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Mantle plumes or decompression melting of a heterogeneous mantle have been proposed to explain oceanic-island basalt (OIB) type lavas found in the western Trans-Mexican volcanic belt. We show that mantle plumes cannot account for several geologic observations, whereas decompression melting is unrealistic given the low extension rate in the volcanic arc. On the basis of new geologic and geochemical studies, we propose an alternative model that reconciles geologic data, plate tectonic history, and petrology. Since 8.5 Ma, the volcanic front has migrated trenchward ~80 km, and OIB began to be emplaced in the rear half of the arc after a period of stalled subduction of the Rivera plate between 7.2 and 4.8 Ma. As a whole, OIB accounts for ~5% of the total volume of volcanism. Their trace element signatures require an enriched-mantle source, akin to the deep asthenosphere, but also indicate a minor involvement of a subduction component. We propose that during the period of very low convergence at the end of the Miocene, the leading edge of the Rivera slab started to sink into the mantle and continued rolling back until it reached the present dip of 45 [degrees]. The sinking of the slab may have induced small amounts of asthenosphere to flow laterally into the opening mantle wedge, from the Gulf of California rift on the west and through the subducted Rivera-Cocos plate boundary on the east. This mechanism would produce veins of relatively enriched mantle, which would be able to produce melts with an OIB composition once the flux of fluids released from the subducted slab resumed. Keywords: Mexico, Rivera plate, Trans-Mexican volcanic belt, oceanic island basalts, slab rollback, asthenosphere.

An analytical protocol for high-precision, in situ microscale isotopic investigations is presented here, which combines the use of a high-performing mechanical microsampling device and high-precision TIMS measurements on micro-Sr samples, allowing for excellent results both in accuracy and precision. The present paper is a detailed methodological description of the whole analytical procedure from sampling to elemental purification and Sr-isotope measurements. The method offers the potential to attain isotope data at the microscale on a wide range of solid materials with the use of minimally invasive sampling. In addition, we present three significant case studies for geological and life sciences, as examples of the various applications of microscale 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios, concerning (i) the pre-eruptive mechanisms triggering recent eruptions at Nisyros volcano (Greece), (ii) the dynamics involved with the initial magma ascent during Eyjafjallajökull volcano’s (Iceland) 2010 eruption, which are usually related to the precursory signals of the eruption, and (iii) the environmental context of a MIS 3 cave bear, Ursus spelaeus. The studied cases show the robustness of the methods, which can be also be applied in other areas, such as cultural heritage, archaeology, petrology, and forensic sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on an article about the generation of oceanic-island basalt-type volcanism in the western Trans-Mexican volcanic belt. Geological evolution of the Americas; Petrogenetic model; Volcanic activity.

An analytical protocol for high-precision, in situ microscale isotopic investigations is presented here, which combines the use of a high-performing mechanical microsampling device and high-precision TIMS measurements on micro-Sr samples, allowing for excellent results both in accuracy and precision. The present paper is a detailed methodological description of the whole analytical procedure from sampling to elemental purification and Sr-isotope measurements. The method offers the potential to attain isotope data at the microscale on a wide range of solid materials with the use of minimally invasive sampling. In addition, we present three significant case studies for geological and life sciences, as examples of the various applications of microscale 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotope ratios, concerning (i) the pre-eruptive mechanisms triggering recent eruptions at Nisyros volcano (Greece), (ii) the dynamics involved with the initial magma ascent during Eyjafjallajökull volcano's (Iceland) 2010 eruption, which are usually related to the precursory signals of the eruption, and (iii) the environmental context of a MIS 3 cave bear, Ursus spelaeus . The studied cases show the robustness of the methods, which can be also be applied in other areas, such as cultural heritage, archaeology, petrology, and forensic sciences.