Publication Date:
2022-05-25
Description:
Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2009. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 114 (2009): B12203, doi:10.1029/2008JB006186.
Description:
Abyssal peridotites, the depleted solid residues of ocean ridge melting, are the most direct samples available to assess upper oceanic mantle composition. We present detailed isotope and trace element analyses of pyroxene mineral separates from Southwest Indian Ridge abyssal peridotites and pyroxenites in order to constrain the size and length scale of mantle heterogeneity. Our results demonstrate that the mantle can be highly heterogeneous to 〈1 km and even 〈0.1 m length scales. Examination of Nd isotopes in relation to modal, trace, and major element compositions indicate that the length scales and amplitudes of heterogeneities in abyssal peridotites reflect both ancient mantle heterogeneity and recent modification by melting, melt-rock reaction and melt crystallization. The isotopic and trace element compositions of pyroxenite veins in this study indicate that they are not direct remnants of recycled oceanic crust, but instead are formed by recent melt crystallization. Combined with existing data sets, the results show that the average global isotopic composition of peridotites is similar to that of mid-ocean ridge basalts, though peridotites extend to significantly more depleted 143Nd/144Nd and 87Sr/86Sr. Standard isotope evolution models of upper mantle composition do not predict the full isotopic range observed among abyssal peridotites, as they do not account adequately for the complexities of ancient and recent melting processes.
Description:
This research was supported by WHOI Academic Programs funding to J.M.W; EAR0115433 and EAR0106578 to N.S; OCE9907630, OCE0526905, and OPP0425785 to H.J.B.D; and COE-21 funding to E.N.
Keywords:
Mantle
;
Abyssal peridotite
;
MORB
Repository Name:
Woods Hole Open Access Server
Type:
Article
Format:
application/pdf
Format:
text/plain
Format:
application/vnd.ms-excel
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