Major and trace element compositions of the Buendnerschiefer samples

The Bündnerschiefer of the Swiss-Italian Alps is a large sedimentary complex deposited on the Piemonte-Liguria and Valais oceans and associated continental margins from the upper Jurassic to Eocene. It is made of a large variety of sequences associated or not with an ophiolitic basement. The Bündnerschiefer makes an accretionary prism that developed syn-tectonically from the onset of alpine subduction, and it records orogenic metamorphism following episodes of HP metamorphism. The Bündnerschiefer shares important similarities with the Otago schists of New Zealand and with the Wepawaug schists of Connecticut, both of which form accretionary prisms and have an orogenic metamorphic imprint. With the aim of testing the hypothesis of mobility of chemical components as a function of metamorphic grade, in this work I present fifty-five bulk chemical analyses of various lithological facies of the Bündnerschiefer collected along the well-studied field gradient of the Lepontine dome of Central Switzerland, in the Prättigau half window of East Switzerland, and in the Tsaté Nappe of Valle d'Aosta (Italy). The dataset includes the concentration of major components, large ion lithophile elements (Rb, Sr, Ba, Cs), high field strength elements (Zr, Ti, Nb, Th, U, Ta, Hf), fluid-mobile light elements (B, Li), volatiles (CO2, S), REEs, and Y, V, Cr, Co, Sn, Pb, Cu, Zn, Tl, Sb, Be, and Au. These data are compared against the compositions of the global marine sediment reservoir, typical crustal reservoirs, and against the previously measured compositions of Otago and Wepawaug schists. Results reveal that, irrespective of their metamorphic evolution, the bulk chemical compositions of orogenic metasediments are characterized by mostly constant compositional ratios (e.g., K2O/Al2O3, Ba/Al2O3, Sr/CaO, etc.), whose values in most cases are undistinguishable from those of actual marine sediments and other crustal reservoirs. For these rocks, only volatile concentrations decrease dramatically as a function of metamorphic temperature, and significant deviations from the reservoir signatures are evident for SiO2, B, and Li. These results are interpreted as an indication of residual enrichment in the sediments, a process taking place during syn-metamorphic dehydration from the onset of metamorphism in a regime of chemical immobility. Residual enrichment increased the absolute concentrations of the chemical components of these rocks, but did not modify significantly their fundamental ratios. This poor compositional modification of the sediments indicates that orogenic metamorphism in general does not promote significant mass transfer from accretionary prisms. In contrast, mass transfer calculations carried out in a shear zone crosscutting the Bündnerschiefer shows that significant mass transfer occurs within these narrow zones, resulting in gains of H2O, SiO2, Al2O3, K2O, Ba, Y, Rb, Cu, V, Tl, Mo, and Ce during deformation and loss of Na2O, CO2, S, Ni, B, U, and Pb from the rock. These components were presumably transported by an aquo-carbonic fluid along the shear zone. These distinct attitudes to mobilize chemical elements from orogenic sediments may have implications for a potentially large number of geochemical processes in active continental margins, from the recycling of chemical components at plate margins to the genesis of hydrothermal ore deposits.

(Table 1) Sr isotopes and chemical composition of DSDP Hole 61-462A basalts

Sixteen elemental abundances and 87Sr/86Sr ratio of the Nauru Basin basalt (Cores 75 to 90: sub-bottom depths 950 m to 1050 m) from Hole 462A have been determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The result indicates that the basalt is a new type of oceanic tholeiite, elementally similar to normal mid-oceanic ridge basalts and isotopically similar to oceanic island-type basalts.

(Table 1) Interstitial-water chemistry at DSP Leg 58 Holes

Interstitial waters from several sites drilled during Leg 58 have been analyzed for major constituents. Data for Sites 442, 443, and 444 in Shikoku Basin indicate that only small changes occur in the chemical composition. We did not note any influence on the interstitial water chemistry resulting from reactions taking place in the underlying basalts. Site 445 data indicate that reactions must occur in the sediment column, leading to decreases in dissolved magnesium and increases in dissolved calcium. In addition, a source of dissolved calcium appears in the underlying basalts. At Site 446, changes appear in dissolved-calcium and -magnesium concentrations, resulting mainly from alteration reactions in the basalts. Dissolved potassium has its main sink in deeper-lying sediments or basalts. Changes in dissolved strontium at Sites 445 and 446 can be explained in terms of carbonate recrystallization. At all sites, changes in dissolved manganese and lithium appear to be related to the presence of biogenic silica in the sediments.