Geochemistry and petrology of three granitoid rock cores from the Nicaraguan Rise, Caribbean Sea : implications for its composition, structure and tectonic evolution

The Nicaraguan Rise is a major submarine structure of poorly known origin. Its lithologies have been studied from dredge hauls and land outcrops on the Greater Antilles and Central America and its structure from geophysical data. In this paper we present the first geochemical analyses for granitoids that were recovered during the 1970s from cores drilled on the Nicaragua Rise for oil prospecting. The three Nicaraguan Rise rocks are calk-alkaline granitoids, and lie in the high-K field for Caribbean granitoids similar to the Above Rocks, Jamaica and Terre Neuve, Haiti intrusions. All of these intrusions are considered to be of Late Cretaceous - Paleocene age. Key elements abundances - K, La, Ce, Nd, Hf, Zr and Sm - indicate that the three Nicaraguan Rise rocks present more affinity with mature oceanic arc rocks similar to other granitoids from the Greater Antilles rather than mature continental arcs. The Pb, Nd and Sr isotope data show no evidence of a continental component, thus indicating that the more eastern and northern submarine area of the Northern Nicaraguan Rise is not underlain by continental crust of the Chortis block. Although of similar age, the Nicaraguan Rise samples are different from the more depleted Cuban granitoids of the Sierra Maestra, though both show strong similarities in their 207Pb/204Pb composition. We postulate that the Northern Nicaraguan Rise was most likely a Caribbean oceanic arc system that may have interacted only at its margin with the continental blocks bounding the region to the west in the area of the Northern Honduran borderland

Volatile abundances and oxygen isotopes in basaltic to dacitic lavas on mid-ocean ridges: The role of assimilation at spreading centers

Most geochemical variability in MOR basalts is consistent with low- to moderate-pressure fractional crystallization of various mantle-derived parental melts. However, our geochemical data from MOR high-silica glasses, including new volatile and oxygen isotope data, suggest that assimilation of altered crustal material plays a significant role in the petrogenesis of dacites and may be important in the formation of basaltic lavas at MOR in general. MOR high-silica andesites and dacites from diverse areas show remarkably similar major element trends, incompatible trace element enrichments, and isotopic signatures suggesting similar processes control their chemistry. In particular, very high Cl and elevated H2O concentrations and relatively light oxygen isotope ratios (~5.8‰ vs. expected values of ~6.8‰) in fresh dacite glasses can be explained by contamination of magmas from a component of ocean crust altered by hydrothermal fluids. Crystallization of silicate phases and Fe-oxides causes an increase in δ18O in residual magma, but assimilation of material initially altered at high temperatures results in lower δ18O values. The observed geochemical signatures can be explained by extreme fractional crystallization of a MOR basalt parent combined with partial melting and assimilation (AFC) of amphibole-bearing altered oceanic crust. The MOR dacitic lavas do not appear to be simply the extrusive equivalent of oceanic plagiogranites. The combination of partial melting and assimilation produces a distinct geochemical signature that includes higher incompatible trace element abundances and distinct trace element ratios relative to those observed in plagiogranites. © 2011 Elsevier B.V

Correlation Between Volcanic and Tectonic Segmentation of Fast-Spreading Ridges: Evidence from Volcanic Structures and Lava Flow Morphology on the East Pacific Rise at 9˚-10˚N

Combined analyses of volcanic features in DSL-120 sonar data and Argo I images along the ridge crest of the East Pacific Rise, 9_090–540N reveal a consistent decrease in inferred lava effusion rate toward the ends of third-order segments. The correlation of tectonic segmentation and volcanic style suggests that third-order segmentation corresponds to the volcanic segmentation of the ridge. Along-axis changes in volcanic structures (from collapse troughs to basaltic lava domes) and lava morphology (from sheet to pillow flows) coincide with the boundaries of morphologically defined third order tectonic segments of the ridge crest visible in shipboard multibeam bathymetry. Pillow lava flows cover 25% of the surveyed area of the ridge crest and are closely associated with small lava domes that occur primarily at third-order segment ends. An additional 25% of the surveyed area of the ridge crest is covered by sheet lava flows found in close association with an axial collapse trough. The remaining terrain consists of lobate lava flows. We interpret the spatial correlations of morphologic, structural, seismic, and petrologic data as evidence that individual volcanic plumbing systems are organized at _20 km spacing along the ridge axis (third-order segment scale) in agreement with the hypothesis that volcanic and tectonic segmentations are correlated. For fast spreading ridges, we estimate that the longevity of volcanic segments is _104–105 years, 1–3 orders of magnitude longer than fourth-order segments (_102–103 years). This implies the present pattern of hydrothermal activity may reorganize tens or hundreds of times while volcanic segmentation remains fairly stable

The Cleft revealed: geologic, magnetic, and morphologic evidence for construction of upper oceanic crust along the southern Juan de Fuca Ridge

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2006. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 7 (2006): Q04003, doi:10.1029/2005GC001038.The geology and structure of the Cleft Segment of the Southern Juan de Fuca Ridge (JdFR) have been examined using high-resolution mapping systems, observations by remotely operated vehicle (ROV), ROV-mounted magnetometer, and the geochemical analysis of recovered lavas. Bathymetric mapping using multibeam (EM300) coupled with in situ observations that focused on near-axis and flank regions provides a detailed picture of 0 to 400 ka upper crust created at the southern terminus of the JdFR. A total of 53 rock cores and 276 precisely located rock or glass samples were collected during three cruises that included sixteen ROV dives. Our observations of the seafloor during these dives suggest that many of the unfaulted and extensive lava flows that comprise and/or cap the prominent ridges that flank the axial valley emanate from ridge parallel faults and fissures that formed in the highly tectonized zone that forms the walls of the axial valley. The geochemically evolved and heterogeneous nature of these near-axis and flank eruptions is consistent with an origin within the cooler distal edges of a crustal magma chamber or mush zone. In contrast, the most recent axial eruptions are more primitive (higher MgO), chemically homogeneous lobate, sheet, and massive flows that generate a distinct magnetic high over the axial valley. We suggest that the syntectonic capping volcanics observed off-axis were erupted from near-axis and flank fissures and created a thickened extrusive layer as suggested by the magnetic and seismic data. This model suggests that many of the lavas that comprise the elevated ridges that bound the axial valley of the Cleft Segment were erupted during the collapse of a magmatic cycle not during the robust phase that established a new magmatic cycle.This research has been partially supported by a NSF grant to M. Perfit (OCE-0221541). M. Tivey acknowledges support from WHOI’s Mellon grant for Independent Study. Support for D. Stakes, T. Ramirez, D. Caress, and N. Maher and for the entire field program was provided by funds to MBARI from the Lucille and David Packard Foundation

Constraints on Near-Ridge Magmatism Using \u3csup\u3e40\u3c/sup\u3eAr/\u3csup\u3e39\u3c/sup\u3eAr Geochronology of Enriched MORB from the 8°20\u27 N Seamount Chain

Our understanding of the spatial-temporal-compositional relationships between off-axis magmatism and mid-ocean ridge spreading centers is limited. Determining the 40Ar/39Ar ages of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) lavas erupting near mid-ocean ridges (MOR) has been a challenge due to the characteristically low K2O contents in incompatible element-depleted normal MORB (NMORB). High-precision 40Ar/39Ar geochronology is used here to determine ages of young, basaltic lavas erupted along the 8°20\u27 N seamount chain west of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) axis that have a range of incompatible element enrichments (EMORB) suitable for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology (e.g., K2O contents \u3e 0.3 wt%). 40Ar/39Ar ages were determined in 29 well-characterized basalts sampled using HOV Alvin and dredging. Detailed geochronology and geochemical analyses provide important constraints on the timing, distribution, and origins of lavas that constructed this extensive volcanic lineament relative to magmatism beneath the adjacent EPR axis. Seamount eruption ages are up to ∼1.6 Ma younger than the underlying lithosphere, supporting a model of prolonged off-axis magmatism for at least 2 Myrs at distances as great as ∼90 km from the ridge axis. Increasing geochemical heterogeneity with eruption distance reflects the diminishing effect of sub-ridge melt focusing. The range of geochemically distinct lavas erupted at given distances from the ridge highlights the dynamic nature of the near-ridge magmatic environment over Myr timescales. Linear ridge-like (EPR-parallel) morphotectonic features erupt the youngest and most incompatible element-enriched lavas of the entire seamount chain, indicating there is a recent change in the influence of mantle heterogeneity and off-axis melt metasomatism on the near-ridge lithospheric mantle. Changes in seamount morphologies are attributed to counter-clockwise rotation and southward migration of the nearby Siqueiros transform over the last few million years

Relative Timing of Off-Axis Volcanism from Sediment Thickness Estimates on the 8°20’N Seamount Chain, East Pacific Rise

Volcanic seamount chains on the flanks of mid-ocean ridges record variability in magmatic processes associated with mantle melting over several millions of years. However, the relative timing of magmatism on individual seamounts along a chain can be difficult to estimate without in situ sampling and is further hampered by Ar40/Ar39 dating limitations. The 8°20’N seamount chain extends ∼170 km west from the fast-spreading East Pacific Rise (EPR), north of and parallel to the western Siqueiros fracture zone. Here, we use multibeam bathymetric data to investigate relationships between abyssal hill formation and seamount volcanism, transform fault slip, and tectonic rotation. Near-bottom compressed high-intensity radiated pulse, bathymetric, and sidescan sonar data collected with the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry are used to test the hypothesis that seamount volcanism is age-progressive along the seamount chain. Although sediment on seamount flanks is likely to be reworked by gravitational mass-wasting and current activity, bathymetric relief and Sentry vehicle heading analysis suggest that sedimentary accumulations on seamount summits are likely to be relatively pristine. Sediment thickness on the seamounts\u27 summits does not increase linearly with nominal crustal age, as would be predicted if seamounts were constructed proximal to the EPR axis and then aged as the lithosphere cooled and subsided away from the ridge. The thickest sediments are found at the center of the chain, implying the most ancient volcanism there, rather than on seamounts furthest from the EPR. The nonlinear sediment thickness along the 8°20’N seamounts suggests that volcanism can persist off-axis for several million years

The formation of the 8˚20’ N seamount chain, East Pacific rise

Near-axis seamounts provide a unique setting to investigate three-dimensional mantle processes associated with the formation of new oceanic crust and lithosphere. Here, we investigate the characteristics and evolution of the 8˚20’N Seamount Chain, a lineament of seamounts that extends ~ 175 km west of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) axis, just north of the fracture zone of the Siqueiros Transform Fault. Shipboard gravity, magnetic, and bathymetric data acquired in 2016 are utilized to constrain models of seamount emplacement and evolution. Geophysical observations indicate that these seamounts formed during four distinct episodes of volcanism coinciding with changes in regional plate motion that are also reflected in the development of intra-transform spreading centers (ITSCs) along the Siqueiros transform fault (Fornari et al. 1989; Pockalny et al. 1997). Although volcanism is divided into distinct segments, the magnetic data indicate continuous volcanic construction over long portions of the chain. Crustal thickness variations along the chain up to 0.75 km increase eastward, inferred from gravity measurements, suggest that plate reorganization has considerably impacted melt distribution in the area surrounding the Siqueiros-EPR ridge transform intersection. This appears to have resulted in increased volcanism and the formation of the 8˚20’N Seamounts. These findings indicate that melting processes in the mantle and subsequently the formation of new oceanic crust and lithosphere are highly sensitive to tectonic stress changes in the vicinity of fast spreading transform fault offsets

Magmatic processes in developing oceanic crust revealed in a cumulate xenolith collected at the East Pacific Rise, 9°50′N

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2006. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 7 (2006): Q12O04, doi:10.1029/2006GC001316.The petrology and geochemistry of a xenolith, a fragment of a melt-bearing cumulate, within a recently erupted mid-ocean ridge (MOR) lava flow provide information on petrogenetic processes occurring within the newly forming oceanic crust beneath the northern East Pacific Rise (NEPR). The xenolith reveals important petrologic information about MOR magmatic systems concerning (1) melt distribution in a crystal-dominated mush; (2) melt-crystal reactions within the mush; (3) the chemistry of melts that have contributed to the cumulate lithology; and (4) the chemistry of axial melts that enter the axial magma system. The xenolith was enclosed within a moderately primitive, normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (NMORB) erupted in 1991 within the neovolcanic zone of the NEPR, at approximately 9°50′N. The sample is a matrix-dominated, cumulate olivine anorthosite, composed of anorthite (An94-90) and bytownite (An89-70), intergranular olivine (Fo86±0.3), minor sulfide and spinel, and intergranular glass. Marginal corrosion of plagioclase, and possibly olivine, and internal remelting of plagioclase indicate syntexis. It is surmised that the pore volume was eviscerated several times with moderately primitive basaltic melts and reduced by intergranular crystallization of forsteritic olivine. The presence of anorthite as a cumulate phase in the xenolith and the observation of anorthite xenocrysts in NMORB lavas, and as a cumulate phase in ophiolite gabbros, indicate that Ca-rich melts that are not a part of the NMORB lineage play an important role in the construction of the oceanic crust.The Mineral Resources Program, USGS, provided support to W.I.R. for this research. Field and laboratory research was supported by NSF grants OCE-9402360, 9403773, and 0138088 to M.R.P. and NSF grants OCE-9819261 and OCE-0525863 to D.J.F

Seawater cycled throughout Earth's mantle in partially serpentinized lithosphere

The extent to which water and halogens have primordial origins in the Earth's mantle, or are dominated by seawater-derived components introduced by subduction, remains a matter of debate. About 90% of non-radiogenic xenon in the Earth's mantle has a subducted atmospheric origin, but the degree to which atmospheric gases and other seawater components are coupled during subduction is unclear. Here we present the concentrations of water and halogens in samples of magmatic glasses collected from global mid-ocean ridges and ocean islands. We show that water and halogen enrichment is unexpectedly associated with trace element signatures characteristic of dehydrated oceanic crust, and that the most incompatible halogens have relatively uniform abundance ratios that are different from primitive mantle values. Taken together, these results imply that Earth's mantle is highly processed and that most of its water and halogens were introduced by the subduction of serpentinised lithospheric mantle associated with dehydrated oceanic crust.Australian Research Council (FT130100141