Ultra-depleted melts from Kamchatkan ophiolites : evidence for the interaction of the Hawaiian plume with an oceanic spreading center in the Cretaceous?

We report new data on the major and trace element composition of melt inclusions in spinel phenocrysts (Mg# = 0.7-0.8, Cr/(Cr + Al) = 0.32-0.52, TiO2 = 0.06-0.60 wt.%) from Cretaceous MORB-like basalt (La/Yb = 0.94, Th/Nb = 0.055, Th/La = 0.041) in the Kamchatsky Mys ophiolites (Eastern Kamchatka). The melt inclusions preserved primitive melts (Mg# up to 0.72), which are remarkably depleted in incompatible trace elements compared to common MORBs. Numerous ultra-depleted inclusions from the studied sample have extraordinarily low Na2O (0.20-0.67 wt.%), TiO2 (0.16-0.5 wt.%), K (1.5-25 ppm), La (0.015-0.040 ppm), Zr (0.9-2 ppm), B (0.01-0.03 ppm), Ti/Zr = 300-1074, La/Yb = 0.008-0.075 and represent the most depleted melts known until now. The ultra-depleted melts from the Kamchatkan ophiolites are only comparable to a single melt inclusion from MORB of 9 degrees N Mid-Atlantic Ridge [Sobolev and Shimizu, Nature 363 (1993) 151-154] yet have higher FeO, CaO, heavy rare-earth element (Dy, Er, Yb) contents and lower Na2O and SiO2. These melts, possibly the last melt fractions produced in an upwelling mantle column, could represent the highest degrees (up to similar to 20%) of near-fractional melting of mantle with T-p >= 1400 degrees C, which started melting at similar to 75 km depth and continued to shallow depths of similar to 20 km. The presence of melts ranging in composition from ultra-depleted to compositions similar to Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawaii, high potential mantle temperature and association with rocks akin the Cretaceous Hawaiian tholeiites suggest that the trace element depleted melts preserved in spinel phenocrysts could have originated from extensive melting of a depleted component intrinsic to the Hawaiian plume or ambient upper mantle entrained and heated up at the plume margins. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Mid-Cretaceous Hawaiian rocks in Kamchatka

Scientists from IFM-GEOMAR found geochemical evidence for preservation of ~100 m.y. old Hawaiian hotspot rocks in Kamchatka (Far-East of Russia). New trace element and isotope data show that the Hawaiian mantle plume is very persistent in composition during millions of years and originates from a large chemically isolated mantle domain at the Earth core-lower mantle boundary

Initial results for the composition of the igneous basement of the Bowers and Shirshov Ridges (Bering Sea, NW Pacific)

The Bowers and Shirshov Ridges (hereafter BR and SR, respectively) are two prominent submarine structures of unknown age and provenance in the Bering Sea. So far only a few geochemical data exist on the composition of basement rocks from the SR (Silantyev et al., 1985) and none for the BR. Age and geochemical data are crucial to evaluate if the ridges represent remnant island arcs (Cooper et al. 1981, Scholl 2007), former pieces of Kamchatka rifted away through seafloor spreading (SR: Baranov et al. 1991) or parts of the Mesozoic Hawaiian hot-spot (Steinberger & Gaina, 2007). Here we report the first geochemical data on the composition of the basement rocks from the BR and SR, recovered during KALMAR R/V SONNE cruise 201 (Legs 1b and 2) in 2009. Fresh to moderately altered volcanic rocks were dredged from the northern slope of the BR, from seamounts on the western extension of the BR and from the western slope of the central part of the SR. We studied the petrography of the samples and carried out geochemical analyses of major and trace elements by XRF and ICPMS at ACME Lab (Vancouver, Canada) and CAU (Kiel). The rocks from the northwestern slope of the BR are clinopyroxene (cpx)-phyric basalts with minor amounts of olivine (ol) and plagioclase (plag) microphenocrysts, as well as hbl-plag-cpx-bearing basaltic andesites and trachyandesites. The rocks are strongly enriched in LREE (LaN/YbN = 3.2 – 8.5, N indicates normalization to primitive mantle), fluid-mobile elements (Ba, U, K) relative to NMORB and exhibit clear negative anomalies of HFSE (Nb, Ta and Ti) in primitive mantle-normalized incompatible element diagrams. The BR rocks also have a moderate adakitic signature, as indicated by elevated SrN/YN ratios (6.9 – 12.9). Hbl-cpx-plag trachybasalts from the SR have similar major and trace element compositions (LaN/YbN = 2.1 – 4.9) to the BR rocks. The other magmatic series from the SR comprises massive trachyandesites, trachytes and dacites with rare phenocrysts of plag and cpx. These rocks also have island-arc type incompatible element patterns and are distinct from other rock types from the BR and SR with less LREE enriched patterns (LaN/YbN ~ 1.8) and a strong negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.74). Rocks dredged from a seamount on the western extension of the BR have very distinctive petrographic and geochemical characteristics. These are ol-phyric pillow basalts with minor (less than 5%) amounts of plag and cpx. The freshest whole rocks and pillow-rim glasses have relatively smooth patterns of incompatible trace elements, akin to intraplate oceanic basalts and in some characteristic incompatible element ratios (e.g. ThN/BaN = 0.6, SrN/CeN = 1.2, LaN/YbN = 3.3) are similar to Hawaiian hotspot tholeiites. In summary, petrography and preliminary geochemical results indicate an island-arc origin for major parts of the BR and SR. The discovery of intraplate basalts suggests that fragments of the Emperor Seamount Chain could also be preserved in the Bering Sea (Steinberger & Gaina 2007) as seamounts and in the BR and SR basement. Our further studies will be focused on obtaining absolute age data for the studied rocks, which will allow combining the petrologic data with tectonic and geodynamic models for the NW Pacific