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Oxygen isotope evidence for slab-derived fluids in the sub-arc mantle

Nature volume 393, pages 777–781 (1998)Cite this article

Abstract

The subduction of oceanic lithosphere is thought to enrich the mantle in elements concentrated in altered oceanic crust and its sedimentary cover (for example, H2O, CO2 and alkalis)1,2. This enrichment is generally inferred from the geochemistry of island-arc lavas3. More direct evidence—such as samples from the mantle with a clear crustal origin4—is rare. Inclusions of silicate glass within mantle-derived minerals can have major- and trace-element compositions unlike basalt5,6, and sometimes contain ‘enriched’ isotopic compositions of Sr, Nd and Pb, suggesting that the inclusions are partial melts of subducted oceanic crust or sediments6. Alternatively, some of these alkali-rich inclusions may have been produced by melting peridotites to low degrees (possibly in the presence of volatiles)7. Here we present oxygen isotope data from silicate glass inclusions obtained from mantle olivine samples in an island-arc setting. These data provide direct evidence that the inclusions are derived from a source rich in material from the subducted oceanic crust and therefore that slab-derived fluids have infiltrated the sub-arc mantle wedge.

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Figure 1: Transmitted light photomicrographs (A and B), taken with crossed polarizers, of regions containing the phonolitic glasses analysed in this study.
Figure 2: Abundances of trace and minor elements in glasses and minerals analysed in this study and comparison with models for the origin of phonolitic melt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Geological and Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Mail Code 170-25, Pasadena, 91125, California, USA

    John M. Eiler & Edward M. Stolper

  2. CSIRO Exploration and Mining, PO Box 136, North Ryde, 2113, NSW, Australia

    Brent McInnes

  3. Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 53706, Wisconsin, USA

    John W. Valley

  4. Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Colin M. Graham

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  1. John M. Eiler
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  2. Brent McInnes
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Correspondence to John M. Eiler.

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Eiler, J., McInnes, B., Valley, J. et al. Oxygen isotope evidence for slab-derived fluids in the sub-arc mantle. Nature 393, 777–781 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/31679

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