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The valence state of Fe plays a vital role in setting and recording the oxidation state of magmas, commonly expressed in terms of oxygen fugacity ( f O 2 ). However, our knowledge of how and why f O 2 varies within and between magmatic systems remains patchy because of diverse challenges associated with estimating the valence state of Fe in glasses and minerals routinely. Here we investigate Fe valence systematics in magmatic clinopyroxene crystals from ocean island basalts (OIBs) erupted in Iceland and the Azores to explore whether they record information about magma Fe 3 + contents and magmatic f O 2 conditions. Although many studies assume that all Fe in augitic clinopyroxene crystals from OIBs occurs as Fe 2 + , we find that up to half of the total Fe present can occur as Fe 3 + , with crystals from alkali systems typically containing more Fe 3 + than those from tholeiitic systems. Thus, Fe 3 + is a major if under-appreciated constituent of augitic clinopyroxene crystals erupted from ocean island volcanoes. Most Fe 3 + in these crystals is hosted within esseneite component (CaFe 3 + AlSiO 6 ), though some may be hosted in aegirine component (NaFe 3 + Si 2 O 6 ) in crystals from alkali systems. Observations from samples containing quenched matrix glasses suggest that the incorporation of Fe 3 + is related to the abundance of tetrahedrally coordinated Al ( IV Al), implying some steric constraints over Fe 3 + partitioning between clinopyroxene and liquid (i.e., D Fe 2 O 3 cpx - liq values), though this may not be an equilibrium relationship. For example, IV Al-rich { h k 0 } prism sectors of sector-zoned crystals contain more Fe 3 + than IV Al-poor { 1 ¯ 11 } hourglass sectors. Moreover, IV Al-rich compositions formed during disequilibrium crystallisation are enriched in Fe 3 + . Apparent clinopyroxene-liquid Fe 2 + –Mg exchange equilibria (i.e., K D , Fe 2 + - Mg cpx - liq values) are similarly affected by disequilibrium crystallisation in our samples. Nonetheless, it is possible to reconcile our observed clinopyroxene compositions with glass Fe valence systematics estimated from olivine-liquid equilibria if we assume that K D , Fe 2 + - Mg cpx - liq values lies closer to experimentally reported values of 0.24 - 0.26 than values of ∼ 0.28 returned from a general model. In this case, olivine-liquid and clinopyroxene-liquid equilibria record equivalent narratives, with one of our glassy samples from Iceland recording evolution under f O 2 conditions about one log unit above fayalite-magnetite-quartz (FMQ) equilibrium (i.e., ∼ FMQ+1) and our glassy Azorean sample recording evolution under significantly more oxidising conditions (≥ FMQ+2.5) before experiencing syn-eruptive reduction, likely as a result of SO 2 degassing; our other glassy sample from Iceland was also affected by reductive SO 2 degassing. Overall, our findings demonstrate that the Fe valence systematics of clinopyroxene crystals can record information about the conditions under which OIBs evolve, but that further experimental work is required to properly disentangle the effects of magma composition, disequilibrium and f O 2 conditions on clinopyroxene-liquid equilibria involving Fe 2 + and Fe 3 + . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The valence state of Fe plays a vital role in setting and recording the oxidation state of magmas, commonly expressed in terms of oxygen fugacity ( f O 2 ). However, our knowledge of how and why f O 2 varies within and between magmatic systems remains patchy because of diverse challenges associated with estimating the valence state of Fe in glasses and minerals routinely. Here we investigate Fe valence systematics in magmatic clinopyroxene crystals from ocean island basalts (OIBs) erupted in Iceland and the Azores to explore whether they record information about magma Fe 3 + contents and magmatic f O 2 conditions. Although many studies assume that all Fe in augitic clinopyroxene crystals from OIBs occurs as Fe 2 + , we find that up to half of the total Fe present can occur as Fe 3 + , with crystals from alkali systems typically containing more Fe 3 + than those from tholeiitic systems. Thus, Fe 3 + is a major if under-appreciated constituent of augitic clinopyroxene crystals erupted from ocean island volcanoes. Most Fe 3 + in these crystals is hosted within esseneite component (CaFe 3 + AlSiO 6 ), though some may be hosted in aegirine component (NaFe 3 + Si 2 O 6 ) in crystals from alkali systems. Observations from samples containing quenched matrix glasses suggest that the incorporation of Fe 3 + is related to the abundance of tetrahedrally coordinated Al ( IV Al), implying some steric constraints over Fe 3 + partitioning between clinopyroxene and liquid (i.e., D Fe 2 O 3 cpx - liq values), though this may not be an equilibrium relationship. For example, IV Al-rich { h k 0 } prism sectors of sector-zoned crystals contain more Fe 3 + than IV Al-poor { 1 ¯ 11 } hourglass sectors. Moreover, IV Al-rich compositions formed during disequilibrium crystallisation are enriched in Fe 3 + . Apparent clinopyroxene-liquid Fe 2 + –Mg exchange equilibria (i.e., K D , Fe 2 + - Mg cpx - liq values) are similarly affected by disequilibrium crystallisation in our samples. Nonetheless, it is possible to reconcile our observed clinopyroxene compositions with glass Fe valence systematics estimated from olivine-liquid equilibria if we assume that K D , Fe 2 + - Mg cpx - liq values lies closer to experimentally reported values of 0.24 - 0.26 than values of ∼ 0.28 returned from a general model. In this case, olivine-liquid and clinopyroxene-liquid equilibria record equivalent narratives, with one of our glassy samples from Iceland recording evolution under f O 2 conditions about one log unit above fayalite-magnetite-quartz (FMQ) equilibrium (i.e., ∼ FMQ+1) and our glassy Azorean sample recording evolution under significantly more oxidising conditions (≥ FMQ+2.5) before experiencing syn-eruptive reduction, likely as a result of SO 2 degassing; our other glassy sample from Iceland was also affected by reductive SO 2 degassing. Overall, our findings demonstrate that the Fe valence systematics of clinopyroxene crystals can record information about the conditions under which OIBs evolve, but that further experimental work is required to properly disentangle the effects of magma composition, disequilibrium and f O 2 conditions on clinopyroxene-liquid equilibria involving Fe 2 + and Fe 3 + . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean island basalts (OIBs) are generated by mantle plumes, with their geochemistry controlled by a combination of source composition, temperature, and thickness of overlying lithosphere. For example, OIBs erupting onto thicker, older oceanic lithosphere are expected to exhibit signatures indicative of higher average melting pressures. Here, we quantitatively investigate this relationship using a global data set of Neogene and younger OIB compositions. Local lithospheric thicknesses are estimated using theoretical plate‐cooling models and Bayes factors are applied to identify trends. Our findings provide compelling evidence for a correlation between OIB geochemistry and lithospheric thickness, with some variables (SiO2, Al2O3, FeO, Lu) showing linear trends that can be attributed to increasing average melting pressure, whereas others (CaO, La, λ0, and λ1) require a bi‐linear fit with a change in gradient at ∼55 km. Observed variations in highly incompatible elements are consistent with degrees of melting that decrease with increasing lithospheric thickness, as expected. Nevertheless, at thicknesses beyond ∼55 km, the implied degree of melting does not decrease as rapidly as is suggested by theoretical expectations. This observation is robust across different lithospheric thickness estimates, including those derived from seismic constraints. We infer that at thicknesses exceeding ∼55 km, weak plumes fail to effectively thin overlying lithosphere and/or produce insufficient melt to erupt. This is supported by independent estimates of plume buoyancy flux, indicating that OIB magmatism on older lithosphere may be biased toward hotter plumes. In addition, we find evidence for a "memory effect" of incomplete homogenization of melts during their ascent. Plain Language Summary: Most of Earth's volcanoes occur at tectonic plate boundaries, but some emerge within plate interiors in so‐called intra‐plate settings. These volcanoes are believed to mark the surface expression of mantle plumes: hot, buoyant columns that rise from the core‐mantle‐boundary toward the surface. As they rise, lower pressures near the surface facilitate melting. However, the lithosphere—Earth's rigid outermost shell—limits plume ascent, and therefore controls the final (lowest) melting pressure of mantle plumes (the "lid effect"). Here, we collate and analyze a global geochemical data set of oceanic island basalts—the products of plume melting—to test this hypothesis. Using a range of diagnostics and a novel probabilistic analytical approach, we find that some geochemical parameters either linearly increase or decrease with lithospheric thickness, whereas other trends exhibit abrupt changes. We propose potential explanations for these patterns, focusing on factors such as the degree of melting (which is sensitive to temperature and pressure) and variations in mantle mineralogy at different depths. Notably, we suggest that there is a higher chance of observing volcanism above hotter plumes in regions of thicker lithosphere and identify a "memory effect", whereby their geochemistry to some extent preserves information from the initial melting process. Key Points: We quantify the relationship between lithospheric thickness and ocean island basalt geochemistry: the so‐called lid effectObserved trends are controlled by pressure‐related changes in the degree of melting, mineral assemblage, and spinel‐garnet phase transitionMagmatism beneath older lithosphere may be biased toward hotter plumes that more effectively thin and penetrate overlying lithosphere [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nagaland–Manipur Hill Ophiolite (NMHO) is an NNE-SSW trending linear ophiolite zone exposed in the northeastern states of Nagaland and Manipur in India. Basaltic rocks of NMHO are geochemically divisible into two broad groups in the Zr/Ti versus Nb/Y classification diagram. Samples with TiO2 < 2 wt% and Zr = 38–118 ppm plot within the basalt field, whereas samples with TiO2 > 2 wt% plot within the alkali basalt field. The latter can be subdivided into the alkali basalt group-1 (AB-1) with Zr = ~ 200 ppm and the alkali basalt group-2 (AB-2) with Zr = ~ 400 ppm. In a normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-MORB) normalized trace element pattern, basalt displays a near-horizontal trend from Lu to Pr at rock/N-MORB = ~ 1 and then increases slightly from Pr to Rb, whereas alkali basalt is relatively more enriched than basalt. In the chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) pattern, basalt displays near-horizontal trends with (La/Yb)CN ranging between 0.78 and 1.89. On the other hand, alkali basalt displays parallel and steadily increasing enrichment trends from Lu to La [(La/Yb)CN = 11.07–17.61], with a slight drop at Eu and Sm. Mantle melting models suggest: (1) partial melting of N-MORB-like sources at degrees of melting (F) = 4–8% for basalts; and (2) partial melting of ocean island basalt (OIB)-like sources at F = 7.5–17.8% for alkali basalt. Occurrences of basalts with N-MORB-like and and alkali basalt with OIB-like signatures within the NMHO complex suggest their origin from distinct magma batches with direct or indirect involvement of the Kerguelen plume. Chondrite normalised pattern for elements Nb, Zr and REE showing estimated compositions of source S1 and residue R1 for alkali basalt (estimated using DMI modeling) and source S2 for basalt (estimated using NBM modeling) in this study. DMM and OIB (Workman and Hart 2005) values are also shown for comparison. Average abyssal peridotite value is from Niu (2004) database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mantle plumes contain heterogenous chemical components and sample variable depths of the mantle, enabling glimpses into the compositional structure of Earth's interior. In this study, we evaluated ocean island basalts (OIB) from nine plume locations to provide a global and systematic assessment of the relationship between fO2 and He‐Sr‐Nd‐Pb‐W‐Os isotopic compositions. Ocean island basalts from the Pacific (Austral Islands, Hawaii, Mangaia, Samoa, Pitcairn), Atlantic (Azores, Canary Islands, St. Helena), and Indian Oceans (La Réunion) reveal that fO2 in OIB is heterogeneous both within and among hotspots. Taken together with previous studies, global OIB have elevated and heterogenous fO2 (average = +0.5 ∆FMQ; 2SD = 1.5) relative to prior estimates of global mid‐ocean ridge basalts (MORB; average = −0.1 ∆FMQ; 2SD = 0.6), though many individual OIB overlap MORB. Specific mantle components, such as HIMU and enriched mantle 2 (EM2), defined by radiogenic Pb and Sr isotopic compositions compared to other OIB, respectively, have distinctly high fO2 based on statistical analysis. Elevated fO2 in OIB samples of these components is associated with higher whole‐rock CaO/Al2O3 and olivine CaO content, which may be linked to recycled carbonated oceanic crust. EM1‐type and geochemically depleted OIB are generally not as oxidized, possibly due to limited oxidizing potential of the recycled material in the enriched mantle 1 (EM1) component (e.g., sediment) or lack of recycled materials in geochemically depleted OIB. Despite systematic offset of the fO2 among EM1‐, EM2‐, and HIMU‐type OIB, geochemical indices of lithospheric recycling, such as Sr‐Nd‐Pb‐Os isotopic systems, generally do not correlate with fO2. Plain Language Summary: Rocks from Earth's surface are mixed back into the interior during crustal recycling as a result of plate tectonics and subduction. For example, plate tectonics results in subduction of oceanic crust back into the mantle. Recycling of surface materials might oxidize the interior of the Earth. Mantle plumes, which are buoyantly rising portions of the mantle that create ocean islands such as Hawaii, Iceland, and Samoa, have the chemical and isotopic characteristics associated with recycled materials in their sources. Here we investigate rocks from mantle plumes that have heterogeneous isotopic compositions as a result of incorporating different types of recycled material to test whether their oxygen fugacity varies systematically with the type of recycled crust in their source. We show that some types of mantle plume‐derived rocks, called HIMU and enriched mantle 2 characterized by their extreme isotopic compositions, are more oxidized than the enriched mantle 1 or typical geochemically depleted rocks from mantle plumes and from spreading centers in the oceans. These results link certain recycled materials to oxidation of Earth's mantle. Key Points: Oxygen fugacity generally does not correlate with radiogenic isotopic compositions that trace recycled material in mantle‐derived rocksHIMU and enriched mantle 2 ocean island basalts are more oxidized than enriched mantle 1 or geochemically depleted ocean island basalts and mid‐ocean ridge basalts [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution and final closure of the Neo-Tethys Ocean are one of the most important geological events that have occurred on Earth since the Mesozoic. However, the evolution of the Neo-Tethys is not well constrained, in particular whether its opening occurred in the Permian or the Triassic and whether a plume was involved with its opening or not. In this study, we present geochronological and geochemical data for mafic igneous rocks in mélanges along the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone (YZSZ) in southern Tibet to constrain the timing and mechanism of opening the Neo-Tethys Ocean. Based on field observations, the YZSZ mélanges can be divided into three segments. The western (west of Zhongba) and eastern (Sangsang-Renbu) segments are composed of ocean plate stratigraphy representing accretionary complexes that formed during subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath the southern margin of the Asian continent. Mélanges in the central segment (Zhongba-eastern Saga) typically have a siliciclastic matrix, and represent Tethyan Himalayan strata that were structurally mixed with the southern margin of the Asian continent. Based on our and previously published geochemical data, the mafic rocks in the YZSZ mélanges are ocean island basalt (OIB)-like, with ages in the Late Permian-Middle Triassic, the Middle-Late Jurassic, and the Early Cretaceous, respectively. An OIB-like block with an age of ca. 253 Ma is identified from the Zhongba mélanges in the western segment, and it is the oldest OIB lithology yet identified in the YZSZ mélanges related to the evolution of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. Geochemical features indicate that this OIB-like block is distinct from typical OIBs and would be formed during continental rifting to incipient seafloor spreading. In the framework of plate divergent-convergent coupling systems and based on literature data for early Middle Triassic seamounts, radiolarian cherts, and normal mid-ocean ridge basalt-like oceanic crust, we conclude that opening of the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean would mainly occur at ~250–243 Ma in the Early Triassic, not later than the early phase of Middle Triassic. In addition, a mantle plume was not involved in opening the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean. On the other hand, we have also identified a suite of ca. 160 Ma OIB-like basaltic sills from the Bainang mélanges in the eastern segment, which is the same age as the OIB lithologies previously reported in the Zhongba mélanges. Based on the sill-like occurrence and absence of plume-related rock associations in this region, the Bainang OIB-like rocks might result from Middle-Late Jurassic continental rifting in northern Gondwana. Magmatism related to this tectonic event is preserved in both the YZSZ mélanges and Himalayan strata, but its tectonic significance requires further investigation. Based on this study of the YZSZ mélanges and the previous studies of YZSZ ophiolites, Gangdese belt igneous rocks, and sedimentary rocks, we have reconstructed the entire Wilson Cycle of the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean, mainly involving continental rifting and ocean opening, subduction initiation, ultraslow-spreading ridge-trench conversion, subduction re-initiation, and oceanic closure and initial India-Asia collision for the tectonic emplacement of ophiolites. These processes were associated not only with magmatic flare-ups and lulls in the Gangdese belt but also with two stages of ophiolite obduction. Our data therefore provide new insights into the evolution of the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean and related Tethyan geodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the Samoan volcanic lineament has focussed on shield volcanism and the volcanic origins of the island chain, and has largely ignored the middle and late Quaternary lavas that dominate the islands of Savai'i and Upolu. Yet these rocks may hold clues to the timing, origins and nature of rejuvenation volcanicity and to important questions of ocean island geochemistry and geodynamics. Upolu is particularly interesting for it possesses both shield-stage and rejuvenation-stage lavas. Although the chronology of shield volcanism is well-established, little is known of its history of rejuvenation volcanicity. The 40Ar/39Ar ages of 131.5 ± 7.3 ka (±2 s) and 138.7 ± 2.7 ka (±2 s) from the compound volcano of Mount Lanotō in southeast Upolu represent the first geochronometric determinations on the rejuvenation-stage lavas of the island. These cast doubt on the last glacial age assigned to the Mulifanua Volcanics formation and provide the first ages for the lavas erupted from the axial rift zone that dominates the island's geomorphology. These ages offer cautious endorsement of the proposition that rejuvenation-stage volcanicity was initiated on the westernmost of the Samoan islands and propagated east. Support for this belief comes from the systematic westward increase in the incidence of rejuvenation-stage lavas along the island chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compositional variability of ocean island basalts (OIBs) is thought to reflect partial melting of a lithologically-heterogeneous mantle source dominated by either pyroxenite or peridotite. The Pohnpei Island in Micronesia, which is associated with the Caroline hotspot, is suggested to have been generated from partial melting of a pyroxenite-rich mantle. To examine this hypothesis, we present new major- and trace-element compositions of olivine phenocrysts in basalts from the island. The olivines exhibit large systematic inter- and intra-crystalline compositional variability. In Sample DS1, olivines record compositional zonation, in which cores have relatively high Fo (77–85), Ni (550×10−6–2 392×10−6), and Fe/Mn ratios (66–82), whereas rims have lower Fo (71–78), Ni (526×10−6–1 537×10−6), and Fe/Mn ratios (51–62). By contrast, olivines within other samples preserve no clear compositional zonation, exhibiting similar or slightly lower Fo values (66–78), Ni contents (401×10−6–1 268×10−6), and Fe/Mn ratios (53–69) as the rims of zoned crystals. The distinct chemical contrast between the two different types of olivine suggests they formed in magma chambers at different depths. Analysis using forward petrological modeling and multi-element indicators (Fe/Mn, Zn/Fe, FC3MS (FeOT/CaO-(3×MgO/SiO2)), Mn/Zn, and Ni/(Mg/Fe)) of whole-rock samples and high-Fo olivines is inconsistent with a pyroxenite-rich mantle source. We suggest these inconsistencies reflect an influence on the partition coefficients of Ni and Mn between olivine and liquid during melting at variable pressures and temperatures. In addition, magma recharge and mixing within the magmatic plumbing system can change the composition of olivine. We suggest that identification of the mantle source of OIBs in volcanic islands such as the Pohnpei Island using olivine geochemistry should be treated with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seamount accretion is one of the most significant accretionary orogenic processes in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, but there are few paleo‐seamounts reported from and debate on the tectonic evolution of the Junggar Ocean still exists. In this study, we present geochronological, mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic data for basalts from the Chagantaolegai ophiolitic mélanges in Junggar. Zircon U‐Pb dating on one basalt yielded a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 469 ± 7 Ma, which suggests that it formed in the Middle Ordovician. All rock samples belong to alkaline basalt and show similar geochemical characteristics, displaying high TiO2 (∼3 wt%), (La/Yb)N (17.6–19.0), ΣREE (232–289 ppm) and enrichment in Nb and Ta, which implies an ocean island basalt (OIB) affinity. Based upon positive εNd(t) (+4.16 to +4.23), ΔNb (0.20–0.22) and low initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.70425 to 0.70452) and Zr/Nb (3.35–3.57), we suggest that the Chagantaolegai OIB samples were likely derived from a fertile mantle source related to plume. The OIB rock assemblage, chert and marble in the southern part of the Chagantaolegai ophiolitic mélange indicates that a Middle Ordovician seamount was accreted to the Boshchekul‐Chingiz arc due to the northward subduction of the Junggar‐Balkhash Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basalts from the Samoan volcanoes sample contributions from all of the classical mantle endmembers, including extreme EM II and high 3He/4He components, as well as dilute contributions from the HIMU, EM I, and DM components. Here, we present multiple sulfur isotope data on sulfide extracted from subaerial and submarine whole rocks (N = 16) associated with several Samoan volcanoes—Vailulu‘u, Malumalu, Malutut, Upolu, Savai‘i, and Tutuila—that sample the full range of geochemical heterogeneity at Samoa and upon exhaustive compilation of S‐isotope data for Samoan lavas, allow for an assessment of the S‐isotope compositions associated with the different mantle components sampled by the Samoan hotspot. We observe variable S concentrations (10–1,000 ppm) and δ34S values (−0.29‰ ± 0.30 to +4.84‰ ± 0.30, 2σ). The observed variable S concentrations are likely due to sulfide segregation and degassing processes. The range in δ34S reflects mixing between the mantle origin and recycled components, and isotope fractionations associated with degassing. The majority of samples reveal Δ33S within uncertainty of Δ33S = 0‰ ± 0.008. Important exceptions to this observation include: (a) a negative Δ33S (−0.018‰ ± 0.008, 2σ) from a rejuvenated basalt on Upolu island (associated with a diluted EM I component) and (b) previously documented small (but resolvable) Δ33S values (up to +0.027 ± 0.016) associated with the Vai Trend (associated with a diluted HIMU component). The variability we observed in Δ33S is interpreted to reflect contributions of sulfur of different origins and likely multiple crustal protoliths. Δ36S versus Δ33S relationships suggest all recycled S is of post‐Archean origin.Plain Language Summary: Samoa is a group of volcanoes as islands and seamounts that reside in the south Pacific Ocean. This group of volcanoes are unique in that they erupt material from the deep mantle that was once at the surface, suggesting large scale crustal recycling was at play. Furthermore, distinct groupings of volcanoes and seamounts appear to erupt distinct recycled components. However, the nature and relative age of these components are not well understood. We use sulfur isotopes to gain insights into the materials erupted at Samoa. We provide evidence that the mantle plume beneath Samoa is geochemically zoned, as S‐isotopes are distinct at different groups of islands. We also argue that the identified recycled materials are best linked to Proterozoic sulfur and in some cases may represent recycled S reservoirs that are distributed among multiple Pacific Ocean island basalts.Key Points: Basalts from Samoan volcanoes preserve heterogeneous sulfur isotope signaturesWe observe unique S‐isotope compositions associated with distinct groups of Samoan volcanoesSulfur isotope variability is associated with multiple distinct recycled components [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The noble gas isotope systematics of ocean island basalts suggest the existence of primordial mantle signatures in the deep mantle. Yet, the isotopic compositions of lithophile elements (Sr, Nd, Hf) in these lavas require derivation from a mantle source that is geochemically depleted by melt extraction rather than primitive. Here, this apparent contradiction is resolved by employing a compilation of the Sr, Nd, and Hf isotope composition of kimberlites--volcanic rocks that originate at great depth beneath continents. This compilation includes kimberlites as old as 2.06 billion years and shows that kimberlites do not derive from a primitive mantle source but sample the same geochemically depleted component (where geochemical depletion refers to ancient melt extraction) common to most oceanic island basalts, previously called PREMA (prevalent mantle) or FOZO (focal zone). Extrapolation of the Nd and Hf isotopic compositions of the kimberlite source to the age of Earth formation yields a 143Nd/144Nd-176Hf/177Hf composition within error of chondrite meteorites, which include the likely parent bodies of Earth. This supports a hypothesis where the source of kimberlites and ocean island basalts contains a long-lived component that formed by melt extraction from a domain with chondritic 143Nd/ 144Nd and 176Hf/177Hf shortly after Earth accretion. The geographic distribution of kimberlites containing the PREMA component suggests that these remnants of early Earth differentiation are located in large seismically anomalous regions corresponding to thermochemical piles above the core-mantle boundary. PREMA could have been stored in these structures for most of Earth's history, partially shielded from convective homogenization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean island basalts (OIBs) and associated sedimentary units form part of the ocean plate stratigraphy accreted onto island arcs or continental arcs and provide important insights into convergent margin processes. Here, we investigate some of the typical localities of Sanpozan, Shirakidani, and Kamiananai within the Chichibu composite belt in Kochi, SW Japan, where the accretionary complexes incorporate OIBs and sedimentary rocks that preserve the travelogue of an oceanic plate from a mid‐oceanic ridge (MOR) to subduction zone. We present petrology and geochemistry, as well as zircon U–Pb geochronology and REE data of the accreted OIB and sedimentary formations from Sanpozan, Shirakidani, and Kamiananai. The OIBs are enriched in LILE and LREE and depleted in HREE. The chondrite‐normalised REE patterns of zircon grains from OIBs and sedimentary rocks display LREE depletion and HREE enrichment, sharply positive Ce and Sm anomalies and negative Pr and Eu. LA‐ICP‐MS U–Pb geochronology of zircon grains from the OIBs shows three major populations with 206Pb/238U mean ages of 164–456, 724–955, and 1,638–2,202 Ma. The diverse ages suggest heterogeneous recycled source components in the plume‐related upwellings that generated the OIBs, as well as different times of formation and accretion of the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic oceanic islands. The dominant population of zircon grains from the sedimentary units shows 206Pb/238U mean ages of 147 and 288 Ma and indicate a major change in the provenance regime with subduction and the disappearance of older arcs attesting to the destruction of continental crust in convergent margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-disciplinary study of the KR1 segment of the Australian–Antarctic Ridge has been conducted since 2011. We present geochemical and age dating results for samples dredged from three sites on the KR1 seamount trail. The majority of the samples are alkaline ocean island basalts with subdominant enriched tholeiites. The samples from the DG05 bathymetric depression include ice-rafted erratics from Antarctica, which consist of gabbro, diabase, various granitoids, volcanic rocks such as trachyte and rhyolite and deformed or undeformed sedimentary rocks. The main provenance of glacial erratics is considered to be the Ross Sea region. However, Carboniferous to Cretaceous ages of erratics indicate that some of these may originate from the western regions of West Antarctica. Based on the size and topography of the volcanic features and geochemical characteristics of the alkaline ocean island basalts (La/SmN = 2.62–3.88; Tb/YbN = 1.54–2.67) and the enriched tholeiites, the KR1 seamount trail is interpreted to be a submarine hotspot chain that is the product of alkaline volcanic eruption and seafloor spreading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

West Junggar is located at the southwest margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and includes Silurian pillow basalts of the Mayilashan Formation. The petrogenesis and tectonic setting of these pillow basalts are important for the understanding of the tectonic evolution and metallogeny of the West Junggar area. This paper presents geochronological, geochemical, and whole‐rock Sr–Nd–Pb isotope data from the pillow basalts of the Mayilashan Formation. Zircon LA‐ICP‐MS U–Pb dating of a pillow basalt, which is in conformable contact with the chert, suggests that they were erupted at 437.2 ± 2.2 Ma marking the timing of generation of these rocks as Middle Silurian. Geochemically, all the pillow basalts bear the signature of ocean island basalt (OIB), and are characterized by alkaline affinity with high concentrations of TiO2 (3.28–4.12 wt.%), LILE and LREE enrichment and HREE depletion ((La/Yb)N = 5.5–7.3), with very weak Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.96–1.06), and no obvious Nb, Ta, or Ti negative anomalies. Their Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions ((87Sr/86Sr)I = 0.7037–0.7051, εNd(t) = 1.9–2.9, 206Pb/204Pbi = 17.74–18.22, 207Pb/204Pbi = 15.48–15.52, and 208Pb/204Pbi = 36.49–37.86) show Dupal‐like isotopic signature of ophiolites in the southern Paleo‐Asian Ocean. These characteristics indicate that the magmas were derived from a deep OIB reservoir, that is, a depleted but slightly heterogeneous asthenospheric mantle source with ~5–15% partial melting of garnet and spinel lherzolite. Our obtained results, in conjunction with previous published data, allow us to suggest that the alkaline pillow basalts formed in a seamount within an intraoceanic setting, where a larger number of seamounts with different ages occurred in the Paleo‐Asian Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South Tianshan Orogenic Belt (STOB) is situated in the southwest margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and is characterized by the distribution of ophiolitic mélanges and metamorphic rocks. In this study, we focus on 5 ophiolitic mélanges with ocean island basalt (OIB) and aim to discuss the tectonic evolution of the South Tianshan Ocean. The Kynda, Kainar, Uchkel, Heiyingshan, and Guluogou ophiolitic mélanges in STOB mainly consist of metamorphic peridotite, gabbros, basaltic lavas (pillows), abyssal radiolarian cherts, and limestones. The basaltic rocks mainly occur as tectonic blocks within the mélanges. These basaltic rocks are characterized by LREE enrichment and HREE depletion, very weak or no Eu anomalies, and no obvious Nb, Ta, and Ti negative anomalies, positive εNd(t) values, relatively high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios, and wide 206Pb/204Pb ratios, showing the signature of OIB. The OIB‐type rocks from Kynda, Kainar, and Guluogou are likely to be derived from garnet lherzolite by relatively high degrees of melting (10% to 20%). But the basaltic rocks of Uchkel and Heiyingshan formed at significantly lower degrees of partial melting (1% to 5%) of spinel and/or garnet lherzolite. The OIB‐type rocks in these ophiolitic mélanges are considered as accreted seamount fragments and may represent mantle plume‐related magmatism within the South Tianshan Ocean. In combination with previous work, we suggest an updated model, which is bidirectional oceanic subduction with seamounts accretion and subduction system, is suitable for Palaeozoic tectonic evolution of the South Tianshan Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical Geodynamics relies on a paradigm that the isotopic composition of ocean island basalt (OIB) represents equilibrium with its primary mantle sources. However, the discovery of huge isotopic heterogeneity within olivine-hosted melt inclusions in primitive basalts from Kerguelen, Iceland, Hawaii and South Pacific Polynesia islands implies open-system behavior of OIBs, where during magma residence and transport, basaltic melts are contaminated by surrounding lithosphere. To constrain the processes of crustal assimilation by OIBs, we employed the Magma Chamber Simulator (MCS), an energy-constrained thermodynamic model of recharge, assimilation and fractional crystallization. For a case study of the 21-19 Ma basaltic series, the most primitive series ever found among the Kerguelen OIBs, we performed sixty-seven simulations in the pressure range from 0.2 to 1.0 GPa using compositions of olivine-hosted melt inclusions as parental magmas, and metagabbro xenoliths from the Kerguelen Archipelago as wallrock. MCS modeling requires that the assimilant is anatectic crustal melts (P2O5 ≤ 0.4 wt.% contents) derived from the Kerguelen oceanic metagabbro wallrock. To best fit the phenocryst assemblage observed in the investigated basaltic series, recharge of relatively large masses of hydrous primitive basaltic melts (H2O = 2-3 wt%; MgO = 7-10 wt.%) into a middle crustal chamber at 0.2 to 0.3 GPa is required. Our results thus highlight the important impact that crustal gabbro assimilation and mantle recharge can have on the geochemistry of mantle-derived olivine-phyric OIBs. The importance of crustal assimilation affecting primitive plume-derived basaltic melts underscores that isotopic and chemical equilibrium between ocean island basalts and associated deep plume mantle source(s) may be the exception rather than the rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight dredges from the southern New South Wales continental slope sampled the offshore extension of the Lachlan Orogen. Two rock suites were recovered: (1) lower greenshist facies limestones, felsic volcanics, sandstones, mudstones and Moruya Suite granodiorite correlate with the onshore Silurian to mid-Devonian orogenic phase; and (2) a strongly deformed greenschist to lower amphibolite facies mafic volcanics, cherts, marbles, pelites and serpentinites correlate in part with the Cambro-Ordovician Wagonga Group of the Narooma Terrane. The mafic volcanic rocks have ocean island, tholeiitic and boninitic basalt affinities. The offshore distribution of ocean island basalt that correlates with medial Cambrian basalt breccias at Batemans Bay suggests a large seamount or seamount complex. The boninites, tholeiites and ultramafics could be part of a forearc-generated ophiolite. The Narooma Terrane basement is interpreted as the part of the bonititic arc postulated to have collided with Vandieland in late early Cambrian time. Mid-Cambrian rifting of the oceanward part of this arc remnant, generated the Albury–Bega Terrane oceanic basement exposed in the Howqua Valley in the west and Melville Point in the east. Overlying are upper–mid-Cambrian to lowermost Ordovician black shale and chert, Lower Ordovician to Gisbornian Adaminaby Group quartz turbidites and Gisbornian to lower Bolindian Bendoc Group black shales. Batemans Bay exposures are reinterpreted as a dismembered basin margin succession onlapping the west-facing attenuated flank of the Narooma Terrane. The Narooma Cambro-Ordovician cherts and mudstones were initially deposited outboard on the more elevated seamount flank elevated above the clastic-filled basin to the west. Benambran deformation commenced in latest Ordovician time uplifting the outer Narooma Terrane, shedding debris from the seamount and its flanks, culminating in allochthonous displacement of chert masses to the basin's eastern margin to Narooma, and emplacing them as a succession of thrust sheets. Contemporaneously, silt and mud of the Bogolo Formation, deposited from the west, were mixed with olistostomal basalt and chert debris from the east. Early Silurian westward tectonic transport of the Narooma Terrane ruptured the Albury-Bega basin floor at Batemans Bay, thrusting it and its sedimentary cover over its eastern margin as a series of thrusts each floored by melange (mapped Bogolo Formation), derived from the slope debris and its overpressured sedimentary cover. Offshore, the metamorphosed Benambran phase rocks are unconformably overlain by Tabberabberan cycle sediments and volcanics intruded by granodiorite. Our interpretation of the boundary between the Albury-Bega and Narooma terranes as a thrusted passive margin accumulation is incompatible with models of a Narooma Accretionary Complex formed by the subduction of the Paleopacific Plate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Cambrian–Ordovician Wagonga Group contains basalts at Melville Point and Barlings Beach, 20 km south of Batemans Bay, New South Wales. At Melville Point, the succession has basal altered basalts overlain by chert and interbedded siliceous mudstone of the Wagonga Group, in turn overlain by turbidites and chert of the Adaminaby Group with a latest Cambrian to earliest Ordovician age. By contrast, at Barlings Beach, basalt is associated with highly disrupted chert (tectonic mélange), various slivers of mudstone and turbidites, and turbidites of the Adaminaby Group. Immobile elements in the basalts show consistent patterns that allow the magmatic affinity and tectonic setting to be determined in spite of pervasive hydrothermal alteration and subsequent lower greenschist facies metamorphism that accompanied strong folding and multiple foliation development. The Melville Point basalts show Ti/V ratios transitional between arc and MORB and therefore may have formed in either a forearc or backarc basin setting. However, these rocks have higher Ti/V ratios, LREE, Th and Nb than found in forearc basalts and are therefore considered to have formed in a backarc basin setting. In contrast to Melville Point, most basalts at Barlings Beach have a geochemical signature distinctive of ocean island settings like those reported from elsewhere in the Wagonga Group. We believe these rocks developed in a Cambrian backarc basin setting. In the Early to Middle Ordovician, much of the ocean basin was inundated by quartzose turbidites followed by basin destruction with accretion/underplating at a Late Ordovician–early Silurian Benambran subduction zone and formation of the Narooma Accretionary Complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gurenko et al. (Contrib Mineral Petrol 162:349-363, ) report laser-assisted fluorination (LF) and secondary ionization mass spectrometry (SIMS) O/O datasets for olivine grains from the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro. As with prior studies of oxygen isotopes in Canary Island lavas (e.g. Thirlwall et al. Chem Geol 135:233-262, ; Day et al. Geology 37:555-558, , Geochim Cosmochim Acta 74:6565-6589, ), these authors find variations in δO (~4.6-6.0 ‰) beyond that measured for mantle peridotite olivine (Mattey et al. Earth Planet Sci Lett 128:231-241, ) and interpret this variation to reflect contributions from pyroxenite-peridotite mantle sources. Furthermore, Gurenko et al. (Contrib Mineral Petrol 162:349-363, ) speculate that δO values for La Palma olivine grains measured by LF (Day et al. Geology 37:555-558, , Geochim Cosmochim Acta 74:6565-6589, ) may be biased to low values due to the presence of altered silicate, possibly serpentine. The range in δO values for Canary Island lavas are of importance for constraining their origin. Gurenko et al. (Contrib Mineral Petrol 162:349-363, ) took a subset (39 SIMS analyses from 13 grains from a single El Hierro lava; EH4) of a more extensive dataset (321 SIMS analyses from 110 grains from 16 Canary Island lavas) to suggest that δO is weakly correlated ( R = 0.291) with the parameter used by Gurenko et al. (Earth Planet Sci Lett 277:514-524, ) to describe the estimated weight fraction of pyroxenite-derived melt ( Xpx). With this relationship, end-member δO values for HIMU-peridotite (δO = 5.3 ± 0.3 ‰) and depleted pyroxenite (δO = 5.9 ± 0.3 ‰) were defined. Although the model proposed by Gurenko et al. (Contrib Mineral Petrol 162:349-363, ) implicates similar pyroxenite-peridotite mantle sources to those proposed by Day et al. (Geology 37:555-558, , Geochim Cosmochim Acta 74:6565-6589, ) and Day and Hilton (Earth Planet Sci Lett 305:226-234, ), there are significant differences in the predicted δO values of end member components in the two models. In particular, Day et al. (Geochim Cosmochim Acta 74:6565-6589, ) proposed a mantle source for La Palma lavas with low-δO (<5 ‰), rather than higher-δO (c.f. the HIMU-peridotite composition of Gurenko et al. in Contrib Mineral Petrol 162:349-363, ). Here we question the approach of using weakly correlated variations in δO and the Xpx parameter to define mantle source oxygen isotope compositions, and provide examples of why this approach appears flawed. We also provide reasons why the LF datasets previously published for Canary Island lavas remain robust and discuss why LF and SIMS data may provide complementary information on oxygen isotope variations in ocean island basalts (OIB), despite unresolved small-scale uncertainties associated with both techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The thick, >20 km, crust of the Kerguelen Archipelago formed as the tectonic setting of the Kerguelen Plume changed from an oceanic ridge-centered location at 43 Ma to its present location beneath the Antarctic plate. The uppermost crust is dominantly flood basalt with a thickness of up to 10 km. Inverse isochron 40Ar/39Ar ages for upper and lower lavas in a 630 m section of basalt flows from Mont Bureau are 30.4 and 29.0 Ma; Re–Os isotopic systematics are consistent with this age. Most of the lavas in two stratigraphic sections (Mont Bureau and Mont Rabouillere) from the northern part of the archipelago have Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic characteristics similar to the youngest (Upper Miocene to Pleistocene) lavas erupted in the southeast part of the archipelago, i.e. initial 87Sr/86Sr <0.7050, 143Nd/144Nd <0.5127 and 206Pb/204Pb <18.3. The dominance of this isotopic signature in archipelago lavas for 30 my and its presence in ∼40 Ma gabbros is consistent with the previous interpretation that these are isotopic characteristics of the Kerguelen Plume. Although this component occurs in high (>10%) MgO alkalic lavas in the Southeast Province of the archipelago, in these northern sections it is confined to transitional lavas with <6% MgO. A low plume flux and extensive crustal processing are inferred. In contrast to the plume–derived lavas, ∼15% of the flood basalts in these sections have lower initial 87Sr/86Sr (to 0.70396), higher 143Nd/144Nd (to 0.51289), and they hae some compositional characteristics of plagioclase-rich cumulates, i.e. high Sr/Nd and Ba/Th and positive Eu anomalies. However, plagioclase phenocrysts are absent in most of these lavas; therefore a plagioclase-rich component is required in their source. A plausible interpretation is that plagioclase-rich cumulates formed in the lower oceanic crust when the Southeast Indian Ridge was coincident with the plume at ∼43 Ma; subsequently these cumulates were melted by the plume and the melts contributed to a small proportion of the flood basalts. Previously it was proposed that as the distance between the archipelago and Southeast Indian Ridge increased, there was a systematic decrease in the proportion of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)–related component in the source of archipelago lavas. The new data show that: (1) there is no systematic temporal trend in the proportion of MORB to plume source components and (2) the MORB component was derived from cumulate rocks in the oceanic crust rather than as melts derived directly from the asthenosphere. Finally, there is no evidence of a continental lithosphere component in the source of Kerguelen Archipelago lavas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early Cretaceous magmatism suggested to be related with the Kerguelen mantle plume has been reported in both the eastern and western Tethyan Himalayan terrane. Coeval magmatism (133–138 Ma) recorded by hypabyssal intrusive rocks have been recently discovered in the central Tethyan Himalaya (TH). The hypabyssal intrusions are dominated by OIB‐like basaltic rocks intruded by later porphyritic/ophitic intermediate rocks and are characterized by strongly light rare earth element enrichment and prominent Na‐Ta depletion and Pb enrichment. The basaltic rocks have low 143Nd/144Nd ratios ranging from 0.512365 to 0.512476 but relatively high 87Sr/86Sr ratios ranging from 0.708185 to 0.708966. The ∊Nd(t) ratios of the basaltic rocks are between −4.33 and −2.20 and initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios are 0.707807 to 0.708557. Geochemical data demonstrate that these rocks have experienced combined crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization processes. Magmatic zircons from the hypabyssal rocks exclusively have negative ∊Hf (t) values ranging from −0.7 to −12.7, suggestive of assimilation of crustal material. Zircons from these hypabyssal rocks have U‐Pb ages ranging from 130 to 147 Ma. Inherited zircons have U‐Pb ages from 397 to 2495 Ma. All the zircons are characterized by negative ∊Hf(t) values. The Jiding ocean island basalt (OIB)‐like magmatism is geochemically and geochronologically comparable with that in the western and eastern Tethyan Himalaya, indicating widespread OIB‐like magmatism in the northern margin of Greater India during the Cretaceous. Collectively, these rocks can be correlated with other early Cretaceous magmatism in western Australia and northern Antarctica. Considering the similarities, we suggest that the Jiding hypabyssal rocks are also genetically related to Kerguelen plume. Within the Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone (YZSZ), there are also numerous occurrences of OIB‐like rocks derived from mantle sources different from those of N‐MORB‐like magmas. The OIB‐like magmatism in the YZSZ is nearly coeval with that in the TH, and the two are geochemically similar. We suggest that the OIB‐like magmatism in the Neo‐Tethyan ocean and the northern margin of Greater India may represent the dispersed fingerprints of the Kerguelen plume preserved in southern Tibet, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early Cretaceous magmatism suggested to be related with the Kerguelen mantle plume has been reported in both the eastern and western Tethyan Himalayan terrane. Coeval magmatism (133–138 Ma) recorded by hypabyssal intrusive rocks have been recently discovered in the central Tethyan Himalaya (TH). The hypabyssal intrusions are dominated by OIB‐like basaltic rocks intruded by later porphyritic/ophitic intermediate rocks and are characterized by strongly light rare earth element enrichment and prominent Na‐Ta depletion and Pb enrichment. The basaltic rocks have low 143Nd/144Nd ratios ranging from 0.512365 to 0.512476 but relatively high 87Sr/86Sr ratios ranging from 0.708185 to 0.708966. The ∊Nd(t) ratios of the basaltic rocks are between −4.33 and −2.20 and initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios are 0.707807 to 0.708557. Geochemical data demonstrate that these rocks have experienced combined crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization processes. Magmatic zircons from the hypabyssal rocks exclusively have negative ∊Hf (t) values ranging from −0.7 to −12.7, suggestive of assimilation of crustal material. Zircons from these hypabyssal rocks have U‐Pb ages ranging from 130 to 147 Ma. Inherited zircons have U‐Pb ages from 397 to 2495 Ma. All the zircons are characterized by negative ∊Hf(t) values. The Jiding ocean island basalt (OIB)‐like magmatism is geochemically and geochronologically comparable with that in the western and eastern Tethyan Himalaya, indicating widespread OIB‐like magmatism in the northern margin of Greater India during the Cretaceous. Collectively, these rocks can be correlated with other early Cretaceous magmatism in western Australia and northern Antarctica. Considering the similarities, we suggest that the Jiding hypabyssal rocks are also genetically related to Kerguelen plume. Within the Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone (YZSZ), there are also numerous occurrences of OIB‐like rocks derived from mantle sources different from those of N‐MORB‐like magmas. The OIB‐like magmatism in the YZSZ is nearly coeval with that in the TH, and the two are geochemically similar. We suggest that the OIB‐like magmatism in the Neo‐Tethyan ocean and the northern margin of Greater India may represent the dispersed fingerprints of the Kerguelen plume preserved in southern Tibet, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]