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Lithium isotope evidence for subduction-enriched mantle in the source of mid-ocean-ridge basalts

Nature volume 443, pages 565–568 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

‘Recycled’ crustal materials, returned from the Earth's surface to the mantle by subduction, have long been invoked to explain compositional heterogeneity in the upper mantle1. Yet increasingly, problems have been noted with this model2,3. The debate can be definitively addressed using stable isotope ratios, which should only significantly vary in primitive, mantle-derived materials as a consequence of recycling. Here we present data showing a notable range in lithium isotope ratios in basalts from the East Pacific Rise, which correlate with traditional indices of mantle heterogeneity (for example, 143Nd/144Nd ratios). Such co-variations of stable and radiogenic isotopes in melts from a normal ridge segment provide critical evidence for the importance of recycled material in generating chemical heterogeneity in the upper mantle. Contrary to many models, however, the elevated lithium isotope ratios of the ‘enriched’ East Pacific Rise lavas imply that subducted ocean crust is not the agent of enrichment. Instead, we suggest that fluid-modified mantle, which is enriched during residency in a subduction zone, is mixed back into the upper mantle to cause compositional variability.

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Figure 1: Li isotopic compositions of the mantle and important recycled components.
Figure 2: Variations of δ 7 Li with other geochemical parameters in northern EPR MORB.

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Acknowledgements

Analytical work was supported by a Philip Leverhulme Prize awarded to T.E. A.J. was supported by an NERC studentship. Reviews by B. Leeman were appreciated. We also thank J. Blundy, C. Hawkesworth and D. Vance for comments on versions of the mansucript.

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Author notes

  1. Alistair Jeffcoate

    Present address: Rio Tinto Iron Ore Atlantic, PO Box 695, 8th Floor, Castlemead, Lower Castle Street, Bristol, BS99 1FS, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bristol Isotope Group, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, BS8 1RJ, Bristol, UK

    Tim Elliott, Alex Thomas & Alistair Jeffcoate

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University, South Parks Road, OX1 3PR, Oxford, UK

    Alex Thomas

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, DH1 3LE, Durham, UK

    Yaoling Niu

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  1. Tim Elliott
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Correspondence to Tim Elliott.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Table 1

Table of all EPR MORB Li isotope data (DOC 40 kb)

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Elliott, T., Thomas, A., Jeffcoate, A. et al. Lithium isotope evidence for subduction-enriched mantle in the source of mid-ocean-ridge basalts. Nature 443, 565–568 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05144

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