Source Lithology and Magmatic Processes Recorded in the Mineral of Basalts from the Parece Vela Basin

Since the Early Cenozoic,the Philippine Sea Plate(PSP)has undergone a complex tectonic evolution.During this period the Parece Vela Basin(PVB)was formed by seafloor spreading in the back-arc region of the proto-Izu-Bonin-Mariana(IBM)arc.However,until now,studies of the geological,geophysical,and tectonic evolution of the PVB have been rare.In this study,we obtained in situ trace element and major element compositions of minerals in basalts collected from two sites in the southern part of the PVB.The results reveal that the basalts from site CJ09-63 were likely formed via~10%partial melting of spinel-garnet lherzolite,while the basalts from site CJ09-64 were likely formed via 15%–25%partial melting of garnet lherzolite.The order of mineral crystallization for the basalts from site CJ09-64 was olivine,spinel,clinopyroxene,and plagioclase,while the plagioclase in the basalts from site CJ09-63 crystallized earlier than the clinopyroxene.Using a plagioclase-liquid hygrometer and an olivine-liquid oxybarometer,we determined that the basalts in this study have high H2O contents and oxygen fugacities,suggesting that the magma source of the Parece Vela basalts was affected by subduction components,which is consistent with the trace element composition of whole rock.

Petrology and geochemistry of South Mid-Atlantic Ridge(19°S) lava flows:Implications for magmatic processes and possible plume-ridge interactions

The South Mid-Atlantic Ridge(SMAR)19°S segment,approximately located along the line of Saint Helena volcanic chain(created by Saint Helena mantle plume),is an ideal place to investigate the issue whether the ridgehotpot interaction process affected the whole MAR.In this study,we present major and trace elemental compositions and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic ratios of twenty fresh lava samples concentrated in a relatively small area in the SMAR 19°S segment.Major oxides compositions show that all samples are tholeiite.Low contents of compatible trace elements(e.g.,Ni=239-594 ppm and Cr=456-1010 ppm)and low Fe/Mn(54-67)and Ce/Yb(0.65-1.5)ratios of these lavas show that their parental magmas are partially melted by a spinel lherzolite mantle source.Using software PRIMELT3,this study obtained mantle potential temperatures(Tp)beneath the segment of1321-1348℃,which is lower relative to those ridges influenced by mantle plumes.The asthenospheric mantle beneath the SMAR 19°S segment starts melting at a depth of^63 km and ceases melting at^43 km with a final melting temperature of^1265℃.The extent of partial melting is up to 16%-17.6%with an average adiabatic decompression value of 2.6%/kbar.The correlations of major oxides(CaO/Al2 O3)and trace elements(Cr,Co,V)with MgO and Zr show that the parental magma experienced olivine and plagioclase fractional crystallization during its ascent to the surface.87Sr/86Sr(0.702398-0.702996),143 Nd/144 Nd(0.513017-0.513177)and 206Pb/204Pb(18.444-19.477)ratios of these lavas indicate the mantle source beneath the SMAR 19°S segment is composed of a three-component mixture of depleted MORB mantle,PREMA mantle,and HIMU mantle materials.The simple,binary mixing results among components from plume-free SMAR MORB,Saint Helena plume and Tristan plume show that asthenospheric mantle beneath the SMAR 19°S segment may be polluted by both Saint Helena and Tristan plume enriched materials.The abovementioned mantle potential temperatures,together with the low Saint Helena(<10%)and Tristan(<5%)components remaining in the asthenospheric mantle at present,show that the physically ridge-hotspot interactions at SMAR 19°S segment may have ceased.However,the trace element and SrNd-Pb isotopically binary mixing calculation results imply that these lavas tapped some enriched pockets left when Saint Helena and/or Tristan plume were once on the SMAR during earlier Atlantic rifted history.

Magmatic Evolution and Mineralization Process of the Super-Large Shihuiyao Rb–Nb–Ta Deposit,Southern Great Xing'an Range,China

Rare metal ore reserves are an important strategic resource, and their metallogenic mechanism and mineralization studies have also been received widespread international attention.

Structures and Styles of Deformation in Rift,Ridge,Transform Zone,Oblique Rift and a Microplate Offshore/Onshore North Iceland

The diverging plate boundaries in North Iceland and its shelf display a complex tectonic at the Kolbeinsey Ridge (K-R), the Northern Rift Zone (NRZ), and the Tj?rnes Fracture Zone containing the Grímsey Oblique Rift (GOR), the Húsavík-Flatey Fault (HFF), and the Dalvík Lineament (DL). While active deformation is well-known, the structural pattern is sporadically mapped and a comprehensive account of the upper Tertiary-present deformation is not fully at hand. To address the gaps, this paper provides new regional tectonic maps with continuous coverage, and detailed analyses of the deformation. Faults, open fractures, prominent joints and volcanic edifices were identified on Multibeam/Single beam, Spot 5, and Digital Elevation Model, and subjected to multidisciplinary structural analysis and correlation with selected data. Some of the results are: 1) Six sets constitute the structural pattern. The N-S rift-parallel normal faults are 1/3, and the shear fractures of the transform zone and the oblique rift 2/3 of the fracture population. The en échelon arrangements above deep-seated shear zones indicate dextral slip on WNW to NW, and sinistral slip on NNE to ENE faults, conformable with earthquake data. 2) During the polyphase tectonic, the six sets led to basin and horst formation, block compartmentalisation, rotation, horsetail splay, rhomb-graben in relay zone of strike-slips, and volcanism. 3) Listric faults are absent and the steeply-dipping faults are antithetic, synthetic, or form extensional flower structures above 4 km depth. The Plio-pleistocene/present syn-sedimentary deformation caused a deep half graben in the Eyjafjarearáll Basin (Ey), fault growth, rollover, and sediment onlaps, with some of the faults still active. 4) The plate boundaries of K-R/Ey, GOR/?xarfjreur/NRZ, and DL delimit a major microplate labelled here as Grímsey-Tj?rnes-Dalvík. 5) The WNW earthquake cluster in GOR corresponds either to a blind horsetail splay fault or to initiation of a transform segment parallel to the HFF. The described tectonic-sedimentary-magmatic deformation is relevant to other diverging plate boundaries where similar sets control the hydrocarbon and geothermal resources.

On the Enigma of Nb-Ta and Zr-Hf Fractionation——A Critical Review

Elemental ratios Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta are expected to be constant and of chondritic value （-36.30 and -17.57, respectively） in mantle and mantle-derived rocks. Studies in recent years have shown, however, that these two ratios do vary in some of these rocks. For example, MORB-like seamount lavas from flanks of the East Pacific Rise （EPR） show a correlated Zr/Hf （-25-50） and Nb/Ta （-9-18） variation. These two ratios are also correlated with ratios of more incompatible over less incompatible elements （e.g., La/Sm, Rb/Cs, Th/U, Nb/U, Sm/Yb） and with radiogenic isotope ratios （e.g., 87 Sr/86Sr, 143Nd/144Nd）. Furthermore, abyssal peridotites, which are melting residues for MORB, also show a huge correlated variation between Zr/Hf （-2.5-335） and Nb/Ta （-1-170）. All these observations plus a correlated variation between Zr/Hf （-22-48） and Nb/Ta （-10-23） in lunar rocks are consistent with the Zr-Hf and Nb-Ta fractionation being of magmatic origin. This contrasts with the common view that geochemical processes cannot readily fractionate them. As charges and ionic radii are the principal factors in the general theory of elemental fractionation, this theory cannot explain the fractionation of these two element pairs with the same charges （i.e., 5＋ for Nb and Ta, and 4＋ for Zr and Hf） and essentially the same ionic size （i.e., RNb/RTa=1.000, Rzr/RHf=1.006 to -1.026 for coordination numbers of 6, 7, 8 and 12）. We explore the possibilities of other factors and processes （e.g., mass-dependent fractionation during magmatism） that may cause the observed Nb-Ta and Zr-Hf fractionation. We emphasize that understanding the correlated Nb-Ta and Zr-Hf fractionation ＂known＂ to take place during magmatism is fundamental for improved understanding of elemental fractionations through other earth processes in various tectonic environments, including the origin and evolution of continental crust, which has a characteristic subchondritic Nb/Ta value of -11-12.