More Like this

1. The Mercury Isotopic Composition of Earth's Mantle and the Use of Mass Independently Fractionated Hg to Test for Recycled Crust

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL094301  

   Moynier, Frédéric ; Jackson, Matthew G. ; Zhang, Ke ; Cai, Hongming ; Halldórsson, Sæmundur Ari ; Pik, Raphael ; Day, James M. D. ; Chen, Jiubin ( September 2021 , Geophysical Research Letters)

   The element mercury (Hg) can develop large mass‐independent fractionation (MIF) (Δ¹⁹⁹Hg) due to photo‐chemical reactions at Earth's surface. This results in globally negative Δ¹⁹⁹Hg for terrestrial sub‐aerially‐derived materials and positive Δ¹⁹⁹Hg for sub‐aqueously‐derived marine sediments. The mantle composition least affected by crustal recycling is estimated from high‐³He/⁴He lavas from Samoa and Iceland, providing an average of Δ¹⁹⁹Hg = 0.00 ± 0.10, Δ²⁰¹Hg = −0.02 ± 0.0.09,δ²⁰²Hg = −1.7 ± 1.2; 2SD,N = 11. By comparison, a HIMU‐type lava from Tubuai exhibits positive Δ¹⁹⁹Hg, consistent with altered oceanic crust in its mantle source. A Samoan (EM2) lava has negative Δ¹⁹⁹Hg reflecting incorporation of continental crust materials into its source. Three Pitcairn lavas exhibit positive Δ¹⁹⁹Hg which correlate with⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, consistent with variable proportions of continental (low Δ¹⁹⁹Hg and high⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and oceanic (high Δ¹⁹⁹Hg and low⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) crustal material in their mantle sources. These observations indicate that MIF signatures offer a powerful tool for examining atmosphere‐deep Earth interactions.

    

   more » « less
2. Carbonatite Versus Silicate Melt Metasomatism Impacts Grain Scale 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and 143 Nd/ 144 Nd Heterogeneity in Polynesian Mantle Peridotite Xenoliths

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GC009749  

   Byerly, Benjamin L. ; Jackson, M. G. ; Bizimis, M. ( September 2021 , Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems)

   The Earth's upper mantle is isotopically heterogeneous over large lengthscales, but the lower limit of these heterogeneities is not well quantified. Grain scale trace elemental variability has been observed in mantle peridotites, which suggests that isotopic heterogeneity may be preserved as well. Recent advances in isotope ratio mass spectrometry enable isotopic analysis of very small samples (e.g., nanograms or less of analyte) while maintaining the precision necessary for meaningful interpretation. Here we examine four peridotite xenoliths—hosted in lavas from Savai'i (Samoa hotspot) and Tahiti (Societies hotspot) islands—that exhibit grain scale trace element heterogeneity likely related to trapped fluid and/or melt inclusions. To evaluate whether this heterogeneity is also reflected in grain scale isotopic heterogeneity, we separated clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and (in the most geochemically enriched xenolith) olivine for single‐grain⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd analyses. We find, in some xenoliths, extreme intra‐xenolith isotopic heterogeneity. For example, in one xenolith, different mineral grains range in⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr from 0.70987 to 0.71321, with corresponding variability in¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd from 0.512331 to 0.512462. However, not all peridotite xenoliths which display trace elemental heterogeneity exhibit isotopic heterogeneity. Based on coupled isotopic and trace element data (i.e., a negatively‐sloping trend in⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr vs. Ti/Eu), we suggest that carbonatitic metasomatism is responsible for creating the intra‐xenolith isotopic heterogeneities which we observe. This carbonatitic component falls off the array defined in⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr‐¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd space by Samoa hotspot basalts, which suggests a second, distinct EM2 (enriched mantle II) component is present in the Samoa hotspot that is not readily recognized in erupted products, but is instead seen only in mantle peridotite xenoliths.

    

   more » « less
3. Hot and Heterogenous High‐ 3 He/ 4 He Components: New Constraints From Proto‐Iceland Plume Lavas From Baffin Island

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GC008654  

   Willhite, Lori N. ; Jackson, Matthew G. ; Blichert‐Toft, Janne ; Bindeman, Ilya ; Kurz, Mark D. ; Halldórsson, Sæmundur A. ; Harðardóttir, Sunna ; Gazel, Esteban ; Price, Allison A. ; Byerly, Benjamin L. ( December 2019 , Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems)

   The Icelandic hotspot has erupted basaltic magma with the highest mantle‐derived³He/⁴He over a period spanning much of the Cenozoic, from the early‐Cenozoic Baffin Island‐West Greenland flood basalt province (49.8R_A), to mid‐Miocene lavas in northwest Iceland (40.2 to 47.5R_A), to Pleistocene lavas in Iceland's neovolcanic zone (34.3R_A). The Baffin Island lavas transited through and potentially assimilated variable amounts of Precambrian continental basement. We use geochemical indicators sensitive to continental crust assimilation (Nb/Th, Ce/Pb, MgO) to identify the least crustally contaminated lavas. Four lavas, identified as “least crustally contaminated,” have high MgO (>15 wt.%), and Nb/Th and Ce/Pb that fall within the mantle range (Nb/Th = 15.6 ± 2.6, Ce/Pb = 24.3 ± 4.3). These lavas have⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.703008–0.703021,¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.513094–0.513128,¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf = 0.283265–0.283284,²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 17.7560–17.9375,³He/⁴He up to 39.9R_A, and mantle‐like δ¹⁸O of 5.03–5.21‰. The radiogenic isotopic compositions of the least crustally contaminated lavas are more geochemically depleted than Iceland high‐³He/⁴He lavas, a shift that cannot be explained by continental crust assimilation in the Baffin suite. Thus, we argue for the presence oftwogeochemically distinct high‐³He/⁴He components within the Iceland plume. Additionally, the least crustally contaminated primary melts from Baffin Island‐West Greenland have higher mantle potential temperatures (1510 to 1630 °C) than Siqueiros mid‐ocean ridge basalts (1300 to 1410 °C), which attests to a hot, buoyant plume origin for early Iceland plume lavas. These observations support the contention that the geochemically heterogeneous high‐³He/⁴He domain is dense, located in the deep mantle, and sampled by only the hottest plumes.

    

   more » « less
4. Testing the Recycled Gabbro Hypothesis for the Origin of “Ghost Plagioclase” Melt Signatures Using 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of Individual Olivine‐Hosted Melt Inclusions From Hawai'i

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GC009260  

   Anderson, O. E. ; Jackson, M. G. ; Rose‐Koga, E. F. ; Marske, J. P. ; Peterson, M. E. ; Price, A. A. ; Byerly, B. L. ; Reinhard, A. A. ( April 2021 , Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems)

   Melt inclusions with large, positive Sr anomalies have been described in multiple tectonic settings, and the origins of this unusual geochemical feature are debated. Three origins have been proposed, all involving plagioclase as the source of the elevated Sr: (i) direct assimilation of plagioclase‐rich lithologies, (ii) recycled lower oceanic gabbro in the mantle source, and (iii) shallow‐level diffusive interaction between present day lower oceanic crust (i.e., plagioclase‐bearing lithologies) and the percolating melt. A “ghost plagioclase” signature (i.e., a large, positive Sr anomaly without associated high Al₂O₃) is present in melt inclusions from Mauna Loa. We present new⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr measurements of individual olivine‐hosted melt inclusions from three Hawaiian volcanoes, Mauna Loa, Loihi, and Koolau. The data set includes a Mauna Loa melt inclusion with the highest reported Sr anomaly (or highest (Sr/Ce)_N, which is 7.2) for Hawai'i. All melt inclusions have⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values within the range reported previously for the lavas from each volcano. Critically, the⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of the high (Sr/Ce)_Nmelt inclusion lies within the narrow range of⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr for Mauna Loa melts that lack high (Sr/Ce)_Nsignatures. Therefore, to explain the high (Sr/Ce)_Nratio of the ghost plagioclase signature using an ancient recycled gabbro, the gabbro‐infused mantle source would have had to evolve, by chance, to have the same⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr as the source of the Mauna Loa melts that lack a recycled gabbro (ghost plagioclase) signature. Alternatively, shallow‐level diffusive interactions between Mauna Loa plagioclase‐rich cumulates and a percolating mantle‐derived melt provides a simpler explanation for the presence of the high (Sr/Ce)_NMauna Loa melts.

    

   more » « less
5. Geochemical Constraints on the Origin of Primitive Potassic Lavas in the Eastern Virunga Volcanic Province

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GC010950  

   Pitcavage, E. ; Furman, T. ; Nelson, W. R. ; Graham, D. W. ; Shirey, S. ; Kulyanyingi, P. K. ; Barifaijo, E. ( June 2023 , Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems)

   Young mafic lavas from the East African Western Rift record melting of subcontinental lithospheric mantle that was metasomatically modified by multiple tectonic events. We report new isotope data from monogenetic cinder cones near Bufumbira, Uganda, in the Virunga Volcanic Field:⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7059–0.7079,ε_Nd = −6.5 to −1.3,ε_Hf = −6.3 to +0.9,²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 40.1–40.7,²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.68–15.75, and²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 19.27–19.45. Olivine phenocrysts from the Bufumbira lavas have³He/⁴He = 6.0–7.4R_A. The isotopic data, in conjunction with major and trace element systematics, indicate that primitive Bufumbira magmas are derived from two different metasomatized lithospheric source domains. Melts generated by lower degrees of melting record greater contributions from ∼1 to 2 Ga isotopically enriched garnet‐amphibole‐phlogopite pyroxenite veins within the lithosphere. As melting progresses, these vein melts become increasingly diluted by melts that originate near the lithosphere/asthenosphere boundary, shifting the isotopic compositions toward the common lithospheric mantle (CLM) proposed by Furman and Graham (1999,https://doi.org/10.1016/s0024-4937(99)00031-6). This ∼450–500 Ma source domain appears to underlie all Western Rift volcanic provinces and is characterized by⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ∼ 0.705,ε_Nd∼ 0,ε_Hf∼ +1 to +3,²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ∼ 19.0–19.2,²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ∼ 39.7, and³He/⁴He ∼ 7R_A. Basal portions of the dense subcontinental lithospheric mantle may become gravitationally unstable and founder into underlying warmer asthenosphere, exposing surfaces where melting of locally heterogeneous veins produces small‐volume, alkaline mafic melts. Mafic lavas from all Western Rift volcanic provinces record mixing between the CLM and locally variable metasomatized source domains, suggesting this style of melt generation is fundamental to the development of magma‐poor rifts.

    

   more » « less