ALBERT

Description: We present a new method capable of measuring iron isotope ratios of igneous materials to high precision by multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) using a 57Fe-58Fe double spike. After sample purification, near-baseline signal levels of nickel are still present in the sample solution, acting as an isobaric interference on 58 amu. To correct for the interference, the minor 60Ni isotope is monitored and used to subtract a proportional 58Ni signal from the total 58 amu beam. The 60Ni signal is difficult to precisely measure on the Faraday detector due to Johnson noise occurring at similar magnitude. This noise-dominated signal is subtracted from the total 58 amu beam, and its error amplified during the double spike correction. Placing the 60Ni beam on an ion counter produces a more precise measurement, resulting in a near-threefold improvement in δ56Fe reproducibility, from ±0.145‰ when measured on Faraday to 0.052‰. Faraday detectors quantify the 60Ni signal poorly, and fail to discern the transient 20Ne40Ar interference visible on the ion counter, which is likely responsible for poor reproducibility. Another consideration is instrumental stability (defined herein as drift in peak center mass), which affects high-resolution analyses. Analyses experiencing large drift relative to bracketing standards often yield nonreplicating data. Based on this, we present a quantitative outlier detection method capable of detecting drift-affected data. After outlier rejection, long-term precision on individual runs of our secondary standard improves to ±0.046‰. Averaging 3-4 analyses further improves precision to 0.019‰, allowing distinction between ultramafic minerals. © 2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Description: Ocean island basalts (OIB) with extremely radiogenic Pb-isotopic signatures are melts of a mantle component called HIMU (high μ, high 238U/204Pb). Until now, deeply dredged submarine HIMU glasses have not been available, which has inhibited complete geochemical (in particular, volatile element) characterization of the HIMU mantle. We report major, trace and volatile element abundances in a suite of deeply dredged glasses from the Tuvalu Islands. Three Tuvalu glasses with the most extreme HIMU signatures have F/Nd ratios (35.6±3.6) that are higher than the ratio (∼21) for global OIB and MORB, consistent with elevated F/Nd ratios in end-member HIMU Mangaia melt inclusions. The Tuvalu glasses with the most extreme HIMU composition have Cl/K (0.11-0.12), Br/Cl (0.0024), and I/Cl (5-6 × 10-5) ratios that preclude significant assimilation of seawater-derived Cl. The new HIMU glasses that are least degassed for H2O have low H2O/Ce ratios (75-84), similar to ratios identified in end-member OIB glasses with EM1 and EM2 signatures, but significantly lower than H2O/Ce ratios (119-245) previously measured in melt inclusions from Mangaia. CO2-H2O equilibrium solubility models suggest that these HIMU glasses (recovered in two different dredges at 2500-3600 m water depth) have eruption pressures of 295-400 bars. We argue that degassing is unlikely to significantly reduce the primary melt H2O. Thus, the lower H2O/Ce in the HIMU Tuvalu glasses is a mantle signature. We explore oceanic crust recycling as the origin of the low H2O/Ce (∼50-80) in the EM1, EM2, and HIMU mantle domains. Key Points: We report geochemical data on the first deeply dredged submarine glasses with a HIMU signature The HIMU glasses have low H2O/Ce The low H2O/Ce is interpreted to relate to mantle recycling of pyroxenite © 2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Description: Mantle plumes upwelling beneath moving tectonic plates generate age-progressive chains of volcanos (hotspot chains) used to reconstruct plate motion. However, these hotspots appear to move relative to each other, implying that plumes are not laterally fixed. The lack of age constraints on long-lived, coeval hotspot chains hinders attempts to reconstruct plate motion and quantify relative plume motions. Here we provide 40Ar/39Ar ages for a newly identified long-lived mantle plume, which formed the Rurutu hotspot chain. By comparing the inter-hotspot distances between three Pacific hotspots, we show that Hawaii is unique in its strong, rapid southward motion from 60 to 50 Myrs ago, consistent with paleomagnetic observations. Conversely, the Rurutu and Louisville chains show little motion. Current geodynamic plume motion models can reproduce the first-order motions for these plumes, but only when each plume is rooted in the lowermost mantle.

Description: The ocean basins contain numerous volcanic ridges, seamounts and large igneous provinces (LIPs). Numerous studies have focused on the origin of seamount chains and LIPs but much less focus has been applied to understanding the genesis of large volcanic structures formed from a combination or series of volcanic drivers. Here we propose the term Oceanic Mid-plate Superstructures (OMS) to describe independent bathymetric swells or volcanic structures that are constructed through superimposing pulses of volcanism, over long time periods and from multiple sources. These sources can represent periods when the lithosphere drifted over different mantle plumes and/or experienced pulses of volcanism associated with shallow tectonic drivers (e.g. plate flexure; lithospheric extension). Here we focus on the Melanesian Border Plateau (MBP), one example of an OMS that has a complex and enigmatic origin. The MBP is a region of shallow Pacific lithosphere consisting of high volumes of volcanic guyots, ridges and seamounts that resides on the northern edge of the Vitiaz Lineament. Here we reconcile recently published constraints to build a comprehensive volcanic history of the MBP. The MBP was built through four distinct episodes: (1) Volcanism associated with the Louisville hotspot likely generating Robbie Ridge and some Cretaceous seamounts near the MBP. (2) Construction of oceanic islands and seamounts during the Eocene when the lithosphere passed over the Rurutu-Arago hotspot. (3) Reactivation of previous oceanic islands/seamounts and construction of new volcanos in the Miocene when the lithosphere passed over the Samoa hotspot. (4) Miocene to modern volcanism driven by lithospheric deformation and/or westward entrainment of enriched plume mantle due to toroidal mantle flow driven by the rollback of the Pacific plate beneath the Tonga trench. The combination of these processes is responsible for ∼222,000 km2 of intraplate volcanism in the MBP and indicates that this OMS was constructed from multiple volcanic drivers.