Pre-eruptive uplift in the Emeishan? [Correspondence]

In their correspondence, He and colleagues question our conclusion of little or no uplift preceding Emeishan volcanism that we reported in our letter1. Debate concerns the nature of the contact between the Maokou limestone and Emeishan volcanics, the depositional environment and volumetric significance of mafic hydromagmatic deposits (MHDs), and evidence for symmetrical domal thinning. MHDs in the Daqiao section are separated from the Maokou limestone by 100 m of subaerial basaltic lavas, but elsewhere MHDs — previously interpreted as basal conglomerates2, 3 — directly overlie the Maokou2, 3. MHDs thus feature strongly in basal sections of the Emeishan lava succession, as also recently shown4 elsewhere in the Emeishan. An irregular surface at the top of the Maokou limestone has been interpreted as an erosional unconformity2, 3, but clastic deposits presented as evidence of this erosion2, 3 are MHDs produced by explosive magma–water interaction1. A clear demonstration that this irregular top surface is an erosional truncation of limestone reef facies (slope/rim, flat, lagoonal) is currently lacking, but is critical because reefs and carbonate platforms show considerable natural relief of tens of metres. The persistent hot, wet climate since the Oligocene has produced well-developed weathering profiles on exposed Palaeozoic marine sedimentary sequences5, but weathering and karst relief of the uppermost Maokou limestone underlying the flood basalts have not been properly documented, nor shown to be of middle Permian age and immediately preceding emplacement of the large igneous province.

Dynamical models for the Earth's geoid

The Earth's largest geoid anomalies occur at the lowest spherical harmonic degrees, or longest wavelengths, and are primarily the result of mantle convection. Thermal density contrasts due to convection are partially compensated by boundary deformations due to viscous flow whose effects must be included in order to obtain a dynamically consistent model for the geoid. These deformations occur rapidly with respect to the timescale for convection, and we have analytically calculated geoid response kernels for steady-state, viscous, incompressible, self-gravitating, layered Earth models which include the deformation of boundaries due to internal loads. Both the sign and magnitude of geoid anomalies depend strongly upon the viscosity structure of the mantle as well as the possible presence of chemical layering.

Correlations of various global geophysical data sets with the observed geoid can be used to construct theoretical geoid models which constrain the dynamics of mantle convection. Surface features such as topography and plate velocities are not obviously related to the low-degree geoid, with the exception of subduction zones which are characterized by geoid highs (degrees 4-9). Recent models for seismic heterogeneity in the mantle provide additional constraints, and much of the low-degree (2-3) geoid can be attributed to seismically inferred density anomalies in the lower mantle. The Earth's largest geoid highs are underlain by low density material in the lower mantle, thus requiring compensating deformations of the Earth's surface. A dynamical model for whole mantle convection with a low viscosity upper mantle can explain these observations and successfully predicts more than 80% of the observed geoid variance.

Temperature variations associated with density anomalies in the man tie cause lateral viscosity variations whose effects are not included in the analytical models. However, perturbation theory and numerical tests show that broad-scale lateral viscosity variations are much less important than radial variations; in this respect, geoid models, which depend upon steady-state surface deformations, may provide more reliable constraints on mantle structure than inferences from transient phenomena such as postglacial rebound. Stronger, smaller-scale viscosity variations associated with mantle plumes and subducting slabs may be more important. On the basis of numerical modelling of low viscosity plumes, we conclude that the global association of geoid highs (after slab effects are removed) with hotspots and, perhaps, mantle plumes, is the result of hot, upwelling material in the lower mantle; this conclusion does not depend strongly upon plume rheology. The global distribution of hotspots and the dominant, low-degree geoid highs may correspond to a dominant mode of convection stabilized by the ancient Pangean continental assemblage.

Petrogênese e geocronologia das intrusões alcalinas de Morro Redondo, Mendanha e Morro de São João: caracterização do magmatismo alcalino no Estado do Rio de Janeiro e implicações geodinâmicas

Os modelos para a formação de plútons alcalinos da Província Alcalina do Sudeste Brasileiro ou Alinhamento Poços de Caldas-Cabo Frio associam a gênese destas rochas a grandes reativações ou a passagem de uma pluma mantélica, registrada pelo traço de um hot spot. O objetivo desta tese é, apresentar novos dados e interpretações para contribuir com a melhor elucidação e discussão destes modelos. Os estudos incluem mapeamento, petrografia, litogeoquímica, geoquímica isotópica de Sr, Nd e Pb e datação 40Ar/39Ar. As intrusões selecionadas correspondem ao Morro Redondo, Mendanha e Morro de São João, no Rio de Janeiro, localizados em posições distintas no alinhamento Poços de Caldas-Cabo Frio. A intrusão alcalina do Morro Redondo é composta majoritariamente de nefelina sienitos e sienitos com nefelina, com rara ocorrência de rochas máficas e é caracterizada por uma suíte alcalina sódica insaturada em sílica, de caráter metaluminosa a peralcalina. Esta intrusão foi datada em aproximadamente 74 Ma (idade-platô 40Ar/39Ar). A intrusão alcalina do Mendanha é composta por diversos tipos de rochas sieníticas, além de brechas e estruturas subvulcânicas, como rochas piroclásticas e diques e caracteriza-se por ser uma suíte alcalina sódica saturada em sílica, de caráter metaluminosa, diferente do que ocorre no Marapicu, este subsaturado em sílica. Esta intrusão apresentou duas idades-platô 40Ar/39Ar distintas de magmatismo: 64 Ma para as rochas do Mendanha e 54 Ma em dique de lamprófiro, registrando magmatismo policíclico. O Morro do Marapicu foi datado em aproximadamente 80 Ma. Já a intrusão alcalina do Morro de São João possui uma ampla variedade de litotipos saturados a subsaturados em sílica, tais como sienitos, álcali-sienitos e monzossienitos (alguns portadores de pseudoleucita), com variedades melanocráticas, tais como malignitos e fergustios. Estas rochas definem suas distintas suítes alcalinas subsaturadas em sílica: Uma de composição sódica e outra potássica. Há também uma suíte alcalina saturada em sílica, definida por gabros alcalinos e shonkinitos. A petrogênese destas intrusões corresponde ao modelo de cristalização fracionada, com assimilação de rochas encaixantes (AFC) como indicado pela alta variabilidade de razões isotópicas de estrôncio. No Morro de São João é sugerido o modelo de mistura magmática. Estas intrusões foram geradas a partir de magmas mantélicos enriquecidos, possivelmente associados à antiga zona de subducção relacionada ao orógeno Ribeira. Em razão das novas idades obtidas, o modelo de hot spot proposto fica prejudicado, visto que o Marapicu é de idade mais antiga das intrusões analisadas, o que era esperado para o Morro Redondo. Alguns modelos projetam plumas mantélicas com aproximadamente 1000 km de diâmetro, o que poderia explicar o Mendanha ser contemporâneo ao Morro de São João. As assinaturas isotópicas obtidas para as intrusões não se associam à assinatura isotópica de Trindade e, caso o modelo de plumas mantélicas seja o correto, a pluma que teria maior semelhança de assinatura isotópica é a pluma de Tristão da Cunha.

利用台阵面波资料研究华北克拉通北缘燕山褶皱带及其邻区的地壳与上地幔结构

The continent of eastern China, especially the North China Craton (NCC), has endured intensive tectonic renovation during Mesozoic and Cenozoic, with the presence of widespread magmatism, high heat flow and development of large sedimentary basins and mountain ranges. The cratonic lithosphere of the region has been destroyed remarkably, which is characterized by not only a significant reduction in thickness but also complex modifications in physical and chemical properties of the lithosphere. As for the tectonic regime controlling the evolution of the NCC, various models have been put forward, including the impingement of mantle plumes (“mushroom cloud” model), the collision of south China block and north China block, the subduction of the Pacific plate, etc. Lithosphere delamination and thermal erosion were proposed as the two end-member mechanisms of the lithospheric thinning. However, given the paucity of the data, deep structural evidence is currently still scarce for distinguishing and testifying these models. To better understand the deep structure of the NCC, from 2000 to the present, temporary seismic array observations have been conducted in the NCC by the Seismological Laboratory of the Institute of the Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences under the North China Interior Structure Project (NCISP). Many arrays extend from the North China Craton and the off-craton regions, and traverse a lot of main tectonic boundaries. A total of more than 300 broadband seismic stations have been deployed along several profiles that traversed the major tectonic units within the craton’s interior, at the boundary areas and in the neighboring off-craton regions. These stations recorded abundant high-quality data, which provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to unravel the deep structural features of the NCC using seismological methods. Among all the seismological methods, the surface wave method appears to be an efficient and widely adopted technique in studying the crustal and upper mantle structures. In particular, it can provide the absolute values of S-wave velocity that are difficult to obtain with other methods. Benefiting from the deployment of dense seismic arrays, progresses have been made in improving the spatial resolution of surface wave imaging, which makes it possible to resolve the fine-scale velocity structures of the crust and upper mantle based on surface wave analysis. Meanwhile, the differences in the S-wave velocities derived from Rayleigh and Love wave data can provide information on the radial anisotropy beneath the seismic arrays. In this thesis, using the NCISP-III broadband data and based on phase velocity dispersion analysis and inversion of fundamental mode Rayleigh and Love waves, I investigated the lateral variations in the S-wave velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Yanshan Belt and adjacent regions at the northeastern boundary of the NCC. Based on the constructed structural images, I discussed possible deep processes of the craton destruction in the study region.

地幔柱与岩浆成矿-峨嵋山大火成岩省地震波速层物相解释及典型PGE矿床成岩成矿机制研究

地幔柱概念在19世纪60至70年代就被提出，但是由于板块构造理论在解释地球上岩浆活动的分布规律时取得了空前的成功，在当时这一理论是被排斥的。板块边界概念可以解释地球上绝大部分的岩浆产出，但在解释板内岩浆的成因时往往显得力不从心，尽管这些岩浆的体积只占地球岩浆总量的2％。地幔柱理论模型发展到现在得到不同学科的支持。地质学、地球化学、地球物理学、古生物学、比较行星学、实验岩石学等等都提供了直接或间接的证据，证明地幔柱几乎存在整个地：质历史时期。当前地幔柱理论中在地球化学领域有两大研究热点：高钦低钦玄武岩的起源以及地幔柱中是否存在循环俯冲洋壳物质。完全解决这些问题才可能深入系统地建立地慢柱成矿作用模型。现在已经建立了一些矿床类型与地慢柱作用的联系：如现在认为赋存在金伯利岩中的金刚石矿床的形成与地慢柱作用密不可分，一些岩浆硫化物矿床和岩浆氧化物矿床很显然是地慢柱岩浆作用形成的，如西伯利亚火成岩省的Noril'sk-Talnakh铜镍铂族元素矿床以及KeweenawaJI大陆裂谷体系的Dultlth杂岩体的Cu-Ni矿床。另外还有赋存在大型基性一超基性层状岩体中的PGE、Ni和cu矿床，如Great Dyke和布什维尔德杂岩体。一些超大型热液矿床也与地慢柱有可能的联系（Pirajno，2000）：如270oMa形成的超大型Kidd Creek火山成因块状硫化物矿床（Bleeker et al.，1 999；Wynan et al.，1999）和南澳大利亚1600Ma形成的超大型olymPicD翻矿床。本文的研究工作包含两方面内容：通过热力学计算峨眉山玄武岩在深部的结晶分异，对峨眉山大火成岩省的岩浆量分布和岩浆氧化物矿床（华Ti磁铁矿矿床）的分布以及下地壳高波速层的物相进行理论解释；对峨眉山大火成岩省金宝山PGE典型矿床进行成岩成矿的地球化学研究，预测整个大火成岩省的岩浆硫化物矿床产出位置。大多数峨眉山玄武岩的 MgO＜7％，Ni为4-232ppm，它们是原始岩浆结晶分异后的产物。峨眉山玄武岩省下地壳和上地幔之间存在厚度为：8-25km1，P彼速为7.1-7.8km／s的附加层（高地震波速层）。滇西地区出露的洲套第三纪富碱斑岩，地球化学和同位素研究表明斑岩的岩浆源是来自“壳一慢混合层”，源区的形成时代为220-25Ma，与峨眉山玄武岩的形成时代一致。所以有理由认为该附加层是由峨眉山玄武岩在此结晶分异形成的。与地慢柱有关的洋岛Hawaii、Marquesas Islands；海底高原Oniong Java、大陆火山岩省ColumbiaRiver Plateaus地震彼研究都表明在上地慢顶部有一高速附加层，Farnetani etal.（1996）的研歼表明高速附加层是由来自地幔柱的岩浆在此结晶分异形成的。玄武岩是一种混合的部分熔融产物，是不同成分的地幔橄榄岩在不同的压力下熔出的。这种降压熔融高温高压实验是做不到的。熔出的熔体成分是温度、压力及橄榄岩成分（源区）的函数，形成的岩浆是一个多压熔融的集合体。热力学计算能够较为精确地计算出生成的岩浆成分和约束岩浆产生的过程。岩浆的结晶分异也是同样的情形，尤其是分离结晶过程，实验岩石学是很精确难模拟其过程的。热力学计算使用的MELTS程序，MELTS适用范围很广，适用于模拟岩石熔融生成岩浆和岩浆的冷却结晶。现今峨眉山大火成岩省的地壳厚度为40恤，这被认为是后期褶皱加厚的缘故。根据峨眉山玄武岩中辉石斑晶成分和玄武岩本身成分计算出分异结晶的压力为6kb，那么当时的地壳厚度约为20km：选择氧逸度为QFM，这一氧逸度范围认为是大多数大陆溢流玄武岩结晶分异时的氧化还原环境。热力学计算结果通过峨眉山玄武岩成分进行约束和验证。Al2O3、NaZO＋K 20、CaO与MgO计算的演化趋势线与实际观察的演化符合较好，橄榄石和斜方辉石的结晶使得CaO随着MgO的降低而增高；当单斜辉石成为液相线矿物时，cao也随着Mgo的降低而降低了。单斜辉石在岩浆演化到MgO＝10．3％时成为液相线矿物。整个计算过程中斜长石未成为液相线矿物，这与大多数玄武岩不具有Eu异常是一致的，并月＿Al2O3随着MgO的减小单调增加也说明了这点。不过大多数峨眉山玄武岩常含有斜长石斑晶，这是低压下结晶分异的结果。由于斜长石密度小，所有很难与高铁玄武岩分离。整个计算的难点也是创新点是波速计算。通过分离的堆晶矿物组合中各种矿物的成分和质量分数计算的附加层波速比观察值高，不过堆积岩体常常会有残留岩浆存在矿物晶粒间，这样会降低岩石的压缩波速。大型基性一超基性岩体常常会残留有或者捕获5-30％的岩浆。假定两个高波速附加层分别捕获7叭，和巧％的残留岩浆，计算的结果就大体等于观察值。热力学和质量平衡计算研究表明：高地震波速层为橄榄辉石岩一辉石岩的巨型侵入岩体；峨眉山中岩区的岩浆量最大也符合含V-Ti磁铁矿矿床只产在中岩区，如太和、白马、攀枝花、红格等岩体；西岩区的岩浆量最小表明几乎没有可能在西岩区形成有规模的V-Ti磁铁矿矿床，实际观察仅仅只见到数量少而小的岩体；东岩区下地壳厚达20灿1的高波速层暗示东岩区上地壳的侵入岩体积也应该具有相当规模，应该是V－Ti磁铁矿矿床成矿区。目前在东岩区很少发现与峨眉山玄武岩有关的岩浆矿床的主要原因是：东岩区的剥蚀深度不够，没有可观的侵入岩体出露，而中岩区侵入岩都侵入在元古代地层中。按照质量平衡的计算方法，最保守的估算整个峨眉地慢柱岩浆事件产生的岩浆量为8.9*106km3，上地壳峨眉山玄武岩和侵入岩体积为3.9*106km3。如果按照初始覆盖面积5x106km2计算（与西伯利亚暗色岩初始覆盖面积相当），喷发高峰期为2Ma，计算的喷发速率为3.9km3／year。这并不亚于西伯利亚暗色岩的喷发速率4km3／year。这对于研究峨眉山大火成岩浆事件与二叠·三叠交界或end-QuadaluPian生物灭绝之间的可能联系具有重要意义。本文另一方面的研究工作是：首先系统地介绍了岩浆硫化物矿床的基本原理，然后通过金宝山PGE矿床实例研究，提出金宝山岩体成岩模式，并且对整个峨眉山大火成岩省的岩浆硫化物矿床产出位置进行理论预测。详细地球化学研究表明金宝山镁铁一超镁铁岩是峨眉山大火成岩省古老火山岩浆房的残留物。岩体主要由底部超镁铁岩和上部镁铁岩组成，两种岩石的质量大致相同。根据超镁铁岩的矿物组合计算的成岩时的氧逸度较高，热力学方法计算的成岩压力为2kb左右。超镁铁岩的包嵌结构和铁铁岩的微晶一细晶结构说明超镁铁岩为镁铁岩结晶的矿物堆积形成的。镁铁一超镁铁岩的蚀变程度不同以及Sc、Sr、Eu等元素在两类岩石中的不同特征指示了整个成岩过程。金宝山岩体的原始岩浆 MgO=8％说明高镁玄武岩并不是形成PGE矿床的必要条件。金宝山的成岩模式是：在火山喷发前，岩浆侵位时橄榄石和少量铬尖晶石先结晶，沉淀在岩浆房底部；随后结晶的是斜方辉石和斜长石，斜方辉石也沉淀在岩浆房底部，斜长石由于密度较小集中中岩浆房上部，岩浆房的中部是：少量的斜长石小斑晶。由于斜方辉石和斜长石的结晶，这样岩浆中的Sc、Sr和Eu就会亏损，也是岩浆房底部堆积岩的原始捕获岩浆。火山喷发后，由于压力的突然降低，岩浆房底部的堆晶会发生再熔融，几乎消耗掉所有的斜方辉石，橄榄石也呈熔蚀状浑圆形态，重新熔融的斜方辉石导致超镁铁岩中残留岩浆比原始捕获岩浆更加富Sc，这种岩浆由于富MgO和在快速冷却的环境下同时结晶，最终形成光性方位一致的单刹辉石。喷发后岩浆房空间的剩余导致围岩-灰岩进入，造成岩浆房中剩余岩浆强烈的碳酸盐化。峨眉山玄武岩Cr-Mg#的相关关系定义一条正常玄武岩演化线。大多数这些玄武岩的Ni也保持了这种演化关系，其中低钦玄武岩和过渡型高钦玄武岩Ni-Mg＃相关关系远离了正常演化线，这些玄武岩的Cu-Mg#相关关系也有类似的情形。峨眉山低钦和过渡类型高钦玄武岩Ni和 Cu的非正常亏损，表明它们在地表下经历了硫饱和事件。金宝山岩浆硫化物矿床成岩模型的建立，为在整个大火成岩省寻找岩浆硫化物矿床提供了一种新认识。低钦和过渡型高钦玄武岩的古老火山口下部是岩浆硫化物矿床的所在地。

Deep crustal structure of the Parana Basin from receiver functions and Rayleigh-wave dispersion: Evidence for a fragmented cratonic root

The deep crustal structure of the Parana Basin of southern Brazil is investigated by analyzing P- and PP-wave receiver functions at 17 Brazilian Lithosphere Seismic Project stations within the basin. The study area can be described as a typical Paleozoic intracratonic basin that hosts one of the largest Large Igneous Province of the world and makes a unique setting for investigating models of basin subsidence and their interaction with mantle plumes. Our study consists of (1) an analysis of the Moho interaction phases in the receiver functions to obtain the thickness and bulk Vp/Vs ratio of the basin`s underlying crust and (2) a joint inversion with Rayleigh-wave dispersion velocities from an independent tomographic study to delineate the detailed S-wave velocity variation with depth. The results of our analysis reveal that Moho depths and bulk Vp/Vs ratios (including sediments) vary between 41 and 48 km and between 1.70 and 1.76, respectively, with the largest values roughly coinciding with the basin`s axis, and that S-wave velocities in the lower crust are generally below 3.8 km/s. Select sites within the basin, however, show lower crustal S-wave velocities slightly above 3.9 km/s suggestive of underplated mafic material. We show that these observations are consistent with a fragmented cratonic root under the Parana basin that defined a zone of weakness for the initial Paleozoic subsidence of the basin and which allowed localized mafic underplating of the crust along the suture zones by Cenozoic magmatism.

Trace element geochemistry and Sr-Nd characteristics of Mesoproterozoic mafic intrusive rocks from Rondonia, Brazil, SW Amazonian Craton: Petrogenetic and tectonic inferences

The Amazonian Craton comprises an Archean domain surrounded by four successively younger Proterozoic tectonic provinces. Within the Rio-Negro-Juruena province the Serra da Providencia Intrusive Suite (1.60 and 1.53 Ga) consists of A-type rapakivi granites, charnockites and mangerites genetically associated with diabase dikes, gabbros and amphibolites lites. The original mafic melts were derived from a depleted mantle source (epsilon(Nd(T)) + 2.5 to +2.8; epsilon(Sr(T)) - 12.1). Underplated mafic magma induced melting of a short-lived fielsic crust, thus originating coeval felsic-inafic magmatism in a continental intraplate setting. The Colorado Complex, assigned to the Rondonian-San Ignacio province, comprises 1.35-1.36 Ga intrusive bimodal magmatism represented by monzonite gneisses associated with amphibolite, gabbro and metadiabase dikes intercalated with metasediments with detrital zircon that yield U-Pb ages of 1.35 to 1.42 Ga. Mafic samples display juvenile signatures (epsilon(Nd(T)) 0.0 to +5.2; epsilon(Sr(T)) -5.0 to -30.7) and are less contaminated than the Serra da Previdencia and Nova Brasiladndia ones. The generation of the basaltic magma is related to the subduction of an oceanic slab below the peridotite wedge (intraoceanic arc setting). Fluids and/or small melts from the slab impregnated the mantle. The Nova Brasilandia Sequence (Sunsas-Aguapei province) comprises a metasedimentary sequence intruded by 1.10-1.02 Ga metadiabases, gabbros, meta-gabbros, and amphibolites associated with granitic plutons (bimodal magmatism). The original tholeiitic magmas, derived from a depleted source (epsilon(Nd(T)) = +3.1 to +5.0), in a proto-oceanic setting, underwent subsequent contamination by the host rocks, as indicated by the isotopic and trace element data.

Geochemistry and oxygen and iron isotope ratios of mafic rocks

Recycling of oceanic crust into the deep mantle via subduction is a widely accepted mechanism for creating compositional heterogeneity in the upper mantle and for explaining the distinct geochemistry of mantle plumes. The oxygen isotope ratios (d18O) of some ocean island basalts (OIB) span values both above and below that of unmetasomatised upper mantle (5.5 ± 0.4 per mil) and provide support for this hypothesis, as it is widely assumed that most variations in d18O are produced by near-surface low-temperature processes. Here we show a significant linear relationship between d18O and stable iron isotope ratios (d57Fe) in a suite of pristine eclogite xenoliths. The d18O values of both bulk samples and garnets range from values within error of normal mantle to significantly lighter values. The observed range and correlation between d18O and d57Fe is unlikely to be inherited from oceanic crust, as d57Fe values determined for samples of hydrothermally altered oceanic crust do not differ significantly from the mantle value and show no correlation with d18O. It is proposed that the correlated d57Fe and d18O variations in this particular eclogite suite are predominantly related to isotopic fractionation by disequilibrium partial melting although modification by melt percolation processes cannot be ruled out. Fractionation of Fe and O isotopes by removal of partial melt enriched in isotopically heavy Fe and O is supported by negative correlations between bulk sample d57Fe and Cr content and bulk sample and garnet d18O and Sc contents, as Cr and Sc are elements that become enriched in garnet- and pyroxene-bearing melt residues. Melt extraction could take place either during subduction, where the eclogites represent the residues of melted oceanic lithosphere, or could take place during long-term residence within the lithospheric mantle, in which case the protoliths of the eclogites could be of either crustal or mantle origin. This modification of both d57Fe and d18O by melting processes and specifically the production of low-d18O signatures in mafic rocks implies that some of the isotopically light d18O values observed in OIB and eclogite xenoliths may not necessarily reflect near-surface processes or components.

Isotope ratios and trace element concentrations of basalts from DSDP Leg 15 sites (Appendix 1)

Formation of the Cretaceous Caribbean plateau, including the komatiites of Gorgona, has been linked to the currently active Galápagos hotspot. We use Hf-Nd isotopes and trace element data to characterise both the Caribbean plateau and the Galápagos hotspot, and to investigate the relationship between them. Four geochemical components are identified in the Galápagos mantle plume: two 'enriched' components with epsilon-Hf and epsilon-Nd similar to enriched components observed in other mantle plumes, one moderately enriched component with high Nb/Y, and a fourth component which most likely represents depleted MORB source mantle. The Caribbean plateau basalt data form a linear array in Hf-Nd isotope space, consistent with mixing between two mantle components. Combined Hf-Nd-Pb-Sr-He isotope and trace element data from this study and the literature suggest that the more enriched Caribbean end member corresponds to one or both of the enriched components identified on Galápagos. Likewise, the depleted end member of the array is geochemically indistinguishable from MORB and corresponds to the depleted component of the Galápagos system. Enriched basalts from Gorgona partially overlap with the Caribbean plateau array in epsilon-Hf vs. epsilon-Nd, whereas depleted basalts, picrites and komatiites from Gorgona have a high epsilon-Hf for a given epsilon-Nd, defining a high-epsilon-Hf depleted end member that is not observed elsewhere within the Caribbean plateau sequences. This component is similar, however, in terms of Hf-Nd-Pb-He isotopes and trace elements to the depleted plume component recognised in basalts from Iceland and along the Reykjanes Ridge. We suggest that the Caribbean plateau represents the initial outpourings of the ancestral Galápagos plume. Absence of a moderately enriched, high Nb/Y component in the older Caribbean plateau (but found today on the island of Floreana) is either due to changing source compositions of the plume over its 90 Ma history, or is an artifact of limited sampling. The high-epsilon-Hf depleted component sampled by the Gorgona komatiites and depleted basalts is unique to Gorgona and is not found in the Caribbean plateau. This may be an indication of the scale of heterogeneity of the Caribbean plateau system; alternatively Gorgona may represent a separate oceanic plateau derived from a completely different Pacific plume, such as the Sala y Gomez.

(Table 1) Bulk geochemistry of some lavas at DSDP Hole 55-433C

According to Wilson's (1963a, b) hypothesis, the volcanoes of the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain are formed as the Pacific lithospheric plate moves over a source of magma in the mantle. Morgan (1971, 1972) proposed that these "hot spots" resulted from "mantle plumes" that rise vertically from the core/mantle boundary and that are fixed about the deep mantle and rotating globe poles. The age of volcanoes increases with distance away from the recent "hot spot" beneath Kilauea volcano. The Hawaiian-Emperor bend indicates that the direction of motion of the Pacific plate changed about 40 m.y. ago.

Chemical composition of basalts and basaltic glasses from the Sierra Leone Fracture Zone region

Major and trace element (including REE) geochemistry of basalts and chilled basaltic glasses from the MAR axial zone in the vicinity of the Sierra Leone FZ (5-7°10'N) has been studied. Associations of basalts of various compositions with particular ocean-floor geological structural features have been analyzed as well. Three basaltic varieties have been discriminated. Almost ubiquitous are high-Mg basalts (Variety 1) that are derivatives of N-MORB tholeiitic melts and that are produced in the axial zone of spreading. Variety 2 is alkaline basalts widespread on the southwestern flank of the MAR crest zone in the Sierra Leone region, likely generated through deep mantle melting under plume impact. Variety 3 is basalts derivative from T- and P-MORB-like tholeiitic melts and originating through addition of deeper mantle material to depleted upper mantle melts. Magma generation parameters, as calculated from chilled glass compositions, are different for depleted tholeiites (44-55 km, 1320-1370°C) and enriched tholeiites (45-78 km, 1330-1450°C). Mantle plume impact is shown to affect not only tholeiitic basalt compositions but also magma generation conditions in the axial spreading zone, resulting in higher Ti and Na concentrations in melts parental to rift-related basalts occurring near the plume. T- and P-MORBs are also developed near areas where mantle plumes are localized. High-Mg basalts are shown to come in several types with distinctive Ti and Na contents. Nearly every single MAR segment (bounded by sinistral strike slips and the Bogdanov Fracture Zone) is featured by its own basalt type suggesting that it has formed above an asthenospheric diapir with its unique magma generation conditions. These conditions are time variable. Likely causes of temporal and spatial instability of the mantle upwelling beneath this portion of the MAR are singular tectonic processes and plume activity. In sulfide-bearing rift morphostructures (so-called "Ore area'' and the Markov Basin), basalts make up highly evolved suites generated through olivine and plagioclase fractionation, which is suggestive of relatively long-lived magma chambers beneath the sulfide-bearing rift morphostructures. Functioning of these chambers is a combined effect of singular geodynamic regime and plume activity. In these chambers melts undergo deep differentiation leading to progressively increasing concentration of sulfide phase, eventually to be supplied to the hydrothermal plumbing system.

Major and trace element content of the 17 lithostratigraphic units recovered during DSDP Leg 49 (Table 1)

IPOD Leg 49 recovered basalts from 9 holes at 7 sites along 3 transects across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: 63°N (Reykjanes), 45°N and 36°N (FAMOUS area). This has provided further information on the nature of mantle heterogeneity in the North Atlantic by enabling studies to be made of the variation of basalt composition with depth and with time near critical areas (Iceland and the Azores) where deep mantle plumes are thought to exist. Over 150 samples have been analysed for up to 40 major and trace elements and the results used to place constraints on the petrogenesis of the erupted basalts and hence on the geochemical nature of their source regions. It is apparent that few of the recovered basalts have the geochemical characteristics of typical "depleted" midocean ridge basalts (MORB). An unusually wide range of basalt compositions may be erupted at a single site: the range of rare earth patterns within the short section cored at Site 413, for instance, encompasses the total variation of REE patterns previously reported from the FAMOUS area. Nevertheless it is possible to account for most of the compositional variation at a single site by partial melting processes (including dynamic melting) and fractional crystallization. Partial melting mechanisms seem to be the dominant processes relating basalt compositions, particularly at 36°N and 45°N, suggesting that long-lived sub-axial magma chambers may not be a consistent feature of the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Comparisons of basalts erupted at the same ridge segment for periods of the order of 35 m.y. (now lying along the same mantle flow line) do show some significant inter-site differences in Rb/Sr, Ce/Yb, 87Sr/86Sr, etc., which cannot be accounted for by fractionation mechanisms and which must reflect heterogeneities in the mantle source. However when hygromagmatophile (HYG) trace element levels and ratios are considered, it is the constancy or consistency of these HYG ratios which is the more remarkable, implying that the mantle source feeding a particular ridge segment was uniform with respect to these elements for periods of the order of 35 m.y. and probably since the opening of the Atlantic. Yet these HYG element ratios at 63°N are very different from those at 45°N and 36°N and significantly different from the values at 22°N and in "MORB". The observed variations are difficult to reconcile with current concepts of mantle plumes and binary mixing models. The mantle is certainly heterogeneous, but there is not simply an "enriched" and a "depleted" source, but rather a range of sources heterogeneous on different scales for different elements - to an extent and volume depending on previous depletion/enrichment events. HYG element ratios offer the best method of defining compositionally different mantle segments since they are little modified by the fractionation processes associated with basalt generation.

Element analyses and isotope composition of basalts from the West Valley segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge, northeast Pacific

The 50 km-long West Valley segment of the northern Juan de Fuca Ridge is a young, extension-dominated spreading centre, with volcanic activity concentrated in its southern half. A suite of basalts dredged from the West Valley floor, the adjacent Heck Seamount chain, and a small near-axis cone here named Southwest Seamount, includes a spectrum of geochemical compositions ranging from highly depleted normal (N-) MORB to enriched (E-) MORB. Heck Seamount lavas have chondrite-normalized La/Sm en -0.3, 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70235 - 0.70242, and 206Pb/204Pb = 18.22 - 18.44, requiring a source which is highly depleted in trace elements both at the time of melt generation and over geologic time. The E-MORB from Southwest Seamount have La/Sm en -1.8, 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70245 - 0.70260, and 206Pb/204Pb = 18.73 - 19.15, indicating a more enriched source. Basalts from the West Valley floor have chemical compositions intermediate between these two end-members. As a group, West Valley basalts from a two-component mixing array in element-element and element-isotope plots which is best explained by magma mixing. Evidence for crustal-level magma mixing in some basalts includes mineral-melt chemical and isotopic disequilibrium, but mixing of melts at depth (within the mantle) may also occur. The mantle beneath the northern Juan de Fuca Ridge is modelled as a plum-pudding, with "plums" of enriched, amphibole-bearing peridotite floating in a depleted matrix (DM). Low degrees of melting preferentially melt the "plums", initially removing only the amphibole component and producing alkaline to transitional E-MORB. Higher degrees of melting tap both the "plums" and the depleted matrix to yield N-MORB. The subtly different isotopic compositions of the E-MORBs compared to the N-MORBs require that any enriched component in the upper mantle was derived from a depleted source. If the enriched component crystallized from fluids with a DM source, the "plums" could evolve to their more evolved isotopic composition after a period of 1.5-2.0 Ga. Alternatively, the enriched component could have formed recently from fluids with a lessdepleted source than DM, such as subducted oceanic crust. A third possibility is that enriched material might be dispersed as "plums" throughout the upper mantle, transported from depth by mantle plumes.