Takeshi Hanyu

The uniform and low 3He/4He ratios of HIMU basalts as evidence for their origin as recycled materials

Several hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of the group of lavas having the isotopic signature known as ‘high μ’ (HIMU, where μ=  238U/204Pb); these explanations have invoked processes involving recycled oceanic crust and sediment, metasomatically enriched subcontinental lithosphere, or intra-mantle metasomatism. Here we present helium isotope analyses of HIMU basalts, with ages of 10–18 Myr, from three islands of the Cook–Austral Archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean. We find that the HIMU samples have a relatively uniform and low 3He/4He ratio of 6.8 ± 0.9 RA compared with mid-ocean-ridge basalt, whereas samples of other enriched-mantle lavas from this region have more variable and higher signatures. The consistency of our HIMU results with those obtained from previous analyses of HIMU lavas at St Helena in the Atlantic Ocean lead us to conclude that a relatively low and uniform 3He/4He ratio represents a general characteristic of the mantle source region for HIMU lavas. Also, the uniform 3He/4He ratio (in both space and time) suggests that recycled oceanic crust and/or sediments are present in the source region for HIMU lavas, as it seems less likely that the other candidate processes, invoking metasomatism, would produce such consistent values.

Geochemical characteristics and origin of the HIMU reservoir: A possible mantle plume source in the lower mantle

Combined Pb-Sr-Nd-Hf-Os isotopes, together with major and trace element compositions, were determined from clinopyroxene and olivine phenocrysts, along with whole rocks, for ocean island basalts with high μ (μ = 238U/204Pb) (HIMU) and enriched mantle isotopic characteristics from Cook-Austral Islands. Clinopyroxene and olivine separates record reliable isotopic information of the sources because of minimized in situ radiogenic ingrowth and their lower susceptibility to crustal contamination. Coherent isotopic systematics in multi-isotope spaces defined by the HIMU samples are best explained by recent mixing of melts derived from the HIMU reservoir and the local shallow mantle. The isotopic compositions of the HIMU reservoir are constrained to be low ɛNd (≤+4), low ɛHf (≤+3), and moderately radiogenic 187Os/188Os (0.14–0.15) in association with radiogenic Pb isotopes (206Pb/204Pb ≥ 21.5). Since ancient oceanic crust would have had exceptionally radiogenic 187Os/188Os, moderately high 187Os/188Os precludes recycled oceanic crust as the only contributor to the HIMU reservoir. Instead, mantle metasomatized with partial melts from subducted oceanic crust is a likely candidate for the HIMU reservoir. Moreover, partial melting of oceanic crust in equilibrium with Mg perovskite would fractionate U/Pb, Sm/Nd, and Lu/Hf, which are in accordance with the time-integrated U/Pb, Sm/Nd, and Lu/Hf deduced from Pb, Nd, and Hf isotopic compositions of the HIMU reservoir, respectively, with a formation age of 2–3 Ga. We thus propose that the HIMU reservoir was formed by hybridization of a subducted oceanic crust-derived melt with the ambient mantle and then stored for several billion years in the lower mantle.

Open system behavior of helium in case of the HIMU source area

Lower ³He/4He than that of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) observed in HIMU-ocean island basalts (OIBs) has been considered to be the evidence that the HIMU source is related to recycled materials. However, typical ³He/4He value of Polynesian HIMU-OIBs (∼6.8 RA) is too high to be explained by addition of in situ radiogenic 4He in the recycled oceanic crust. Mixing of the upper mantle material with the recycled oceanic crust cannot explain ³He/4He of HIMU-OIBs as revealed from mixing calculation in the He-Pb isotope system. As another possibility, if we assume that large mobility of helium affects ³He/4He of recycled materials, the model calculation indicates that the balance between radiogenic 4He production in the recycled oceanic crust and diffusive loss of 4He to the surrounding mantle accounts for ³He/4He of HIMU. The model suggests the thickness of HIMU source body to be in the order of 1 km.

Key new pieces of the HIMU puzzle from olivines and diamond inclusions

Mantle melting, which leads to the formation of oceanic and continental crust, together with crust recycling through plate tectonics, are the primary processes that drive the chemical differentiation of the silicate Earth. The present-day mantle, as sampled by oceanic basalts, shows large chemical and isotopic variability bounded by a few end-member compositions. Among these, the HIMU end-member (having a high U/Pb ratio, μ) has been generally considered to represent subducted/recycled basaltic oceanic crust. However, this concept has been challenged by recent studies of the mantle source of HIMU magmas. For example, analyses of olivine phenocrysts in HIMU lavas indicate derivation from the partial melting of peridotite, rather than from the pyroxenitic remnants of recycled oceanic basalt. Here we report data that elucidate the source of these lavas: high-precision trace-element analyses of olivine phenocrysts point to peridotite that has been metasomatized by carbonatite fluids. Moreover, similarities in the trace-element patterns of carbonatitic melt inclusions in diamonds and HIMU lavas indicate that the metasomatism occurred in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, fused to the base of the continental crust and isolated from mantle convection. Taking into account evidence from sulfur isotope data for Archean to early Proterozoic surface material in the deep HIMU mantle source, a multi-stage evolution is revealed for the HIMU end-member, spanning more than half of Earth’s history. Before entrainment in the convecting mantle, storage in a boundary layer, upwelling as a mantle plume and partial melting to become ocean island basalt, the HIMU source formed as Archean–early Proterozoic subduction-related carbonatite-metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle.

Constraints on HIMU and EM by Sr and Nd isotopes re-examined

Sr and Nd isotopes together with trace elements for ocean island basalts in the Polynesian region have been analyzed in order to investigate the origin of the HIMU and EM sources. Both whole rocks and cpx phenocrysts were analyzed for isotopic composition. Cpx samples from HIMU islands show quite uniform 87Sr/86Sr ratios (~0.70274), while leached and unleached whole rock samples show variable and higher 87Sr/86Sr than those of cpx samples. These results suggest that even leached whole rock samples have been affected by secondary contaminations of sea water. On the other hand, cpx preserves a pristine isotopic signature with minimal secondary effects.Using only the cpx analyses, HIMU form a vertical linear trend in the Sr-Nd isotope diagram with small variation in εNd (+3.3~+5.5) and constant 87Sr/86Sr. This trend is explained by a mixing of the HIMU end-member and the MORB source. Since εNd of the HIMU end-member is constrained to be less than +3.3, the HIMU source should include former sediment added to oceanic crust. To explain the vertical nature of the mixing trend, the HIMU end-member should have similar Rb/Sr to the MORB source, or much lower Sr/Nd ratio than the MORB source, which favors a mixing model between extensively dehydrated oceanic crust and sediment as the HIMU source. The correlation between εNd and trace element ratios such as Pb/Ta also supports the model.

Southern Louisiana salt dome xenoliths: First glimpse of Jurassic (ca. 160 Ma) Gulf of Mexico crust

No direct information about the age and composition of rift-related igneous activity associated with the Late Jurassic opening of the Gulf of Mexico exists because the igneous rocks are deeply buried beneath sediments. Three salt diapirs from southern Louisiana exhume samples of alkalic igneous rocks; these salt domes rise from the base of the sedimentary pile and overlie an isolated magnetic high, which may mark the position of an ancient volcano. Three samples from two domes were studied; they are altered but preserve relict igneous minerals including strongly zoned clinopyroxene (diopside to Ti-augite) and Cr-rich spinel rimmed with titanite. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages of 158.6 ± 0.2 Ma and 160.1 ± 0.7 Ma for Ti-rich biotite and kaersutite from two different salt domes are interpreted to represent the time the igneous rock solidifi ed. Trace element compositions are strongly enriched in incompatible trace elements, indicating that the igneous rocks are low-degree melts of metasomatized upper mantle. Isotopic compositions of Nd and Hf indicate derivation from depleted mantle. This information supports the idea that crust beneath southern Louisiana formed as a magma-starved rifted margin on the northern fl ank of the Gulf of Mexico ca. 160 Ma. These results also confi rm that some magnetic highs mark accumulations of mafi c igneous rocks buried beneath thick sediments around the Gulf of Mexico margins.

Re-Os isotope and platinum group elements of a FOcal ZOne mantle source, Louisville Seamounts Chain, Pacific ocean

The Louisville Seamount Chain (LSC) is, besides the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain, one of the longest-lived hotspot traces. We report here the first Re-Os isotope and platinum group element (PGE) data for Canopus, Rigil, and Burton Guyots along the chain, which were drilled during IODP Expedition 330. The LSC basalts possess (187Os/188Os)i = 0.1245–0.1314 that are remarkably homogeneous and do not vary with age. A Re-Os isochron age of 64.9 ± 3.2 Ma was obtained for Burton seamount (the youngest of the three seamounts drilled), consistent with 40Ar-39Ar data. Isochron-derived initial 187Os/188Os ratio of 0.1272 ± 0.0008, together with data for olivines (0.1271–0.1275), are within the estimated primitive mantle values. This (187Os/188Os)i range is similar to those of Rarotonga (0.124–0.139) and Samoan shield (0.1276–0.1313) basalts and lower than those of Cook-Austral (0.136–0.155) and Hawaiian shield (0.1283–0.1578) basalts, suggesting little or no recycled component in the LSC mantle source. The PGE data of LSC basalts are distinct from those of oceanic lower crust. Variation in PGE patterns can be largely explained by different low degrees of melting under sulfide-saturated conditions of the same relatively fertile mantle source, consistent with their primitive mantle-like Os and primordial Ne isotope signatures. The PGE patterns and the low 187Os/188Os composition of LSC basalts contrast with those of Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) tholeiites. We conclude that the Re-Os isotope and PGE composition of LSC basalts reflect a relatively pure deep-sourced common mantle sampled by some ocean island basalts but is not discernible in the composition of OJP tholeiites.

Deep plume origin of the Louisville hotspot: Noble gas evidence

Noble gas compositions have been reported for basaltic core samples from Louisville seamounts recovered during IODP Expedition 330. The in-vacuum crushing techniques were employed to extract noble gases from fresh olivine phenocrysts and submarine glasses with ages between 50 and 74 Ma. Stepwise crushing tests confirmed the extraction of magmatic noble gases from the olivine samples with minimal release of posteruption radiogenic nuclides; however, this was not always the case for the glass samples. The 3He/4He ratios of the studied samples range from a value similar to those of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) to slightly elevated ratios up to 10.6 Ra. These ratios are not as high as those observed in other ocean island basalts, suggesting that the Louisville mantle plume was weak or the samples represent late-stage magmatic activity of the seamounts. However, two Louisville seamount basalts exhibit a primordial Ne isotopic signature that can be clearly discriminated from MORB Ne ratios. The He and Ne isotopic compositions of the Louisville seamount basalts can be explained by the mixing of less degassed mantle and depleted upper mantle with different He/Ne ratios. The presence of the less degassed mantle component in the source of the Louisville seamounts documents a deep origin of their mantle plume.

Geochemical diversity in submarine HIMU basalts from Austral Islands, French Polynesia

We present the first report of geochemical data for submarine basalts collected by a manned submersible from Rurutu, Tubuai, and Raivavae in the Austral Islands in the South Pacific, where subaerial basalts exhibit HIMU isotopic signatures with highly radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions. With the exception of one sample from Tubuai, the 40Ar/39Ar ages of the submarine basalts show no significant age gaps between the submarine and subaerial basalts, and the major element compositions are indistinguishable at each island. However, the variations in Pb, Sr, Nd, and Hf isotopic compositions in the submarine basalts are much larger than those previously reported in subaerial basalts. The submarine basalts with less-radiogenic Pb and radiogenic Nd and Hf isotopic compositions show systematically lower concentrations in highly incompatible elements than the typical HIMU basalts. These geochemical variations are best explained by a two-component mixing process in which the depleted asthenospheric mantle was entrained by the mantle plume from the HIMU reservoir during its upwelling, and the melts from the HIMU reservoir and depleted asthenospheric mantle were then mixed in various proportions. The present and compiled data demonstrate that the HIMU reservoir has a uniquely low 176Hf/177Hf decoupled from 143Nd/144Nd, suggesting that it was derived from an ancient subducted slab. Moreover, the Nd/Hf ratios of the HIMU basalts and curvilinear Nd–Hf isotopic mixing trend require higher Nd/Hf ratios for the melt from the HIMU reservoir than that from the depleted mantle component. Such elevated Nd/Hf ratios could reflect source enrichment by a subducted slab during reservoir formation.

Recycled ancient ghost carbonate in the Pitcairn mantle plume

Significance Lavas from Pitcairn Island are the best candidates for exploring the origin of the enigmatic EM1 component found in some mantle plumes because they show the most extreme isotopic compositions of Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb that define the EM1 component. We find that these lavas have the lowest δ26Mg values so far recorded in oceanic basalts. Subducted late Archean dolomite-bearing sediments are the most plausible source of the low-δ26Mg feature of Pitcairn lavas. This requires that an ancient, originally sedimentary component has been emplaced near the core–mantle boundary to ultimately become part of the Pitcairn plume source. The extreme Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb isotopic compositions found in Pitcairn Island basalts have been labeled enriched mantle 1 (EM1), characterizing them as one of the isotopic mantle end members. The EM1 origin has been vigorously debated for over 25 years, with interpretations ranging from delaminated subcontinental lithosphere, to recycled lower continental crust, to recycled oceanic crust carrying ancient pelagic sediments, all of which may potentially generate the requisite radiogenic isotopic composition. Here we find that δ26Mg ratios in Pitcairn EM1 basalts are significantly lower than in normal mantle and are the lowest values so far recorded in oceanic basalts. A global survey of Mg isotopic compositions of potentially recycled components shows that marine carbonates constitute the most common and typical reservoir invariably characterized by extremely low δ26Mg values. We therefore infer that the subnormal δ26Mg of the Pitcairn EM1 component originates from subducted marine carbonates. This, combined with previously published evidence showing exceptionally unradiogenic Pb as well as sulfur isotopes affected by mass-independent fractionation, suggests that the Pitcairn EM1 component is most likely derived from late Archean subducted carbonate-bearing sediments. However, the low Ca/Al ratios of Pitcairn lavas are inconsistent with experimental evidence showing high Ca/Al ratios in melts derived from carbonate-bearing mantle sources. We suggest that carbonate–silicate reactions in the late Archean subducted sediments exhausted the carbonates, but the isotopically light magnesium of the carbonate was incorporated in the silicates, which then entered the lower mantle and ultimately became the Pitcairn plume source.