Petrology of the axial ridge of the Mariana Trough backarc spreading center

Details Petrology of the axial ridge of the Mariana Trough backarc spreading center Petrology of the axial ridge of the Mariana Trough backarc spreading center

Oct 1990

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990e%26psl.100..226h&link_type=abstract

Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 100, Issue 1-3, p. 226-250.

Mathematics

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38

Scientific paper

The axial ridge of the Mariana Trough backarc basin, between 17°40'N and 18°30'N rises as much as 1 km above the floor of a 10-15 km wide rift valley. Physiographic segmentation, with minor ridge offsets and overlaps, coincides with a petrologic segmentation seen in trace element and isotope chemistry.
Analyses of 239 glass and 40 aphyric basalt samples, collected with alvin and by dredging, show that the axial ridge is formed largely of (olivine) hypersthene-normative tholeiitic basalt. About half of these are enriched in both LIL elements and volatiles, but are depleted in HFS elements like other rocks found throughout much of the Mariana Trough. The LIL enrichments distinguish these rocks from N-MORB even though Nd and Sr isotope ratios indicate that much of the crust formed from a source similar to that for N-MORB. In addition to LIL-enriched basalt there is LIL depleted basalts even more closely resembling N-MORB in major and trace elements as well as Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes. Both basalt varieties have higher Al and lower total Fe than MORB at equivalent Mg level. Mg# ranges from relatively ``primitive'' (e.g. Mg# 65-70) to more highly fractionated (e.g. Mg# 45-50). Highest parts of the axial ridge are capped by pinnacles with elongated pillows of basaltic andesite (e.g. 52-56%) SiO2. These are due to extreme fractional crystallization of basalts forming the axial ridge. Active hydrothermal vents with chimneys and mats of opaline silica, barite, sphalerite and lesser amounts of pyrite, chalcopyrite and galena formed near these silicic rocks. The vents are surrounded by distinctive vent animals, polychaete worms, crabs and barnacles.
Isotope data indicate that the Mariana Trough crust was derived from a heterogeneous source including mantle resembling the MORB-source and an ``arc-source'' component. The latter was depleted in HFS elements in previous melting events and later modified by addition of H2O and LIL elements.
Present address: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, U.S.A.

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