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Coupled major and trace elements as indicators of the extent of melting in mid-ocean-ridge peridotites

Nature volume 410, pages 677–681 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Rocks in the Earth's uppermost sub-oceanic mantle, known as abyssal peridotites, have lost variable but generally large amounts of basaltic melt, which subsequently forms the oceanic crust1,2. This process preferentially removes from the peridotite some major constituents such as aluminium, as well as trace elements that are incompatible in mantle minerals (that is, prefer to enter the basaltic melt), such as the rare-earth elements3,4. A quantitative understanding of this important differentiation process has been hampered by the lack of correlation generally observed between major- and trace-element depletions in such peridotites. Here we show that the heavy rare-earth elements in abyssal clinopyroxenes that are moderately incompatible are highly correlated with the Cr/(Cr + Al) ratios of coexisting spinels. This correlation deteriorates only for the most highly incompatible elements—probably owing to late metasomatic processes. Using electron- and ion-microprobe data from residual abyssal peridotites collected on the central Indian ridge, along with previously published data, we develop a quantitative melting indicator for mantle residues. This procedure should prove useful for relating partial melting in peridotites to geodynamic variables such as spreading rate and mantle temperature.

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Figure 1: Mineral major- and trace-element systematics in residual abyssal peridotites.
Figure 2: Plot of r 2 versus the cpx/liquid distribution coefficient.
Figure 3: Calculated degree of melting versus measured Cr# of spinel.

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Acknowledgements

We thank R. Fisher who originally collected these samples, P. Hoppe and A. Besmehn for their assistance on the Mainz ion probe, N. Shimizu and G. Layne on the WHOI ion probe, and G. Suhr for letting us use his critical melting algorithm. Comments by G. Suhr, A. Sobolev and J. Lassiter helped to improve the manuscript. We thank E. Klein and P. Asimov for formal reviews.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Postfach 3060, Mainz, D-55020, Germany

    Eric Hellebrand, Jonathan E. Snow & Albrecht W. Hofmann

  2. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, 02543, Massachusetts, USA

    Henry J. B. Dick

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  1. Eric Hellebrand
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Correspondence to Eric Hellebrand.

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Hellebrand, E., Snow, J., Dick, H. et al. Coupled major and trace elements as indicators of the extent of melting in mid-ocean-ridge peridotites. Nature 410, 677–681 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35070546

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