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Mid-Oceanic Ridge Ridge Segments and Spreading Rates : The The Mid-Ocean Ridge System Ophiolite Model • Slow-spreading ridges: < 3 cm/year • Fast-spreading ridges: > 4 cm/year Inferred Rock Seismic Velocity • All Half Rates Types Based on Structure of Ophiolites, Ocean Oceanic Crust (Vp) Drilling

From McBirney, 1993 Minster et al. (1974) Geophys. J. Roy. Astr. Soc., 36, 541-576.

Oceanic Crust and Structure Typical Ophiolite: Typical Ophiolite 1. Radiolarian chert on top of… 2. Pillow lavas 4. Isotropic with diorite and tonalite, 3. Sheeted Complex aka “plagiogranite” (dikes and sills) 5. Cumulate Gabbro 4 layers distinguished from Geophysics: 6. Cumulate Ultramafics 7. Ultramafic Sediments (layer 1) Volcanic Crust (layer 2) Plutonic Crust (layer 3) Lithology and thickness of a typical ophiolite Lithology and thickness of a typical ophiolite sequence, based on the Samial Ophiolite in sequence, based on the Samial Ophiolite in . Mantle (layer 4) Oman. After Boudier and Nicolas (1985) Earth After Boudier and Nicolas (1985) Earth Planet. Sci. Planet. Sci. Lett., 76, 84-92. Lett., 76, 84-92. From McBirney, 1993 Oceanic Crust and Upper Mantle Structure Petrography and Major Typical Ophiolite Element Chemistry A “typical” MORB is an olivine tholeiite

with low K2O (< 0.2 wt%) and moderate TiO2 (!1.0 to 2.0 wt%). MgO from !10 wt% to 6 wt% Wehrlite intrudes into layered Glass in pillow rims is represents liquid Below: harzburgite compositions -- no phenocryst and accumulation. (=refractory residuum of the original mantle) Phenocrytsts: Olivine, Plagioclase,

Modified after Brown and Mussett (1993) The Inaccessible Earth: An Integrated View of Its Structure and Composition. Chapman & Hall. London. ±Diopside

After Bowen (1915), A. J. Sci., and Morse (1994), Crystallization and Phase Diagrams. Krieger Publishers. OLivine+ OLivine Plagioclase Sequence: MgO and FeO • Olivine (±Cr-Spinel) Al O and CaO 2 3 • Olivine + Plagioclase The major SiO2 (±Cr-Spinel) element • Plagioclase + Augite

chemistry of Na2O, K2O, TiO2, P2O5 MORBs

MgO variation diagrams for basaltic glasses from the AMAR region of the MAR. Note different ordinate scales. From Stakes, Shervais & Hopson, (1984) Journal of Geophys. Res., 89, 6995-7028. N-MORB vs E-MORB E-MORBs (squares) enriched over N-MORBs (red Incompatible-rich and incompatible-poor triangles): regardless of Mg# mantle source regions for MORB : N-MORB Mid-Atlantic Ridge 1000.00 ! E-MORBs La/Sm > 1.8 N-MORB La/Lu < 1 ! N-MORBs La/Sm < 0.7 ! N-MORB (normal MORB) taps the 100.00 ! T-MORBs (transitional) intermediate values depleted upper mantle source

10.00 " Mg# > 65: K O < 0.10 TiO < 2.0 E-MORB Mid-Atlantic Ridge 2 2 1000.00 Fractionation

! E-MORB (enriched MORB, aka P-MORB 1.00 won’t change E-MORB LaLa CeCe NdNd SmSm EuEu GdGd TbTb DyDy ErEr TmTm YbYb LuLu for plume) taps the (deeper) fertile mantle 100.00 incompatible element ratios -- " Mg# > 65: K2O > 0.10 TiO2 > 1.5 La/Sm variation 10.00 inherited from La/Lu > 1 source. 1.00 La CeCe NdNd SmSm EuEu GdGd TbTb DyDy ErEr TmTm YbYb Lu Data from Schilling et al. (1983) Amer. J. Sci., 283, 510-586.

Conclusions: N-MORBs: 87Sr/86Sr < 0.7035 and 143Nd/144Nd > 0.5030, = MORB Petrogenesis depleted mantle source # MORBs have > 1 source region Generation E-MORBs extend to more enriched values ® stronger support Separation of the plates # The mantle beneath the ocean basins is distinct mantle reservoirs for N-type and E-type MORBs Upward motion of mantle not homogeneous material into extended zone ! N-MORBs tap an upper, depleted Decompression partial melting associated with near- mantle adiabatic rise ! E-MORBs tap a deeper enriched N-MORB melting initiated ~ 60-80 km depth in upper source depleted mantle where it inherits depleted trace ! T-MORBs = mixing of N- and E- element and isotopic char. magmas during ascent and/or in Zindler et al. (1984) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., shallow chambers 70, 175-195. and Wilson (1989) Igneous Figure 13-12. Data from Ito et al. (1987) Chemical Geology, 62, 157-176; and LeRoex et al. (1983) J. Petrol., 24, 267-318. Petrogenesis.