Melt generation at very slow-spreading oceanic ridges: constraints from geochemical and geophysical data

We show that there is a strong and consistent correlation between geochemical and geophysical estimates of the amount of melt generated in the mantle beneath oceanic ridges. This correlation holds across all spreading rates and on scales down to the size of individual ridge segments. There is an abrupt decrease in the amount of melt generated at full spreading rates below ~20 mm/a. Our observations are consistent with the conclusion that <10% of the melt is frozen in the mantle before it reaches the crust and that serpentine probably represents only a small percentage of the material above the Moho. The melt is well mixed on a ridge segment scale, probably in high level magma chambers, but the melts remain distinct between segments. The rare earth element concentrations of basalts from very slow-spreading ridges are higher than those from normal oceanic ridges, which is directly indicative of reduced mantle melting, and they show characteristic light rare earth element enrichment, interpreted as caused by a deep tail of small percentage wet melting. The decrease in melt production at rates below ~20 mm/a points to the importance of conductive cooling inhibiting melting of the upwelling mantle at very slow-spreading centres

Low degree melting under the Southwest Indian Ridge: the roles of mantle temperature, conductive cooling and wet melting

Both low mantle temperatures and conductive cooling have been suggested as the cause of the atypically thin oceanic crust and the incompatible element enrichment characteristic of very slow-spreading ridges. Here we present a model of melting under the Southwest Indian Ridge, which takes into account mantle temperature, conductive cooling, source composition and wet melting. The model parameters are constrained by oceanic crustal thickness, lava chemistry and isotopic composition and water content. The results suggest that conductive cooling to a depth of around 20 km, expected in areas with a full spreading rate of 15 mm/yr, is necessary to generate the Southwest Indian Ridge lava chemistry, but not that from faster spreading rate ridges at 23°N on the Mid Atlantic Ridge or 45°N on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The mantle potential temperatures of ~1280°C, estimated for the Southwest Indian Ridge lavas are close to the global average of the upper mantle. Mantle water contents of 150-300 ppm can explain the observed melt water contents and allow sufficient melting at depth to explain the observed heavy rare earth element depletions in the melts

A new evaluation of our life-support system

Bacterial benefactors—and other prokaryotic pursuit

The radiation-attenuated schistosome vaccine induces high levels of protective immunity in the absence of B cells

Radiation-attenuated cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni elicit consistently high levels of protective immunity in mice. The cell-mediated pulmonary effector mechanisms have been well characterized but the role of B cells and antibodies remains ill defined. We have compared the immune responses of B-cell-deficient (μMT) mice and their wild-type (WT) counterparts following exposure to the attenuated vaccine. Both groups mounted a T helper type 1 (Th1)-biased response in the skin-draining lymph nodes after vaccination. Interferon-γ was the dominant cytokine secreted by airway leucocytes after challenge in both μMT and WT mice, but there was a somewhat greater Th2 component in the former animals. The cellular infiltrates observed in the airways, and the pulmonary effector foci, were of similar composition in the two groups although some large foci were present in the μMT mice. There was a marked dichotomy in the protection induced in μMT animals by a single vaccination, with two-thirds showing levels similar to their WT counterparts, demonstrating that cell-mediated mechanisms alone can provide adequate protection. The remaining μMT mice had a mean worm burden identical to that of their challenge controls. A possible explanation is that a proportion of the μMT animals have a genetic defect closely associated with the μ-heavy-chain locus on chromosome 12, which affects their ability to mount a protective cell-mediated response. Three vaccinations enhanced the immunity of WT animals, most likely by augmenting antibody-mediated mechanisms. In contrast, no enhancement was seen in μMT mice, suggesting that the cell-mediated response is not boosted by multiple exposures to attenuated larvae