma zircon and monazite mostly occur as inclusions in minerals of the garnet-bearing assemblage that represents the early, low-P stages of burial. Garnet Lu-Hf ages of 37.8±0.3 Ma support garnet growth at this time. Spinifex-like textures containing 21.7-11.1 Ma zircon and monazite record short-lived partial melting events during burial. Aligned kyanite near these patches indicates associated deformation. Zircons yielding ≤12.5 Ma exhibit increased Eu/Eu* and markedly decreased HREE concentrations, interpreted to record feldspar breakdown and omphacite growth during increasing pressure. Rutile U-Pb cooling ages are 10.8±0.3 Ma in all samples. This agrees with the weighted mean 40Ar/39Ar age of eight biotite, K-feldspar and whole rock separates of 11.00+0.16/-0.09 Ma. Rutile in eclogites provides Zr

Osmium isotope variations in the Pacific mantle: implications for the distribution of heterogeneity in the convecting mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishikawa, A.; Senda, R.; Suzuki, K.; Tani, K.; Ishii, T.

2015-12-01

Recent accumulation of Os isotope data obtained either from abyssal peridotites or from ocean island peridotite xenoliths has clearly demonstrated that the modern convecting mantle is substantially heterogeneous in Os-isotope composition. Unlike other radiogenic isotope heterogeneities observed in oceanic basalts, largely controlled by incorporation of recycled crustal materials, it seems likely that the observed range of Os-isotope compositions in oceanic peridotites directly reflect varying degrees of ancient melt extraction from peridotitic mantle. Hence, global variations of Os-isotope compositions in oceanic peridotites may provide an important piece of information in unraveling the geochemical and geodynamic evolution of the convecting mantle. Here we present the Os-isotope variations in peridotite-serpentinite recovered from the Pacific area because the number of data available is yet scarce when compared with data from other oceans (Atlantic, Arctic and Indian Ocean). Our primary purpose is to test whether mantle domains underlying four major oceans are distinct in terms of Os isotope variations, reflecting the pattern of mantle convection or mixing efficiency. We examined 187Os/188Os ratios and highly siderophile element concentrations in serpentinized harzburgite recovered from Hess Deep in the East Pacific Rise, a mantle section in the Taitao ophiolite, Chile (Schulte et al., 2009), serpentinized harzburgite bodies in the Izu-Ogasawara and Tonga forearc (Parkinson et al., 1998), peridotite xenoliths from the Pali-Kaau vent in O'ahu island, Hawaii (Bizimis et al., 2007), and low-temperature type peridotite xenoliths from Malaita, Solomon Islands (Ishikawa et al., 2011). The results demonstrate that samples from each area display very similar Os-isotope variations with a pronounced peak in 187Os/188Os = 0.125-0.128. Moreover, the relatively larger datasets obtained from Hess Deep, Taitao and Malaita clearly exhibit the presence of secondary peak in 187Os

Fractional ultrabasic-basic evolution of upper-mantle magmatism: Evidence from xenoliths in kimberlites, inclusions in diamonds and experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litvin, Yuriy; Kuzyura, Anastasia

2017-04-01

Ultrabasic peridotites and pyroxenites together with basic eclogites are the upper-mantle in situ rocks among xenoliths in kimberlites. Occasionally their diamond-bearing varieties have revealed within the xenoliths. Therewith the compositions of rock-forming minerals demonstrate features characteristic for primary diamond-included minerals of peridotite and eclogite parageneses (the elevated contents of Cr-component in peridotitic garnets and Na-jadeitic component in eclogitic clinopyroxenes). High-pressure experimental study of melting equilibria on the multicomponent peridotie-pyroxenite system olivine Ol - orthopyroxene Opx - clinopyroxene Cpx - garnet Grt showed that Opx disappeared in the peritectic reaction Opx+L→Cpx (Litvin, 1991). As a result, the invariant peritectic equilibrium Ol+Opx+Cpx+Grt+L of the ultrabasic system was found to transform into the univariant cotectic assemblage Ol+Cpx+Grt+L. Further experimental investigation showed that olivine reacts with jadeitic component (Jd) with formation of garnet at higher 4.5 GPa (Gasparik, Litvin, 1997). Study of melting relations in the multicomponent system Ol - Cpx - Jd permits to discover the peritectic point Ol+Omph+Grt+L (where Omph - omphacitic clinopyroxene) at concentration 3-4 wt.% Jd-component in the system. The reactionary loss of Opx and Ol makes it possible to transform the 4-phase garnet lherzolite ultrabasic association into the bimineral eclogite assemblage. The regime of fractional Ol, Cpx and Grt crystallization must be accompanied by increasing content of jadeitic component in residual melts that causes the complete "garnetization of olivine". In the subsequent evolution, the melts would have to fractionate for basic SiO2-saturated compositions responsible for petrogenesis of eclogite varieties marked with accessory corundum Crn, kyanite Ky and coesite Coe. Both the peritectic mechanisms occur in regime of fractional crystallization. The sequence of the upper-mantle fractional

Mantle Metasomatism under Island Arcs, Magnetic Implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, S. A.; Ferre, E. C.; Arai, S.

2013-12-01

The wedge of upper mantle beneath oceanic and island arcs receives an abundant flux of fluids derived from dehydration of subducted slabs. These fluids may cause metasomatism, serpentinization or partial melting at increasing distance from the trench. Each one of these processes profoundly modifies the oxygen fugacity, mineral assemblage, rheology and seismic properties of mantle rocks. Mantle xenoliths in arcs are relatively rare compared to other tectonic settings yet, due to their rapid ascent, they provide the best record of mantle rocks at depth. Previous studies on the metasomatism of the arc mantle wedge focused on the geochemistry and mineralogy of these xenoliths. Here we present new rock magnetic and paleomagnetic results to track changes in the magnetic assemblage of mantle peridotites. Peridotites undergo a wide range of fluid-reactions that involve formation of magnetically remanent phases such as magnetite, maghemite, hematite or monosulfide solutions. Samples for this study originate from three localities displaying different degrees of metasomatism: a) Five samples from Ichinomegata crater, Megata volcano, in NE Japan are characteristically lherzolitic with metasomatic pargasite present; b) Six samples from Kurose, Hakata Bay, in SW Japan are mainly harzburgites that contain rare, late stage metasomatic sulfides; and c) Ten samples from the Iraya volcano, Batan Island, in the Philippines are lherzolites, harzburgites, and dunites that contain metasomatic olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and pargasite. Both remanent and induced magnetizations of these mantle peridotites exhibit systematic variations as a function of the degrees of metasomatism. The contribution of these mantle peridotites to long wavelength magnetic anomalies might be significant.

Widespread refertilization of cratonic and circum-cratonic lithospheric mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Yan-Jie; Zhang, Hong-Fu; Ying, Ji-Feng; Su, Ben-Xun

2013-03-01

Studies of mantle xenoliths have confirmed that Archean subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) is highly depleted in basaltic components (such as Al, Ca and Na) due to high-degree extraction of mafic and ultramafic melts and thus is refractory and buoyant, which made it chronically stable as tectonically independent units. However, increasing studies show that ancient SCLM can be refertilized by episodic rejuvenation events like infiltration of upwelling fertile material. The North China Craton is one of the most typical cases for relatively complete destruction of its Archean keel since the eruption of Paleozoic kimberlites, as is evidenced by a dramatic change in the compositions of mantle xenoliths sampled by Paleozoic to Cenozoic magmas, reflecting significant lithospheric thinning and the change in the character of the SCLM. The compositional change has been interpreted as the result of refertilization of Archean SCLM via multiple-stage peridotite-melt reactions, suggested by linear correlations between MgO and indices of fertility, covariations of Al2O3 with CaO, La/Yb, 87Sr/86Sr, 143Nd/144Nd, 187Os/188Os and Re-depletion ages (TRD), high Re abundances, scatter in Re-Os isotopic plot, variable in situ TRD ages of sulfides, and correlation between TRD ages and olivine Fo of peridotite xenoliths in Paleozoic kimberlites and Cenozoic basalts on the craton. By integrating major and trace element, Sr, Nd and Os isotopic compositions of peridotite xenoliths and orogenic massif peridotites from the continents of Europe, Asia, America, Africa and Australia, together with previous studies of petrology and geochemistry of global peridotites, we suggest that (1) refertilization of cratonic and circum-cratonic lithospheric mantle is widespread; (2) Archean SCLM worldwide has experienced a multi-stage history of melt depletion and refertilization since segregation from the convecting mantle; (3) cratonic SCLM may be more susceptible to compositional change caused by

New constraints on the textural and geochemical evolution of the upper mantle beneath the Styrian basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aradi, Laszlo; Hidas, Károly; Zanetti, Alberto; János Kovács, István; Patkó, Levente; Szabó, Csaba

2016-04-01

Plio-Pleistocene alkali basaltic volcanism sampled sporadically the upper mantle beneath the Carpathian-Pannonian Region (CPR, e.g. [1]). Lavas and pyroclasts often contain mantle derived xenoliths, and the majority of them have been extensively studied [1], except the westernmost Styrian Basin Volcanic Field (SBVF, Eastern Austria and Slovenia). In the SBVF only a few volcanic centers have been studied in details (e.g. Kapfenstein & Tobaj). Based on these studies, the upper mantle beneath the SBVF is consists of dominantly high temperature, texturally and geochemically homogeneous protogranular spinel lherzolite. New major and trace element data from rock-forming minerals of ultramafic xenoliths, coupled with texture and deformation analysis from 12 volcanic outcrops across the SBVF, suggest that the lithospheric roots of the region are more heterogeneous than described previously. The studied xenoliths are predominantly lherzolite, amphibole is a common phase that replaces pyroxenes and spinels and proves modal metasomatism. Phlogopite coupled with apatite is also present in amphibole-rich samples. The texture of the xenoliths is usually coarse-grained and annealed with low abundance of subgrain boundaries in both olivine and pyroxenes. Olivine crystal preferred orientation (CPO) varies between the three most abundant one: [010]-fiber, orthogonal and [100]-fiber symmetry [2]. The CPO of pyroxenes is usually coherent with coeval deformation with olivine, however the CPO of amphibole is suggesting postkinematic epitaxial overgrowth on the precursor pyroxenes. According to equilibrium temperatures, the studied xenolith suite samples a broader temperature range (850-1100 °C) than the literature data, corresponding to mantle depths between 30 and 60 km, which indicates that the xenolith suite only represents the shallower part of the recent 100 km thick lithospheric mantle beneath the SBVF. The equilibrium temperatures show correlation with the varying CPO symmetries

Fertile lithospheric mantle beneath the northwestern North China and its implication for the subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, H. K.; Zheng, J.; Su, Y. P.; Xiong, Q.; Pan, S. K.

2017-12-01

The nature of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath the western North China Craton (NCC) is poorly known, which hinders understanding the cratonic response to the southward subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. Mineral chemical data of spinel lherzolite xenoliths from newly discovered Cenozoic Langshan basalts in the northwestern part of the craton have been integrated with data from other localities across the western NCC, to put constrains on the SCLM nature and to explore the reworking processes involved. Compositions of mineral cores (i.e., Mg# in olivine = 88 91) and P-T estimates ( 1.2 GPa, 950 oC) suggest the Langshan xenoliths/xenocrysts represent fragments of the uppermost SCLM and experienced <15% melt extraction. These characteristics are similar to those of mantle xenoliths from other locaties (Siziwangqi and Hannuoba) along the northern margin of the western NCC. Disequilibrium characteristics are observed in xenoliths/xenocrysts in this study, including pyroxene spongy coronae and compositionally zoned olivine. They are interpreted to be induced by partial melting and by ironic diffusion with silicate melts in the mantle respectively, shortly before the eruption of host basalt. Metasomatism is recorded in clinopyroxene cores by concomitant enrichments in light rare earth elements and high field strength elements and was likely related to the migration of silicate melts derived from a mantle modified by slab melts during the Paleozoic time. The SCLM along the northern margin of the western NCC is fertile in nature constrained by mantle xenoliths from several localities (Langshan in this study, Siziwangqi and Hannuoba in references). Considering 1) the coexistence of fertile lithospheric mantle (similar to the Phanerozoic SCLM of the eastern NCC) and the overlying ancient continental crust, and 2) the sharp decrease in lithospheric thickness from the inner part to the northern margin of the western NCC, the SCLM beneath the northwestern

Origin of sapphirine- and garnet-bearing clinopyroxenite xenoliths entrained in the Jiande basalts, SE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Yan; Zhang, Hong-Fu; Liang, Zi; Su, Ben-Xun; Zhu, Bin; Sakyi, Patrick Asamoah

2018-04-01

We present petrological and geochemical data of sapphirine- and garnet-bearing clinopyroxenite xenoliths entrained in the Jiande Cenozoic basalts, SE China, to investigate their igneous and metamorphic history, and reconstruct of the thermal-tectonic evolution of the lithospheric mantle. These xenoliths have an unusual mineral association consisting of clinopyroxene + garnet/kelyphite + spinel (±sapphirine). Clinopyroxene has high Mg# (89-93) and displays convex-upward REE pattern. Garnet, partially to completely kelyphitized, is rich in pyrope end-member. It usually includes relics of spinel, suggesting that garnet was formed at the expense of spinel. The spinel has high MgO (20.8-22.9 wt%) and Al2O3 (64.8-67.9 wt%) contents. Sapphirine, forming a rim on spinel, has homogeneous SiO2 (14.5-14.9 wt%), Al2O3 (60.9-61.7 wt%) and MgO (19.7-20.1 wt%) contents, interpreted to be of metamorphic origin. The subsolidus reaction for the formation of sapphirine is as follows: spinel + garnet = sapphirine + clinopyroxene + orthopyroxene. Thus, the earliest mineral assemblage recorded in these xenoliths was spinel + clinopyroxene. The clinopyroxene in the Jiande clinopyroxenite xenoliths has Li abundances (1.04-1.63 ppm) similar to high-P mafic cumulate but much lower than those in crustal eclogite. In addition, the clinopyroxene and garnet do not show positive Eu anomalies. Therefore, the protolith of these three clinopyroxenite xenoliths was most likely a pyroxenite, originating as clinopyroxene + spinel cumulates from mafic melts percolating through the mantle. Many reaction textures such as formation of garnet and sapphirine were developed during decompression possibly coupled with cooling and melt percolation. During this process, the earlier composition of clinopyroxene and spinel also changed. The latest P-T conditions recorded in these xenoliths were at pressure of 8-10 kbar and temperatures of 1069-1094 °C. These observations imply that these rocks have been

Composition of the lithospheric mantle in the northern part of Siberian craton: Constraints from peridotites in the Obnazhennaya kimberlite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jing; Liu, Chuan-Zhou; Kostrovisky, Sergey I.; Wu, Fu-Yuan; Yang, Jin-Hui; Chu, Zhu-Yin; Yang, Yue-Heng; Kalashnikova, Tatiana; Fan, Sheng

2017-12-01

The character of the lithospheric mantle of the northern Siberian craton is not well established; nearly all published data are for mantle xenoliths from a single kimberlite in the center of the craton (Udachnaya). We report major elements of the whole rock, trace elements data of clinopyroxene and Re-Os isotope and PGE concentration of mantle xenoliths from the Obnazhennaya kimberlite pipe (160 Ma) in the northern part of Siberian craton. The Obnazhennaya mantle xenoliths include spinel harzburgites, spinel dunites, spinel lherzolites and spinel-garnet lherzolite. The spinel harzburgites and dunites have refractory compositions, with 0.23-1.35 wt% Al2O3, 0.41-3.11 wt% CaO and 0.00-0.09 wt% TiO2, whereas the lherzolites (both spinel- and spinel-garnet-) have more fertile compositions, containing 2.16-6.55 wt% Al2O3, 2.91-7.55 wt% CaO and 0.04-0.15 wt% TiO2. The trace element compositions and mineralogical textures of the Obnazhennaya xenoliths indicate the occurrence of metasomatic enrichments, including carbonatite melts, basaltic melts from Siberian Trap and kimberlitic melts. The spinel harzburgites and dunites have 187Os/188Os of 0.11227-0.11637, giving a TRD age of 1.6-2.2 Ga. This suggests that old cratonic mantle still existed beneath the Obnazhennaya. In contrast, both spinel and spinel-garnet lherzolites have more radiogenic 187Os/188Os ratios (0.11931-0.17627), enriched P-PGEs. But the higher Al2O3 and Os character of these lherzolites suggest that they were not juvenile mantle but the refertilized ancient mantle. Therefore, our results suggest that the cratonic mantle beneath the northern part of Siberian craton contain both ancient and reworked lithospheric mantle, and the metasomatism may not be effective at overprinting/eroding the pre-existing lithosphere.

Les xénolites ultramafiques du volcanisme alcalin quaternaire d'Oranie (Tell, Algérie occidentale), témoins d'une lithosphère cisaillée et enrichieUltramafic xenoliths from Quaternary alkali volcanism from Oranie (Tell, western Algeria): witnesses of a sheared and enriched lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zerka, Mohamed; Cottin, Jean-Yves; Grégoire, Michel; Lorand, Jean-Pierre; Megartsi, M'Hamed; Midoun, Mohamed

Numerous ultramafic xenoliths occur within the Aı̈n-Temouchent volcanic complex (Northwestern Oranie, Algeria). Most of them are type I mantle tectonites (lherzolites and harzburgites) and composite xenoliths (harzburgite/clinopyroxenite) are rare. Only a few samples of spinel lherzolites display relatively fertile compositions when the major part of type I xenoliths have refractory major element compositions but enriched LREE contents showing that they have been affected by mantle metasomatism. The composite xenoliths are witnesses of reactions of alkaline magmas with the upper mantle. An asthenospheric rising, in relation with the large strike slip fault affecting the North African plate margin at Trias time is proposed as a possible geodynamical setting. To cite this article: M. Zerka et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 387-394.

Calcium Isotopic Systematics of Peridotite Xenoliths from eastern North China Craton: Implications for Melt-rock Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Z.; Zhao, X.; Huang, S.; Xiao, Y.; Li, X.

2017-12-01

In order to better constrain and understand the Ca isotopic variations in the mantle, we report high-precision Ca isotopic data of orthopyroxene (Opx) and clinopyroxene (Cpx) for a set of peridotitic xenoliths from ChangLe, eastern North China craton (NCC). These xenoliths range from lherzolites, Cpx-rich lherzolites to wehrlites, and are variably metasomatised. Lherzolites (Fo≈91) are fertile in mineral composition, and have spoon-shaped to slightly LREE-enriched rare earth element (REE) patterns. They may represent fragments of newly accreted lithospheric mantle that makes up parts of the Late Mesozoic-Cenozoic lithosphere beneath the eastern NCC. Cpx-rich lherzolites and wehrlites formed by reaction of refractory residual peridotites with evolved, Fe-rich silicate melts at high melt/rock ratios, as evidenced by partial to complete replacement of Opx with Cpx, relatively lower Fo contents of Ol (<88) than that from the lherzolites and convex-upward trace element patterns. Our results show that there are large δ44/40Ca variations (1‰) in these peridotitic xenoliths. Lherzolites have δ44/40Ca similar to typical upper mantle value(1.05 ± 0.04). Specifically, lherzolites orthopyroxenes have δ44/40Ca ranging from 1.04 to 1.79, and lherzolites clinopyroxenes have δ44/40Ca from 0.80 to 1.04. In contrast, δ44/40Ca in Cpx-rich lherzolites and wehrlites tend to have lower values reltaive to those of lherzolites. Their clinopyroxenes have δ44/40Ca ranging from 0.42 to 0.92, and their orthopyroxenes have δ44/40Ca ranging from 0.80 to 1.04. Collectively, we identify a positive correlation between clinopyroxene δ44/40Ca and Mg#. Model calculations show that kinetic isotopic fractionation caused by diffusion, probably during mantle melt-rock interaction, is responsible for the positive correlation between clinopyroxene δ44/40Ca and Mg# in these NCC peridotites. Our study shows that melt-rock interaction plays an important role in producing Ca isotopic

Petrology of peridotite xenoliths from the Miocene alkaline basalt from Baegryeong Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, G. Y.; Kim, E.; Yang, K.

2017-12-01

Peridotite xenoliths occurring in late Miocene intraplate alkaline basalt from Baegryeong Island, west-northern part of the Korean peninsula, are mainly anhydrous spinel lherzolites. Their textures and chemical compositions give a deep insight for upper mantle. This study presents the results of modal, major composition of minerals and trace composition of clinopyroxene. The xenoliths display coarse grained protogranular through inequigranular to cumulate textures, grading into each other. They often show well-developed annealed textures and contain left-over olivine grains within orthopyroxene, suggesting that they went through static(±dynamic) recrystallization. The constituent minerals are compositionally homogeneous and appear to be equilibrated. The xenoliths are characterized by the high Mg#[=100×Mg/(Mg+Fetotal) atomic ratio] of olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene (89-93) and the Cr#[=100×Cr/(Cr+Al) atomic ratio] of spinel (9-15). The calculated equilibrium temperatures and oxygen fugacities resulted in 920-1070°C and ΔfO2 (QFM) = -1.5 -0.5, respectively. Clinopyroxenes of the xenoliths are mostly enriched in incompatible trace elements, exhibiting three types of REE patterns such as LREE-depleted, LREE-enriched and a enrichment in La over Ce, and depletion in high field strength elements(HFSE; Nb-Ta, Zr-Hf, Ti). From these trace element signatures, we thus propose the Baegryeong peridotite xenoliths represent residues left after early melt extraction, which was subsequently subjected to different degrees of modal/cryptic metasomatism by residual slab-derived, silica- and LREE-enriched fluids (or melts).

Geochronology and geochemistry of deep-seated crustal xenoliths in the northern North China Craton: Implications for the evolution and structure of the lower crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Yuping; Zheng, Jianping; Griffin, William L.; Huang, Yan; Wei, Ying; Ping, Xianquan

2017-11-01

The age and composition of the lower crust are critical in understanding the processes of continental formation and evolution, and deep-seated granulite xenoliths can offer direct information on the lower crust. Here, we report mineral chemistry, whole-rock major and trace elements, Sr-Nd isotopes and zircon U-Pb-Hf results for a suite of deep-seated crustal xenoliths, recently discovered in the Cenozoic basalts of the Nangaoya area in the northern part of the North China Craton (NCC). Based on the P-T estimates, these xenoliths including mafic, intermediate and felsic granulites and hornblendites were sampled from different levels of the lower crust. While a hornblendite has a flat REE pattern, all other xenoliths display LREE enrichment and depletion of Nb, Ta, Th and Ti. The mafic granulite xenolith has relatively high whole-rock εNd(t) value of - 13.37, and yields Mesozoic (188-59 Ma) zircons ages with high εHf(t) values from - 15.3 to - 9.2. The garnet-bearing intermediate granulite-facies rocks show low εNd(t) values from - 16.92 to - 17.48, and reveal both Paleoproterozoic (1948 Ma) and Mesozoic (222-63 Ma) zircon U-Pb ages. Their Mesozoic zircons have lower εHf(t) values (from - 18.4 to - 13.8) than those from the mafic xenolith. The remaining intermediate to felsic xenoliths show Paleoproterozoic zircon ages, and the lowest εNd(t) values (from - 20.78 to - 24.03). The mafic-intermediate granulites with Mesozoic zircons originated from the interaction of lower crust-derived magmas with mantle melts, with higher proportions of mantle magmas involved in the generation of mafic granulite, whereas intermediate to felsic xenoliths without Mesozoic zircons represent ancient Paleoproterozoic to Neoarchean deep crust. These deep-seated xenoliths reveal complicated crustal evolution processes, including crustal growth during Neoarchean (2.5-2.7 Ga), middle Paleoproterozoic (2.2-2.1 Ga) and Mesozoic, and reworking during early Paleoproterozoic, late

Sr and Nd isotope composition of the metamorphic, sedimentary and ultramafic xenoliths of Lanzarote (Canary Islands): Implications for magma sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aparicio, Alfredo; Tassinari, Colombo C. G.; García, Roberto; Araña, Vicente

2010-01-01

The lavas produced by the Timanfaya eruption of 1730-1736 (Lanzarote, Canary Islands) contain a great many sedimentary and metamorphic (metasedimentary), and mafic and ultramafic plutonic xenoliths. Among the metamorphosed carbonate rocks (calc-silicate rocks [CSRs]) are monomineral rocks with forsterite or wollastonite, as well as rocks containing olivine ± orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene ± plagioclase; their mineralogical compositions are identical to those of the mafic (gabbros) and ultramafic (dunite, wherlite and lherzolite) xenoliths. The 87Sr/ 86Sr (around 0.703) and 143Nd/ 144Nd (around 0.512) isotope ratios of the ultramafic and metasedimentary xenoliths are similar, while the 147Sm/ 144Nd ratios show crustal values (0.13-0.16) in the ultramafic xenoliths and mantle values (0.18-0.25) in some CSRs. The apparent isotopic anomaly of the metamorphic xenoliths can be explained in terms of the heat source (basaltic intrusion) inducing strong isotopic exchange ( 87Sr/ 86Sr and 143Nd/ 144Nd) between metasedimentary and basaltic rocks. Petrofabric analysis also showed a possible relationship between the ultramafic and metamorphic xenoliths.

Using osmium isotopes to explore the link between alkaline lavas and metasomatized mantle in the Western Branch, Uganda

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, W. R.; Furman, T.; Pitcavage, E.

2016-12-01

The subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) is foundational to understanding the construction, destruction, and division of tectonic plates. Tectonic processes both directly and indirectly influence the lithosphere's thermal, physical and mineralogical properties. Mantle melting and melt/fluid percolation cause fundamental changes to the lithosphere that affect its composition and stability. Specifically, metasomatism by silicate melts and hydrous/carbonated fluids can create lithologies (i.e. pyroxenites) that are denser, more fusible, and less viscous than adjacent peridotite. The resulting density instabilities may lead to lithospheric erosion, topographic uplift and even continental rifting. We explore the link between metasomatized SCLM and mafic volcanism in the Ugandan portion of the Western Branch of the East African Rift System using Re-Os isotopes from both alkaline mafic lavas and pyroxenite mantle xenoliths. The lavas record age-corrected 187Os/188Os that range from 0.1421 to 0.2105, which is more radiogenic than primitive mantle. These data demonstrate that many of the lavas were derived from a metasomatized mantle source though a few have experienced crustal contamination. Mantle xenoliths also record a wide range of 187Os abundances. One peridotite xenolith has a mildly radiogenic signature (187Os/188Os = 0.1342) whereas the pyroxenites span a wide range of 187Os/188Os ratios (0.1270-0.5052). Based on these data, we conclude that the lavas were derived from metasomatized SCLM. Some of the SCLM was sampled by mantle xenoliths but, as a whole, the SCLM is more heterogeneous than the lavas suggest. The widespread, metasomatized SCLM readily contributed to melt generation both in situ as well as during foundering via lithospheric drip (Furman et al., 2016). The SCLM-derived volcanism occurred prior to and during Western Rift extension, suggesting that the metasomatized SCLM played a vital role in rift development

Crustal evolution and the granulite to eclogite transition in xenoliths from kimberlites in the West African Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toft, Paul B.; Hills, Doris V.; Haggerty, Stephen E.

1989-04-01

A petrographic, mineral and bulk chemical study of a xenolith suite of granulites and eclogites from Sample Creek, Liberia and Koidu, Sierra Leone, has been undertaken with a view to determining the nature of the crust-upper mantle interface. A broad range of xenolith compositions is present (from high-MgO eclogites to garnet-anorthosites) and a systematic AFM trend is established, consistent with mafic and ultramafic melt fractionation at moderate pressures (10-20 kbar). A trend is established for the entire xenolith suite among bulk chemistry, seismic P-wave velocity and a crust/mantle (C/M) bulk chemical ratio defined as Na 2O + K 2O + SiO 2/FeO + MgO mole %. Three populations are present: a granulitic crustal group ( SG < 3.0; VP = 6.6-7.2 km/ s; C/ M > 3.0); a granulite and eclogite transitional group ( SG 3.0-3.3; VP = 7.2-8.0 km/ s; C/ M 1.5-3.0); andanexclusivelyuppermantleeclogiticgroup ( ifSG > 3.3; VP = 8.2-8.7 km/ s; C/ M ~ 1.5). From these data and coupled with garnet-clinopyroxene mineral thermometry and accessory phases (e.g., diamond, graphite, coesite, kyanite) or the presence of plagioclase, a xenolith geotherm is established based on stratigraphic sequencing and phase transition boundaries. Diamond and coesite-bearing eclogites conform to the 40 mW/m 2 standard cratonic low heat flow geotherm, whereas the plagioclase granulites at lower pressures correspond to an average rift geotherm of 90 mW/m 2. The latter is ascribed to igneous underplating onto the lower crust or to thermal perturbations from an earlier tectonic event. Graphite and kyanite eclogites and the transitional group (in SG, VP and C/M ratio) of eclogites and granulites fall between the 40 and 90 mW/m 2 reference geotherms. The xenoliths are meta-igneous, the lower crust and uppermost mantle are mafic in composition and the petrologic Moho is an intercalated, interstratified horizon of eclogite and garnet granulite. Growth of the early crust was largely a consequence of

Calcio-carbonatite melts and metasomatism in the mantle beneath Mt. Vulture (Southern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosatelli, Gianluigi; Wall, Frances; Stoppa, Francesco

2007-12-01

At Mt. Vulture volcano (Basilicata, Italy) calcite globules (5-150 μm) are hosted by silicate glass pools or veins cross-cutting amphibole-bearing, or more common spinel-bearing mantle xenoliths and xenocrysts. The carbonate globules are rounded or elongated and are composed of a mosaic of 2-20 μm crystals, with varying optical orientation. These features are consistent with formation from a quenched calciocarbonatite melt. Where in contact with carbonate amphibole has reacted to form fassaitic pyroxene. Some of these globules contain liquid/gaseous CO 2 bubbles and sulphide inclusions, and are pierced by quench microphenocrysts of silicate phases. The carbonate composition varies from calcite to Mg-calcite (3.8-5.0 wt.% MgO) both within the carbonate globules and from globule to globule. Trace element contents of the carbonate, determined by LAICPMS, are similar to those of carbonatites worldwide including ΣREE up to 123 ppm. The Sr-Nd isotope ratios of the xenolith carbonate are similar to the extrusive carbonatite and silicate rocks of Mt. Vulture testifying to derivation from the same mantle source. Formation of immiscibile silicate-carbonatite liquids within mantle xenoliths occurred via disequilibrium immiscibility during their exhumation.

The diamondiferous xenoliths from kimberlites of Yakutia: a key for the diamonds origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spetsius, Zdislav V.; Kovalchuck, Oleg E.

2010-05-01

More than 400 diamondiferous xenoliths have been discovered in the kimberlite pipes of Yakutia. Diamond-bearing specimens are encountered among ultramafic xenoliths predominantly dunite harzburgites and in all types of eclogitic rocks: bimineral eclogites, kyanite and corundum eclogites and also in garnet-websterites. The diamonds in xenoliths are found mainly as separate crystals but in some xenoliths the amount of diamonds may be as high as 1000. The distribution of crystals in the specimens is irregular and does not coincide with the specimen surfaces. The sizes of the crystals vary from fraction of millimeter to 10 millimeters. The diamonds from xenoliths are correlated with the diamonds from kimberlites by their morphology and physical properties. Mineral inclusions are rare in the xenolith diamonds. Careful examination of more than 300 diamonds from about 100 xenoliths shows that 40% of macrodiamonds (size > 1mm) contain some visible inclusions. In most cases these are a little tiny opaque grain. Microprobe data suggest that overwhelming majority of them are sulfides. Silicate inclusions of garnet, clinopyroxene and very seldom rutile or others are rare. The diamonds in some specimens have sulfide rims around them. A number of facts show that in the process of diamonds growth the sulfide melt was present together with the silicate melt. The mechanism of diamond growth should be discussed in a complex sulfide-silicate system enriched in fluids. The diamondiferous eclogites do not stand out of the general series of mantle eclogites from kimberlite pipes either by specific properties and minerals composition, or major and trace elements distribution between coexisting garnets and clinopyroxenes. Intensive partial melting is characteristic feature for most of the specimens. To some extent this is a typomorphic sign of diamondiferous eclogites. A selective enrichment pattern REE is observed in some xenolith minerals (high content of LREE in clinopyroxene and

Deformation and fluid-enhanced annealing in subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the Pannonian Basin (Styrian Basin, Eastern Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aradi, Laszlo; Hidas, Károly; János Kovács, István; Tommasi, Andrea; Garrido, Carlos; Szabó, Csaba

2017-04-01

In the Carpathian-Pannonian region, xenolith-bearing Neogene alkali basaltic volcanism occurred in five volcanic fields [1], from which the Styrian Basin Volcanic Field (SBVF) is the westernmost one. In this study, we present new petrographic and crystal preferred orientation (CPO) data, and structural hydroxyl ("water") contents of upper mantle xenoliths from 12 volcanic outcrops across the SBVF. The studied xenoliths are mostly coarse granular hydrous spinel lherzolites. Amphiboles, replacing pyroxenes and spinels, are present in almost every sample. The peridotites are highly annealed, olivines and pyroxenes show no significant amount of intragranular deformation. Despite the annealed texture of the peridotites, olivine CPO is unambiguous and varies between [010]-fiber, orthogonal and [100]-fiber symmetry. The CPO of pyroxenes is coherent with coeval deformation with olivine. The fabric and CPO of amphiboles suggest postkinematic epitaxial overgrowth on the precursor pyroxenes. The structural hydroxyl content of the studied xenoliths exhibits rather high, equilibrium values, up to 10, 290 and 675 ppm in olivine, ortho- and clinopyroxene, respectively. The olivines contain more structural hydroxyl in the annealed xenoliths than in the more deformed ones. The xenoliths show equilibrium temperatures from 850 to 1100 °C, which corresponds to lithospheric mantle depths between 30 and 60 km. Equilibrium temperatures show correlation with the varying CPO symmetries and grain size: coarser grained xenoliths with [100]-fiber and orthorhombic symmetry appear in the high temperature (>1000 °C) xenoliths, which is characteristic for asthenospheric environments [2]. Most of the samples display transitional CPO symmetry between [010]-fiber and orthogonal, which indicate lithospheric deformation under varying stress field from transtensional to transpressional settings [3], probably related to the Miocene evolution of the Pannonian Basin, during which varying compressive and

Noble gas composition of subcontinental lithospheric mantle: An extensively degassed reservoir beneath Southern Patagonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalowitzki, Tiago; Sumino, Hirochika; Conceição, Rommulo V.; Orihashi, Yuji; Nagao, Keisuke; Bertotto, Gustavo W.; Balbinot, Eduardo; Schilling, Manuel E.; Gervasoni, Fernanda

2016-09-01

Patagonia, in the Southern Andes, is one of the few locations where interactions between the oceanic and continental lithosphere can be studied due to subduction of an active spreading ridge beneath the continent. In order to characterize the noble gas composition of Patagonian subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM), we present the first noble gas data alongside new lithophile (Sr-Nd-Pb) isotopic data for mantle xenoliths from Pali-Aike Volcanic Field and Gobernador Gregores, Southern Patagonia. Based on noble gas isotopic compositions, Pali-Aike mantle xenoliths represent intrinsic SCLM with higher (U + Th + K)/(3He, 22Ne, 36Ar) ratios than the mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) source. This reservoir shows slightly radiogenic helium (3He/4He = 6.84-6.90 RA), coupled with a strongly nucleogenic neon signature (mantle source 21Ne/22Ne = 0.085-0.094). The 40Ar/36Ar ratios vary from a near-atmospheric ratio of 510 up to 17700, with mantle source 40Ar/36Ar between 31100-6800+9400 and 54000-9600+14200. In addition, the 3He/22Ne ratios for the local SCLM endmember, at 12.03 ± 0.15 to 13.66 ± 0.37, are higher than depleted MORBs, at 3He/22Ne = 8.31-9.75. Although asthenospheric mantle upwelling through the Patagonian slab window would result in a MORB-like metasomatism after collision of the South Chile Ridge with the Chile trench ca. 14 Ma, this mantle reservoir could have remained unhomogenized after rapid passage and northward migration of the Chile Triple Junction. The mantle endmember xenon isotopic ratios of Pali-Aike mantle xenoliths, which is first defined for any SCLM-derived samples, show values indistinguishable from the MORB source (129Xe/132Xe =1.0833-0.0053+0.0216 and 136Xe/132Xe =0.3761-0.0034+0.0246). The noble gas component observed in Gobernador Gregores mantle xenoliths is characterized by isotopic compositions in the MORB range in terms of helium (3He/4He = 7.17-7.37 RA), but with slightly nucleogenic neon (mantle source 21Ne/22Ne = 0.065-0.079). We

Reaction microtextures in entrapped xenoliths in alkali basalts from the Deccan large igneous province, India: Implications to the origin and evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chattopadhaya, Soumi; Ghosh, Biswajit; Morishita, Tomoaki; Nandy, Sandip; Tamura, Akihiro; Bandyopadhyay, Debaditya

2017-05-01

The onset of the end-Mesozoic continental rift magmatism in the Deccan volcanic province (DVP), India is marked by alkali magmatism. Lithospheric fragments occurring as xenoliths/xenocrysts entrapped in alkaline basalts from the Kutch area of the DVP preserve reaction microtextures giving an insight into the processes linked to their origin. We interpret the flower texture, an aggregate of systematically arranged tiny diopside crystals, as a product of interactions between ghost quartz xenocrysts with alkaline silica-undersaturated melt. The mantle xenoliths, mostly represented by spinel lherzolites and wehrlites have been infiltrated by melt. The orthopyroxenes present at the margin of the xenoliths or in contact with infiltrated melt exhibit a coronal texture composed of olivine, clinopyroxene and glass around them. The compositions of cores of primary olivines at places retain mantle signatures, whereas, the margins are reequilibrated. Secondary olivines and clinopyroxenes at reaction coronas have a wide range of compositions. Primary clinopyroxenes and spinels in close vicinity to the orthopyroxene corona display a sieve texture defined by clear inclusion-free cores and a compositionally different spongy altered rim with worm-shaped or bubbly inclusions dominantly filled with glass. The rims are marked with higher Ca, Mg-lower Na, Al for clinopyroxenes and higher Ti, Cr-lower Mg, Al for spinels in comparison to their cores. The coronal texture around orthopyroxenes and spongy texture in clinopyroxenes and spinels in these xenoliths are interpreted to be genetically linked. The silicate glasses in the xenoliths show large compositional variations and they are much more siliceous and alkali-rich in comparison to the host basalts. The petrography and mineral chemistry suggest host magma-peridotite interaction during or after the entrainment of the xenoliths, corroborating well with the experimental findings.

Deformation and hydration state of the lithospheric mantle beneath the Styrian Basin (Pannonian Basin, Eastern Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aradi, L. E.; Hidas, K.; Kovács, I. J.; Klébesz, R.; Szabo, C.

2016-12-01

In the Carpathian-Pannonian Region, Neogene alkali basaltic volcanism occurred in six volcanic fields, from which the Styrian Basin Volcanic Field (SBVF) is the westernmost one. In this study, we present new petrographic and crystal preferred orientation (CPO) data, and structural hydroxyl ("water") contents of upper mantle xenoliths from 12 volcanic outcrops across the SBVF. The studied xenoliths are mostly coarse granular lherzolites, amphiboles are present in almost every sample and often replace pyroxenes and spinels. The peridotites are highly annealed, olivines and pyroxenes do not show significant amount of intragranular deformation. Despite the annealed texture of the peridotites, olivine CPO is unambiguous, and varies between [010]-fiber, orthogonal and [100]-fiber symmetry. The CPO of pyroxenes is coherent with coeval deformation with olivine, showing [100]OL distributed subparallel to [001]OPX. The CPO of amphiboles suggest postkinematic epitaxial overgrowth on the precursor pyroxenes. The "water" content of the studied xenoliths exhibit rather high values, up to 10, 290 and 675 ppm in olivine, ortho- and clinopyroxene, respectively. Ortho- and clinopyroxene pairs show equilibrium in all samples, however "water" loss in olivines is observed in several xenoliths. The xenoliths show equilibrium temperatures from 850 to 1100 °C, which corresponds to lithospheric mantle depths between 30 and 60 km. Equilibrium temperatures show correlation with the varying CPO symmetries and grain size: coarser grained xenoliths with [100]-fiber and orthorhombic symmetry appear in the high temperature (>1000 °C) xenoliths, which is characteristic for asthenospheric origin. Most of the samples display transitional CPO symmetry between [010]-fiber and orthogonal, which indicate extensive lithospheric deformation under varying stress field from transtensional to transpressional settings. Based on the estimated seismic properties of the studied samples, a significant part of

Petrogenesis of ultramafic xenoliths from Hawaii inferred from Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okano, Osamu; Tatsumoto, Mitsunobu

Isotopic compositions of Nd, Sr, and Pb in xenoliths in the Honolulu volcanic series from the Salt Lake Crater (H-type) are similar to those of the host post-erosional basalts, but are distinct from the magma sources of Koolau shield tholeiites and MORB. In contrast, one spinel Iherzolite (K-type) has isotopic compositions of Nd and Sr that are close to those of Koolau tholeiite rather than to the other Hawaiian basalts. Previous studies have shown that Sr isotopic composition of the xenoliths and the host basalt and that trace element concentrations in minerals of garnet Iherzolites from Honolulu basalt were nearly in equilibrium with the host magma, indicating that Honolulu volcanics were derived from garnet Iherzolite or similar material. However, differences exist among the isotopic compositions (especially Nd) of the xenoliths indicating that they are accidental inclusions from upper layers. The similarity in isotopic compositions between xenoliths and Honolulu basalt suggests that the source areas in the mantle are chemically similar. Correlation of 238U/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb of chrome diopside separated from the H-type spinel Iherzolites indicates that the xenoliths are 80±36 Ma, which corresponds to the lithosphere age of the Hawaiian site. This age is consistent with petrological studies [e.g., Sen and Leeman, 1991] which have found that the spinel Iherzolite inclusions are derived from the lithosphere wall rocks. The ɛNd = ˜+8 of the H-xenoliths is slightly lower than that for the East Pacific Rise MORB indicating that the xenoliths are derived from a trace element depleted source similar to the MORB residue. If the garnet Iherzolite xenoliths are derived from mixture of spinel Iherzolite with intrusive pyroxenite, then the source of the pyroxenite contained little plume component. The one exceptional spinel Iherzolite xenolith may be a residue of Koolau-like tholeiitic magma or may have been metasomatized by Koolau volcanism in the deep lithosphere

Cognate xenoliths in Mt. Etna lavas: witnesses of the high-velocity body beneath the volcano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corsaro, Rosa Anna; Rotolo, Silvio Giuseppe; Cocina, Ornella; Tumbarello, Gianvito

2014-01-01

Various xenoliths have been found in lavas of the 1763 ("La Montagnola"), 2001, and 2002-03 eruptions at Mt. Etna whose petrographic evidence and mineral chemistry exclude a mantle origin and clearly point to a cognate nature. Consequently, cognate xenoliths might represent a proxy to infer the nature of the high-velocity body (HVB) imaged beneath the volcano by seismic tomography. Petrography allows us to group the cognate xenoliths as follows: i) gabbros with amphibole and amphibole-bearing mela-gabbros, ii) olivine-bearing leuco-gabbros, iii) leuco-gabbros with amphibole, and iv) Plg-rich leuco gabbros. Geobarometry estimates the crystallization pressure of the cognate xenoliths between 1.9 and 4.1 kbar. The bulk density of the cognate xenoliths varies from 2.6 to 3.0 g/cm3. P wave velocities (V P ), calculated in relation to xenolith density, range from 4.9 to 6.1 km/s. The integration of mineralogical, compositional, geobarometric data, and density-dependent V P with recent literature data on 3D V P seismic tomography enabled us to formulate the first hypothesis about the nature of the HVB which, in the depth range of 3-13 km b.s.l., is likely made of intrusive gabbroic rocks. These are believed to have formed at the "solidification front", a marginal zone that encompasses a deep region (>5 km b.s.l.) of Mt. Etna's plumbing system, within which magma crystallization takes place. The intrusive rocks were afterwards fragmented and transported as cognate xenoliths by the volatile-rich and fast-ascending magmas of the 1763 "La Montagnola", 2001 and 2002-03 eruptions.

Evolution of the lithospheric mantle beneath Mt. Baekdu (Changbaishan): Constraints from geochemical and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic studies on peridotite xenoliths in trachybasalt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Keunsu; Choi, Sung Hi; Cho, Moonsup; Lee, Der-Chuen

2017-08-01

Major and trace element compositions of minerals as well as Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions of clinopyroxenes from spinel peridotite xenoliths entrained in Late Cenozoic trachybasalt from Mt. Baekdu (Changbaishan) were used to elucidate lithospheric mantle formation and evolution in the eastern North China Craton (NCC). The analyzed peridotites were mainly spinel lherzolites with rare harzburgites. They consisted of olivine (Fo89.3-91.0), enstatite (Wo1-2En88-90Fs8-11), diopside (Wo45-50En45-51Fs4-6), and spinel (Cr# = 8.8-54.7). The peridotite residues underwent up to 25% partial melting in fertile mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB) mantle. Plots of the Cr# in spinel against the Mg# in coexisting olivine or spinel suggested an affinity with abyssal peridotites. Comparisons of Cr# and TiO2 in spinel were also compatible with an abyssal peridotite-like composition; however, harzburgites were slightly enriched in TiO2 because of the reaction with MORB-like melt. Temperatures estimated using two-pyroxene thermometry ranged from 750 to 1010 °C, reflecting their lithospheric mantle origin. The rare earth element (REE) patterns in clinopyroxenes of the peridotites varied from light REE (LREE) depleted to spoon shaped to LREE enriched, reflecting secondary overprinting effects of metasomatic melts or fluids on the residues from primordial melting. The calculated trace element pattern of metasomatic melt equilibrated with clinopyroxene in Mt. Baekdu peridotite showed strong enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements, Th and U together with slight fractionation in heavy REEs (HREEs) and considerable depletion in Nb and Ti. The Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions of clinopyroxenes separated from the peridotites varied from more depleted than present-day MORB to bulk Earth values. However, some clinopyroxene showed a decoupling between Nd and Sr isotopes, deviating from the mantle array with a high 87Sr/86Sr ratio. This sample also showed a significant Nd-Hf isotope decoupling lying

Molybdenum isotope fractionation in the mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Yu-Hsuan; Halliday, Alex N.; Siebert, Chris; Fitton, J. Godfrey; Burton, Kevin W.; Wang, Kuo-Lung; Harvey, Jason

2017-02-01

We report double-spike molybdenum (Mo) isotope data for forty-two mafic and fifteen ultramafic rocks from diverse locations and compare these with results for five chondrites. The δ98/95Mo values (normalized to NIST SRM 3134) range from -0.59 ± 0.04 to +0.10 ± 0.08‰. The compositions of one carbonaceous (CI) and four ordinary chondrites are relatively uniform (-0.14 ± 0.01‰, 95% ci (confidence interval)) in excellent agreement with previous data. These values are just resolvable from the mean of 10 mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) (0.00 ± 0.02‰, 95% ci). The compositions of 13 mantle-derived ultramafic xenoliths from Kilbourne Hole, Tariat and Vitim are more diverse (-0.39 to -0.07‰) with a mean of -0.22 ± 0.06‰ (95% ci). On this basis, the isotopic composition of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE or Primitive Mantle) is within error identical to chondrites. The mean Mo concentration of the ultramafic xenoliths (0.19 ± 0.07 ppm, 95% ci) is similar in magnitude to that of MORB (0.48 ± 0.13 ppm, 95% ci), providing evidence, either for a more compatible behaviour than previously thought or for selective Mo enrichment of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Intraplate and ocean island basalts (OIBs) display significant isotopic variability within a single locality from MORB-like to strongly negative (-0.59 ± 0.04‰). The most extreme values measured are for nephelinites from the Cameroon Line and Trinidade, which also have anomalously high Ce/Pb and low Mo/Ce relative to normal oceanic basalts. δ98/95Mo correlates negatively with Ce/Pb and U/Pb, and positively with Mo/Ce, explicable if a phase such as an oxide or a sulphide liquid selectively retains isotopically heavy Mo in the mantle and fractionates its isotopic composition in low degree partial melts. If residual phases retain Mo during partial melting, it is possible that the [Mo] for the BSE may be misrepresented by values estimated from basalts. This would be consistent with the high Mo

Axial-type olivine crystallographic preferred orientations: The effect of strain geometry on mantle texture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatzaras, Vasileios; Kruckenberg, Seth C.; Cohen, Shaina M.; Medaris, L. Gordon; Withers, Anthony C.; Bagley, Brian

2016-07-01

The effect of finite strain geometry on crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) is poorly constrained in the upper mantle. Specifically, the relationship between shape preferred orientation (SPO) and CPO in mantle rocks remains unclear. We analyzed a suite of 40 spinel peridotite xenoliths from Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica. X-ray computed tomography allows for quantification of spinel SPO, which ranges from prolate to oblate shape. Electron backscatter diffraction analysis reveals a range of olivine CPO patterns, including A-type, axial-[010], axial-[100], and B-type patterns. Until now, these CPO types were associated with different deformation conditions, deformation mechanisms, or strain magnitudes. Microstructures and deformation mechanism maps suggest that deformation in all studied xenoliths is dominated by dislocation-accommodated grain boundary sliding. For the range of temperatures (780-1200°C), extraction depths (39-72 km), differential stresses (2-60 MPa), and water content (up to 500 H/106Si) of the xenolith suite, variations in olivine CPO do not correlate with changes in deformation conditions. Here we establish for the first time in naturally deformed mantle rocks that finite strain geometry controls the development of axial-type olivine CPOs; axial-[010] and axial-[100] CPOs form in relation to oblate and prolate fabric ellipsoids, respectively. Girdling of olivine crystal axes results from intracrystalline slip with activation of multiple slip systems and grain boundary sliding. Our results demonstrate that mantle deformation may deviate from simple shear. Olivine texture in field studies and seismic anisotropy in geophysical investigations can provide critical constraints for the 3-D strain in the upper mantle.

A Xenolith Perspective on the Composition and Age of the Northern Tanzanian Lithosphere (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudnick, R. L.; Aulbach, S.; Bellucci, J. J.; Blondes, M. S.; Chesley, J.; Lee, C.; Mansur, A. T.; Manya, S.; McDonough, W. F.

2009-12-01

Study of deep crustal and upper mantle xenoliths from rift volcanoes throughout northern Tanzania provides insights into the architecture of the Tanzanian lithosphere, as well as the interaction of this lithosphere with rift magmas. Like the upper crust, the lower crust and mantle lithosphere of the Tanzanian Craton (TC) and Mozambique Belt (MB) are Archean, but the lower crust of the MB has been thermally reactivated during the pan-African Orogeny, whereas that of the craton has not. In addition, both mantle sections have experienced interaction and heating associated with rift magmas. Cratonic lithospheric mantle is compositionally stratified, with highly refractory but strongly LREE-enriched peridotite comprising the bulk of the section (40-130 km depth), underlain by more fertile and deformed peridotites (130-150 km depth), which are also LREE-enriched. Lithospheric mantle of the MB is highly variable in thickness, ranging from a maximum of ˜150 km at Lashaine to <50 km within the Rift axis near the Kenyan border. Like the cratonic lithosphere, this mantle is also refractory and yields Archean Os model ages throughout. Mantle lithospheres of both the TC and MB have interacted with rift magmas, including carbonatites (at Olmani) and alkali basalts (s.l.), which, in some cases, precipitated veins containing phlogopite or amphibole. Late Pleistocene zircons in one of these veins testify to the youth of this interaction. Rift basalt precipitates that formed in the mantle (pyroxenites and glimmerites) and have, thus, never interacted with continental crust, have radiogenic Os isotopic compositions (γOs = +9), providing strong evidence for a plume source of the rift magmas. Sr and Nd isotopes in cpx from peridotites are highly variable: in some they are completely overprinted by rift magmas, whereas others contain Archean components. Granulite-facies xenoliths throughout northern Tanzania are generally mafic (including anorthositic compositions), with a few

Refertilization of the Subcontinental Lithospheric Mantle and its link to the formation of Metallogenic Provinces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tassara, C. S.; González-Jiménez, J. M.; Reich, M.; Morata, D.; Barra, F.; Gregoire, M.; Saunders, J. E.; Cannatelli, C.

2017-12-01

Refertilisation of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle is a key process controlling the noble metal budget of the mantle, and recent views point to anomalously enriched mantle sources as a critical factor in the formation of noble metal (e.g., Au) provinces at a lithospheric scale. Here we test this hypothesis by studying peridotite xenoliths from the mantle beneath the Deseado Massif auriferous province in southern Patagonia, Argentina. Extensive Neogene back-arc plateau magmatism composed of alkaline basalts ( 3.5 Ma) has brought to the surface deep-seated mantle xenoliths from beneath the crust that host the Au mineralization. In the studied xenolith samples we found gold particles enclosed within primary olivine and pyroxene, and embedded in a highly alkaline interstitial glass or sulphides. Detailed inspection of the sulphide hosts using FESEM reveals abundant native Au nanoparticles, which are consistent with the high Au (up to 6 ppm) obtained by LA-ICP-MS analysis of these sulphides. It is relevant to note that these sulphides also contain significant amounts of Ag (up to 163 ppm). Different generations of sulphides were identified on the basis of their chondrite-normalized PGE patterns, and they can be systematically associated with different events of melt depletion and metasomatism in the mantle. Noticeably, Cu-Pd-Pt-Au rich sulfides are associated with clinopyroxene showing typical carbonatite markers (i.e., large LREE/HREE, Zr and Hf negative anomalies) and accessory minerals such as carbonates and apatite. Still, clinopyroxene commonly has high Ti contents suggesting that a "basaltic" component was also present during the metasomatism. These results suggest that overprinting of events of melt depletion and metasomatism lead to the formation of several generations of sulfides. We propose that the Cu-Pd-Pt-Au rich sulfides may be associated with carbonated silicate melts in the mantle. Our results point to 1) a link between an enriched source of gold

Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes of ultramafic xenoliths in volcanic rocks of Eastern China: enriched components EMI and EMII in subcontinental lithosphere

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tatsumoto, M.; Basu, A.R.; Wankang, H.; Junwen, W.; Guanghong, X.

1992-01-01

The UThPb, SmNd, and RbSr isotopic systematics of mafic and ultramafic xenolithic rocks and associated megacrystic inclusions of aluminous augite and garnet, that occur in three alkalic volcanic suites: Kuandian in eastern Liaoning Province, Hanluoba in Hebei Province, and Minxi in western Fujian Province, China are described. In various isotopic data plots, the inclusion data invariably fall outside the isotopic ranges displayed by the host volcanic rocks, testifying to the true xenolithic nature of the inclusions. The major element partitioning data on Ca, Mg, Fe, and Al among the coexisting silicate minerals of the xenoliths establish their growth at ambient mantle temperatures of 1000-1100??C and possible depths of 70-80 km in the subcontinental lithosphere. Although the partitioning of these elements reflects equilibrium between coexisting minerals, equilibria of the Pb, Nd, and Sr isotopic systems among the minerals were not preserved. The disequilibria are most notable with respect to the 206Pb 204Pb ratios of the minerals. On a NdSr isotopic diagram, the inclusion data plot in a wider area than that for oceanic basalts from a distinctly more depleted component than MORB with higher 143Nd 144Nd and a much broader range of 87Sr 86Sr values, paralleling the theoretical trajectory of a sea-water altered lithosphere in NdSr space. The garnets consistently show lower ?? and ?? values than the pyroxenes and pyroxenites, whereas a phlogopite shows the highest ?? and ?? values among all the minerals and rocks studied. In a plot of ??207 and ??208, the host basalts for all three areas show lower ??207 and higher ??208 values than do the xenoliths, indicating derivation of basalts from Th-rich (relative to U) sources and xenoliths from U-rich sources. The xenolith data trends toward the enriched mantle components, EMI and EMII-like, characterized by high 87Sr 86Sr and ??207 values but with slightly higher 143Nd 144Nd. The EMI trend is shown more distinctly by the host

Persistence of fertile and hydrous lithospheric mantle beneath the northwestern Ethiopian plateau: Evidence from modal, trace element and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions of amphibole-bearing mantle xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alemayehu, Melesse; Zhang, Hong-Fu; Aulbach, Sonja

2017-07-01

We present new trace element compositions of amphiboles, Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions of clinopyroxenes and mineral modes for spinel peridotite xenoliths that were entrained in a Miocene alkali basalt (Gundeweyn, northwestern Ethiopian plateau), in order to understand the geochemical evolution and variation occurring within the continental lithospheric mantle (CLM) in close proximity to the East African Rift system, and its dynamic implications. With the exception of a single amphibole-bearing sample that is depleted in LREE (La/YbN = 0.45 × Cl), amphiboles in lherzolites and in one harzburgite show variable degrees of LREE enrichment (La/YbN = 2.5-12.1 × Cl) with flat HREE (Dy/YbN = 1.5-2.1 × Cl). Lherzolitic clinoyroxenes have 87Sr/86Sr (0.70227 to 0.70357), 143Nd/144Nd (0.51285 to 0.51346), and 176Hf/177Hf (0.28297 to 0.28360) ranging between depleted lithosphere and enriched mantle. LREE-enriched clinopyroxenes generally have more enriched isotope compositions than depleted ones. While lherzolites with isotope compositions similar to those of the Afar plume result from the most recent metasomatic overprint, isotope compositions more depleted than present-day MORB can be explained by an older melt extraction and/or isotopic rehomogenisation event, possibly related to the Pan-African orogeny. Several generations of amphibole are recognized in accord with this multi-stage evolution. Texturally unequilibrated amphibole occurring within the peridotite matrix and in melt pockets attest to continued hydration and refertilization of the lithospheric mantle subsequent to Oligocene flood basalt magmatism, during which an earlier-emplaced inventory of amphibole was likely largely consumed. However, a single harzburgite contains amphibole with the highest Mg# and lowest TiO2 content, which is interpreted as sampling a volumetrically subordinate mantle region beneath the Ethiopian plateau that was not tapped during flood basalt magmatism. Strikingly, both trace

Mantle wedge infiltrated with saline fluids from dehydration and decarbonation of subducting slab

PubMed Central

Kawamoto, Tatsuhiko; Yoshikawa, Masako; Kumagai, Yoshitaka; Mirabueno, Ma. Hannah T.; Okuno, Mitsuru; Kobayashi, Tetsuo

2013-01-01

Slab-derived fluids play an important role in heat and material transfer in subduction zones. Dehydration and decarbonation reactions of minerals in the subducting slab have been investigated using phase equilibria and modeling of fluid flow. Nevertheless, direct observations of the fluid chemistry and pressure–temperature conditions of fluids are few. This report describes CO2-bearing saline fluid inclusions in spinel-harzburgite xenoliths collected from the 1991 Pinatubo pumice deposits. The fluid inclusions are filled with saline solutions with 5.1 ± 1.0% (wt) NaCl-equivalent magnesite crystals, CO2-bearing vapor bubbles, and a talc and/or chrysotile layer on the walls. The xenoliths contain tremolite amphibole, which is stable in temperatures lower than 830 °C at the uppermost mantle. The Pinatubo volcano is located at the volcanic front of the Luzon arc associated with subduction of warm oceanic plate. The present observation suggests hydration of forearc mantle and the uppermost mantle by slab-derived CO2-bearing saline fluids. Dehydration and decarbonation take place, and seawater-like saline fluids migrate from the subducting slab to the mantle wedge. The presence of saline fluids is important because they can dissolve more metals than pure H2O and affect the chemical evolution of the mantle wedge. PMID:23716664

Mantle wedge infiltrated with saline fluids from dehydration and decarbonation of subducting slab.

PubMed

Kawamoto, Tatsuhiko; Yoshikawa, Masako; Kumagai, Yoshitaka; Mirabueno, Ma Hannah T; Okuno, Mitsuru; Kobayashi, Tetsuo

2013-06-11

Slab-derived fluids play an important role in heat and material transfer in subduction zones. Dehydration and decarbonation reactions of minerals in the subducting slab have been investigated using phase equilibria and modeling of fluid flow. Nevertheless, direct observations of the fluid chemistry and pressure-temperature conditions of fluids are few. This report describes CO2-bearing saline fluid inclusions in spinel-harzburgite xenoliths collected from the 1991 Pinatubo pumice deposits. The fluid inclusions are filled with saline solutions with 5.1 ± 1.0% (wt) NaCl-equivalent magnesite crystals, CO2-bearing vapor bubbles, and a talc and/or chrysotile layer on the walls. The xenoliths contain tremolite amphibole, which is stable in temperatures lower than 830 °C at the uppermost mantle. The Pinatubo volcano is located at the volcanic front of the Luzon arc associated with subduction of warm oceanic plate. The present observation suggests hydration of forearc mantle and the uppermost mantle by slab-derived CO2-bearing saline fluids. Dehydration and decarbonation take place, and seawater-like saline fluids migrate from the subducting slab to the mantle wedge. The presence of saline fluids is important because they can dissolve more metals than pure H2O and affect the chemical evolution of the mantle wedge.

Lithium elemental and isotopic disequilibrium in minerals from peridotite xenoliths from far- east Russia: product of recent melt/fluid-rock reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudnick, R. L.; Ionov, D. A.

2006-12-01

Peridotite xenoliths from the Tok and Barhatny localities in far-east Russia are characterized by strong Li elemental and isotopic disequilibria caused by addition of Li to the rocks via diffusion from a small-volume grain boundary fluid or melt. Because Li diffuses rapidly at mantle temperatures, the disequilibrium is a transient feature and its preservation in these samples indicates that Li addition occurred shortly before or even during the entrainment of the xenoliths in the host basalts. δ&^{7}Licpx is consistently lower than that of coexisting olivines and Δ&^{7}Liol-cpx, which ranges from 2.8 to 22.9‰,correlates with bulk rock composition. The most refractory samples experienced the greatest overall Li addition and most closely approximate elemental and isotopic equilibrium due to longer equilibration times and probably also greater infiltration of the Li-bearing melt or fluid. The variable but often extreme isotopic compositions produced by this process (δ&^{7}Licpx down to -15 and δ&^{7}Liol up to +12) do not reflect the presence of an isotopically exotic recycled component, as has been previously inferred for xenoliths from this region. The best estimate for the δ&^{7}Li of the source of the Li in the Tok xenoliths is δ&^{7}Li = +1.4, which is identical to that of the host basalt. A single sample from the Koppy locality, which is situated closest to the paleo-Pacific subduction zone, shows both elemental and isotopic equilibration of Li and has a "normal" δ&^{7}Licpx of +3.5. The analytically identical δ&^{7}Li of olivine and cpx from this sample, coupled with its relatively low equilibration temperature of 990°C suggests that there is no discernible Li isotopic fractionation between coexisting minerals at mantle temperatures. This study highlights the very large isotopic effects that can be produced via kinetic fractionation in peridotite xenoliths at high temperatures and associated with host-rock xenolith interactions.

Dikes, joints, and faults in the upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilshire, H. G.; Kirby, S. H.

1989-04-01

Three different types of macroscopic fractures are recognized in upper-mantle and lower-crustal xenoliths in volcanic rocks from around the world: (1) joints that are tensile fractures not occupied by crystallized magma products (2) dikes that are tensile fractures occupied by mafic magmas crystallized to pyroxenites, gabbros or hydrous-mineral-rich rocks, (3) faults that are unfilled shear fractures with surface markings indicative of shear displacement. In addition to intra-xenolith fractures, xenoliths commonly have polygonal or faceted shapes that represent fractures exploited during incorporation of the xenoliths into the host magma that brought them to the surface. The various types of fractures are considered to have formed in response to the pressures associated with magmatic fluids and to the ambient tectonic stress field. The presence of fracture sets and crosscutting relations indicate that both magma-filled and unfilled fractures can be contemporaneous and that the local stress field can change with time, leading to repeated episodes of fracture. These observations give insight into the nature of deep fracture processes and the importance of fluid-peridotite interactions in the mantle. We suggest that unfilled fractures were opened by volatile fluids exsolved from ascending magmas to the tops of growing dikes. These volatile fluids are important because they are of low viscosity and can rapidly transmit fluid pressure to dike and fault tips and because they lower the energy and tectonic stresses required to extend macroscopic cracks and to allow sliding on pre-existing fractures. Mantle seismicity at depths of 20-65 km beneath active volcanic centers in Hawaii corresponds to the depth interval where CO 2-rich fluids are expected to be liberated from ascending basaltic magmas, suggesting that such fluids play an important role in facilitating earthquake instabilities in the presence of tectonic stresses. Other phenomena related to the fractures include

Mesozoic crustal thickening of the eastern North China craton: Evidence from eclogite xenoliths and petrologic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wenliang; Gao, Shan; Wang, Qinghai; Wang, Dongyan; Liu, Yongsheng

2006-09-01

A suite of xenoliths of eclogite, garnet clinopyroxenite, and felsic gneiss is found in Early Cretaceous high-Mg [Mg# >45, where Mg# = molar 100 × Mg/(Mg + Fetotal)] adakitic intrusions from the Xuzhou-Huaibei (Xu-Huai) region along the southeastern margin of the North China craton. The primary mineral assemblage of garnet + omphacite/augite + quartz + rutile ± pargasite of the eclogite and garnet clinopyroxenite xenoliths defines a minimum pressure of >1.5 GPa, while the estimated peak metamorphic temperatures range from 800 to 1060 °C. An Sm-Nd whole-rock garnet isochron and zircon U-Pb dates show that timing of the eclogite facies metamorphism took place ca. 220 Ma. This Triassic age agrees with the age of eclogites from the Dabie-Sulu ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic (UHPM) belt. The ages of abundant Late Archean to early Paleoproterozoic (2.3 2.6Ga) inherited zircons correspond to the most prominent crustal growth event in the North China craton. In addition, these xenoliths and their host high-Mg adakitic intrusions have complementary major and trace element compositions, suggesting that the adakites formed by partial melting of Archean metabasalts that were the protoliths of the Xu-Huai eclogite and garnet clinopyroxenite xenoliths. Trace element and Sr-Nd isotopic modeling shows that the high-Mg adakitic intrusions can be modeled as melts from ˜40% partial melting of the metabasalts in the eclogite facies, followed by interaction with the convecting mantle and variable degrees of crustal assimilation. Together with the similar zircon age populations between the xenoliths and the host rocks, these lines of evidence strongly suggest their genetic link via thickening, foundering, and partial melting of the Archean North China craton mafic lower crust, followed by adakitic melt-mantle interaction. The crustal thickening resulted from Triassic collision between the Yangtze craton and the North China craton, which produced the Dabie-Sulu UHPM belt in the

Origin and Distribution of Water Contents in Continental and Oceanic Lithospheric Mantle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peslier, Anne H.

2013-01-01

The water content distribution of the upper mantle will be reviewed as based on the peridotite record. The amount of water in cratonic xenoliths appears controlled by metasomatism while that of the oceanic mantle retains in part the signature of melting events. In both cases, the water distribution is heterogeneous both with depth and laterally, depending on localized water re-enrichments next to melt/fluid channels. The consequence of the water distribution on the rheology of the upper mantle and the location of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary will also be discussed.

Group II Xenoliths from Lunar Crater Volcanic Field, Central Nevada: Evidence for a Kinked Geotherm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roden, M.; Mosely, J.; Norris, J.

2015-12-01

Group II xenoliths associated with the 140 Ka Easy Chair Crater, Lunar Crater volcanic field, NV, consist of amphibole rich-inclusions including amphibolites, pyroxenites, and gabbros. Abundant minerals in these inclusions are kaersutite, aluminous (7.3-9.7 wt% Al2O3), calcic clinopyroxene, primarily diopside, and olivine (Mg# 69-73) with accessory spinel, sulfide and apatite. Although most apatites are fluor-hydroxyapatite solid solutions, one xenolith contains Cl- and OH-rich apatite suggesting that Cl may have been an important constituent in the parent magma(s) . The xenoliths show abundant evidence for equilibration at relatively low temperatures including amphibole and orthopyroxene exsolution in clinopyroxene, and granules of magnetite in hercynite hosts. If latter texture is due to exsolution, then this particular Group II xenolith equilibrated at temperatures near or below 500oC or at a depth of about 15 km along a conductive geotherm. It may be that all the Group II xenoliths equilibrated at low temperatures given the abundant exsolution textures although Fe-Mg exchange relations suggest equilibration at temperatures in excess of 800oC. Low equilibration temperatures are in conflict with the unusually high equilibration temperatures, >1200oC (Smith, 2000) displayed by Group I xenoliths from this same volcanic field. Taken at face value, the geothermometric results indicate unusually high temperatures in the upper mantle, normal temperatures in the crust and the possibility of a kinked geotherm in the region. Curiously the LCVF lies in an area of "normal" heat flow, south of the Battle Mountain area of high heat flow but the number of heat flow measurements in the Lunar Crater area is very low (Humphreys et al., 2003; Sass, 2005). References: Humphreys et al., 2003, Int. Geol. Rev. 45: 575; Sass et al., 2005, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1207/; Smith, 2000, JGR 105: 16769.

Neodymium Isotope Variability at the Grain Scale in the Sub-Continental Lithospheric Mantle: NdO+ Analyses of Individual Clinopyroxene Grains (<5 ng Nd aliquots) from a Kilbourne Hole Harzburgitic Xenolith.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harvey, J.; Honn, D.; Baxter, E. F.; Warren, J. M.; Hammond, S.; Walshaw, R.

2014-12-01

It is evident that at scales of 102 to 10-2 m there is significant isotopic heterogeneity in the mantle that is not always reflected in primitive melts. The "Os isotopic gap"[1] is one such manifestation of this phenomenon but a similar offset exists between the Nd isotope composition of abyssal peridotites and the mid-ocean ridge basalts that they are inferred to have produced[2]. This study takes advantage of recent advances in the analysis of Nd isotopes as NdO+[3,4] which permit the precise analysis of single clinopyroxene grains (<1 mg mass; <5 ng Nd) from a continental harzburgitic xenolith from Kilbourne Hole, NM. Analyses of aggregates of clinopyroxenes from 5 Kilbourne Hole xenoliths reveal a wide range of 143Nd/144Nd (0.513011 ± 28 to 0.513615 ±19)[5]. This study demonstrates significant grain-to-grain isotopic heterogeneity at a scale of 10-2 m (143Nd/144Nd = 0.513089 ± 78 to 0.513364 ± 74) which (i) is equivalent to the range of values for Pacific MORB[6] and (ii) is more primitive than local basalts with an asthenospheric signature[7]. This suggests that small-scale refractory domains exist within the mantle which are either not sampled during partial melting or whose presence is obscured by the melting of higher volumes of more fusible material. Ref:[1]Alard et al. (2005) Nature 436, 1005-1008 [2]Warren et al. (2009) JGR 114, B12203, doi:10.1029/2008JB006186 [3]Harvey and Baxter (2009) Chem. Geol. 258, 251-257 [4]Honn et al. (2013) AGU Fall abstr. V33-2722 [5]Harvey et al. (2012) J. Petrol. 53, 1709-1742 [6]Hofmann (1997) Nature 385, 219-229 [7]Thompson et al. (2005) J. Petrol. 46, 1603-1643

Amphibole incongruent melting under Lithospheric Mantle conditions in spinel peridotites from Balaton area, Hungary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ntaflos, Theodoros; Abart, Rainer; Bizimis, Michel

2017-04-01

Pliocene alkali basalts from the western Pannonian Basin carry mantle xenoliths comprising hydrous and anhydrous spinel peridotites. We studied coarse and fine grained fertile to depleted spinel lherzolites, spinel harzubrgites and dunites from Szentbékálla, Balaton, in detail, using XRF, EPMA and LA-ICP-MS and MC-ICP-MS techniques. Pliocene alkali basalts containing mantle xenoliths with three major types of textures are widespread in the studied area: fine-grained primary and secondary equigranular, coarse-grained protogranular and transitional between equigranular and protogranular textures. Melt pockets, are common in the studied xenoliths. The shape of several melt pockets resembles euhedral amphibole. Other samples have thin films of intergranular glass attributed to the host basalt infiltration. Calculations have shown that such xenoliths experienced an up to 2.4% host basalt infiltration. The bulk rock Al2O3 and CaO concentrations vary from 0.75 to 4.1 and from 0.9 to 3.6 wt% respectively, and represent residues after variable degrees of partial melting. Using bulk rock major element abundances, the estimated degree of partial melting ranges from 4 to 20%.. The Primitive Mantle normalized clinopyroxene trace element abundances reveal a complicated evolution of the Lithospheric mantle underneath Balaton, which range from partial melting to modal and cryptic metasomatism. Subduction-related melt/fluids and/or infiltration of percolating undersaturated melts could be account for the metasomatic processes. The radiogenic isotopes of Sr, Nd and Hf in clinopyroxene suggest that this metasomatism was a relatively recent event. Textural evidence suggests that the calcite filling up the vesicles in the melt pockets and in veinlets cross-cutting the constituent minerals is of epigenetic nature and not due to carbonatite metasomatism. Mass balance calculations have shown that the bulk composition of the melt pockets is identical to small amphibole relics found as

Geochemistry, mineralogy, and zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopes in peraluminous A-type granite xenoliths in Pliocene-Pleistocene basalts of northern Pannonian Basin (Slovakia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huraiová, Monika; Paquette, Jean-Louis; Konečný, Patrik; Gannoun, Abdel-Mouhcine; Hurai, Vratislav

2017-08-01

Anorogenic granite xenoliths occur in alkali basalts coeval with the Pliocene-Pleistocene continental rifting of the Pannonian Basin. Observed granite varieties include peraluminous, calcic to peralkalic, magnesian to ferroan types. Quartz and feldspars are dominant rock-forming minerals, accompanied by minor early ilmenite and late magnetite-ulvöspinel. Zircon and Nb-U-REE minerals (oxycalciopyrochlore, fergusonite, columbite) are locally abundant accessory phases in calc-alkalic types. Absence of OH-bearing Fe, Mg-silicates and presence of single homogeneous feldspars (plagioclase in calcic types, anorthoclase in calc-alkalic types, ferrian Na-sanidine to anorthoclase in alkalic types) indicate water-deficient, hypersolvus crystallization conditions. Variable volumes of interstitial glass, absence of exsolutions, and lacking deuteric hydrothermal alteration and/or metamorphic/metasomatic overprint are diagnostic of rapid quenching from hypersolidus temperatures. U-Pb zircon ages determined in calcic and calc-alkalic granite xenoliths correspond to a time interval between 5.7 and 5.2 Ma. Positive ɛHf values (14.2 ± 3.9) in zircons from a 5.2-Ma-old calc-alkalic granite xenolith indicate mantle-derived magmas largely unaffected by the assimilation of crustal material. This is in accordance with abundances of diagnostic trace elements (Rb, Y, Nb, Ta), indicating A1-type, OIB-like source magmas. Increased accumulations of Nb-U-REE minerals in these granites indicate higher degree of the magmatic differentiation reflected in Rb-enrichment, contrasting with Ba-enrichment in barren xenoliths. Incipient charnockitization, i.e. orthopyroxene and ilmenite crystallization from interstitial silicate melt, was observed in many granite xenoliths. Thermodynamic modeling using pseudosections showed that the orthopyroxene growth may have been triggered by water exsolution from the melt during ascent of xenoliths in basaltic magma. Euhedral-to-skeletal orthopyroxene growth

In-situ trace element and Sr isotopic compositions of mantle xenoliths constrain two-stage metasomatism beneath the northern North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Dan; Liu, Yongsheng; Chen, Chunfei; Xu, Rong; Ducea, Mihai N.; Hu, Zhaochu; Zong, Keqing

2017-09-01

Subduction and collision are the key processes triggering geochemical refertilization of the lithospheric mantle beneath cratons. However, the way that the subducted plate influences the cratonic lithospheric mantle remains unclear. Here, in-situ major and trace-element and Sr isotopic compositions of peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths carried by the Dongbahao Cenozoic basalts, located close to the northern margin of North China Craton (NCC), were examined to investigate the effects of the subducted Paleo-Asian oceanic plate on the lithospheric mantle of the NCC. Based on petrographic and geochemical features, peridotites were subdivided into two types recording two-stage metasomatism. Clinopyroxene (Cpx) in both types of peridotites show chemical zoning. In those peridotites we refer to as Type 1 peridotites, Cpx exhibit uniform convex-upward rare earth element (REE) patterns but core-rim variations in 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7065-0.7082 in the cores and 0.7043-0.7059 in the spongy rims), and have high (La/Yb)N ratios (> 1.12) (N means normalized to chondrite), relatively low Ti/Eu ratios (< 3756) and negative high field strength element (HFSE) (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf and Ti) anomalies in the cores, indicating early-stage metasomatism by carbonatitic melts derived from the subducted sedimentary carbonate rocks. Cpx in the Type 2 peridotites have highly variable REE patterns (from light rare earth element (LREE)-depleted to LREE-enriched) and feature zoned Sr isotopic compositions contrasting to those in Type 1, i.e., increasing 87Sr/86Sr ratios from the cores (0.7020-0.7031) to the spongy rims (0.7035-0.7041). Accompanying variations of 87Sr/86Sr ratios, Cpx in both types of peridotites display increasing Nb/La ratios from the cores to the spongy rims. In addition, Cpx in the Type 2 peridotites show remarkably increased (La/Yb)N, Ca/Al, Sm/Hf and Zr/Hf ratios but decreased Ti/Eu and Ti/Nb ratios from the cores to the spongy rims. These features imply a later

Foundering Triggered by the Collision of India and Asia Captured in Xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaffer, Madeline; Hacker, Bradley R.; Ratschbacher, Lothar; Kylander-Clark, Andrew R. C.

2017-10-01

Xenoliths that erupted in the SE Pamir of Tajikistan from 1000 to 1050°C and 90 km depth illuminate what happens when crust founders into the mantle. 40Ar/39Ar dating of minerals from the xenoliths and volcanic host rocks of the shoshonitic Dunkeldik pipe and dike field indicates eruption at 11.2 ± 0.2 Ma. U-Pb and trace element laser-ablation split stream inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry of zircon shows that the igneous and metasedimentary xenoliths were likely derived from the crustal section into which they were intruded: the Jurassic-Cretaceous Andean-style magmatic arc and its Proterozoic-Mesozoic host rocks along the southern margin of Asia. Recrystallization of these zircons was extensive, yielding a range of dates down to 11 Ma. The zircons show distinct changes in Eu anomaly, Lu/Gd ratio, and Ti concentrations compatible with garnet growth and minimal heating at 22-20 Ma and then 200-300°C of heating, 25 km of burial, and alkali-carbonate melt injection at 14-11 Ma. These changes are interpreted to coincide with (i) heat input due to Indian slab breakoff at 22-20 Ma and (ii) rapid thickening and foundering of the Pamir lithosphere at 14-11 Ma, prior to and synchronous with collision between deep Indian and Asian lithospheres beneath the Pamir.

Processes accompanying of mantle plume emplacement into continental lithosphere: Evidence from NW Arabian plate, Western Syria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharkov, E. V.

2015-12-01

Lower crustal xenoliths occurred in the Middle Cretaceous lamprophyre diatremes in Jabel Ansaria (Western Syria) (Sharkov et al., 1992). They are represented mainly garnet granulites and eclogite-like rocks, which underwent by deformations and retrograde metamorphism, and younger fresh pegmatoid garnet-kaersutite-clinopyroxene (Al-Ti augite) rocks; mantle peridotites are absent in these populations. According to mineralogical geothermobarometers, forming of garnet-granulite suite rocks occurred under pressure 13.5-15.4 kbar (depths 45-54 kn) and temperature 965-1115oC. At the same time, among populations of mantle xenoliths in the Late Cenozoic platobasalts of the region, quite the contrary, lower crustal xenoliths are absent, however, predominated spinel lherzolites (fragments of upper cooled rim of a plume head), derived from the close depths (30-40 km: Sharkov, Bogatikov, 2015). From this follows that ancient continental crust was existed here even in the Middle Cretaceous, but in the Late Cenozoic was removed by extended mantle plume head; at that upper sialic crust was not involved in geomechanic processes, because Precambrian metamorphic rocks survived as a basement for Cambrian to Cenozoic sedimentary cover of Arabian platform. In other words, though cardinal rebuilding of deep-seated structure of the region occurred in the Late Cenozoic but it did not affect on the upper shell of the ancient lithosphere. Because composition of mantle xenolithis in basalts is practically similar worldwide, we suggest that deep-seated processes are analogous also. As emplacement of the mantle plume heads accompanied by powerful basaltic magmatism, very likely that range of lower (mafic) continental crust existence is very convenient for extension of plume heads and their adiabatic melting. If such level, because of whatever reasons, was not reached, melting was limited but appeared excess of volatile matters which led to forming of lamprophyre or even kimberlite.

Fluid-Enhanced Annealing in the Subcontinental Lithospheric Mantle Beneath the Westernmost Margin of the Carpathian-Pannonian Extensional Basin System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aradi, L. E.; Hidas, K.; Kovács, I. J.; Tommasi, A.; Klébesz, R.; Garrido, C. J.; Szabó, C.

2017-12-01

Mantle xenoliths from the Styrian Basin Volcanic Field (Western Pannonian Basin, Austria) are mostly coarse granular amphibole-bearing spinel lherzolites with microstructures attesting for extensive annealing. Olivine and pyroxene CPO (crystal-preferred orientation) preserve nevertheless the record of coeval deformation during a preannealing tectonic event. Olivine shows transitional CPO symmetry from [010]-fiber to orthogonal type. In most samples with [010]-fiber olivine CPO symmetry, the [001] axes of the pyroxenes are also dispersed in the foliation plane. This CPO patterns are consistent with lithospheric deformation accommodated by dislocation creep in a transpressional tectonic regime. The lithospheric mantle deformed most probably during the transpressional phase after the Penninic slab breakoff in the Eastern Alps. The calculated seismic properties of the xenoliths indicate that a significant portion of shear wave splitting delay times in the Styrian Basin (0.5 s out of approximately 1.3 s) may originate in a highly annealed subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Hydroxyl content in olivine is correlated to the degree of annealing, with higher concentrations in the more annealed textures. Based on the correlation between microstructures and hydroxyl content in olivine, we propose that annealing was triggered by percolation of hydrous fluids/melts in the shallow subcontinental lithospheric mantle. A possible source of these fluids/melts is the dehydration of the subducted Penninic slab beneath the Styrian Basin. The studied xenoliths did not record the latest large-scale geodynamic events in the region—the Miocene extension then tectonic inversion of the Pannonian Basin.

An oxidizing agent of the mantle wedge: sulfate in saline fluid inclusions in harzburgite xenoliths from Pinatubo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawamoto, T.; Kimura, J. I.; Chang, Q.; Yoshikawa, M.; Okuno, M.; Kobayashi, T.

2017-12-01

Sulfate ion and minerals were found in the H2O-CO2-(Na0.75K0.25)Cl fluid inclusions in the harzburgite xenoliths from Pinatubo, a frontal volcano located at the Luzon arc, the Philippines (Kawamoto et al. PNAS 2013). The Na/K ratio was determined in the fluid inclusions in olivine using a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry equipped with a 266 nm femtosecond laser ablation system. Thanks to a newly installed Raman mapping system, SO4 2- ion, gypsum (CaSO4 · 2H2O) and/or anhydrite (CaSO4) or hexahydrite (MgSO4 · 6H2O) were found (Frezzotti et al. JGE 2012) in one fourth of the fluid inclusions. Kumagai et al. (2014 CMP) reported a presence of Mg-sulfate hydrite in CO2-H2O-Cl fluid inclusions in the Ichinomegata lherzolite xenoliths from northeastern Japan; however, we had not found sulfur in the Pinatubo in our previous work (Kawamoto et al. PNAS 2013).Sulfur contents in the Pinatubo fluid inclusions can be <0.0025 S/H2O wt based on the method of Binder and Keppler (2011 EPSL). This is consistent with those in serpentinites (Alt et al. 2012 EPSL). Origin of the fluids in the Pinatubo harzburgite is supposed to be from serpentinites whose water was originally brought via sedimentary pore fluids on the basis of halogen systematics (Kobayashi et al., 2017 EPSL). High Pb contents in the amphiboles from the Pinatubo harzburgite (Yoshikawa et al. 2016 Lithos) can be explained by such sulfate bearing fluids.Olivine-hosted melt inclusions show a positive correlation between water contents and Fe3+/Fe2+ ratios (Kelley and Cottrell 2009 Science). Presence of sulfate ions in the slab-derived fluids further supports their observation. This also provides insights into the genesis of calc-alkaline rock series characterized by a high oxygen fugacity (Miyashiro 1974 Am J Sci). Our observation solves the missing link between high-S in arc magmas (Le Voyer 2010 J Petrol) and presence of sulfate in the slab serpentinites (Alt et al. 2012) and high

Formation and metasomatism of continental lithospheric mantle in intra-plate and subduction-related tectonic settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ionov, Dmitri

2010-05-01

Our knowledge of the origin and evolution of the continental lithospheric mantle (CLM) remains fragmentary and partly controversial in spite of recent advances in petrologic, geochemical and geophysical studies of the deep Earth and experimental work. Debate continues on a number of essential topics, like relative contributions of partial melting, metasomatism and ‘re-fertilisation' as well as the timing, conditions and tectonic settings of those processes. These topics can be addressed by studies of ultramafic xenoliths in volcanic rocks which arguably provide the least altered samples of modern and ancient CLM. The subcontinental lithosphere is thought to be a mantle region from which melts have been extracted, thus making the lithosphere more refractory. Melting degrees can be estimated from Al contents while the depth of melt extraction can be assessed from Al-Fe (Mg#) relations in unmetasomatized melting residues in comparison with experimental data, e.g. [1]. High silica and opx in the residues may indicate melting in water-rich conditions. High-precision Mg# and Mn for olivine may constrain degrees and conditions of partial melting and/or metasomatism, tectonic settings, modal compositions (e.g. presence of garnet) and equilibration conditions of mantle peridotites [2]. These estimates require both adequate sampling and high-quality major element and modal data; sampling and analytical uncertainties in published work may contribute substantially to chemical heterogeneities (and different origins) inferred for CLM domains [3]. Very fertile peridotite xenolith suites are rare worldwide [3]. They were initially viewed as representing mantle domains that experienced only very small degrees of melt extraction but are attributed by some workers to ‘refertilization' of refractory mantle by percolating asthenospheric melts. Such alternative mechanisms might be valid for some rare hybrid and Fe-enriched peridotites but they fail to comprehensively explain modal

Multi-Isotopic evidence from West Eifel Xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiemens, M. M.; Sprung, P.

2015-12-01

Mantle Xenoliths from the West Eifel intraplate volcanic field of Germany provide insights into the nature and evolution of the regional continental lithospheric mantle. Previous isotope studies have suggested a primary Paleoproterozoic depletion age, a second partial melting event in the early Cambrian, and a Variscan metasomatic overprint. Textural and Sr-Nd isotopic observations further suggest two episodes of melt infiltration of early Cretaceous and Quaternary age. We have investigated anhydrous, vein-free lherzolites from this region, focusing on the Dreiser Weiher and Meerfelder Maar localities. Hand separated spinel, olivine, ortho- and clinopryoxene, along with host and bulk rocks were dissolved and purified for Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and Lu-Hf analysis on the Cologne/Bonn Neptune MC-ICP-MS. We find an unexpected discontinuity between mineral separates and whole rocks. While the latter have significantly more radiogenic ɛNd and ɛHf, mineral separates imply close-to chondritic compositions. Our Lu-Hf data imply resetting of the Lu-Hf systematic after 200 Ma. Given the vein-free nature of the lherzolites, this appears to date to the second youngest metasomatic episode. We suggest that markedly radiogenic Nd and Hf were introduced during the Quarternary metasomatic episode and most likely reside on grain boundaries.

An ancient depleted mantle sample from a 42-Ma dike in Montana: Constraints on persistence of the lithosphere during Eocene Magmatism

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dudas, F.O.; Harlan, S.S.

1999-01-01

Recent models for the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the western margin of North America propose that delamination of ancient lithosphere accompanied asthenospheric upwelling, magmatism, and uplift subsequent to Laramide deformation. On the basis of the age of an alkaline dike in south-central Montana, thermometry of mantle xenoliths from the dike, and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions of the dike and a xenocryst, we show that refractory lithosphere, derived from ancient, depleted mantle, remained in place under the Wyoming Craton as late as 42 Ma. The Haymond School Dike, a camptonite, yields a 40Ar/39Ar plateau date of 41.97 ?? 0.19 Ma (2??). Paleomagnetic data are consistent with this date and indicate intrusion during chron C19r. The dike has Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions similar to those of other Eocene alkaline rocks from central Montana. A clinopyroxene megacryst from the dike has ??42 = 17, and 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70288, indicating that it derives from ancient, depleted mantle isotopically distinct from the source of the host camptonite. Thermometry of xenoliths from the dike shows pyroxene populations that formed at 880?? and 1200??C. Combining thermometry with previous estimates of the regional Eocene geotherm inferred from xenoliths in kimberlites, and with the Al-in-orthopyroxene barometer, we infer that lithospheric mantle remained intact to depths of 110-150 km as late as 42 Ma. Eocene magmatism was not accompanied by complete removal of ancient lithosphere.

Plume-lithosphere interaction: Effects on the seismic anisotropy of the lithospheric mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vauchez, A.; Tommasi, A.

2003-04-01

Interaction between a hot asthenospheric mantle and the base of the lithosphere above a mantle plume involves heat and mass transfer through melting and fluids percolation. These processes alter the mineralogy, microstructure and geochemical signature of the lithospheric mantle; altogether they lead to an asthenospherization, and thus to erosion of the lithosphere. Does this evolution modify or even erase the seismic anisotropy of the initial lithospheric mantle? In other words, is the structural memory of the lithospheric mantle preserved in such geodynamic situations? Insights on this process are provided by the measurement of the Lattice Preferred Orientation of rock-forming minerals and the computation of seismic properties of mantle rocks from the Ronda Peridotite Massif, and of xenoliths from Tanzania and Polynesia volcanoes. The Ronda massif displays clear microstructural and geochemical variations characterizing the limit between an ancient lithospheric mantle and its asthenospherized counterpart that has undergone partial melting and magmas percolation. The LPO measured in peridotites from both domains is quite similar and so are seismic properties, suggesting that the tectonic fabric inherited from previous deformation and the resulting seismic anisotropy are only slightly modified by asthenospherization. The Labait volcano in Tanzania sampled the Tanzania craton lithospheric mantle at depths between 150 km and less than 70 km. Although significant annealing and exaggerated grain growth of olivine occur between 70 km and 120 km the olivine LPO does not vary significantly, suggesting that the initial anisotropy of the lithospheric was preserved. Xenoliths from several Polynesian volcanoes display composition and geochemistry that suggest percolation of variable amounts of melt in the lithospheric mantle up to relatively shallow depths. Samples that have underwent the most percolation display very weak olivine LPO, and are almost seismically isotropic

Primary differentiation in the early Earth: Nd and Sr isotopic evidence from diamondiferous eclogites for both old depleted and old enriched mantle, Yakutia, Siberia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, Gregory A.; Jerde, Eric A.; Taylor, Lawrence A.; Halliday, Alex N.; Sobolev, Vladimir N.; Sobolev, Nickolai V.; Clayton, Robert N.; Mayeda, Toshiko K.; Deines, Peter

1993-01-01

Ancient, stable, continental cratons possess thick, subcontinental-lithospheric mantle 'keels' which favor particularly the emplacement of diamondiferous kimberlites and included peridotites and eclogites. These refractory mantle samples of the roots provide hard constraints on the theories of formation, growth, and evolution of these cratons. Xenoliths containing only primary garnet and clinopyroxene (eclogites), although rare in most kimberlites, can retain the geochemical signatures of their parent protoliths (e.g., subducted oceanic crust, ancient mantle) thus offering the opportunity to address mantle processes which may have taken place at earlier times in the Earth's history. In fact, it has been postulated that some eclogites are residues from the accretion of the early Earth. Nd and Sr isotopic data are presented which may be interpreted as evidence of an early (greater than 4 Ga) mantle differentiation event. The kimberlites of Yakutia are located both marginal and central to the Siberian craton, and a wide variety of xenoliths are present within them. The Siberian mantle samples have received little attention in the western world, largely because suitable suites of Yakutian samples have not been readily available. Importantly, there is evidence that metasomatism of the Siberian lithosphere has been considerably less intense or extensive than for the Kaapvaal craton. Therefore, it should be considerably easier to elicit the igneous/metamorphic histories of Siberian kimberlitic xenoliths. One of the notable features of the Siberian eclogites is the common appearance of diamonds, especially in the Mir and Udachnaya pipes. In all, eight eclogite samples (eight garnet separates and eight clinopyroxene separates) have been analyzed to date on the Udachnaya pipe, seven from our group.

The Diamondiferous Lithospheric Mantle Underlying the Eastern Superior Craton: Evidence From Mantle Xenoliths From the Renard Kimberlites, Quebec

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, L.; Stachel, T.; Armstrong, J. P.; Simonetti, A.

2009-05-01

The Renard kimberlite cluster consists of nine pipes located within a 2km2 area in the northern Otish Mountains of Quebec. The pipes are named Renards 1 to 10, with subsequent investigation revealing Renards 5 and 6 to join at depth (now Renard 65). The pipes are located within the eastern portion of the Superior craton, emplaced into Archean granitic and gneissic host rocks of the Opinica Subprovince (Percival, 2007). Amphibolite grade metamorphism, locally passing into the granulite facies (Percival et al., 1994) occurred in late Archean time (Moorhead et al., 2003). Radiometric dating of the hypabyssal Renard 1 kimberlite indicates Neoproterozoic emplacement, with a 206Pb/238U model age of 631.6±3.5 Ma (2σ) (Birkett et al., 2004). A later study on the main phases in Renard 2 and 3 gave a similar emplacement, with a 206Pb/238U model age of 640.5±2.8Ma (Fitzgerald et al., 2008). This makes this kimberlite district one of the oldest in Canada, similar in eruption age to the Wemindji kimberlites (629±29Ma: Letendre et al., 2003). These events are broadly coeval with the conversion from subduction magmatism to rifting in northern Laurentia (Birkett et al., 2004). The bodies are part of a late Neoproterozoic to Cambrian kimberlite field in eastern Canada (Girard, 2001; Moorhead et al, 2002; Letendre et al., 2003) and fit into the north-east of the Eocambrian/Cambrian Labrador Sea Province of Heaman et al. (2004). To better understand the diamondiferous lithospheric mantle beneath the Renard kimberlites, 116 microxenoliths and xenocrysts were analysed. The samples were dominantly peridotitic, composed primarily of purple garnet, emerald green clinopyroxene and olivine, with a few pink and red garnets. A minor eclogitic component comprises predominantly orange garnets and lesser amounts of clinopyroxene. A detailed study on the major, minor and trace element composition of xenolith minerals is currently underway. All but three of the clinopyroxenes analysed to date

Chemical interactions in the subduction factory: New insights from an in situ trace element and hydrogen study of the Ichinomegata and Oki-Dogo mantle xenoliths (Japan)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satsukawa, Takako; Godard, Marguerite; Demouchy, Sylvie; Michibayashi, Katsuyoshi; Ildefonse, Benoit

2017-07-01

The uppermost mantle in back arc regions is the site of complex interactions between partial melting, melt percolation, and fluid migration. To constrain these interactions and evaluate their consequences on geochemical cycles, we carried out an in situ trace element and water study of a suite of spinel peridotite xenoliths from two regions of the Japan back arc system, Ichinomegata (NE Japan) and Oki-Dogo (SW Japan), using LA-ICPMS and FTIR spectrometry, respectively. This study provides the first full dataset of trace element and hydrogen compositions in peridotites including analyses of all their main constitutive silicate minerals: olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. The Ichinomegata peridotites sample a LREE-depleted refractory mantle (Mg# olivine = 0.90; Cr# spinel = 0.07-0.23; Yb clinopyroxene = 7.8-13.3 × C1-chondrite, and La/Yb clinopyroxene = 0.003-0.086 × C1-chondrite), characterized by Th-U positive anomalies and constant values of Nb/Ta. The composition of the studied Ichinomegata samples is consistent with that of an oceanic mantle lithosphere affected by cryptic metasomatic interactions with hydrous/aqueous fluids (crypto-hydrous metasomatism). In contrast, the Oki-Dogo peridotites have low Mg# olivine (0.86-0.93) and a broad range of compositions with clinopyroxene showing "spoon-shaped" to flat, and LREE-enriched patterns. They are also characterized by their homogeneous compositions in the most incompatible LILE (e.g., Rb clinopyroxene = 0.01-0.05 × primitive mantle) and HFSE (e.g., Nb clinopyroxene = 0.01-2.16 × primitive mantle). This characteristic is interpreted as resulting from various degrees of melting and extensive melt-rock interactions. FTIR spectroscopy shows that olivine in both Ichinomegata and Oki-Dogo samples has low water contents ranging from 2 to 7 ppm wt. H2O. In contrast, the water contents of pyroxenes from Ichinomegata peridotites (113-271 ppm wt. H2O for orthopyroxene, and 292-347 ppm wt. H2O for clinopyroxene

Abundances of Ag and Cu in mantle peridotites and the implications for the behavior of chalcophile elements in the mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zaicong; Becker, Harry

2015-07-01

Silver abundances in mantle peridotites and the behavior of Ag during high temperature mantle processes have received little attention and, as a consequence, the abundance of Ag in the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) has been poorly constrained. In order to better understand the processes that fractionate Ag and other chalcophile elements in the mantle, abundances of Ag and Cu in mantle peridotites from different geological settings (n = 68) have been obtained by isotope dilution ICP-MS methods. In peridotite tectonites and in a few suites of peridotite xenoliths which display evidence for variable extents of melt depletion and refertilization by silicate melts, Ag and Cu abundances show positive correlations with moderately incompatible elements such as S, Se, Te and Au. The mean Cu/Ag in fertile peridotites (3500 ± 1200, 1s, n = 38) is indistinguishable from the mean Cu/Ag of mid ocean ridge basalts (MORB, 3600 ± 400, 1s, n = 338) and MORB sulfide droplets. The constant mean Cu/Ag ratios indicate similar behavior of Ag and Cu during partial melting of the mantle, refertilization and magmatic fractionation, and thus should be representative of the Earth's upper mantle. The systematic fractionation of Cu, Ag, Au, S, Se and Te in peridotites and basalts is consistent with sulfide melt-silicate melt partitioning with apparent partition coefficients of platinum group elements (PGE) > Au ⩾ Te > Cu ≈ Ag > Se ⩾ S. Because of the effects of secondary processes, the abundances of chalcophile elements, notably S, Se, but also Cu and the PGE in many peridotite xenoliths are variable and lower than in peridotite massifs. Refertilization of peridotite may change abundances of chalcophile and lithophile elements in peridotite massifs, however, this seems to mostly occur in a systematic way. Correlations with lithophile and chalcophile elements and the overlapping mean Cu/Ag ratios of peridotites and ocean ridge basalts are used to constrain abundances of Ag and Cu in the BSE

Upper mantle fluids evolution, diamond formation, and mantle metasomatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, F.; Sverjensky, D. A.

2017-12-01

During mantle metasomatism, fluid-rock interactions in the mantle modify wall-rock compositions. Previous studies usually either investigated mineral compositions in xenoliths and xenocrysts brought up by magmas, or examined fluid compositions preserved in fluid inclusions in diamonds. However, a key study of Panda diamonds analysed both mineral and fluid inclusions in the diamonds [1] which we used to develop a quantitative characterization of mantle metasomatic processes. In the present study, we used an extended Deep Earth Water model [2] to simulate fluid-rock interactions at upper mantle conditions, and examine the fluids and mineral assemblages together simultaneously. Three types of end-member fluids in the Panda diamond fluid inclusions include saline, rich in Na+K+Cl; silicic, rich in Si+Al; and carbonatitic, rich in Ca+Mg+Fe [1, 3]. We used the carbonatitic end-member to represent fluid from a subducting slab reacting with an excess of peridotite + some saline fluid in the host environment. During simultaneous fluid mixing and reaction with the host rock, the logfO2 increased by about 1.6 units, and the pH increased by 0.7 units. The final minerals were olivine, garnet and diamond. The Mg# of olivine decreased from 0.92 to 0.85. Garnet precipitated at an early stage, and its Mg# also decreased with reaction progress, in agreement with the solid inclusions in the Panda diamonds. Phlogopite precipitated as an intermediate mineral and then disappeared. The aqueous Ca, Mg, Fe, Si and Al concentrations all increased, while Na, K, and Cl concentrations decreased during the reaction, consistent with trends in the fluid inclusion compositions. Our study demonstrates that fluids coming from subducting slabs could trigger mantle metasomatism, influence the compositions of sub-lithospherc cratonic mantle, precipitate diamonds, and change the oxygen fugacity and pH of the upper mantle fluids. [1] Tomlinson et al. EPSL (2006); [2] Sverjensky, DA et al., GCA (2014

Origin and evolution of rare amphibole-bearing mantle peridotites from Wilcza Góra (SW Poland), Central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matusiak-Małek, Magdalena; Puziewicz, Jacek; Ntaflos, Theodoros; Grégoire, Michel; Kukuła, Anna; Wojtulek, Piotr Marian

2017-08-01

Mantle xenoliths in the 20 Ma Wilcza Góra basanite (Lower Silesia, NE Bohemian Massif) are mostly harzburgites, some with amphibole which is exceptional in the region. Forsterite content in olivine defines two Groups of peridotites: Group A (Fo89.1-91.5) and Group B (Fo84.2-89.2). Hornblende-clinopyroxenite, websterite and one composite xenolith consisting of dunite, olivine-hornblendite and pyroxene-hornblende-peridotite contain olivine with Fo77.3-82.5 and are classified as Group C. Group A xenoliths contain Al-poor orthopyroxene and some contain LREE-enriched clinopyroxene with negative Ti, Zr-Hf and Nb-Ta anomalies. Spinel (Cr# 0.57-0.68) is scarce in Group A, and Cr-rich pargasite occurs in only two xenoliths. Group B xenoliths contain less magnesian orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. The REE patterns of Group B clinopyroxene are convex downward, less enriched in LREE and have smaller negative Ti, Zr-Hf and Nb-Ta anomalies than those in Group A. The Cr# in Group B spinel is 0.26-0.56, while pargasite is Ti-rich and Cr-poor. Clinopyroxene from Group C is low magnesian, slightly enriched in LREE and has no negative Ti, Zr-Hf and Nb-Ta anomalies. Group C pargasite is rich in Ti and poor in Cr. Equilibration temperatures recorded in all groups vary within the range of 905-970 °C. Xenoliths from Wilcza Góra record a polyphase lithospheric mantle evolution, starting with melting which extracted ca. 30% melt from the protolith and left a harzburgite residuum depleted in Al, lacking clinopyroxene and containing rare Cr-rich spinel. This residuum was later overprinted by chromatographic metasomatism by carbonated hydrous silicate melt related to Cenozoic volcanism. The metasomatic agent was locally hydrous enough to enable amphibole to crystallize. The Group C pyroxenites formed directly from the metasomatic melt or during peridotite-melt reactions at high melt-rock ratio. The melt is inferred to have percolated through the wall-rock peridotite, decreasing its amount

Chlorine and fluorine partition coefficients and abundances in sub-arc mantle xenoliths (Kamchatka, Russia): Implications for melt generation and volatile recycling processes in subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bénard, A.; Koga, K. T.; Shimizu, N.; Kendrick, M. A.; Ionov, D. A.; Nebel, O.; Arculus, R. J.

2017-02-01

We report chlorine (Cl) and fluorine (F) abundances in minerals, interstitial glasses, and melt inclusions in 12 andesite-hosted, spinel harzburgite xenoliths and crosscutting pyroxenite veins exhumed from the sub-arc lithospheric mantle beneath Avacha volcano in the Kamchatka Arc (NE Russia). The data are used to calculate equilibrium mineral-melt partition coefficients (D mineral / melt) for Cl and F relevant to subduction-zone processes and unravel the history of volatile depletion and enrichment mechanisms in an arc setting. Chlorine is ∼100 times more incompatible in pyroxenes (DClmineral/melt = 0.005-0.008 [±0.002-0.003]) than F (DFmineral/melt = 0.50-0.57 [±0.21-0.24]), which indicates that partial melting of mantle sources leads to strong depletions in Cl relative to F in the residues. The data set in this study suggests a strong control of melt composition on DCl,Fpyroxene/melt, in particular H2O contents and Al/(Al + Si), which is in line with recent experiments. Fluorine is compatible in Ca-amphibole in the 'wet' sub-arc mantle (DFamphibole/melt = 3.5-3.7 [±1.5]) but not Cl (DClamphibole/melt = 0.03-0.05 [±0.01-0.03]), indicating that amphibole may fractionate F from Cl in the mantle wedge. The inter-mineral partition coefficients for Cl and F in this study are consistent amongst different harzburgite samples, whether they contain glass or not. In particular, disseminated amphibole hosts much of the Cl and F bulk rock budgets of spinel harzburgites (DClamphibole/pyroxene up to 14 and DFamphibole/pyroxene up to 40). Chlorine and fluorine are variably enriched (up to 1500 ppm Cl and 750 ppm F) in the parental arc picrite and boninite melts of primitive pyroxenite veins (and related melt inclusions) crosscutting spinel harzburgites. Based on the data in this study, the main inferences on the behaviour of Cl and F during melting and metasomatic processes in the sub-arc mantle are as follow: (i) Melting models show that most depleted mantle protoliths

N-MORB crust beneath Fuerteventura in the easternmost part of the Canary Islands: evidence from gabbroic xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neumann, Else-Ragnhild; Vannucci, Riccardo; Tiepolo, Massimo

2005-09-01

Gabbro xenoliths reported in this paper were collected in northern Fuerteventura, the Canary Island located closest to the coast of Africa. The xenoliths are very fresh and consist of Ti-Al-poor clinopyroxene + plagioclase (An87-67) + olivine (Fo72-86) ± orthopyroxene. Clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene are constantly and markedly depleted in light rare earth elements (LREE) relative to heavy REE (HREE), as expected for cumulus minerals formed from highly refractory N-MORB-type melts. In contrast, whole-rock Primordial Mantle-normalized trace element patterns range from mildly S-shaped (mildly depleted in Pr-Sm relative to both the strongly incompatible elements Rb-La and the HREE) to enriched. Estimates show that the trace element compositions of the rocks and their minerals are compatible with formation as N-MORB gabbro cumulates, which have been infiltrated at various extents (≤1% to >5%) by enriched alkali basaltic melts. The enriched material is mainly concentrated along grain boundaries and cracks through mineral grains, suggesting that the infiltration is relatively recent, and is thus associated with the Canary Islands magmatism. Our data contradict the hypothesis that a mantle plume was present in this area during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. No evidence of continental material that might reflect attenuated continental crust in the area has been found. Gabbro xenoliths with REE and trace element compositions similar to those exhibited by the Fuerteventura gabbros are also found among gabbro xenoliths from the islands of La Palma (western Canary Islands) and Lanzarote. The compositions of the most depleted samples from these islands are closely similar, implying that there was no significant change in chemistry during the early stages of formation of the Atlantic oceanic crust in this area. Strongly depleted gabbros similar to those collected in Fuerteventura have also been retrieved in the MARK area along the central Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The presence

Kaersutite-bearing xenoliths and megacrysts in volcanic rocks from the Funk Seamount in the souhtwest Indian Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reid, Arch M.; Le Roex, Anton P.

1988-01-01

The petrography, mineral chemistry, and whole-rock compositions of volcanic rocks dredged from the Funk Seamount, located 60 km NW of Marion Island in the southwestern Indian Ocean, are presented together with the mineral chemistry of their inclusions. On the basis of these characteristics, the possible relationships between the Funk Seamount's volcanic rocks and the megacrysts and xenoliths in these rocks are discussed. It is argued that the Funk Seamount lavas derive from a similar mantle source region as that of the Marion Island and Prince Edward Island hotspot lavas. The geochemical signature of these lavas implies derivation from a source that is enriched (e.g., in Ti, K, P, and Nb) over the depleted mantle source regions for the adjacent mid-ocean ridge basalts.

Intraplate mantle oxidation by volatile-rich silicic magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Audrey M.; Médard, Etienne; Righter, Kevin; Lanzirotti, Antonio

2017-11-01

The upper subcontinental lithospheric mantle below the French Massif Central is more oxidized than the average continental lithosphere, although the origin of this anomaly remains unknown. Using iron oxidation analysis in clinopyroxene, oxybarometry, and melt inclusions in mantle xenoliths, we show that widespread infiltration of volatile (HCSO)-rich silicic melts played a major role in this oxidation. We propose the first comprehensive model of magmatism and mantle oxidation at an intraplate setting. Two oxidizing events occurred: (1) a 365-286 Ma old magmatic episode that produced alkaline vaugnerites, potassic lamprophyres, and K-rich calc-alkaline granitoids, related to the N-S Rhenohercynian subduction, and (2) < 30 Ma old magmatism related to W-E extension, producing carbonatites and hydrous potassic trachytes. These melts were capable of locally increasing the subcontinental lithospheric mantle fO2 to FMQ + 2.4. Both events originate from the melting of a metasomatized lithosphere containing carbonate + phlogopite ± amphibole. The persistence of this volatile-rich lithospheric source implies the potential for new episodes of volatile-rich magmatism. Similarities with worldwide magmatism also show that the importance of volatiles and the oxidation of the mantle in intraplate regions is underestimated.

Water Content in the SW USA Mantle Lithosphere: FTIR Analysis of Dish Hill and Kilbourne Hole Pyroxenites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibler, Robert; Peslier, Anne H.; Schaffer, Lillian Aurora; Brandon, Alan D.

2014-01-01

Kilbourne Hole (NM, USA) and Dish Hill (CA, USA) mantle xenoliths sample continental mantle in two different tectonic settings. Kilbourne Hole (KH) is located in the Rio Grande rift. Dish Hill (DH) is located in the southern Mojave province, an area potentially affected by subduction of the Farallon plate beneath North America. FTIR analyses were obtained on well characterized pyroxenite, dunite and wehrlite xenoliths, thought to represent crystallized melts at mantle depths. PUM normalized REE patterns of the KH bulk-rocks are slightly LREE enriched and consistent with those of liquids generated by < 5% melting of a spinel peridotite source. Clinopyroxenes contain from 272 to 313 ppm weight H2O similar to the lower limit of KH peridotite clinopyroxenes (250-530 ppm H2O). This is unexpected as crystallized melts like pyroxenites should concentrate water more than residual mantle-like peridotites, given that H is incompatible. PUM normalized bulk REE of the DH pyroxenites are characterized by flat to LREE depleted REE profiles consistent with > 6% melting of a spinel peridotite source. Pyroxenite pyroxenes have no detectable water but one DH wehrlite, which bulk-rock is LREE enriched, has 4 ppm H2O in orthopyroxene and <1ppm in clinopyroxene. The DH pyroxenites may thus come from a dry mantle source, potentially unaffected by the subduction of the Farallon plate. These water-poor melts either originated from shallow oceanic lithosphere overlaying the Farallon slab or from continental mantle formed > 2 Ga. The Farallon subduction appears to have enriched in water the southwestern United States lithospheric mantle further east than DH, beneath the Colorado plateau.

Mantle metasomatism vs host magma interaction at Sal Island (Cape Verde Archipelago)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonadiman, Costanza; Coltorti, Massimo; Beccaluva, Luigi; Siena, Franca

2010-05-01

The Cape Verde Islands lie in the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa, in a clearly oceanic setting. Xenoliths from Miocene (16Ma) neck in the northern part of Sal Island bear extensive evidence of metasomatic reactions, characterized by secondary parageneses (ol+sp+cpx+glass+K-feld) around primary orthopyroxene, clinopyroxenes and spinel. These textures are commonly observed in many xenolith populations worldwide, independently of the nature of the carrying alkaline magma (i.e. basalts, lamproitic or kimberlitic melt). The interpretation as a product of metasomatism has been recently put under discussion by Shaw et al. (2006) and Shaw & Dingwell (2008) who consider that most of these textures are imposed on the xenoliths during magma transport and/or residence in a magma chamber. This contribution aims at emphasizing the criteria which allow to discriminate between the metasomatic and host magma infiltration processes, reinforcing the concept and validity of metasomatism within the mantle. To pursue this, various petrographic and geochemical criteria from a selected well-studied suite of mantle xenoliths that clearly testify for an interaction of the peridotites with silicate melts at depth (metasomatised samples) or during the transport to the surface (host basalt infiltration samples) will be presented. Few pristine samples (two lherzolites and one harburgite) devoid of any textural evidences for basaltic infiltration or metasomatic processes were also used for comparison. The metasomatised samples are constituted by three lherzolites and one harzburgite whose metasomatic textures include glassy pools, patches or veins with secondary parageneses made up of ol, cpx, sp and K-feld or spongy rims and sieved crystals of pyroxenes and spinels. The infiltrated samples are represented by one lherzolite and one harzburgite cut by glassy veinlets filled with euhedral to subeuhedral ol + plag + magnetites crystallites. In the metasomatic samples the secondary olivines at

Composition of the earth's upper mantle. II - Volatile trace elements in ultramafic xenoliths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morgan, J. W.; Wandless, G. A.; Petrie, R. K.; Irving, A. J.

1980-01-01

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis was used to determine the nine volatile elements Ag, Bi, Cd, In, Sb, Se, Te, Tl, and Zn in 19 ultramafic rocks, consisting mainly of spinel and garnet lherzolites. A sheared garnet lherzolite, PHN 1611, may approximate undepleted mantle material and tends to have a higher volatile element content than the depleted mantle material represented by spinel lherzolites. Comparisons of continental basalts with PHN 1611 and of oceanic ridge basalts with spinel lherzolites show similar basalt: source material partition factors for eight of the nine volatile elements, Sb being the exception. The strong depletion of Te and Se in the mantle, relative to lithophile elements of similar volatility, suggests that 97% of the earth's S, Se and Te may be in the outer core.

Forward Modelling of Long-wavelength Magnetic Anomaly Contributions from the Upper Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idoko, C. M.; Conder, J. A.; Ferre, E. C.; Friedman, S. A.

2016-12-01

Towards the interpretation of the upcoming results from SWARM satellite survey, we develop a MATLAB-based geophysical forward-modeling of magnetic anomalies from tectonic regions with different upper mantle geotherms including subduction zones (Kamchaka island arcs), cratons (Siberian craton), and hotspots (Hawaii hotspots and Massif-central plumes). We constrain the modeling - using magnetic data measured from xenoliths collected across these regions. Over the years, the potency of the upper mantle in contributing to long-wavelength magnetic anomalies has been a topic of debate among geoscientists. However, recent works show that some low geotherm tectonic environments such as forearcs and cratons contain mantle xenoliths which are below the Curie-Temperature of magnetite and could potentially contribute to long-wavelength magnetic anomalies. The modeling pursued here holds the prospect of better understanding the magnetism of the upper mantle, and the resolution of the mismatch between observed long-wavelength anomalies and surface field anomaly upward continued to satellite altitude. The SWARM satellite survey provides a unique opportunity due to its capacity to detect more accurately the depth of magnetic sources. A preliminary model of a hypothetical craton of size 2000km by 1000km by 500km discretized into 32 equal and uniformly distributed prism blocks, using magnetic data from Siberian craton with average natural remanent magnetization value of 0.0829 A/m (randomnly oriented) for a magnetized mantle thickness of 75km, and induced magnetization, varying according to the Curie-Weiss law from surface to 500km depth with an average magnetization of 0.02 A/m, shows that the contributions of the induced and remanent phases of magnetizations- with a total-field anomaly amplitude of 3 nT may impart a measurable signal to the observed long-wavelength magnetic anomalies in low geotherm tectonic environments.

Diamond brecciation and annealing accompanying major metasomatism in eclogite xenoliths from the Sask Craton, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czas, Janina; Stachel, Thomas; Pearson, D. Graham; Stern, Richard A.; Read, George H.

2018-05-01

We studied eclogite xenoliths (diamond-free n = 28; diamondiferous n = 22) from the Cretaceous Fort à la Corne Kimberlite Field in Western Canada for their major element, trace element and oxygen isotope compositions to assess their origin and metasomatic history, and possible relationships between metasomatism and diamond formation. All eclogites have major element and oxygen isotope compositions consistent with a derivation from different levels of subducted, seawater altered oceanic crust. While barren xenoliths are more likely to be of gabbroic origin, diamond-bearing samples commonly have signatures consistent with shallow basaltic protoliths. The mineral chemistry in bimineralic diamond-free eclogites spans a wide compositional range, yet it is typically homogenous within individual xenoliths. Temperatures calculated from Mg-Fe exchange between garnet and clinopyroxene range widely for these eclogites, from 740 to 1300 °C, indicating the presence of eclogite through most of the lithospheric mantle. Diamondiferous samples are restricted to high temperatures (1180-1390 °C), consistent with derivation from the zone of diamond stability. Compositionally, diamond-bearing eclogites span a broad range similar to their barren counterparts, but there is also heterogeneity in mineral chemistry on the intra-sample level and in particular garnets are characterised by strong internal chemical gradients. This intra-sample heterogeneity is interpreted as the result of intense melt metasomatism, which occurred in temporal proximity to host kimberlite magmatism, strongly affected major, trace and even oxygen isotope values and resulted in diamond brecciation and annealing.

Water in the Oceanic Lithosphere: Salt Lake Crater Xenoliths, Oahu, Hawaii

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peslier, Anne H.; Bizimis, Michael

2010-01-01

Water can be present in nominally anhydrous minerals of peridotites in the form of hydrogen bonded to structural oxygen. Such water in the oceanic upper mantle could have a significant effect on its physical and chemical properties. However, the water content of the MORB source has been inferred indirectly from the compositions of basalts. Direct determinations on abyssal peridotites are scarce because they have been heavily hydrothermally altered. Here we present the first water analyses of minerals from spinel peridotite xenoliths of Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii, which are exceptionally fresh. These peridotites are thought to represent fragments of the Pacific oceanic lithosphere that was refertilized by alkalic Hawaiian melts. A few have unradiogenic Os and radiogenic Hf isotopes and may be fragments of an ancient (2 Ga) depleted and recycled lithosphere. Water contents in olivine (Ol), orthopyroxene (Opx), and clinopyroxene (Cpx) were determined by FTIR spectrometry. Preliminary H_{2}O contents show ranges of 8-10 ppm for Ol, 151-277 ppm for Opx, and 337-603 ppm for Cpx. Reconstructed bulk rock H_{2}O contents range from 88-131 ppm overlapping estimates for the MORB source. Water contents between Ol minerals of the same xenolith are heterogeneous and individual OH infrared bands vary within a mineral with lower 3230 cm^{-1} and higher 3650-3400 cm^{-1} band heights from core to edge. This observation suggests disturbance of the hydrogen in Ol likely occurring during xenolith entrainment to the surface. Pyroxene water contents are higher than most water contents in pyroxenes from continental peridotite xenoliths and higher than those of abyssal peridotites. Cpx water contents decrease with increasing degree of depletion (e.g. increasing Fo in Ol and Cr# in spinel) consistent with an incompatible behavior of water. However Cpx water contents also show a positive correlation with LREE/HREE ratios and LREE concentrations consistent with refertilization. Opx water

Water in the oceanic lithosphere: Salt Lake Crater xenoliths, Oahu, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peslier, A. H.; Bizimis, M.

2010-12-01

Water can be present in nominally anhydrous minerals of peridotites in the form of hydrogen bonded to structural oxygen. Such water in the oceanic upper mantle could have a significant effect on its physical and chemical properties. However, the water content of the MORB source has been inferred indirectly from the compositions of basalts. Direct determinations on abyssal peridotites are scarce because they have been heavily hydrothermally altered. Here we present the first water analyses of minerals from spinel peridotite xenoliths of Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii, which are exceptionally fresh. These peridotites are thought to represent fragments of the Pacific oceanic lithosphere that was refertilized by alkalic Hawaiian melts. A few have unradiogenic Os and radiogenic Hf isotopes and may be fragments of an ancient ( 2 Ga) depleted and recycled lithosphere. Water contents in olivine (Ol), orthopyroxene (Opx), and clinopyroxene (Cpx) were determined by FTIR spectrometry. Preliminary H_{2}O contents show ranges of 8-10 ppm for Ol, 151-277 ppm for Opx, and 337-603 ppm for Cpx. Reconstructed bulk rock H_{2}O contents range from 88-131 ppm overlapping estimates for the MORB source. Water contents between Ol minerals of the same xenolith are heterogeneous and individual OH infrared bands vary within a mineral with lower 3230 cm^{-1} and higher 3650-3400 cm^{-1} band heights from core to edge. This observation suggests disturbance of the hydrogen in Ol likely occurring during xenolith entrainment to the surface. Pyroxene water contents are higher than most water contents in pyroxenes from continental peridotite xenoliths and higher than those of abyssal peridotites. Cpx water contents decrease with increasing degree of depletion (e.g. increasing Fo in Ol and Cr# in spinel) consistent with an incompatible behavior of water. However Cpx water contents also show a positive correlation with LREE/HREE ratios and LREE concentrations consistent with refertilization. Opx

Petrology and deformation style of lithospheric mantle beneath the Heldburg Dike swarm (Central Germany) subset of Central European Volcanic Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kukuła, Anna; Puziewicz, Jacek; Hidas, Károly; Ntaflos, Theodoros; Matusiak-Małek, Magdalena; Milke, Ralf

2017-04-01

-30 % of melting of primitive mantle, which was overprinted by silicate and/or carbonatite metasomatism. The xenolith 3140 seems not to be affected by metasomatic overprint. Based on the EBSD analyses of 15 xenoliths, olivine grains are characterized by relatively strong CPO (crystal preferred orientation) with J indices 4.4 - 13.3, and they have orthorhombic (8 xenoliths) or [100]-fiber CPO (6 xenoliths) symmetries except for one [010]-fiber symmetry observed in group B (Tommasi et al., 1999). Pyroxenes have weaker CPO and the distribution of their crystallographic axes is inconsistent with their coeval deformation with olivine. We propose that their CPO postdates that of olivine, hence strongly support a later origin for pyroxenes. Funding. This study was possible thanks to the project NCN UMO-2014/15/B/ST10/00095 of Polish National Centre for Science to JP Tommasi, A., B. Tikoff, and A. Vauchez (1999). Upper mantle tectonics: three-dimensional deformation, olivine crystallographic fabrics and seismic properties, Earth Planet Sc Lett,168, 173-186. Upton, B.G.J., Downes, H., Kirstein, L.A., Bonadiman, C., Hill, P.G., Ntaflos, T. (2011). The lithospheric mantle and lower crust-mantle relationships under Scotland: a xenolithic perspective. J Geol Soc, 168, 873-886.

Intraplate mantle oxidation by volatile-rich silicic magmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martin, Audrey M.; Médard, Etienne; Righter, Kevin

The upper subcontinental lithospheric mantle below the French Massif Central is more oxidized than the average continental lithosphere, although the origin of this anomaly remains unknown. Using iron oxidation analysis in clinopyroxene, oxybarometry, and melt inclusions in mantle xenoliths, we show that widespread infiltration of volatile (HCSO)-rich silicic melts played a major role in this oxidation. We propose the first comprehensive model of magmatism and mantle oxidation at an intraplate setting. Two oxidizing events occurred: (1) a 365–286 Ma old magmatic episode that produced alkaline vaugnerites, potassic lamprophyres, and K-rich calc-alkaline granitoids, related to the N–S Rhenohercynian subduction, and (2)more » < 30 Ma old magmatism related to W–E extension, producing carbonatites and hydrous potassic trachytes. These melts were capable of locally increasing the subcontinental lithospheric mantle fO2 to FMQ + 2.4. Both events originate from the melting of a metasomatized lithosphere containing carbonate + phlogopite ± amphibole. The persistence of this volatile-rich lithospheric source implies the potential for new episodes of volatile-rich magmatism. Similarities with worldwide magmatism also show that the importance of volatiles and the oxidation of the mantle in intraplate regions is underestimated.« less

Petrology and trace element geochemistry of the Honolulu volcanics, Oahu: implications for the oceanic mantle below Hawaii.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clague, D.A.; Frey, F.A.

1982-01-01

These volcanic rocks are the products of small-volume, late-stage vents along rifts cutting the older massive Koolan tholeiitic shield on Oahu. Most of the lavas and tuffs have the geochemical features expected of near-primary magmas derived from a peridotite source with olivine Fo87-89, e.g. 100 Mg/(Mg + Fe2+) > 65, Ni > 250 p.p.m. and the presence of ultramafic mantle xenoliths at 18 of the 37 vents. Thus the geochemistry of the alkali olivine basalt, basanite, nephelinite and nepheline melilitite lavas and tuffs of these Honolulu volcanic rocks has been used to deduce the composition of their mantle source and the conditions under which they were generated by partial melting in the mantle. New major- and trace-element analyses for 31 samples are tabulated and indicate derivation by partial melting of a garnet (<10%) lherzolite source which was isotopically homogeneous and compositionally uniform for most major and trace elements, though apparently heterogeneous in TiO2, Zr, Hf, Nb and Ta (due perhaps to the low inferred degrees of melting which failed to exhaust the source in minor residual phases). In comparison with estimates of a primordial mantle composition and the mantle source of MORB, the garnet peridotite source of these Honolulu volcanics was increasingly enriched in the sequence heavy REE, Y, Tb, Ti, Sm, Zr and Hf, for which a multi-stage history is required. This composition differs from the source of the previously erupted tholeiitic shield, nor is it represented in the upper-mantle xenoliths in the lavas and tuff of the unit.-R.A.H.

P- T phase relations of silicic, alkaline, aluminous liquids: new results and applications to mantle melting and metasomatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Draper, David S.; Green, Trevor H.

1999-07-01

We report new experimental results obtained under nominally anhydrous conditions at 1.0-1.5 GPa on a synthetic melt whose composition is typical of extreme-composition xenolith glasses. These results demonstrate that part of this extreme compositional range is in equilibrium with a lherzolitic assemblage (olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene on the liquidus), extending our earlier findings [D.S. Draper, T.H. Green P- T phase relations of silicic, alkaline, aluminous mantle-xenolith glasses under anhydrous and C-O-H fluid-saturated conditions, J. Petrol. 38 (1997) 1187-1224] showing saturation with harzburgite minerals (olivine and orthopyroxene on the liquidus). The new results strengthen the view that such liquids can readily coexist with upper mantle rocks. Our results also bear on the current debate regarding the nature of low-degree mantle melts between proponents of the diamond-aggregate technique [who argue for comparatively silica- and alkali-rich low-degree melts; e.g., M.B. Baker, M.M. Hirschmann, M.S. Ghiorso, E.M. Stolper, Compositions of near-solidus peridotite melts from experiments and thermodynamic calculations, Nature 375 (1995) 308-311; M.B. Baker, M.M. Hirschmann, L.E. Wasylenki, E.M. Stolper, M.S. Ghiorso, Quest for low-degree mantle melts, Nature 381 (1996) 286] and those favoring the sandwich technique [who question the value of the diamond-aggregate work and argue that near-solidus melts must be nepheline- and olivine-normative; T.J. Falloon, D.H. Green, H.St.C. O'Neill, C.G. Ballhaus, Quest for low-degree mantle melts, Nature 381 (1996) 285; T.J. Falloon, D.H. Green, H.St.C. O'Neill, W.O. Hibberson, Experimental tests of low degree peridotite partial melt compositions: implications for the nature of anhydrous near-solidus peridotite melts at 1 GPa, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 152 (1997) 149-162]. Our results support aspects of both views. The sandwich-technique view is supported, for example, because all our liquids coexisting with mantle

Hydrous melt-rock reaction in the shallow mantle wedge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, A.; Grove, T. L.

2017-12-01

In subduction zone magmatism, hotter, deeper hydrous mantle melts rise and interact with the shallower, cooler depleted mantle in the uppermost part of the mantle wedge. Here, we experimentally investigate these hydrous reactions using three different ratios of a 1.6 GPa mantle melt and an overlying 1.2 GPa harzburgite from 1060 to 1260 °C. At low ratios of melt/mantle (20:80 and 5:95), the crystallizing assemblages are dunites, harzburgites, and lherzolites (as a function of temperature). When the ratio of deeper melt to overlying mantle is 70:30, the crystallizing assemblage is a wehrlite. This shows that wehrlites, which are observed in ophiolites and mantle xenoliths, can be formed by large amounts of deeper melt fluxing though the mantle wedge during ascent. In all cases, orthopyroxene dissolves in the melt, and olivine crystallizes along with pyroxenes and spinel. The amount of reaction between deeper melts and overlying mantle, simulated here by the three starting compositions, imposes a strong influence on final melt compositions, particularly in terms of depletion. At the lowest melt/mantle ratios, the resulting melt is an extremely depleted Al-poor, high-Si andesite. As the fraction of melt to mantle increases, final melts resemble primitive basaltic andesites found in arcs globally. Wall rock temperature is a key variable; over a span of <80 °C, reaction with deeper melt creates the entire range of mantle lithologies from a depleted dunite to a harzburgite to a refertilized lherzolite. Together, the experimental phase equilibria, melt compositions, and calculated reaction coefficients provide a framework for understanding how melt-wall rock reaction occurs in the natural system during melt ascent in the mantle wedge.

Heterogeneous hydrogen distribution in orthopyroxene from veined mantle peridotite (San Carlos, Arizona): Impact of melt-rock interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denis, Carole M. M.; Demouchy, Sylvie; Alard, Olivier

2018-03-01

Experimental studies have shown that hydrogen embedded as a trace element in mantle mineral structures affects the physical properties of mantle minerals and rocks. Nevertheless, hydrogen concentrations in mantle minerals are much lower than predicted by hydrogen solubilities obtained experimentally at high pressure and temperature. Here, we report textural analyses and major and trace element concentrations (including hydrogen) in upper mantle minerals from a spinel-bearing composite xenolith (dunite and pyroxenite) transported by silica-undersaturated mafic alkaline lavas from the San Carlos volcanic field (Arizona, USA). Our results suggest that the composite xenolith results from the percolation-reaction of a basaltic liquid within dunite channels, and is equilibrated with respect to trace elements. Equilibrium temperatures range between 1011 and 1023 °C. Hydrogen concentrations (expressed in ppm H2O by weight) obtained from unpolarized and polarized Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy are low, with average values <2 ppm H2O, 24 ppm H2O, and 53 ppm H2O for olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene, respectively; hydrogen concentrations in olivine are below the detection limit. These low hydrogen concentrations are consistent with depletion by high melt-rock ratio interactions. Clinopyroxene hydrogen concentrations are homogeneous, whereas polarized infrared profile measurements across single-crystals of orthopyroxene reveal hydrogen-depleted rims, which are interpreted as the result of dehydration by ionic diffusion, possibly triggered by melt-rock interactions. We conclude that pyroxenes, like olivine, are unreliable hydrogen proxies, and that the remaining hydrogen concentrations observed in peridotites might only represent the 'tip of the iceberg' of the water stored in the Earth's upper mantle.

Composition of uppermost mantle beneath the Northern Fennoscandia - numerical modeling and petrological interpretation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virshylo, Ivan; Kozlovskaya, Elena; Prodaivoda, George; Silvennoinen, Hanna

2013-04-01

restricted volume in the multi-dimensional parameter space. In order to constrain concentration of minerals we used equilibrium of mineral associations for selected P-T condition obtained by free Gibbs energy minimization (c.f. Stixrude & Lithgow-Bertelloni, 2005). We also considered the mineralogical composition of upper mantle xenoliths, although the representativeness of xenoliths in Precambrian rocks could be treated with care, if one tries to describe the modern mantle. As a first step, we estimated 1D model of mineralogical composition in the depth range of 35-350 km using the IASP91 reference model (Kennett & Engdahl, 1991). Both the P- and S- wave velocities were used for inversion, in order to improve the reliability of the model. More comprehensive result could be obtained if density distribution is involved. In our study we used the 1D PEMC density model (Dziewonski, Hales & Lapwood, 1975) as it is the most adequate for the continental lithosphere. The 1D modeling showed that the garnet lherzolite model (forsterite, fayalite, enstatite, ferrosilite, diopside, jadeite, pyrope) can be considered as a basic one. The end-members of olivine and orthopyroxene solutions were included with the aim of Fe/Mg ratio estimation. Testing with modified models including hedenbergite, harzburgite spinel, etc. showed that these minerals have no significant influence on bulk elastic properties. Selected set of minerals allows modelling the most species of peridote-pyroxenite associations known from xenoliths investigations (Kukkonen, Kuusisto, Lehtonen, & Peltonen, 2008; Lehtonen, O'Brien, Peltonen, Johanson, & Pakkanen, 2004). However, there exist also a number of evidences for mantle eclogite xenoliths from the region under study and its surrounding (Lehtonen et al., 2004; Peltonen, Kinnunen, & Huhma, 2002). That is why we also made modelling for garnet-clinopyroxene model of eclogite. The volumetric mineral compositions obtained were transformed into weight concentration of rock

Large Calcium Isotopic Variation in Peridotitic Xenoliths from North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, S.; Zhao, X.; Zhang, Z.

2016-12-01

Calcium is the fifth most abundant element in the Earth. The Ca isotopic composition of the Earth is important in many aspects, ranging from tracing the Ca cycle on the Earth to comparing the Earth to other terrestrial planets. There is large mass-dependent Ca isotopic variation, measured as δ44/40Ca relative to a standard sample, in terrestrial igneous rocks: about 2 per mil in silicate rocks, compared to 3 per mil in carbonates. Therefore, a good understanding of the Ca isotopic variation in igneous rocks is necessary. Here we report Ca isotopic data on a series of peridotitic xenoliths from North China Craton (NCC). There is about 1 per mil δ44/40Ca variation in these NCC peridotites: The highest δ44/40Ca is close to typical mantle values, and the lowest δ44/40Ca is found in an Fe-rich peridotite, -1.13 relative to normal mantle (or -0.08 on the SRM 915a scale). This represents the lowest δ44/40Ca value ever reported for igneous rocks. Combined with published Fe isotopic data on the same samples, our data show a positive linear correlation between δ44/40Ca and δ57/54Fe in NCC peridotites. This trend is inconsistent with mixing a low-δ44/40Ca and -δ57/54Fe sedimentary component with a normal mantle component. Rather, it is best explained as the result of kinetic isotopic effect caused by melt-peridotite reaction on a time scale of several hundreds of years. In detail, basaltic melt reacts with peridotite, replaces orthopyroxene with clinopyroxene, and increases the Fo number of olivine. Consistent with this interpretation, our on-going Mg isotopic study shows that low-δ44/40Ca and -δ57/54Fe NCC peridotites also have heavier Mg isotopes compared to normal mantle. Our study shows that mantle metasomatism plays an important role generating stable isotopic variations within the Earth's mantle.

Mantle compositions below petit-spot volcanoes of the NW Pacific Plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirano, N.

2017-12-01

Monogenetic petit-spot volcanoes of a few kilometers in diameter and <300 m in height form volcanic clusters on the subducting NW Pacific plate offshore from NE Japan. Three of these petit-spot provinces form clusters with extents of 1,000-10,000 km2, containing between 15 to 90 monogenetic volcanoes, respectively (Hirano et al., 2008). The magmas that form these volcanoes originate below the lithosphere and ascend along the concavely flexed zone of the outer-rise prior to plate subduction at the trench (Hirano et al., 2006). This forms a unique opportunity to geochemically examine the mantle beneath the oceanic crust in a region outside of the well-examined but spatially restricted areas of mid-oceanic ridges and hotspots, indicating that these petit-spot lavas and associated xenoliths can directly provide the information on the asthenospheric and lithospheric material within and beneath old and subducting plates. Recent research into the geochemistry of petit-spot lavas and the petrography of xenoliths within these lavas indicates that the conventional subducting lithospheric theories require some revision in terms of the nature of subducting lithospheric and asthenospheric materials (e.g., heterogeneous asthenosphere and the presence of a higher geothermal gradient than the conventional GDH1 model; Machida et al., 2015; Yamamoto et al., 2014). The fact that the majority of the petit-spot lava samples do not contain olivine phenocrysts and have differentiated compositions (45-52 wt% SiO2, Mg# values of 50-65) indicates that these magmas have undergone differentiation in a magma chamber. However, geobarometry indicates that the deepest-sourced associated peridotitic xenoliths were derived from a depth of 42 km (Yamamoto et al., 2014). This indicates that melt fractionation must have occurred at depths greater than the middle lithosphere, a situation where the depth of fractionation could correlate with the rotation of the σ3 stress axis from the extensionally

The oxidation state of the mantle and the extraction of carbon from Earth's interior.

PubMed

Stagno, Vincenzo; Ojwang, Dickson O; McCammon, Catherine A; Frost, Daniel J

2013-01-03

Determining the oxygen fugacity of Earth's silicate mantle is of prime importance because it affects the speciation and mobility of volatile elements in the interior and has controlled the character of degassing species from the Earth since the planet's formation. Oxygen fugacities recorded by garnet-bearing peridotite xenoliths from Archaean lithosphere are of particular interest, because they provide constraints on the nature of volatile-bearing metasomatic fluids and melts active in the oldest mantle samples, including those in which diamonds are found. Here we report the results of experiments to test garnet oxythermobarometry equilibria under high-pressure conditions relevant to the deepest mantle xenoliths. We present a formulation for the most successful equilibrium and use it to determine an accurate picture of the oxygen fugacity through cratonic lithosphere. The oxygen fugacity of the deepest rocks is found to be at least one order of magnitude more oxidized than previously estimated. At depths where diamonds can form, the oxygen fugacity is not compatible with the stability of either carbonate- or methane-rich liquid but is instead compatible with a metasomatic liquid poor in carbonate and dominated by either water or silicate melt. The equilibrium also indicates that the relative oxygen fugacity of garnet-bearing rocks will increase with decreasing depth during adiabatic decompression. This implies that carbon in the asthenospheric mantle will be hosted as graphite or diamond but will be oxidized to produce carbonate melt through the reduction of Fe(3+) in silicate minerals during upwelling. The depth of carbonate melt formation will depend on the ratio of Fe(3+) to total iron in the bulk rock. This 'redox melting' relationship has important implications for the onset of geophysically detectable incipient melting and for the extraction of carbon dioxide from the mantle through decompressive melting.

Oceanic mantle rocks reveal evidence for an ancient, 1.2-1.3 Ga global melting event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dijkstra, A. H.; Sergeev, D.; McTaminey, L.; Dale, C. W.; Meisel, T. C.

2011-12-01

It is now increasingly being recognized that many oceanic peridotites are refertilized harzburgites, and that the refertilization often masks an extremely refractory character of the original mantle rock 'protolith'. Oceanic peridotites are, when the effects of melt refertilization are undone, often too refractory to be simple mantle melting residues after the extraction of mid-ocean ridge basalts at a spreading center. Rhenium-osmium isotope analysis is a powerful method to look through the effects of refertilization and to obtain constraints on the age of the melting that produced the refractory mantle protolith. Rhenium-depletion model ages of such anomalously refractory oceanic mantle rocks - found as abyssal peridotites or as mantle xenoliths on ocean islands - are typically >1 Ga, i.e., much older than the ridge system at which they were emplaced. In my contribution I will show results from two case studies of refertilized anciently depleted mantle rocks (Macquarie Island 'abyssal' peridotites and Lanzarote mantle xenoliths). Interestingly, very refractory oceanic mantle rocks from sites all around the world show recurring evidence for a Mesoproterozoic (~1.2-1.3 Ga) melting event [1]. Therefore, oceanic mantle rocks seem to preserve evidence for ancient melting events of global significance. Alternatively, such mantle rocks may be samples of rafts of ancient continental lithospheric mantle. Laser-ablation osmium isotope 'dating' of large populations of individual osmium-bearing alloys from mantle rocks is the key to better constrain the nature and significance of these ancient depletion events. Osmium-bearing alloys form when mantle rocks are melted to high-degrees. We have now extracted over >250 detrital osmium alloys from placer gold occurrences in the river Rhine. These alloys are derived from outcrops of ophiolitic mantle rocks in the Alps, which include blocks of mantle rocks emplaced within the Tethys Ocean, and ultramafic lenses of unknown

The role of mantle-hybridization and crustal contamination in the petrogenesis of lithospheric mantle-derived alkaline rocks: constraints from Os and Hf isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, B.; Jung, S.; Brauns, M.; Münker, C.

2018-06-01

The Rhön area as part of the Central European Volcanic Province (CEVP) hosts an unusual suite of Tertiary 24-Ma old hornblende-bearing alkaline basalts that provide insights into melting and fractionation processes within the lithospheric mantle. These chemically primitive to slightly evolved and isotopically (Sr, Nd, Pb) depleted basalts have slightly lower Hf isotopic compositions than respective other CEVP basalts and Os isotope compositions more radiogenic than commonly observed for continental intraplate alkaline basalts. These highly radiogenic initial 187Os/188Os ratios (0.268-0.892) together with their respective Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions are unlikely to result from crustal contamination alone, although a lack of Os data for lower crustal rocks from the area and limited data for CEVP basalts or mantle xenoliths preclude a detailed evaluation. Similarly, melting of the same metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle as inferred for other CEVP basalts alone is also unlikely, based on only moderately radiogenic Os isotope compositions obtained for upper mantle xenoliths from elsewhere in the province. Another explanation for the combined Nd, Sr and Os isotope data is that the lavas gained their highly radiogenic Os isotope composition through a mantle "hybridization", metasomatism process. This model involves a mafic lithospheric component, such as an intrusion of a sublithospheric primary alkaline melt or a melt derived from subducted oceanic material, sometime in the past into the lithospheric mantle where it metasomatized the ambient mantle. Later at 24 Ma, thermal perturbations during rifting forced the isotopically evolved parts of the mantle together with the peridotitic ambient mantle to melt. This yielded a package of melts with highly correlated Re/Os ratios and radiogenic Os isotope compositions. Subsequent movement through the crust may have further altered the Os isotope composition although this effect is probably minor for the

Mantle metasomatism in the Kaapvaal Craton lithosphere: constraints on the composition of the metasomatic agent from fluid inclusions in MARID-type xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konzett, J.; Krenn, K.; Hauzenberger, Ch.

2012-04-01

The emplacement of both group I and group II kimberlites in the Kaapvaal Craton of the Kimberley region in South Africa is associated with an intense metasomatic alteration of the country rocks as evidenced by a diverse suite of xenoliths sampled by the kimberlites mainly comprising metasomatized peridotites and minor MARID-type xenoliths. These are characterized by hydrous potassic silicates and LILE-HFSE-rich titanates. Because the metasomatic agent is not preserved in these rocks its composition has to be inferred from that of the metasomatic assemblages. Here we present for the first time data on fluid inclusions from two MARID-xenoliths sampled by group-I kimberlites of the Kimberley cluster. They provide direct evidence for the nature of the metasomatic fluids involved in kimberlite-related metsomatism. The xenoliths contain phlogopite+K-richterite+diopside+ilmenite±rutile±apatite±zircon. Fluid inclusions with 4-10 µm in size were found in diopside, K-richterite and zircon and contain L+V+one-to-several daughter phases. Investigations with the freezing and heating stage indicate two different chemical systems for the fluids: (1) H2O-NaCl dominant fluids found as L+V+S inclusions in zircon together with abundant needle-like apatite, rutile and phlogopite solid inclusions. The fluid inclusions in part occur along zircon host-rutile/apatite inclusion grain boundaries which indicates that the fluids were trapped during zircon growth. They contain 30-32 mass% NaCl and show a density of 0.87-0.94 g/cm3. Halos of tiny fluid inclusions, however, indicate that most if not all zircon inclusions are decrepitated during ascent from depth and/or superheating during entrainment of the xenoliths into the kimberlite. Using EMPA, enstatite and a SiO2 polymorph were identified in opened fluid inclusions exposed at the surface of polished thin sections. Because these phases were exclusively found in the fluid inclusions, they are considered daughter crystals. The enstatite

Spatial distribution of eclogite in the Slave cratonic mantle: The role of subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopylova, Maya G.; Beausoleil, Yvette; Goncharov, Alexey; Burgess, Jennifer; Strand, Pamela

2016-03-01

We reconstructed the spatial distribution of eclogites in the cratonic mantle based on thermobarometry for 240 xenoliths in 4 kimberlite pipes from different parts of the Slave craton (Canada). The accuracy of depth estimates is ensured by the use of a recently calibrated thermometer, projection of temperatures onto well-constrained local peridotitic geotherms, petrological screening for unrealistic temperature estimates, and internal consistency of all data. The depth estimates are based on new data on mineral chemistry and petrography of 148 eclogite xenoliths from the Jericho and Muskox kimberlites of the northern Slave craton and previously reported analyses of 95 eclogites from Diavik and Ekati kimberlites (Central Slave). The majority of Northern Slave eclogites of the crustal, subduction origin occurs at 110-170 km, shallower than in the majority of the Central Slave crustal eclogites (120-210 km). The identical geochronological history of these eclogite populations and the absence of steep suture boundaries between the central and northern Slave craton suggest the lateral continuity of the mantle layer relatively rich in eclogites. We explain the distribution of eclogites by partial preservation of an imbricated and plastically dispersed oceanic slab formed by easterly dipping Proterozoic subduction. The depths of eclogite localization do not correlate with geophysically mapped discontinuities. The base of the depleted lithosphere of the Slave craton constrained by thermobarometry of peridotite xenoliths coincides with the base of the thickened lithospheric slab, which supports contribution of the recycled oceanic lithosphere to formation of the cratonic root. Its architecture may have been protected by circum-cratonic subduction and shielding of the shallow Archean lithosphere from the destructive asthenospheric metasomatism.

Inclusions in diamonds constrain thermo-chemical conditions during Mesozoic metasomatism of the Kaapvaal cratonic mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, Yaakov; Navon, Oded; Goldstein, Steven L.; Harris, Jeff W.

2018-06-01

Fluid/melt inclusions in diamonds, which were encapsulated during a metasomatic event and over a short period of time, are isolated from their surrounding mantle, offering the opportunity to constrain changes in the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) that occurred during individual thermo-chemical events, as well as the composition of the fluids involved and their sources. We have analyzed a suite of 8 microinclusion-bearing diamonds from the Group I De Beers Pool kimberlites, South Africa, using FTIR, EPMA and LA-ICP-MS. Seven of the diamonds trapped incompatible-element-enriched saline high density fluids (HDFs), carry peridotitic mineral microinclusions, and substitutional nitrogen almost exclusively in A-centers. This low-aggregation state of nitrogen indicates a short mantle residence times and/or low mantle ambient temperature for these diamonds. A short residence time is favored because, elevated thermal conditions prevailed in the South African lithosphere during and following the Karoo flood basalt volcanism at ∼180 Ma, thus the saline metasomatism must have occurred close to the time of kimberlite eruptions at ∼85 Ma. Another diamond encapsulated incompatible-element-enriched silicic HDFs and has 25% of its nitrogen content residing in B-centers, implying formation during an earlier and different metasomatic event that likely relates to the Karoo magmatism at ca. 180 Ma. Thermometry of mineral microinclusions in the diamonds carrying saline HDFs, based on Mg-Fe exchange between garnet-orthopyroxene (Opx)/clinopyroxene (Cpx)/olivine and the Opx-Cpx thermometer, yield temperatures between 875-1080 °C at 5 GPa. These temperatures overlap with conditions recorded by touching inclusion pairs in diamonds from the De Beers Pool kimberlites, which represent the mantle ambient conditions just before eruption, and are altogether lower by 150-250 °C compared to P-T gradients recorded by peridotite xenoliths from the same locality. Oxygen fugacity (fO2

Spatial greenstone-gneiss relationships: Evidence from mafic-ultramafic xenolith distribution patterns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glikson, A. Y.

1986-01-01

The distribution patterns of mafic-ultramafic xenoliths within Archaean orthogneiss terrain furnish an essential key for the elucidation of granite-greenstone relations. Most greenstone belts constitute mega-xenoliths rather than primary basin structures. Transition along strike and across strike between stratigraphically low greenstone sequences and xenolith chains demonstrate their contemporaneity. These terrains represent least deformed cratonic islands within an otherwise penetratively foliated deformed gneiss-greenstone crust. Whereas early greenstone sequences are invariably intruded by tonalitic/trondhjemitic/granodioritic gneisses, stratigraphically higher successions may locally overlap older gneiss terrains and their entrained xenoliths unconformably. The contiguity of xenolith patterns suggests their derivation as relics of regional mafic-ultramafic volcanic crustal units and places limits on horizontal movements between individual crustal blocks.

Magnesium isotope fractionation in co-existing clino-pyroxene and garnet: implications for geothermometry and mantle source characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakrabarti, R.; Jacobsen, S. B.; Basu, A. R.

2011-12-01

It is now well established that the Mg isotopic composition of the bulk silicate Earth, as represented by olivines, peridotites and basalts is identical to bulk meteorites and the Moon. However, small differences have been documented between co-existing olivines and clino-pyroxenes in mantle xenoliths as well as co-existing hornblendes and biotites in granitoids; spinels show some of the heaviest δ26Mg (deviation of the 26Mg/24Mg ratio from the Dead Sea Metal standard). A recent study has documented a large Mg isotopic fractionation between co-existing omphacite and garnet (Δ26MgOMP-GT = δ26MgOMP - δ26MgGT ~1.14) from eclogites in the Dabie orogen of China. This large equilibrium Mg isotope fractionation is explained by the difference in coordination number of Mg in omphacite (six) and garnet (eight). We report stable Mg isotopic compositions of co-existing garnet and clino-pyroxenes from different mantle-derived rocks. Garnet-omphacite pairs analyzed are from an eclogite xenolith from the Roberts Victor kimberlite pipe, the ultra-high pressure Tso Morari eclogite from the Ladakh Himalayas and the Healdsburg eclogite from the Franciscan Subduction Complex, which have a wide range in estimated temperatures of equilibration. Although, the latter two eclogites were exhumed in orogenic belts, our selective picking of the mineral cores for analysis avoided retrograded compositions. We have also analyzed Cr-diopside and pyrope-rich garnet pairs from several southern African kimberlite pipes. These include granular garnet peridotite xenoliths (P = 30-40 kbar, T =950-10500C) as well as the deeper sheared xenoliths (P = 50-60 kbar, T = 13500C). Rapid quenching of the kimberlite-hosted xenoliths ensures minimal low temperature pervasive alteration of these samples. Also analyzed are samples from the Gore Mt. amphibolite and a wollastonite-diopside-garnet skarn from the Adirondacks with equilibration temperatures of 700-7260C. Minerals were separated by hand-picking under

Water content in the SW USA mantle lithosphere: FTIR analysis of Dish Hill and Kilbourne Hole pyroxenites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibler, R.; Peslier, A. H.; Schaffer, L. A.; Brandon, A. D.

2014-12-01

Kilbourne Hole (NM, USA) and Dish Hill (CA, USA) mantle xenoliths sample continental mantle in two different tectonic settings. Kilbourne Hole (KH) is located in the Rio Grande rift. Dish Hill (DH) is located in the southern Mojave province, an area potentially affected by subduction of the Farallon plate beneath North America [1]. FTIR analyses were obtained on well characterized pyroxenite, dunite and wehrlite xenoliths, thought to represent crystallized melts at mantle depths. PUM normalized REE patterns of the KH bulk-rocks are slightly LREE enriched and consistent with those of liquids generated by < 5% melting of a spinel peridotite source [2]. Clinopyroxenes contain from 272 to 313 ppm weight H2O similar to the lower limit of KH peridotite clinopyroxenes (250-530 ppm H2O, [3]). This is unexpected as crystallized melts like pyroxenites should concentrate water more than residual mantle-like peridotites, given that H is incompatible. PUM normalized bulk REE of the DH pyroxenites are characterized by flat to LREE depleted REE profiles consistent with > 6% melting of a spinel peridotite source. Pyroxenite pyroxenes have no detectable water but one DH wehrlite, which bulk-rock is LREE enriched, has 4 ppm H2O in orthopyroxene and <1ppm in clinopyroxene. The DH pyroxenites may thus come from a dry mantle source, potentially unaffected by the subduction of the Farallon plate. These water-poor melts either originated from shallow oceanic lithosphere overlaying the Farallon slab [4] or from continental mantle formed > 2 Ga [5]. The Farallon subduction appears to have enriched in water the southwestern United States lithospheric mantle further east than DH, beneath the Colorado plateau [6]. [1] Atwater, 1970 Tectonophysics 31, 145-165. [2] Shaw, 2000 CM 38, 1041-1064. [3] Schaffer et al, 2013 AGU Fall Meeting. [4] Luffi et al, 2009 JGR 114, 1-36. [5] Armytage et al, 2013 GCA 137, 113-133. [6] Li et al, 2008 JGR 113, 1-22.

Garnet peridotite xenoliths in a Montana, U.S.A., kimberlite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Hearn B.; Boyd, F.R.

1975-01-01

Within a swarm of late middle Eocene subsilicic-alkalic diatremes, one diatreme 270 by 370 m and an associated dike contain common xenoliths of granulite and rare xenoliths of spinel peridotite and garnet peridotite. Six garnet lherzolite xenoliths have been found and these show a range of textures. Four are granular, and two are intensely sheared. Phlogopite is absent from the intensely sheared xenoliths and is thought to be primary in part in the granular xenoliths. Estimated temperatures and depths of equilibration of xenolith pyroxenes range from 920??C, 106 km (32 kbar) to 1315??C, 148 km (47 kbar). The xenoliths show increasing amounts of deformation with greater inferred depths of origin. The temperature-depth points suggest a segment of an Eocene geotherm for Montana which is similar in slope to the steep portion of the pyroxene-determined Lesotho geotherm (Boyd and Nixon, this volume) and is considerably steeper than typical calculated shield and continental geotherms at present. The steep trend could be a result of plate-tectonic shearing and magma ascension within an Eocene low-velocity zone. Preservation of intensely sheared textures requires rapid transport of material from about 150 km depth during active deformation of relatively dry rock. The occurrence of monticellite peridotite in this kimberlite diatreme suggests that magmas which crystallized to monticellite peridotite at relatively shallow depth could be one of the primitive types of kimberlite magma. ?? 1975.

Magnesium isotopic composition of the mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teng, F.; Li, W.; Ke, S.; Marty, B.; Huang, S.; Dauphas, N.; Wu, F.; Helz, R. L.

2009-12-01

Studies of Mg isotopic composition of the Earth not only are important for understanding its geochemistry but also can shed light on the accretion history of the Earth as well as the evolution of the Earth-Moon system. However, to date, the Mg isotopic composition of the Earth is still poorly constrained and highly debated. There is uncertainty in the magnitude of Mg isotope fractionation at mantle temperatures and whether the Earth has a chondritic Mg isotopic composition or not. To constrain further the Mg isotopic composition of the mantle and investigate the behavior of Mg isotopes during igneous differentiation, we report >200 high-precision (δ26Mg < 0.1‰, 2SD) analyses of Mg isotopes on 1) global mid-ocean ridge basalts covering major ridge segments of the world and spanning a broad range in latitudes, chemical and radiogenic isotopic compositions; 2) ocean island basalts from Hawaiian (Koolau, Kilauea and Loihi) and French Polynesian volcanoes (Society island and Cook Austral chain); 3) olivine grains from Hawaiian volcanoes (Kilauea, Koolau and Loihi) and 4) peridotite xenoliths from Australia, China, France, Tanzania and USA. Global oceanic basalts and peridotite xenoliths have a limited (<0.2 ‰) variation in Mg isotopic composition, with an average δ26Mg = -0.25 relative to DSM3. Olivines from Hawaiian lavas have δ26Mg ranging from -0.43 to +0.03, with most having compositions identical to basalts and peridotites. Therefore, the mantle’s δ26Mg value is estimated to be ~ -0.25 ± 0.1 (2SD), different from that reported by Wiechert and Halliday (2007; δ26Mg = ~ 0) but similar to more recent studies (δ26Mg = -0.27 to -0.33) (Teng et al. 2007; Handler et al. 2009; Yang et al., 2009). Moreover, we suggest the Earth, as represented by the mantle, has a Mg isotopic composition similar to chondrites (δ26Mg = ~-0.33). The need for a model such as that of Wiechert and Halliday (2007) that involves sorting of chondrules and calcium

Magnesium Isotopic Composition of Kamchatka Sub-Arc Mantle Peridotites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Y.; Teng, F. Z.; Ionov, D. A.

2016-12-01

Subduction of the oceanic slab may add a crustal isotopic signal to the mantle wedge. The highly variable Mg isotopic compositions (δ26Mg) of the subducted oceanic crust input[1] and arc lava output[2] imply a distinctive Mg isotopic signature of the mantle wedge. Magnesium isotopic data on samples from the sub-arc mantle are still limited, however. To characterize the Mg isotopic composition of typical sub-arc mantle, 17 large and fresh spinel harzburgite xenoliths from Avacha volcano were analyzed. The harzburgites were formed by 30% melt extraction at ≤ 1 2 GPa and fluid fluxing condition, and underwent possible fluid metasomatism as suggested by distinctively high orthopyroxene mode in some samples, the presence of accessory amphibole and highly variable Ba/La ratios[3]. However, their δ26Mg values display limited variation from -0.32 to -0.21, which are comparable to the mantle average at -0.25 ± 0.07[4]. The overall mantle-like and homogenous δ26Mg of Avacha sub-arc peridotites are consistent with their similar chemical compositions and high MgO contents (> 44 wt%) relative to likely crustal fluids. Furthermore, clinopyroxene (-0.24 ± 0.10, 2SD, n = 5), a late-stage mineral exsolved from high-temperature, Ca-rich residual orthopyroxene, is in broad Mg isotopic equilibrium with olivine (-0.27 ± 0.04, 2SD, n = 17) and orthopyroxene (-0.22 ± 0.06, 2SD, n = 17). Collectively, this study finds that the Kamchatka mantle wedge, as represented by the Avacha peridotites, has a mantle-like δ26Mg, and low-degree fluid-mantle interaction does not cause significant Mg isotope fractionation in sub-arc mantle peridotites. [1] Wang et al., EPSL, 2012 [2] Teng et al., PNAS, 2016 [3] Ionov, J. Petrol., 2010, [4] Teng et al., GCA, 2010.

Petrology and geochronology of crustal xenoliths from the Bering Strait region: Linking deep and shallow processes in extending continental crust

USGS Publications Warehouse

Akinin, V.V.; Miller, E.L.; Wooden, J.L.

2009-01-01

Petrologic, geochemical, and metamorphic data on gneissic xenoliths derived from the middle and lower crust in the Neogene Bering Sea basalt province, coupled with U-Pb geochronology of their zircons using sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe-reverse geometry (SHRIMP-RG), yield a detailed comparison between the P-T-t and magmatic history of the lower crust and magmatic, metamorphic, and deformational history of the upper crust. Our results provide unique insights into the nature of lithospheric processes that accompany the extension of continental crust. The gneissic, mostly maficxenoliths (constituting less than two percent of the total xenolith population) from lavas in the Enmelen, RU, St. Lawrence, Nunivak, and Seward Peninsula fields most likely originated through magmatic fractionation processes with continued residence at granulite-facies conditions. Zircon single-grain ages (n ??? 125) are interpreted as both magmatic and metamorphic and are entirely Cretaceous to Paleocene in age (ca. 138-60 Ma). Their age distributions correspond to the main ages of magmatism in two belts of supracrustal volcanic and plutonic rocks in the Bering Sea region. Oscillatory-zoned igneous zircons, Late Cretaceous to Paleocene metamorphic zircons and overgrowths, and lack of any older inheritance in zircons from the xenoliths provide strong evidence for juvenile addition of material to the crust at this time. Surface exposures of Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks locally reached upper amphibolite-facies (sillimanite grade) to granulite-facies conditions within a series of extension-related metamorphic culminations or gneiss domes, which developed within the Cretaceous magmatic belt. Metamorphic gradients and inferred geotherms (??30-50 ??C/km) from both the gneiss domes and xenoliths aretoo high to be explained by crustal thickening alone. Magmatic heat input from the mantle is necessary to explain both the petrology of the magmas and elevated metamorphic temperatures. Deep

Peridotite xenoliths from the Chersky belt (Yakutia): Infiltrated carbonate-rich melts leaving no metasomatic record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tschegg, C.; Ntaflos, Th.

2012-04-01

The Chersky seismic belt (NE-Russia) forms the modern plate boundary of the Eurasian-North American continental plate. The geodynamic evolution of this continent-continent setting is highly complex and it remains a matter of debate, how the extent of the Mid-Arctic Ocean spreading influenced the North Asian continent in this region since the Eocene. We constrained a model (Tschegg et al. 2011, Lithos) showing that volcanism in the Chersky area was triggered by extension and thinning of the lithosphere combined with adiabatic upwelling of the underlying mantle at 37 Ma. This implicates that the rift tectonics of the Mid-Arctic Ocean, at that time, affected the North Asian continent causing volcanic activity. Luckily, the basanites that were studied for these purposes host a representative number of peridotite xenoliths, which allow further constraints on the evolution of this area. The suite of spinel peridotites (lherzolites and harzburgites), pyroxenites and mega-crysts enable to characterize upper mantle conditions as well as to observe different processes within the lithospheric mantle beneath the Chersky belt. Equilibration temperatures of the spinel lherzolites reveal approx. 900-1000 °C at pressures of 1-2 GPa, with melt extraction volumes around 4 %. The analyzed spinel harzburgites reflect equilibration at lower P-T conditions and around 8 % higher melt extraction rates. We were able to find a completely preserved interstitial melt droplet in a lherzolite, in which a primary dolomite is in perfect phase contact with Na-rich alumosilicate glass and sodalite. Based on detailed and integrated investigations, we reconstructed origin and evolution of this spectacular carbonatic liquid that at depth differentiated from a carbonated silicate melt to an immiscible carbonate and silicate liquid, entered the lherzolite and quenched shortly before it was transported in the xenolith to the earth surface. To our surprise, the carbonate-rich melt infiltration did not

Origin of ultramafic xenoliths containing exsolved pyroxenes from Hualalai Volcano, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohrson, Wendy A.; Clague, David A.

1988-10-01

Hualalai Volcano, Hawaii, is best known for the abundant and varied xenoliths included in the historic 1800 Kaupulehu alkalic basalt flow. Xenoliths, which range in composition from dunite to anorthosite, are concentrated at 915-m elevation in the flow. Rare cumulate ultramafic xenoliths, which include websterite, olivine websterite, wehrlite, and clinopyroxenite, display complex pyroxene exsolution textures that indicate slow cooling. Websterite, olivine websterite, and one wehrlite are spinel-bearing orthopyroxene +olivine cumulates with intercumulus clinopyroxene +plagioclase. Two wehrlite samples and clinopyroxenite are spinel-bearing olivine cumulates with intercumulus clinopyroxene+orthopyroxene + plagioclase. Two-pyroxene geothermometry calculations, based on reconstructed pyroxene compositions, indicate that crystallization temperatures range from 1225° to 1350° C. Migration or unmixing of clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene stopped between 1045° and 1090° C. Comparisons of the abundance of K2O in plagioclase and the abundances of TiO2 and Fe2O3in spinel of xenoliths and mid-ocean ridge basalt, and a single 87Sr/ 86Sr determination, indicate that these Hualalai xenoliths are unrelated to mid-ocean ridge basalt. Similarity between the crystallization sequence of these xenoliths and the experimental crystallization sequence of a Hawaiian olivine tholeiite suggest that the parental magma of the xenoliths is Hualalai tholeiitic basalt. Xenoliths probably crystallized between about 4.5 and 9 kb. The 155° 230° C of cooling which took place over about 120 ka — the age of the youngest Hualalai tholeiitic basalt — yield maximum cooling rates of 1.3×10-3 1.91×10-3 °C/yr. Hualalai ultramafic xenoliths with exsolved pyroxenes crystallized from Hualalai tholeiitic basalt and accumulated in a magma reservoir located between 13 and 28 km below sealevel. We suspect that this reservoir occurs just below the base of the oceanic crust at about 19 km below sealevel.

Origin of ultramafic xenoliths containing exsolved pyroxenes from Hualalai Volcano, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bohrson, W.A.; Clague, D.A.

1988-01-01

Hualalai Volcano, Hawaii, is best known for the abundant and varied xenoliths included in the historic 1800 Kaupulehu alkalic basalt flow. Xenoliths, which range in composition from dunite to anorthosite, are concentrated at 915-m elevation in the flow. Rare cumulate ultramafic xenoliths, which include websterite, olivine websterite, wehrlite, and clinopyroxenite, display complex pyroxene exsolution textures that indicate slow cooling. Websterite, olivine websterite, and one wehrlite are spinel-bearing orthopyroxene +olivine cumulates with intercumulus clinopyroxene +plagioclase. Two wehrlite samples and clinopyroxenite are spinel-bearing olivine cumulates with intercumulus clinopyroxene+orthopyroxene + plagioclase. Two-pyroxene geothermometry calculations, based on reconstructed pyroxene compositions, indicate that crystallization temperatures range from 1225?? to 1350?? C. Migration or unmixing of clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene stopped between 1045?? and 1090?? C. Comparisons of the abundance of K2O in plagioclase and the abundances of TiO2 and Fe2O3in spinel of xenoliths and mid-ocean ridge basalt, and a single 87Sr/ 86Sr determination, indicate that these Hualalai xenoliths are unrelated to mid-ocean ridge basalt. Similarity between the crystallization sequence of these xenoliths and the experimental crystallization sequence of a Hawaiian olivine tholeiite suggest that the parental magma of the xenoliths is Hualalai tholeiitic basalt. Xenoliths probably crystallized between about 4.5 and 9 kb. The 155??-230?? C of cooling which took place over about 120 ka - the age of the youngest Hualalai tholeiitic basalt - yield maximum cooling rates of 1.3??10-3-1.91??10-3 ??C/yr. Hualalai ultramafic xenoliths with exsolved pyroxenes crystallized from Hualalai tholeiitic basalt and accumulated in a magma reservoir located between 13 and 28 km below sealevel. We suspect that this reservoir occurs just below the base of the oceanic crust at about 19 km below sealevel

Contrasts in Lower Crustal Structure and Evolution Between the Northern and Southern Rocky Mountains From Xenoliths and Seismic Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulte-Pelkum, V.; Mahan, K. H.; Shen, W.; Stachnik, J. C.

2016-12-01

We compare and contrast crustal structure and composition along a transect from the Southern to Northern Rocky Mountains, with a focus on the lower crust. Evolution of the crust can include processes of emplacement, differentiation, and thermal changes that may generate lower crust with high seismic wavespeeds. The high seismic velocities can be due to mafic composition, the presence of garnet, or both. We seek to find seismic signatures preserved from such processes and compare xenolith samples and present-day seismic appearance between regions with varying tectonic histories. We review recent seismic results from the EarthScope Transportable Array from receiver functions and surface waves, compilations of active source studies, and xenolith studies to compare lower crustal structure along transects through the Northern and Southern Rocky Mountains traversing Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Xenoliths from an unusually thick lower crustal layer with high seismic velocities in Montana record magmatic emplacement processes dating back to the Archean. The lower crustal layer possesses internal velocity contrasts that lead to conflicting interpretations of Moho depth depending on the method used, with xenoliths and a refraction study placing the Moho at 55 km depth, while studies using surface waves and receiver functions identify the largest contrast at 40-45 km depth as the Moho. An additional confounding factor is the presence of metasomatized uppermost mantle with low seismic velocities, which may further diminish the seismic signature of the petrological Moho. To the south, the high-velocity layer diminishes, and seismic velocities in the deep crust under southern Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico are lower. In the literature, north-south gradients in lower crustal velocity in this area and observed differences in garnet content have variously been ascribed to thermal dehydration of Archean-age hydrous crust or Laramide-age hydration of

The uniquely high-temperature character of Cullinan diamonds: A signature of the Bushveld mantle plume?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korolev, N. M.; Kopylova, M.; Bussweiler, Y.; Pearson, D. G.; Gurney, J.; Davidson, J.

2018-04-01

The mantle beneath the Cullinan kimberlite (formerly known as "Premier") is a unique occurrence of diamondiferous cratonic mantle where diamonds were generated contemporaneously and shortly following a mantle upwelling that led to the formation of a Large Igneous Province that produced the world's largest igneous intrusion - the 2056 Ma Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC). We studied 332 diamond inclusions from 202 Cullinan diamonds to investigate mantle thermal effects imposed by the formation of the BIC. The overwhelming majority of diamonds come from three parageneses: (1) lithospheric eclogitic (69%), (2) lithospheric peridotitic (21%), and (3) sublithospheric mafic (9%). The lithospheric eclogitic paragenesis is represented by clinopyroxene, garnet, coesite and kyanite. Main minerals of the lithospheric peridotitic paragenesis are forsterite, enstatite, Cr-pyrope, Cr-augite and spinel; the sublithospheric mafic association includes majorite, CaSiO3 phases and omphacite. Diamond formation conditions were calculated using an Al-in-olivine thermometer, a garnet-clinopyroxene thermometer, as well as majorite and Raman barometers. The Cullinan diamonds may be unique on the global stage in recording a cold geotherm of 40 mW/m2 in cratonic lithosphere that was in contact with underlying convecting mantle at temperatures of 1450-1550 °C. The studied Cullinan diamonds contain a high proportion of inclusions equilibrated at temperatures exceeding the ambient 1327 °C adiabat, i.e. 54% of eclogitic diamonds and 41% of peridotitic diamonds. By contrast, ≤ 1% of peridotitic diamond inclusions globally yield equally high temperatures. We propose that the Cullinan diamond inclusions recorded transient, slow-dissipating thermal perturbations associated with the plume-related formation of the 2 Ga Bushveld igneous province. The presence of inclusions in diamond from the mantle transition zone at 300-650 km supports this view. Cullinan xenoliths indicative of the thermal state of

The Paradox of a Wet (High H2O) and Dry (Low H2O/Ce) Mantle: High Water Concentrations in Mantle Garnet Pyroxenites from Hawaii

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peslier, Anne H.; Bizimis, Michael

2013-01-01

Water dissolved as trace amounts in anhydrous minerals has a large influence on the melting behavior and physical properties of the mantle. The water concentration of the oceanic mantle is inferred from the analyses of Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB) and Oceanic Island Basalt (OIB). but there is little data from actual mantle samples. Moreover, enriched mineralogies (pyroxenites, eclogites) are thought as important sources of heterogeneity in the mantle, but their water concentrations and their effect on the water budget and cycling in the mantle are virtually unknown. Here, we analyzed by FTIR water in garnet clinopyroxenite xenoliths from Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii. These pyroxenites are high-pressure (>20kb) crystal fractionates from alkalic melts. The clinopyroxenes (cpx) have 260 to 576 ppm wt H2O, with the least differentiated samples (Mg#>0.8) in the 400-500 ppm range. Orthopyroxene (opx) contain 117-265 ppm H2O, about half of that of cpx, consistent with other natural sample studies, but lower than cpx/opx equilibrium from experimental data. The pyroxenite cpx and opx H2O concentrations are at the high-end of on-and off-craton peridotite xenolith concentrations and those of Hawaiian spinel peridotites. In contrast, garnet has extremely low water contents (<5ppm H2O). There is no correlation between H2O in cpx and lithophile element concentrations. Phlogopite is present in some samples, and its modal abundance shows a positive correlation in Mg# with cpx, implying equilibrium. However, there is no correlation between H2O concentrations and or the presence of phlogopite. These data imply that cpx and opx may be at water saturation, far lower than experimental data suggest. Reconstructed bulk rock pyroxenite H2O ranges from 200-460 ppm (average 331 +/- 75 ppm), 2 to 8 times higher than H2O estimates for the MORB source (50-200 ppm), but in the range of E-MORB, OIB and the source of rejuvenated Hawaiian magmas. The average bulk rock pyroxenite H2O/Ce is 69

Composition of the lower crust of the Arabian Plate: a xenolith perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Mishwat, Ali T.; Nasir, Sobhi J.

2004-01-01

Petrological and geochemical data for a suite of mafic granulite xenoliths in Cenozoic alkali basalts from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria provide a unique opportunity to explore the composition and nature of the lower crust beneath the Arabian Plate. Two mineralogically and chemically distinct groups of xenoliths occur. Group I is composed of two pyroxenes and plagioclase approximately in equal amounts. Group II is plagioclase rich and has variable proportions of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. The xenolith mineral assemblages and geothermobarometry of coexisting minerals suggest that these xenoliths represent basaltic cumulates that crystallized under high-pressure conditions in the lower crust. The xenoliths possibly form a part of a lower crustal gabbroic intrusive complex that underlies the Arabian Plate and may represent mafic roots of an arc complex of Pan-African age beneath Arabia. The xenolith data are compatible with available geophysical models on crust thickness and layering. The crust is between 20 and 40 km thick, and its lower part consists of mafic meta-igneous granulites. The chemical averages of xenoliths from different parts of the Arabian Plate are more mafic than the estimated present-day average of model lower crust.

Erupted frothy xenoliths may explain lack of country-rock fragments in plutons

PubMed Central

Burchardt, Steffi; Troll, Valentin R.; Schmeling, Harro; Koyi, Hemin; Blythe, Lara

2016-01-01

Magmatic stoping is discussed to be a main mechanism of magma emplacement. As a consequence of stoping, abundant country-rock fragments should occur within, and at the bottom of, magma reservoirs as “xenolith graveyards”, or become assimilated. However, the common absence of sufficient amounts of both xenoliths and crustal contamination have led to intense controversy about the efficiency of stoping. Here, we present new evidence that may explain the absence of abundant country-rock fragments in plutons. We report on vesiculated crustal xenoliths in volcanic rocks that experienced devolatilisation during heating and partial melting when entrained in magma. We hypothesise that the consequential inflation and density decrease of the xenoliths allowed them to rise and become erupted instead of being preserved in the plutonic record. Our thermomechanical simulations of this process demonstrate that early-stage xenolith sinking can be followed by the rise of a heated, partially-molten xenolith towards the top of the reservoir. There, remnants may disintegrate and mix with resident magma or erupt. Shallow-crustal plutons emplaced into hydrous country rocks may therefore not necessarily contain evidence of the true amount of magmatic stoping during their emplacement. Further studies are needed to quantify the importance of frothy xenolith in removing stoped material. PMID:27804996

Interactions between magma and the lithospheric mantle during Cenozoic rifting in Central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, Romain; Elkins-Tanton, Linda T.

2010-05-01

During the Cenozoic, extensive intraplate volcanic activity occurred throughout Central Europe. Volcanic eruptions extend over France (the Massif Central), central Germany (Eifel, Vogelsberg, Rhön; Heldburg), the Czech Republic (the Eger graben) and SW Poland (Lower Silesia), a region ~1,200 km wide. The origin of this predominantly alkaline intraplate magmatism is often genetically linked to one or several mantle plumes, but there is no convincing evidence for this. We have measured Pb isotope ratios, together with major and trace elements, in a representative set of mafic to felsic igneous rocks from the intra-plate Cenozoic Rhön Mts. and the Heldburg dike swarm in order to gain insight into the melting source and petrogenetic history of these melts. Three different mafic rock types (tholeiitic basalt, alkali basalt, basanite) were distinguished based on petrography and geochemistry within the investigated areas. Except for the lherzolite-bearing phonolite from the Veste Heldburg all other evolved magmas are trachytes. REE geochemistry and calculated partial melting modeling experiments for the three mafic magma types point to different degrees of partial melting in a garnet-bearing mantle source. In addition a new version of the ternary Th-Hf-Ta diagram is presented in this study as a useful petrological tool. This diagram is not only able to define potentially involved melting source end-members (e.g. asthenosphere, sub-continental lithospheric mantle and continental crust) but also interactions between these members are illustrated. An advantage of this diagram compared to partial melting degree sensitive multi-element diagrams is that a ternary diagram is a closed system. An earlier version of this diagram has been recently used to establish the nature and extent of crust mantle melt interaction of volcanic rifted margins magmas (Meyer et al. 2009). The Th-Hf-Ta geochemistry of the investigated magmas is similar to spinel and garnet xenoliths from different

Interactions between magma and the lithospheric mantle during Cenozoic rifting in Central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, R.; Song, X.; Elkins-Tanton, L. T.

2009-12-01

During the Cenozoic, extensive intraplate volcanic activity occurred throughout Central Europe. Volcanic eruptions extend over France (the Massif Central), central Germany (Eifel, Vogelsberg, Rhön; Heldburg), the Czech Republic (the Eger graben) and SW Poland (Lower Silesia), a region ~1,200 km wide. The origin of this predominantly alkaline intraplate magmatism is often genetically linked to one or several mantle plumes, but there is no convincing evidence for this. We have measured Pb isotope ratios, together with major and trace elements, in a representative set of mafic to felsic igneous rocks from the intra-plate Cenozoic Rhön Mts. and the Heldburg dike swarm in order to gain insight into the melting source and petrogenetic history of these melts. Three different mafic rock types (tholeiitic basalt, alkali basalt, basanite) were distinguished based on petrography and geochemistry within the investigated areas. Except for the lherzolite-bearing phonolite from the Veste Heldburg all other evolved magmas are trachytes. REE geochemistry and calculated partial melting modeling experiments for the three mafic magma types point to different degrees of partial melting in a garnet-bearing mantle source. In addition a new version of the ternary Th-Hf-Ta diagram is presented in this study as a useful petrological tool. This diagram is not only able to define potentially involved melting source end-members (e.g. asthenosphere, sub-continental lithospheric mantle and continental crust) but also interactions between these members are illustrated. An advantage of this diagram compared to partial melting degree sensitive multi-element diagrams is that a ternary diagram is a closed system. An earlier version of this diagram has been recently used to establish the nature and extent of crust mantle melt interaction of volcanic rifted margins magmas (Meyer et al. 2009). The Th-Hf-Ta geochemistry of the investigated magmas is similar to spinel and garnet xenoliths from different

Nickel isotopic composition of the mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gall, Louise; Williams, Helen M.; Halliday, Alex N.; Kerr, Andrew C.

2017-02-01

This paper presents a detailed high-precision study of Ni isotope variations in mantle peridotites and their minerals, komatiites as well as chondritic and iron meteorites. Ultramafic rocks display a relatively large range in δ60 Ni (permil deviation in 60 Ni /58 Ni relative to the NIST SRM 986 Ni isotope standard) for this environment, from 0.15 ± 0.07‰ to 0.36 ± 0.08‰, with olivine-rich rocks such as dunite and olivine cumulates showing lighter isotope compositions than komatiite, lherzolite and pyroxenite samples. The data for the mineral separates shed light on the origin of these variations. Olivine and orthopyroxene display light δ60 Ni whereas clinopyroxene and garnet are isotopically heavy. This indicates that peridotite whole-rock δ60 Ni may be controlled by variations in modal mineralogy, with the prediction that mantle melts will display variable δ60 Ni values due to variations in residual mantle and cumulate mineralogy. Based on fertile peridotite xenoliths and Phanerozoic komatiite samples it is concluded that the upper mantle has a relatively homogeneous Ni isotope composition, with the best estimate of δ60Nimantle being 0.23 ± 0.06‰ (2 s.d.). Given that >99% of the Ni in the silicate Earth is located in the mantle, this also defines the Ni isotope composition of the Bulk Silicate Earth (BSE). This value is nearly identical to the results obtained for a suite of chondrites and iron meteorites (mean δ60 Ni 0.26 ± 0.12‰ and 0.29 ± 0.10‰, respectively) showing that the BSE is chondritic with respect to its Ni isotope composition, with little to no Ni mass-dependent isotope fractionation resulting from core formation.

Rapid Grain Size Reduction in the Upper Mantle at a Plate Boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kidder, S. B.; Scott, J.; Prior, D. J.; Lubicich, E. J.

2017-12-01

A few spinel peridotite xenoliths found near the Alpine Fault, New Zealand, exhibit a mylonitic texture and, locally, an extremely fine 30 micron grain size. The harzburgite xenoliths were emplaced in a 200 km-long elongate dike zone interpreted as a gigantic tension fracture or Reidel shear associated with Alpine Fault initiation 25 Ma. The presence of thin ( 1 mm) ultramylonite zones with px-ol phase mixing and fine grain sizes, minimal crustal-scale strain associated with the dike swarm, and the absence of mylonites at four of the five xenolith localities associated with the dike swarm indicate that upper mantle deformation was highly localized. Strings of small, recrystallized grains (planes in 3D) are found in the interiors of olivine porphyroclasts. In some cases, bands 1-2 grains thick are traced from the edges of olivine grains and terminate in their interiors. Thicker zones of recrystallized grains are also observed crossing olivine porphyroclasts without apparent offset of the unrecrystallized remnants of the porphyroclasts. We suggest a brittle-plastic origin for these features since the traditional recrystallization mechanisms associated with dislocation creep require much more strain than occurred within these porphyroclasts. Analogous microstructures in quartz and feldspar in mid-crust deformation zones are attributed to brittle-plastic processes. We hypothesize that such fine-grained zones were the precursors of the observed, higher-strain ultramylonite zones. Given the size of the new grains preserved in the porphyroclasts ( 100 micron) and a moho temperature > 650°C, grain growth calculations indicate that the observed brittle-plastic deformation occurred <10,000 yrs. prior to eruption. It is likely then that either brittle-plastic deformation was coeval with the ductile shearing occurring in the ultramylonite bands, or possibly, if deformation can be separated into brittle-plastic (early) and ductile (later) phases, that the entire localization

Lower crustal xenoliths, Chinese Peak lava flow, central Sierra Nevada.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dodge, F.C.W.; Calk, L.C.; Kistler, R.W.

1986-01-01

This assemblage of pyroxenite, peridotite and mafic granulite xenoliths in the toe of a 10 m.y. trachybasalt flow remnant overlying late Cretaceous granitic rocks, indicates the presence of a mafic-ultramafic complex beneath this part of central California; orthopyroxenites, websterites and clinopyroxenites are dominant. A few of the xenoliths contain ovoid opaque patches that are apparently pseudomorphs after garnet and have pyralspite garnet compositions; using a garnet-orthopyroxene geobarometer, they indicate a lower crustal depth of approx 40 km. Abundant mafic granulites can be subdivided into those with Al2O3 = or 15% and showing considerable scatter on oxide variation diagrams. The high-alumina granulite xenoliths have relatively low 87Rb/86Sr but high 87Sr/86Sr, whereas the low-alumina and ultramafic xenoliths have a wide range of 87Rb/86Sr, but lower 87Sr/86Sr; the isotopic data indicate roughly the same age as that of overlying granitic plutons (approx 100 m.y.). However, the granitic rocks have initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios intermediate between those of the high-alumina and ultramafic xenoliths, suggesting that they result from the mixing of basaltic magma (represented by the ultramafic rocks) and crustal materials, with subsequent crystal fractionation.-R.A.H.

Petrophysical constraints on the seismic properties of the Kaapvaal craton mantle root

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virginie, Baptiste; Andrea, Tommasi

2014-05-01

We calculated the seismic properties of 47 mantle xenoliths from 9 kimberlitic pipes in the Kaapvaal craton based on their modal composition, the crystal preferred orientations (CPO) of olivine, ortho- and clinopyroxene, and garnet, the Fe content of olivine, and the pressures and temperatures at which the rocks were equilibrated. These data allow constraining the variation of seismic anisotropy and velocities within the cratonic mantle. The fastest P and S2 waves propagation direction and the polarization of fast split shear wave (S1) are always subparallel to olivine [100] axes maximum concentration, which marks the lineation (fossil flow direction). Seismic anisotropy is higher for high olivine contents and stronger CPO. Maximum P-wave azimuthal anisotropy (AVp) ranges between 2.5 and 10.2% and the maximum S-wave polarization anisotropy (AVs), between 2.7 and 8%. Changes in olivine CPO symmetry result in minor variations in the seismic anisotropy patterns, mainly in the apparent isotropy directions for shear wave splitting. Seismic properties averaged over 20 km thick depth sections are, therefore, very homogeneous. Based on these data, we predict the anisotropy that would be measured by SKS, Rayleigh (SV) and Love (SH) waves for 5 end-member orientations of the foliation and lineation. Comparison to seismic anisotropy data in the Kaapvaal shows that the coherent fast directions, but low delay times imaged by SKS studies and the low azimuthal anisotropy with SH faster than SV measured using surface waves are best explained by a homogeneously dipping (45°) foliation and lineation in the cratonic mantle lithosphere. Laterally or vertically varying foliation and lineation orientations with a dominantly NW-SE trend might also explain the low measured anisotropies, but this model should also result in backazimuthal variability of the SKS splitting data, not reported in the seismological data. The strong compositional heterogeneity of the Kaapvaal peridotite

Asthenosphere–lithosphere interactions in Western Saudi Arabia: Inferences from 3He/4He in xenoliths and lava flows from Harrat Hutaymah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Konrad, Kevin; Graham, David W; Thornber, Carl; Duncan, Robert A.; Kent, Adam J.R.; Al-Amri, Abdulla

2016-01-01

Elevated 3He/4He in the western harrats has been observed only at Rahat (up to 11.8 RA; Murcia et al., 2013), a volcanic field situated above thinned lithosphere beneath the Makkah-Medinah-Nafud volcanic lineament. Previous work established that spinel lherzolites at Hutaymah are sourced near the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB), while other xenolith types there are derived from shallower depths within the lithosphere itself (Thornber, 1992). Helium isotopes are consistent with melts originating near the LAB beneath many of the Arabian harrats, and any magma derived from the Afar mantle plume currently appears to be of minor importance.

Garnet breakdown in some deep seated garnetiferous xenoliths from the central Sierra Nevada: Petrologic and tectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukhopadhyay, Biswajit

1991-06-01

. (2) Such rapid adiabatic decompression would arrest the original high P- T condition of equilibration of the primary xenolith mineralogy. The P- T conditions of equilibration of the primary xenolith mineral assemblages are found to range from the 11-24 kbar and 600-900°C. These low P- T conditions indeed indicate a re-equilibration of the primary mineral assemblages at a shallower depth. (3) The garnet breakdown reaction also involved clinopyroxene and produced an overgrowth of Fe- and Al-rich and Na-poor clinopyroxene around the primary clinopyroxene. (4) Using the known phase compositions, a balanced reaction, which involves primary phases and the symplectite phases, can be written. (5) Thermodynamic modelling of the garnet breakdown phenomenon according to the reaction: CaMgSi 2O 6 + 2Mg 3Al 2Si 3O 12=3Mg 2Si 2O 6 + CaAl 2Si 2O 8 + MgAl 2O 4 yields the P- T condition for garnet breakdown at 841°C-15 kbar for the sample PS-10, for example. The original subsolidus re-equilibration P- T condition of the primary mineral assemblages for this sample is calculated as 892°C-23 kbar. This calculation signifies uplift of the subsolidus garnet clinopyroxenite assemblage along a superadiabatic P- T path. The hypothesis set forth in turn suggests movement of the solid crust-mantle segments along a superadiabatic path from a high P- T regime to lower P- T conditions. Thus the crust-mantle segments underlying the Sierra Nevada batholith, represented by the xenoliths, originated at a greater depth and were tectonically uplifted prior to becoming entrained within the volcanic hosts. This dynamic model is compatible with the geological scenario of the western United States.

Magma transport and metasomatism in the mantle: a critical review of current geochemical models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nielson, J.E.; Wilshire, H.G.

1993-01-01

Conflicting geochemical models of metasomatic interactions between mantle peridotite and melt all assume that mantle reactions reflect chromatographic processes. Examination of field, petrological, and compositional data suggests that the hypothesis of chromatographic fractionation based on the supposition of large-scale percolative processes needs review and revision. Well-constrained rock and mineral data from xenoliths indicate that many elements that behave incompatibly in equilibrium crystallization processes are absorbed immediately when melts emerge from conduits into depleted peridotite. After reacting to equilibrium with the peridotite, melt that percolates away from the conduit is largely depleted of incompatible elements. Continued addition of melts extends the zone of equilibrium farther from the conduit. Such a process resembles ion-exchange chromatography for H2O purification, rather than the model of chromatographic species separation. -from Authors

Redox state of recycled crustal lithologies in the convective upper mantle constrained using oceanic basalt CO2-trace element systematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eguchi, J.; Dasgupta, R.

2017-12-01

Investigating the redox state of the convective upper mantle remains challenging as there is no way of retrieving samples from this part of the planet. Current views of mantle redox are based on Fe3+/∑Fe of minerals in mantle xenoliths and thermodynamic calculations of fO2 [1]. However, deep xenoliths are only recoverable from continental lithospheric mantle, which may have different fO2s than the convective oceanic upper mantle [1]. To gain insight on the fO2 of the deep parts of the oceanic upper mantle, we probe CO2-trace element systematics of basalts that have been argued to receive contributions from subducted crustal lithologies that typically melt deeper than peridotite. Because CO2 contents of silicate melts at graphite saturation vary with fO2 [2], we suggest CO2-trace element systematics of oceanic basalts which sample deep heterogeneities may provide clues about the fO2 of the convecting mantle containing embedded heterogeneities. We developed a new model to predict CO2 contents in nominally anhydrous silicate melts from graphite- to fluid-saturation over a range of P (0.05- 5 GPa), T (950-1600 °C), and composition (foidite-rhyolite). We use the model to calculate CO2 content as a function of fO2 for partial melts of lithologies that vary in composition from rhyolitic sediment melt to silica-poor basaltic melt of pyroxenites. We then use modeled CO2 contents in mixing calculations with partial melts of depleted mantle to constrain the fO2 required for partial melts of heterogeneities to deliver sufficient CO2 to explain CO2-trace element systematics of natural basalts. As an example, Pitcairn basalts, which show evidence of a subducted crustal component [3] require mixing of 40% of partial melts of a garnet pyroxenite at ΔFMQ -1.75 at 3 GPa. Mixing with a more silicic composition such as partial melts of a MORB-eclogite cannot deliver enough CO2 at graphite saturation, so in this scenario fO2 must be above the EMOG/D buffer at 4 GPa. Results suggest

Could the Mantle Under Island Arcs Contribute to Long Wavelength Magnetic Anomalies?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, S. A.; Ferre, E. C.; Martin-Hernandez, F.; Feinberg, J. M.; Conder, J. A.

2016-12-01

Some island arcs show significant long-wavelength positive magnetic anomalies with potential sources in the mantle wedge while others do not. Here we compare the magnetic properties of mantle xenoliths form metasomatized mantle wedges with counterparts from pristine unaltered mantle and we discuss the role mantle processes may play in producing these anomalies. Samples for this study originate from four localities displaying different degrees of metasomatism, as evidenced by the presence of phlogophite, pargasite, and secondary minerals (olv, cpx, opx): a) Five samples from Ichinomegata crater, Megata volcano, in NE Japan are characteristically lherzolitic with metasomatic pargasite present; b) Six samples from Kurose, SW Japan are mainly harzburgites that contain rare, late stage metasomatic sulfides; c) Ten samples from the Iraya volcano, Batan Island, in the Philippines are lherzolites, harzburgites, and dunites that contain metasomatic olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and pargasite; and d) Ten samples from Avacha and Shiveluch volcanoes in Kamchatka, consists of unaltered harzburgites supported by an LOI <1%. Sample localities come from subduction zones of the western Pacific Ocean, where the angle of subduction varies (from 10° in SW Japan to 55° in the Kamchatka and Taiwan-Luzon arcs). When present, ferromagnetic minerals include stoichiometric magnetite with occasional pyrrhotite only in metasomatized samples. Ultimately, metasomatized mantle material has a Koenigsberger ratio less than 1.0 indicating it would not primarily contribute to satellite-altitude magnetic anomalies. While unaltered mantle material may produce a Koenigsberger ratio greater than 1.0, and would thus, contribute to long wavelength magnetic anomalies. The presence of both metasomatized and unaltered mantle material beneath island arcs would be supportive of the positive magnetic anomaly found in some subduction zones.

Seismic properties of the upper mantle beneath Lanzarote (Canary Islands): Model predictions based on texture measurements by EBSD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vonlanthen, Pierre; Kunze, Karsten; Burlini, Luigi; Grobety, Bernard

2006-12-01

We present a petrophysical analysis of upper mantle xenoliths, collected in the Quaternary alkali basalt fields (Series III and IV) from the island of Lanzarote. The samples consist of eight harzburgite and four dunite nodules, 5 to 15 cm in size, and exhibit a typical protogranular to porphyroclastic texture. An anomalous foliation resulting from strong recovery processes is observed in half of the specimens. The lattice preferred orientations (LPO) of olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene were measured using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). In most samples, olivine exhibits LPOs intermediate between the typical single crystal texture and the [100] fiber texture. Occasionally, the [010] fiber texture was also observed. Simultaneous occurrence of both types of fiber textures suggests the existence of more than one deformation regime, probably dominated by a simple shear component under low strain rate and moderate to high temperature. Orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene display a weaker but significant texture. The LPO data were used to calculate the seismic properties of the xenoliths at PT conditions obtained from geothermobarometry, and were compared to field geophysical data reported from the literature. The velocity of P-waves (7.9 km/s) obtained for a direction corresponding to the existing seismic transect is in good agreement with the most recent geophysical interpretation. Our results are consistent with a roughly W-E oriented fastest P-wave propagation direction in the uppermost mantle beneath the Canary Islands, and with the lithosphere structure proposed by previous authors involving a crust-mantle boundary at around 18 km in depth, overlaid by intermediate material between 11 and 18 km.

The Elephants' Graveyard: Constraints from Mantle Plumes on the Fate of Subducted Slabs and Implications for the Style of Mantle Convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lassiter, J. C.

2007-12-01

The style of mantle convection (e.g., layered- vs. whole-mantle convection) is one of the most hotly contested questions in the Geological Sciences. Geochemical arguments for and against mantle layering have largely focused on mass-balance evidence for the existence of "hidden" geochemical reservoirs. However, the size and location of such reservoirs are largely unconstrained, and most geochemical arguments for mantle layering are consistent with a depleted mantle comprising most of the mantle mass and a comparatively small volume of enriched, hidden material either within D" or within seismically anomalous "piles" beneath southern Africa and the South Pacific. The mass flux associated with subduction of oceanic lithosphere is large and plate subduction is an efficient driver of convective mixing in the mantle. Therefore, the depth to which oceanic lithosphere descends into the mantle is effectively the depth of the upper mantle in any layered mantle model. Numerous geochemical studies provide convincing evidence that many mantle plumes contain material which at one point resided close to the Earth's surface (e.g., recycled oceanic crust ± sediments, possibly subduction-modified mantle wedge material). Fluid dynamic models further reveal that only the central cores of mantle plumes are involved in melt generation. The presence of recycled material in the sources of many ocean island basalts therefore cannot be explained by entrainment of this material during plume ascent, but requires that recycled material resides within or immediately above the thermo-chemical boundary layer(s) that generates mantle plumes. More recent Os- isotope studies of mantle xenoliths from OIB settings reveal the presence not only of recycled crust in mantle plumes, but also ancient melt-depleted harzburgite interpreted to represent ancient recycled oceanic lithosphere [1]. Thus, there is increasing evidence that subducted slabs accumulate in the boundary layer(s) that provide the source

Pyroxenite and peridotite xenoliths from Hexigten, Inner Mongolia: Insights into the Paleo-Asian Ocean subduction-related melt/fluid-peridotite interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Dongya; Liu, Yongsheng; Hu, Zhaochu; Gao, Shan; Zong, Keqing; Xu, Rong; Deng, Lixu; He, Detao; Gao, Changgui

2014-09-01

The in situ major, trace-element and Sr-isotopic compositions of the peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths from the Hexigten region in the Xing-Meng orogenic belt (XMOB) were examined to evaluate the influences and contributions of the Paleo-Asian Oceanic slab subduction on the lithospheric mantle transformation. Pyroxenes in the Type 1 pyroxenite exhibit low and variable Mg# (67-85) and relatively high 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7036-0.7053), indicating that they were formed by assimilation and fractional crystallization processes during a basaltic underplating event. The peridotite and Type 2 pyroxenite xenoliths sampled the lithospheric mantle and recorded subduction-related metasomatism. The mineral chemistries of the Type 1 peridotite suggest that the lithospheric mantle beneath this area suffered 1-15% melt extraction. Clinopyroxene (Cpx) in some Type 1 peridotites are characterized by high (La/Yb)N coupled with marked depletions in high field strength elements (HFSE) (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf and Ti) and negative correlations between the low Ti/Eu (Nb/La) and 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7037-0.7055), suggesting metasomatism by subduction-related CO2-rich fluids. Olivine (Ol) and orthopyroxene (Opx) in the Type 2 peridotite are characterized by a relatively low Mg# but high Ni contents. In addition to the normal incompatible element-depleted Opx, Opx with enrichments in Rb, Ba, Th, U, Nb, Ta and LREE were observed, as well. The Mg# of incompatible element-depleted Opx exhibits weak zonations (i.e., decreasing from the cores to the rims). Cpx and Opx of the Type 2 pyroxenite exhibit similarly high Mg# and Ni contents. Rb, Ba, Th, U, Nb, Ta and LREE contents and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the Cpx increase from the cores to the rims. Moreover, Opx in the Type 2 peridotite and Cpx in the Type 2 pyroxenite exhibit increased Nb/Ta ratios and Ni contents relative to those in the Type 1 peridotites. These observations collectively suggest a rutile-bearing eclogite-derived silicic melt

Density, temperature, and composition of the North American lithosphere—New insights from a joint analysis of seismic, gravity, and mineral physics data: 2. Thermal and compositional model of the upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tesauro, Magdala; Kaban, Mikhail K.; Mooney, Walter D.; Cloetingh, Sierd A. P. L.

2014-12-01

Temperature and compositional variations of the North American (NA) lithospheric mantle are estimated using a new inversion technique introduced in Part 1, which allows us to jointly interpret seismic tomography and gravity data, taking into account depletion of the lithospheric mantle beneath the cratonic regions. The technique is tested using two tomography models (NA07 and SL2013sv) and different lithospheric density models. The first density model (Model I) reproduces the typical compositionally stratified lithospheric mantle, which is consistent with xenolith samples from the central Slave craton, while the second one (Model II) is based on the direct inversion of the residual gravity and residual topography. The results obtained, both in terms of temperature and composition, are more strongly influenced by the input models derived from seismic tomography, rather than by the choice of lithospheric density Model I versus Model II. The final temperatures estimated in the Archean lithospheric root are up to 150°C higher than in the initial thermal models obtained using a laterally and vertically uniform "fertile" compositional model and are in agreement with temperatures derived from xenolith data. Therefore, the effect of the compositional variations cannot be neglected when temperatures of the cratonic lithospheric mantle are estimated. Strong negative compositional density anomalies (<-0.03 g/cm3), corresponding to Mg # (100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe)) >92, characterize the lithospheric mantle of the northwestern part of the Superior craton and the central part of the Slave and Churchill craton, according to both tomographic models. The largest discrepancies between the results based on different tomography models are observed in the Proterozoic regions, such as the Trans Hudson Orogen (THO), Rocky Mountains, and Colorado Plateau, which appear weakly depleted (>-0.025 g/cm3 corresponding to Mg # ˜91) when model NA07 is used, or locally characterized by high

Hydrogen storage in Earth's mantle and core

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prewitt, Charles T.

1994-01-01

Two different approaches to explaining how hydrogen might be stored in the mantle are illustrated by a number of papers published over the past 25-30 years, but there has been little attempt to provide objective comparisons of the two. One approach invokes the presence in the mantle of dense hydrous magnesium silicates (DHMS) stable at elevated pressures and temperatures. The other involves nominally anhydrous minerals (NAM) that contain hydrogen as a minor constituent on the ppm level. Experimental studies on DHMS indicate these phases may be stable to pressures and temperatures as high at 16 GPa and 1200 C. This temperature is lower than that indicated by a mantle geotherm at 16 GPa, but may be reasonable for a subducting slab. It is possible that other DHMS could be stable to even higher pressures, but little is known about maximum temperature limits. For NAM, small amounts of hydrogen (up to several hundred ppm) have been detected in olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and garnet recovered from xenoliths in kimberlites, eclogites, and alkali basalts; it has been demonstrated that synthetic wadsleyite and perovskite can accommodate significant amounts of hydrogen. A number of problems are associated with each possibility. For NAM originating in the mantle, one would like to assume that the hydrogen measured in samples recovered on Earth's surface was incorporated when the phase-crystallized at high temperatures and pressures, but it could have been introduced during transport to the surface. Major problems for the DHMS proponents are that none of these phases have been found as minerals and little is yet known about their stabilities in systems containing other cations such as Fe, Al, and Ca.

The paradox of a wet (high H2O) and dry (low H2O/Ce) mantle: High water concentrations in mantle garnet pyroxenites from Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bizimis, M.; Peslier, A. H.

2013-12-01

Water dissolved as trace amounts in anhydrous minerals has a large influence on the melting behavior and physical properties of the mantle. The water concentration of the oceanic mantle is inferred from the analyses of MORB and OIB [1], but there is little data from actual mantle samples. Moreover, enriched mineralogies (pyroxenites, eclogites) are thought as important sources of heterogeneity in the mantle, but their water concentrations and their effect on the water budget and cycling in the mantle are virtually unknown. We analyzed by FTIR water concentrations in garnet clinopyroxenite xenoliths from Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii. These pyroxenites are high-pressure (>20kb) crystal fractionates from alkalic melts. The clinopyroxenes (cpx) have 260 to 576 ppm wt. H2O, with the least differentiated samples (Mg#>0.8) in the 400-500 ppm range. Orthopyroxene (opx) contain 117-265 ppm H2O, about half of that of cpx, consistent with other natural sample studies, but lower than experimental cpx/opx equilibrium data. These pyroxenite cpx and opx water concentrations are at the high-end of on-and off-craton peridotite xenolith concentrations and megacrysts from kimberites [2] and those of Hawaiian spinel peridotites. In contrast, garnet has extremely low water contents (<5ppm H2O). There is no correlation between water in cpx and lithophile element concentrations. Phlogopite is present in some samples, and its modal abundance shows a positive correlation in Mg# with cpx, implying equilibrium. However, there is no correlation between water concentrations and the presence of phlogopite. These data imply that cpx and opx water concentrations may be buffered by phlogopite crystallization. Reconstructed bulk rock pyroxenite water concentrations (not including phlogopite, i.e. minimum) range from 200-460 ppm (average 331× 75 ppm), significantly higher than water estimates for the MORB source (50-200 ppm), but in the range of E-MORB, OIB and the source of rejuvenated Hawaiian

Magmatic infiltration and melting in the lower crust and upper mantle beneath the Cima volcanic field, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilshire, H.G.; McGuire, A.V.

1996-01-01

Xenoliths of lower crustal and upper mantle rocks from the Cima volcanic field (CVF) commonly contain glass pockets, veins, and planar trains of glass and/or fluid inclusions in primary minerals. Glass pockets occupy spaces formerly occupied by primary minerals of the host rocks, but there is a general lack of correspondence between the composition of the glass and that of the replaced primary minerals. The melting is considered to have been induced by infiltration of basaltic magma and differentiates of basaltic magma from complex conduits formed by hydraulic fracturing of the mantle and crustal rocks, and to have occurred during the episode of CVF magmatism between ???7.5 Ma and present. Variable compositions of quenched melts resulted from mixing of introduced melts and products of melting of primary minerals, reaction with primary minerals, partial crystallization, and fractionation resulting from melt and volatile expulsion upon entrainment of the xenoliths. High silica melts (> ??? 60% SiO2) may result by mixing introduced melts with siliceous melts produced by reaction of orthopyroxene. Other quenched melt compositions range from those comparable to the host basalts to those with intermediate Si compositions and elevated Al, alkalis, Ti, P, and S; groundmass compositions of CVF basalts are consistent with infiltration of fractionates of those basalts, but near-solidus melting may also contribute to formation of glass with intermediate silica contents with infiltration only of volatile constituents.

Petrophysical constraints on the seismic properties of the Kaapvaal craton mantle root

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baptiste, V.; Tommasi, A.

2014-01-01

We calculated the seismic properties of 47 mantle xenoliths from 9 kimberlitic pipes in the Kaapvaal craton based on their modal composition, the crystal-preferred orientations (CPO) of olivine, ortho- and clinopyroxene, and garnet, the Fe content of olivine, and the pressures and temperatures at which the rocks were equilibrated. These data allow constraining the variation of seismic anisotropy and velocities within the cratonic mantle. The fastest P and S2 wave propagation directions and the polarization of fast split shear waves (S1) are always subparallel to olivine [100] axes of maximum concentration, which marks the lineation (fossil flow direction). Seismic anisotropy is higher for high olivine contents and stronger CPO. Maximum P wave azimuthal anisotropy (AVp) ranges between 2.5 and 10.2% and the maximum S wave polarization anisotropy (AVs), between 2.7 and 8%. Changes in olivine CPO symmetry result in minor variations in the seismic anisotropy patterns, mainly in the apparent isotropy directions for shear wave splitting. Seismic properties averaged over 20 km-thick depth sections are, therefore, very homogeneous. Based on these data, we predict the anisotropy that would be measured by SKS, Rayleigh (SV) and Love (SH) waves for five endmember orientations of the foliation and lineation. Comparison to seismic anisotropy data from the Kaapvaal shows that the coherent fast directions, but low delay times imaged by SKS studies, and the low azimuthal anisotropy with with the horizontally polarized S waves (SH) faster than the vertically polarized S wave (SV) measured using surface waves are best explained by homogeneously dipping (45°) foliations and lineations in the cratonic mantle lithosphere. Laterally or vertically varying foliation and lineation orientations with a dominantly NW-SE trend might also explain the low measured anisotropies, but this model should also result in backazimuthal variability of the SKS splitting data, not reported in the

Composition of the lithospheric mantle in the Siberian craton : New constraints from fresh peridotites from the Udachnaya-East Kimberlite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doucet, Luc-Serge; Ionov, Dmitri A.; Ashchepkov, Igor

2010-05-01

Peridotite xenoliths from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe represent the major source of lithospheric mantle samples beneath central Siberian craton. An important problem with the availble data [1], however, is that the Udachnaya xenoliths, like many other kimberlite-hosted peridotite suites worldwide, are extensively altered due to interaction with host magma and post-eruption alteration. This alteration causes particular dificulties for whole-rock studies including microstructures, modal estimates and chemical compositions. We report petrographic data and major and trace element compositions for whole-rocks and minerals of some 30 unusually fresh peridotite xenolith from the Udachnaya-East kimberlite. Our study has two goals. The first is to present and discuss trace element data on rocks and minerals from Udachnaya, whose composition remains little known. The other one is to explore how the availability of the fresh peridotites improves our knowledge of petrology and geochemistry of cratonic mantle in relation to published data on altered samples [1]. The xenoliths are spinel, garnet-spinel and garnet facies peridotites including garnet- and cpx-rich lherzolites, garnet and spinel harzburgites and dunites. Thermobarometric estimates for garnet bearing rocks yield T = 800-1350°C and P = 20-70 kbar, low-T spinel facies rocks may originate from shallower levels. Thus, the suite represents a lithospheric profile from the sub-Moho mantle down to ~210 km. The deeper peridotites commonly have porphyroclastic microstructures with mainly neoblast olivine, opx porphyroclasts and cpx and garnet with broadly variable morphologies whereas rocks of shallow origin are commonly protogranular. Trace element compositions in bulk rocks appear to be affected by host magma contamination with enrichments in highly to moderately incompatible elements as well as in alkalis. Nevertheless, the kimberlite-related contamination cannot explain a combination of low Th and U and high Sr

Constraints on the rheology of the lower crust in a strike-slip plate boundary: evidence from the San Quintín xenoliths, Baja California, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Werf, Thomas; Chatzaras, Vasileios; Marcel Kriegsman, Leo; Kronenberg, Andreas; Tikoff, Basil; Drury, Martyn R.

2017-12-01

The rheology of lower crust and its transient behavior in active strike-slip plate boundaries remain poorly understood. To address this issue, we analyzed a suite of granulite and lherzolite xenoliths from the upper Pleistocene-Holocene San Quintín volcanic field of northern Baja California, Mexico. The San Quintín volcanic field is located 20 km east of the Baja California shear zone, which accommodates the relative movement between the Pacific plate and Baja California microplate. The development of a strong foliation in both the mafic granulites and lherzolites, suggests that a lithospheric-scale shear zone exists beneath the San Quintín volcanic field. Combining microstructural observations, geothermometry, and phase equilibria modeling, we estimated that crystal-plastic deformation took place at temperatures of 750-890 °C and pressures of 400-560 MPa, corresponding to 15-22 km depth. A hot crustal geotherm of 40 ° C km-1 is required to explain the estimated deformation conditions. Infrared spectroscopy shows that plagioclase in the mafic granulites is relatively dry. Microstructures are interpreted to show that deformation in both the uppermost lower crust and upper mantle was accommodated by a combination of dislocation creep and grain-size-sensitive creep. Recrystallized grain size paleopiezometry yields low differential stresses of 12-33 and 17 MPa for plagioclase and olivine, respectively. The lower range of stresses (12-17 MPa) in the mafic granulite and lherzolite xenoliths is interpreted to be associated with transient deformation under decreasing stress conditions, following an event of stress increase. Using flow laws for dry plagioclase, we estimated a low viscosity of 1.1-1.3×1020 Pa ṡ s for the high temperature conditions (890 °C) in the lower crust. Significantly lower viscosities in the range of 1016-1019 Pa ṡ s, were estimated using flow laws for wet plagioclase. The shallow upper mantle has a low viscosity of 5.7×1019 Pa ṡ s

A view into crustal evolution at mantle depths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kooijman, Ellen; Smit, Matthijs A.; Ratschbacher, Lothar; Kylander-Clark, Andrew R. C.

2017-05-01

Crustal foundering is an important mechanism in the differentiation and recycling of continental crust. Nevertheless, little is known about the dynamics of the lower crust, the temporal scale of foundering and its role in the dynamics of active margins and orogens. This particularly applies to active settings where the lower crust is typically still buried and direct access is not possible. Crustal xenoliths derived from mantle depth in the Pamir provide a unique exception to this. The rocks are well-preserved and comprise a diverse set of lithologies, many of which re-equilibrated at high-pressure conditions before being erupted in their ultrapotassic host lavas. In this study, we explore the petrological and chronological record of eclogite and felsic granulite xenoliths. We utilized accessory minerals - zircon, monazite and rutile - for coupled in-situ trace-element analysis and U-(Th-)Pb chronology by laser-ablation (split-stream) inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Each integrated analysis was done on single mineral zones and was performed in-situ in thin section to maintain textural context and the ability to interpret the data in this framework. Rutile thermo-chronology exclusively reflects eruption (11.17 ± 0.06Ma), which demonstrates the reliability of the U-Pb rutile thermo-chronometer and its ability to date magmatic processes. Conversely, zircon and monazite reveal a series of discrete age clusters between 55-11 Ma, with the youngest being identical to the age of eruption. Matching age populations between samples, despite a lack of overlapping ages for different chronometers within samples, exhibit the effectiveness of our multi-mineral approach. The REE systematics and age data for zircon and monazite, and Ti-in-zircon data together track the history of the rocks at a million-year resolution. The data reveal that the rocks resided at 30-40 km depth along a stable continental geotherm at 720-750 °C until 24-20 Ma, and were subsequently

Evolution of Navajo eclogites and hydration of the mantle wedge below the Colorado Plateau, southwestern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Douglas; Connelly, James N.; Manser, Kathryn; Moser, Desmond E.; Housh, Todd B.; McDowell, Fred W.; Mack, Lawrence E.

2004-04-01

Eclogite and pyroxenite xenoliths from ultramafic diatremes of the Navajo province on the Colorado Plateau have been analyzed to investigate hydration of continental mantle and effects of low-angle subduction on the mantle wedge. Xenoliths have been characterized by petrographic and electron probe analysis and by Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, K-Ar, and O isotopic analysis of mineral separates from one eclogite and by U-Pb isotopic analysis of zircons from three samples. K-Ar analysis of phengite establishes eruption of a Garnet Ridge, Arizona, diatreme at 30 Ma. Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr analyses of clinopyroxene and garnet from that eclogite document recrystallization shortly preceding eruption. Three zircon fractions have been analyzed from that eclogite and from two others representing the nearby Moses Rock and Mule Ear diatremes. Seven of nine small multigrain fractions scatter about a poorly fit discordia between ca. 35 Ma and 1515 Ma (fractions range from overlapping concordia at the lower intercept to a 207Pb/206Pb age of ca. 1220 Ma). The discordant fractions establish a mid-Proterozoic zircon component in each eclogite, inconsistent with an origin from basalt of the Farallon plate. The pressure recorded by one of these eclogites (3.3 GPa) exceeds that of an eclogite previously attributed to the Farallon plate. Nonetheless, each of the eclogites contains a fraction of nearly concordant zircons with ages in the range 35 to 41 Ma, and one rock also contains a fraction that is nearly concordant at 70 Ma. These concordant ages are interpreted to record episodic zircon growth during recrystallization of Proterozoic mantle. The concordant zircon ages are consistent with published data that establish recrystallization of Navajo eclogites from 81 to 33 Ma, a time interval similar to that of the Laramide orogeny. The eclogite-facies recrystallization and growth of new zircon are attributed to the catalytic effects of water introduced into the mantle from the Farallon slab. Water penetrated

Petrology of ultramafic xenoliths from Loihi Seamount, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clague, D.A.

1988-01-01

Ultramafic xenoliths were recovered in four alkalic lava flows from Loihi Seamount at depths between 2200 and 1400 m. No xenolith bearing flows were sampled near the summit despite a concentrated dredge program. The flows, three of alkalic basalt and one of basanite, contain common olivine megacrysts and small xenoliths of dunite, rarer harzburgite, and a single wehrlite. Olivine megacrysts as large as 8 mm are Fo84-88.6 and contain magnesiochromite inclusions with 1.1-3.5 wt.% TiO2. Dunite contains Fo83.5-88.5 olivine, meganesiochromite with 1.5-6.9 wt.% TiO2 (avg. 3.2 wt.), and extremely rare chrome-rich diopside. The wehrlite contains euhedral Fo85.9 olivine and magnesiochromite with 1.9-4.7 wt.% TiO2, poikilitically enclosed in chrome-rich diposide (Wo45.4En48.0s6.6). Most of the olivine megacrysts, dunite, and the wehrlite are cumulates of Loihi alkalic lavas that accumulated in a magma storage zone located at least 16 km below sea level. The rarity of dunite related to tholeiitic magmas supports the interpretation that the alkalic lavas at Loihi generally predate the tholeiitic lavas. -from Author

Hydrous metasomatism of oceanic sub-arc mantle, Lihir, Papua New Guinea. Part 2. Trace element characteristics of slab-derived fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grégoire, Michel; McInnes, Brent I. A.; O'Reilly, Suzanne Y.

2001-11-01

Spinel peridotite xenoliths recovered from the Tubaf and Edison volcanoes, south of Lihir Island in the Tabar-Lihir-Tanga-Feni island arc in Papua New Guinea, are predominantly fresh, refractory harzburgites. Many of the harzburgite xenoliths have cross-cutting vein networks and show evidence of modal metasomatism. These metasomatic veins contain a secondary mineral assemblage consisting of fibrous, radiating orthopyroxene and fine-grained Fe-Ni sulfide with minor olivine, clinopyroxene, phlogopite, amphibole and magnetite. Adjacent to the veins, primary clinopyroxene is cloudy while orthopyroxene exhibits replacement by secondary fibrous orthopyroxene, similar in habit to orthopyroxene occurring in the veins. The mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the Tubaf mantle xenoliths are the product of two major processes: an early partial melting depletion event that was overprinted by oxidation and alkali enrichment related to percolation of slab-derived, hydrous melts. HREE and MREE concentrations in clinopyroxene from the least metasomatised harzburgites indicate that they are the residues from a 15% to 25% partial melting event, consistent with formation in a MOR setting. The secondary vein assemblages show strong enrichment in the LILE (primarily Sr, Ba, Rb, Th, U and Pb) and the REE (primarily La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd), while the HFSE (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, and Ti) are neither enriched nor depleted. The mineral precipitates in the vein assemblages have high LREE/HFSE and LILE/HFSE, and reflect the relative solubility of these elements in hydrous melts. These trace element characteristics are similar to those of the Tabar-Lihir-Tanga-Feni arc lavas, and display the commonly observed HFSE depletion of arc magmatism. These findings support the hypothesis that this so-called "arc signature" is primarily dependent on the relative solubility of elements in slab-derived, hydrous melts, and the enrichment of these soluble elements in metasomatised mantle regions

Zn isotopic heterogeneity in the mantle: A melting control?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doucet, Luc S.; Mattielli, Nadine; Ionov, Dmitri A.; Debouge, Wendy; Golovin, Alexander V.

2016-10-01

We present new Zn elemental and isotope data on seventeen fertile and refractory mantle peridotite xenoliths. Eleven fertile peridotites are garnet and spinel lherzolites from Vitim and Tariat (Siberia and Mongolia) and represent some of the most pristine fertile peridotites available. Six refractory peridotites are spinel harzburgites from the Udachnaya kimberlite (Siberian craton) that are nearly pristine residues of high-degree polybaric melting at high pressure (7-4 GPa). Geochemical data suggest that Zn isotopic compositions in the peridotites have not been affected by post-melting processes such as metasomatism, contamination by the host-magmas or alteration. The fertile peridotites have uniform Zn concentrations (59 ± 2 ppm) and Zn isotopic compositions with δ66Zn (relative to JMC-Lyon-03-0749l) = +0.30 ± 0.03‰ consistent with the Bulk Silicate Earth estimates of δ66Zn = +0.28 ± 0.05‰ (Chen et al., 2013). The refractory peridotites have Zn concentrations ranging from 30 to 48 ppm and δ66Zn from + 0.10 ± 0.01 ‰ to + 0.18 ± 0.01 ‰ with an average of + 0.14 ± 0.03 ‰. Our data suggest that the lithospheric mantle has a heterogeneous Zn isotopic composition. Modeling of Zn isotope partitioning during partial melting of fertile mantle suggests that high degrees of melt extraction (>30%) may significantly fractionate Zn isotopes (up to 0.16‰) and that during mantle melting, Zn concentrations and isotopic compositions are mainly controlled by the stability of clinopyroxene and garnet within the melting residue. Because the stability of clinopyroxene and garnet is mainly pressure dependent we suggest that both the depth and the degrees of melt extraction may control Zn isotope fractionation during mantle melting.

Petrogenesis of granitoids and associated xenoliths in the early Paleozoic Baoxu and Enping plutons, South China: Implications for the evolution of the Wuyi-Yunkai intracontinental orogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yang; Huang, Xiao-Long; Sun, Min; He, Peng-Li

2018-05-01

The early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogen was associated with extensive felsic magmatic activities and the orogenic core was mainly distributed in the Yunkai and Wugong domains located in the western Cathaysia block and in the Wuyi domain located in the central part of the Cathaysia block. In order to investigate the evolution of the Wuyi-Yunkai orogen, elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic analyses were performed for granites from the Baoxu pluton in the Yunkai domain and from the Enping pluton in the central part of the Cathaysia block. The Baoxu pluton consists of biotite granite with abundant xenoliths of gneissic granite, granodiorite and diorite, and the Enping pluton is mainly composed of massive granodiorite. Biotite granites (441 ± 5 Ma) and gneissic granite xenolith (443 ± 4 Ma) of the Baoxu pluton are all weakly peraluminous (A/CNK = 1.05-1.10). They show high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios and have negative bulk-rock εNd(t) values (-7.0 to -4.4), which are similar to coeval gneissic S-type granites in the Yunkai domain and were probably derived from dehydration melting of a sedimentary source with garnet residue in the source. Granodiorites (429 ± 3 Ma) from Enping and granodiorite xenolith (442 ± 4 Ma) from Baoxu are metaluminous and have REE patterns with enriched light REE and flat middle to heavy REE, possibly generated by the dehydration melting of an igneous basement at middle to lower crustal level. Diorite xenolith from Baoxu is ultrapotassic (K2O = 4.9 wt%), has high contents of MgO (7.0 wt%), Cr (379 ppm) and Ni (171 ppm) and shows pronounced negative Nb, Ta and Ti anomalies. This xenolith also has negative εNd(t) value (-3.6) and low Rb/Ba and high Ba/Sr ratios, and is thus interpreted to be derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle with the breakdown of phlogopite. Early Paleozoic I- and S-type granites in the Wuyi-Yunkai orogen mostly have negative εNd(t) values and do not have juvenile components, consistent with genesis by an intracontinental

Refertilization process in the Patagonian subcontinental lithospheric mantle of Estancia Sol de Mayo (Argentina)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melchiorre, Massimiliano; Coltorti, Massimo; Gregoire, Michel; Benoit, Mathieu

2015-05-01

Anhydrous mantle xenoliths equilibrated at 1003-1040 °C from Estancia Sol de Mayo (ESM, Central Patagonia, Argentina) and entrained in post-plateau alkaline lavas belonging to Meseta Lago Buenos Aires have been investigated aiming at reconstructing the depletion and enrichment processes that affected this portion of the Patagonia lithospheric mantle. Xenoliths are characterized by a coarse-grained protogranular texture and are devoid of evident modal metasomatism. They show two texturally different clinopyroxenes: protogranular (cpx1) and texturally related to spinel (cpx2). Three different types of orthopyroxenes are also recognized: large protogranular crystals with exsolution lamellae (opx1); small clean and undeformed grains without exsolution lamellae (opx2) and small grains arranged in a vein (opx3). Major element composition of clinopyroxenes and orthopyroxenes highlights two different trends characterized by i) a high Al2O3 content at almost constant mg# and ii) a slight increase in Al2O3 content with decreasing mg#. Clinopyroxenes are enriched in LREE and are characterized by prominent to slightly negative Nb, Zr and Ti anomalies. No geochemical differences are observed between cpx1 and cpx2, while a discrimination can be observed between opx1 and opx2 (LREE-depleted; prominent to slightly negative Ti and Zr anomalies) and opx3 (prominent positive Zr anomaly). Partial melting modeling using both major and trace elements indicates a melting degree between ~ 5% and ~ 13% (up to ~ 23% according to major element modeling) for lherzolites and between ~ 20% and ~ 30% for harzburgites (down to ~ 5% according to trace element modeling). La/Yb and Al2O3, as well as Sr and Al2O3 negative correlations in clinopyroxenes point to a refertilization event affecting this lithospheric mantle. The agent was most probably a transitional alkaline/subalkaline melt, as indicated by the presence of orthopyroxene in the vein and the similar geochemical features of ESM

Chromium isotope heterogeneity in the mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Jiuxing; Qin, Liping; Shen, Ji; Carlson, Richard W.; Ionov, Dmitri A.; Mock, Timothy D.

2017-04-01

To better constrain the Cr isotopic composition of the silicate Earth and to investigate potential Cr isotopic fractionation during high temperature geological processes, we analyzed the Cr isotopic composition of different types of mantle xenoliths from diverse geologic settings: fertile to refractory off-craton spinel and garnet peridotites, pyroxenite veins, metasomatised spinel lherzolites and associated basalts from central Mongolia, spinel lherzolites and harzburgites from North China, as well as cratonic spinel and garnet peridotites from Siberia and southern Africa. The δ53CrNIST 979 values of the peridotites range from - 0.51 ± 0.04 ‰ (2SD) to + 0.75 ± 0.05 ‰ (2SD). The results show a slight negative correlation between δ53Cr and Al2O3 and CaO contents for most mantle peridotites, which may imply Cr isotopic fractionation during partial melting of mantle peridotites. However, highly variable Cr isotopic compositions measured in Mongolian peridotites cannot be caused by partial melting alone. Instead, the wide range in Cr isotopic composition of these samples most likely reflects kinetic fractionation during melt percolation. Chemical diffusion during melt percolation resulted in light Cr isotopes preferably entering into the melt. Two spinel websterite veins from Mongolia have extremely light δ53Cr values of - 1.36 ± 0.04 ‰ and - 0.77 ± 0.06 ‰, respectively, which are the most negative Cr isotopic compositions yet reported for mantle-derived rocks. These two websterite veins may represent crystallization products from the isotopically light melt that may also metasomatize some peridotites in the area. The δ53Cr values of highly altered garnet peridotites from southern Africa vary from - 0.35 ± 0.04 ‰ (2SD) to + 0.12 ± 0.04 ‰ (2SD) and increase with increasing LOI (Loss on Ignition), reflecting a shift of δ53Cr to more positive values by secondary alteration. The Cr isotopic composition of the pristine, fertile upper mantle is

Experimental Constraints on the Stability of Clinopyroxene (+) Magnesite in Iron Bearing Planetary Mantles: Implications for Nakhlite Formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Audrey M.; Righter, Kevin

2010-01-01

Carbon is present in various forms in the Earth s upper mantle (carbonate- or diamond-bearing mantle xenoliths, carbonatite magmas, CO2 emissions from volcanoes...). Moreover, there is enough carbon in chondritic material to stabilize carbonates into the mantles of Mars or Venus as well as in the Earth. However, the interactions with iron have to be constrained, because Fe is commonly thought to buffer oxygen fugacity into planetary mantles. [1] and [2] show evidences of the stability of clinopyroxene Ca(Mg,Fe)Si2O6 + magnesite (Mg,Fe)CO3 in the Earth s mantle around 6GPa (about 180km). The stability of oxidized forms of carbon (like magnesite) depends on the oxygen fugacity of the system. In the Earth s mantle, the maximum carbon content is 10000 ppm [3]. The fO2 parameter varies vertically as a function of pressure, but also laterally because of geodynamic processes like subduction. Thus, carbonates, graphite, diamond, C-rich gases and melts are all stable forms of carbon in the Earth s mantle. [4] show that the fO2 variations observed in SNC meteorites can be explained by polybaric graphite-CO-CO2 equilibria in the Martian mantle. [5] inferred from thermodynamic calculations that the stable form of carbon in the source regions of the Martian basalts should be graphite (and/or diamond). After [6], a metasomatizing agent like a CO2-rich melt may infiltrate the mantle source of nakhlites. However, according to [7] and [8], the FeO wt% value in the Martian bulk mantle is more than twice that of the Earth s mantle (KLB-1 composition by [9]). As iron and carbon are two elements with various oxidation states, Fe/C interaction mechanisms must be considered.

P-T Equilibrium Conditions of Xenoliths from the Udachnaya Kimberlite Pipe: Thermal Perturbations in the Lithospheric Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tychkov, Nikolay; Agashev, Alexey; Malygina, Elena; Pokhilenko, Nikolay

2014-05-01

Integrated study of 250 peridotite xenoliths from Udachnaya -East pipe show difference in mineral paragenesises and textural-structural peculiarities in the different level of cratonic lithosphere mantle (CLM). The compositions of minerals were determined using EPMA. Thermobarometric parameters (Brey, Kohller, 1990) were determined for all rocks occupying different fields on geothermal curve. The deepest layer (the pressure interval of 5.0-7.0 GPa) contains mostly pophyroclastic lherzolites. Anyway, some rocks of this layer have an idiomorphic texture being also enriched in incompatible components. Higher in the CLM sequence, the interval (4.2-6.3 GPa) is composed of the most depleted rocks: megacristalline ultradepleted harzburgite-dunites and depleted granular harzburgite-dunites, as well as lherzolites in a subordinate amount. They correspond strate to 35 mW/m2 and partly overlap the deeper layer in dapth. It is likely that rocks of this layer are in equilibrium and were not subject to significant secondary changes due to kimberlite magma intrusion. Thus, this interval of the CLM sequence reflects the true (relic) geotherm for the area of the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe. Moreover, it is obvious that this interval was a major supplier of diamonds into kimberlites of the Udachnaya pipe. The interval of 4.2-2.0 GPa in the CLM sequence is also composed of coarse depleted lherzolites and harzburgites. Rocks of this interval are slightly more enriched than those of the underlying interval. This is confirmed by the distinct predominance of lherzolites over harzburgite-dunites. The heat flow in this layer varies in the range of 38-45 mW/m2 and shows a general tendency to increase with decreasing depth. According to occurrence of nonequilibrium mineral assemblages and increased heat flow relative to the major heat flow of 35 mW/m2, this interval is similar to the deepest interval of secondary enriched rocks. Interval of less than 2.0 GPa composed of spinel lherzolites and

Evolution of the lithospheric mantle beneath Mt. Baekdu (Changbaishan)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, S. H.; Park, K.; Cho, M.; Lee, D. C.

2017-12-01

Major and trace element compositions of minerals as well as Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions of clinopyroxenes from spinel peridotite xenoliths entrained in Late Cenozoic trachybasalt from Mt. Baekdu (Changbaishan) were used to elucidate lithospheric mantle formation and evolution in the eastern North China Craton (NCC). The analyzed peridotites were mainly spinel lherzolites with rare harzburgites. They consisted of olivine, enstatite, diopside and spinel. Plots of the Cr# in spinel against the Mg# in coexisting olivine or spinel suggested an affinity with abyssal peridotites. Comparisons of Cr# and TiO2 in spinel were also compatible with an abyssal peridotite-like composition; however, harzburgites were slightly enriched in TiO2 because of the reaction with MORB-like melt. Temperatures estimated using two-pyroxene thermometry ranged from 750 to 1,010°C, reflecting their lithospheric mantle origin. The REE patterns in clinopyroxenes of the peridotites varied from LREE-depleted to spoon shaped to LREE-enriched, reflecting secondary overprinting effects of metasomatic melts or fluids on the residues from primordial melting. The calculated trace element pattern of metasomatic melt equilibrated with clinopyroxene in Mt. Baekdu peridotite showed strong enrichment in LILEs, Th and U together with slight fractionation in HREEs and considerable depletion in Nb and Ti. The Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions of clinopyroxenes separated from the peridotites varied from more depleted than present-day MORB to bulk Earth values. However, some clinopyroxene showed a decoupling between Nd and Sr isotopes, deviating from the mantle array with a high 87Sr/86Sr ratio. This sample also showed a significant Nd-Hf isotope decoupling lying well above the mantle array. The Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd model ages of residual clinopyroxenes yielded Early Proterozoic to Phanerozoic ages. No signature of Archean cratonic mantle was present. Therefore, Mt. Baekdu peridotite is residual lithospheric mantle

Coesite-Diamond Assemblage in Ultrahigh Pressure Crustal and Mantle rocks: Evidence for Carbon Recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobolev, N. V.

2010-12-01

Coesite, a high-pressure polymorph of silica, was first discovered as part of a coesite-eclogite assemblage (coesite, garnet, omphacite) in equilibrium with diamond as diamond inclusion (DI) in Siberian diamond placers (Sobolev et al., 1976, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR, 230: 1442). In recent years, coesite has become a key mineral coexisting with diamond both in kimberlite (DIs) and in UHP metamorphic rocks of the Kokchetav massif, Kazakhstan (diamondiferous gneisses and calcsilicate rocks). In the UHPM rocks of Kokchetav massif, coesite was first detected as inclusions in zircon associated with diamonds (Sobolev et al., 1991, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR, 321: 184), as a result of the initial studies that had identified diamonds as inclusions in garnets and zircons (Sobolev, Shatsky, 1990, Nature, 343: 742). Garnet and omphacitic clinopyroxene are the principal primary minerals associated with coesite and diamond in UHP mantle and crustal rocks. Their compositions plot distinctly within the eclogitic compositional field and substantiate the existence of coesite presence as DIs in eclogitic (E-type) diamonds, as well as sometimes in xenoliths of diamondiferous eclogites (Shatsky et al., 2008, Lithos, 105:289). One of the major significant features of these eclogitic minerals in both UHPM and kimberlitic mantle occurrences is the K2O contents of the clinopyroxenes, reaching 1.6 wt.%, with Na2O and MnO in Ca-Mg-Fe garnets reaching 0.3 and 6.0 wt.%, respectively. Stable isotope data for C in diamonds and O in garnet, pyroxene and coesite have resulted in establishing a very wide range for these isotopes most typical for crustal conditions - i.e., atypical of mantle values. This is clearly shown for coesite DIs (Schulze et al., 2003, Nature, 428:68), garnets from diamondiferous eclogite xenoliths from Siberian kimberlites (Spetsius et al., 2008, Eur. J. Min., 20:375), garnets and clinopyroxenes from UHP calcsilicate diamondiferous rocks of the Kokchetav massif (Sobolev et al., in

Evidence from xenoliths for a dynamic lower crust, eastern Mojave Desert, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hanchar, John M.; Miller, Calvin F.; Wooden, Joseph L.; Bennett, Victoria C.; Staude, John-Mark G.

1994-01-01

Garnet-rich xenoliths in a Tertiary dike in the eastern Mojave Desert, California, preserve information about the nature and history of the lower crust. These xenoliths record pressures of ∼ 10–12 kbar and temperatures of ∼ 750–800°C. Approximately 25% have mafic compositions and bear hornblende + plagioclase + clinopyroxene + quartz in addition to garnet. The remainder, all of which contain quartz, include quartzose, quartzofeldspathic, and aluminous (kyanite±sillimanite-bearing) varieties. Most xenoliths have identifiable protoliths—mafic from intermediate or mafic igneous rocks, quartzose from quartz-rich sedimentary rocks, aluminous from Al-rich graywackes or pelites, and quartzofeldspathic from feldspathic sediments and/or intermediate to felsic igneous rocks. However, many have unusual chemical compositions characterized by high FeO(t), FeO(t)/MgO, Al2O3, and Al2O3/CaO, which correspond to high garnet abundance. The mineralogy and major-and trace-element compositions are consistent with the interpretation that the xenoliths are the garnet-rich residues of high-pressure crustal melting, from which granitic melt was extracted. High 87Sr/86Sr and low 143Nd/144Nd, together with highly discordant zircons from a single sample with Pb/Pb ages of ∼ 1.7 Ga, demonstrate that the crustal material represented by the xenoliths is at least as old as Early Proterozoic. This supracrustal-bearing lithologic assemblage may have been emplaced in the lower crust during either Proterozoic or Mesozoic orogenesis, but Sr and Nd model ages> 4 Ga require late Phanerozoic modification of parent/daughter ratios, presumably during the anatectic event. Pressures of equilibration indicate that peak metamorphism and melting occurred before the Mojave crust had thinned to its current thickness of <30 km. The compositions of the xenoliths suggest that the lower crust here is grossly similar to estimated world-wide lower-crustal compositions in terms of silica and mafic content

Trioctahedral micas in xenolithic ejecta from recent volcanism of the Somma-Vesuvius (Italy): Crystal chemistry and genetic inferences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balassone, Giuseppina; Scordari, Fernando; Lacalamita, Maria; Schingaro, Emanuela; Mormone, Angela; Piochi, Monica; Petti, Carmela; Mondillo, Nicola

2013-02-01

This study reports the first crystal chemical database resulting from a detailed structural investigation of trioctahedral micas found in xenolithic ejecta produced during the AD 1631, 1872 and 1944 eruptions, three explosive episodes of recent volcanic period of Vesuvius volcano (Southern Italy). Three xenolith types were selected: metamorphic/metasomatic skarns, pyrometamorphic/hydrothermally altered nodules and mafic cumulates. They are related to different magma chemistry and effusive styles: from sub-plinian and most evolved (AD 1631 eruption) to violent strombolian with medium evolution degree (AD 1872 eruption) to vulcanian-effusive, least evolved (AD 1944 eruption) event, respectively. Both xenoliths and micas were investigated employing multiple techniques: the xenoliths were characterized by X-ray fluorescence, inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and quantitative energy-dispersive microanalysis; the micas were studied by electron probe microanalysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The mica-bearing xenoliths show variable texture and mineralogical assemblage, clearly related to their different origin. Based on the major oxide chemistry, only one xenolithic sample falls in the skarn compositional field from the Somma-Vesuvius literature, some fall close to the skarns and cumulate fields, others plot close to the syenite/foidolite/essexite field. A subgroup of the selected ejecta does not fall or approach any of the compositional fields. Trace and rare earth element patterns show some petrological affinity between studied xenoliths and erupted magmas with typical Eu, Ta and Nb negative anomalies. Strongly depleted patterns were detected for the 1631 metamorphic/metasomatic skarns xenoliths. Three distinct mica groups were distinguished: 1) Mg-, Al-rich, low Ti-bearing, low to moderate F-bearing varieties (1631 xenolith), 2) Al-moderate, F- and Mg-rich, Ti-, Fe-poor varieties (1872 xenolith), and 3

Co-rich sulfides in mantle peridotites from Penghu Islands, Taiwan: Footprints of Proterozoic mantle plumes under the Cathaysia Block

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kuo-Lung; O'Reilly, Suzanne Y.; Honda, Masahiko; Matsumoto, Takuya; Griffin, William L.; Pearson, Norman J.; Zhang, Ming

2010-02-01

Abundant primary sulfides occur as inclusions in silicates and as discrete grains in mantle-derived spinel lherzolite xenoliths from Miocene intraplate basalts on the Penghu Islands, Taiwan, which is located at the southeastern margin of Cathaysia Block. These sulfides are dominantly mixtures of Fe-rich and Ni-rich monosulfide solid solutions (MSS), with minor pentlandite, millerite and chalcopyrite, and are considered to represent sulfide melts crystallized at high temperatures (>900 °C). Some sulfides from the Tungchiyu (TCY) islet (37 out of 118 grains) have remarkably high Co contents resulting in subchondritic Ni/Co ratios (<21; 5-20, median = 12), distinct from the superchondritic values (Ni/Co = 48-157, median = 83) typical of mantle sulfides worldwide. The Co-rich nature of the TCY sulfides is considered to be a primary characteristic as no secondary processes can be identified to account for the feature. They are similar to Ni-Co-rich sulfides from Lac de Gras, Slave Craton ( Aulbach et al. (2004) Chemical Geology 208, 61-88) interpreted as being derived from the lower mantle. Experimental studies suggest that the sulfide melt/silicate melt partition coefficient of Ni becomes lower than that of Co at pressures greater than 28 GPa, similar to recent estimates of the magma ocean conditions. Os model ages of the TCY Co-rich sulfides reveal four episodes of generation: 2.0, 1.7, 1.4 and 0.8 Ga; this is consistent with the age pattern of all Penghu sulfides, indicating significant lithosperic mantle formation, melt extraction or metasomatic events at these time periods. These events closely correspond to the global 1.9-Ga superplume event related to the assembly of the Nena/Columbia supercontinent, a minor 1.7-Ga superplume event in SW Laurentia prior to breakup of Nena/Columbia, the 1468 Ma Moyie event in the Belt Basin region in western Laurentia and the ˜0.8 Ga breakup of Rodinia, with which the Cathaysia Block was associated at various stages during its

Increased mantle heat flow with on-going rifting of the West Antarctic rift system inferred from characterisation of plagioclase peridotite in the shallow Antarctic mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, A. P.; Cooper, A. F.; Price, R. C.

2014-03-01

The lithospheric, and shallow asthenospheric, mantle in Southern Victoria Land are known to record anomalously high heat flow but the cause remains imperfectly understood. To address this issue plagioclase peridotite xenoliths have been collected from Cenozoic alkalic igneous rocks at three localities along a 150 km transect across the western shoulder of the West Antarctic rift system in Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. There is a geochemical, thermal and chronological progression across this section of the rift shoulder from relatively hot, young and thick lithosphere in the west to cooler, older and thinner lithosphere in the east. Overprinting this progression are relatively more recent mantle refertilising events. Melt depletion and refertilisation was relatively limited in the lithospheric mantle to the west but has been more extensive in the east. Thermometry obtained from orthopyroxene in these plagioclase peridotites indicates that those samples most recently affected by refertilising melts have attained the highest temperatures, above those predicted from idealised dynamic rift or Northern Victoria Land geotherms and higher than those prevailing in the equivalent East Antarctic mantle. Anomalously high heat flow can thus be attributed to entrapment of syn-rift melts in the lithosphere, probably since regional magmatism commenced at least 24 Myr ago. The chemistry and mineralogy of shallow plagioclase peridotite mantle can be explained by up to 8% melt extraction and a series of refertilisation events. These include: (a) up to 8% refertilisation by a N-MORB melt; (b) metasomatism involving up to 1% addition of a subduction-related component; and (c) addition of ~ 1.5% average calcio-carbonatite. A high MgO group of clinopyroxenes can be modelled by the addition of up to 1% alkalic melt. Melt extraction and refertilisation mainly occurred in the spinel stability field prior to decompression and uplift. In this region mantle plagioclase originates by a

The subcontinental mantle beneath southern New Zealand, characterised by helium isotopes in intraplate basalts and gas-rich springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoke, L.; Poreda, R.; Reay, A.; Weaver, S. D.

2000-07-01

New helium isotope data measured in Cenozoic intraplate basalts and their mantle xenoliths are compared with present-day mantle helium emission on a regional scale from thermal and nonthermal gas discharges on the South Island of New Zealand and the offshore Chatham Islands. Cenozoic intraplate basaltic volcanism in southern New Zealand has ocean island basalt affinities but is restricted to continental areas and absent from adjacent Pacific oceanic crust. Its distribution is diffuse and widespread, it is of intermittent timing and characterised by low magma volumes. Most of the 3He/ 4He ratios measured in fluid inclusions in mantle xenocrysts and basalt phenocrysts such as olivine, garnet, and amphibole fall within the narrow range of 8.5 ± 1.5 Ra (Ra is the atmospheric 3He/ 4He ratio) with a maximum value of 11.5 Ra. This range is characteristic of the relatively homogeneous and degassed upper MORB-mantle helium reservoir. No helium isotope ratios typical of the lower less degassed mantle (>12 Ra), such as exemplified by the modern hot-spot region of Hawaii (with up to 32 Ra) were measured. Helium isotope ratios of less than 8 Ra are interpreted in terms of dilution of upper mantle helium with a radiogenic component, due to either age of crystallisation or small-scale mantle heterogeneities caused by mixing of crustal material into the upper mantle. The crude correlation between age of samples and helium isotopes with generally lower R/Ra values in mantle xenoliths compared with host rock phenocrysts and the in general depleted Nd and Sr isotope ratios and the light rare earth element enrichment of the basalts supports derivation of melts as small melt fractions from a depleted upper mantle, with posteruptive ingrowth of radiogenic helium as a function of lithospheric age. In comparison, the regional helium isotope survey of thermal and nonthermal gas discharges of the South Island of New Zealand shows that mantle 3He anomalies in general do not show an obvious

Metasomatized ancient lithospheric mantle beneath the young Zealandia microcontinent and its role in HIMU-like intraplate magmatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, J. M.; Waight, T. E.; van der Meer, Q. H. A.; Palin, J. M.; Cooper, A. F.; Münker, C.

2014-09-01

There has been long debate on the asthenospheric versus lithospheric source for numerous intraplate basalts with ocean island basalt (OIB) and high time-integrated U/Pb (HIMU)-like source signatures that have erupted through the Zealandia continental crust. Analysis of 157 spinel facies peridotitic mantle xenoliths from 25 localities across Zealandia permits the first comprehensive regional description of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) and insights into whether it could be a source to the intraplate basalts. Contrary to previous assumptions, the Oligocene-Miocene Zealandia SCLM is highly heterogeneous. It is composed of a refractory craton-like domain (West Otago) adjacent to several moderately fertile domains (East Otago, North Otago, Auckland Islands). Each domain has an early history decoupled from the overlying Carboniferous and younger continental crust, and each domain has undergone varying degrees of depletion followed by enrichment. Clinopyroxene grains reveal trace element characteristics (low Ti/Eu, high Th/U) consistent with enrichment through reaction with carbonatite. This metasomatic overprint has a composition that closely matches HIMU in Sr, Pb ± Nd isotopes. However, clinopyroxene Hf isotopes are in part highly radiogenic and decoupled from the other isotope systems, and also mostly more radiogenic than the intraplate basalts. If the studied spinel facies xenoliths are representative of the thin Zealandia SCLM, the melting of garnet facies lithosphere could only be the intraplate basalt source if it had a less radiogenic Hf-Nd isotope composition than the investigated spinel facies, or was mixed with asthenosphere-derived melts containing less radiogenic Hf.

Regional 3D Numerical Modeling of the Lithosphere-Mantle System: Implications for Continental Rift-Parallel Surface Velocities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamps, S.; Bangerth, W.; Hager, B. H.

2014-12-01

The East African Rift System (EARS) is an active divergent plate boundary with slow, approximately E-W extension rates ranging from <1-6 mm/yr. Previous work using thin-sheet modeling indicates lithospheric buoyancy dominates the force balance driving large-scale Nubia-Somalia divergence, however GPS observations within the Western Branch of the EARS show along-rift motions that contradict this simple model. Here, we test the role of mantle flow at the rift-scale using our new, regional 3D numerical model based on the open-source code ASPECT. We define a thermal lithosphere with thicknesses that are systematically changed for generic models or based on geophysical constraints in the Western branch (e.g. melting depths, xenoliths, seismic tomography). Preliminary results suggest existing variations in lithospheric thicknesses along-rift in the Western Branch can drive upper mantle flow that is consistent with geodetic observations.

Eclogite-facies guyanaite, carmichaelite and eskolaite in xenoliths of Cr-omphacitite from Navajo diatremes, Utah: Hydration and dehydration in the subducted Farallon plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulze, D. J.; Helmstaedt, H.

2013-12-01

The mantle-derived xenolith suite in the Navajo serpentinized ultramafic diatremes includes low-temperature metamorphic rocks such as lawsonite- and phengite-bearing eclogites, Cr-pyrope xenocrysts with inclusions of hydrous minerals and hydrated peridotites and pyroxenites containing minerals such as chlorite, pargasite, tremolite and antigorite. We have now also identified a suite of bright green Cr-rich clinopyroxenites from the Moses Rock and Mule's Ear diatremes that contain unusual assemblages of dark to opaque accessory minerals such as guyanaite [CrOOH], carmichaelite [(Ti,Cr)2-x(OH)x], eskolaite [Cr2O3], chromite and rutile. The xenoliths are dominated by omphacitic pyroxenes (most in the range 10-55 mole% jadeite) that are locally enriched in Cr adjacent to clots of accessory minerals (to 35 mole% kosmochlor). Most samples have small clusters of scattered accessory minerals (individual grains on the scale of tens of microns) but one sample has clusters to 2 mm dominated by guyanaite blades intergrown with Cr-rich omphacite. Thin grains of eskolaite traverse the guyanaite and occur at the guyanaite-omphacite interfaces. Patches of zincian chromite (to 5.7 wt% ZnO) are associated with some of the guyanaite-dominated clusters and consist of lamellar intergrowths of two texturally and compositionally different types of chromite, interpreted as an exsolution feature and precursor to hydration and metasomatic development of guyanaite-omphacite intergrowths. Minor carmichaelite occurs in these clusters. In another sample carmichaelite with finely intergrown patches of rutile dominates the clusters. Equilibration conditions of these assemblages are poorly constrained, but the reaction guyanaite = eskolaite + H2O (Jahn et al., Eur. J. Min., 2012) is consistent with an estimate for equilibration conditions of a phengite eclogite (700oC, 3.4GPa - Smith et al., GGG, 2013). We interpret these rocks to be Na-metasomatized and hydrated basalts (small clusters) and

Xenoliths in the CM2 Carbonaceous Chondrite LON 94101: Implications for Complex Mixing on the Asteroidal Parent Body

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindgren, P.; Lee, M. R.; Sofe, M.; Zolensky, M. E.

2011-01-01

Xenoliths are foreign clasts that oc-cur in various classes of meteorites, e.g. [1,2,3]. A re-cent study reveals the presence of several distinct classes of xenoliths in regolith-bearing meteorites, in-cluding in over 20 different carbonaceous chondrites [4]. The most common types of xenoliths are fine-grained hydrous clasts, often referred to as C1 or CI clasts in the literature, although their mineralogy is actually more similar to hydrous micrometeorites [5,6]. Xenoliths in meteorites present an opportunity to study material not yet classified or available as separate meteorites, and can provide additional information on processes in the dynamic early history of the Solar Sys-tem. Here we have performed chemical and mineralogi-cal analyses of xenoliths in the CM2 carbonaceous chondrite LON 94101, using scanning electron micro-scopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Isotopic composition of reduced and oxidized sulfur in the Canary Islands: implications for the mantle S cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaudry, P.; Longpre, M. A.; Wing, B. A.; Bui, T. H.; Stix, J.

2017-12-01

The Earth's mantle contains distinct sulfur reservoirs, which can be probed by sulfur isotope analyses of volcanic rocks and gases. We analyzed the isotopic composition of reduced and oxidized sulfur in a diverse range of volcanically derived materials spanning historical volcanism in the Canary Islands. Our sample set consists of subaerial volcanic tephras from three different islands, mantle and sedimentary xenoliths, as well as lava balloon samples from the 2011-2012 submarine El Hierro eruption and associated crystal separates. This large sample set allows us to differentiate between the various processes responsible for sulfur isotope heterogeneity in the Canary archipelago. Our results define an array in triple S isotope space between the compositions of the MORB and seawater sulfate reservoirs. Specifically, the sulfide values are remarkably homogeneous around d34S = -1 ‰ and D33S = -0.01 ‰, while sulfate values peak at d34S = +4 ‰ and D33S = +0.01 ‰. Lava balloons from the El Hierro eruption have highly enriched sulfate d34S values up to +19.3 ‰, reflecting direct interaction between seawater sulfate and the erupting magma. Several sulfate data points from the island of Lanzarote also trend towards more positive d34S up to +13.8 ‰, suggesting interaction with seawater sulfate-enriched lithologies or infiltration of seawater within the magmatic system. On the other hand, the modal values and relative abundances of S2- and S6+ in crystal separates suggest that the Canary Island mantle source has a d34S around +3 ‰, similar to the S-isotopic composition of a peridotite xenolith from Lanzarote. We infer that the S2- and S6+ modes reflect isotopic equilibrium between those species in the magmatic source, which requires 80 % of the sulfide to become oxidized after melting, consistent with measured S speciation. This 34S enrichment of the source could be due to the recycling of hydrothermally-altered oceanic crust, which has been previously suggested

57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy of mineral assemblages in mantle spinel lherzolites from Cenozoic alkali basalt, eastern China: Petrological applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Xi-Luo; Li, Yi-Liang

2013-01-01

Mineral assemblages in spinel lherzolite xenoliths from the Cenozoic alkali basalt of eastern China were analyzed by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy for Fe3+/ΣFe and distribution of Fe2+/Fe3+ in non-equivalent crystal cites. Orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel have 0.08-0.13, 0.19-0.31 and 0.13-0.23 Fe3+/ΣFe, respectively. The cation-exchange equilibrium temperatures, Fe3+ partition coefficient and oxygen fugacity of the upper mantle peridotites were calculated. The equilibrium temperatures are between 1103 K and 1405 K consistent with those reported elsewhere. The oxygen fugacities of spinel lherzolites calculated with olivine-orthopyroxene-spinel (ΔlogƒO2 from - 1.1 to 0) and clinopyroxene-olivine-orthopyroxene oxybarometers (ΔlogƒO2 from - 2.0 to 0.7) are consistent with previously reported upper mantle values.

The parent magma of xenoliths in shergottite EETA79001: Bulk and trace element composition inferred from magmatic inclusions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Treiman, Allan H.; Lindstrom, David J.; Martinez, Rene R.

1994-01-01

The SNC meteorites are samples of the Martian crust, so inferences about their origins and parent magmas are of wide planetologic significance. The EETA79001 shergottite, a basalt, contains xenoliths of pyroxene-olivine cumulate rocks which are possibly related to the ALHA77005 and LEW88516 SNC lherzolites. Olivines in the xenoliths contain magmatic inclusions, relics of magma trapped within the growing crystals. The magmatic inclusions allow a parent magma composition to be retrieved; it is similar to the composition reconstructed from xenolith pyroxenes by element distribution coefficients. The xenolith parent magma is similar but not identical to parent magmas for the shergottite lherzolites.

Origin of Fe-rich lherzolites and wehrlites from Tok, SE Siberia by reactive melt percolation in refractory mantle peridotites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ionov, Dmitri A.; Chanefo, Ingrid; Bodinier, Jean-Louis

2005-10-01

Lherzolite-wehrlite (LW) series xenoliths from the quaternary Tok volcanic field in the southeastern Siberian craton are distinguished from the more common lherzolite-harzburgite (LH) series by (a) low Mg numbers (0.84-0.89) at high modal olivine (66-84%) and (b) widespread replacement of orthopyroxene (0-12%) and spinel by clinopyroxene (7-22%). The LW series peridotites are typically enriched in Ca, Fe, Mn and Ti, and depleted in Si, Ni and Cr relative to refractory LH series rocks (Mg number ≥0.89), which are metasomatised partial melting residues. Numerical modelling of Fe-Mg solid/liquid exchange during melt percolation demonstrates that LW series rocks can form by reaction of host refractory peridotites with evolved (Mg numbers 0.6-0.7), silica-undersaturated silicate melts at high melt/rock ratios, which replace orthopyroxene with clinopyroxene and decrease Mg numbers. This process is most likely related to underplating and fractionation of basaltic magma in the shallow mantle, which also produced olivine-clinopyroxene cumulates found among the Tok xenoliths.

The helium flux from the continents and ubiquity of low-3He/4He recycled crust and lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, James M. D.; Barry, Peter H.; Hilton, David R.; Burgess, Ray; Pearson, D. Graham; Taylor, Lawrence A.

2015-03-01

New helium isotope and trace-element abundance data are reported for pyroxenites and eclogites from South Africa, Siberia, and the Beni Bousera Massif, Morocco that are widely interpreted to form from recycled oceanic crustal protoliths. The first He isotope data are also presented for Archaean peridotites from the Kaapvaal (South Africa), Slave (Canada), and Siberian cratons, along with recently emplaced off-craton peridotite xenoliths from Kilbourne Hole, San Carlos (USA) and Vitim (Siberia), to complement existing 3He/4He values obtained for continental and oceanic peridotites. Helium isotope compositions of peridotite xenoliths vary from 7.3 to 9.6 RA in recently (<10 kyr) emplaced xenoliths, to 0.05 RA in olivine from cratonic peridotite xenoliths of the 1179 Ma Premier kimberlite, South Africa. The helium isotope compositions of the peridotites can be explained through progressive sampling of 4He produced from radiogenic decay of U and Th in the mineral lattice in the older emplaced peridotite xenoliths. Ingrowth of 4He is consistent with generally higher 4He concentrations measured in olivine from older emplaced peridotite xenoliths relative to those from younger peridotite xenoliths. Collectively, the new data are consistent with pervasive open-system behaviour of He in peridotite xenoliths from cratons, mobile belts and tectonically-active regions. However, there is probable bias in the estimate of the helium isotope composition of the continental lithospheric mantle (6.1 ± 2.1 RA), since previously published databases were largely derived from peridotite xenoliths from non-cratonic lithosphere, or phenocrysts/xenocrysts obtained within continental intraplate alkaline volcanics that contain a contribution from asthenospheric sources. Using the new He isotope data for cratonic peridotites and assuming that significant portions (>50%) of the Archaean and Proterozoic continental lithospheric mantle are stable and unaffected by melt or fluid infiltration on

Mechanical erosion of xenoliths by magmatic shear flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Gaudio, Piero; Ventura, Guido

2008-05-01

We focus on the role of mechanical erosion by magmatic shear flow in the formation of xenoliths occurring in lava flows. The process is analyzed by combining the physics of fragmentation and erosion to the concept of rock mass. The conditions for the country rock fragmentation are analyzed as a function of the magma viscosity, strain rate and tensile strength of the rock mass. In reservoirs, mechanical processes play a subordinate role and thermal erosion processes prevail. In conduits, intermediate and silicic magmas may erode and, eventually, fragment good to poor quality country rock masses. Basalts may erode poor quality country rocks. A crystal-rich magma has more chance to break up the conduit walls with respect to a vesiculated melt. The variety of xenoliths of a lava reflects a set of wall-rocks with similar mechanical properties and may not mirror the stratigraphy of the substratum of a volcanic area.

Petrophysical constraints on the seismic properties of the Kaapvaal craton mantle root

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baptiste, V.; Tommasi, A.

2013-07-01

We calculated the seismic properties of 47 mantle xenoliths from 9 kimberlitic pipes in the Kaapvaal craton based on their modal composition, the crystal preferred orientations (CPO) of olivine, ortho- and clinopyroxene, and garnet, the Fe content of olivine, and the pressures and temperatures at which the rocks were equilibrated. These data allow constraining the variation of seismic anisotropy and velocities with depth. The fastest P wave and fast split shear wave (S1) polarization direction is always close to olivine [100] maximum. Changes in olivine CPO symmetry result in minor variations in the seismic anisotropy patterns. Seismic anisotropy is higher for high olivine contents and stronger CPO. Maximum P waves azimuthal anisotropy (AVp) ranges between 2.5 and 10.2% and S waves polarization anisotropy (AVs) between 2.7 and 8%. Seismic properties averaged in 20 km thick intervals depth are, however, very homogeneous. Based on these data, we predict the anisotropy that would be measured by SKS, Rayleigh (SV) and Love (SH) waves for 5 end-member orientations of the foliation and lineation. Comparison to seismic anisotropy data in the Kaapvaal shows that the coherent fast directions, but low delay times imaged by SKS studies and the low azimuthal anisotropy and SH faster than SV measured using surface waves may only be consistently explained by dipping foliations and lineations. The strong compositional heterogeneity of the Kaapvaal peridotite xenoliths results in up to 3% variation in density and in up to 2.3% of variation Vp, Vs and the Vp/Vs ratio. Fe depletion by melt extraction increases Vp and Vs, but decreases the Vp/Vs ratio and density. Orthopyroxene enrichment decreases the density and Vp, but increases Vs, strongly reducing the Vp/Vs ratio. Garnet enrichment increases the density, and in a lesser manner Vp and the Vp/Vs ratio, but it has little to no effect on Vs. These compositionally-induced variations are slightly higher than the velocity

Gabbroic xenoliths from the northern Gorda Ridge: implications for magma chamber processes under slow spreading centers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davis, A.S.; Clague, D.A.

1990-01-01

Abundant gabbroic xenoliths in porphyritic pillow basalt were dredged from the northern Gorda Ridge. The host lava is a moderately fractionated, normal mid-ocean ridge basalt with a heterogeneous glass rind (Mg numbers 56-60). Other lavas in the vicinity range from near primary (Mg number 69) to fractionated (Mg number 56). On the basis of textures and mineral compositions, the xenoliths are divided into five types. The xenoliths are not cognate to the host lava, but they are genetically related. Chemistry of mineral phases in conjunction with textural features suggests that the xenoliths formed in different parts of a convecting magma chamber that underwent a period of closed system fractionation. The chamber was filled with a large proportion of crystalline mush when new, more primitive, and less dense magma was injected and mixed incompletely with the contents in the chamber, forming the hybrid host lava. -from Authors

Silicate garnet studies at high pressures: A view into the Earth's mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conrad, Pamela Gales

Silicate garnets are an abundant component in the Earth's upper mantle and transition zone. Therefore, an understanding of garnet behavior under the pressure and temperature conditions of the mantle is critical to the development of models for mantle mineralogy and dynamics. Work from three projects is presented in this report. Each investigation explores an aspect of silicate garnet behavior under high pressures. Moreover, each investigation was made possible by state-of-the-art methods that have previously been unavailable. Brillouin scattering was used to determine the elastic constants and aggregate elastic moduli of three end-member garnets at high pressures in a diamond anvil cell. These are the first high-pressure measurements of the elastic constants of end-member silicate garnets by direct measurement of acoustic velocities. The results indicate that the pressure dependence of silicate garnet elastic constants varies with composition. Therefore, extrapolation from measurements on mixed composition garnets is not possible. A new method of laser heating minerals in a diamond anvil cell has made possible the determination of the high-pressure and high-temperature stability of almandine garnet. This garnet does not transform to a silicate perovskite phase as does pyrope garnet, but it decomposes to its constituent oxides: FeO, Alsb2Osb3, and SiOsb2. These results disprove an earlier prediction that ferrous iron may expand the stability field of garnet to the lower mantle. The present results demonstrate that this is not the case. The third topic is a presentation of the results of a new technique for studying inclusions in mantle xenoliths with synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction. The results demonstrate the importance of obtaining structural as well as chemical information on inclusions within diamonds and other high-pressure minerals. An unusual phase with garnet composition is investigated and several other phases are identified from a suite of natural

Constraining late stage melt-peridotite interaction in the lithospheric mantle of southern Ethiopia: evidence from lithium elemental and isotopic compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alemayehu, Melesse; Zhang, Hong-Fu; Seitz, Hans-Michael

2017-10-01

Lithium (Li) elemental and isotopic compositions for mineral separates of coexisting olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene of mantle xenoliths from the Quaternary volcanic rocks of southern Ethiopian rift (Dillo and Megado) reveal the influence of late stage melt-peridotite interaction on the early depleted and variably metasomatized lithospheric mantle. Two types of lherzolites are reported (LREE-depleted La/Sm(N) = 0.11-0.37 × Cl and LREE-enriched, La/Sm(N) = 1.88-15.72 × Cl). The depleted lherzolites have variable range in Li concentration (olivine: 2.1-5.4 ppm; opx: 1.1-2.3 ppm; cpx: 1.0-1.8 ppm) and in Li isotopic composition (δ7Li in olivine: -9.4 to 1.5‰; in opx: -4.5 to 3.6‰; in cpx: -17.0 to 4.8‰), indicating strong disequilibrium in Li partitioning and Li isotope fractionation between samples. The enriched lherzolites have limited range in both Li abundances (olivine: 2.7-3.0 ppm; opx: 1.1-3.1 ppm; cpx: 1.1-2.3 ppm) and Li isotopic compositions (δ7Li in olivine: -1.3 to +1.3‰; in opx: -2.0 to +5.0‰; in cpx: -7.5 to +4.8‰), suggest that the earlier metasomatic event which lead to LREE enrichment could also homogenize the Li contents and its isotopes. The enriched harzburgite and clinopyroxenite minerals show limited variation in Li abundances and variable Li isotopic compositions. The Li enrichments of olivine and clinopyroxene correlate neither with the incompatible trace element enrichment nor with the Sr-Nd isotopic compositions of clinopyroxene. These observations indicate that the metasomatic events which are responsible for the LREE enrichment and for the Li addition are distinct, whereby the LREE-enrichment pre-dates the influx of Li. The presence of large Li isotopic disequilibria within and between minerals of depleted and enriched peridotites suggest that the lithospheric mantle beneath the southern Ethiopian rift has experienced recent melt-peridotite interaction. Thus, the Li data set reported in this study offer new

Extreme Hf-Os Isotope Compositions in Hawaiian Peridotite Xenoliths: Evidence for an Ancient Recycled Lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bizimis, M.; Lassiter, J. C.; Salters, V. J.; Sen, G.; Griselin, M.

2004-12-01

We report on the first combined Hf-Os isotope systematics of spinel peridotite xenoliths from the Salt Lake Crater (SLC), Pali and Kaau (PK) vents from the island of Oahu, Hawaii. These peridotites are thought to represent the Pacific oceanic lithosphere beneath Oahu, as residues of MORB-type melting at a paleo-ridge some 80-100Ma ago. Clinopyroxene mineral separates in these peridotites have very similar Nd and Sr isotope compositions with the post erosional Honolulu Volcanics (HV) lavas that bring these xenoliths to the surface. This and their relatively elevated Na and LREE contents suggest that these peridotites are not simple residues of MORB-type melting but have experience some metasomatic enrichment by the host HV lavas. However, the SLC and PK xenoliths show an extreme range in Hf isotope compositions towards highly radiogenic values (ɛ Hf= 7-80), at nearly constant Nd isotope compositions (ɛ Nd= 7-10), unlike any OIB or MORB basalt. Furthermore, these Oahu peridotites show a bimodal distribution in their bulk rock 187Os/186Os ratios: the PK peridotites have similar ratios to the abyssal peridotites (0.130-0.1238), while the SLC peridotites have highly subchondritic ratios (0.1237-0.1134) that yield 500Ma to 2Ga Re-depletion ages. Hf-Os isotopes show a broad negative correlation whereby the samples with the most radiogenic 176Hf/177Hf have the most unradiogenic 187Os/186Os ratios. Based on their combined Hf-Os-Nd isotope and major element compositions, the PK peridotites can be interpreted as fragments of the Hawaiian lithosphere, residue of MORB melting 80-100Ma ago, that have been variably metasomatized by the host HV lavas. In contrast, the extreme Hf-Os isotope compositions of the SLC peridotites suggest that they cannot be the source nor residue of any kind of Hawaiian lavas, and that Hf and Os isotopes survived the metasomatism or melt-rock reaction that has overprinted the Nd and Sr isotope compositions of these peridotites. The ancient (>1Ga

Genesis of zircon megacrysts in Cenozoic alkali basalts and the heterogeneity of subcontinental lithospheric mantle, eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yao; Xu, Xisheng; Chen, Xiaoming

2010-09-01

Zircon megacrysts are found in alluvial deposits associated with Cenozoic basalts from Changle in Shandong Province, Mingxi in Fujian Province and Penglai in Hainan Province within the coastal area of eastern China. They are colourless, transparent to light brown-maroon, and some of them are up to 16 mm long. U-Pb ages of zircon megacrysts from Changle, Mingxi and Penglai are 19.2 ± 0.7 Ma, 1.2 ± 0.1 Ma and 4.1 ± 0.2 Ma respectively, slightly older than the eruption ages of their corresponding host rocks (16.05-18.87 Ma, 0.9-2.2 Ma, 3 Ma). ɛHf(t) values of zircon megacrysts are 9.02 ± 0.49, 6.83 ± 0.47, 4.46 ± 0.48 for Changle, Mingxi and Penglai, respectively, which indicates their mantle origin. We suggest that the zircon megacrysts originated from metasomatised lithospheric mantle and were later brought up quickly by the host basaltic magma. The euhedral forms, uniform internal structure and chemical homogeneity within a single grain suggest crystallization under stable conditions. Pronounced positive Ce anomalies and negligible Eu anomalies suggest oxidizing conditions and little or no fractional crystallization of plagioclase. The differences in Hf-isotope compositions among the zircon megacrysts from different localities are consistent with the Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions of their respective host basalts. This indicates that the host basalts acquired their isotopic signatures from the lithospheric mantle from which the zircon megacrysts derived. These data document the lateral compositional heterogeneity in the upper mantle beneath eastern China. Like mantle xenoliths, zircon megacrysts also have the potential to fingerprint the composition and evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle.

Iron speciation and redox state of mantle eclogites: Implications for ancient volatile cycles during mantle melting and oceanic crust subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aulbach, Sonja; Woodand, Alan; Vasilyev, Prokopiy; Viljoen, Fanus

2017-04-01

Kimberlite-borne mantle eclogite xenoliths of Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic age are commonly interpreted as representing former oceanic crust. As such, they may retain a memory of the redox state of the ancient convecting mantle sources that gave rise to their magmatic protoliths and which controls the speciation of volatiles in planetary interiors. Mantle eclogite suites commonly include both cumulate and variably evolved extrusive varieties [1], which may be characterised by initial differences in Fe3+/Fetotal. Recent Fe-based oxybarometry shows mantle eclogites to have fO2 relative to the fayalite-magnetite-quartz buffer (ΔFMQ) of -3 to 0, whereby low fO2 relative to modern MORB may relate to subduction of more reducing Archaean oceanic crust or loss of ferric Fe during partial melt loss [2]. Indeed, using V/Sc as a redox proxy, it was recently shown that Archaean mantle eclogites are more reduced than modern MORB (ΔFMQ-1.3 vs. ΔFMQ -0.4) [3]. However, in the warmer ancient mantle, they were also subject to modification due to partial melt loss upon recycling and, after capture in the cratonic mantle lithosphere, may be overprinted by interaction with metasomatic melts and fluids. In order to help further constrain the redox state of mantle eclogites and unravel the effect of primary and secondary processes, we measured Fe3+/Fetotal by Mössbauer in garnet from mantle eclogites from the Lace kimberlite (Kaapvaal craton), comprising samples with melt- and cumulate-like oceanic crustal protoliths as well as metasomatised samples. Fe3+/ΣFe in garnet shows a strong negative correlation with jadeite content and bulk-rock Li and Cu abundances, suggesting increased partitioning of Fe3+ into jadeite in the presence of monovalent cations with which it can form coupled substitutions. Broad negative correlation with whole-rock Al2O3/TiO2 and positive correlation with ΣREE are interpreted as incompatible behaviour of Fe3+ during olivine-plagioclase accumulation

Mantle eclogites and garnet pyroxenites - the meaning of two-point isochrons, Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf closure temperatures and the cooling of the subcratonic mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Qiao; Brey, Gerhard P.; Gerdes, Axel; Hoefer, Heidi E.

2014-03-01

The Earth's mantle is a huge metamorphic complex which undergoes permanent changes ruled by plate tectonics. It also has enclaves underneath Archean crust which are exempt from the convecting mantle since at least 2.5 Ga. Since then, this mantle may cool slowly as a result of diminishing heat input from the asthenosphere, of declining heat production from radioactive decay and of denudation of the crust. Under such circumstances, two point garnet-clinopyroxene isochrons from mantle xenoliths (here garnet pyroxenites and eclogites) reflect either cooling ages or eruption ages depending on whether the mantle portion under consideration was below or above the closure temperature of a radiogenic system. Available literature data from the Slave and Kaapvaal craton for the Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf isotope systems and our own new data from Bellsbank (Kaapvaal) provide a whole range of two-point isochron ages from younger than the kimberlite eruption age to early Proterozoic. The meaning of ages other than the kimberlite eruption age is unclear. We use here a compilation of Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf two-point isochron age data from this study and the literature, to assess the meaning of such isochrons. This is achieved by plotting the temperature of last equilibration as derived from the Fe-Mg exchange between garnet and clinopyroxene versus the two-point isochron age. There is a low temperature alignment for both systems of increasing age with decreasing temperature and an alignment around the kimberlite eruption ages at high temperatures. We interpret the intersect between the low temperature limb and the kimberlite eruption age as closure temperature which gives about 920 °C for the Lu-Hf system and about 850 °C for the Sm-Nd system. The differences of the cooling ages between the two isotope systems for individual samples combined with the closure temperatures from this study are used to deduce the cooling of the Slave and Kaapvaal subcratonic mantle from the early Proterozoic until

Evolved Rocks in Ocean Islands Formed by Melting of Metasomatized Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashwal, L. D.; Torsvik, T. H.; Horvath, P.; Harris, C.; Webb, S. J.; Werner, S. C.; Corfu, F.

2015-12-01

Evolved rocks like trachyte occur as minor components of many plume-related basaltic ocean islands (e.g. Hawaii, Gran Canaria, Azores, Réunion), and are typically interpreted as products of extreme fractional crystallization from broadly basaltic magmas. Trachytes from Mauritius (Indian Ocean) suggest otherwise. Here, 6.8 Ma nepheline-bearing trachytes (SiO2 ~63%, Na2O + K2O ~12%) are enriched in all incompatible elements except Ba, Sr and Eu, which show prominent negative anomalies. Initial eNd values cluster at 4.03 ± 0.15 (n = 13), near the lower end of the range for Mauritian basalts (eNd = 3.70 - 5.75), but initial Sr is highly variable (ISr = 0.70408 - 0.71034) suggesting secondary deuteric alteration. Fractional crystallization models starting with a basaltic parent fail, because when plagioclase joins olivine in the crystallizing assemblage, residual liquids become depleted in Al2O3, produce no nepheline, and do not approach trachytic compositions. Mauritian basalts and trachytes do not fall near the ends of known miscibility gaps, eliminating liquid immiscibility processes. Partial melting of extant gabbroic bodies, either from the oceanic crust or from Réunion plume-related magmas should yield quartz-saturated melts different from the critically undersaturated Mauritian trachytes. A remaining possibility is that the trachytes represent direct, small-degree partial melts of fertile, perhaps metasomatized mantle. This is supported by the presence of trachytic glasses in many mantle xenoliths, and experimental results show that low-degree trachytic melts can be produced from mantle peridotites even under anhydrous conditions. If some feldspar is left behind as a residual phase, this would account for the negative Ba, Sr and Eu anomalies observed in Mauritian trachytes. Two trachyte samples that are less depleted in these elements contain xenocrysts of anorthoclase, Al-rich cpx and Cl-rich kaersutite that are out of equilibrium with host trachyte magmas

Preservation of an Archaean whole rock Re-Os isochron for the Venetia lithospheric mantle: Evidence for rapid crustal recycling and lithosphere stabilisation at 3.3 Ga

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Meer, Quinten H. A.; Klaver, Martijn; Reisberg, Laurie; Riches, Amy J. V.; Davies, Gareth R.

2017-11-01

Re-Os and platinum group element analyses are reported for peridotite xenoliths from the 533 Ma Venetia kimberlite cluster situated in the Limpopo Mobile Belt, the Neoarchaean collision zone between the Kaapvaal and Zimbabwe Cratons. The Venetian xenoliths provide a rare opportunity to examine the state of the cratonic lithosphere prior to major regional metasomatic disturbance of Re-Os systematics throughout the Phanerozoic. The 32 studied xenoliths record Si-enrichment that is characteristic of the Kaapvaal lithospheric mantle and can be subdivided into five groups based on Re-Os analyses. The most pristine group I samples (n = 13) display an approximately isochronous relationship and fall on a 3.28 ± 0.17 Ga (95 % conf. int.) reference line that is based on their mean TMA age. This age overlaps with the formation age of the Limpopo crust at 3.35-3.28 Ga. The group I samples derive from ∼50 to ∼170 km depth, suggesting coeval melt depletion of the majority of the Venetia lithospheric mantle column. Group II and III samples have elevated Re/Os due to Re addition during kimberlite magmatism. Group II has otherwise undergone a similar evolution as the group I samples with overlapping 187Os/188Os at eruption age: 187Os/188OsEA, while group III samples have low Os concentrations, unradiogenic 187Os/188OsEA and were effectively Re-free prior to kimberlite magmatism. The other sample groups (IV and V) have disturbed Re-Os systematics and provide no reliable age information. A strong positive correlation is recorded between Os and Re concentrations for group I samples, which is extended to groups II and III after correction for kimberlite addition. This positive correlation precludes a single stage melt depletion history and indicates coupled remobilisation of Re and Os. The combination of Re-Os mobility, preservation of the isochronous relationship, correlation of 187Os/188Os with degree of melt depletion and lack of radiogenic Os addition puts tight constraints on

The Evolution of Floreana Island, Galapagos: Mantle Metasomatism as a Control of Structural and Geochemical Variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koleszar, A. M.; Rollins, N. A.; Harpp, K. S.; Geist, D. J.

2004-05-01

Floreana, the 6th largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago, is situated ESE of the current proposed location of the hotspot, believed to be near Fernandina Island. Floreana is the most distant Galapagos volcano from the Galapagos Spreading Center and is located on 12 Ma lithosphere. Both normally- and reversely-polarized flows are present on Floreana, which emerged more than 1 Ma. The emergent shield is constructed of lava flows and >80 cinder cones. In the final stage of island building, approximately 0.3 Ma, the eruptive activity on Floreana became more explosive and produced the largest cinder cones on the island. Spatter ramparts, cinder cones, vents, and pit craters are arranged in at least 3 major parallel to sub-parallel alignments oriented N40E. The basalts of Floreana are notably alkalic, primitive, and highly enriched in incompatible trace elements (ITE). MgO concentrations in the lavas range from <8 wt% to >13 wt%, and many of the magmas are likely related by fractional crystallization of olivine and clinopyroxene. The volcano has erupted ultramafic xenoliths, which are observed predominantly in the older, reversely-polarized flows and cones. Floreana lavas have the greatest light REE enrichment observed in the archipelago and the most radiogenic Sr- and Pb- isotopic ratios, indicative of an ITE-enriched source. Elevated ratios of alkali and alkaline earth contents to those of high-field strength elements indicate contributions from metasomatic fluids to Floreana melts. Although the effects of metasomatism are apparent in most Floreana basalts, normally-polarized lavas may have been affected to a greater extent by the metasomatism than the older flows. Temporal-compositional trends in trace element concentrations also suggest that the depth of melt generation may have decreased slightly over the course of the island's formation. Floreana is distinct from the rest of the Galapagos Archipelago in its explosive history, abundant mantle xenoliths

Retrogressive hydration of calc-silicate xenoliths in the eastern Bushveld complex: evidence for late magmatic fluid movement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallmach, T.; Hatton, C. J.; De Waal, S. A.; Gibson, R. L.

1995-11-01

Two calc-silicate xenoliths in the Upper Zone of the Bushveld complex contain mineral assemblages which permit delineation of the metamorphic path followed after incorporation of the xenoliths into the magma. Peak metamorphism in these xenoliths occurred at T=1100-1200°C and P <1.5 kbar. Retrograde metamorphism, probably coinciding with the late magmatic stage, is characterized by the breakdown of akermanite to monticellite and wollastonite at 700°C and the growth of vesuvianite from melilite. The latter implies that water-rich fluids (X CO 2 <0.2) were present and probably circulating through the cooling magmatic pile. In contrast, calc-silicate xenoliths within the lower zones of the Bushveld complex, namely in the Marginal and Critical Zones, also contain melilite, monticellite and additional periclase with only rare development of vesuvianite. This suggests that the Upper Zone cumulate pile was much 'wetter' in the late-magmatic stage than the earlier-formed Critical and Marginal Zone cumulate piles.

Geothermal Heat Flux and Upper Mantle Viscosity across West Antarctica: Insights from the UKANET and POLENET Seismic Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Donnell, J. P.; Dunham, C.; Stuart, G. W.; Brisbourne, A.; Nield, G. A.; Whitehouse, P. L.; Hooper, A. J.; Nyblade, A.; Wiens, D.; Aster, R. C.; Anandakrishnan, S.; Huerta, A. D.; Wilson, T. J.; Winberry, J. P.

2017-12-01

Quantifying the geothermal heat flux at the base of ice sheets is necessary to understand their dynamics and evolution. The heat flux is a composite function of concentration of upper crustal radiogenic elements and flow of heat from the mantle into the crust. Radiogenic element concentration varies with tectonothermal age, while heat flow across the crust-mantle boundary depends on crustal and lithospheric thicknesses. Meanwhile, accurately monitoring current ice mass loss via satellite gravimetry or altimetry hinges on knowing the upper mantle viscosity structure needed to account for the superimposed glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) signal in the satellite data. In early 2016 the UK Antarctic Network (UKANET) of 10 broadband seismometers was deployed for two years across the southern Antarctic Peninsula and Ellsworth Land. Using UKANET data in conjunction with seismic records from our partner US Polar Earth Observing Network (POLENET) and the Antarctic Seismographic Argentinian Italian Network (ASAIN), we have developed a 3D shear wave velocity model of the West Antarctic crust and uppermost mantle based on Rayleigh and Love wave phase velocity dispersion curves extracted from ambient noise cross-correlograms. We combine seismic receiver functions with the shear wave model to help constrain the depth to the crust-mantle boundary across West Antarctica and delineate tectonic domains. The shear wave model is subsequently converted to temperature using a database of densities and elastic properties of minerals common in crustal and mantle rocks, while the various tectonic domains are assigned upper crustal radiogenic element concentrations based on their inferred tectonothermal ages. We combine this information to map the basal geothermal heat flux variation across West Antarctica. Mantle viscosity depends on factors including temperature, grain size, the hydrogen content of olivine and the presence of melt. Using published mantle xenolith and magnetotelluric

Petrology of gabbroic xenoliths in 1960 Kilauea basalt: crystalline remnants of prior (1955) magmatism

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fodor, R.V.; Moore, R.B.

1994-01-01

The 1960 Kapoho lavas of Kilauea's east rift zone contain 1-10 cm xenoliths of olivine gabbro, olivine gabbro-norite, and gabbro norite. Textures are poikilitic (ol+sp+cpx in pl) and intergranular (cpx+pl??ol??opx). Poikilitic xenoliths, which we interpret as cumulates, have the most primitive mineral compositions, Fo82.5, cpx Mg# 86.5, and An80.5. Many granular xenoliths (ol and noritic gabbro) contain abundant vesicular glass that gives them intersertal, hyaloophitic, and overall 'open' textures to suggest that they represent 'mush' and 'crust' of a magma crystallization environment. Their phase compositions are more evolved (Fo80-70, cpx Mg# 82-75, and An73-63) than those of the poikilitic xenoliths. Associated glass is basaltic, but evolved (MgO 5 wt%; TiO2 3.7-5.8 wt%). The gabbroic xenolith mineral compositions fit existing fractional crystallization models that relate the origins of various Kilauea lavas to one another. FeO/MgO crystal-liquid partitioning is consistent with the poikilitic ol-gabbro assemblage forming as a crystallization product from Kilauea summit magma with ???8 wt% MgO that was parental to evolved lavas on the east rift zone. For example, least squares calculations link summit magmas to early 1955 rift-zone lavas (???5 wt% MgO) through ???28-34% crystallization of the ol+sp+cpx+pl that comprise the poikilitic ol-gabbros. The other ol-gabbro assemblages and the olivine gabbro-norite assemblages crystallized from evolved liquids, such as represented by the early 1955 and late 1955 lavas (???6.5 wt% MgO) of the east rift zone. The eruption of 1960 Kapoho magmas, then, scoured the rift-zone reservoir system to entrain portions of cumulate and solidification zones that had coated reservoir margins during crystallization of prior east rift-zone magmas. ?? 1994 Springer-Verlag.

Constraints on formation processes of two coarse-grained calcium- aluminum-rich inclusions: a study of mantles, islands and cores

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meeker, G.P.

1995-01-01

Many coarse-grained calcium- aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) contain features that are inconsistent with equilibrium liquid crystallization models of origin. Spinel-free islands (SFIs) in spinel-rich cores of Type B CAIs are examples of such features. One model previously proposed for the origin of Allende 5241, a Type B1 CAI containing SFIs, involves the capture and assimilation of xenoliths by a liquid droplet in the solar nebula (El Goresy et al, 1985; MacPherson et al 1989). This study reports new textural and chemical zoning data from 5241 and identifies previously unrecognized chemical zoning patterns in the melilite mantle and in a SFI. -from Author

Minerals as mantle fingerprints: Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf in clinopyroxene and He in olivine distinguish an unusual ancient mantle lithosphere beneath the East African Rift System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, W. R.; Shirey, S. B.; Graham, D. W.

2011-12-01

The East African Rift System is a complex region that holds keys to understanding the fundamental geodynamics of continental break-up. In this region, the volcanic record preserves over 30 Myrs of geochemical variability associated with the interplay between shallow and deep asthenospheric sources, continental lithospheric mantle, and continental crust. One fundamental question that is still subject to debate concerns the relationship between the lithospheric mantle and the voluminous flood basalt province that erupted at ~30 Ma in Ethiopia and Yemen. Whole-rock Re-Os isotopic data demonstrate the high-Ti (HT2) flood basalts (187Os/188Ost = 0.1247-0.1329) and peridotite xenoliths (187Os/188Ost = 0.1235-0.1377) from NW Ethiopia have similar isotopic compositions. However, Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic signatures from peridotite clinopyroxene grains are different from those of the flood basalts. The peridotite clinopyroxene separates bear isotopic affinities to anciently depleted mantle (87Sr/86Sr = 0.7019-0.7029; ɛNd = 12.6-18.5; ɛHf = 13.8-27.6) - more depleted than the MORB source - rather than to the OIB-like 30 Ma flood basalts (87Sr/86Sr ~ 0.704; ɛNd = 4.7-6.7; ɛHf = 12.1-13.5). Peridotite clinopyroxenes display two groups of 206Pb/204Pb compositions: the higher 206Pb/204Pb group (18.7-19.3) is compositionally similar to the flood basalts (206Pb/204Pb = 18.97-19.02) whereas the lower 206Pb/204Pb group (17.1-17.9) overlaps with depleted mantle. This suggests that the Pb isotope systematics in some of the peridotites have been metasomatically perturbed. Helium isotopes were analyzed by crushing olivine separated from the peridotites and the flood basalts. Olivine in the peridotites has low He concentrations (0.78-4.7 ncc/g) and low 3He/4He (4.6-6.6 RA), demonstrating that they cannot be the petrogenetic precursor to the high 3He/4He (>12 RA) flood basalts. Notably, these peridotites have 3He/4He signatures consistent with a lithospheric mantle source. Therefore

Dynamics of metasomatic transformation of lithospheric mantle rocks under Siberian Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharapov, Victor; Perepechko, Yury; Tomilenko, Anatoly; Chudnenko, Konstantin; Sorokin, Konstantin

2014-05-01

Numerical problem for one- and two-velocity hydrodynamics of heat and mass transfer in permeable zones over 'asthenospheric lenses' (with estimates for dynamics of non-isothermal metasomatosis of mantle rocks, using the approximation of flow reactor scheme) was formulated and solved based on the study of inclusion contents in minerals of metamorphic rocks of the lithosphere mantle and earth crust, estimates of thermodynamic conditions of inclusions appearance, and the results of experimental modeling of influence of hot reduced gases on rocks and minerals of xenoliths in mantle rocks under the cratons of Siberian Platform (SP): 1) the supply of fluid flows of any composition from upper mantle magma sources results in formation of zonal metasomatic columns in ultrabasic lithosphere mantle in permeable zones of deep faults; 2) when major element or petrogenetic components are supplied from magma source, depleted ultrabasic rocks of the lithosphere mantle are transformed into substrates which can be regarded as deep analogs of crust rodingites; 3) other fluid compositions cause deep calcinations and noticeable salination of metasomated substrate, or garnetization (eclogitization) of primary ultrabasic matrix develops; 4) above these zones the zone of basification appears; it is changed by the area of pyroxenitization, amphibolization, and biotitization; 5) modeling of thermo and mass exchange for two-velocity hydrodynamic problem showed that hydraulic approximation increases velocities of heat front during convective heating and decreases pressure in fluid along the flow. It was shown that grospydites, regarded earlier as eclogites, in permeable areas of lithosphere mantle, are typical zones draining upper mantle magma sources of metasomatic columns. As a result of the convective melting the polybaric magmatic sources may appear. Thus the formation of the (kimberlites?) melilitites or carbonatites is possible at the base of the lithospheric plates. It is shown that

Osmium isotopes suggest fast and efficient mixing in the oceanic upper mantle.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bizimis, Michael; Salters, Vincent

2010-05-01

The depleted upper mantle (DUM; the source of MORB) is thought to represent the complementary reservoir of continental crust extraction. Previous studies have calculated the "average" DUM composition based on the geochemistry of MORB. However the Nd isotope compositions of abyssal peridotites have been shown to extend to more depleted compositions than associated MORB. While this argues for the presence of both relatively depleted and enriched material within the upper mantle, the extent of compositional variability, length scales of heterogeneity and timescales of mixing in the upper mantle are not well constrained. Model calculations show that 2Ga is a reasonable mean age of depletion for DUM while Hf - Nd isotopes show the persistence of a depleted terrestrial reservoir by the early Archean (3.5-3.8Ga). U/Pb zircon ages of crustal rocks show three distinct peaks at 1.2, 1.9, and 2.7Ga and these are thought to represent the ages of three major crustal growth events. A fundamental question therefore is whether the present day upper mantle retains a memory of multiple ancient depletion events, or has been effectively homogenized. This has important implications for the nature of convection and time scales of survival of heterogeneities in the upper mantle. Here we compare published Os isotope data from abyssal peridotites and ophiolitic Os-Ir alloys with new data from Hawaiian spinel peridotite xenoliths. The Re-Os isotope system has been shown to yield useful depletion age information in peridotites, so we use it here to investigate the distribution of Re-depletion ages (TRD) in these mantle samples as a proxy for the variability of DUM. The probability density functions (PDF) of TRD from osmiridiums, abyssal and Hawaiian peridotites are all remarkably similar and show a distinct peak at 1.2-1.3 Ga (errors for TRD are set at 0.2Ga to suppress statistically spurious age peaks). The Hawaiian peridotites further show a distinct peak at 1.9-2Ga, but no oceanic mantle

Heterogeneity of Water Concentrations in the Mantle Lithosphere Beneath Hawaii

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bizimis, M.; Peslier, A. H.; Clague, D.

2017-01-01

The amount and distribution of water in the oceanic mantle lithosphere has implications on its strength and of the role of volatiles during plume/lithosphere interaction. The latter plays a role in the Earth's deep water cycle as water-rich plume lavas could re-enrich an oceanic lithosphere depleted in water at the ridge, and when this heterogeneous lithosphere gets recycled back into the deep mantle. The main host of water in mantle lithologies are nominally anhydrous minerals like olivine, pyroxene and garnet, where hydrogen (H) is incorporated in mineral defects by bonding to structural oxygen. Here, we report water concentrations by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) on olivine, clino- and orthopyroxenes (Cpx & Opx) from spinel peridotites from the Pali vent and garnet pyroxenite xenoliths from Aliamanu vent, both part of the rejuvenated volcanism at Oahu (Hawaii). Pyroxenes from the Aliamanu pyroxenites have high water concentrations, similar to the adjacent Salt Lake Crater (SLC) pyroxenites (Cpx 400-500 ppm H2O, Opx 200 ppm H2O). This confirms that pyroxenite cumulates form water-rich lithologies within the oceanic lithosphere. In contrast, the Pali peridotites have much lower water concentrations than the SLC ones (<25 ppm vs. 50-96 ppm H2O respectively) despite being relatively fertile with >10% modal Cpx and low spinel Cr# (0.09-0.10). The contrast between the two peridotite suites is also evident in their trace elements and radiogenic isotopes. The Pali Cpx are depleted in light REE, consistent with minimal metasomatism. Those of SLC have enriched light REE patterns and Nd and Hf isotopes consistent with metasomatism by alkaline melts. These observations are consistent with heterogeneous water distribution in the oceanic lithosphere that may be related to metasomatism, as well as relatively dry peridotites cross-cut by narrow (?) water-rich melt reaction zones.

Rapakivi texture from the O'Leary Porphyry, Arizona (U.S.A.)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bladh, K. Laing

1980-03-01

The rhyodactic O’Leary Porphyry which forms the Pleistocene (0.233±0.37 m.y.) volcanic domes of O’Leary Peak and Darton Dome in the San Francisco Volcanic Field (northern Arizona, U.S.A.) contains sanidine phenocrysts with oligoclase mantles (rapakivi texture). Rapakivi texture occurs worldwide in silicic rocks of many ages and has been attributed to various igneous and metamorphic processes. The O’Leary Porphyry contains both mantled and unmantled sanidine (both are Or63-69 Ab30-36An1), oligoclase and quartz phenocrysts, labradorite (An53Ab45Or2) and kaersutite xenocrysts and andesite xenoliths. The compositional range of oligoclase is the same (An11-26Ab70-80Orr-10) for the rapakivi mantles, the oligoclase phenocrysts, and the oligoclase crystals poikilitic within sanidines. Most mantles are discontinuous. The sanidine appears to have been resorbed prior to mantling. Experimental melting studies on the O’Leary Prophyry show that, for a 15 wgt.% water system, plagioclase crystallized prior to sanidine and quartz crystallized last. The O’Leary Porphyry, although inhomogeneous, plots on a Q-Or-Ab-An diagram well within the plagioclase stability field. Poikilitic plagioclases within sanidines further support crystallization of plagioclase prior to sanidine in the O’Leary Porphyry. Exsolution of a ternary feldspar to form a plagioclase mantle is the most commonly accepted igneous theory of rapakivi texture formation but has been eliminated as the origin of the O’Leary Porphyry rapakivi. Petrologic models by Tuttle and Bowen and by Stewart are rejected for the O’Leary rapakivi because of inconsistencies with the O’Leary occurrences. Two theories are viable for the O’Leary rapakivi texture. First, is a decrease in water vapor pressure which would enlarge the plagioclase stability field possibility causing mantling of metastable sanidines. The second and preferred theory is that of an addition of sodium and calcium by basification (chemical

Two types of gabbroic xenoliths from rhyolite dominated Niijima volcano, northern part of Izu-Bonin arc: petrological and geochemical constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arakawa, Yoji; Endo, Daisuke; Ikehata, Kei; Oshika, Junya; Shinmura, Taro; Mori, Yasushi

2017-03-01

We examined the petrography, petrology, and geochemistry of two types of gabbroic xenoliths (A- and B-type xenoliths) in olivine basalt and biotite rhyolite units among the dominantly rhyolitic rocks in Niijima volcano, northern Izu-Bonin volcanic arc, central Japan. A-type gabbroic xenoliths consisting of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene with an adcumulate texture were found in both olivine basalt and biotite rhyolite units, and B-type gabbroic xenoliths consisting of plagioclase and amphibole with an orthocumulate texture were found only in biotite rhyolite units. Geothermal- and barometricmodelling based on mineral chemistry indicated that the A-type gabbro formed at higher temperatures (899-955°C) and pressures (3.6-5.9 kbar) than the B-type gabbro (687-824°C and 0.8-3.6 kbar). These findings and whole-rock chemistry suggest different parental magmas for the two types of gabbro. The A-type gabbro was likely formed from basaltic magma, whereas the B-type gabbro was likely formed from an intermediate (andesitic) magma. The gabbroic xenoliths in erupted products at Niijima volcano indicate the presence of mafic to intermediate cumulate bodies of different origins at relatively shallower levels beneath the dominantly rhyolitic volcano.

The Role of the Mantle on Structural Reactivation at the Plate Tectonics Scale (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vauchez, A. R.; Tommasi, A.

2009-12-01

rift, and by the analysis of the CPO in mantle xenoliths collected in such areas. These observations are consistent with recent multi-scale numerical models showing that olivine CPO frozen in the lithospheric mantle result in an anisotropic mechanical behaviour. In a plate submitted to extension, CPO-induced anisotropy favours the reactivation in transtension of lithospheric-scale strike slip faults that are oblique to the imposed tensional stresses. Further investigation is needed to constrain the role of an inherited mechanical anisotropy of the lithosphere during compressional events and the possible feedbacks between an anisotropic viscous deformation of the lithospheric mantle and the seismic cycle. In both cases, crust-mantle coupling is likely for large-scale structures and mantle CPO may influence the kinematics of tectonic systems, at least during the initial stages of their evolution.

Constraints on crustal hydration below the Colorado plateau from Vp measurements on crustal xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padovani, Elaine R.; Hall, Jeremy; Simmons, Gene

1982-04-01

Seismic velocities have been measured as a function of confining pressure to 8 kbar for crustal xenoliths from the Moses Rock Dike and Mule Ear Diatreme, two kimberlite pipes on the Colorado Plateau. Rock types measured include rhyolite, granite, diorite, metasedimentary schists and gneisses, mafic amphibolites and granulites. Many of our samples have been hydrothermally altered to greenschist facies mineral assemblages during transport to the earth's surface. The velocity of compressional waves measured on altered amphibolites and granulites are too low by 0.1-0.3 km/s for such rock types to be characteristic of deep crustal levels. A direct correlation exists between progressive alteration and the presence of microcracks extending into the xenoliths from the kimberlitic host rock. Velocities of pristine samples are compatible with existing velocity profiles for the Colorado Plateau and we conclude that the crust at depths greater than 15 km has probably not undergone a greenschist facies metamorphic event. The xenolith suite reflects a crustal profile similar to that exposed in the Ivrea-Verbano and Strona-Ceneri zones in northern Italy.

Carbon isotope composition of CO2-rich inclusions in cumulate-forming mantle minerals from Stromboli volcano (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gennaro, Mimma Emanuela; Grassa, Fausto; Martelli, Mauro; Renzulli, Alberto; Rizzo, Andrea Luca

2017-10-01

We report on measurements of concentration and carbon isotope composition (δ13CCO2) of CO2 trapped in fluid inclusions of olivine and clinopyroxene crystals separated from San Bartolo ultramafic cumulate Xenoliths (SBX) formed at mantle depth (i.e., beneath a shallow Moho supposed to be at 14.8 km). These cumulates, erupted about 2 ka ago at Stromboli volcano (Italy), have been already investigated by Martelli et al. (2014) mainly for Sr-Nd isotopes and for their noble gases geochemistry. The concentration of CO2 varies of one order of magnitude from 3.8·10- 8 mol g- 1 to 4.8·10- 7 mol g- 1, with δ13C values between - 2.8‰ and - 1.5‰ vs V-PDB. These values overlap the range of measurements performed in the crater gases emitted at Stromboli (- 2.5‰ < δ13CCO2 < - 1.0‰). Since SBX formed from relatively primitive mantle-derived basic magmas, we argue that the isotope composition displayed by fluid inclusions and surface gases can be considered representative of the magma volatile imprinting released by partial melting of the mantle source beneath Stromboli (- 2.8‰ < δ13C < - 1.0‰). In addition, the δ13C signature of CO2 is not significantly modified by fractionation due to magmatic degassing or intracrustal contamination processes owing to magma ascent and residence within the volcano plumbing system. Such δ13C values are higher than those commonly reported for MORB-like upper mantle (- 8 ÷ - 4‰) and likely reflect the source contamination of the local mantle wedge by CO2 coming from the decarbonation of the sediments carried by the subducting Ionian slab with a contribution of organic carbon up to 7%.

The Moho as a magnetic boundary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wasilewski, P. J.; Thomas, H. H.; Mayhew, M. A.

1979-01-01

Magnetic data are presented for mantle derived rocks: peridtites from St. Pauls rocks, dunite xenoliths from the kaupulehu flow in Hawaii, as well as peridolite, dunite and eclogite xenoliths from Roberts Victor, Dutoitspan, Kilbourne Hole, and San Carlos diatremes. The rocks are paramagnetic or very weakly ferromagnetic at room temperature. Saturation magnetization values range from 0.013 emu/gm to less than 0.001 emu/gm. A review of pertinent literature dealing with analysis of the minerals in mantle xenoliths provides evidence that metals and primary Fe3O4 are absent, and that complex CR, Mg, Al, and Fe spinels dominate the oxide mineralogy. All of the available evidence supports the magnetic results, indicating that the seismic MOHO is a magnetic boundary.

Re-Os-PGE constraints on continental lithosphere assembly: a case study in eastern Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, W. R.; Ionov, D. A.; Shirey, S. B.; Prikhod'Ko, V. S.

2010-12-01

Archean cratons are the old, stable nuclei around which continents are assembled as non-cratonic material is added to the periphery of cratons by subduction-driven accretion, volcanism, and reworking of existing material. In eastern Eurasia, Phanerozoic subduction-related processes have severely altered cratonic mantle at the SE margin of Siberia (Tok) and destabilized North China cratonic mantle, resulting in early Mesozoic delamination and possible recycling into the convecting mantle. It is unclear how younger, off-craton continental mantle lithosphere is produced and modified during subsequent subduction and collision events, what mantle compositions can form in these settings, and whether any previous cratonic lithosphere may be retained. In order to investigate this problem, we collected Re-Os and PGE data on 24 peridotite xenoliths from four basaltic eruptive centers - Fevralsky, Sveyagin, Medvezhy, and Kurose - located along a cross section of the eastern Eurasian mantle between the Siberian craton and Japan. Fevralsky spinel lherzolites are the closest xenoliths to the Siberian craton. Like peridotites from Tok (Ionov et al., 2006), some Fevralsky xenoliths record metasomatic influence (Al2O3 = 4.6-4.9 wt. %; Re =0.33-2.42 ppb). However, unlike the Tok peridotites, this event did not significantly affect primitive mantle-like abundances of Os (3.3-3.9 ppb) and other PGE, or 187Os/188Os ratios (0.1185-0.1282). Further south, Sveyagin spinel lherzolites are from a Proterozoic microcontinent accreted to Eurasia during the Mesozoic. Sveyagin xenoliths have not experienced Re addition. Instead, Re (0.06-0.20 ppb) and PGE concentrations, 187Os/188Os (0.120-0.129), and 187Re/188Os (0.182-0.433) are consistent with minor to moderate melt extraction from primitive mantle. A Re-Os isochron estimates that Sveyagin xenoliths formed at ~ 1.9 Ga, consistent with TMA ages (1.4-3.4 Ga). This may be coeval with a metasomatic event that affected the Tok region (Ionov et al

1.8 billion years of fluid-crust interaction: A zircon oxygen isotope record for the lower crust, western Churchill Province, Canadian Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petts, Duane C.; Moser, Desmond E.; Longstaffe, Frederick J.; Davis, William J.; Stern, Richard A.

2014-04-01

The western Churchill Province of the Canadian Shield experienced a prolonged and complex formation history (ca. 4.04 to 1.70 Ga), with evidence for multiple episodes of orogenesis and regional magmatic activity. Here we report on the oxygen isotopic compositions of garnet and zircon recovered from lower crustal xenoliths, which have U-Pb ages between ca. 3.5 and 1.7 Ga. Overall, zircon from four metabasite xenoliths from the Rankin Inlet sample suite have δ18O values ranging from + 5.5 to + 8.6‰. Zircon from three metatonalite/anorthosite xenoliths and five metabasite xenoliths from the Repulse Bay sample suite have δ18O values of + 5.6 to + 8.3‰. High δ18O values (> + 6.0‰) for the oldest igneous zircon cores (ca. 3.5 Ga and 3.0-2.6 Ga) indicate that their metatonalite/anorthosite protolith magmas were generated from, or had assimilated, supracrustal rocks that interacted previously with surface-derived fluids. Igneous zircon cores (ca. 2.9-2.6 Ga) from one metabasite xenolith have δ18O values of + 5.6 to + 6.4‰, which suggests a formation from a mantle-derived basaltic/gabbroic magma. Metamorphic zircon cores (ca. 2.0-1.9 Ga) from one metabasite xenolith commonly have δ18O values between + 6.0 and + 6.3‰, which is indicative of a basalt/gabbro protolith and localized reworking of the lower crust caused by regional-scale plate convergence. The wide range of δ18O values (+ 5.5 to + 8.3‰) for ca. 1.75-1.70 Ga metamorphic zircon rims (identified in all xenoliths) indicates regional transient heating and reworking of mantle- and supracrustal-derived crust, induced by magmatic underplating along the crust-mantle boundary.

Fe-based redox state of mantle eclogites: Inherited from oceanic protoliths, modified during subduction or overprinted during metasomatism?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aulbach, S.; Woodland, A. B.; Vasilyev, P.; Viljoen, F.

2016-12-01

Kimberlite-borne mantle eclogite xenoliths of Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic age are commonly interpreted as representing former oceanic crust. As such, they may retain a memory of the redox state of the convecting mantle source that gave rise to their magmatic protoliths and which controls the speciation of volatiles in planetary interiors. Mantle eclogite suites commonly include both cumulate and variably evolved extrusive varieties [1], which may be characterised by initial differences in Fe3+/Fetotal. However, in the warmer ancient mantle, they were also subject to modification due to partial melt loss upon subduction (if a plate tectonic regime existed) and, after capture in the cratonic mantle lithosphere, may be overprinted by interaction with metasomatic melts and fluids. Data are as yet sparse, but new Fe-based oxybarometry shows mantle eclogites to have highly variable fO2 (FMQ-3 to FMQ), whereby low fO2 relative to modern MORB may relate to subduction of more reducing Archaean oceanic crust or loss of ferric Fe during partial melt loss [2,3]. Indeed, using V/Sc as a redox proxy, it was recently shown that Archaean mantle eclogites are more reduced than modern MORB (ΔFMQ-1.3 vs. ΔFMQ -0.4), leading to a shallower depth of redox melting [4]. Although higher Fe contents of eclogites compared to peridotites may translate into greater robustness during metasomatism after emplacement into the cratonic lithosphere, it is possible that this is at least in part responsible for their highly variable Fe-based fO2. In order to help further constrain the redox state of mantle eclogites and unravel the effect of primary and secondary processes, we are currently measuring Fe3+/Fetotal by Mössbauer in garnet from two compositionally well-characterised mantle eclogite suites (Kaapvaal craton and West African craton), with the aim to use recently calibrated oxybarometers [2,3] to calculate fO2. The results will bear on the speciation and hence mobility of carbon during

Constraining the Protolith of Large, Macroscopically Layered Kyanite-bearing Eclogite Xenoliths from the Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rebelo, C. C.; Gurney, J. J.; Richardson, S. H.; Shaw-Kahle, B.

2015-12-01

We describe the geochemistry of a suite of ten layered, kyanite-bearing eclogites from the Roberts Victor kimberlite, Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa. All samples are characterized by clear zonation corresponding to the presence or absence of kyanite and the state of preservation of clinopyroxene. The sampled zones are defined as KF (free of kyanite, with well-preserved garnet and clinopyroxene), KZ (preserved clinopyroxene is absent; garnet occurs with kyanite); and TZ (partially preserved clinopyroxene and more altered garnet; kyanite may or may not be present). We report on results of petrographic observations, mineral chemistry, and trace element and oxygen isotope analyses for the different zones. Results from adjacent zones are presented as geochemical transects perpendicular to the layering for each xenolith. We use the results to infer the geochemical evolution of likely protoliths for the various samples. Mineral chemistry of garnets across the different zones shows decreasing FeO*, Cr2O3, MgO and MnO and increasing in CaO from KF into KZ. Clinopyroxene shows increasing in Al2O3 and Na2O from KF into KZ. Clinopyroxenes approach a more jadeitic composition towards the KZ and are more diopsidic in KF. Trace element analyses were conducted with laser ablation ICP-MS on hand-picked mineral separates. Garnets show subchondritic LREE depletion and superchondritic HREE enrichment in both KF and KZ. Positive europium anomalies in garnet are present in all zones, with relatively larger anomalies in garnet grains from KZ. Preserved clinopyroxenes show complementary REE patterns to garnet grains, with superchondritic LREEs and subchondritic HREEs. For the suite of xenoliths, results from mass spectrometry on oxygen extracted by laser fluorination on mineral separates show that δ18O values are above the accepted mantle value and fall within the range of hydrothermally altered oceanic crustal material. At this stage of the research, the bulk protolith is interpreted to

Mantle melting and melt refertilization beneath the Southwest Indian Ridge: Mineral composition of abyssal peridotites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ling; Zhu, Jihao; Chu, Fengyou; Dong, Yan-hui; Liu, Jiqiang; Li, Zhenggang; Zhu, Zhimin; Tang, Limei

2017-04-01

As one of the slowest spreading ridges of the global ocean ridge system, the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) is characterized by discontinued magmatism. The 53°E segment between the Gallieni fracture zone (FZ) (52°20'E) and the Gazelle FZ (53°30'E) is a typical amagmatic segment (crustal thickness <2km) (Zhou and Dick, 2013) that opens a window to the mantle thus provides a chance to detect the mantle composition directly. We examine the mineral compositions of 17 peridotite samples from the 53°E amagmatic segment. The results show that the peridotites can be divided into two groups. The Group 1 peridotites are characterized by clinopyroxenes having LREE depleted patterns that is typical for the abyssal peridotite, thus are thought to be the residue of the mantle melting. The Group 2 peridotites show the lowest HREE content within the SWIR peridotites but are anomaly enriched in LREE, with flat or U-type REE patterns, thus cannot be the pure residue of mantle melting. Mineral compositions of the Group 2 peridotites are more depleted than that of peridotites sampled near the Bouvet hot spot (Johnson et al., 1990), implying that the depleted mantle beneath the 53°E segment may be the residue of ancient melting event. This hypothesis is supported by the the low Ol/Opx ratios, coarse grain sizes (>1cm) Opx, and Mg-rich mineral compositions akin to harzburgite xenoliths that sample old continental lithospheric mantle (Kelemen et al., 1998). Melt refertilization model shows that Group 2 peridotites were affected by an enriched low-degree partial melt from the garnet stability field. These results indicate that depleted mantle which experiences ancient melting event are more sensitive to melt refertilization, thus may reduce the melt flux, leading to extremely thin crust at 53°E segment. This research was granted by the National Basic Research Programme of China (973 programme) (grant No. 2013CB429705) and the Fundamental Research Funds of Second Institute of

Ultrabasic-basic change over primary inclusions in lower-mantle diamonds: Mineralogical and experimental evidence for crucial role of stishovite paradox

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litvin, Yuriy; Spivak, Anna

2017-04-01

Melting relations of the lower-mantle magmatic system MgO - FeO - CaO - SiO2 are characterized by peritectic reaction of bridgmanite (Mg,Fe)SiO3 and melt with formation of Fe-rich phases of periclase-wustite solid solutions (MgO•FeO)ss and stishovite SiO2. The reaction proceeds also in melts-solutions of lower-mantle diamond-parental system MgO - FeO - CaO - SiO2 - (Mg-Fe-Ca-Na-carbonate) - C. Xenoliths of lower mantle rocks were never found among the deep mantle derived materials. Estimation of lower-mantle mineralogy as ferropericlase+ bridgmanite+ Ca-perovskite association is inferred from high-pressure subsolidus experiments with ultrabasic pyrolite composition (Akaogi, 2007). The paradoxical in situ paragenesis of stishovite and ferropericlase as primary inclusions in lower-mantle diamonds (Kaminsky, 2012) takes its explanation from the bridgmanite peritectic reaction (effect of "stishovite paradox") (Litvin et al., 2014). Based on the data for inclusions, physico-chemical study on syngenesis of diamonds and primary inclusions has experimentally revealed the ferropericlase-bridgmanite-Ca-perovskite-stishovite-magnesiowustite-(Mg-Fe-Ca-Na-carbonate)-carbon compositions of the lower-mantle diamond-forming system .(Litvin et al., 2016). The generalized diagram of diamong-forming media characterizes the variable compositions of growths melts for diamonds and paragenetic phases and their genetic relationships with lower mantle matter, and it is the reason for genetic classifying primary inclusions. Fractional ultrabasic-basic evolution and continuous paragenetic transition from ultrabasic bridgmanite-ferropericlase to basic stishovite-magnesiowustite assemblages in the of lower-mantle diamond-parental melts-solutions are providing by the physico-chemical mechanism of stishovite paradox. References Akaogi M. (2007). Phase transformations of minerals in the transition zone and upper part of the lower mantle. In Advances in High-Pressure Mineralogy (Ohtani E., ed

Geochemical constraints on the origin of serpentinization of oceanic mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Z.; Lee, C. A.

2004-12-01

samples are cpx-free harzburgites, which have experienced roughly 20 to 35% melt extraction. The degree of serpentinization was quantified using the concentration of magnetite, a by-product of serpentinization. The lack of antigorite suggests that serpentinization occurred at temperatures lower than 300 C. By comparing Cr and Cr/Al systematics to that predicted from theoretical partial melting calculations and empirical relationships in unaltered peridotite xenoliths, it is shown that Cr and Al are immobile. Al content was thus used to determine the composition of the protolith, which allows us to estimate the amount of depletion/enrichment of a given element by processes other than melt depletion. Most of the harzburgites show no evidence for mantle metasomatism as evidenced by extreme depletions in LREE elements. Consistent with previous studies, we find no depletions in Mg, Fe, or Ca. As seawater is undersaturated in Mg-bearing minerals, an open system process would yield progressive depletion of Mg as is seen in abyssal peridotites, which have been weathered by seawater at the bottom of the seafloor (e.g., Snow et al. 1995). Collectively, this suggests that, except for the addition of seawater and its constituents, serpentinization of the Feather River Ophiolite, was a closed system process. By combining these observations with the results of our field mapping project, we suggest that serpentinization of the lithospheric mantle occurs by local introduction of seawater through fractures extending from the crust and into the mantle. We find no evidence that serpentinized zones in oceanic lithospheric mantle represents an extremely deep hydrothermal circulation cell.

Origins of diamond-forming fluids: An isotopic and trace element study of diamonds and silicates from diamondiferous xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laiginhas, Fernando; Pearson, D. Graham; McNeill, John; Gurney, John; Nowell, Geoff; Ottley, Chris

2010-05-01

While there is increasing understanding of the age of formation and nature of "gem" diamonds, significant debate revolves around the nature of the fluids/melts from which they form. Stable C and N isotopes have been shown to be highly variable and yet the role of subduction-related fluids remains strongly debated. Recent studies on fibrous diamonds have yielded new trace and major element data (e.g., Weiss et al., 2009) that, together with new radiogenic isotope data (Klein BenDavid et al., 2010) indicate such diamonds grow from fluids that comprise mixtures of hydrous silicic, hydrous saline and carbonatitic fluids, derived from different source components of asthenospheric and lithospheric origin. However, until now such data has been lacking from gem diamonds. Using a new laser-based technique (McNeill et al., 2009), we have analysed a suite of diamonds plus co-existing host silicates from several diamondiferous xenoliths (6 harzburgites, 1 eclogite) from the Finsch and Newlands kimberlites in order to try to understand the fluid compositions that produce gem diamonds and better understand their effects of their mantle wall rocks. Diamonds from the xenoliths show a wide variety of trace element enrichment levels. While the eclogitic diamond shows similar trace element systematics to some of the harzburgitic diamonds there are significant differences within the harzburgitic diamonds from different xenoliths, with those from Finsch being significantly enriched in Ba, Sr and Pb relative to other elements. Nd isotope data on the host silicates is variable and dominantly unradiogenic, indicative of long-term enrichment typically associated with the source of some diamond-forming fluids. We will present Sr isotopic data on host silicates and diamond fluids to constrain whether the "gem" diamonds require the complex sources of fluids that characterise the growth of fibrous diamonds. 1) Y. Weiss, R. Kessel, W.L. Griffin, I. Kiflawi, O. Klein-BenDavid, D.R. Bell, J

Mantle source volumes and the origin of the mid-Tertiary ignimbrite flare-up in the southern Rocky Mountains, western U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farmer, G. Lang; Bailley, Treasure; Elkins-Tanton, Linda T.

2008-04-01

Voluminous intermediate to silicic composition volcanic rocks were generated throughout the southern Rocky Mountains, western U.S., during the mid-Tertiary "ignimbrite flare-up", principally at the San Juan and Mogollon-Datil volcanic fields. At both volcanic centers, radiogenic isotope data have been interpreted as evidence that 50% or more of the volcanic rocks (by mass) were derived from mantle-derived, mafic parental magmas, but no consensus exists as to whether melting was largely of lithospheric or sub-lithospheric mantle. Recent xenolith studies, however, have revealed that thick (> 100 km), fertile, and hydrated continental lithosphere was present beneath at least portions of the southern Rocky Mountains during the mid-Tertiary. The presence of such thick mantle lithosphere, combined with an apparent lack of syn-magmatic extension, leaves conductive heating of lithospheric mantle as a plausible method of generating the mafic magmas that fueled the ignimbrite flare-up in this inland region. To further assess this possibility, we estimated the minimum volume of mantle needed to generate the mafic magmas parental to the preserved mid-Tertiary igneous rocks. Conservative estimates of the mantle source volumes that supplied the Mogollon-Datil and San Juan volcanic fields are ˜ 2 M km 3 and ˜ 7 M km 3, respectively. These volumes could have comprised only lithospheric mantle if at least the lower ˜ 20 km of the mantle lithosphere beneath the entire southern Rocky Mountains region underwent partial melting during the mid-Tertiary and if the resulting mafic magmas were drawn laterally for distances of up to ˜ 300 km into each center. Such widespread melting of lithospheric mantle requires that the lithospheric mantle have been uniformly fertile and primed for melting in the mid-Tertiary, a possibility if the lithospheric mantle had experienced widespread hydration and refrigeration during early Tertiary low angle subduction. Exposure of the mantle lithosphere

Mechanisms of formation of mantle section pyroxenites of Voykar Ophiolite, Polar Urals, Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belousov, Ivan; Batanova, Valentina; Sobolev, Alexander; Savelieva, Galina

2010-05-01

Ural Mountains mark a major mid Paleozoic collision event, which resulted in the closure of an ocean basin separating the Siberian and European plates. Voykar Ophiolite is located in the Northern part of Uralian Ophiolite Belt. Ophiolitic sequence rocks of Polar Urals are usually considered as giant fragments of mantle and MORB-type crust formed in back-arc settings (e.g. Savelieva et al., 1987). Mantle section of Voykar Ophiolite comprises most of the ophiolitic sequence. It is up to 8 km thick and consists mostly of spinel harzburgites with multiple dunitic bodies and pyroxenitic veins representing pathways for different melts/fluids. While it is generally accepted that dunites in mantle sections are formed by melt-rock reaction and mark melt pathways (e.g. Kelemen et al., 1995), formation of pyroxenites is a subject of debate. Often pyroxenites from mantle sections of ophiolites (Varfalvy et al., 1997), as well as pyroxenites from mantle wedge xenoliths (Arai et al., 2006, Bali et al., 2007, Gregoire et al., 2008) are interpreted as interaction products between high-SiO2 melts and mantle peridotites. Such melts are believed to be widespread in SSZ mantle: boninites, high-MgO andesites and adakites. However, some researchers (e.g. Berly et al., 2006, Halama et al., 2009) propose pyroxenite formation in metasomatic reaction with fluid from subducting plate. Moreover, some pyroxenites could be formed by the melt crystallization in hydrous conditions (Muntener et al., 2001). We present comprehensive study of mineral major and trace element compositions from the mantle section rocks of Voykar Ophiolite in order to determine mechanism of formation of pyroxenites in ophiolitic mantle sections. Compositions of clinopyroxene and olivine from pyroxenites were compared to their compositions in harzburgites and dunites. Furthermore, compositions of clinopyroxene and magmatic amphibole from mantle section pyroxenites were used to calculate equilibrium melts. Geochemical data

Estimation of Water Within the Lithospheric Mantle of Central Tibet from Petrological-Geophysical Investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vozar, J.; Fullea, J.; Jones, A. G.

2013-12-01

Investigations of the lithosphere and sub-lithospheric upper mantle by integrated petrological-geophysical modeling of magnetotelluric (MT) and seismic surface-wave data, which are differently sensitive to temperature and composition, allows us to reduce the uncertainties associated with modeling these two data sets independently, as commonly undertaken. We use selected INDEPTH MT data, which have appropriate dimensionality and large penetration depths, across central Tibet for 1D modeling. Our deep resistivity models from the data can be classified into two different and distinct groups: (i) the Lhasa Terrane and (ii) the Qiangtang Terrane. For the Lhasa Terrane group, the models show the existence of upper mantle conductive layer localized at depths of 200 km, whereas for the Qiangtang Terrane, this conductive layer is shallower at depths of 120 km. We perform the integrated geophysical-petrological modeling of the MT and surface-wave data using the software package LitMod. The program facilitates definition of realistic temperature and pressure distributions within the upper mantle for given thermal structure and oxide chemistry in the CFMAS system. This allows us to define a bulk geoelectric and seismic model of the upper mantle based on laboratory and xenolith data for the most relevant mantle minerals, and to compute synthetic geophysical observables. Our results suggest an 80-120 km-thick, dry lithosphere in the central part of the Qiangtang Terrane. In contrast, in the central Lhasa Terrane the predicted MT responses are too resistive for a dry lithosphere regardless its thickness; according to seismic and topography data the expected lithospheric thickness is about 200 km. The presence of small amounts of water significantly decreases the electrical resistivity of mantle rocks and is required to fit the MT responses. We test the hypothesis of small amounts of water (ppm scale) in the nominally anhydrous minerals of the lithospheric mantle. Such a small

Compositionally Controlled Volatile Content of Nominally Volatile-Free Minerals in the Continental Upper Mantle of Southern Gondwana (Patagonia & W. Antarctica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rooks, E. E.; Gibson, S. A.; Leat, P. T.; Petrone, C. M.

2015-12-01

H2O and F contents affect many physical and chemical properties of the upper mantle, including melting temperature and viscosity. These elements are hosted by hydrous and F-rich phases, and by modally abundant, nominally-anhydrous/halogen-free mantle minerals, which can potentially accommodate the entire volatile budget of the upper mantle. We present high-precision SIMS analyses of H2O, and F in mantle xenoliths hosted by recently-erupted (5-10 Ka) alkali basalts from south Patagonia (Pali Aike) and older (c. 25 Ma) alkali basalts from localities along the Antarctic Peninsula. Samples are well characterised peridotites and pyroxenites, from a range of depths in the off-craton lithospheric mantle. Minerals are relatively dry: H2O contents of olivine span 0-49 ppm, orthopyroxene 150-235 ppm and clinopyroxene 100-395 ppm, with highest concentrations found in spinel-garnet lherzolites from Pali Aike. These H2O concentrations fall within the global measured range for off-craton mantle minerals. H2O and F are correlated, and the relative compatibility of F in mantle phases is clinopyroxene>orthopyroxene>olivine. However, elevated F concentrations of 100-210 ppm are found in pyroxenites from two Antarctic localities. This elevated F content is not correlated with high H2O, suggesting that these rocks interacted with a F-rich melt. In clinopyroxenes, F concentration is correlated with Ti, and the ratio of M1Ti to M1Al + M1Cr, suggesting a charge balanced substitution. Consistency between samples (excepting high-F pyroxenites) suggests a constant F-budget, and that concentrations in clinopyroxenes are controlled by mineral chemistry. In orthopyroxene, F correlates with CaO, but no other major or minor elements. Large variability of H2O concentrations within samples is attributed to diffusive loss during ascent. Cl is negligible in all samples, indicating little or no influence of slab fluids from this long-lived subduction zone.

Metasomatic oxidation of upper mantle periodotite

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGuire, A.V.; Dyar, M.D.; Nielson, J.E.

1991-01-01

Examination of Fe3+ in metasomatized spinel peridotite xenoliths reveals new information about metasomatic redox processes. Composite xenoliths from Dish Hill, California possess remnants of magmatic dikes which were the sources of the silicate fluids responsible for metasomatism of the peridotite part of the same xenoliths. Mo??ssbauer spectra of mineral separates taken at several distances from the dike remnants provide data on Fe3+ contents of minerals in the metasomatized peridotite. Clinopyroxenes contain 33% of total iron (FeT) as Fe3+ (Fe3+/FeT=0.33); orthopyroxenes contain 0.06-0.09 Fe3+/FeT; spinels contain 0.30-0.40 Fe3+/FeT; olivines contain 0.01-0.06 Fe3+/FeT; and metasomatic amphibole in the peridotite contains 0.85-0.90 Fe3+/FeT. In each mineral, Fe3+ and Fe2+ cations per formula unit (p.f.u.) decrease with distance from the dike, but the Fe3+/FeT ratios of each mineral do not vary. Clinopyroxene, spinel, and olivine Fe3+/FeT ratios are significantly higher than in unmetasomatized spinel peridotites. Metasomatic changes in Fe3+/FeT ratios in each mineral are controlled by the oxygen fugacity of the system, but the mechanism by which each phase accommodates this ratio is affected by crystal chemistry, kinetics, rock mode, fluid composition, fluid/rock ratio, and fluid-mineral partition coefficients. Ratio increases in pyroxene and spinel occur by exchange reactions involving diffusion of Fe3+ into existing mineral grains rather than by oxidation of existing Fe2+ in peridotite mineral grains. The very high Fe3+/FeT ratio in the metasomatic amphibole may be a function of the high Fe3+/FeT of the metasomatic fluid, crystal chemical limitations on the amount of Fe3+ that could be accommodated by the pyroxene, spinel, and olivine of the peridotite, and the ability of the amphibole structure to accommodate large amounts of 3 + valence cations. In the samples studied, metasomatic amphibole accounts for half of the bulk-rock Fe2O3. This suggests that patent

Origin of cratonic lithospheric mantle roots: A geochemical study of peridotites from the North Atlantic Craton, West Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wittig, N.; Pearson, D. G.; Webb, M.; Ottley, C. J.; Irvine, G. J.; Kopylova, M.; Jensen, S. M.; Nowell, G. M.

2008-09-01

A critical examination of the extent to which geodynamic information on the initial mantle depletion and accretion event(s) is preserved in kimberlite-borne cratonic SCLM peridotite xenoliths is attempted by using new major and trace element data of whole-rock peridotites ( n = 55) sampled across the North Atlantic Craton (NAC; West Greenland). We also present additional whole-rock trace element data of mantle xenoliths from Somerset Island, the Slave and Kaapvaal cratons for comparison. Peridotites comprising the West Greenland SCLM are distinctly more olivine-rich and orthopyroxene-poor than most other cratonic peridotites, in particular those from the Kaapvaal craton. The West Greenland peridotites have higher Mg/Si but lower Al/Si, Al 2O 3 and CaO than cratonic mantle from the Kaapvaal Craton. We suggest that the more orthopyroxene depleted, harzburgite to dunite character of the NAC peridotites reflects more of the original melting history than peridotites from other cratons and in that sense may be more typical of cratonic lithosphere compositions prior to extensive modification. Despite this, some modal and cryptic metasomatism has clearly taken place in the West Greenland lithosphere. The insensitivity of major elements to pressure of melting at high degrees of melt extraction combined with the ease with which these elements may be changed by modal metasomatism mean that we cannot confidently constrain the depth of melting of peridotites using this approach. Mildly incompatible trace elements offer much more promise in terms of providing geodynamic information about the original Archean melting regime. The very low, systematically varying heavy REE abundances in NAC whole-rock peridotites and in peridotites from all other cratons where high-quality data are available provide ubiquitous evidence for a shallow melting regime in the absence of, or to the exhaustion of garnet. This finding explicitly excludes large extents of deep (iso- and polybaric) melting

Age and Origin of Eclogite Xenoliths from Navajo Diatremes on the Colorado Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulze, D. J.; Malik, L.; Davis, D. W.; Helmstaedt, H. H.

2017-12-01

Six eclogite xenoliths from the Moses Rock and Mule Ear diatremes of the Navajo Volcanic Field on the Colorado Plateau were studied to determine their age(s) and shed light on their origin. Laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to date zircons in situ by the U-Pb method. In all samples, most of the zircons have low Th/U ratios (<0.1) characteristic of metamorphic zircon and plot on or very near concordia with ages between 27 and 40 Ma, with a few outliers as old as 80 Ma. Some grains with higher Th/U, typically characteristic of magmatic zircon, yield older ages, as old as 1717 ± 25 Ma. In two samples, five zircon yielded data that fall on a discordia between 40 ± 20 and 1717 ± 25 Ma. This suggests that simple derivation from metamorphosed Mesozoic oceanic crust of the shallowly subducted Farallon Plate is not a viable hypothesis for the origin of these eclogites. Instead, the Proterozoic component may indicate that the Farallon Plate also transported material scraped from the overlying Proterozoic mantle during late Mesozoic to Cenozoic subduction. The relationship between the causes of zircon growth in Cenozoic time and the growth of monazite at 28-30 Ma in eclogites of the same suite is unclear, but both may be related to fluxing by water derived from dehydration of serpentinites of the Farallon Plate.

The Universal Cpx Jd-Di barometer for mantle peridotite eclogite and pyroxenites and it using for the mantle petrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashchepkov, Igor

2015-04-01

The Jd-Di exchange in clinopyroxenes used for the calibration of pyroxene barometer (Ashchepkov, 2000;2002; Ashchepkov et al 2010;2011;2012) was transformed to make one universal equation for mantle peridotite eclogites and pyroxenites. The original barometer (Ashchepkov, 2002) calibrated on pressures produced by Opx barometry (McGregor , 1974) was transformed (Ashchepkov et al ., 2004; 2010; 2011) to satisfy the increasing data bases for the mantle xenoliths and experimental values 530 in peridotitic and 650 in elcogitic systems . The obtained difference Pd =Pcpx- Pexp were studied for the dependence on each component and their combination . Instead of the common activities we used the temperature-dependent empirical equations. The three separate equations for the common peridotites, pyroxenites and eclogites (Ashchepkov et al., 2010) were checked and complex To and Al-Na-Fe dependent universal coefficients were received. The KD is determined as follows: KD=Na/AlCr*Mg/Ca The logarithmic dependence between P and KD was transformed to a linear one. Final pressure equations are: AlCr=(Al-0.01) *((T-600)/700)**0.75+Cr*(ToK-100)/1000+(4*Ti-0.0125)/ (T0-801)*650 +0.55*((Fe-0.23) *(T0-900)/10000-K) P=0.26*(5+12*(Al+0.30*Na)KD* ToK**0.75 /(1+Fe+ Fe*(ToK-600)/1000)-ln(1273/ ToK))*40*(7*Na-Al-15*Ti+10*Cr+Mg/4)+7.5*Si-20*( Al*Na*Mg/Ca/(Al-2*Ti+Na-2*Fe/(Fe+Mg))+50*(Na+0.1*Al-2*Ti+0.05*Mg-0.22*Ca-0.7*Na)/Ca). Obtained equation in combination with the (Nimis,Taylor, 2000) thermometer allow to reconstruct position of the magma feeder systems of the alkali basaltic magma withing the mantle diapirs in modern platforms like in Vitim plateau (Ashchepkov et al., 2011) and now was applicated to reconstruct the deep seated magma conduits beneath the mountain collision systems, island arcs ocean plateaus etc. This equation allows to receive the positions of the major groups of eclogites mantle sections and to find out the regularities of their behavior. The Fe rich eclogites commonly

Pre-subduction metasomatic enrichment of the oceanic lithosphere induced by plate flexure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilet, S.; Abe, N.; Rochat, L.; Kaczmarek, M.-A.; Hirano, N.; Machida, S.; Buchs, D. M.; Baumgartner, P. O.; Müntener, O.

2016-12-01

Oceanic lithospheric mantle is generally interpreted as depleted mantle residue after mid-ocean ridge basalt extraction. Several models have suggested that metasomatic processes can refertilize portions of the lithospheric mantle before subduction. Here, we report mantle xenocrysts and xenoliths in petit-spot lavas that provide direct evidence that the lower oceanic lithosphere is affected by metasomatic processes. We find a chemical similarity between clinopyroxene observed in petit-spot mantle xenoliths and clinopyroxene from melt-metasomatized garnet or spinel peridotites, which are sampled by kimberlites and intracontinental basalts respectively. We suggest that extensional stresses in oceanic lithosphere, such as plate bending in front of subduction zones, allow low-degree melts from the seismic low-velocity zone to percolate, interact and weaken the oceanic lithospheric mantle. Thus, metasomatism is not limited to mantle upwelling zones such as mid-ocean ridges or mantle plumes, but could be initiated by tectonic processes. Since plate flexure is a global mechanism in subduction zones, a significant portion of oceanic lithospheric mantle is likely to be metasomatized. Recycling of metasomatic domains into the convecting mantle is fundamental to understanding the generation of small-scale mantle isotopic and volatile heterogeneities sampled by oceanic island and mid-ocean ridge basalts.

Primitive Oxygen-, Nitrogen-, and Organic-Rich Vein Preserved in a Xenolith Hosted in the Metamorphosed Carancas Meteorite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chan, Q. H. S.; Zolensky, M. E.; Kebukawa, Y.; Franchi, I.; Wright, I.; Zhao, I.; Rahman, Z.; Utas, J.

2018-01-01

Primitive xenolithic CI-like carbonaceous (C) clasts are sometimes hosted within meteorites of a different origin (ordinary chondrite, ureilite, howardite, and eucrite). These xenoliths contain aggregates of macromolecular carbon (MMC), which are often present as discrete grains and exhibit a wide range of structural order and chemical compositions. The Carancas meteorite is a H4-5 that impacted south of Lake Titicaca, Peru in 2007. While the meteorite exhibits extensive recrystallization of the matrix indicating metamorphism, it contains dark, CI-like clasts that show no evidence of heating. Similar to other xenolithic clasts, the examined C clast of Carancas contains MMC, which however exists in the form of a vein-like structure dissimilar to the typical occurrence of MMC in meteorites. We investigated the organic and isotopic compositions of the organic-rich vein with C,N,O-X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES), Raman spectroscopy, and NanoSIMS, in order to constrain its possible origin.

Linking lowermost mantle structure, core-mantle boundary heat flux and mantle plume formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Mingming; Zhong, Shijie; Olson, Peter

2018-04-01

The dynamics of Earth's lowermost mantle exert significant control on the formation of mantle plumes and the core-mantle boundary (CMB) heat flux. However, it is not clear if and how the variation of CMB heat flux and mantle plume activity are related. Here, we perform geodynamic model experiments that show how temporal variations in CMB heat flux and pulses of mantle plumes are related to morphologic changes of the thermochemical piles of large-scale compositional heterogeneities in Earth's lowermost mantle, represented by the large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs). We find good correlation between the morphologic changes of the thermochemical piles and the time variation of CMB heat flux. The morphology of the thermochemical piles is significantly altered during the initiation and ascent of strong mantle plumes, and the changes in pile morphology cause variations in the local and the total CMB heat flux. Our modeling results indicate that plume-induced episodic variations of CMB heat flux link geomagnetic superchrons to pulses of surface volcanism, although the relative timing of these two phenomena remains problematic. We also find that the density distribution in thermochemical piles is heterogeneous, and that the piles are denser on average than the surrounding mantle when both thermal and chemical effects are included.

Birch's Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, D. L.

2002-12-01

Francis Birch's 1952 paper started the sciences of mineral physics and physics of the Earth's interior. Birch stressed the importance of pressure, compressive strain and volume in mantle physics. Although this may seem to be an obvious lesson many modern paradoxes in the internal constitution of the Earth and mantle dynamics can be traced to a lack of appreciation for the role of compression. The effect of pressure on thermal properties such as expansivity can gravitational stratify the Earth irreversibly during accretion and can keep it chemically stratified. The widespread use of the Boussinesq approximation in mantle geodynamics is the antithesis of Birchian physics. Birch pointed out that eclogite was likely to be an important component of the upper mantle. Plate tectonic recycling and the bouyancy of oceanic crust at midmantle depths gives credence to this suggestion. Although peridotite dominates the upper mantle, variations in eclogite-content may be responsible for melting- or fertility-spots. Birch called attention to the Repetti Discontinuity near 900 km depth as an important geodynamic boundary. This may be the chemical interface between the upper and lower mantles. Recent work in geodynamics and seismology has confirmed the importance of this region of the mantle as a possible barrier. Birch regarded the transition region (TR ; 400 to 1000 km ) as the key to many problems in Earth sciences. The TR contains two major discontinuities ( near 410 and 650 km ) and their depths are a good mantle thermometer which is now being exploited to suggest that much of plate tectonics is confined to the upper mantle ( in Birch's terminology, the mantle above 1000 km depth ). The lower mantle is homogeneous and different from the upper mantle. Density and seismic velocity are very insensitive to temperature there, consistent with tomography. A final key to the operation of the mantle is Birch's suggestion that radioactivities were stripped out of the deeper parts of

Three Body Recombination and Photoassociative Ultracold Collisions Studied Using Translational Energy

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-27

Sumission, or Preparation 1. "Multiple Scattering and the Density Distribution of a Cs MOT," R. Overstreet, P. Zabawa , J. Tallant, A. Schwettmann... Zabawa . J. Tallant, A. Schwettmann, J. Crawford, and J.P. Shaffer, DAMOP, Knoxville, TN, (2006). 6. "Ultracold Cs Rydberg Gas Dynamics," K.R

Petrology of ultramafic and mafic xenoliths from Ruddon's Point, Fife, Scotland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matusiak-Malek, Magdalena; Sobczak, Paweł; Upton, Brian; Puziewicz, Jacek; Ntaflos, Theodoros

2017-04-01

The studied xenolith suite comprise of anhydrous spinel lherzolites, wehrlite, ol- clinopyroxenite, clinopyroxenite and websterite. Peridotites have porphyroclastic texture and consist of forsterite-rich olivine (Fo87-90), Al-rich pyroxenes (0.25-0.31 apfu in Cpx and 0.15-0.19 apfu in Opx) and Cr-poor spinel (Cr-number=0.15-0.20, Mg-number=0.70). Wehrlite has cumulative texture with cumulus olivine (Fo83-84) and intercumulus clinopyroxene (Mg-number=0.83-0.86, Al=0.23-0.29 apfu). Clinopyroxenites and websterites have adcumulative textures, and often contain pseudomorphs after mica (?). Olivine in clinopyroxenites and ol-clinopyroxenites is low magnesian- Fo78-82, clinopyroxenes have Mg-number from 0.75 to 0.85 with Al ranging from 0.17 to 0.30 apfu. Clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene equilibrium in most of peridotites was achieved in temperatures from 960 to 1010°C, in websterite it was 970-990°C (Brey and Köhler, 1991). Clinopyroxene forming peridotites is characterized by flat HREE and is slightly depleted to slightly enriched in LREE ((La/Lu)N=0.4-2.5). The only significant anomalies in clinopyroxene's multi-trace element patterns occur at Th-U (positive) and Nb-Ta (negative) contents. Orthopyroxene in peridotites contains elevated amounts of Th, U, Zr, Hf and Ti. Clinopyroxene in clinopyroxenites has concave downward REE pattern ((La/Lu)N=2.3-2.4 in clinopyroxenites and ((La/Lu)N=4.8 and 8.7 in ol-clinopyroxenite and websterite, respectively) and has slight negative Ti anomaly in olivine clinopyroxenite and websterite. The lherzolite xenoliths represent upper mantle rocks. Composition of clinopyroxene suggests the peridotites to suffer from 1 to 7% of melt extraction, composition of orthopyroxene points to higher degrees of depletion (10-15%; Upton et al., 2011). Peridotites have been metasomatised by subduction-related hydrous fluids enriching pyroxenes in Th and U. Clinopyroxene in wehrlite is texturally later than olivine, but strictly follows the general trace

Emplacement of Xenolith Nodules in the Kaupulehu Lava Flow, Hualalai Volcano, Hawaii

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guest, J. E.; Spudis, P. D.; Greeley, R.; Taylor, G. J.; Baloga, S. M.

1995-01-01

The basaltic Kaupulehu 1800-1801 lava flow of Hualalai Volcano, Hawaii contains abundant ultramafic xenoliths. Many of these xenoliths occur as bedded layers of semi-rounded nodules, each thinly coated with a veneer (typically 1 mm thick) of lava. The nodule beds are analogous to cobble deposits of fluvial sedimentary systems. Although several mechanisms have been proposed for the formation of the nodule beds, it was found that, at more than one locality, the nodule beds are overbank levee deposits. The geological occurrence of the nodules, certain diagnostic aspects of the flow morphology and consideration of the inferred emplacement process indicate that the Kaupulehu flow had an exceptionally low viscosity on eruption and that the flow of the lava stream was extremely rapid, with flow velocities of at least 10 m/s (more than 40 km/h. This flow is the youngest on Hualalai Volcano and future eruptions of a similar type would pose considerable hazard to life as well as property.

Early formation and long-term stability of continents resulting from decompression melting in a convecting mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Smet, J.; Van den Berg, A. P.; Vlaar, N. J.

2000-07-01

decreased ca. 340 K after 4 Ga. Surface heatflow values decrease from 120 to 40 mW m -2 during the 4 Ga model evolution. The surface heatflow contribution from an almost constant secular cooling rate was estimated to be 6 mW m -2, in line with recent observational evidence. The modelling results show that the combined effects of compositional buoyancy and strong temperature dependent rheology result in continents which overall remain stable for a duration longer than the age of the Earth. Tracer particles have been used for studying the patterns of mantle differentiation in greater detail. The observed ( p, T, F, t)-paths are consistent with proposed stratification and thermo-mechanical history of the depleted continental root, which have been inferred from mantle xenoliths and other upper mantle samples. In addition, the particle tracers have been used to derive the thermal age of the modelled continental root, defined by a hypothetical closing temperature.

Xenoliths in Eocene lavas from Central Tibet record carbonated metasomatism of the lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goussin, Fanny; Cordier, Carole; Boulvais, Philippe; Guillot, Stéphane; Roperch, Pierrick; Replumaz, Anne

2017-04-01

Cenozoic post-collisional volcanism of the Tibetan Plateau, emplaced on an accreted continental margin under compression, could bring important information regarding the edification of the Plateau. In this study, we combined petrography, whole rock geochemistry, stable isotopes and in situ mineral analysis to decipher the genesis of Eocene-Oligocene magmatic rocks from the Nangqian basin (35-38 Ma, [Spurlin et al., 2005; Xu et al., 2016]), located at the hinge between Central Tibet and the Eastern Indo-Asia Collision Zone. Our dataset includes potassic trachyandesites; amphibole-bearing potassic trachytes; and rare ultrapotassic (K2O/Na2O ≥ 4) mafic syenites. All samples have high REE abundances (La = 100 - 500 x primitive mantle). Fractionation of heavy REE (Gd/YbN > 3) indicates melting in the garnet stability field, and relative depletion in high-field strength elements (Nb, Ta) indicates a selective enrichment of the source by metasomatic fluids. This metasomatism event is also evidenced by the occurrence of re-equilibrated mantle xenocrysts of phlogopite (Mg# = 88 - 90 and Cr2O3 content = 0.9 - 1.82 wt%) in mafic syenites. Potassic trachyandesites have specific composition, with negative Zr-Hf anomaly and low Hf/Sm (0.2 - 0.4). Indeed, they include xenocrystic aggregates, composed of magmatic clinopyroxene, apatite and subordinate biotite and feldspar, with interstitial calcite and dolomite. δ18OV -SMOW (9.2 - 11.0 ) and δ13CV -PDB (-6.1 - -4.0 ) of these rocks indicate the presence of primary, mantle-derived carbonates. In situ analysis of the major and trace element compositions of the carbonates, clinopyroxenes and apatites further suggest that these aggregates represent cumulates of a carbonate-bearing magma. These xenoliths thus show that the lithospheric mantle was also metasomatized by CO2-rich fluids. Cenozoic carbonatites in China have been identified in Maoniuping in Western Sichuan (31.7 Ma), Lixian in the Western Qinlin (22-23 Ma), and

Oxygen-Carbon and Strontium Isotope Evidence for the Origin and Evolution of CO2-rich Volatiles from Oligocene to Miocene Mantle Magmas, Southwestern Colorado and Northwestern New Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzales, D. A.; Zbrozek, M.

2012-12-01

Oligocene to Miocene, alkaline mafic to ultramafic, rocks that are exposed in the Navajo volcanic field and dikes on the northern San Juan basin (NVSJ) contain calcite in vugs, veins, and breccias. Oxygen-carbon and Sr isotope signatures of bulk carbonate samples from these rocks were used to test hypotheses on the history of volatiles related to this pulse of mantle magmatism. Elevated fluorine in rocks, and fluorite-calcite breccias in some outcrops, indicate that magmatic volatiles were released by NVSJ melts. Oxygen and carbon isotope data for carbonate samples record a complex paragenetic history. δ13C values are mostly -8‰ to -4‰ with a mean value of -5.3 ± 2.0‰, similar to δ13C for primary mantle-derived carbonate. A subset of δ18O values are +5‰ to +10‰ which are within the accepted range of δ18O values for magmatic carbonate in carbonatite and kimberlite. A majority of δ18O values, however, range from +10‰ to +24‰ revealing that low-δ18O magmatic volatiles were overprinted by processes that caused enrichment of 18O at some stage during melt generation and emplacement. A subset of 87Sr/86Sri data from carbonate samples are nearly identical to 87Sr/86Sri for related rocks, hinting that the melts and volatiles came from the same source. Generally, NVSJ calcite samples have higher 87Sr/86Sri ratios than those of rocks, reflecting different melt-volatile sources or crustal contamination from Paleozoic limestone. Field and petrologic evidence does not lend convincing support for crustal contamination. Limestone fragments comprise less than 1% of xenoliths in NVSJ rocks. Also, rock samples do not show elevated CaO, MgO, FeO, Ba or Sr with increasing δ18O calcite which is expected for contamination of magmas with limestone. We propose that CO2-H2O-F volatiles in NVSJ magmas came from distinct melt-volatile sources, similar to the interpretation of Nowell (1993). Our assertion is that CO2-rich volatiles that exsolved from low δ18O mafic melts

MARID-type Glimmerites from Kimberley, South Africa: Metasomes or high-pressure cumulates?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Förster, Michael W.; Prelevic, Dejan; Buhre, Stephan; Jacob, Dorrit E.

2015-04-01

Mica- amphibole- rutile- ilmenite- diopside (MARID) xenoliths are alkali-rich, coarse-grained ultramafic rocks, typical for heavily metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle (Dawson & Smith, 1977). They are produced either by interaction of mantle wall rock with lamproitic melts that percolate through the mantle (Dawson and Smith 1977; Sweeney 1993), or as direct crystallization products of those melts (Waters 1987). Two rock samples of mica-rich (>90% phlogopite) xenoliths from the Boshof Road Dump of the Bultfontein kimberlite diamond mine in Kimberley, South Africa were analyzed for major and trace elements of minerals. Millimeter sized phlogopite is the dominant mineral, making up more than 90% of the rock. Other phases are in descending order: diopside, K-richterite, rutile and ilmenite. Phlogopite is homogenous in composition and appears without zonation. They are perpotassic with K/Al between 1.1 and 1.2 at an Mg#-value of 84.5-86.5. Clinopyroxene is low in Al2O3 with values <0.8%, but high in SiO2 with values around 55% and CaO values of 21% for both samples. Clinopyroxene show a slight zonation with Cr2O3 values rising towards the rim from 0.4 to 0.8%. All clinopyroxenes lie within the field of diopsides. REE to pyrolite normed pattern for diopsides show enrichment in LREE compared to HREE and a pronounced low in Ti. The examined specimens are classified as Glimmerite-type xenoliths as they comprise >90% phlogopite. Perpotassic phlogopites with K/Al >1 values are typical for MARID-type xenoliths by comprising low Mg# of 82-88 (Dawson 1987). We performed thermobarometric calculations on the clinopyroxenes, by using the equations of Putirka (2008). With a proposed lamproitic melt, like Waters (1987) suggested for a MARID parental magma, a pressure of 13 kbar (39 km) and a temperature of 1300 C was calculated. This depth coincides with the crustal thickness of the Kaapvaal craton (Nguuri et al. 2001). However, the pressure calculations depend on the

Slab and Sediment Melting during Subduction Initiation: Mantle Plagiogranites from the Oman Ophiolite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rollinson, H. R.

2014-12-01

Granitoid dykes up to several hundred metres wide and 2 km long are found in depleted harzburgites in the mantle section of the Oman ophiolite. They vary in composition from tonalite to potassic granite and are generally more potassic than the crustal plagiogranites found within the sheeted dyke complex higher up within the ophiolite stratigraphy. Some granites are strongly peraluminous and contain garnet and andalusite. They are geochemically variable, some with REE that are relatively unfractionated ((La/Yb)n= 3.5-6.0, flat middle to heavy REE, steep light REE) to those which are highly fractionated ((La/Yb)n= 28-220). On primitive-mantle normalised plots some have very high concentrations of fluid-mobile elements - Cs, Rb, Th, U and Pb. Few have significant Ta-Nb anomalies. On the Ca-Fe-Mg-Ti discrimination diagram of Patino Douce (J. Petrol., 1999) whole-rock compositions define a spectrum between felsic-pelite derived melts and amphibolite-derived melts. There is a chemical similarity between the least REE fractionated plagiogranites (generally tonalites and granodiorites) and melts of an amphibolitic parent. This is supported by the occurrence of mafic xenoliths in some dykes, the presence of hornblende and highly calcic cores (up to An85) in some plagioclase grains. Trace element modelling using Oman Geotimes lavas as the starting composition indicates that melting took place in the garnet stability field, although enrichment in the melt in Cs, Rb, Ba and Pb suggests that there was another component present in addition to the mafic parent. Other plagiogranites (trondhjemites and granites) have a strongly peraluminous chemistry and mineralogy and geochemical similarities with the Himalayan leucogranites implying that they were derived from a sedimentary protolith. These mantle plagiogranites are more prevalent in the northern outcrops of the ophiolite. The volume of granitoid melt and the depth of melting preclude their derivation from the sole of the

A petrological view of early Earth geodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herzberg, C.

2003-04-01

Xenoliths of low T Archean cratonic mantle consist mostly of harzburgite and lherzolite with geochemical depletions that are characterisitc of igneous residues. Many authors have identified the complementary magmas as komatiites. This model is re-examined in light of work presented in Herzberg & O'Hara (2002) and found to be problematic. Munro-type alumina-undepleted komatiites from Alexo, Pyke Hill, and other locations often contain olivine phenocrysts with maximum Mg# \\cong 94. Residues of fractional melting would consist of pure dunite having Mg# = 97-98, but these are not observed. Residues of equilibrium melting would also be pure dunite with Mg# = 94, but these are also not observed. Olivines with Mg# = 94 are found in rare harzburgites, indicating that residues of alumina-undepleted komatiite have either been overprinted by subsequent magmatism or they have been geodynamically eroded. Alumina-undepleted komatiites can be successfully modeled with a primary magma containing 30% MgO produced by 0.5 mass fractions of equilibrium melting of depleted peridotite. A hot plume interpretation is consistent with both the petrology and helium isotopic compositions of alumina-undepleted komatiites. But what about cratonic mantle? The FeO and MgO contents of residues of fertile mantle peridotite formed by both equilibrium and fractional melting can be predicted and applied to xenoliths of cratonic mantle in most cases. Application to xenoliths from the Kaapvaal and Slave cratons is not possible owing to a second stage of Opx enrichment, but results can be applied to most xenoliths from Siberia, Tanzania, Somerset Island, and east Greenland as they contain less than 45% SiO_2. These xenoliths are very similar to residues produced by fractional melting. Pressures of initial melting were mostly 3 to 5 GPa, but can be as high 7 GPa. Pressures of final melting were highly variable and can be as low as 1 GPa. Potential temperatures (T_P) were typically 1450 to 1600oC and

Oxo-amphiboles in mantle xenoliths: evidence for H2O-rich melt interacting with the lithospheric mantle of Harrow Peaks (Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gentili, S.; Bonadiman, C.; Biagioni, C.; Comodi, P.; Coltorti, M.; Zucchini, A.; Ottolini, L.

2015-12-01

Amphiboles are the most widespread hydrous metasomatic phases in spinel-bearing mantle peridotites from Harrow Peaks (HP), Northern Victoria Land (Antarctica). They occur both in veinlets and disseminated in the peridotite matrix (preferentially associated with clinopyroxene and spinel grains). Four amphibole crystals were investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD), electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and micro-Mössbauer spectroscopy; these crystal-chemical data allow to constrain upper mantle conditions during growth of these amphiboles and the role of volatile circulation during metasomatic processes in the Antarctic region. The HP amphiboles have low Mg# values (69.3-84.1), high TiO2 (2.74-5.30 wt%) and FeOtot contents (3.40 to 6.90 wt%). The Fe3+/Fetot ratios are significantly high (0.53-0.66). The W-site is mainly occupied by O2- (0.984-1.187 apfu) plus OH (H2O: 0.70-1.01 wt%) and minor F (0.04-0.24 wt%) and Cl (0.03-0.08 wt%). Consequently, HP amphiboles are actually characterized by a significant oxo component. The aH2O values were calculated at 1.5 GPa by dehydration equilibrium equations written as H2O-buffering equilibria among end-member components of amphibole and coexisting peridotite phases. Three out of four HP amphibole-bearing peridotites have values of aH2O ranging from 0.122 to 0.335; whereas one sample has aH2O remarkably higher (0.782) approaching an ideal H2O basalt solubility. The HP fO2 values, determined by the olivine-spinel-orthopyroxene oxygeobarometer (ΔQFM = -1.77 : +0.01), are remarkably different from those calculated on the basis of the amphibole dehydration equilibrium and the application of the dissociation reaction (ΔQFM = -2.60 : +6.8). The high aH2O and the extremely high fO2 values, determined by the oxy-amphibole equilibrium with respect to the redox conditions recorded by the co-existing anhydrous minerals (close to QFM buffer), revealed that: i) the amphibole

Investigating melting induced mantle heterogeneities in plate driven mantle convection models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, M.; Davies, H.; Panton, J.

2017-12-01

Observations from geochemistry and seismology continue to suggest a range of complex heterogeneity in Earth's mantle. In the deep mantle, two large low velocity provinces (LLVPs) have been regularly observed in seismic studies, with their longevity, composition and density compared to the surrounding mantle debated. The cause of these observed LLVPs is equally uncertain, with previous studies advocating either thermal or thermo-chemical causes. There is also evidence that these structures could provide chemically distinct reservoirs within the mantle, with recent studies also suggesting there may be additional reservoirs in the mantle, such as bridgmanite-enriched ancient mantle structures (BEAMS). One way to test these hypotheses is using computational models of the mantle, with models that capture the full 3D system being both complex and computationally expensive. Here we present results from our global mantle model TERRA. Using our model, we can track compositional variations in the convecting mantle that are generated by self-consistent, evolving melting zones. Alongside the melting, we track trace elements and other volatiles which can be partitioned during melting events, and expelled and recycled at the surface. Utilising plate reconstruction models as a boundary condition, the models generate the tectonic features observed at Earth's surface, while also organising the lower mantle into recognisable degree-two structures. This results in our models generating basaltic `oceanic' crusts which are then brought into the mantle at tectonic boundaries, providing additional chemical heterogeneity in the mantle volume. Finally, by utilising thermodynamic lookup tables to convert the final outputs from the model to seismic structures, together with resolution filters for global tomography models, we are able to make direct comparisons between our results and observations. By varying the parameters of the model, we investigate a range of current hypotheses for

Cr-pyrope garnets in the lithospheric mantle 2. Compositional populations and their distribution in time and space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, W. L.; Fisher, N. I.; Friedman, J. H.; O'Reilly, Suzanne Y.; Ryan, C. G.

2002-12-01

Three novel statistical approaches (Cluster Analysis by Regressive Partitioning [CARP], Patient Rule Induction Method [PRIM], and ModeMap) have been used to define compositional populations within a large database (n > 13,000) of Cr-pyrope garnets from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The variables used are the major oxides and proton-microprobe data for Zn, Ga, Sr, Y, and Zr. Because the rules defining these populations (classes) are expressed in simple compositional variables, they are easily applied to new samples and other databases. The classes defined by the three methods show strong similarities and correlations, suggesting that they are statistically meaningful. The geological significance of the classes has been tested by classifying garnets from 184 mantle-derived peridotite xenoliths and from a smaller database (n > 5400) of garnets analyzed for >20 trace elements by laser ablation microprobe-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LAM-ICPMS). The relative abundances of these classes in the lithospheric mantle vary widely across different tectonic settings, and some classes are absent or very rare in either Archean or Phanerozoic SCLM. Their distribution with depth also varies widely within individual lithospheric sections and between different sections of similar tectonothermal age. These garnet classes therefore are a useful tool for mapping the geology of the SCLM. Archean SCLM sections show high degrees of depletion and varying degrees of metasomatism, and they are commonly strongly layered. Several Proterozoic SCLM sections show a concentration of more depleted material near their base, grading upward into more fertile lherzolites. The distribution of garnet classes reflecting low-T phlogopite-related metasomatism and high-T melt-related metasomatism suggests that many of these Proterozoic SCLM sections consist of strongly metasomatized Archean SCLM. The garnet-facies SCLM beneath Phanerozoic terrains is only mildly depleted

Investigating the Mantle Source of the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field, Nevada: Evidence of a Thermal Plume?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J. W.; Roden, M.

2016-12-01

The Easy Chair Crater (ECC), located within the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field (LCVF) in central Nevada is particularly interesting because of the unusually high equilibrium temperatures and strain recorded by the mantle-derived xenoliths at LCVF1. In addition, a gravity and elevation anomaly suggests the possibility of an underlying thermal plume in the region2. In order to determine if the rocks at ECC are geochemically similar to rocks from other plume-related regions, we analyzed melt inclusions and olivine phenocrysts collected from basalts near the crater. Chlorine amounts in melt inclusions were normalized to the highly incompatible K to produce a ratio that is insensitive to crystallization within or along the walls of the inclusion3. Because Cl is implicated in lithosphere recycling, the Cl/K ratio can be used to differentiate magmatic source components. Initial results (Fig. 1) indicate that basalts from ECC are geochemically more similar to ocean island basalts than to MORB or arc basalts. Elemental ratios in olivine phenocrysts from basaltic magmas can be used to determine the petrology of the source rock for particular silicate melts. In turn, petrology of mantle sources is thought to correlate with source nature (e.g., plume versus upper mantle)4. Specifically, Ni and Mn amounts were evaluated in order to determine if magma sources were pyroxenite-rich. Preliminary calculations of the wt. fraction of pyroxenite in the source of ECC basalts ranged from 0.13 to 0.68 indicating the possibility of a significant amount of pyroxenite in the magmatic source which would be expected if a plume was present beneath LCVF. References:1Smith, D. (2000) JGR 105: 16769; 2Saltus, R.W. & Thompson, G.A. (1995) Tectonics 14:1235; 3Patiño Douce, A.E. & Roden, M.F. (2006) Geochim Cosmochim Acta 70: 3173; 4Gurenko et al. (2010) Contrib Mineral Petrol 159: 689

Application of Effective Medium Theory to the Three-Dimensional Heterogeneity of Mantle Anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, X.; Jordan, T. H.

2015-12-01

A self-consistent theory for the effective elastic parameters of stochastic media with small-scale 3D heterogeneities has been developed using a 2nd-order Born approximation to the scattered wavefield (T. H. Jordan, GJI, in press). Here we apply the theory to assess how small-scale variations in the local anisotropy of the upper mantle affect seismic wave propagation. We formulate a anisotropic model in which the local elastic properties are specified by a constant stiffness tensor with hexagonal symmetry of arbitrary orientation. This orientation is guided by a Gaussian random vector field with transversely isotropic (TI) statistics. If the outer scale of the statistical variability is small compared to a wavelength, then the effective seismic velocities are TI and depend on two parameters, a horizontal-to-vertical orientation ratio ξ and a horizontal-to-vertical aspect ratio, η. If ξ = 1, the symmetry axis is isotropically distributed; if ξ < 1, it is vertical biased (bipolar distribution), and if ξ > 1, it is horizontally biased (girdle distribution). If η = 1, the heterogeneity is geometrically isotropic; as η à∞, the medium becomes a horizontal stochastic laminate; as η à0, the medium becomes a vertical stochastic bundle. Using stiffness tensors constrained by laboratory measurements of mantle xenoliths, we explore the dependence of the effective P and S velocities on ξ and η. The effective velocities are strongly controlled by the orientation ratio ξ; e.g., if the hexagonal symmetry axis of the local anisotropy is the fast direction of propagation, then vPH > vPV and vSH > vSV for ξ > 1. A more surprising result is the 2nd-order insensitivity of the velocities to the heterogeneity aspect ratio η. Consequently, the geometrical anisotropy of upper-mantle heterogeneity significantly enhances seismic-wave anisotropy only through local variations in the Voigt-averaged velocities, which depend primarily on rock composition and not deformation

Experimental constraints on metasomatism of mantle wedge peridotites by hybridized adakitic melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corgne, Alexandre; Schilling, Manuel E.; Grégoire, Michel; Langlade, Jessica

2018-05-01

In this study, a series of high-pressure (1.5 GPa) and high-temperature (1000-1300 °C) experiments were performed to investigate the petrological imprints of adakitic metasomatism on mantle wedge peridotites. Reaction couples were prepared using a powdered adakite from Cerro Pampa, Argentina (Mg# 0.7) placed in contact with a cored sample of medium-grained protogranular depleted spinel lherzolite from Pali Aike (Chile). Textural and chemical analyses of the run products allow us to identify key features of modal metasomatism by hybridized adakitic melts. The main changes in phase relations are associated with the following metasomatic reactions: incongruent dissolution of olivine and associated precipitation of secondary orthopyroxene, dissolution of primary spinel and subsequent replacement by secondary high-Cr spinel. In experiments with high water contents (9-12 wt%), precipitation of pargasitic amphibole also occurred, possibly at the expense of primary clinopyroxene. Neither phlogopite nor Ti-oxides were precipitated in any of these experiments. As expected, primary pyroxenes do not show evidence of being significantly altered following the interaction with the produced siliceous melts. Within the adakitic portion of the experimental charge, it was also observed the crystallization of secondary Ti-rich, Cr- and Na-poor diopsidic clinopyroxene, andesine plagioclase and, at low temperature, Fe-enriched secondary orthopyroxene. Considering textural criteria, we interpreted the formation of these minerals as crystallization products of the adakite component and not as true products of metasomatic reactions. The experimental results are used to discuss some of the petrological evidences presented to support modal metasomatism by slab-derived melts of mantle xenoliths extracted from several suprasubduction settings located around the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Lithium elemental and isotopic disequilibrium in minerals from peridotite xenoliths from far-east Russia: Product of recent melt/fluid rock reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudnick, Roberta L.; Ionov, Dmitri A.

2007-04-01

Lithium concentrations and isotopic compositions of coexisting olivine and clinopyroxene (cpx) in well-characterized peridotite xenoliths from Tok (SE Siberian craton) and samples from two other far-east Russian localities reveal strong elemental and isotopic disequilibria, which correlates with bulk rock composition. Lithium concentrations in cpx from Tok (1-12 ppm) are equal to or significantly greater than those in coexisting olivines (1-5 ppm). The Li-rich cpx show core to rim zoning, indicative of Li infiltration from the grain boundaries. Olivines are generally unzoned, although Li concentrations can vary significantly from grain to grain. ol/cpxD varies from 0.2 to 1.0, which is lower than that expected for equilibrium partitioning ( ol/cpxDeq = 1.1 to 2.0), and reflects preferential Li enrichment in cpx. The Li isotopic compositions of both minerals range far beyond normal mantle δ7Li of ˜ + 4 ± 2. δ7Li cpx (- 0.8 to - 14.6) is systematically lighter than δ7Li of coexisting olivine (- 1.7 to + 11.9), and Δ 7Li ol-cpx varies from 2.8 to 22.9‰. The greatest elemental and isotopic disequilibria occur in the most fertile samples (lherzolites) and may reflect longer equilibration times and/or enhanced melt permeability in the more refractory samples. Collectively, these observations suggest that the peridotite minerals experienced Li addition via diffusion from a grain boundary melt or fluid shortly before or coincident with their entrainment into the host basalt (i.e., within tens of thousands of years, based on published diffusion coefficients for Li in cpx at the temperatures of equilibration). This diffusional ingress of Li generated large kinetic isotopic fractionation, leading to unusually light cpx and heavier olivines. Thus, low δ7Li cpx do not reflect the influence of an exotic mantle component related to crustal recycling.

Origins of cratonic mantle discontinuities: A view from petrology, geochemistry and thermodynamic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aulbach, Sonja; Massuyeau, Malcolm; Gaillard, Fabrice

2017-01-01

magmatic-metasomatic activity, or fabric inherited from cratonisation. They may accumulate as layers at, or as subvertical veins above, the depth at which melt flow transitions from pervasive to focussed flow at the mechanical boundary layer, causing azimuthal and radial anisotropy. Thermodynamic calculations investigating the depth range in which small-volume melts can be produced relative to the field of phlogopite stability and the presence of MLDs show that phlogopite precipitates at various pressures as a function of age-dependent thermal state of the cratonic mantle, thus explaining variable MLD depths. Even if not directly observed, such metasomes have been shown to be important ingredients in small-volume volatile-rich melts typically penetrating cratonic lithospheres. The apparent sparseness of evidence for phlogopite-rich assemblages in the mantle xenolith record at geophysically imaged MLD depths, if not due to preferential disaggregation in the kimberlite or alteration, may relate to vagaries of both kimberlite and human sampling.

Anhydrite in the 1989 1990 lavas and xenoliths from Redoubt Volcano, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanson, S. E.; Kearney, C. S.

2008-08-01

The eruption of Redoubt Volcano in Alaska produced a moderate sulfur emission (estimated at 1 × 10 tons SO 2), but relatively small volume of lava (0.11 km ) with pre-eruption estimates of 840-950 °C and fO 21.5 to 2.0 log units above NNO (Swanson, S.E., Nye, C.J., Miller, T.P., Avery, V.F., 1994. Magma mixing in the 1989-1990 eruption of Redoubt Volcano: Part II. Evidence from mineral and glass chemistry. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 62, 453-468). Petrologic estimates of sulfur production (Sigurdsson, H., Devine, J.D.,Davis, A.N., 1985. The petrologic estimation of volcanic degassing. Jokull 35, 1-8) from this eruption (Gerlach, T., Westrich, H.R., Casadevall, T.J., Finnegan, D.L., 1994. Vapor Saturation and accumulation in magmas of the 1989-1990 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 62, 317-337) are considerably less than the measured sulfur emission, leading workers to propose the existence of a pre-eruption vapor phase to explain the "excess" sulfur. Initial examination of the 1989-1990 Redoubt eruptive products reported anhydrite (Nye, C.J., Swanson, S.E., Avery, V.F., Miller, T.P., 1994. Geochemistry of the 1989-1990 eruption of Redoubt Volcano: Part I, whole-rock, major- and trace-element chemistry. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 62, 429-452.) in interstitial glass from some cognate gabbroic xenoliths, but anhydrite was not noted in any of the andesites. A Boeing 747 encountered the ash plume from the initial eruptive phase on December 15, 1989 and provided ash samples that reportedly contained gypsum (Bayhurst, G.K., Wohletz, K.H., Mason, A.S., 1994. A method for characterizing volcanic ash from the December 15, 1989, eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2047, 13-17). However, the identification was based on EDS analyses on a SEM and the mineral could have been anhydrite. Reexamination of the 1989-1990 Redoubt lavas and xenoliths revealed the

Zoned mantle convection.

PubMed

Albarède, Francis; Van Der Hilst, Rob D

2002-11-15

We review the present state of our understanding of mantle convection with respect to geochemical and geophysical evidence and we suggest a model for mantle convection and its evolution over the Earth's history that can reconcile this evidence. Whole-mantle convection, even with material segregated within the D" region just above the core-mantle boundary, is incompatible with the budget of argon and helium and with the inventory of heat sources required by the thermal evolution of the Earth. We show that the deep-mantle composition in lithophilic incompatible elements is inconsistent with the storage of old plates of ordinary oceanic lithosphere, i.e. with the concept of a plate graveyard. Isotopic inventories indicate that the deep-mantle composition is not correctly accounted for by continental debris, primitive material or subducted slabs containing normal oceanic crust. Seismological observations have begun to hint at compositional heterogeneity in the bottom 1000 km or so of the mantle, but there is no compelling evidence in support of an interface between deep and shallow mantle at mid-depth. We suggest that in a system of thermochemical convection, lithospheric plates subduct to a depth that depends - in a complicated fashion - on their composition and thermal structure. The thermal structure of the sinking plates is primarily determined by the direction and rate of convergence, the age of the lithosphere at the trench, the sinking rate and the variation of these parameters over time (i.e. plate-tectonic history) and is not the same for all subduction systems. The sinking rate in the mantle is determined by a combination of thermal (negative) and compositional buoyancy and as regards the latter we consider in particular the effect of the loading of plates with basaltic plateaux produced by plume heads. Barren oceanic plates are relatively buoyant and may be recycled preferentially in the shallow mantle. Oceanic plateau-laden plates have a more pronounced

The composition and distribution of the rejuvenated component across the Hawaiian plume: Hf-Nd-Sr-Pb isotope systematics of Kaula lavas and pyroxenite xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bizimis, Michael; Salters, Vincent J. M.; Garcia, Michael O.; Norman, Marc D.

2013-10-01

Rejuvenated volcanism refers to the reemergence of volcanism after a hiatus of 0.5-2 Ma following the voluminous shield building stage of Hawaiian volcanoes. The composition of the rejuvenated source and its distribution relative to the center of the plume provide important constraints on the origin of rejuvenated volcanism. Near-contemporaneous lavas from the Kaula-Niihau-Kauai ridge and the North Arch volcanic field that are aligned approximately orthogonally to the plume track can constrain the lateral geochemical heterogeneity and distribution of the rejuvenated source across the volcanic chain. Nephelinites, phonolites and pyroxenite xenoliths from Kaula Island have radiogenic Hf, Nd and unradiogenic Sr isotope compositions consistent with a time-integrated depleted mantle source. The pyroxenites and nephelinites extend to the lowest 208Pb/204Pb reported in Hawaiian rocks. These data, along with new Pb isotope data from pyroxenites from the Salt Lake Crater (Oahu) redefine the composition of the depleted end-member of the Hawaiian rejuvenated source at 208Pb/204Pb=37.35±0.05, 206Pb/204Pb = 17.75±0.03, ɛNd = 9-10, ɛHf ˜16-17 and 87Sr/88Sr <0.70305. The revised isotope composition also suggests that this depleted component may contribute to LOA and KEA trend shield stage Hawaiian lavas, consistent with the rejuvenated source being part of the Hawaiian plume and not entrained upper mantle. The isotope systematics of rejuvenated magmas along the Kaula-Niihau-Kauai-North Arch transect are consistent with a larger proportion of the rejuvenated depleted component in the periphery of the plume track rather than along its axis.

Measured and calculated seismic velocities and densities for granulites from xenolith occurrences and adjacent exposed lower crustal sections: A comparative study from the North China craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Shan; Kern, Hartmut; Liu, Yong-Sheng; Jin, Shu-Yan; Popp, Till; Jin, Zhen-Min; Feng, Jia-Lin; Sun, Min; Zhao, Zu-Bin

2000-08-01

Granulites from the Neogene xenolith-bearing Hannuoba alkaline basalt and from the Manjinggou-Wayaokou exposed lower crustal section in the Archean Huai 'an terrain, which occurs within and surrounds the Hannuoba basalt, provide a unique opportunity for a comparative study on petrophysical properties and composition of the lower crust represented by these two types of samples. P and S wave velocities and densities of 12 Hannuoba lower crustal xenoliths and one associated spinel Iherzolite xenolith as well as nine granulites and granulite-facies metasedimentary rocks from the Archean Huai 'an terrain were measured in laboratory at pressures up to 600 MPa and temperatures up to 600°C. Calculations of P and S wave velocities were also made for the same suite of samples based on modal mineralogy and single-crystal velocities whose variations with composition are considered by using microprobe analyses and velocities of end members. The measured and calculated Vp at room temperature and 600 MPa, where the microcrack effect is considered to be almost eliminated, agree within 4% for rocks from the Manjinggou-Wayaokou section and the adjacent Wutai-Jining upper crustal to upper lower crustal section. In contrast, the xenoliths show systematically lower measured Vp by up to 15% relative to calculated velocities, even if decompression-induced products of kelyphite and glass are taken into account. The lower measured velocities for xenoliths are attributed to grain boundary alteration and residual porosity. This implies that although granulite xenoliths provide direct information about lower crustal constitution and chemical composition, they are not faithful samples for studying in situ seismic properties of the lower crust in terms of measured velocities due to alterations during their entrainment to the surface, which changes their physical properties significantly. In this respect, granulites from high-grade terrains are better samples because they are not subjected to

Highly CO2-supersaturated melts in the Pannonian lithospheric mantle - A transient carbon reservoir?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Créon, Laura; Rouchon, Virgile; Youssef, Souhail; Rosenberg, Elisabeth; Delpech, Guillaume; Szabó, Csaba; Remusat, Laurent; Mostefaoui, Smail; Asimow, Paul D.; Antoshechkina, Paula M.; Ghiorso, Mark S.; Boller, Elodie; Guyot, François

2017-08-01

Subduction of carbonated crust is widely believed to generate a flux of carbon into the base of the continental lithospheric mantle, which in turn is the likely source of widespread volcanic and non-volcanic CO2 degassing in active tectonic intracontinental settings such as rifts, continental margin arcs and back-arc domains. However, the magnitude of the carbon flux through the lithosphere and the budget of stored carbon held within the lithospheric reservoir are both poorly known. We provide new constraints on the CO2 budget of the lithospheric mantle below the Pannonian Basin (Central Europe) through the study of a suite of xenoliths from the Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field. Trails of secondary fluid inclusions, silicate melt inclusions, networks of melt veins, and melt pockets with large and abundant vesicles provide numerous lines of evidence that mantle metasomatism affected the lithosphere beneath this region. We obtain a quantitative estimate of the CO2 budget of the mantle below the Pannonian Basin using a combination of innovative analytical and modeling approaches: (1) synchrotron X-ray microtomography, (2) NanoSIMS, Raman spectroscopy and microthermometry, and (3) thermodynamic models (Rhyolite-MELTS). The three-dimensional volumes reconstructed from synchrotron X-ray microtomography allow us to quantify the proportions of all petrographic phases in the samples and to visualize their textural relationships. The concentration of CO2 in glass veins and pockets ranges from 0.27 to 0.96 wt.%, higher than in typical arc magmas (0-0.25 wt.% CO2), whereas the H2O concentration ranges from 0.54 to 4.25 wt.%, on the low end for estimated primitive arc magmas (1.9-6.3 wt.% H2O). Trapping pressures for vesicles were determined by comparing CO2 concentrations in glass to CO2 saturation as a function of pressure in silicate melts, suggesting pressures between 0.69 to 1.78 GPa. These values are generally higher than trapping pressures for fluid inclusions

Origin of geochemical mantle components: Role of spreading ridges and thermal evolution of mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, Jun-Ichi; Gill, James B.; van Keken, Peter E.; Kawabata, Hiroshi; Skora, Susanne

2017-02-01

We explore the element redistribution at mid-ocean ridges (MOR) using a numerical model to evaluate the role of decompression melting of the mantle in Earth's geochemical cycle, with focus on the formation of the depleted mantle component. Our model uses a trace element mass balance based on an internally consistent thermodynamic-petrologic computation to explain the composition of MOR basalt (MORB) and residual peridotite. Model results for MORB-like basalts from 3.5 to 0 Ga indicate a high mantle potential temperature (Tp) of 1650-1500°C during 3.5-1.5 Ga before decreasing gradually to ˜1300°C today. The source mantle composition changed from primitive (PM) to depleted as Tp decreased, but this source mantle is variable with an early depleted reservoir (EDR) mantle periodically present. We examine a two-stage Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic evolution of mantle residues from melting of PM or EDR at MORs. At high-Tp (3.5-1.5 Ga), the MOR process formed extremely depleted DMM. This coincided with formation of the majority of the continental crust, the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, and the enriched mantle components formed at subduction zones and now found in OIB. During cooler mantle conditions (1.5-0 Ga), the MOR process formed most of the modern ocean basin DMM. Changes in the mode of mantle convection from vigorous deep mantle recharge before ˜1.5 Ga to less vigorous afterward is suggested to explain the thermochemical mantle evolution.

Mesoarchean melting and Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic metasomatism during the formation of the cratonic mantle keel beneath West Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Acken, D.; Luguet, A.; Pearson, D. G.; Nowell, G. M.; Fonseca, R. O. C.; Nagel, T. J.; Schulz, T.

2017-04-01

Highly siderophile element (HSE) concentration and 187Os/188Os isotopic heterogeneity has been observed on various scales in the Earth's mantle. Interaction of residual mantle peridotite with infiltrating melts has been suggested to overprint primary bulk rock HSE signatures originating from partial melting, contributing to the heterogeneity seen in the global peridotite database. Here we present a detailed study of harzburgitic xenolith 474527 from the Kangerlussuaq suite, West Greenland, coupling the Re-Os isotope geochemistry with petrography of both base metal sulfides (BMS) and silicates to assess the impact of overprint induced by melt-rock reaction on the Re-Os isotope system. Garnet harzburgite sample 474527 shows considerable heterogeneity in the composition of its major phases, most notably olivine and Cr-rich garnet, suggesting formation through multiple stages of partial melting and subsequent metasomatic events. The major BMS phases show a fairly homogeneous pentlandite-rich composition typical for BMS formed via metasomatic reaction, whereas the 187Os/188Os compositions determined for 17 of these BMS are extremely heterogeneous ranging between 0.1037 and 0.1981. Analyses by LA-ICP-MS reveal at least two populations of BMS grains characterized by contrasting HSE patterns. One type of pattern is strongly enriched in the more compatible HSE Os, Ir, and Ru over the typically incompatible Pt, Pd, and Re, while the other type shows moderate enrichment of the more incompatible HSE and has overall lower compatible HSE/incompatible HSE composition. The small-scale heterogeneity observed in these BMS highlights the need for caution when utilizing the Re-Os system to date mantle events, as even depleted harzburgite samples such as 474527 are likely to have experienced a complex history of metasomatic overprinting, with uncertain effects on the HSE.

A Two-Stage Model for Origin of Al-rich Crustal Xenoliths in Miocene Andesite, Diablo Range, West-Central California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzger, E. P.; Ernst, W. G.

2003-12-01

Miocene ( ˜ 8-10.5 Ma) andesite exposed as small plugs and dikes in the Diablo Range of west-central California encloses scattered xenoliths with diverse compositions and textures. The andesite is part of the Diablo Range Volcanics (DRV), a mafic to intermediate suite that is broadly coeval with and may be erosional remnants of the more extensive Quien Sabe Field located to the south and east. The DRV suite is inferred to be part of a northwestwardly younging sequence of volcanic fields that may be related to migration of the Mendocino Triple Junction (MTJ). Two basic categories of xenoliths are present: (1) metasedimentary rocks including quartzite, biotite schist, garnet-clinopyroxene gneiss, and distinctive sillimanite-corundum rocks; and (2) gabbroic and dioritic rocks exhibiting plutonic textures. Preliminary analysis has focused on aluminous xenoliths in which blocky porphyroblasts consisting of intergrown plagioclase, corundum, and hercynite +/- sillimanite +/- alkali feldspar up to ˜ 2 cm in length are surrounded by a very fine-grained granoblastic matrix of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, and hercynite +/- biotite +/- alkali feldspar +/- minor quartz. Glass is present both within the inclusions and in the surrounding matrix. The square to elongate outlines of the plagioclase-corundum inclusions suggest that they are pseudomorphic after andalusite. The corundum-bearing xenoliths are interpreted as the products of two stages of high T-low P metamorphism. The first event involved mid-crustal metamorphism (reflecting cessation of outboard subduction/refrigeration?) to produce andalusite-bearing hornfels; other phases probably included K-feldspar, Na-plagioclase, muscovite, biotite, and quartz. The second stage of recrystallization took place when the previously metamorphosed wall rock was incorporated in andesitic magma, possibly during passage of the MTJ. In response to heating by the magma, andalusite was replaced by corundum, plagioclase +/- sillimanite

Orogenic, Ophiolitic, and Abyssal Peridotites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodinier, J.-L.; Godard, M.

2003-12-01

"Tectonically emplaced" mantle rocks include subcontinental, suboceanic, and subarc mantle rocks that were tectonically exhumed from the upper mantle and occur:(i) as dispersed ultramafic bodies, a few meters to kilometers in size, in suture zones and mountain belts (i.e., the "alpine," or "orogenic" peridotite massifs - De Roever (1957), Thayer (1960), Den Tex (1969));(ii) as the lower ultramafic section of large (tens of kilometers) ophiolite or island arc complexes, obducted on continental margins (e.g., the Oman Ophiolite and the Kohistan Arc Complex - Coleman (1971), Boudier and Coleman (1981), Burg et al. (1998));(iii) exhumed above the sea level in ocean basins (e.g., Zabargad Island in the Red Sea, St. Paul's islets in the Atlantic and Macquarie Island in the southwestern Pacific - Tilley (1947), Melson et al. (1967), Varne and Rubenach (1972), Bonatti et al. (1981)).The "abyssal peridotites" are samples from the oceanic mantle that were dredged on the ocean floor, or recovered from drill cores (e.g., Bonatti et al., 1974; Prinz et al., 1976; Hamlyn and Bonatti, 1980).Altogether, tectonically emplaced and abyssal mantle rocks provide insights into upper mantle compositions and processes that are complementary to the information conveyed by mantle xenoliths (See Chapter 2.05). They provide coverage to vast regions of the Earth's upper mantle that are sparsely sampled by mantle xenoliths, particularly in the ocean basins and beneath passive continental margins, back-arc basins, and oceanic island arcs.Compared with mantle xenoliths, a disadvantage of some tectonically emplaced mantle rocks for representing mantle compositions is that their original geodynamic setting is not exactly known and their significance is sometimes a subject of speculation. For instance, the provenance of orogenic lherzolite massifs (subcontinental lithosphere versus upwelling asthenosphere) is still debated (Menzies and Dupuy, 1991, and references herein), as is the original setting

Development of olivine crystallographic preferred orientation in response to strain-induced fabric geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatzaras, Vasileios; Kruckenberg, Seth C.; Cohen, Shaina M.; Medaris, L. Gordon, Jr.; Withers, Anthony C.; Bagley, Brian

2016-04-01

The effect of finite strain ellipsoid geometry on crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) is well known for crustal minerals (e.g., quartz, calcite, biotite, and hornblende). In the upper mantle, however, it remains poorly constrained how strain and fabric may affect olivine CPO. We present data from a suite of 40 spinel peridotite xenoliths from Marie Byrd Land (west Antarctica), which support an interpretation that fabric geometry rather than deformation conditions control the development of olivine CPO. We use X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) to quantitatively determine spinel fabric (orientation and geometry). Olivine CPOs, determined by Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD), are plotted with respect to the XRCT-derived spinel foliation and lineation; this approach allows for the accurate, and unbiased, identification of CPO symmetries and types in mantle xenoliths. The combined XRCT and EBSD data show that the xenoliths are characterized by a range of fabric geometries (from oblate to prolate) and olivine CPO patterns; we recognize the A-type, axial-[010], axial-[100], and B-type patterns. The mantle xenoliths equilibrated at temperatures 779-1198 oC, as determined by 2-Px geothermometry. Using a geotherm consistent with the stability of spinel in all xenoliths, the range of equilibration temperatures occurs at depths between 39 and 72 km. Olivine recrystallized grain size piezometry reveals differential stresses ranging 2-60 MPa. Analysis of low-angle misorientation axes show a wide range in the distribution of rotation axes, with dominant {0kl}[100] slip. We use Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to estimate the water content in the xenolith with the B-type CPO pattern. FTIR analysis shows that the equilibrium H concentration in olivine is low (4-13 ppm H2O). Combining these data, we observe that olivine CPO symmetry is controlled neither by the deformation conditions (stress, temperature, pressure, water content) for the range of

Recycled Crust in the Mantle: Is High-Ni Olivine the Smoking Gun or a Red Herring?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, C.; Ripley, E. M.

2008-12-01

It is widely accepted that small amounts of recycled crustal components are present in some mantle-derived mafic and ultramafic magmas. This concept is supported by many isotopic and trace element studies of basalts, picrites and komatiites in the last 30 years. Recently Sobolev et al. [1,2] used olivine compositions such as Ni content and Mn/Fe ratio to demonstrate that the amounts of the recycled crustal component (i.e. pyroxenite) in these mantle-derived melts are much larger than previously appreciated. Their calculations show that the pyroxenite-derived component varies mostly between 40 and 80% for Hawaiian shield basalts and Siberian flood basalts, and mostly between 10 and 40% for mid-ocean ridge basalts and Archean komatiities. However, a critical test using olivine-liquid Mg-Fe equilibrium that was overlooked by Sobolev et al. [1,2] reveals that mixing of the two end-members (pyroxenite-derived and peridotite-derived melts) that were used in their models cannot generate the parental melts for the above natural samples. Such a discrepancy prompts us to reexamine the conventional view of a peridotite-dominant source for the Hawaiian shield basalts. This hypothesis has been criticized recently by many people because the contents of Ni in olivine phenocrysts in the basalts are significantly higher than mantle olivines in associated peridotite xenoliths and because total pressure has little effect on olivine-liquid Ni partition coefficient (DNi). What has not been generally considered is that the depth of olivine crystallization/equilibration has a negative effect on olivine Ni content because DNi is negatively correlated with melt temperature which decreases during adiabatic ascent. To evaluate such an effect quantitatively we have used all available experimental results of Ni partitioning between olivine and liquid to construct a robust empirical equation for DNi based on melt composition and temperature. The results of our calculations indicate that the

Osmium isotope constraints on ore metal recycling in subduction zones

PubMed

McInnes; McBride; Evans; Lambert; Andrew

1999-10-15

Veined peridotite xenoliths from the mantle beneath the giant Ladolam gold deposit on Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea, are 2 to 800 times more enriched in copper, gold, platinum, and palladium than surrounding depleted arc mantle. Gold ores have osmium isotope compositions similar to those of the underlying subduction-modified mantle peridotite source region, indicating that the primary origin of the metals was the mantle. Because the mantle is relatively depleted in gold, copper, and palladium, tectonic processes that enhance the advective transport and concentration of these fluid soluble metals may be a prerequisite for generating porphyry-epithermal copper-gold deposits.

Timing of Precambrian melt depletion and Phanerozoic refertilization events in the lithospheric mantle of the Wyoming Craton and adjacent Central Plains Orogen

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carlson, R.W.; Irving, A.J.; Schulze, D.J.; Hearn, B.C.

2004-01-01

Garnet peridotite xenoliths from the Sloan kimberlite (Colorado) are variably depleted in their major magmaphile (Ca, Al) element compositions with whole rock Re-depletion model ages generally consistent with this depletion occurring in the mid-Proterozoic. Unlike many lithospheric peridotites, the Sloan samples are also depleted in incompatible trace elements, as shown by the composition of separated garnet and clinopyroxene. Most of the Sloan peridotites have intermineral Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf isotope systematics consistent with this depletion occurring in the mid-Proterozoic, though the precise age of this event is poorly defined. Thus, when sampled by the Devonian Sloan kimberlite, the compositional characteristics of the lithospheric mantle in this area primarily reflected the initial melt extraction event that presumably is associated with crust formation in the Proterozoic-a relatively simple history that may also explain the cold geotherm measured for the Sloan xenoliths. The Williams and Homestead kimberlites erupted through the Wyoming Craton in the Eocene, near the end of the Laramide Orogeny, the major tectonomagmatic event responsible for the formation of the Rocky Mountains in the late Cretaceous-early Tertiary. Rhenium-depletion model ages for the Homestead peridotites are mostly Archean, consistent with their origin in the Archean lithospheric mantle of the Wyoming Craton. Both the Williams and Homestead peridotites, however, clearly show the consequences of metasomatism by incompatible-element-rich melts. Intermineral isotope systematics in both the Homestead and Williams peridotites are highly disturbed with the Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of the minerals being dominated by the metasomatic component. Some Homestead samples preserve an incompatible element depleted signature in their radiogenic Hf isotopic compositions. Sm-Nd tie lines for garnet and clinopyroxene separates from most Homestead samples provide Mesozoic or younger "ages" suggesting

Copper systematics during mantle melting and crustal differentiation in arcs: implications for S and Pb budgets of the continental crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, C.; Chin, E. J.; Dasgupta, R.; Luffi, P. I.; Le Roux, V.

2010-12-01

reservoir rich in Cu and by necessity sulfide. Cumulate xenoliths in arc settings fit this persona. Delamination of these cumulates, embedded with sulfides, will have profound implications for the Pb isotopic evolution of the mantle by linking the Pb paradox to continent formation.

Ubiquitous radiogenic Os in Miocene to recent basalts from diverse mantle domains beneath the Colorado Plateau, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlieder, T.; Reid, M. R.; Widom, E.; Blichert-Toft, J.

2015-12-01

The source of magmatism and mechanisms responsible for the observed geochemical signatures in Miocene to Recent Colorado Plateau (CP) basalts has been a renewed focus of investigation in light of Earthscope results. We report new Os and Nd isotopic data for magnesian basalts (Mg#=62-72) and interpret them in light of previously reported Hf isotope data to help constrain contributions from olivine-poor source lithologies and subduction-derived metasomatism in the genesis of recent CP volcanism. The basalts studied span a large range in Hf isotope compositions and represent melts last equilibrated at a variety of depths beneath the Colorado Plateau and its transition zones. We distinguished at least three mantle domains on the basis of paired Hf-Nd isotope, other isotopic, and geochemical characteristics of CP lavas. Domain 1 likely represents a depleted, variably metasomatized, lithospheric source, with relatively radiogenic ɛHf (+5.2 to +11.8) and highly variable ɛNd (-6.2 to +6.2). Domain 2 could represent either ancient or Farallon subduction-modified mantle and is displaced above the Hf-Nd mantle array (ɛHf=+1.0 to +7.3; ɛNd=-6.1 to -3.5). Domain 3 may be melts of pyroxenite/mica-rich veins or layers within lithospheric mantle and is characterized by unradiogenic Hf and Nd (ɛHf=-12.9 to +0.6; ɛNd=-10.0 to -2.9). The isotopic variability in CP-related lavas can largely be attributed to contributions from these mantle domains. Preliminary Os isotope data show no correlation with proxies for differentiation or crustal contamination. Osmium and Hf isotope compositions are negatively correlated between domains 1 and 2 (187Os/188Os=0.31 to 0.59), whereas the Os isotope ratios in two domain 3 basalts have both lower and higher values (187Os/188Os=0.25 and 0.68). Significantly, Os isotope signatures are highly radiogenic (vs. values of <0.12 for SW US peridotite xenoliths [1]), overlapping and extending the range for inferred melts of pyroxene- and mica-rich veins

Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf Isotopic Compositions of Late Cenozoic Alkali Basalts in South Korea: Evidence for Mixing Between the Two Dominant Asthenospheric Mantle Domains beneath East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, S.; Mukasa, S. B.; Kwon, S.; Andronikov, A. V.

2004-12-01

We determined the Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf isotopic compositions of late Cenozoic basaltic rocks from six lava-field provinces in South Korea, including Baengnyeong Island, Jogokni, Ganseong area, Jeju Island, Ulleung Island and Dog Island, in order to understand the nature of the mantle source. The basalts have OIB-like trace element abundance patterns, and also contain mantle-derived xenoliths. Available isotope data of late Cenozoic basalts from East Asia, along with ours, show that the mantle source has a DMM-EM1 array for northeast China and a DMM-EM2 array for Southeast Asia. We note that the basalts falling on an array between DMM and an intermediate end member between EM1 and EM2, are located between the two large-scale isotopic provinces, i.e., around the eastern part of South Korea. The most intriguing observation on the isotopic correlation diagrams is spatial variation from predominantly EM2 signatures in the basaltic lavas toward increasingly important addition of EM1, starting from Jeju Island to Ulleung and Dog Islands to Ganseong area, and to Baengnyeong Island. This is without any corresponding changes in the basement and the lithospheric mantle beneath the region. These observations suggest that the asthenospheric mantle source is dominant for the Cenozoic intraplate volcanism in East Asia, which is characterized by two distinct, large-scale domains. Previous studies on East Asian Cenozoic volcanic rocks have invoked origins by either plume activity or decompressional melting in a rift environment. On the basis of our new trace element and isotopic compositions which have OIB-like characteristics, we prefer a plume origin for these lavas. However, because tomographic images do not show distinct thermal anomaly that would be interpreted as a plume, we suggest that the magmatism might be the product of small, difficult to image multiple plumes that tapped the shallow part of the asthenosphere (probably the transition zone in the upper mantle).

Water and Metasomatism in the Slave Cratonic Lithosphere (Canada): An FTIR Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilgore, McKensie; Peslier, Anne H.; Brandon, Alan D.; Schaffer, Lillian Aurora; Pearson, D. Graham; O'Reilly, Suzanne Yvette; Kopylova, Maya G.; Griffin, William L.

2017-01-01

Water in the mantle influences melting, viscosity, seismic velocity, and electrical conductivity. The role played by water in the long-term stabilization of cratonic roots is currently being debated. This study focuses on water contents of mantle minerals (olivine, pyroxene and garnet) from xenoliths found in kimberlites of the Archean Slave craton. 19 mantle xenoliths from central Lac de Gras, and 10 from northern Jericho were analyzed by FTIR for water, and their equilibration depths span the several compositional layers identified beneath the region. At both locations, the shallow peridotites have lower water contents in their olivines (11-30 ppm H2O) than those from the deeper layers (28-300 ppm H2O). The driest olivines, however, are not at the base of the cratonic lithosphere (>6 GPa) as in the Kaapvaal craton. Instead, the deepest olivines are hydrous (31-72 ppm H2O at Lac de Gras and 275 ppm H2O at Jericho). Correlations of water in clinopyroxene and garnet with their other trace element contents are consistent with water being added by metasomatism by melts resembling kimberlite precursors in the mantle approx.0.35 Ga ago beneath Lac de Gras. The northern Jericho xenoliths are derived from a region of the Slave craton that is even more chemically stratified, and was affected at depth by the 1.27 Ga Mackenzie igneous events. Metasomatism at Jericho may be responsible for the particularly high olivine water contents (up to 300 ppm H2O) compared to those at Lac de Gras, which will be investigated by acquiring trace-element data on these xenoliths. These data indicate that several episodes of metasomatic rehydration occurred in the deep part of the Slave craton mantle lithosphere, with the process being more intense in the northern part beneath Jericho, likely related to a translithospheric suture serving as a channel to introduce fluids and/or melts in the northern region. Consequently, rehydration of the lithosphere does not necessarily cause cratonic root

Implications of a reducing and warm (not hot) Archaean ambient mantle for ancient element cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aulbach, Sonja

2016-04-01

There is considerable uncertainty regarding the oxygen partial pressure (fO2) and potential temperature (TP) of the ambient convecting mantle throughout Earth's history. Rare Archaean eclogite suites have elemental and isotopic compositions indicative of formation of crustal protoliths in oceanic spreading ridges, hence unaffected by continental sources. These include some eclogite xenoliths derived from cratonic mantle lithosphere and orogenic eclogites marking the exhumation of oceanic crust at Pacific-type margins. Their compositions may retain a memory of the thermal and redox state of the Archaean convecting mantle sources that gave rise to their low-pressure protoliths. Archaean eclogites have TiO2-REE relationships consistent with fractional crystallisation of olivine±plagioclase and cpx during formation of picritic protoliths from a melt that separated from a garnet-free peridotite source, implying intersection of the solidus at ≤2.5 to 3.0 GPa [1]. Low melt fractions (<0.25) inferred from samples with the least fractionated (lowest TiO2) protoliths further argue against deep intersection of the mantle solidus. This suggests a moderately elevated TP ~ 1420-1470 degrees C (lower than some estimates for the ambient convecting mantle at that time [2]), which would support an early onset of plate tectonics [3] and emergence of continents [4], heralding a transition to modern chemical cycles. Moderate TP further indicates that deep recycling of carbon and water, though reduced compared to today, may have been possible in the Archaean [5,6]. Carefully screened eclogites have V/Sc (reflecting the redox state of the ambient mantle during protolith formation [7]) corresponding to ΔFMQ corrected to 1 GPa as low as -1.7 at 3 Ga [1]. Such low oxygen fugacities have consequences for the location of the peridotite solidus and for the types of melts generated during redox melting [5,8]. They also modulate the redox state of volatiles liberated at oceanic spreading

Mantle transition zone-derived EM1 component beneath NE China: Geochemical evidence from Cenozoic potassic basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiao-Jun; Chen, Li-Hui; Hofmann, Albrecht W.; Mao, Fu-Gen; Liu, Jian-Qiang; Zhong, Yuan; Xie, Lie-Wen; Yang, Yue-Heng

2017-05-01

The isotopic characteristics of the sub-oceanic mantle are well established, but in continental regions these properties are usually obscured, and therefore controversial, because of the potential effects of crustal contamination together with lithospheric mantle metasomatism and melting. The so-called EM1 (Enriched Mantle-1) signature, characterized by low 206Pb/204Pb and 143Nd/144Nd ratios, is particularly problematic in this respect because EM1-type OIB sources are commonly attributed to recycled crust and/or lithospheric mantle. In this paper we show that a suite of Cenozoic potassic basalts from NE China displays many previously unrecognized correlations between chemical and isotopic parameters, which tightly constrain the isotopic characteristics of an extreme EM1-type mantle source located in the asthenosphere. Its radiogenic isotopes are similar to, but even more extreme than, those of the oceanic endmember composition represented by the Pitcairn hotspot, namely 206Pb/204Pb ≤ 16.5, 143Nd/144Nd ≤ 0.5123 (or εNd ≤ - 6.4), 176Hf/177Hf ≤ 0.2825 (or εHf ≤ - 10.1). These characteristics require a source of recycled crustal material of Precambrian age (∼2.2 Ga). An important new constraint is the Mg isotopic composition of δ26 Mg (≤ - 0.6 ‰), which is lower than normal mantle (δ26 Mg = - 0.25 ± 0.07 ‰) and lower crustal values (δ26 Mg = - 0.29 ± 0.15 ‰), but consistent with sedimentary carbonate (δ26 Mg = - 5.57 ‰ to - 0.38 ‰). The endmember EM1 source produced high-SiO2 melts with low MgO, CaO/Al2O3 and δ26 Mg values, exceptionally high K/U ≅ 50,000, Ba/Th ≅ 400, low U/Pb ≅ 0.06, and positive Zr and Hf anomalies. The chemical and isotopic parameters of this potassic basalt suite form binary mixing arrays, one end point of which is the inferred asthenospheric EM1 reservoir, whereas the other is a more ordinary, depleted mantle component, which is also sampled by local lithospheric mantle xenoliths. These binary arrays include

The ascent of kimberlite: Insights from olivine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brett, R. C.; Russell, J. K.; Andrews, G. D. M.; Jones, T. J.

2015-08-01

Olivine xenocrysts are ubiquitous in kimberlite deposits worldwide and derive from the disaggregation of mantle-derived peridotitic xenoliths. Here, we provide descriptions of textural features in xenocrystic olivine from kimberlite deposits at the Diavik Diamond Mine, Canada and at Igwisi Hills volcano, Tanzania. We establish a relative sequence of textural events recorded by olivine during magma ascent through the cratonic mantle lithosphere, including: xenolith disaggregation, decompression fracturing expressed as mineral- and fluid-inclusion-rich sealed and healed cracks, grain size and shape modification by chemical dissolution and abrasion, late-stage crystallization of overgrowths on olivine xenocrysts, and lastly, mechanical milling and rounding of the olivine cargo prior to emplacement. Ascent through the lithosphere operates as a "kimberlite factory" wherein progressive upward dyke propagation of the initial carbonatitic melt fractures the overlying mantle to entrain and disaggregate mantle xenoliths. Preferential assimilation of orthopyroxene (Opx) xenocrysts by the silica-undersaturated carbonatitic melt leads to deep-seated exsolution of CO2-rich fluid generating buoyancy and supporting rapid ascent. Concomitant dissolution of olivine produces irregular-shaped relict grains preserved as cores to most kimberlitic olivine. Multiple generations of decompression cracks in olivine provide evidence for a progression in ambient fluid compositions (e.g., from carbonatitic to silicic) during ascent. Numerical modelling predicts tensile failure of xenoliths (disaggregation) and olivine (cracks) over ascent distances of 2-7 km and 15-25 km, respectively, at velocities of 0.1 to >4 m s-1. Efficient assimilation of Opx during ascent results in a silica-enriched, olivine-saturated kimberlitic melt (i.e. SiO2 >20 wt.%) that crystallizes overgrowths on partially digested and abraded olivine xenocrysts. Olivine saturation is constrained to occur at pressures <1 GPa; an

Eclogite-associated potassic silicate melts and chloride-rich fluids in the mantle: a possible connection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safonov, O.; Butvina, V.

2009-04-01

Relics of potassium-rich (4-14 wt. % of K2O and K2O/Na2O > 1.0) melts are a specific features of some partially molten diamondiferous eclogite xenoliths in kimberlites worldwide [1, 2]. In addition, potassic silicic melt inclusions with up to 16 wt. % of K2O are associated with eclogite phases in kimberlitic diamonds (O. Navon, pers. comm.). According to available experimental data, no such potassium contents can be reached by "dry" and hydrous melting of eclogite. These data point to close connection between infiltration of essentially potassic fluids, partial melting and diamond formation in mantle eclogites [2]. Among specific components of these fluids, alkali chlorides, apparently, play an important role. This conclusion follows from assemblages of the melt relics with chlorine-bearing phases in eclogite xenoliths [1], findings of KCl-rich inclusions in diamonds from the xenoliths [3], and concentration of Cl up to 0.5-1.5 wt. % in the melt inclusions in diamonds. In this presentation, we review our experimental data on reactions of KCl melts and KCl-bearing fluids with model and natural eclogite-related minerals and assemblages. Experiments in the model system jadeite(±diopside)-KCl(±H2O) at 4-7 GPa showed that, being immiscible, chloride liquids provoke a strong K-Na exchange with silicates (jadeite). As a result, low-temperature ultrapotassic chlorine-bearing (up to 3 wt. % of Cl) aluminosilicate melts form. These melts is able to produce sanidine, which is characteristic phase in some partially molten eclogites. In addition, in presence of water Si-rich Cl-bearing mica (Al-celadonite-phlogopite) crystallizes in equilibrium with sanidine and/or potassic melt and immiscible chloride liquid. This mica is similar to that observed in some eclogitic diamonds bearing chloride-rich fluid inclusions [4], as well as in diamonds in partially molten eclogites [2]. Interaction of KCl melt with pyrope garnet also produce potassic aluminosilicate melt because of high

The source location of mantle plumes from 3D spherical models of mantle convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Mingming; Zhong, Shijie

2017-11-01

Mantle plumes are thought to originate from thermal boundary layers such as Earth's core-mantle boundary (CMB), and may cause intraplate volcanism such as large igneous provinces (LIPs) on the Earth's surface. Previous studies showed that the original eruption sites of deep-sourced LIPs for the last 200 Myrs occur mostly above the margins of the seismically-observed large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs) in the lowermost mantle. However, the mechanism that leads to the distribution of the LIPs is not clear. The location of the LIPs is largely determined by the source location of mantle plumes, but the question is under what conditions mantle plumes form outside, at the edges, or above the middle of LLSVPs. Here, we perform 3D geodynamic calculations and theoretical analyses to study the plume source location in the lowermost mantle. We find that a factor of five decrease of thermal expansivity and a factor of two increase of thermal diffusivity from the surface to the CMB, which are consistent with mineral physics studies, significantly reduce the number of mantle plumes forming far outside of thermochemical piles (i.e., LLSVPs). An increase of mantle viscosity in the lowermost mantle also reduces number of plumes far outside of piles. In addition, we find that strong plumes preferentially form at/near the edges of piles and are generally hotter than that forming on top of piles, which may explain the observations that most LIPs occur above LLSVP margins. However, some plumes originated at pile edges can later appear above the middle of piles due to lateral movement of the plumes and piles and morphologic changes of the piles. ∼65-70% strong plumes are found within 10 degrees from pile edges in our models. Although plate motion exerts significant controls over the large-scale mantle convection in the lower mantle, mantle plume formation at the CMB remains largely controlled by thermal boundary layer instability which makes it difficult to predict geographic

Estimating Values of H2O-ACTIVITIES in the Mantle Using Amphibole Equilibria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamb, W. M.; Hunt, L. E.

2017-12-01

Determining values of H2O activity (aH2O) for mantle rocks will yield a better understanding of those mantle processes that are controlled, in part, by the availability of H2O (e.g., melting and deformation). The H contents of the upper mantle can be estimated from amount of H contained in nominally anhydrous minerals (NAMs). However, for many common NAMs, the relation between aH2O and H content is not well known, and certain NAMs may be prone to retrograde H loss. The activities of H2O and other fluids species (e.g., CO2) may be estimated using mineral equilibria. Equilibria involving amphibole can, for example, be used to estimate values of aH2O and hydrogen fugacity (ƒH2). Spinel equilibria can be applied to estimate values of oxygen fugacity (ƒO2) that, when combined with ƒH2, will provide a second estimate of aH2O. We have characterized mineral chemistries in 11 amphibole-bearing peridotite xenoliths from the southwestern U.S.A. The compositions of co-existing pyroxenes ± garnet yield P-T conditions of ≈ 1.1 GPa, and 880 to 980˚C, and application of dehydration equilibria yields values of aH2O ranging from 0.04 to 0.19. The compositions of coexisting spinel + olivine + opx yield DlogƒO2(FMQ) of -0.2 to +0.9. Values of ƒH2, estimated using amphibole dehydrogenation equilibria (6 to 91 bars) were combined with values of ƒO2 to estimate aH2O in nine samples (≈ 0.02 to 0.12). The difference between these two values of aH2O, estimated using dehydration equilibria versus ƒH2 + ƒO2, is generally < 0.1, suggesting that the amphiboles experienced little or no retrograde H-loss. All samples equilibrated at low values of aH2O, and these values may be used to predict NAM H-contents. For example, according to Gaetani et al. (2014, Cont. Min. Pet., p. 965), the concentration of H in olivine is a function of P, T, the fugacities of H2O and O2, and olivine composition. Their relation yields relatively low predicted H-contents of 10 to 28 wt. ppm for olivine in

Concealed basalt-matrix diatremes with Cu-Au-Ag-(Mo)-mineralized xenoliths, Santa Cruz Porphyry Cu-(Mo) System, Pinal County, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vikre, Peter; Graybeal, Frederick T.; Koutz, Fleetwood R.

2014-01-01

The Santa Cruz porphyry Cu-(Mo) system near Casa Grande, Arizona, includes the Sacaton mine deposits and at least five other concealed, mineralized fault blocks with an estimated minimum resource of 1.5 Gt @ 0.6% Cu. The Late Cretaceous-Paleocene system has been dismembered and rotated by Tertiary extension, partially eroded, and covered by Tertiary-Quaternary basin-fill deposits. The mine and mineralized fault blocks, which form an 11 km (~7 miles) by 1.6 km (~1 mile) NE-SW–trending alignment, represent either pieces of one large deposit, several deposits, or pieces of several deposits. The southwestern part of the known system is penetrated by three or more diatremes that consist of heterolithic breccia pipes with basalt and clastic matrices, and subannular tuff ring and maar-fill sedimentary deposits associated with vents. The tephra and maar-fill deposits, which are covered by ~485 to 910 m (~1,600–3,000 ft) of basin fill, lie on a mid-Tertiary erosion surface of Middle Proterozoic granite and Late Cretaceous porphyry, which compose most xenoliths in pipes and are the host rocks of the system. Some igneous xenoliths in the pipes contain bornite-chalcopyrite-covellite assemblages with hypogene grades >1 wt % Cu, 0.01 ounces per ton (oz/t) Au, 0.5 oz/t Ag, and small amounts of Mo (<0.01 wt %). These xenoliths were derived from mineralized rocks that have not been encountered in drill holes, and attest to additional, possibly higher-grade deposits within or subjacent to the known system.The geometry, stratigraphy, and temporal relationships of pipes and tephras, interpreted from drill hole spacing and intercepts, multigenerational breccias and matrices, reequilibrated and partially decomposed sulfide-oxide mineral assemblages, melted xenoliths, and breccia matrix compositions show that the diatremes formed in repeated stages. Initial pulses of basalt magma fractured granite, porphyry, and other crustal rocks during intrusion, transported multi-sized fragments

Density Anomalies in the Mantle and the Gravitational Core-Mantle Interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuang, Weijia; Liu, Lanbo

2003-01-01

Seismic studies suggest that the bulk of the mantle is heterogeneous, with density variations in depth as well as in horizontal directions (latitude and longitude). This density variation produces a three- dimensional gravity field throughout the Earth. On the other hand, the core density also varies in both time and space, due to convective core flow. Consequently, the fluid outer core and the solid mantle interact gravitationally due to the mass anomalies in both regions. This gravitational core-mantle interaction could play a significant role in exchange of angular momentum between the core and the mantle, and thus the change in Earth's rotation on time scales of decades and longer. Aiming at estimating the significance of the gravitational core-mantle interaction on Earth's rotation variation, we introduce in our MoSST core dynamics model a heterogeneous mantle, with a density distribution derived from seismic results. In this model, the core convection is driven by the buoyancy forces. And the density variation is determined dynamically with the convection. Numerical simulation is carried out with different parameter values, intending to extrapolate numerical results for geophysical implications.

Mantle ingredients for making the fingerprint of Etna alkaline magmas: implications for shallow partial melting within the complex geodynamic framework of Eastern Sicily

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viccaro, Marco; Zuccarello, Francesco

2017-09-01

Mantle ingredients responsible for the signature of Etnean Na- and K-alkaline magmas and their relationships with short-term geochemical changes of the erupted volcanic rocks have been constrained through a partial melting model that considers major, trace elements and water contents in the produced liquids. Characteristics of the Etnean source for alkaline magmas have been supposed similar to those of the mantle accessible at a regional scale, namely below the Hyblean Plateau. The assumption that the Etnean mantle resembles the one beneath the Hyblean Plateau is justified by the large geochemical affinities of the Etnean hawaiites/K-trachybasalts and the Hyblean hawaiites/alkali basalts for what concerns both trace elements and isotope systematics. We have modeled partial melting of a composite source constituted by two rock types, inferred by lithological and geochemical features of the Hyblean xenoliths: 1) a spinel lherzolite bearing metasomatic, hydrous phases and 2) a garnet pyroxenite in form of veins intruded into the spinel lherzolite. The partial melting modeling has been applied to each rock type and the resulting primary liquids have been then mixed in various proportions. These compositions have been compared with some Etnean alkaline magmas of the post ∼60 ka activity, which were firstly re-equilibrated to mantle conditions through mass balance calculations. Our results put into evidence that concentrations of major and trace elements along with the water obtained from the modeling are remarkably comparable with those of Etnean melts re-equilibrated at primary conditions. Different proportions of the spinel lherzolite with variable modal contents of metasomatic phases and of the garnet pyroxenite can therefore account for the signature of a large spectrum of Etnean alkaline magmas and for their geochemical variability through time, emphasizing the crucial role played by compositional small-scale heterogeneity of the source. These heterogeneities are

Chloride-bearing liquids and partial melting of mantle eclogites: experimental study and application to the diamond-forming processes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safonov, Oleg

2010-05-01

Recent studies prove that the partial melting in some eclogite xenoliths in kimberlites is closely related to formation of diamonds in these rocks at 4-6 GPa and 1150-12500C [e.g. 1, 2]. Along with specific mineral assemblages, the products of the eclogite partial melting commonly include relics of potassium-rich silicic melts (45-65 wt. % of SiO2, 4-14 wt. % of K2O and K2O/Na2O > 1.0) [1, 2]. Available experimental data, however, demonstrate that such melts can not be produced by 'dry' or hydrous melting of a common eclogite. It implies that partial melting and conjugate diamond formation in mantle eclogites was triggered by infiltration of potassic fluids/melts. Assemblages of Cl-bearing phases and carbonates in eclogite xenoliths [1], and eclogitic diamonds [3-6] suggest that these agents were chloride-carbonate-H2O melts or/and chloride-H2O-CO2 fluids. In order to characterize interaction of both types of liquids with eclogites and their minerals, experiments in the eclogite-related systems with participation of CaCO3-Na2CO3-KCl-H2O or H2O-CO2-KCl are reviewed. Melting relations in the system eclogite-CaCO3-Na2CO3-KCl-H2O follow the general scheme proposed earlier for chloride-carbonate-silicate systems [7]. Below 12000C, Grt, Cpx and phlogopite (Phl) coexist with LCC only. Formation of Phl and Ca-rich Grt after Cpx indicate active reactions of Cpx with LCC accompanied by CO2 degassing and depletion of the clinopyroxene in jadeite. Subsequent dissolution of silicates in LCC at >1200OC results in formation of potassic silica-undersaturated carbonate and Cl-bearing melt (LCS) (37-40 wt. % of SiO2, 10-12 wt. % of K2O, ~3.5 wt. % of Cl) immiscible with the LCC. Compositional feature of this melt is very comparable to those of low-Mg carbonate-silicate melt inclusions in diamonds [6]. However, it is not relevant to the melt relics preserved in the partially molten eclogite xenoliths. Melting of eclogites with participation of the H2O-CO2-KCl fluid at 5 GPa at 1200

Transition Metal Systematics of Opx-Enriched Harzburgites From the Cascades Arc With Implications for the Origin of Cratonic Peridotites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, S. J.

2007-12-01

A number of peridotite xenoliths collected from the Simcoe volcanic field region of the Cascades arc exhibit notable enrichment of modal orthopyroxene. The process driving this enrichment is most likely metasomatism of the mantle wedge by Si-rich fluids derived ultimately from the underlying slab. By investigating the resultant elemental systematics associated with subduction zone metasomatism of this type, we hope to shed light on the origin of other opx-rich peridotites, such as those seen in many cratonic xenolith suites. The xenoliths found in the Simcoe volcanic field provide a rare opportunity to examine the composition of sub arc mantle, as it is unusual to find mantle xenoliths in volcanic arc lavas. The samples were analyzed using laser ablation ICPMS and their bulk compositions were reconstructed from point-counted mineral modes. Two-pyroxene mineral thermometry of the samples yield temperatures of approximately 1000 degrees C, corresponding to a depth of origin at uppermost mantle pressures if typical arc geotherms are assumed. Most of the peridotites are harzburgites or olivine-orthopyroxenites (Mg#s 0.88-0.9; opx mode 0.15-0.9), with small amounts of clinopyroxene (<0.02). Clinopyroxenes are significantly enriched in the light rare earths, consistent with a metasomatic origin for these opx-rich harzburgites. Of note is the counterintuitive systematics of Zn. Whole-rock Zn decreases with opx, but Zn in olivine also decreases with opx mode while Zn in opx increases with opx mode, hence the decrease in whole- rock Zn is not simply due to mechanical segregation of harzburgite into opx- and ol-rich zones. In summary, the REE signatures suggest the subducting slab as the most likely candidate for the source of the fluids that caused the opx enrichment. The opx-enrichment itself and the unusual trends in Zn suggest a reaction between a silicic fluid and normal harzburgite. Moreover, the concomitant decrease in olivine and whole-rock Zn with opx mode suggests

CO2-SO3-rich (carbonate-sulfate) melt/fluids in the lithosphere beneath El Hierro, Canary Islands.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oglialoro, E.; Ferrando, S.; Malaspina, N.; Villa, I. M.; Frezzotti, M. L.

2015-12-01

Mantle xenoliths from the island of El Hierro, the youngest of the Canary Islands, have been studied to characterize fluxes of carbon in the lithosphere of an OIB volcanism region. Fifteen xenoliths (4-10 cm in diameter) were collected in a rift lava flow (15-41 ka) at a new xenolith locality in El Julan cliff (S-SW of the island). Peridotites consist of protogranular to porphyroblastic spinel harzburgites, lherzolites, and subordinate dunites. One spinel clinopyroxenite, and one olivine-websterite were also analyzed. Ultramafic xenoliths were classified as HEXO (harzburgite and dunite with exsolved orthopyroxene), HLCO (harzburgite and lherzolite containing orthopyroxene without visible exsolution lamellae), and HTR (transitional harzburgite with exsolved orthopyroxene porphyroclasts, and poikilitic orthopyroxene) following [1]. While HLCO and HTR peridotites contain mostly CO2 fluid inclusions, HEXO peridotites preserve an early association of melt/fluid inclusions containing dominantly carbonate/sulfate/silicate glass, evolving to carbonate/sulfate/phosphate/spinel aggregates, with exsolved CO2 (± carbonates, anhydrite and H2O). Chemical and Raman analyses identify dolomite, Mg-calcite, anhydrite, sulfohalite [Na6(SO4)2FCl] (± other anhydrous and hydrous alkali-sulfates), apatite, and Cr-spinel in the inclusions. Sulfides are noticeably absent. The microstructure and chemical composition of the metasomatic fluids indicate that the peridotites were infiltrated by a carbonate-sulfate-silicate melt/fluid enriched in CO2, H2O, and P. A mantle origin for this fluid is supported by high densities of CO2inclusions (> 1g/cm3), determined by Raman microspectroscopy and cross-checked by microthermometry. Consequently, El Julan peridotites provide the first evidence for liberating oxidized C and S fluxes from the Earth lithosphere in an OIB source region, and suggest that oxidation of sulfide to sulfate can occur during small-degree partial melting of the upper mantle

P-T Path and Nd-isotopes of Garnet Pyroxenite Xenoliths From Salt Lake Crater, Oahu

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichitsubo, N.; Takahashi, E.; Clague, D. A.

2001-12-01

Abundant garnet pyroxenite and spinel lherzolite xenoliths are found in Salt Lake Crater (SLC) in Oahu, Hawaii [Jackson and Wright, 1970]. The SLC pyroxenite suite xenoliths (olivine-poor type) have complex exsolution textures that were probably formed during a slow cooling. In this study, we used digital image software to obtain modal data of exsolved phases in the host pyroxene using backscattered electron images (BEIs). The abundances of the exsolved phases were multiplied by the phase compositions determined by electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) to reconstruct pyroxene compositions prior to exsolution. In order to evaluate the error in this calculation, we recalculated the reconstructed pyroxene compositions using the different pyroxene pairs. Reconstructed clinopyroxenes in each sample have almost no variations (MgO, CaO +/-1wt %, FeO +/-0.5wt % and the other oxides ~+/-0.1wt %). Reconstructed orthopyroxenes are more variable in MgO, CaO (+/-2wt %) and FeO (+/-1wt %) than reconstructed clinopyroxenes, but the other oxides have only limited variations ( ~+/-0.5wt %). These compositions were used to calculate igneous stage (magmatic) P-T conditions based on the geothermometers and geobarometers of Wells [1977] and Brey and Kohler [1990] Following assumptions are made: (1) the reconstructed pyroxene compositions are the final record in the primary igneous stage, and (2) cores of the largest garnet grains in each sample record the primary igneous stage composition.. The recalculation using the different pairs of reconstructed pyroxenes show the uncertainty to be +/- 30° C and 0.1 GPa. These appear to be small compared to the large intrinsic errors of geothermometer and geobarometers (+/-20° -35° C and +/- 0.3-0.5 GPa). Estimated P-T conditions for garnet pyroxenites are 1.5-2.2 GPa, 1000° -1100° C in the final reequilibration stage and 2.2-2.6 GPa (at maximum), 1150° -1300° C (at minimum) in the igneous stage. The all samples show ca. 200° C cooling and

Oceanic Volcanism from the Low-Velocity Zone - Without Mantle Plumes (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Presnall, D. C.; Gudfinnsson, G. H.

2010-12-01

The existence of hot mantle plumes is addressed by using a combination of regional and global shear-wave data, major-element compositions of Hawaiian and MORB glasses (including Iceland), and phase relations for natural lherzolite and the systems CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2 and CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-Na2O-FeO. At the East Pacific Rise, the depth of minimum shear wave velocity (Vsv), which we interpret to be the depth of maximum melting, occurs at ~65 km (Webb & Forsyth, 1998, Science, 280, 1229; Conder et al., 2002, JGR, 107, 2344)). This depth increases with lithospheric age and stabilizes at ~150 km (~5 GPa) for ages > ~75 my (Maggi et al., 2006, GJI, 166, 1384). Variations in shear wave anisotropy follow the same pattern (Ekström, 2000, Geophys. Mon. 121, 239) but with a slightly shallower depth of ~130 km for the maximum shear wave anisotropy of the mature Pacific. For a given volcano, the classical Hawaiian sequence of volcanism is early alkalic lavas extracted at ~3 GPa, 1350°C (Sisson et al., 2009, CMP, 158, 803), then voluminous tholeiitic lavas at ~ 4-5 GPa, 1450-1560°C (~150 km), and final alkalic lavas that contain, on Oahu, nanodiamond-bearing xenoliths (Wirth & Rocholl, 2003, EPSL, 211, 357; Frezotti & Peccerillo, 2007, EPSL, 262, 273) and require melt extraction at a pressure slightly > 6 GPa. This progressive increase in P-T conditions of the Hawaiian source matches the equilibrium magma-stratigraphy vs depth indicated by phase relations along a mature-ocean geotherm. This consistency indicates that Hawaiian volcanism occurs by progressively deeper extraction of magmas from a mature LVZ by fracturing of the overlying LID. No decompression melting or enhanced temperature is indicated. At spreading ridges, including Iceland, the absence of glass compositions that define olivine-controlled crystallization trends and the phase equilibrium constraint that all MORBs are extracted at ~1250-1280°C, 1.2-1.5 GPa (Presnall & Gudfinnsson, 2008, JPet., 49, 615) are in

Seismic evidence for a tilted mantle plume and north-south mantle flow beneath Iceland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shen, Y.; Solomon, S.C.; Bjarnason, I. Th; Nolet, G.; Morgan, W.J.; Allen, R.M.; Vogfjord, K.; Jakobsdottir, S.; Stefansson, R.; Julian, B.R.; Foulger, G.R.

2002-01-01

Shear waves converted from compressional waves at mantle discontinuities near 410- and 660-km depth recorded by two broadband seismic experiments in Iceland reveal that the center of an area of anomalously thin mantle transition zone lies at least 100 km south of the upper-mantle low-velocity anomaly imaged tomographically beneath the hotspot. This offset is evidence for a tilted plume conduit in the upper mantle, the result of either northward flow of the Icelandic asthenosphere or southward flow of the upper part of the lower mantle in a no-net-rotation reference frame. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Origin of temporal compositional trends in monogenetic vent eruptions: Insights from the crystal cargo in the Papoose Canyon sequence, Big Pine Volcanic Field, CA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Ruohan; Lassiter, John C.; Ramirez, Gabrielle

2017-01-01

Many monogenetic vents display systematic temporal-compositional variations over the course of eruption. Previous studies have proposed that these trends may reflect variable degrees of crustal assimilation, or melting and mixing of heterogeneous mantle source(s). Discrimination between these two endmember hypotheses is critical for understanding the plumbing systems of monogenetic volcanoes, which pose a significant volcanic hazard in many areas. In this study, we examine the Papoose Canyon (PC) monogenetic vent in the Big Pine Volcanic Field (BPVF), which had been well characterized for temporal-compositional variations in erupted basalts. We present new major and trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb-O isotopic data from the PC "crystal cargo" (phenocrysts and xenoliths). Comparison of "crystal cargo" and host basalt provides new constraints on the history of magma storage, fractionation, and crustal contamination that are obscured in the bulk basalts due to pre- and syn-eruptive magma mixing processes. The abundances of phenocrysts and ultramafic xenoliths in the PC sequence decrease up-section. Olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts span a wide range of Mg# (77-89). The majority of phenocrysts are more evolved than olivine or clinopyroxene in equilibrium with their host basalts (Mg# = 68- 71, equilibrium Fo ≈ 85- 89). In addition, the ultramafic xenoliths display cumulate textures. Olivine and clinopyroxene from ultramafic xenoliths have Mg# (73-87) similar to the phenocrysts, and lower than typical mantle peridotites. Sr-Nd-Pb isotope compositions of the xenoliths are similar to early PC basalts. Finally, many clinopyroxene phenocrysts and clinopyroxene in xenoliths have trace element abundances in equilibrium with melts that are more enriched than the erupted basalts. These features suggest that the phenocrysts and xenoliths derive from melt that is more fractionated and enriched than erupted PC basalts. Pressure constraints suggest phenocrysts and ultramafic

Diffusion of hydrogen in olivine: Implications for water in the mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackwell, Stephen J.; Kohlstedt, David L.

1990-04-01

To investigate the kinetics of diffusion of hydrogen in olivine, single crystals from San Carlos in Arizona have been annealed at temperatures between 800° and 1000°C under hydrothermal conditions at a confining pressure of 300 MPa. The hydrogen diffusivities were determined for the [100], [010], and [001] directions from concentration profiles for hydroxyl in the samples. These profiles were obtained from infrared spectra taken at 100-μm intervals across a thin slice which was cut from the central portion of each annealed crystal. The rate of diffusion is anisotropic, with fastest transport along the [100] axis and slowest along the [010] axis. The fit of the data to an Arrhenius law for diffusion parallel to [100] yields an activation enthalpy of 130±30 kJ/mol with a preexponential term of (6±3)×10-5 m2 s-1. For diffusion parallel to [001], as there are insufficient data to calculate the activation enthalpy for diffusion, we used the same value as that for diffusion parallel to [100] and determined a preexponential term of (5±4)×10-6 m2 s-1. The diffusion rate parallel to [010] is about 1 order of magnitude slower than along [001]. The measured diffusivities are large enough that the hydrogen content of olivine grains which are millimeters in diameter will adjust to changing environmental conditions in time scales of hours at temperatures as low as 800°C. As xenoliths ascending from the mantle remain at high temperatures (i.e., >1000°C) but experience a rapid decrease in pressure, and hence hydrogen fugacity, olivine grains may dehydrate during ascent. By comparison, slow rates of carbon diffusion (Tingle et al., 1988) suggest that carbon will not be lost from olivine during ascent. Thus, low hydrogen contents within olivine and within fluid inclusions in olivine cannot be taken as support for low water contents in the mantle.

Re-thinking the Laramide: Investigating the role of fluids in producing surface uplift using xenolith mineralogy and geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butcher, Lesley Ann

High-temperature, high-pressure mineral assemblages preserved in much of the North American lithosphere owe their origins to Archean and Proterozoic tectonic processes. Whether subsequent mechanical, thermal, or chemical modification of ancient lithosphere affects overlying crust and the extent to which such processes contribute to anomalous deformation and topography is the interior of continents is poorly understood. This study addresses the occurrence and effects of hydration on continental crust in producing regionally elevated topography in the Colorado Plateau since the Late Cretaceous. Mineralogical characteristics of two deep crustal xenoliths (GR-11 and RM-21) from the Four Corners Volcanic field record varying degrees of hydrous alteration including extensive replacement of garnet by hornblende, secondary albite and phengite growth at the expense of primary plagioclase, and secondary monazite growth in association with fluid-related allanite and plagioclase breakdown. Results from forward petrological modeling for both deep crustal xenoliths are consistent with hydration at greater than 20 km depth prior to exhumation in the ~20 Ma volcanic host. In situ Th/Pb dating provides evidence for a finite period of fluid-related monazite crystallization in xenolith RM-21 from 91 +/- 2.8 Ma to 58 +/- 4 Ma, concurrent with timing estimates of low-angle subduction of the Farallon slab. Hydration-related reactions at depth lead to a net density decrease as low-density hydrous phases (hbl+/-ab+/-phg) grow at the expense of high-density, anhydrous minerals (gt+/-pl) abundant in unaltered Proterozoic crust. If these reactions are sufficiently pervasive and widespread, reductions in lower crustal density would provide a significant and quantifiable source of lithospheric buoyancy. Calculations for density decreases associated with extensive hydration recorded in xenolith GR-11 for an ~25 km thick crustal layer yield uplift estimates on the order of hundreds of meters

Cumulate xenoliths from St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles Island Arc: a window into upper crustal differentiation of mantle-derived basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tollan, P. M. E.; Bindeman, I.; Blundy, J. D.

2012-02-01

In order to shed light on upper crustal differentiation of mantle-derived basaltic magmas in a subduction zone setting, we have determined the mineral chemistry and oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition of individual cumulus minerals in plutonic blocks from St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles. Plutonic rock types display great variation in mineralogy, from olivine-gabbros to troctolites and hornblendites, with a corresponding variety of cumulate textures. Mineral compositions differ from those in erupted basaltic lavas from St. Vincent and in published high-pressure (4-10 kb) experimental run products of a St. Vincent high-Mg basalt in having higher An plagioclase coexisting with lower Fo olivine. The oxygen isotope compositions (δ18O) of cumulus olivine (4.89-5.18‰), plagioclase (5.84-6.28‰), clinopyroxene (5.17-5.47‰) and hornblende (5.48-5.61‰) and hydrogen isotope composition of hornblende (δD = -35.5 to -49.9‰) are all consistent with closed system magmatic differentiation of a mantle-derived basaltic melt. We employed a number of modelling exercises to constrain the origin of the chemical and isotopic compositions reported. δ18OOlivine is up to 0.2‰ higher than modelled values for closed system fractional crystallisation of a primary melt. We attribute this to isotopic disequilibria between cumulus minerals crystallising at different temperatures, with equilibration retarded by slow oxygen diffusion in olivine during prolonged crustal storage. We used melt inclusion and plagioclase compositions to determine parental magmatic water contents (water saturated, 4.6 ± 0.5 wt% H2O) and crystallisation pressures (173 ± 50 MPa). Applying these values to previously reported basaltic and basaltic andesite lava compositions, we can reproduce the cumulus plagioclase and olivine compositions and their associated trend. We conclude that differentiation of primitive hydrous basalts on St. Vincent involves crystallisation of olivine and Cr-rich spinel at depth

Osmium isotopes and mantle convection.

PubMed

Hauri, Erik H

2002-11-15

The decay of (187)Re to (187)Os (with a half-life of 42 billion years) provides a unique isotopic fingerprint for tracing the evolution of crustal materials and mantle residues in the convecting mantle. Ancient subcontinental mantle lithosphere has uniquely low Re/Os and (187)Os/(188)Os ratios due to large-degree melt extraction, recording ancient melt-depletion events as old as 3.2 billion years. Partial melts have Re/Os ratios that are orders of magnitude higher than their sources, and the subduction of oceanic or continental crust introduces into the mantle materials that rapidly accumulate radiogenic (187)Os. Eclogites from the subcontinental lithosphere have extremely high (187)Os/(188)Os ratios, and record ages as old as the oldest peridotites. The data show a near-perfect partitioning of Re/Os and (187)Os/(188)Os ratios between peridotites (low) and eclogites (high). The convecting mantle retains a degree of Os-isotopic heterogeneity similar to the lithospheric mantle, although its amplitude is modulated by convective mixing. Abyssal peridotites from the ocean ridges have low Os isotope ratios, indicating that the upper mantle had undergone episodes of melt depletion prior to the most recent melting events to produce mid-ocean-ridge basalt. The amount of rhenium estimated to be depleted from the upper mantle is 10 times greater than the rhenium budget of the continental crust, requiring a separate reservoir to close the mass balance. A reservoir consisting of 5-10% of the mantle with a rhenium concentration similar to mid-ocean-ridge basalt would balance the rhenium depletion of the upper mantle. This reservoir most likely consists of mafic oceanic crust recycled into the mantle over Earth's history and provides the material that melts at oceanic hotspots to produce ocean-island basalts (OIBs). The ubiquity of high Os isotope ratios in OIB, coupled with other geochemical tracers, indicates that the mantle sources of hotspots contain significant quantities

The role of thermodynamics in mantle convection: is mantle-layering intermittent?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stixrude, L. P.; Cagney, N.; Lithgow-Bertelloni, C. R.

2016-12-01

We examine the thermal evolution of the Earth using a 1D model in which mixing length theory is used to characterise the role of thermal convection. Unlike previous work, our model accounts for the complex role of thermodynamics and phase changes through the use of HeFESTo (Stixrude & Lithgow-Bertelloni, Geophys. J. Int. 184, 2011), a comprehensive thermodynamic model that enables self-consistent computation of phase equilibria, physical properties (e.g. density, thermal expansivity etc.) and mantle isentropes. Our model also accounts for the freezing of the inner core, radiogenic heating and Arrhenius rheology, and is validated by comparing our results to observations, including the present-day size of the inner core and the heat flux at the surface.If phase changes and the various thermodynamic effects on mantle properties are neglected, the results are weakly dependent on the initial conditions, as has been observed in several previous studies. However, when these effects are accounted for, the initial temperature profile has a strong influence on the thermal evolution of the mantle, because small changes in the temperature and phase-assemblage can lead to large changes in the local physical properties and the adiabatic gradient.The inclusion of thermodynamic effects leads to some new and interesting insights. We demonstrate that the Clapeyron slope and the thermal gradient at the transition zone both vary significantly with time; this causes the mantle to switch between a layered state, in which convection across the transition zone is weak or negligible, and an un-layered state, in which there is no resistance to mass transfer between the upper and lower mantles.Various plume models describe plumes either rising directly from the CMB to the lithosphere, or stalling at the transition zone before spawning new plumes in the upper mantle. The observance of switching behaviour indicates that both models may be applicable depending on the state of the mantle: plumes

Expression of Concern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delvaux, Damien

2016-08-01

This is a note of a temporary expression of concern related to the publication titled, "Sapphirine and fluid inclusions in Tel Thanoun mantle xenoliths, Syria" by Ahmad Bilal, which appeared in Journal of African Earth Sciences, 116 (2016) 105-113.

Mantle-circulation models with sequential data assimilation: inferring present-day mantle structure from plate-motion histories.

PubMed

Bunge, Hans-Peter; Richards, M A; Baumgardner, J R

2002-11-15

Data assimilation is an approach to studying geodynamic models consistent simultaneously with observables and the governing equations of mantle flow. Such an approach is essential in mantle circulation models, where we seek to constrain an unknown initial condition some time in the past, and thus cannot hope to use first-principles convection calculations to infer the flow history of the mantle. One of the most important observables for mantle-flow history comes from models of Mesozoic and Cenozoic plate motion that provide constraints not only on the surface velocity of the mantle but also on the evolution of internal mantle-buoyancy forces due to subducted oceanic slabs. Here we present five mantle circulation models with an assimilated plate-motion history spanning the past 120 Myr, a time period for which reliable plate-motion reconstructions are available. All models agree well with upper- and mid-mantle heterogeneity imaged by seismic tomography. A simple standard model of whole-mantle convection, including a factor 40 viscosity increase from the upper to the lower mantle and predominantly internal heat generation, reveals downwellings related to Farallon and Tethys subduction. Adding 35% bottom heating from the core has the predictable effect of producing prominent high-temperature anomalies and a strong thermal boundary layer at the base of the mantle. Significantly delaying mantle flow through the transition zone either by modelling the dynamic effects of an endothermic phase reaction or by including a steep, factor 100, viscosity rise from the upper to the lower mantle results in substantial transition-zone heterogeneity, enhanced by the effects of trench migration implicit in the assimilated plate-motion history. An expected result is the failure to account for heterogeneity structure in the deepest mantle below 1500 km, which is influenced by Jurassic plate motions and thus cannot be modelled from sequential assimilation of plate motion histories

Water and metasomatism in the Slave cratonic lithosphere (Canada): an FTIR study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilgore, M.; Peslier, A. H.; Brandon, A. D.; Schaffer, L. A.; Pearson, D. G.; O'Reilly, S. Y.; Kopylova, M. G.; Griffin, W. L.

2017-12-01

Water in the mantle influences melting, viscosity, seismic velocity, and electrical conductivity. The role played by water in the long-term stabilization of cratonic roots is currently being debated [1]. This study focuses on water contents of mantle minerals (olivine, pyroxene and garnet) from xenoliths found in kimberlites of the Archean Slave craton. 19 mantle xenoliths from central Lac de Gras, and 10 from northern Jericho were analyzed by FTIR for water, and their equilibration depths span the several compositional layers identified beneath the region [2]. At both locations, the shallow peridotites have lower water contents in their olivines (11-30 ppm H2O) than those from the deeper layers (28-300 ppm H2O). The driest olivines, however, are not at the base of the cratonic lithosphere (>6 GPa) as in the Kaapvaal craton [1]. Instead, the deepest olivines are hydrous (31-72 ppm H2O at Lac de Gras and 275 ppm H2O at Jericho). Correlations of water in clinopyroxene and garnet with their other trace element contents are consistent with water being added by metasomatism by melts resembling kimberlite precursors in the mantle 0.35 Ga ago beneath Lac de Gras [1]. The northern Jericho xenoliths are derived from a region of the Slave craton that is even more chemically stratified, and was affected at depth by the 1.27 Ga Mackenzie igneous events [3,4]. Metasomatism at Jericho may be responsible for the particularly high olivine water contents (up to 300 ppm H2O) compared to those at Lac de Gras, which will be investigated by acquiring trace-element data on these xenoliths. These data indicate that several episodes of metasomatic rehydration occurred in the deep part of the Slave craton mantle lithosphere, with the process being more intense in the northern part beneath Jericho, likely related to a translithospheric suture serving as a channel to introduce fluids and/or melts in the northern region [5]. Consequently, rehydration of the lithosphere does not necessarily

Geochemical composition, petrography and 40Ar/39Ar age of the Heldburg phonolite: implications on magma mixing and mingling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abratis, Michael; Viereck, Lothar; Pfänder, Jörg A.; Hentschel, Roland

2015-11-01

Differentiated magmatic rocks such as trachyte and phonolite are volumetrically subordinate to mafic volcanic rocks within the Cenozoic Central European Volcanic Province (exceptions are the East Eifel and the Rhön volcanic fields). Within the volcanic field of the "Heldburg dike swarm" (Heldburger Gangschar), the phonolite of the Burgberg near Heldburg represents the only known occurrence of differentiated magmatic rocks. However, the Heldburg phonolite is famous foremost for containing mantle xenoliths (spinel lherzolite). Former studies proposing a cogenetic relationship between the phonolite and the peridotites concluded that the phonolite magma must have evolved under upper mantle conditions. Herewith, we present petrographic and geochemical evidence for magma mixing and mingling in the Heldburg phonolite melt due to the intrusion of mantle-derived basanitic magma, which is exposed today as dikes at the foot of the Heldburg Burgberg. During this process, the mantle xenoliths were introduced into the phonolite melt as they all contain rims of basanitic magma. Extensive mingling features (e.g., schlieren layers, load casts, flame structures, mafic enclaves) are developed, indicating that the basanite and the zoned phonolitic body were melts at the time of mixing. These petrographic and geochemical indications of two coeval melts of different composition are substantiated by 40Ar/39Ar dating, revealing identical ages of ca. 15 Ma.

Mg isotope systematics during magmatic processes: Inter-mineral fractionation in mafic to ultramafic Hawaiian xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stracke, A.; Tipper, E. T.; Klemme, S.; Bizimis, M.

2018-04-01

Observed differences in Mg isotope ratios between bulk magmatic rocks are small, often on a sub per mill level. Inter-mineral differences in the 26Mg/24Mg ratio (expressed as δ26Mg) in plutonic rocks are on a similar scale, and have mostly been attributed to equilibrium isotope fractionation at magmatic temperatures. Here we report Mg isotope data on minerals in spinel peridotite and garnet pyroxenite xenoliths from the rejuvenated stage of volcanism on Oahu and Kauai, Hawaii. The new data are compared to literature data and to theoretical predictions to investigate the processes responsible for inter-mineral Mg isotope fractionation at magmatic temperatures. Theory predicts up to per mill level differences in δ26Mg between olivine and spinel at magmatic temperatures and a general decrease in Δ26Mgolivine-spinel (=δ26Mgolivine - δ26Mgspinel) with increasing temperature, but also with increasing Cr# in spinel. For peridotites with a simple petrogenetic history by melt depletion, where increasing depletion relates to increasing melting temperatures, Δ26Mgolivine-spinel should thus systematically decrease with increasing Cr# in spinel. However, most natural peridotites, including the Hawaiian spinel peridotites investigated in this study, are overprinted by variable extents of melt-rock reaction, which disturb the systematic primary temperature and compositionally related olivine-spinel Mg isotope systematics. Diffusion, subsolidus re-equilibration, or surface alteration may further affect the observed olivine-spinel Mg isotope fractionation in peridotites, making Δ26Mgolivine-spinel in peridotites a difficult-to-apply geothermometer. The available Mg isotope data on clinopyroxene and garnet suggest that this mineral pair is a more promising geothermometer, but its application is restricted to garnet-bearing igneous (garnet pyroxenites) and metamorphic rocks (eclogites). Although the observed δ26Mg variation is on a sub per mill range in bulk magmatic rocks

Whole-mantle convection with tectonic plates preserves long-term global patterns of upper mantle geochemistry.

PubMed

Barry, T L; Davies, J H; Wolstencroft, M; Millar, I L; Zhao, Z; Jian, P; Safonova, I; Price, M

2017-05-12

The evolution of the planetary interior during plate tectonics is controlled by slow convection within the mantle. Global-scale geochemical differences across the upper mantle are known, but how they are preserved during convection has not been adequately explained. We demonstrate that the geographic patterns of chemical variations around the Earth's mantle endure as a direct result of whole-mantle convection within largely isolated cells defined by subducting plates. New 3D spherical numerical models embedded with the latest geological paleo-tectonic reconstructions and ground-truthed with new Hf-Nd isotope data, suggest that uppermost mantle at one location (e.g. under Indian Ocean) circulates down to the core-mantle boundary (CMB), but returns within ≥100 Myrs via large-scale convection to its approximate starting location. Modelled tracers pool at the CMB but do not disperse ubiquitously around it. Similarly, mantle beneath the Pacific does not spread to surrounding regions of the planet. The models fit global patterns of isotope data and may explain features such as the DUPAL anomaly and long-standing differences between Indian and Pacific Ocean crust. Indeed, the geochemical data suggests this mode of convection could have influenced the evolution of mantle composition since 550 Ma and potentially since the onset of plate tectonics.

Cenozoic magmatism of north Victoria Land, Antarctica: an experimental study on the mantle source of a primary basanite from the McMurdo Volcanic Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armienti, P.; Freda, C.; Misiti, V.; Perinelli, C.

2009-04-01

Volcanoes of the McMurdo Vocanic Group (MMVG) (Antarctica) dot the eastern shoulder of Ross Sea Rift System giving rise to alkaline transitional volcanic suites which in north Victoria Land are emplaced since Early Cenozoic. Geochemical geological, geophysical and geochronological data on Cenozoic volcanic activity in NVL suggest that the region is a site of passive astenospheric rise, rather than affected by a thermally active mantle plume. Furthermore the comparison of geochemical and isotopical data of basic lavas with those provided by mantle xenoliths they carry to the surface, document the compositional heterogeneity of sublithospheric mantle caused by the coupled action of partial melting and metasomatism. In particular the metasomatic episode is probably linked to the amagmatic extensional event that affected the West Antarctic Rift System in the Late Cretaceous. The astenospheric melts generated during this event, moving through the upper mantle, can have crystallized as veins or may have led to the formation of metasomatic minerals such as amphibole or phlogopite. In this scenario the mineralogical and chemical composition of sources responsible for Cenozoic magmatism, amphibole-bearing spinel-peridotite versus pyroxenite in the garnet stability field, it is still a matter of debate. To shed light on this argument a previous experimental study on a basanite of MMVG, representative of primary magma (Orlando et al., 2000) has been integrated with new experimental investigation on the same basanitic composition. The preliminary experiments were conducted to pressures of 1.0 - 2.0GPa in the presence of 0-1% of added water and indicate olivine on the liquidus at 1.0 GPa that is substitute by clinopyroxene at 2.0GPa. The addition of 1% of water induces a decrease of liquidus temperature of about 40°C shifting its value in the T range (1280-1310°C) the same that was inferred by melt inclusions hosted in the olivine phenocrysts of the studied basanite.

Evidence of mantle metasomatism in garnet peridotites from V. Grib kimberlite pipe (Arkhangelsk region, Russia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shchukina, Elena; Agashev, Alexey; Golovin, Nikolai; Pokhilenko, Nikolai

2013-04-01

We have studied 26 samples of garnet peridotite xenoliths from V.Grib pipe and 17 of them are phlogopite bearing. Studied peridotites have features of two types of modal metasomatism: low-temperature (˜ 1100 C°) and high-temperature (˜ 1100 C°). Low-temperature modal metasomatism: 17 samples contain modal phlogopite, which is present in the form of tabular grains (to 3 mm in size) and rims around pyrope grains. Chemical composition of minerals from phlogopite-garnet peridotites and phlogopite free peridotites is distinctly different. Olivine, garnet, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene have higher concentration of FeO relative to these minerals in phlogopite free peridotites. Occurrence of phlogopite in peridotites indicates the influence of melt enriched in K2O, H2O, FeO and other incompatible elements. Two types of phlogopite have difference in chemical composition that indicates two different sources. High-temperature modal metasomatism: Reconstructed V.Grib pipe peridotite whole-rocks composition and high Mg# of peridotite olivines indicates that these samples are residues after 30-40 % partial melting of primitive mantle. At those high degree of partial melting all clinopyroxene and probably all garnet should be exhausted from residue. Character of REE patterns in garnets and clinopyroxenes indicates that the most garnets and all clinopyroxene in studied peridotites are of metasomatic origin. We used the method of geochemical modeling of fractional crystallization to establish the source's composition for garnets and clinopyroxenes. For geochemical modeling we used the composition of tholeitic basalts, picrites and carbonatites which occurred in Arkhangelsk diamondiferous province (ADP) and have emplacement ages similar to that of kimberlites. Modeling result indicates that garnets could be crystallized from alkali picrite and tholeite basalts compositions. Peridotites containing garnets equilibrated with picritic melt have a different position in lithospheric

Mantle dynamics following supercontinent formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heron, Philip J.

This thesis presents mantle convection numerical simulations of supercontinent formation. Approximately 300 million years ago, through the large-scale subduction of oceanic sea floor, continental material amalgamated to form the supercontinent Pangea. For 100 million years after its formation, Pangea remained relatively stationary, and subduction of oceanic material featured on its margins. The present-day location of the continents is due to the rifting apart of Pangea, with supercontinent dispersal being characterized by increased volcanic activity linked to the generation of deep mantle plumes. The work presented here investigates the thermal evolution of mantle dynamics (e.g., mantle temperatures and sub-continental plumes) following the formation of a supercontinent. Specifically, continental insulation and continental margin subduction are analyzed. Continental material, as compared to oceanic material, inhibits heat flow from the mantle. Previous numerical simulations have shown that the formation of a stationary supercontinent would elevate sub-continental mantle temperatures due to the effect of continental insulation, leading to the break-up of the continent. By modelling a vigorously convecting mantle that features thermally and mechanically distinct continental and oceanic plates, this study shows the effect of continental insulation on the mantle to be minimal. However, the formation of a supercontinent results in sub-continental plume formation due to the re-positioning of subduction zones to the margins of the continent. Accordingly, it is demonstrated that continental insulation is not a significant factor in producing sub-supercontinent plumes but that subduction patterns control the location and timing of upwelling formation. A theme throughout the thesis is an inquiry into why geodynamic studies would produce different results. Mantle viscosity, Rayleigh number, continental size, continental insulation, and oceanic plate boundary evolution are

Water partitioning in the Earth's mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, Toru; Wada, Tomoyuki; Sasaki, Rumi; Yurimoto, Hisayoshi

2010-11-01

We have conducted H2O partitioning experiments between wadsleyite and ringwoodite and between ringwoodite and perovskite at 1673 K and 1873 K, respectively. These experiments were performed in order to constrain the relative distribution of H2O in the upper mantle, the mantle transition zone, and the lower mantle. We successfully synthesized coexisting mineral assemblages of wadsleyite-ringwoodite and ringwoodite-perovskite that were large enough to measure the H2O contents by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Combining our previous H2O partitioning data (Chen et al., 2002) with the present results, the determined water partitioning between olivine, wadsleyite, ringwoodite, and perovskite under H2O-rich fluid saturated conditions are 6:30:15:1, respectively. Because the maximum H2O storage capacity in wadsleyite is ∼3.3 wt% (e.g. Inoue et al., 1995), the possible maximum H2O storage capacity in the olivine high-pressure polymorphs are as follows: ∼0.7 wt% in olivine (upper mantle just above 410 km depth), ∼3.3 wt% in wadsleyite (410-520 km depth), ∼1.7 wt% in ringwoodite (520-660 km depth), and ∼0.1 wt% in perovskite (lower mantle). If we assume ∼0.2 wt% of the H2O content in wadsleyite in the mantle transition zone estimated by recent electrical conductivity measurements (e.g. Dai and Karato, 2009), the estimated H2O contents throughout the mantle are as follows; ∼0.04 wt% in olivine (upper mantle just above 410 km depth), ∼0.2 wt% in wadsleyite (410-520 km depth), ∼0.1 wt% in ringwoodite (520-660 km depth) and ∼0.007 wt% in perovskite (lower mantle). Thus, the mantle transition zone should contain a large water reservoir in the Earth's mantle compared to the upper mantle and the lower mantle.

The Earth's Mantle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKenzie, D. P.

1983-01-01

The nature and dynamics of the earth's mantle is discussed. Research indicates that the silicate mantle is heated by the decay of radioactive isotopes and that the heat energizes massive convention currents in the upper 700 kilometers of the ductile rock. These currents and their consequences are considered. (JN)

Evolution of the earliest mantle caused by the magmatism-mantle upwelling feedback: Implications for the Moon and the Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogawa, M.

2017-12-01

The two most important agents that cause mantle evolution are magmatism and mantle convection. My earlier 2D numerical models of a coupled magmatism-mantle convection system show that these two agents strongly couple each other, when the Rayleigh number Ra is sufficiently high: magmatism induced by a mantle upwelling flow boosts the upwelling flow itself. The mantle convection enhanced by this positive feedback (the magmatism-mantle upwelling, or MMU, feedback) causes vigorous magmatism and, at the same time, strongly stirs the mantle. I explored how the MMU feedback influences the evolution of the earliest mantle that contains the magma ocean, based on a numerical model where the mantle is hot and its topmost 1/3 is partially molten at the beginning of the calculation: The evolution drastically changes its style, as Ra exceeds the threshold for onset of the MMU feedback, around 107. At Ra < 107, basaltic materials generated by the initial widespread magmatism accumulate in the deep mantle to form a layer; the basaltic layer is colder than the overlying shallow mantle. At Ra > 107, however, the mantle remains compositionally more homogeneous in spite of the widespread magmatism, and the deep mantle remains hotter than the shallow mantle, because of the strong convective stirring caused by the feedback. The threshold value suggests that the mantle of a planet larger than Mars evolves in a way substantially different from that in the Moon does. Indeed, in my earlier models, magmatism makes the early mantle compositionally stratified in the Moon, but the effects of strong convective stirring overwhelms that of magmatism to keep the mantle compositionally rather homogeneous in Venus and the Earth. The MMU feedback is likely to be a key to understanding why vestiges of the magma ocean are so scarce in the Earth.

The maximum water storage capacities in nominally anhydrous minerals in the mantle transition zone and lower mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, T.; Yurimoto, H.

2012-12-01

Water is the most important volatile component in the Earth, and affects the physicochemical properties of mantle minerals, e.g. density, elastic property, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, rheological property, melting temperature, melt composition, element partitioning, etc. So many high pressure experiments have been conducted so far to determine the effect of water on mantle minerals. To clarify the maximum water storage capacity in nominally anhydrous mantle minerals in the mantle transition zone and lower mantle is an important issue to discuss the possibility of the existence of water reservoir in the Earth mantle. So we have been clarifying the maximum water storage capacity in mantle minerals using MA-8 type (KAWAI-type) high pressure apparatus and SIMS (secondary ion mass spectroscopy). Upper mantle mineral, olivine can contain ~0.9 wt% H2O in the condition just above 410 km discontinuity in maximum (e.g. Chen et al., 2002; Smyth et al., 2006). On the other hand, mantle transition zone mineral, wadsleyite and ringwoodite can contain significant amount (about 2-3 wt.%) of H2O (e.g. Inoue et al., 1995, 1998, 2010; Kawamoto et al., 1996; Ohtani et al., 2000). But the lower mantle mineral, perovskite can not contain significant amount of H2O, less than ~0.1 wt% (e.g. Murakami et al., 2002; Inoue et al., 2010). In addition, garnet and stishovite also can not contain significant amount of H2O (e.g. Katayama et al., 2003; Mookherjee and Karato, 2010; Litasov et al., 2007). On the other hand, the water storage capacities of mantle minerals are supposed to be significantly coupled with Al by a substitution with Mg2+, Si4+ or Mg2+ + Si4+, because Al3+ is the trivalent cation, and H+ is the monovalent cation. To clarify the degree of the substitution, the water contents and the chemical compositions of Al-bearing minerals in the mantle transition zone and the lower mantle were also determined in the Al-bearing systems with H2O. We will introduce the

Mantle plumes and hotspot geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, M. G.; Becker, T. W.; Konter, J.

2017-12-01

Ever improving global seismic models, together with expanding databases of mantle derived hotspot lavas, herald advances that relate the geochemistry of hotspots with low seismic shear-wave velocity conduits (plumes) in the mantle. Early efforts linked hotspot geochemistry with deep mantle large low velocity provinces (LLVPs) [1]. More recently, Konter and Becker (2012) [2] observed that the proportion of the C mantle component (inferred from Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes) in hotspot lavas shows an inverse relationship with seismic S-wave velocity anomalies in the shallow mantle (200 km) beneath each hotspot. They proposed that these correlations should also be made based on 3He/4He. Thus, we compare 3He/4He versus seismic S-wave velocity anomalies at 200 km depth. We find that plume-fed hotspots with the highest maximum 3He/4He (i.e., which host more of the C component) have higher hotspot buoyancy fluxes and overlie regions of lower seismic S-wave velocity (interpreted to relate to hotter mantle temperatures) at 200 km depth than hotspots that have only low 3He/4He [3]. This result complements recent work that shows an inverse relationship between maximum 3He/4He and seismic S-wave velocity anomalies in the mantle beneath the western USA [4]. The relationship between 3He/4He, shallow mantle seismic S-wave velocity anomalies, and buoyancy flux is most easily explained by a model where hotter plumes are more buoyant and entrain more of a deep, dense high 3He/4He reservoir than cooler plumes that underlie low 3He/4He hotspots. If the high 3He/4He domain is denser than other mantle components, it will be entrained only by the hottest, most buoyant plumes [3]. Such a deep, dense reservoir is ideally suited to preserving early-formed Hadean domains sampled in modern plume-fed hotspots. An important question is whether, like 3He/4He, seismic S-wave velocity anomalies in the mantle are associated with distinct heavy radiogenic isotopic compositions. C signatures are related to hot

The survival of geochemical mantle heterogeneities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albarede, F.

2004-12-01

The last decade witnessed major changes in our perception of the geochemical dynamics of the mantle. Data bases such as PETDB and GEOROC now provide highly constrained estimates of the geochemical properties of dominant rock types and of their statistics, while the new generation of ICP mass spectrometers triggered a quantum leap in the production of high-precision isotopic and elemental data. Such new advances offer a fresh view of mantle heterogeneities and their survival through convective mixing. A vivid example is provided by the new high-density coverage of the Mid-Atlantic ridge by nearly 500 Pb, Nd, and Hf isotopic data. This new data set demonstrates a rich harmonic structure which illustrates the continuing stretching and refolding of subducted plates by mantle convection. Just as for oceanic chemical variability, the survival of mantle geochemical heterogeneities though mantle circulation can be seen as a competition between stirring and renewal. The modern residence (renewal) times of the incompatible lithophile elements in the mantle calculated using data bases vary within a rather narrow range (4-9 Gy). The mantle is therefore not currently at geochemical steady-state and the effect of its primordial layering on modern mantle geochemistry is still strong. Up to 50 percent of incompatible lithophile elements may never have been extracted into the oceanic crust, which generalizes a conclusion reached previously for 40Ar. A balance between the buoyancy flux and viscous dissipation provides frame-independent estimates of the rates of mixing by mantle convection: primordial geochemical anomalies with initial length scales comparable to mantle depths of plate lengths are only marginally visible at the scale of mantle melting underneath mid-ocean ridges (≈~50~km). They may show up, however, in hot spot basalts and even more in melt inclusions. Up to 50 percent primordial material may be present in the mantle, but scattered throughout as small (<~10~km

Mantle convection on modern supercomputers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weismüller, Jens; Gmeiner, Björn; Mohr, Marcus; Waluga, Christian; Wohlmuth, Barbara; Rüde, Ulrich; Bunge, Hans-Peter

2015-04-01

Mantle convection is the cause for plate tectonics, the formation of mountains and oceans, and the main driving mechanism behind earthquakes. The convection process is modeled by a system of partial differential equations describing the conservation of mass, momentum and energy. Characteristic to mantle flow is the vast disparity of length scales from global to microscopic, turning mantle convection simulations into a challenging application for high-performance computing. As system size and technical complexity of the simulations continue to increase, design and implementation of simulation models for next generation large-scale architectures demand an interdisciplinary co-design. Here we report about recent advances of the TERRA-NEO project, which is part of the high visibility SPPEXA program, and a joint effort of four research groups in computer sciences, mathematics and geophysical application under the leadership of FAU Erlangen. TERRA-NEO develops algorithms for future HPC infrastructures, focusing on high computational efficiency and resilience in next generation mantle convection models. We present software that can resolve the Earth's mantle with up to 1012 grid points and scales efficiently to massively parallel hardware with more than 50,000 processors. We use our simulations to explore the dynamic regime of mantle convection assessing the impact of small scale processes on global mantle flow.

Spin Transition in the Lower Mantle: Deep Learning and Pattern Recognition of Superplumes from the Mid-mantle and Mid-mantle Slab Stagnation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuen, D. A.; Shahnas, M. H.; De Hoop, M. V.; Pysklywec, R.

2016-12-01

The broad, slow seismic anomalies under Africa and Pacific cannot be explained without ambiguity. There is no well-established theory to explain the fast structures prevalent globally in seismic tomographic images that are commonly accepted to be the remnants of fossil slabs at different depths in the mantle. The spin transition from high spin to low spin in iron in ferropericlase and perovskite, two major constituents of the lower mantle can significantly impact their physical properties. We employ high resolution 2D-axisymmetric and 3D-spherical control volume models to reconcile the influence of the spin transition-induced anomalies in density, thermal expansivity, and bulk modulus in ferropericlase and perovskite on mantle dynamics. The model results reveal that the spin transition effects increase the mixing in the lower regions of mantle. Depending on the changes of bulk modulus associated with the spin transition, these effects may also cause both stagnation of slabs and rising plumes at mid-mantle depths ( 1600 km). The stagnation may be followed by downward or upward penetration of cold or hot mantle material, respectively, through an avalanche process. The size of these mid-mantle plumes reaches 1500 km across with a radial velocity reaching 20 cm/yr near the seismic transition zone and plume heads exceeding 2500 km across. We will employ a deep-learning algorithm to formulate this challenge as a classification problem where modelling/computation aids in the learning stage for detecting the particular patterns.The parameters based on which the convection models are developed are poorly constrained. There are uncertainties in initial conditions, heterogeneities and boundary conditions in the simulations, which are nonlinear. Thus it is difficult to reconstruct the past configuration over long time scales. In order to extract information and better understand the parameters in mantle convection, we employ deep learning algorithm to search for different

Chondritic Xenon in the Earth's mantle: new constrains on a mantle plume below central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caracausi, Antonio; Avice, Guillaume; Bernard, Peter; Furi, Evelin; Marty, Bernard

2016-04-01

Due to their inertness, their low abundances, and the presence of several different radiochronometers in their isotope systematics, the noble gases are excellent tracers of mantle dynamics, heterogeneity and differentiation with respect to the atmosphere. Xenon deserves particular attention because its isotope systematic can be related to specific processes during terrestrial accretion (e.g., Marty, 1989; Mukhopadhyay, 2012). The origin of heavy noble gases in the Earth's mantle is still debated, and might not be solar (Holland et al., 2009). Mantle-derived CO2-rich gases are particularly powerful resources for investigating mantle-derived noble gases as large quantities of these elements are available and permit high precision isotope analysis. Here, we report high precision xenon isotopic measurements in gases from a CO2 well in the Eifel volcanic region (Germany), where volcanic activity occurred between 700 ka and 11 ka years ago. Our Xe isotope data (normalized to 130Xe) show deviations at all masses compared to the Xe isotope composition of the modern atmosphere. The improved analytical precision of the present study, and the nature of the sample, constrains the primordial Xe end-member as being "chondritic", and not solar, in the Eifel mantle source. This is consistent with an asteroidal origin for the volatile elements in Earth's mantle and it implies that volatiles in the atmosphere and in the mantle originated from distinct cosmochemical sources. Despite a significant fraction of recycled atmospheric xenon in the mantle, primordial Xe signatures still survive in the mantle. This is also a demonstration of a primordial component in a plume reservoir. Our data also show that the reservoir below the Eifel region contains heavy-radiogenic/fissiogenic xenon isotopes, whose ratios are typical of plume-derived reservoirs. The fissiogenic Pu-Xe contribution is 2.26±0.28 %, the UXe contribution is negligible, the remainder being atmospheric plus primordial. Our

Evidence of dehydration in peridotites from Eifel Volcanic Field and estimates of the rate of magma ascent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denis, Carole M. M.; Demouchy, Sylvie; Shaw, Cliff S. J.

2013-05-01

We report major element compositions and water contents in upper mantle minerals from peridotites transported by silica undersaturated, mafic alkaline lavas from three volcanoes Rockeskyllerkopf, Dreiser Weiher, and Meerfelder Maar of the Eifel Volcanic Field (West Germany). The hydrogen concentrations (expressed in ppm wt. H2O) obtained from unpolarized and polarized Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy give water contents for olivine, enstatite and diopside of ~ 6 ppm wt. H2O, ~ 200 ppm wt. H2O and ~ 285 ppm wt. H2O, respectively. The hydrogen concentration in individual olivine grains is strongly heterogeneous whereas that in pyroxenes is homogeneous. Profiles measured across crystallographically oriented single-crystals of olivine using polarized infrared radiation reveal hydrogen depleted rims that are interpreted to be due to partial dehydration by ionic diffusion during the ascent of the xenolith to the surface. Using experimentally obtained diffusion coefficients for hydrogen in olivine at high temperature and high pressure, we estimate that the duration of the dehydration for the spinel-bearing xenoliths is limited to a few hours yielding rates of magma ascent from 3 ms- 1 to 12 ms- 1. Our study suggests that the water contents of the upper mantle based solely on measurements of mantle-derived olivine, when concentration is not homogeneous, underestimate the true water content of the equilibrated uppermost mantle and that pyroxenes are a better proxy to constrain uppermost mantle water contents.

Kimberlite ascent by assimilation-fuelled buoyancy.

PubMed

Russell, James K; Porritt, Lucy A; Lavallée, Yan; Dingwell, Donald B

2012-01-18

Kimberlite magmas have the deepest origin of all terrestrial magmas and are exclusively associated with cratons. During ascent, they travel through about 150 kilometres of cratonic mantle lithosphere and entrain seemingly prohibitive loads (more than 25 per cent by volume) of mantle-derived xenoliths and xenocrysts (including diamond). Kimberlite magmas also reputedly have higher ascent rates than other xenolith-bearing magmas. Exsolution of dissolved volatiles (carbon dioxide and water) is thought to be essential to provide sufficient buoyancy for the rapid ascent of these dense, crystal-rich magmas. The cause and nature of such exsolution, however, remains elusive and is rarely specified. Here we use a series of high-temperature experiments to demonstrate a mechanism for the spontaneous, efficient and continuous production of this volatile phase. This mechanism requires parental melts of kimberlite to originate as carbonatite-like melts. In transit through the mantle lithosphere, these silica-undersaturated melts assimilate mantle minerals, especially orthopyroxene, driving the melt to more silicic compositions, and causing a marked drop in carbon dioxide solubility. The solubility drop manifests itself immediately in a continuous and vigorous exsolution of a fluid phase, thereby reducing magma density, increasing buoyancy, and driving the rapid and accelerating ascent of the increasingly kimberlitic magma. Our model provides an explanation for continuous ascent of magmas laden with high volumes of dense mantle cargo, an explanation for the chemical diversity of kimberlite, and a connection between kimberlites and cratons.

Mantle Convection on Modern Supercomputers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weismüller, J.; Gmeiner, B.; Huber, M.; John, L.; Mohr, M.; Rüde, U.; Wohlmuth, B.; Bunge, H. P.

2015-12-01

Mantle convection is the cause for plate tectonics, the formation of mountains and oceans, and the main driving mechanism behind earthquakes. The convection process is modeled by a system of partial differential equations describing the conservation of mass, momentum and energy. Characteristic to mantle flow is the vast disparity of length scales from global to microscopic, turning mantle convection simulations into a challenging application for high-performance computing. As system size and technical complexity of the simulations continue to increase, design and implementation of simulation models for next generation large-scale architectures is handled successfully only in an interdisciplinary context. A new priority program - named SPPEXA - by the German Research Foundation (DFG) addresses this issue, and brings together computer scientists, mathematicians and application scientists around grand challenges in HPC. Here we report from the TERRA-NEO project, which is part of the high visibility SPPEXA program, and a joint effort of four research groups. TERRA-NEO develops algorithms for future HPC infrastructures, focusing on high computational efficiency and resilience in next generation mantle convection models. We present software that can resolve the Earth's mantle with up to 1012 grid points and scales efficiently to massively parallel hardware with more than 50,000 processors. We use our simulations to explore the dynamic regime of mantle convection and assess the impact of small scale processes on global mantle flow.

Mantle transition zone thinning beneath eastern Africa: Evidence for a whole-mantle superplume structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulibo, Gabriel D.; Nyblade, Andrew A.

2013-07-01

to S conversions from the 410 and 660 km discontinuities observed in receiver function stacks reveal a mantle transition zone that is ~30-40 km thinner than the global average in a region ~200-400 km wide extending in a SW-NE direction from central Zambia, across Tanzania and into Kenya. The thinning of the transition zone indicates a ~190-300 K thermal anomaly in the same location where seismic tomography models suggest that the lower mantle African superplume structure connects to thermally perturbed upper mantle beneath eastern Africa. This finding provides compelling evidence for the existence of a continuous thermal structure extending from the core-mantle boundary to the surface associated with the African superplume.

Linking petrology and seismology of the southwest Greenland lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lesher, C. E.; Vestergaard, C.; Brown, E.; Schutt, D.

2015-12-01

Mantle xenoliths from late-Proterozoic diamond-bearing kimberlitic dikes in the Kangerlussuaq, Sarfartoq and Maniitsoq areas of southwestern Greenland provide constraints on the composition and thermal state of lithospheric mantle beneath Greenland to depths of ~200 km [1]. Similarly, surface wave tomography studies carried out as part of the GLATIS project use a range of Rayleigh wave periods sensitive to structures at a similar depth interval within southwestern Greenland lithospheric mantle [2]. Here we link petrologic and seismologic constraints on the mantle lithosphere beneath Greenland utilizing methods of [3] that show that inferred chemical and mineralogical stratification inferred from petrology, showing mantle peridotite transitioning from garnet-free harzburgite to garnet lherzolite between ~70 and 180 km, cannot readily be resolved with fundamental mode Rayleigh waves. On the other hand, comparing phase velocities predicted from xenolith compositions, mineralogy and last equilibration temperatures and pressures, defining the continental geotherm during late-Proterozoic time, with those for the present-day mantle lithosphere suggest significant cooling of the cratonic mantle to a modern geotherm characterized by a heat flux of 30 mW/m2 and average crustal heat production of 0.3 mW/m3 [4]. These preliminary findings point to the weak dependence of shear wave velocities on mantle peridotite composition and mineralogy, and further illustrate its strong temperature dependence. Comparison of ancient and modern continental geotherms made possible by combining petrologic and seismological data, as shown here for southwest Greenland, provide additional constraints on secular cooling of cratonic regions linked to large-scale tectonic processes. [1] Bizzarro et al., 2003, CMP, 146; Sand et al., Lithos, 112. [2] Darbyshire et al., 2004, GJI, 158. [3] Schutt and Lesher, 2006, JGR, 111. [4] Meirerbachtol et al., 2015, JGR/ES, 120.

Geodynamics: Hot mantle rising

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shorttle, Oliver

2017-06-01

The long-term cooling of Earth's mantle is recorded in the declining temperature and volume of its volcanic outpourings over time. However, analyses of 89-million-year-old lavas from Costa Rica suggest that extremely hot mantle still lurks below.

Chondritic xenon in the Earth's mantle.

PubMed

Caracausi, Antonio; Avice, Guillaume; Burnard, Peter G; Füri, Evelyn; Marty, Bernard

2016-05-05

Noble gas isotopes are powerful tracers of the origins of planetary volatiles, and the accretion and evolution of the Earth. The compositions of magmatic gases provide insights into the evolution of the Earth's mantle and atmosphere. Despite recent analytical progress in the study of planetary materials and mantle-derived gases, the possible dual origin of the planetary gases in the mantle and the atmosphere remains unconstrained. Evidence relating to the relationship between the volatiles within our planet and the potential cosmochemical end-members is scarce. Here we show, using high-precision analysis of magmatic gas from the Eifel volcanic area (in Germany), that the light xenon isotopes identify a chondritic primordial component that differs from the precursor of atmospheric xenon. This is consistent with an asteroidal origin for the volatiles in the Earth's mantle, and indicates that the volatiles in the atmosphere and mantle originated from distinct cosmochemical sources. Furthermore, our data are consistent with the origin of Eifel magmatism being a deep mantle plume. The corresponding mantle source has been isolated from the convective mantle since about 4.45 billion years ago, in agreement with models that predict the early isolation of mantle domains. Xenon isotope systematics support a clear distinction between mid-ocean-ridge and continental or oceanic plume sources, with chemical heterogeneities dating back to the Earth's accretion. The deep reservoir now sampled by the Eifel gas had a lower volatile/refractory (iodine/plutonium) composition than the shallower mantle sampled by mid-ocean-ridge volcanism, highlighting the increasing contribution of volatile-rich material during the first tens of millions of years of terrestrial accretion.

Al-augite and Cr-diopside ultramafic xenoliths in basaltic rocks from western United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilshire, H.G.; Shervais, J.W.

1975-01-01

Ultramafic xenoliths in basalts from the western United States are divided into Al-augite and Cr-diopside groups. The Al-augite group is characterized by Al, Ti-rich augites, comparatively Fe-rich olivine and orthopyroxene, and Al-rich spinel, the Cr-diopside group by Cr-rich clinopyroxene and spinel and by Mg-rich olivine and pyroxenes. Both groups have a wide range of subtypes, but the Al-augite group is dominated by augite-rich varieties, and the Cr-diopside group by olivine-rich lherzolites. ?? 1975.

Mantle dynamics and seismic tomography