Geochemistry of felsic rocks and minerals of ODP Hole 135-841B

A felsic volcanic series (605-825 mbsf) overlain by upper Eocene shallow-water sediments (500-605 mbsf) and basalticandesitic sills that intruded into sediments of Holocene to Miocene age (0-500 mbsf) was drilled in the forearc region of the Lau Basin at a water depth of 4810 m. The volcanic sequence at Site 841 includes altered and mineralized calc-alkaline rhyolites and dacites, dacitic tuffs, lapilli tuffs, flow breccias, and welded tuffs. These rocks formed subaerially or in a very shallow-water environment suffering a subsidence of >5000 m since Eocene times. Calculations of gains and losses of the major components during alteration show most pronounced changes in the uppermost 70 m of the volcanic sequence. Here, Al, Fe, Mg, and K are enriched, whereas Si and Na are strongly depleted. Illite, vermiculite, chlorite, and hematite predominate in this part of the hole. Throughout the section, quartz, plagioclase, kaolinite, and calcite are present. Sulfide mineralization (up to 10 vol%) consisting mainly of disseminated pyrite (with minor pyrrhotite inclusions) and marcasite together with minor amounts of chalcopyrite is pervasive throughout. Locally, a few sulfide-bearing quartz-carbonate veins as well as Ti-amphibole replacement by rutile and then by pyrite were observed. Strong variations in the As content of sulfides (from 0 to 0.69 wt%) from the same depth interval and local enrichments of Co, Ni, and Cu in pyrite are interpreted to result from fluctuations in fluid composition. Calculations of oxygen and sulfur fugacities indicate that fO2 and fS2 were high at the top and lower at the bottom of the sequence. Sulfur isotope determinations on separated pyrite grains from two samples give d34S values of +6.4ë and +8.4ë, which are close to those reported from Kuroko and Okinawa Trough massive sulfide deposits and calc-alkaline volcanic rocks of the Japanese Ryukyu Island Arc. Calculated chlorite formation temperatures of 265°-290°C at the top of the sequence are consistent with minimum formation temperatures of fluid inclusions in secondary quartz, revealing a narrow range of 270°-297°C. Chlorite formation temperatures are constant downhole and do not exceed 300°C. The presence of marcasite and 4C-type pyrrhotite indicates a formation temperature of <= 250°C. At a later stage, illite was formed at the top of the volcanic series at temperatures well below 200°C.

Chemical and isotopic compositions of sediments from DSDP Hole 21-204

The highly depleted intra-oceanic Tonga-Kermadec island arc forms an endmember of arc systems and a unique location in which to isolate the effects of the slab flux. High precision TIMS uranium, thorium, strontium, neodymium, and lead isotopes, along with complete major and trace element data, have been obtained on an extensive sample set comprising fifty-eight lavas along the arc as well as nineteen samples of the subducting sediments at DSDP site 204 just to the east of the Tonga-Kermadec trench. Ca/Ti and Al/Ti ratios extend from values appropriate to an N-MORB source in the southern Kermadecs to very high ratios in Tonga interpreted to reflect increasing degrees of depletion of the mantle wedge due to backarc basalt extraction. The isotope data emphasize the need for four components in the petrogenesis of the lavas: (1) the mantle wedge; (2) a component with elevated 207Pb/204Pb towards which the Kermadec and southern Tongan lavas extend; (3) a component characterised by high 206Pb/204Pb, Ta/Nd, and low 143Nd/144Nd observed only in the northernmost Tongan islands of Tafahi and Niuatoputapu; (4) a fluid component characterised by strong enrichments of Rb, Ba, U, K, Ph, and Sr, relative to Th, Zr, and the REE and producing large 238U excesses ((230Th/238U) = 0.8-0.5) in the more depleted lavas. The mantle wedge (Component 1) is isotopically similar to the source of the Lau BABB. Component 2 is average pelagic sediment on the downgoing Pacific plate as observed at DSDP sites 595/596 and in the upper sections of the sediment pile at DSDP site 204. Mass balance calculations indicate that less than 0.5% is recycled into the arc lavas; essentially all the subducted sediment is returned to the upper mantle (~0.03 km**3/yr). Exceptionally low concentrations of Ta and Nb relative to Th and the LREE requires that this sediment component is added as a partial melt which was in equilibrium with residual rutile or ilmenite. Component 3 is identified as volcaniclastics from the Louisville Ridge which comprise the lower 44 m of the sediment section intersected at DSDP site 204. These volcaniclastics are spatially restricted to the vicinity of the Louisville Ridge and provide a unique sediment tracer which can be used to show that it takes 4 Myr from the time of subduction to its first appearance in the arc lava signature. Component 4, the fluid contribution to the lava source is inferred to contribute ~1 ppm Rb, 10 ppm Ba, 0.02 ppm U, 600 ppm K, 0.2 ppm Ph, and 30 ppm Sr. It has 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7035 and 206Pb/204Pb = 18.5 and thus it is inferred to have been derived from dehydration of the subducting altered oceanic crust. U-Th isotope disequilibria reflect the time since fluid release from the subducting slab and a reference line through the lowest (230Th/232Th) lavas constrains this to be 30000-50000 yr. The U-Th and Th-Ra isotope systematics are decoupled, and it is suggested that Th-Ra isotope disequilibria record the time since partial melting and thus indicate rapid channelled magma ascent. Olivine gabbro xenoliths from Raoul are interpreted as cumulates to their host lavas with which they form zero age U-Th isochrons indicating that minimal time was spent in magma chambers. The subduction signature is not observed in lavas from the backarc island of Niuafo'ou. These were derived from partial melting of fertile peridotite at 130-160 km depth with melt rates around 0.0002 kg/m**3/yr.

Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic composition of volcanic and volcaniclastic samples of ODP Leg 134

A suite of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks selected from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 134 Sites 832 and 833 in the North Aoba Basin (Central New Hebrides Island Arc) has been analyzed for Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes to investigate the temporal evolution of the arc magmatism. This arc shows two unusual features with respect to other western Pacific arcs: 1) subduction is eastdirected; and 2) a major submarine ridge, the d'Entrecasteaux Zone, has been colliding almost perpendicularly with the central part of the arc since about 3 Ma. Volcanic rocks from the upper parts of both holes, generated during the last 2 m.y., show higher 87Sr/86Sr and significantly lower 206Pb/204Pb and 143Nd/144 Nd values compared to those volcanics erupted before the collision of this ridge, as represented by samples from the lower section of both holes, or remote from the collisional region, in the southern part of the arc. These isotopic differences in the respective mantle sources cannot be interpreted in terms of geochemical input into the mantle wedge induced by the collision itself. Rather, they require long term (>500 m.y.) enrichment processes. The enriched mantle source could be, on a regional scale, a DUPAL-type reservoir with strong similarities to the source of Indian Ocean basalts. Isotopic analyses of drilled rocks from the DEZ show that the anomalous, enriched mantle component is not derived from this feature. We currently cannot identify a source for this enriched component, but note that it also exists in Lau Basin backarc volcanics, lavas from the West Philippine Sea, and also some lavas from the Mariana-Izu-Bonin arc.

Magnetic properties of basalts and sediments of ODP Leg 135 sites

Paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic investigations of basalts from Hole 834B in the Lau backarc basin and of sediments from Holes 841A and 841B at the Tonga Ridge are reported. Three groups of blocking temperatures in the basalts suggest the presence of at least three magnetic phases: pure magnetite, a Ti-poor titanomagnetite, and a Ti-rich phase. The drill-string-induced remanence in the basalts is typically between three and six times the original normal remanent magnetization intensity, but it is mostly removed by alternating-field (AF) cleaning in 5 mT. Volume susceptibility values range from 0.04 * 10**-3 to 4 * 10**-3 cgs. The modified Q-ratio J5/sus ranges from 0.5 to 10. The drill-string-induced remanence behaves different in the two sediment cores from Holes 841A and 841B, which may be the result of differences in the sediment or caused by the different drilling equipment used. The AF-cleaned inclinations of the sediment in Holes 841A and 841B suggest a slight flattening with increasing depth (up to 6° under a load of 400 m of sediment) to be present. This flattening is likely to be caused by the differential rotation of detrital particles under compaction during diagenesis.

Miocene to Pleistocene planktonic foraminifer biostratigraphy of ODP Leg 135 sites

Diverse and well-preserved planktonic foraminifers were recovered from six sites (834-839) drilled in the Lau Basin. Planktonic faunas from the Tongan Platform sites varied from those of the Lau Basin sites by being less well preserved (Site 840) to being very poorly preserved and very sparse (Site 841); at Site 841 most samples were barren. All sites penetrated a volcaniclastic sequence in which thick ash beds were encountered; foraminifer populations within the ash beds were often very small, making it difficult to obtain biostratigraphic data. No hiatuses were encountered in the upper Miocene to Pleistocene sections of the Lau Basin, but a possible break occurs at Site 840 on the Tongan Platform. Site 834 penetrated through a Quaternary-Pliocene sequence overlying basaltic basement, and topmost Miocene (Zone N17B) sediments interbedded within the volcanic sequence. Site 835 penetrated into the lower Pliocene (Zones N19 to N19-20). Site 836 penetrated the shortest section, with Zone N22 {Globorotalia (Truncorotalia) crassaformis hessi Subzone) directly overlying basalts. Site 837 penetrated into the basal part of Zone N22 (Globigerinoides quadrilobatus fistulosus Subzone) overlying basalt. Site 838 failed to encounter basalts, with the oldest sediment being from Zone N22 (Globigerinoides quadrilobatus fistulosus Subzone). Site 839, within the same basin as Site 838, located Zone N22 (Globigerinoides quadrilobatus fistulosus Subzone) sediments directly overlying igneous basement. Site 840 penetrated into the upper Miocene Zone N17A without encountering any major unconformity. Site 841, studied mainly from core-catcher samples, penetrated a Quaternary to questionable upper Miocene sequence that was in fault contact with middle Miocene (Zones N8 to N9) sediments. For the Lau Basin sites, reworking was encountered only in Sites 834 and 835. Site 834 was drilled adjacent to the Lau Ridge, on which are developed numerous reef al and shallow-water environments, where erosional conditions could have been expected during sea-level lowstands. Site 835 was drilled in a narrow basin that has been remote from these erosional influences; slumping and erosion of material from the adjacent basin slopes appears to have been the source of the reworking. For the Tongan Platform sites, reworking was observed only in the lower part of the upper Miocene section at Site 841, where late Eocene larger foraminifers are present in conglomerates and grits. The presence of Globorotalia (Globorotalia) multicamerata and small specimens of Sphaeroidinellopsis spp. in the Pleistocene of Site 840 may indicate reworking, but this is not clear. Unit I, which marks a reduction in volcanic activity in the Lau Basin, ranges in age from the lower part of Zone N22 (Globigerinoides quadrilobatus fistulosus Subzone) at Sites 834 and 835, to within Zone N22 (Globorotalia crassaformis hessi Subzone) at Sites 836 to 838, and within the upper part of Zone N22 (Bolliella praeadamsi Subzone) at Site 839. Units II and III are generally represented by thick to very thick ash beds, which generally contain low-diversity and often poorly preserved assemblages. Igneous sources seem to have remained important contributors of sediment up to the present day.