Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic ratios of igneous rocks from DSDP holes (Table 1)

Igneous rocks from the Philippine tectonic plate recovered on Deep Sea Drilling Project Legs 31, 58 and 59 have been analyzed for Sr, Nd and Pb isotope ratios. Samples include rocks from the West Philippine Basin, Daito Basin and Benham Rise (40-60 m.y.), the Palau-Kyushu Ridge (29-44 m.y.) and the Parece Vela and Shikoku basins (17-30 m.y.). Samples from the West Philippine, Parece Vela and Shikoku basins are MORB (mid-ocean ridge basalt)-like with 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7026 - 0.7032, 143Nd/144Nd = 0.51300 - 0.51315, and 206Pb/204Pb = 17.8 - 18.1. Samples from the Daito Basin and Benham Rise are OIB (oceanic island basalt)-like with 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7038 - 0.7040, 143Nd/144Nd = 0.51285 - 0.51291 and 206Pb/204Pb = 18.8 - 19.2. All of these rocks have elevated 207Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb compared to the Northern Hemisphere Regression Line (NHRL) and have delta207Pb values of 0 to +6 and delta208Pb values of +32 to +65. Lavas from the Palau-Kyushu Ridge, a remnant island arc, have 87Sr/86Sr = 7032 - 0.7035, 143Nd/144Nd = 0.51308 - 0.51310 and 206Pb/204Pb = 18.4 - 18.5. Unlike the basin magmas erupted before and after them, these lavas plot along the NHRL and have Pb-isotope ratios similar to modern Pacific plate MORB's. This characteristic is shared by other Palau-Kyushu Arc volcanic rocks that have been sampled from submerged and subaerial portions of the Mariana fore-arc. At least four geochemically distinct magma sources are required for these Philippine plate magmas. The basin magmas tap Source 1, a MORB-mantle source that was contaminated by EMI (enriched mantle component 1 (Hart, 1988, doi:10.1016/0012-821X(88)90131-8)) and Source 2, an OIB-like mantle source with some characteristics of EMII (enriched mantle component 2 (Hart, 1988)). The arc lavas are derived from Source 3, a MORB-source or residue mantle including Sr and Pb from the subducted oceanic crust, and Source 4, MORB-source or residue mantle including a component with characteristics of HIMU (mantle component with high U/Pb (Hart, 1988)). These same sources can account for many of the isotopic characteristics of recent Philippine plate arc and basin lavas. The enriched components in these sources which are associated with the DUPAL anomaly were probably introduced into the asthenosphere from the deep mantle when the Philippine plate was located in the Southern Hemisphere 60 m.y.b.p.

Niche differentiation among mat-forming, sulfide-oxidizing bacteria in chemosynthetic ecosystems of the Nile Deep Sea Fan (Eastern Mediterranean Sea)

Sulfidic muds of cold seeps on the Nile Deep Sea Fan are populated by different types of mat-forming sulfide-oxidizing bacteria. The predominant sulfide oxidizers of three different mats were identified by microscopic and phylogenetic analyses as (i) Arcobacter species producing cotton-ball-like sulfur precipitates, (ii) large filamentous sulfur bacteria including Beggiatoa species, or (iii) single, spherical cells resembling Thiomargarita species. High resolution in situ microprofiles revealed different geochemical settings selecting for different mat types. Arcobacter mats occurred where oxygen and sulfide overlapped at the bottom water interface. Filamentous sulfide oxidizers were associated with non-overlapping, steep gradients of oxygen and sulfide. A dense population of Thiomargarita was favored by temporarily changing supplies of oxygen and sulfide. These results indicate that the decisive factors in selecting for different mat-forming bacteria within one deep-sea province are spatial or temporal variations in energy supply. Furthermore, the occurrence of Arcobacter spp.-related 16S rRNA genes in the sediments below all three types of mats, as well as on top of brine lakes of the Nile Deep Sea Fan, indicates that this group of sulfide oxidizers can switch between different life modes depending on the geobiochemical habitat setting.