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Composition and chemical structure of oceanic mantle plumes

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Abstract

The average compositions (including H2O, Cl, F, and S contents) and chemical structure of oceanic mantle plumes were estimated on the basis of the ratios of incompatible volatile components, potassium, and some other elements in the basaltic magmas of ocean islands (melt inclusions and quenched glasses). The following average concentrations were estimated for the plume mantle: 510 ppm K2O, 520 ppm H2O, 21 ppm Cl, 55 ppm F, and 83 ppm S; these values are significantly higher than those of the depleted mantle (except for S). The abundances of H2O, Cl, and S are lower than in the primitive mantle. The normalized H2O content in the plume mantle is similar to the concentrations of similarly incompatible La and Ce but lower than the concentrations of K2O, Cl, and Sr. This is at odds with the idea of wet mantle plumes. Three types of basaltic magmas corresponding to three types of plume sources (M1, M2, and M3) were distinguished. The concentrations of incompatible elements in these reservoirs were estimated using two models, assuming either an isochemical mantle or a moderately enriched composition of plume material. The latter model gave the following average concentrations of H2O, Cl, F, and S: 130, 33, 11, and 110 ppm for M1, 110, 12, 65, and 45 ppm for M2; 530, 29, 49, and 110 ppm for M3. The plume mantle is not homogeneous, and its heterogeneity is related to the existence of three main compositions, one of which (M1) is similar to the mantle of mid-ocean ridges, and two others (M2 and M3) are moderately enriched in K2O, TiO2, P2O5, F, and incompatible trace elements. The compositions of M2 and M3 are strongly different in H2O, Cl, and S contents. The M2 mantle reservoir is significantly poorer in these components and richer in incompatible trace elements than M3. The plume mantle was formed mainly by the mixing of three sources: ultradepleted mantle, moderately enriched relatively dry mantle, and moderately enriched H2O-rich mantle. In addition to the three main components of the plume mantle, there are probably minor components enriched in chlorine and depleted in fluorine. It is supposed that all these components are entrained into the plume mantle through the mantle recycling of components of the oceanic and continental crust. The established relationships are in agreement with the zonal model of a mantle plume, which includes a hot central part poor in H2O, Cl, and S; an outer part enriched in volatile and nonvolatile incompatible elements; and enclosing mantle material interacting with the plume.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy, and Geochemistry (IGEM), Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetnyi per. 35, Moscow, 109017, Russia

    V. I. Kovalenko, A. V. Girnis & V. V. Yarmolyuk

  2. Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kosygina 19, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    V. B. Naumov & V. A. Dorofeeva

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  1. V. I. Kovalenko
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  2. V. B. Naumov
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  3. A. V. Girnis
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  4. V. A. Dorofeeva
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  5. V. V. Yarmolyuk
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Original Russian Text © V.I. Kovalenko, V.B. Naumov, A.V. Girnis, V.A. Dorofeeva, V.V. Yarmolyuk, 2006, published in Petrologiya, 2006, Vol. 14, No. 5, pp. 482–507.

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Kovalenko, V.I., Naumov, V.B., Girnis, A.V. et al. Composition and chemical structure of oceanic mantle plumes. Petrology 14, 452–476 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0869591106050031

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