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Are Ocean Floor Basalts Primary Magma?

Abstract

THE typical basalt of the ocean floor and mid-ocean ridges seems to be chemically variable, within a somewhat restricted range1–4, but most contain olivine and hypersthene in the CIPW norm, and carry sparse phenocrysts of olivine, more frequently accompanied by plagioclase than by clinopyroxene1–6. They are olivine-tholeiites7 and their tendency towards high alumina characteristics is reflected in the predominance of olivine + plagioclase phenocryst assemblages.

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O'HARA, M. Are Ocean Floor Basalts Primary Magma?. Nature 220, 683–686 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/220683a0

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