Abstract
Large igneous provinces are characterized by anomalously high rates of magma production1. Such voluminous magmatism is commonly attributed to partial melting of hot, buoyantly upwelling mantle plume material2,3. However, compositional heterogeneity in the mantle, caused by the subduction of oceanic crust, can also enhance magma production, diminishing the need for elevated temperatures associated with upwelling plumes4,5. A plume origin for the North Atlantic large igneous province has been questioned because lava compositions correlate with crustal thickness, implying a link between magma productivity and mantle source composition4,6. Here we use a numerical model that simulates upwelling and melting of compositionally heterogeneous mantle material to constrain the conditions that gave rise to magmatism in the North Atlantic. Using observations of lava compositions and volumes from the North Atlantic, we show that subducted crustal material represented less than 10% of the mantle source. We further show that mantle temperatures have remained elevated by 85–210 °C and increased mantle upwelling up to 14 times the rate of plate separation has occurred over the past 56 Myr. The enhanced temperatures and upwelling rates extended along more than 1,000 km of the Palaeogene rift, but are substantially more restricted along the modern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. These findings reflect the long-term manifestation of a mantle plume.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Coffin, M. F. & Eldholm, O. Large igneous provinces: Crustal structure, dimensions, and external consequences. Rev. Geophys. 32, 1–36 (1994).
Morgan, W. J. Convection plumes in the lower mantle. Nature 230, 42–43 (1971).
Saunders, A. D., Fitton, J. G., Kerr, A. C., Norry, M. J. & Kent, R. W. in Large Igneous Provinces Continental, Oceanic, and Planetary Flood Volcanism (eds Mahoney, J. J. & Coffin, M. F.) 45–93 Vol. 100 (Geophysical Monograph Series, AGU, 1997).
Foulger, G. R., Natland, J. H. & Anderson, D. L. A source for Icelandic magmas in remelted Iapetus crust. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 141, 23–44 (2005).
Foulger, G. R. in Plates, Plumes, and Planetary Processes (eds Foulger, G. R. & Jurdy, D. M.) 1–28 Vol. 430 (Special Paper, Geological Society of America, 2007).
Korenaga, J. & Kelemen, P. B. Major element heterogeneity in the mantle source of the North Atlantic igneous province. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 184, 251–268 (2000).
Holbrook, W. S. et al. Mantle thermal structure and active upwelling during continental breakup in the North Atlantic. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 190, 251–266 (2001).
Darbyshire, F. A., White, R. S. & Priestley, K. F. Structure of the crust and uppermost mantle of Iceland from a combined seismic and gravity study. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 181, 409–428 (2000).
White, R. S., McKenzie, D. & O’Nions, R. K. Oceanic crustal thickness from seismic measurements and rare earth element inversions. J. Geophys. Res. 97, 19683–19715 (1992).
Chauvel, C. & Hémond, C. Melting of a complete section of recycled oceanic crust: Trace element and Pb isotopic evidence from Iceland. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 1, 1001 (2000).
Thirlwall, M. F., Gee, M. A. M., Taylor, R. N. & Murton, B. J. Mantle components in Iceland and adjacent ridges investigated using double-spike Pb isotope ratios. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 68, 361–386 (2004).
Fram, M. S. & Lesher, C. E. Geochemical constraints on mantle melting during creation of the North Atlantic basin. Nature 363, 712–715 (1993).
Ito, G. & Mahoney, J. J. Flow and melting of a heterogeneous mantle: 1. Method and importance to the geochemistry of ocean island and mid-ocean ridge basalts. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 230, 29–46 (2005).
Yasuda, A. & Fujii, T. Ascending subducted oceanic crust entrained within mantle plumes. Geophys. Res. Lett. 25, 1561–1564 (1998).
Armitage, J. J., Henstock, T. J., Minshull, T. A. & Hopper, J. R. Lithospheric controls on melt production during continental breakup at slow rates of extension: Application to the North Atlantic. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 10, Q06018 (2009).
Foulger, G. R. & Anderson, D. L. A cool model for the Iceland hotspot. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 141, 1–22 (2005).
Coltice, N., Phillips, B. R., Bertrand, H., Ricard, Y. & Rey, P. Global warming of the mantle at the origin of flood basalts over supercontinents. Geology 35, 391–394 (2007).
Rolf, T., Coltice, N. & Tackley, P. J. Linking continental drift, plate tectonics and the thermal state of the Earth’s mantle. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 351–352, 134–146 (2012).
Brandl, P. A., Regelous, M., Beier, C. & Haase, K. M. High mantle temperatures following rifting caused by continental insulation. Nature Geosci. 6, 391–394 (2013).
Larsen, H. C. & Saunders, A. D. Tectonism and volcanism at the southeast Greenland rifted margin: a record of plume impact and later continental rupture. Proc. ODP Sci. Results 152, 503–533 (1998).
Murton, B. J., Taylor, R. N. & Thirlwall, M. F. Plume–ridge interaction: A geochemical perspective from the Reykjanes Ridge. J. Petrol. 43, 1987–2012 (2002).
Barker, A. K., Baker, J. A. & Peate, D. W. Interaction of the rifting East Greenland margin with a zoned ancestral Iceland plume. Geology 34, 481–484 (2006).
Peate, D. W. & Stecher, O. Pb isotope evidence for contributions from different Iceland mantle components to Palaeogene East Greenland flood basalts. Lithos 67, 39–52 (2003).
Saunders, A. D., Kempton, P. D., Fitton, J. G. & Larsen, L. M. Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes and trace element geochemistry of basalts from the Southeast Greenland margin. Proc. ODP Sci. Results 163, 77–93 (1999).
Kempton, P. D. et al. The Iceland plume in space and time: a Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf study of the North Atlantic rifted margin. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 177, 255–271 (2000).
Workman, R. K. & Hart, S. R. Major and trace element composition of the depleted MORB mantle (DMM). Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 231, 53–72 (2005).
Salters, V. & White, W. M. Hf isotope constraints on mantle evolution. Chem. Geol. 145, 447–460 (1998).
Kogiso, T., Tatsumi, Y. & Nakano, S. Trace element transport during dehydration processes in the subducted oceanic crust: 1. Experiments and implications for the origin of ocean island basalts. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 148, 193–205 (1997).
Sun, S. S. & McDonough, W. F. Chemical and isotopic systematics of oceanic basalts: Implications for mantle composition and processes. Geol. Soc. Lond. Spec. Publ. 42, 313–345 (1989).
Jones, S. M. & Maclennan, J. Crustal flow beneath Iceland. J. Geophys. Res. 110, B09410 (2005).
Acknowledgements
We thank H. Day and G. Barfod for their comments on early versions of the manuscript. This work also benefited from discussions with L. Kellogg and M. Billen. We thank G. Ito for his thorough and constructive reviews. This material is based on work supported by the US National Science Foundation under Grant No. 9811453, 0409375 and 0511049, and by the Danish National Research Foundation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
E.L.B. and C.E.L. developed the melting model. Compilation of geochemical data and modelling was completed by E.L.B., who took the lead on writing the manuscript, with contributions from C.E.L.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Supplementary information
Supplementary Information
Supplementary Information (PDF 6927 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brown, E., Lesher, C. North Atlantic magmatism controlled by temperature, mantle composition and buoyancy. Nature Geosci 7, 820–824 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2264
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2264
This article is cited by
-
Magmatism of Shatsky Rise controlled by plume–ridge interaction
Nature Geoscience (2023)
-
Melt volume at Atlantic volcanic rifted margins controlled by depth-dependent extension and mantle temperature
Nature Communications (2021)
-
Signature of deep mantle melting in South Iceland olivine
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology (2019)
-
LIP formation and protracted lower mantle upwelling induced by rifting and delamination
Scientific Reports (2018)
-
Long-distance impact of Iceland plume on Norway’s rifted margin
Scientific Reports (2017)