Major and trace element abundances, including highly siderophile elements, and 187Os and 182W isotopic compositions were determined for ca. 89 Ma mafic and ultramafic rocks from the islands of Gorgona (Colombia) and Curaçao (Dutch Caribbean). The volcanic systems of both islands were likely associated with a mantle plume that generated the Caribbean Large Igneous Provence. The major and lithophile trace element characteristics of the rocks examined are consistent with the results of prior studies, and indicate derivation from both a chemically highly-depleted mantle component, and an enriched, or less highly-depleted mantle component. Highly siderophile element abundances for these rocks are generally similar to rocks with comparable MgO globally, indicating that the major source components were not substantially enriched or depleted in these elements. Rhenium-Os isotopic systematics of most rocks of both islands indicate derivation from a mantle source with an initial 187Os/188Os ratio between that of the contemporaneous average depleted mid-ocean ridge mantle and bulk silicate Earth. The composition may reflect either an average lower mantle signature, or global-scale Os isotopic heterogeneity in the upper mantle. Some of the basalts, as well as two of the komatiites, are characterized by calculated initial 187Os/188Os ratios 10-15% higher than the chondritic reference. These more radiogenic Os isotopic compositions do not correlate with major or trace element systematics, and indicate a mantle source component that was most likely produced by either sulfide metasomatism or ancient Re/Os fractionation. Tungsten-182 isotopic compositions measured for rocks from both islands are characterized by variable 182W values ranging from modern bulk silicate Earth-like to strongly negative values. The 182W values do not correlate with major/trace element abundances or initial 187Os/188Os compositions. As with some modern ocean island basalt systems, however, the lowest 182W value (-53) measured, for a Gorgona olivine gabbro, corresponds with the highest 3He/4He previously measured from the suite (15.8 R/RA). Given the lack of correlation with other chemical/isotopic compositions, the mantle component characterized by negative 182W and possibly high 3He/4He is most parsimoniously explained to have formed as a result of isotopic equilibration between the mantle and core at the core-mantle boundary.
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This content will become publicly available on August 1, 2025
Evolution of tungsten isotope systematics in the Mauna Kea volcano provides new constraints on anomalous µ182W and high 3He/4He in the mantle
Highly siderophile element abundances and 182W/184W and 187Os/188Os were determined for a suite of Mauna Kea lavas from the Hawaiian Scientific Drilling Project phase 2 drill core. The new analyses, combined with previous measurements, compose the largest database for μ182W (the parts-per-million deviation of 182W/184W from a terrestrial standard) for a single volcano (n = 16). Although most lavas analyzed are characterized by negative μ182W values, lavas with values similar to the modern bulk silicate Earth are found throughout the entire stratigraphic column. This suggests that components with normal μ182W are collocated with components that host μ182W deficits in the plume. Negative μ182W values are associated with elevated 3He/4He, as well as elevated Ti and Nb. These correlations may link μ182W anomalies to ancient deep mantle crystal-liquid fractionation processes. Consistent with previously measured 3He/4He (R/RA) in the drill core, the magnitude of negative μ182W values was greatest when Mauna Kea was close to the plume axis then generally decreased over the ~400 kyr captured by the stratigraphic section. The component with anomalous μ182W was either concentrated near the plume axis, or was more effectively sampled by melting near the plume axis where the temperature excess was greatest, suggesting it was less fusible than the dominant plume components. The process leading to the generation of a mantle component with a negative μ182W anomaly could either be related to some form of core-mantle isotopic equilibration, or early-Earth fractionation within the silicate Earth. At present each possibility remains viable.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2121979
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10519265
- Publisher / Repository:
- Elsevier
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Earth and Planetary Science Letters
- Volume:
- 640
- Issue:
- C
- ISSN:
- 0012-821X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 118795
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Mantle plumes Ocean island basalts Tungsten isotopes
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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