Slab melting as a barrier to deep carbon subduction

Interactions between crustal and mantle reservoirs dominate the surface inventory of volatile elements over geological time, moderating atmospheric composition and maintaining a lifesupporting planet1. While volcanoes expel volatile components into surface reservoirs, subduction of oceanic crust is responsible for replenishment of mantle reservoirs2,3. Many natural, ‘superdeep’ diamonds originating in the deep upper mantle and transition zone host mineral inclusions, indicating an affinity to subducted oceanic crust4–7. Here we show that the majority of slab geotherms will intersect a deep depression along the melting curve of carbonated oceanic crust at depths of approximately 300 to 700 kilometres, creating a barrier to direct carbonate recycling into the deep mantle. Low-degree partial melts are alkaline carbonatites that are highly reactive with reduced ambient mantle, producing diamond. Many inclusions in superdeep diamonds are best explained by carbonate melt–peridotite reaction. A deep carbon barrier may dominate the recycling of carbon in the mantle and contribute to chemical and isotopic heterogeneity of the mantle reservoir

Dehydration of subducting slow-spread oceanic lithosphere in the Lesser Antilles

Subducting slabs carry water into the mantle and are a major gateway in the global geochemical water cycle. Fluid transport and release can be constrained with seismological data. Here we use joint active-source/local-earthquake seismic tomography to derive unprecedented constraints on multi-stage fluid release from subducting slow-spread oceanic lithosphere. We image the low P-wave velocity crustal layer on the slab top and show that it disappears beneath 60–100 km depth, marking the depth of dehydration metamorphism and eclogitization. Clustering of seismicity at 120–160 km depth suggests that the slab’s mantle dehydrates beneath the volcanic arc, and may be the main source of fluids triggering arc magma generation. Lateral variations in seismic properties on the slab surface suggest that serpentinized peridotite exhumed in tectonized slow-spread crust near fracture zones may increase water transport to sub-arc depths. This results in heterogeneous water release and directly impacts earthquakes generation and mantle wedge dynamics

Gravity modeling of the Muertos Trough and tectonic implications (north-eastern Caribbean)

The Muertos Trough in the northeast Caribbean has been interpreted as a subduction zone from seismicity, leading to infer a possible reversal subduction polarity. However, the distribution of the seismicity is very diffuse and makes definition of the plate geometry difficult. In addition, the compressive deformational features observed in the upper crust and sandbox kinematic modeling do not necessarily suggest a subduction process. We tested the hypothesized subduction of the Caribbean plate’s interior beneath the eastern Greater Antilles island arc using gravity modeling. Gravity models simulating a subduction process yield a regional mass deficit beneath the island arc independently of the geometry and depth of the subducted slab used in the models. This mass deficit results from sinking of the less dense Caribbean slab beneath the lithospheric mantle replacing denser mantle materials and suggests that there is not a subducted Caribbean plateau beneath the island arc. The geologically more realistic gravity model which would explain the N–S shortening observed in the upper crust requires an overthrusted Caribbean slab extending at least 60 km northward from the deformation front, a progressive increase in the thrusting angle from 8 to 30 reaching a maximum depth of 22 km beneath the insular slope. This new tectonic model for the Muertos Margin, defined as a retroarc thrusting, will help to assess the seismic and tsunami hazard in the region. The use of gravity modeling has provided targets for future wide-angle seismic surveys in the Muertos Margin

An oceanic subduction origin for Archaean granitoids revealed by silicon isotopes

Co-auteur étrangerInternational audienceModern oceanic crust is constantly produced at oceanic ridges and recycled back into the mantle at subduction zones via plate tectonics. An outstanding question in geology is whether the Earth started in a non-plate tectonic regime, and if it did, when the transition to the modern regime occurred. This is a complicated question to address because Archaean rocks lack mod-ern equivalents to anchor interpretations. Here, we present a silicon isotopic study of 4.0–2.8-Gyr-old tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorites, as well as Palaeozoic granites and modern adakites. We show that Archaean granitoids have heavier silicon isotopic compositions than granites and adakites, regardless of melting pressure. This is best explained if Archaean granitoids were formed by melting of subducted basaltic crust enriched in sedimentary silica through interaction with seawater. Before the appearance of silica-forming organisms 0.5–0.6 billion years ago, the oceans were close to silicon saturation, which led to extensive precipitation of cherts on the seafloor. This is in contrast to modern oceans, where silica biomineralization maintains dissolved silicon at low concentration. The unique heavy silicon isotope signature of cherts has been transferred to Archaean granitoids during an oceanic subduction process, which was probably responsible for the formation of felsic rocks on Archaean emerged lands

Kinematic variables and water transport control the formation and location of arc volcanoes

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