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Mineralogy of the mid-ocean-ridge basalt source from neodymium isotopic composition of abyssal peridotites

Nature volume 418, pages 68–72 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Inferring the melting process at mid-ocean ridges, and the physical conditions under which melting takes place, usually relies on the assumption of compositional similarity between all mid-ocean-ridge basalt sources1,2,3,4. Models of mantle melting therefore tend to be restricted to those that consider the presence of only one lithology in the mantle, peridotite. Evidence from xenoliths and peridotite massifs show that after peridotite, pyroxenite and eclogite are the most abundant rock types in the mantle. But at mid-ocean ridges, where most of the melting takes place, and in ophiolites, pyroxenite is rarely found. Here we present neodymium isotopic compositions of abyssal peridotites to investigate whether peridotite can indeed be the sole source for mid-ocean-ridge basalts. By comparing the isotopic compositions of basalts and peridotites at two segments of the southwest Indian ridge, we show that a component other than peridotite is required to explain the low end of the 143Nd/144Nd variations of the basalts. This component is likely to have a lower melting temperature than peridotite, such as pyroxenite or eclogite, which could explain why it is not observed at mid-ocean ridges.

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Figure 1: Chondrite-normalized REE patterns for clinopyroxenes from abyssal peridotites.
Figure 2: Nd isotopic variations in basalts and peridotites along the SWIR.

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Acknowledgements

We thank A. Sachi-Kocher for her assistance. We thank M. Bizimis for help with the major- and trace-element analyses; X. Li for help with the mineral picking; G. Sen for access to the FIU electron microprobe; Y. Wang and E. Hauri for access to the ion microprobe at DTM and assistance with the trace-element analyses; W. Parker for statistical advice; R. Odom, S. Foley and M. Bizimis for suggesting improvements to the manuscript; and B. Hanan for comments and suggestions. This work was supported by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences.

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  1. National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and Department of Geological Sciences, Florida State University, Florida, 32306, Tallahassee, USA

    Vincent J. M. Salters

  2. Department of Marine Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543

    Henry J. B. Dick

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Correspondence to Vincent J. M. Salters.

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Salters, V., Dick, H. Mineralogy of the mid-ocean-ridge basalt source from neodymium isotopic composition of abyssal peridotites. Nature 418, 68–72 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature00798

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