High 3He/4He ratios in picritic basalts from Baffin Island and the role of a mixed reservoir in mantle plumes

The high 3He/4He ratio of volcanic rocks thought to be derived from mantle plumes is taken as evidence for the existence of a mantle reservoir that has remained largely undegassed since the Earth's accretion. The helium isotope composition of this reservoir places constraints on the origin of volatiles within the Earth and on the evolution and structure of the Earth's mantle. Here we show that olivine phenocrysts in picritic basalts presumably derived from the proto-Iceland plume at Baffin Island, Canada, have the highest magmatic 3He/4He ratios yet recorded. A strong correlation between 3He/4He and 87Sr/86Sr, 143Nd/144Nd and trace element ratios demonstrate that the 3He-rich end-member is present in basalts that are derived from large-volume melts of depleted upper-mantle rocks. This reservoir is consistent with the recharging of depleted upper-mantle rocks by small volumes of primordial volatile-rich lower-mantle material at a thermal boundary layer between convectively isolated reservoirs. The highest 3He/4He basalts from Hawaii and Iceland plot on the observed mixing trend. This indicates that a 3He-recharged depleted mantle (HRDM) reservoir may be the principal source of high 3He/4He in mantle plumes, and may explain why the helium concentration of the 'plume' component in ocean island basalts is lower than that predicted for a two-layer, steady-state model of mantle structure.     

Helium solubility in olivine and implications for high 3He/4He in ocean island basalts

High 3He/4He ratios found in ocean island basalts are the main evidence for the existence of an undegassed mantle reservoir. However, models of helium isotope evolution depend critically on the chemical behaviour of helium during mantle melting. It is generally assumed that helium is strongly enriched in mantle melts relative to uranium and thorium, yet estimates of helium partitioning in mantle minerals have produced conflicting results. Here we present experimental measurements of helium solubility in olivine at atmospheric pressure. Natural and synthetic olivines were equilibrated with a 50% helium atmosphere and analysed by crushing in vacuo followed by melting, and yield a minimum olivine-melt partition coefficient of 0.0025 +/- 0.0005 (s.d.) and a maximum of 0.0060 +/- 0.0007 (s.d.). The results indicate that helium might be more compatible than uranium and thorium during mantle melting and that high 3He/4He ratios can be preserved in depleted residues of melting. A depleted source for high 3He/4He ocean island basalts would resolve the apparent discrepancy in the relative helium concentrations of ocean island and mid-ocean-ridge basalts.     

Non-equilibrium degassing and a primordial source for helium in ocean-island volcanism

Radioactive decay of uranium and thorium produces 4He, whereas 3He in the Earth's mantle is not produced by radioactive decay and was only incorporated during accretion-that is, it is primordial. 3He/4He ratios in many ocean-island basalts (OIBs) that erupt at hotspot volcanoes, such as Hawaii and Iceland, can be up to sixfold higher than in mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs). This is inferred to be the result of outgassing by melt production at mid-ocean ridges in conjunction with radiogenic ingrowth of 4He, which has led to a volatile-depleted upper mantle (MORB source) with low 3He concentrations and low 3He/4He ratios. Consequently, high 3He/4He ratios in OIBs are conventionally viewed as evidence for an undegassed, primitive mantle source, which is sampled by hot, buoyantly upwelling deep-mantle plumes. However, this conventional model provides no viable explanation of why helium concentrations and elemental ratios of He/Ne and He/Ar in OIBs are an order of magnitude lower than in MORBs. This has been described as the 'helium concentration paradox' and has contributed to a long-standing controversy about the structure and dynamics of the Earth's mantle. Here we show that the helium concentration paradox, as well as the full range of noble-gas concentrations observed in MORB and OIB glasses, can self-consistently be explained by disequilibrium open-system degassing of the erupting magma. We show that a higher CO2 content in OIBs than in MORBs leads to more extensive degassing of helium in OIB magmas and that noble gases in OIB lavas can be derived from a largely undegassed primitive mantle source.     

Helium isotopic evidence for episodic mantle melting and crustal growth

The timing of formation of the Earth's continental crust is the subject of a long-standing debate, with models ranging from early formation with little subsequent growth, to pulsed growth, to steadily increasing growth. But most models do agree that the continental crust was extracted from the mantle by partial melting. If so, such crustal extraction should have left a chemical fingerprint in the isotopic composition of the mantle. The subduction of oceanic crust and subsequent convective mixing, however, seems to have largely erased this record in most mantle isotopic systems (for example, strontium, neodymium and lead). In contrast, helium is not recycled into the mantle because it is volatile and degasses from erupted oceanic basalts. Therefore helium isotopes may potentially preserve a clearer record of mantle depletion than recycled isotopes. Here I show that the spectrum of 4He/3He ratios in ocean island basalts appears to preserve the mantle's depletion history, correlating closely with the ages of proposed continental growth pulses. The correlation independently predicts both the dominant 4He/3He peak found in modern mid-ocean-ridge basalts, as well as estimates of the initial 4He/3He ratio of the Earth. The correspondence between the ages of mantle depletion events and pulses of crustal production implies that the formation of the continental crust was indeed episodic and punctuated by large, potentially global, melting events. The proposed helium isotopic evolution model does not require a primitive, undegassed mantle reservoir, and therefore is consistent with whole mantle convection.     

Early differentiation and volatile accretion recorded in deep-mantle neon and xenon

The isotopes (129)Xe, produced from the radioactive decay of extinct (129)I, and (136)Xe, produced from extinct (244)Pu and extant (238)U, have provided important constraints on early mantle outgassing and volatile loss from Earth. The low ratios of radiogenic to non-radiogenic xenon ((129)Xe/(130)Xe) in ocean island basalts (OIBs) compared with mid-ocean-ridge basalts (MORBs) have been used as evidence for the existence of a relatively undegassed primitive deep-mantle reservoir. However, the low (129)Xe/(130)Xe ratios in OIBs have also been attributed to mixing between subducted atmospheric Xe and MORB Xe, which obviates the need for a less degassed deep-mantle reservoir. Here I present new noble gas (He, Ne, Ar, Xe) measurements from an Icelandic OIB that reveal differences in elemental abundances and (20)Ne/(22)Ne ratios between the Iceland mantle plume and the MORB source. These observations show that the lower (129)Xe/(130)Xe ratios in OIBs are due to a lower I/Xe ratio in the OIB mantle source and cannot be explained solely by mixing atmospheric Xe with MORB-type Xe. Because (129)I became extinct about 100 million years after the formation of the Solar System, OIB and MORB mantle sources must have differentiated by 4.45 billion years ago and subsequent mixing must have been limited. The Iceland plume source also has a higher proportion of Pu- to U-derived fission Xe, requiring the plume source to be less degassed than MORBs, a conclusion that is independent of noble gas concentrations and the partitioning behaviour of the noble gases with respect to their radiogenic parents. Overall, these results show that Earth's mantle accreted volatiles from at least two separate sources and that neither the Moon-forming impact nor 4.45 billion years of mantle convection has erased the signature of Earth's heterogeneous accretion and early differentiation.     

Upper-mantle dynamics revealed by helium isotope variations along the southeast Indian ridge

Helium isotope variations in igneous rocks are important for relating isotopic heterogeneity to convective mixing in the Earth's mantle. High 3He/4He ratios at many ocean islands, along with lower and relatively uniform values in mid-ocean-ridge basalts (MORBs), are thought to result from a well mixed upper-mantle source for MORB and a distinct deeper-mantle source for ocean island basalts. At finer scales, 3He/4He variations along mid-ocean ridges have been related to underlying mantle heterogeneity, but relationships between the scales of geochemical segmentation and mantle convection remain enigmatic. Here we present helium isotope data for MORB glasses recovered along approximately 5,800 km of the southeast Indian ridge, and develop an approach to quantitatively relate spatial variations in geochemical and geophysical parameters at the Earth's surface. A point-to-point correlation analysis reveals structure in the helium isotope data at length scales of approximately 150 and approximately 400 km that appears to be related to secondary convection in the underlying mantle.     

Boron and oxygen isotope evidence for recycling of subducted components over the past 2.5 Gyr

Evidence for the deep recycling of surficial materials through the Earth's mantle and their antiquity has long been sought to understand the role of subducting plates and plumes in mantle convection. Radiogenic isotope evidence for such recycling remains equivocal because the age and location of parent-daughter fractionation are not known. Conversely, while stable isotopes can provide irrefutable evidence for low-temperature fractionation, their range in most unaltered oceanic basalts is limited and the age of any variation is unconstrained. Here we show that delta(18)O ratios in basalts from the Azores are often lower than in pristine mantle. This, combined with increased Nb/B ratios and a large range in delta(11)B ratios, provides compelling evidence for the recycling of materials that had undergone fractionation near the Earth's surface. Moreover, delta(11)B is negatively correlated with (187)Os/(188)Os ratios, which extend to subchondritic values, constraining the age of the high Nb/B, (11)B-enriched endmember to be more than 2.5 billion years (Gyr) old. We infer this component to be melt- and fluid-depleted lithospheric mantle from a subducted oceanic plate, whereas other Azores basalts contain a contribution from approximately 3-Gyr-old melt-enriched basalt. We conclude that both components are most probably derived from an Archaean oceanic plate that was subducted, arguably into the deep mantle, where it was stored until thermal buoyancy caused it to rise beneath the Azores islands approximately 3 Gyr later.     

Recycled dehydrated lithosphere observed in plume-influenced mid-ocean-ridge basalt

A substantial uncertainty in the Earth's global geochemical water cycle is the amount of water that enters the deep mantle through the subduction and recycling of hydrated oceanic lithosphere. Here we address the question of recycling of water into the deep mantle by characterizing the volatile contents of different mantle components as sampled by ocean island basalts and mid-ocean-ridge basalts. Although all mantle plume (ocean island) basalts seem to contain more water than mid-ocean-ridge basalts, we demonstrate that basalts associated with mantle plume components containing subducted lithosphere--'enriched-mantle' or 'EM-type' basalts--contain less water than those associated with a common mantle source. We interpret this depletion as indicating that water is extracted from the lithosphere during the subduction process, with greater than 92 per cent efficiency.     

Evidence from Sardinian basalt geochemistry for recycling of plume heads into the Earth's mantle

Up to 10 per cent of the ocean floor consists of plateaux--regions of unusually thick oceanic crust thought to be formed by the heads of mantle plumes. Given the ubiquitous presence of recycled oceanic crust in the mantle source of hotspot basalts, it follows that plateau material should also be an important mantle constituent. Here we show that the geochemistry of the Pleistocene basalts from Logudoro, Sardinia, is compatible with the remelting of ancient ocean plateau material that has been recycled into the mantle. The Sr, Nd and Hf isotope compositions of these basalts do not show the signature of pelagic sediments. The basalts' low CaO/Al2O3 and Ce/Pb ratios, their unradiogenic 206Pb and 208Pb, and their Sr, Ba, Eu and Pb excesses indicate that their mantle source contains ancient gabbros formed initially by plagioclase accumulation, typical of plateau material. Also, the high Th/U ratios of the mantle source resemble those of plume magmas. Geochemically, the Logudoro basalts resemble those from Pitcairn Island, which contain the controversial EM-1 component that has been interpreted as arising from a mantle source sprinkled with remains of pelagic sediments. We argue, instead, that the EM-1 source from these two localities is essentially free of sedimentary material, the geochemical characteristics of these lavas being better explained by the presence of recycled oceanic plateaux. The storage of plume heads in the deep mantle through time offers a convenient explanation for the persistence of chemical and mineralogical layering in the mantle.     

南海玄武岩：扩张洋脊与海山

 南海存在两种火山岩：洋中脊玄武岩（MORB）和洋岛玄武岩（OIB）。国际大洋发现计划（IODP）第349、367、368、368X航次在南海海盆的成功钻取,获得了南海初始扩张（~34 Ma）和停止扩张（~15-16 Ma）前的洋壳样品。南海东部、西南次海盆及北缘洋-陆过渡带代表海盆发展的不同阶段,具有不同的地幔潜能温度、物质组成和洋脊扩张速度,因此产生的洋中脊玄武岩成分差异显著。南海地区在扩张晚期及停止扩张之后存在大规模地幔上涌,与其周缘地区的持续俯冲有关,产出的海山OIB不同于地幔柱活动产生的火山链。南海虽小,但蕴含的信息异常丰富,是窥探地球深部难得的天然窗口。     

Thallium isotopic evidence for ferromanganese sediments in the mantle source of Hawaiian basalts

Ocean island basalts are generally thought to be the surface expression of mantle plumes, but the nature of the components in the source regions of such mantle plumes is a subject of long-standing debate. The lavas erupted at Hawaii have attracted particular attention, as it has been proposed that coupled 186Os and 187Os anomalies reflect interaction with the Earth's metallic core. It has recently been suggested, however, that such variations could also result from addition of oceanic ferromanganese sediments to the mantle source of these lavas. Here we show that Hawaiian picrites with osmium isotope anomalies also exhibit pronounced thallium isotope variations, which are coupled with caesium/thallium ratios that extend to values much lower than commonly observed for mantle-derived rocks. This correlation cannot be created by admixing of core material, and is best explained by the addition of ferromanganese sediments into the Hawaii mantle source region. However, the lack of correlation between thallium and osmium isotopes and the high thallium/osmium ratios of ferromanganese sediments preclude a sedimentary origin for the osmium isotope anomalies, and leaves core-mantle interaction as a viable explanation for the osmium isotope variations of the Hawaiian picrites.     

Oxygen-isotope evidence for recycled crust in the sources of mid-ocean-ridge basalts

Mid-ocean-ridge basalts (MORBs) are the most abundant terrestrial magmas and are believed to form by partial melting of a globally extensive reservoir of ultramafic rocks in the upper mantle. MORBs vary in their abundances of incompatible elements (that is, those that partition into silicate liquids during partial melting) and in the isotopic ratios of several radiogenic isotope systems. These variations define a spectrum between 'depleted' and 'enriched' compositions, characterized by respectively low and high abundances of incompatible elements. Compositional variations in the sources of MORBs could reflect recycling of subducted crustal materials into the source reservoir, or any of a number of processes of intramantle differentiations. Variations in (18)O/(16)O (principally sensitive to the interaction of rocks with the Earth's hydrosphere) offer a test of these alternatives. Here we show that (18)O/(16)O ratios of MORBs are correlated with aspects of their incompatible-element chemistry. These correlations are consistent with control of the oxygen-isotope and incompatible-element geochemistry of MORBs by a component of recycled crust that is variably distributed throughout their upper mantle sources.     

Water-rich basalts at mid-ocean-ridge cold spots

Although water is only present in trace amounts in the suboceanic upper mantle, it is thought to play a significant role in affecting mantle viscosity, melting and the generation of crust at mid-ocean ridges. The concentration of water in oceanic basalts has been observed to stay below 0.2 wt%, except for water-rich basalts sampled near hotspots and generated by 'wet' mantle plumes. Here, however, we report unusually high water content in basaltic glasses from a cold region of the mid-ocean-ridge system in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. These basalts are sodium-rich, having been generated by low degrees of melting of the mantle, and contain unusually high ratios of light versus heavy rare-earth elements, implying the presence of garnet in the melting region. We infer that water-rich basalts from such regions of thermal minima derive from low degrees of 'wet' melting greater than 60 km deep in the mantle, with minor dilution by melts produced by shallower 'dry' melting--a view supported by numerical modelling. We therefore conclude that oceanic basalts are water-rich not only near hotspots, but also at 'cold spots'.     

渤海湾盆地黄骅拗陷天然气中幔源氦

黄骅拗陷天然气中存在强烈的幔源氦入侵，氦同位素比值３Ｈｅ／４Ｈｅ０．１２Ｒａ至３．６２Ｒａ，表明天然气中氦组分有１％至４５％来自幔源。３Ｈｅ／４Ｈｅ频率分布图呈双峰式特点，低值峰０．１２Ｒａ至１．１９Ｒａ，位于新生代中后期构造、岩浆活动不发育和远离断裂交汇带地区，其仍远高于壳源流体特征０．０２Ｒａ，表明拗陷区总体上存在较强的幔源氦混染。高值峰１．２８Ｒａ至２．８０Ｒａ，均位于长期活动断裂，特别是断裂交汇带和新生代火山活动区。幔源氦自断裂交汇带释放．沿ＮＥ—ＮＥＥ向伸展断裂带运移、聚集，并向四周扩散。早第三纪伸展活动与幔源岩浆作用期是幔源氦主要释放期；晚第三纪至第四纪ＮＷ向深断裂活动和深源岩浆作用对区内幔源氦聚集亦具重要贡献。     

He and Ar isotopes in mantle megacryst minerals from Nushan and Yingfengling in Southeast China

He and Ar isotopic compositions of megacrystal minerals from mantle xenoliths were measured by the technique of vacuum crushing extraction. The used samples were clinopyroxene, garnet and ilmenite in Cenozoic alkaline basalts, which were from Nushan in Anhui Province and Ying-fengling in Guangdong Province, respectively, and represented materials from the upper mantle in the continental margin of SE China. The results show ^3He/^4He ratios of 7.99 Ra to 8.58 Ra, consistent with the characteristic ratios of the MORB-type mantle. ^40Ar／^39Ar ratios vary from 313 to 909, suggesting a binary mixing between the MORB-type mantle and air argons. This may reflect the incorporation of the air argon absorbed in oceanic sediments into the mantle beneath the continental margin by subduction of oceanic plate. This study presents the first report that ilmenite megacrysts contain abundant fluid inclusions and noble gases in the mantle xenoliths.     

A case for mantle plumes

The existence of at least several plumes in the Earth＇s mantle can be inferred with few assumptions from well-established observations. As well, thermal mantle plumes can be predicted from well-established and quantified fluid dynamics and a plausible assumption about the Earth＇s early thermal state. Some additional important observations, especially of flood basalts and rift-related magmatism, have been shown to be plausibly consistent with the physical theory. Recent claims to have detected plumes using seismic tomography may comprise the most direct evidence for plumes, but plume tails are likely to be difficult to resolve definitively and the claims need to be well tested. Although significant questions remain about its viability, the plume hypothesis thus seems to be well worth continued investigation. Nevertheless there are many non-plate-related magmatic phenomena whose association with plumes is unclear or unlikely. Compositional buoyancy has recently been shown potentially to substantially complicate the dynamics of plumes, and this may lead to explanations for a wider range of phenomena, including “headless” hotspot tracks, than purely thermal plumes.     

A young source for the Hawaiian plume

Recycling of oceanic crust through subduction, mantle upwelling, and remelting in mantle plumes is a widely accepted mechanism to explain ocean island volcanism. The timescale of this recycling is important to our understanding of mantle circulation rates. Correlations of uranogenic lead isotopes in lavas from ocean islands such as Hawaii or Iceland, when interpreted as model isochrons, have yielded source differentiation ages between 1 and 2.5?billion years (Gyr). However, if such correlations are produced by mixing of unrelated mantle components they will have no direct age significance. Re-Os decay model ages take into account the mixing of sources with different histories, but they depend on the assumed initial Re/Os ratio of the subducted crust, which is poorly constrained because of the high mobility of rhenium during subduction. Here we report the first data on (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratios for 138 melt inclusions in olivine phenocrysts from lavas of Mauna Loa shield volcano, Hawaii, indicating enormous mantle source heterogeneity. We show that highly radiogenic strontium in severely rubidium-depleted melt inclusions matches the isotopic composition of 200-650-Myr-old sea water. We infer that such sea water must have contaminated the Mauna Loa source rock, before subduction, imparting a unique 'time stamp' on this source. Small amounts of seawater-derived strontium in plume sources may be common but can be identified clearly only in ultra-depleted melts originating from generally highly (incompatible-element) depleted source components. The presence of 200-650-Myr-old oceanic crust in the source of Hawaiian lavas implies a timescale of general mantle circulation with an average rate of about 2 (±1)?cm?yr(-1), much faster than previously thought.     

Evidence for recycled Archaean oceanic mantle lithosphere in the Azores plume

The compositional differences between mid-ocean-ridge and ocean-island basalts place important constraints on the form of mantle convection. Also, it is thought that the scale and nature of heterogeneities within plumes and the degree to which heterogeneous material endures within the mantle might be reflected in spatial variations of basalt composition observed at the Earth's surface. Here we report osmium isotope data on lavas from a transect across the Azores archipelago which vary in a symmetrical pattern across what is thought to be a mantle plume. Many of the lavas from the centre of the plume have lower 187Os/188Os ratios than most ocean-island basalts and some extend to subchondritic 187Os/188Os ratios-lower than any yet reported from ocean-island basalts. These low ratios require derivation from a depleted, harzburgitic mantle, consistent with the low-iron signature of the Azores plume. Rhenium-depletion model ages extend to 2.5 Gyr, and we infer that the osmium isotope signature is unlikely to be derived from Iberian subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Instead, we interpret the osmium isotope signature as having a deep origin and infer that it may be recycled, Archaean oceanic mantle lithosphere that has delaminated from its overlying oceanic crust. If correct, our data provide evidence for deep mantle subduction and storage of oceanic mantle lithosphere during the Archaean era.     

The return of subducted continental crust in Samoan lavas

Substantial quantities of terrigenous sediments are known to enter the mantle at subduction zones, but little is known about their fate in the mantle. Subducted sediment may be entrained in buoyantly upwelling plumes and returned to the Earth's surface at hotspots, but the proportion of recycled sediment in the mantle is small, and clear examples of recycled sediment in hotspot lavas are rare. Here we report remarkably enriched 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotope signatures in Samoan lavas from three dredge locations on the underwater flanks of Savai'i island, Western Samoa. The submarine Savai'i lavas represent the most extreme 87Sr/86Sr isotope compositions reported for ocean island basalts to date. The data are consistent with the presence of a recycled sediment component (with a composition similar to the upper continental crust) in the Samoan mantle. Trace-element data show affinities similar to those of the upper continental crust--including exceptionally low Ce/Pb and Nb/U ratios--that complement the enriched 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotope signatures. The geochemical evidence from these Samoan lavas significantly redefines the composition of the EM2 (enriched mantle 2; ref. 9) mantle endmember, and points to the presence of an ancient recycled upper continental crust component in the Samoan mantle plume.     

Some basic concepts and problems on the petrogenesis of intra-plate ocean island basalts

Basaltic magmatism that builds intra-plate ocean islands is often considered to be genetically associated with ＂hotspots＂ or ＂mantle plumes＂. While there have been many discussions on why ocean island basalts （OIB） are geochemically highly enriched as an integral part of the mantle plume hypothesis, our current understanding on the origin of OIB source material remains unsatisfactory, and some prevailing ideas need revision. One of the most popular views states that OIB source material is recycled oceanic crust （ROC）. Among many problems with the ROC model, the ocean crust is simply too depleted （e.g., [La/Sm]PM 〈1） to be source material for highly enriched （e.g., [La/Sm]pM 〉〉 1） OIB, Another popular view states that the enriched component of OIB comes from recycled continental crust （RCC, i.e.; terrigenous sediments）. While both CC and OIB are enriched in many incompatible elements （e.g., both have [La/Sm]PM 〉〉1）, the CC has characteristic enrichment in Pb and deletion in Nb, Ta, P and Ti. Such signature is too strong to be eliminated such that CC is unsuitable as source material for OIB. Plate tectonics and mantle circulation permit the presence of ROC and RCC materials in mantle source regions of basalts, but they must be volumetrically insignificant in contributing to basalt magmatism. The observation that OIB are not only enriched in incompatible elements, but also enriched in the progressively more incompatible elements indicates that the enriched component of OIB is of magmatic origin and most likely associated with low-degree melt metasomatism. H2O and CO2 rich incipient melt may form in the seismic low velocity zone （LVZ）. This melt will rise because of buoyancy and concentrate into a melt rich layer atop the LVZ to metasomatize the growing lithosphere, forming the metasomatic vein lithologies. Erupted OIB melts may have three components： （1） fertile OIB source material from depth that is dominant, （2） the melt layer, and （3） assimilation of the metasomatic vein lithologies formed earlier in the growing/grown lithosphere. It is probable that the fertile source material from depth may be （or contain） recycled ancient metasomatized deep portions of oceanic lithosphere. In any attempt to explain the origin of mantle isotopic end-members as revealed from global OIB data, we must （1） remember our original assumptions that the primitive mantle （PM） soon after the core separation was compositionally uniform/homogeneous with the core playing a limited or no role in causing mantle isotopic heterogeneity; （2） not use OIB isotopes to conclude about the nature and compositions of ultimate source materials without understanding geochemical consequences of subduction zone metamorphism; and （3） ensure that models and hypotheses are consistent with the basic petrology and major/trace element geochemistry.