Segmentation of the Cascade Arc as indicated by Sr and Nd isotopic variation among diverse primitive basalts.

Abstract

Abstract In the central Oregon Cascades, extension of the arc has promoted eruption of primitive basalts that are of three types, calcalkaline (CAB), low K tholeiitic (LKT) and rare absarokitic (ABS) in the forearc. Based on a comparison with the distribution of primitive magma types and their 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and 143 Nd/ 144 Nd isotopic signature in the Cascades, we divide the arc into four segments that correspond to distinct tectonic settings and reflect mantle domains and melting regimes at depth. The segments are: 1) the North Segment from Mt. Meager to Glacier Peak; 2) the Columbia Segment from Mt. Rainier to Mt. Jefferson; 3) the Central Segment from the Three Sisters to Medicine Lake, and 4) the South Segment from Mt. Shasta to Lassen Peak. Calcalkaline basalts (CABs) are found all along the arc axis and are produced by fluxing of variable mantle domains by subduction-derived fluid. In the South Segment, the degree of fluxing and melting is greatest as indicated by high 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and Ba/ Ce of CABs relative to other types of ambient basalt and is consistent with the greater abundance of high-Mg basaltic andesite, relative to other segments. High flux and abundant melt is enhanced by the presence of a slab window and subduction of the altered and deformed Gorda Plate. In the northern part of the arc, small degrees of flux melting are coupled with the presence of an enriched mantle component to yield abundant high-field strength element-enriched (HFSE-rich) basalts. Extension and higher heat flow favors the production of abundant low potassium tholeiites LKT in the Central Segment. A distinct shift in 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of low LKTs occurs between the Columbia and Central Segments (0.7028 vs. 0.7034, respectively), which we interpret as juxtaposition of mantle of accreted oceanic terranes, including the enriched large igneous province Siletz Terrane, with encroaching mantle related to the adjacent Basin and Range Province. The latter, although depleted, carries an enrichment signature from an older subduction history. The segmentation presented here for the Cascade Arc provides a framework for testing the relative influences of the downgoing slab, mantle heterogeneity, and the tectonics and make up of the upper place