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Iron isotope evidence in ocean island basalts for plume- and plate-controlled melting, São Miguel, Azores

Ruttor S, Nebel O, Williams H, Beier C, Richter M, Nebel-Jacobsen Y, Romer R, Turner SP, Soderman CR (2022)

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Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal

Book Volume: 335

Pages Range: 111-123

DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2022.08.018

Abstract

Primitive ocean island basalts (OIB) display a large variability in stable iron (Fe) isotopes, beyond what can plausibly be explained by partial melting and crystal fractionation processes. This Fe isotopic heterogeneity is widely ascribed to inheritance from various exotic mantle components of enriched crustal origin, i.e., subducted and resurfacing oceanic or continental crust, its underlying lithosphere or overlying sediments. These enriched mantle components are characterised by variations in radiogenic Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopes. The extent to which the inherited Fe isotopic signature of subducted and recycled material influences the Fe isotopic composition of OIB and which role secondary processes accompanied with partial melting play is, however, not well understood. The eastern Azores island of São Miguel displays a systematic change from a mantle source less radiogenic in Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopes in the West to a highly enriched source in the East. These variations are among the largest reported in an OIB, indicating variable source component additions to the melt that offer a natural laboratory to elucidate sub-oceanic island processes. Among these, the eastern São Miguel component is unique amongst global OIB in that it has both, extremely radiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotopic ratios. The spatial distribution, complexity and uniqueness of these isotopic source characteristics are ideally suited to gain insights into the spatial distribution of mantle components and their potential controls on Fe isotope systematics. Comparing δ⁵⁷Feprim, which is the isotopic composition calculated to primitive lavas along a liquid line of descent, with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb reveals that the depleted component of western São Miguel shows a heavy Fe isotopic composition ranging from δ⁵⁷Feprim = +0.09 to +0.18‰ (excluding one outlier at −0.02‰ δ⁵⁷Feprim), whereas the enriched component of eastern São Miguel shows lighter δ⁵⁷Feprim = +0.05 to +0.12‰. Both suites show a continuum of isotopic compositions between two apparent endmembers. The light Fe isotopic signature of eastern São Miguel lavas, coupled with elevated Rb/Sr and K2O, indicate K-rich mantle metasomatism in their source. The Fe isotopic composition of western São Miguel's lavas are likely related to a similar source, but have been overprinted by the active Terceira Rift. The latter adds low-degree mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-type melts to the original OIB, likely in the form of a re-fertilised depleted mantle component that underpins the ultraslow spreading region. The two-component mix that contributes to western São Miguel lavas highlights that both enriched mantle components and shallow crustal features can add to the Fe isotopic signatures of erupting OIB, with spatial separation within single volcanic islands. This suggests that a careful evaluation of local geologic features, such as rifting, is required when OIB are probed for their mantle sources, and that heavy Fe isotopic signatures in OIB may not reflect deep, plume-source lithologies. In summary, São Miguel lavas are sourced by a mantle plume, but within a spatially controlled region accompanied by a plate-controlled melt associated with a rifting zone. This dichotomy adds another complication to the genesis of OIB, which however maybe elucidated through combined radiogenic-stable isotope systematics.

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APA:

Ruttor, S., Nebel, O., Williams, H., Beier, C., Richter, M., Nebel-Jacobsen, Y.,... Soderman, C.R. (2022). Iron isotope evidence in ocean island basalts for plume- and plate-controlled melting, São Miguel, Azores. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 335, 111-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2022.08.018

MLA:

Ruttor, Saskia, et al. "Iron isotope evidence in ocean island basalts for plume- and plate-controlled melting, São Miguel, Azores." Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta 335 (2022): 111-123.

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