Tracking along-arc sediment inputs to the Aleutian arc using thallium isotopes.

Sediment transport from the subducted slab to the mantle wedge is an important process in understanding the chemical and physical conditions of arc magma generation. The Aleutian arc offers an excellent opportunity to study sediment transport processes because the subducted sediment flux varies systematically along strike (Kelemen et al., 2003) and many lavas exhibit unambiguous signatures of sediment addition to the sub-arc mantle (Morris et al., 1990). However, the exact sediment contribution to Aleutian lavas and how these sediments are transported from the slab to the surface are still debated. Thallium (Tl) isotope ratios have great potential to distinguish sediment fluxes in subduction zones because pelagic sediments and low-temperature altered oceanic crust are highly enriched in Tl and display heavy and light Tl isotope compositions, respectively, compared with the upper mantle and continental crust. Here, we investigate the Tl isotope composition of lavas covering almost the entire Aleutian arc a well as sediments outboard of both the eastern (DSDP Sites 178 and 183) and central (ODP Hole 886C) portions of the arc. Sediment Tl isotope compositions change systematically from lighter in the Eastern to heavier in the Central Aleutians reflecting a larger proportion of pelagic sediments when distal from the North American continent. Lavas in the Eastern and Central Aleutians mirror this systematic change to heavier Tl isotope compositions to the west, which shows that the subducted sediment composition is directly translated to the arc east of Kanaga Island. Moreover, quantitative mixing models of Tl and Pb, Sr and Nd isotopes reveal that bulk sediment transfer of ∼0.6–1.0% by weight in the Eastern Aleutians and ∼0.2–0.6% by weight in the Central Aleutians can account for all four isotope systems. Bulk mixing models, however, require that fractionation of trace element ratios like Ce/Pb, Cs/Tl, and Sr/Nd in the Central and Eastern Aleutians occurs after the sediment component was mixed with the mantle wedge. Models of Sr and Nd isotopes that involve sediment melting require either high degrees of sediment melting (>50%), in which case trace element ratios like Ce/Pb, Cs/Tl, and Sr/Nd of Aleutian lavas need to be produced after mixing with the mantle, or significant fluid additions from the underlying oceanic crust with Sr and Nd isotope compositions indistinguishable from the mantle wedge as well as high Sr/Nd ratios similar to that of low (<20%) degree sediment melts. Thallium isotope data from Western Aleutian lavas exhibit compositions slightly lighter than the upper mantle, which implies a negligible sediment flux at this location and probably involvement of low-temperature altered oceanic crust in the generation of these lavas. In general, the lightest Tl isotope compositions are observed for the highest Sr/Y ratios and most unradiogenic Sr and Pb isotope compositions, which is broadly consistent with derivation of these lavas via melting of eclogitized altered oceanic crust

Basalt derived from highly refractory mantle sources during early Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc development

The magmatic character of early subduction zone and arc development is unlike mature systems. Low-Ti-K tholeiitic basalts and boninites dominate the early Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) system. Basalts recovered from the Amami Sankaku Basin (ASB), underlying and located west of the IBM’s oldest remnant arc, erupted at ~49 Ma. This was 3 million years after subduction inception (51-52 Ma) represented by forearc basalt (FAB), at the tipping point between FAB-boninite and typical arc magmatism. We show ASB basalts are low-Ti-K, aluminous spinel-bearing tholeiites, distinct compared to mid-ocean ridge (MOR), backarc basin, island arc or ocean island basalts. Their upper mantle source was hot, reduced, refractory peridotite, indicating prior melt extraction. ASB basalts transferred rapidly from pressures (~0.7-2 GPa) at the plagioclase-spinel peridotite facies boundary to the surface. Vestiges of a polybaric-polythermal mineralogy are preserved in this basalt, and were not obliterated during persistent recharge-mix-tap-fractionate regimes typical of MOR or mature arcs

Origin of depleted basalts during subduction initiation and early development of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana island arc: Evidence from IODP expedition 351 site U1438, Amami-Sankaku basin

The Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) island arc formed following initiation of subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the Philippine Sea plate at about 52 Ma. Site U1438 of IODP Expedition 351 was drilled to sample the oceanic basement on which the IBM arc was constructed, to better understand magmatism prior to and during the subduction initiation event. Site U1438 igneous basement Unit 1 (150 m) was drilled beneath 1460 m of primarily volcaniclastic sediments and sedimentary rock. Basement basalts are microcrystalline to fine-grained flows and form several distinct subunits (1a-1f), all relatively mafic (MgO = 6.5–13.8%; Mg# = 52–83), with Cr = 71–506 ppm and Ni = 62–342 ppm. All subunits are depleted in non-fluid mobile incompatible trace elements. Ratios such as Sm/Nd (0.35–0.44), Lu/Hf (0.19–0.37), and Zr/Nb (55–106) reach the highest values found in MORB, while La/Yb (0.31–0.92), La/Sm (0.43–0.91) and Nb/La (0.39–0.59) reach the lowest values. Abundances of fluid-mobile incompatible elements, K, Rb, Cs and U, vary with rock physical properties, indicating control by post-eruptive seawater alteration, but lowest abundances are typical of fresh, highly depleted MORBs. Mantle sources for the different subunits define a trend of progressive incompatible element depletion. Inferred pressures of magma segregation are 0.6–2.1 GPa with temperatures of 1280–1470 °C. New 40Ar/39Ar dates for Site U1438 basalts averaging 48.7 Ma (Ishizuka et al., 2018) are younger that the inferred age of IBM subduction initiation based on the oldest ages (52 Ma) of IBM forearc basalts (FAB) from the eastern margin of the Philippine Sea plate. FAB are hypothesized to be the first magma type erupted as the Pacific plate subsided, followed by boninites, and ultimately typical arc magmas over a period of about 10 Ma. Site U1438 basalts and IBM FABs are similar, but Site U1438 basalts have lower V contents, higher Ti/V and little geochemical evidence for involvement of slab-derived fluids. We hypothesize that the asthenospheric upwelling and extension expected during subduction initiation occurred over a broad expanse of the upper plate, even as hydrous fluids were introduced near the plate edge to produce FABs and boninites. Site U1438 basalts formed by decompression melting during the first 3 Ma of subduction initiation, and were stranded behind the early IBM arc as mantle conditions shifted to flux melting beneath a well-defined volcanic front.This research was supported by grants from the Consortium for Ocean Leadership to R. Hickey-Vargas and G. Yogodzinski, and collaborative National Science Foundation grants OCE1537861 to R. Hickey-Vargas and OCE1537135 to G. Yogodzinski and M. Bizimis. O. Ishizuka acknowledges Grant-in-Aid (B) (No. 25287133) for sample preparation, and I.P. Savov acknowledges support from the UK-IODP and NERC NE/M007782/1. The authors thank the International Ocean Discovery Program for this opportunity and gratefully acknowledge the input and efforts of all Expedition 351 shipboard scientists, IODP staff and crew of the JOIDES Resolution. R. Hickey-Vargas thanks Dr. Tatiana Trejos and Dr. Jose Almirall of FIU’s Trace Evidence Analysis Facility for use of the ICP-mass spectrometers and for sharing their analytical expertise

Implications of Eocene-age Philippine Sea and forearc basalts for initiation and early history of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc

Whole-rock isotope ratio (Hf, Nd, Pb, Sr) and trace element data for basement rocks at ocean drilling Sites U1438, 1201 and 447 immediately west of the KPR (Kyushu-Palau Ridge) are compared to those of FAB (forearc basalts) previously interpreted to be the initial products of IBM subduction volcanism. West-of-KPR basement basalts (drill sites U1438, 1201, 447) and FAB occupy the same Hf-Nd and Pb-Pb isotopic space and share distinctive source characteristics with εHf mostly > 16.5 and up to εHf = 19.8, which is more radiogenic than most Indian mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). Lead isotopic ratios are depleted, with 206Pb/204Pb = 17.8–18.8 accompanying relatively high 208Pb/204Pb, indicating an Indian-MORB source unlike that of West Philippine Basin plume basalts. Some Sr isotopes show affects of seawater alteration, but samples with 87Sr/86Sr 8.0 appear to preserve magmatic compositions and also indicate a common source for west-of-KPR basement and FAB. Trace element ratios resistant to seawater alteration (La/Yb, Lu/Hf, Zr/Nb, Sm/Nd) in west-of-KPR basement are generally more depleted than normal MORB and so also appear similar to FAB. At Site U1438, only andesite sills intruding sedimentary rocks overlying the basement have subduction-influenced geochemical characteristics (εNd ∼ 6.6, εHf ∼ 13.8, La/Yb > 2.5, Nd/Hf ∼ 9). The key characteristic that unites drill site basement rocks west of KPR and FAB is the nature of their source, which is more depleted in lithophile trace elements than average MORB but with Hf, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios that are common in MORB. The lithophile element-depleted nature of FAB has been linked to initiation of IBM subduction in the Eocene, but Sm-Nd model ages and errorchron relationships in Site U1438 basement indicate that the depleted character of the rocks is a regional characteristic that was produced well prior to the time of subduction initiation and persists today in the source of modern IBM arc volcanic rocks with Sm/Nd > 0.34 and εNd ∼ 9.0.This work was supported by grants from the Consortium for Ocean Leadership to co-authors who participated in Exp. 351 of the International Ocean Discovery Program (GMY, RHV, AM, IPS, OI, and RA). This work was also supported by National Science Foundation grants OCE1537135 to GMY and MB, and OCE-1537861 to RHV; A Swiss National Science Foundation grant to O. Mu¨ntener (grant 200020/135511); a UK NERC grant (NE/ M007782/1) to IPS; and a Grant-in-Aid (B) to OI (No. 25287133) for sample preparation

Age of Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc basement

Documenting the early tectonic and magmatic evolution of the Izu–Bonin–Mariana (IBM) arc system in the Western Pacific is critical for understanding the process and cause of subduction initiation along the current convergent margin between the Pacific and Philippine Sea plates. Forearc igneous sections provide firm evidence for seafloor spreading at the time of subduction initiation (52 Ma) and production of “forearc basalt”. Ocean floor drilling (International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 351) recovered basement-forming, low-Ti tholeiitic basalt crust formed shortly after subduction initiation but distal from the convergent margin (nominally reararc) of the future IBM arc (Amami Sankaku Basin: ASB). Radiometric dating of this basement gives an age range (49.3–46.8 Ma with a weighted average of 48.7 Ma) that overlaps that of basalt in the present-day IBM forearc, but up to 3.3 m.y. younger than the onset of forearc basalt activity. Similarity in age range and geochemical character between the reararc and forearc basalts implies that the ocean crust newly formed by seafloor spreading during subduction initiation extends from fore- to reararc of the present-day IBM arc. Given the age difference between the oldest forearc basalt and the ASB crust, asymmetric spreading caused by ridge migration might have taken place. This scenario for the formation of the ASB implies that the Mesozoic remnant arc terrane of the Daito Ridges comprised the overriding plate at subduction initiation. The juxtaposition of a relatively buoyant remnant arc terrane adjacent to an oceanic plate was more favourable for subduction initiation than would have been the case if both downgoing and overriding plates had been oceanic.OI and YK appreciate JAMSTEC and J-DESC for their funding to join the expedition and post cruise research. IPS thanks UK-NERC for support for participation of the IODP cruise and part of the postcruise research. OI also used Grant-in-Aid (B) (No. 25287133) for shore-based research

Sr and O isotopes in western Aleutian seafloor lavas: Implications for the source of fluids and trace element character of arc volcanic rocks

Highlights • An eclogite-melt component (slab melt) is present in volcanic rocks throughout the Aleutian arc. • Fluids that drive slab melting are produced by dehydration of serpentinite in the subducting plate. • Slab melting encompasses a large section of mafic oceanic crust unaffected by seawater alteration. • The subducting plate beneath the Aleutian arc is hotter than indicated by most thermal models. Abstract High Mg# andesites and dacites (Mg# = molar Mg/Mg + Fe) from western Aleutian seafloor volcanoes carry high concentrations of Sr (>1000 ppm) that is unradiogenic (87Sr/86Sr 0.7030). Data patterns in plots of 87Sr/86Sr vs Y/Sr and Nd/Sr imply the existence of an eclogite-melt source component – formed by partial melting of MORB eclogite in the subducting Pacific Plate – which is most clearly expressed in the compositions of western Aleutian andesites and dacites (Nd/Sr and Y/Sr 2 km below the paleo-seafloor. Oxygen isotopes in western Aleutian seafloor lavas, which fall within a narrow range of MORB-like values (δ18O=5.1–5.7δ18O=5.1–5.7), are also consistent with this model. These results indicate that the subducting Pacific lithosphere beneath the Aleutian arc is significantly hotter than indicated my most thermal models

Age of Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc basement

Documenting the early tectonic and magmatic evolution of the Izu–Bonin–Mariana (IBM) arc system in the Western Pacific is critical for understanding the process and cause of subduction initiation along the current convergent margin between the Pacific and Philippine Sea plates. Forearc igneous sections provide firm evidence for seafloor spreading at the time of subduction initiation (52 Ma) and production of “forearc basalt”. Ocean floor drilling (International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 351) recovered basement-forming, low-Ti tholeiitic basalt crust formed shortly after subduction initiation but distal from the convergent margin (nominally reararc) of the future IBM arc (Amami Sankaku Basin: ASB). Radiometric dating of this basement gives an age range (49.3–46.8 Ma with a weighted average of 48.7 Ma) that overlaps that of basalt in the present-day IBM forearc, but up to 3.3 m.y. younger than the onset of forearc basalt activity. Similarity in age range and geochemical character between the reararc and forearc basalts implies that the ocean crust newly formed by seafloor spreading during subduction initiation extends from fore- to reararc of the present-day IBM arc. Given the age difference between the oldest forearc basalt and the ASB crust, asymmetric spreading caused by ridge migration might have taken place. This scenario for the formation of the ASB implies that the Mesozoic remnant arc terrane of the Daito Ridges comprised the overriding plate at subduction initiation. The juxtaposition of a relatively buoyant remnant arc terrane adjacent to an oceanic plate was more favourable for subduction initiation than would have been the case if both downgoing and overriding plates had been oceanic

A record of spontaneous subduction initiation in the Izu–Bonin–Mariana arc

The initiation of tectonic plate subduction into the mantle is poorly understood. If subduction is induced by the push of a distant mid-ocean ridge or subducted slab pull, we expect compression and uplift of the overriding plate. In contrast, spontaneous subduction initiation, driven by subsidence of dense lithosphere along faults adjacent to buoyant lithosphere, would result in extension and magmatism. The rock record of subduction initiation is typically obscured by younger deposits, so evaluating these possibilities has proved elusive. Here we analyse the geochemical characteristics of igneous basement rocks and overlying sediments, sampled from the Amami Sankaku Basin in the northwest Philippine Sea. The uppermost basement rocks are areally widespread and supplied via dykes. They are similar in composition and age—as constrained by the biostratigraphy of the overlying sediments—to the 52–48-million-year-old basalts in the adjacent Izu–Bonin–Mariana fore-arc. The geochemical characteristics of the basement lavas indicate that a component of subducted lithosphere was involved in their genesis, and the lavas were derived from mantle source rocks that were more melt-depleted than those tapped at mid-ocean ridges. We propose that the basement lavas formed during the inception of Izu–Bonin–Mariana subduction in a mode consistent with the spontaneous initiation of subduction

Yogodzinski_Gene_M_1985_Plate1.jpg

The Whitewater River area is located directly east of Mt. Jefferson in the Cascades of central Oregon. Approximately 90 mi2 (230 km2) were mapped (scale 1/24,000) and four new K-Ar ages and 151 major element analyses were obtained in a study of the stratigraphic and magmatic transition from the Miocene - Pliocene Deschutes Formation on the east to the Pliocene - Pleistocene High Cascades on the west. Deschutes strata in the Whitewater River area overlie late Miocene (8-11+ m.y.) andesites, dacites, and rhyodacites along an erosional unconformity. The oldest Deschutes rocks exposed in the Whitewater River area are approximately 6 m.y. old, and the youngest are probably between 4.5 and 5 m.y. old. The oldest High Cascade rocks exposed in the Whitewater River area are approximately 4.3 m.y. old. There is no evidence for a hiatus in volcanic activity between Deschutes and High Cascade time in the Whitewater River area. Late Pleistocene explosive volcanism, probably free Mt. Jefferson, is evidenced in a hornblende rhyodacite pyroclastic-flow deposit which occurs within the glacial stratigraphy and is tentatively thought to be between approximately 60,000 and 20,000 years old. Deschutes strata are dominated by pyroclastic lithologies (mostly ash-flow tuffs) with some lava flows and minor epiclastic sediment. Compositions range mostly between basaltic andesite and dacite. Many Deschutes-age rocks are aphyric, high in Fed, TiO2, and alkalies, and low in MgO, CaO, and A12O3. They define a tholeiitic trend extending at least from basaltic andesite to dacite that can largely be derived through fractional crystallization of plagioclase, olivine, magnetite, and clinopyroxene from a parent magma, probably of basaltic composition. These rocks are compositionally similar to "tholeiitic anorogenic andesites" that are most commonly associated with areas of crustal extension. Rocks of High Cascade age in the Whitewater River area are mostly lava flaws that range in composition from basalt (high-alumina, olivine tholeiite) to rhyodacite. The High Cascade suite forms a calc-alkalic association that is typical of subduction-related magmatic arcs. Fractional crystallization of the basalts leads to iron-enrichment. Fractional crystallization of the basaltic andesites might lead to calc-alkalic compositions, but the mineral phases necessary to deplete the magmas in FeO, TiO2, and CaO (magnetite and clinopyroxene) are not common phenocryst phases in the basaltic andesites or andesites. Two northwest-trending, down-to-the-west normal faults with sane possible strike-slip motion have been mapped in the upper Whitewater River area, directly west of Lion's Head. Motion on these faults occurred after approximately 4 m.y. ago, but probably began prior to that time. There is between 200 and 400 ft (60-120 m) of apparent vertical separation on the western side of these faults. There may be a large, northwest-trending fault running from the south end of Green Ridge, through Bald Peter and the Whitewater River area, but this structure is largely buried by younger volcanic rocks. There is no evidence for a northern extension of the north-trending Green Ridge faults, and there is no evidence for large structural displacement in the lower Whitewater River along north- or northwest-trending structures. The Deschutes Formation - High Cascade transition in the Whitewater River area is marked by a switch in the eruptive style and in the dominant magmatic compositions during Deschutes and High Cascade times. Volcanism in the Whitewater River area does not appear to have been episodic with respect to volume and/or intensity; rather, the character of magmatism has varied with time and with the tectonic style through the period immediately prior to and following the formation of the High cascade graben

Yogodzinski_Gene_M_1985_Plate2.jpg

The Whitewater River area is located directly east of Mt. Jefferson in the Cascades of central Oregon. Approximately 90 mi2 (230 km2) were mapped (scale 1/24,000) and four new K-Ar ages and 151 major element analyses were obtained in a study of the stratigraphic and magmatic transition from the Miocene - Pliocene Deschutes Formation on the east to the Pliocene - Pleistocene High Cascades on the west. Deschutes strata in the Whitewater River area overlie late Miocene (8-11+ m.y.) andesites, dacites, and rhyodacites along an erosional unconformity. The oldest Deschutes rocks exposed in the Whitewater River area are approximately 6 m.y. old, and the youngest are probably between 4.5 and 5 m.y. old. The oldest High Cascade rocks exposed in the Whitewater River area are approximately 4.3 m.y. old. There is no evidence for a hiatus in volcanic activity between Deschutes and High Cascade time in the Whitewater River area. Late Pleistocene explosive volcanism, probably free Mt. Jefferson, is evidenced in a hornblende rhyodacite pyroclastic-flow deposit which occurs within the glacial stratigraphy and is tentatively thought to be between approximately 60,000 and 20,000 years old. Deschutes strata are dominated by pyroclastic lithologies (mostly ash-flow tuffs) with some lava flows and minor epiclastic sediment. Compositions range mostly between basaltic andesite and dacite. Many Deschutes-age rocks are aphyric, high in Fed, TiO2, and alkalies, and low in MgO, CaO, and A12O3. They define a tholeiitic trend extending at least from basaltic andesite to dacite that can largely be derived through fractional crystallization of plagioclase, olivine, magnetite, and clinopyroxene from a parent magma, probably of basaltic composition. These rocks are compositionally similar to "tholeiitic anorogenic andesites" that are most commonly associated with areas of crustal extension. Rocks of High Cascade age in the Whitewater River area are mostly lava flaws that range in composition from basalt (high-alumina, olivine tholeiite) to rhyodacite. The High Cascade suite forms a calc-alkalic association that is typical of subduction-related magmatic arcs. Fractional crystallization of the basalts leads to iron-enrichment. Fractional crystallization of the basaltic andesites might lead to calc-alkalic compositions, but the mineral phases necessary to deplete the magmas in FeO, TiO2, and CaO (magnetite and clinopyroxene) are not common phenocryst phases in the basaltic andesites or andesites. Two northwest-trending, down-to-the-west normal faults with sane possible strike-slip motion have been mapped in the upper Whitewater River area, directly west of Lion's Head. Motion on these faults occurred after approximately 4 m.y. ago, but probably began prior to that time. There is between 200 and 400 ft (60-120 m) of apparent vertical separation on the western side of these faults. There may be a large, northwest-trending fault running from the south end of Green Ridge, through Bald Peter and the Whitewater River area, but this structure is largely buried by younger volcanic rocks. There is no evidence for a northern extension of the north-trending Green Ridge faults, and there is no evidence for large structural displacement in the lower Whitewater River along north- or northwest-trending structures. The Deschutes Formation - High Cascade transition in the Whitewater River area is marked by a switch in the eruptive style and in the dominant magmatic compositions during Deschutes and High Cascade times. Volcanism in the Whitewater River area does not appear to have been episodic with respect to volume and/or intensity; rather, the character of magmatism has varied with time and with the tectonic style through the period immediately prior to and following the formation of the High cascade graben