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Primary carbonatite melt from deeply subducted oceanic crust

Nature volume 454, pages 622–625 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Partial melting in the Earth’s mantle plays an important part in generating the geochemical and isotopic diversity observed in volcanic rocks at the surface1. Identifying the composition of these primary melts in the mantle is crucial for establishing links between mantle geochemical ‘reservoirs’ and fundamental geodynamic processes2. Mineral inclusions in natural diamonds have provided a unique window into such deep mantle processes3,4,5,6,7,8. Here we provide experimental and geochemical evidence that silicate mineral inclusions in diamonds from Juina, Brazil, crystallized from primary and evolved carbonatite melts in the mantle transition zone and deep upper mantle. The incompatible trace element abundances calculated for a melt coexisting with a calcium-titanium-silicate perovskite inclusion indicate deep melting of carbonated oceanic crust, probably at transition-zone depths. Further to perovskite, calcic-majorite garnet inclusions record crystallization in the deep upper mantle from an evolved melt that closely resembles estimates of primitive carbonatite on the basis of volcanic rocks. Small-degree melts of subducted crust can be viewed as agents of chemical mass-transfer in the upper mantle and transition zone, leaving a chemical imprint of ocean crust that can possibly endure for billions of years.

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Figure 1: Mineral chemistry and geobarometry of perovskite and garnet mineral inclusions in Juina diamonds.
Figure 2: Subsolidus and melting phase relations in the compositional join CaTiO3–CaSiO3–MgSiO3.
Figure 3: Relative compatibility diagrams showing trace element abundances of mineral inclusions and calculated coexisting melts.
Figure 4: Relative compatibility diagrams showing trace element abundances of model primitive carbonatites normalized to primitive mantle.

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Acknowledgements

Diamond samples from Collier 4 were collected by Rio Tinto (Rio Tinto Desenvolvimentos Minerais Ltda) in 1994. We thank Rio Tinto for access to the collection and J. Pickles for technical assistance. This work was supported by an NERC grant to M.J.W. Experiments by L.S.A. at Bayerisches Geoinstitut were supported by the Marie Curie 6th Framework Programme. Synchrotron experiments at Synchrotron Radiation Source, Daresbury Laboratory, UK, and at the Advanced Light Source, Berkeley, USA, were supported by awards to M.J.W. Trace element analyses at the NERC Edinburgh Ion Microprobe Facility were supported by an award to M.J.W.

Author Contributions M.J.W., G.P.B, J.D.B. and C.B.S. formulated the project. M.J.W., L.S.A., S.K., G.G., O.T.L., A.R.L. and S.M.C. were responsible for experimental and analytical data collection. G.P.B. was responsible for diamond sample preparation. L.G. processed the kimberlite to recover diamonds and selected inclusion-bearing stones for the project. M.J.W. wrote the manuscript with assistance from G.P.B., L.S.A., S.K., J.D.B., A.R.L. and C.B.S.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Queen’s Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK,

    M. J. Walter, G. P. Bulanova, L. S. Armstrong, J. D. Blundy & O. T. Lord

  2. Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany

    S. Keshav & G. Gudfinnsson

  3. Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Lane, Warrington WA4 4AD, UK ,

    A. R. Lennie

  4. Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720, USA ,

    S. M. Clark

  5. Rio Tinto Mining and Exploration Ltd., Paddington, London W2 6LG, UK ,

    C. B. Smith

  6. Rio Tinto Desinvolvimentos Minerais Ltda, SIA Trecho 2, Lote 720, Brasilia, DF 71.200-020, Brazil ,

    L. Gobbo

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  1. M. J. Walter
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Correspondence to M. J. Walter.

Supplementary information

Supplementary information

The file contains Supplementary Tables 1 and 2. Supplementary Table 1 provides major and trace element analyses of perovskite and majorite mineral inclusions in diamonds J1, J9 and J10 from Juina, Brazil. Supplementary Table 2 provides the trace element abundances of calculated melts that can coexist with the mineral inclusions based on the data in Supplemental Table 1. Also provided are mineral/melt partition coefficients used in the calculations and a description of the sources of the coefficients. (PDF 183 kb)

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Walter, M., Bulanova, G., Armstrong, L. et al. Primary carbonatite melt from deeply subducted oceanic crust. Nature 454, 622–625 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07132

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