Li, Hf and Os ISOTOPE SYSTEMATICS of AZORES BASALTS and a NEW MICROWAVE DIGESTION METHOD for Os ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Li, Hf and Os ISOTOPE SYSTEMATICS of AZORES BASALTS and a NEW MICROWAVE DIGESTION METHOD for Os ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS MIAMI UNIVERSITY The Graduate School Certificate for Approving the Dissertation We hereby approve the Dissertation of Huimin Yu Candidate for the Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Elisabeth Widom, Director William K. Hart, Reader Michael R. Brudzinski, Reader Paul B. Tomascak, Reader Michael W. Crowder, Graduate School Representative ABSTRACT Li, Hf AND Os ISOTOPE SYSTEMATICS OF AZORES BASALTS AND A NEW MICROWAVE DIGESTION METHOD FOR Os ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS by Huimin Yu This dissertation includes three projects related to the isotope geochemistry of ocean island basalts (OIB) in the Azores archipelago. Detailed studies of Hf, Os and Li isotope systematics are combined with Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes and trace elements to investigate the nature and origin of mantle heterogeneity beneath the Azores. In addition, new microwave digestion methods have been developed and tested for dissolution of samples for Os isotope analysis. The first project focuses on Hf-Os isotope systematics of basalts from the Azores Central Group islands (Faial, Pico, São Jorge and Terceira) with HIMU and EM-type 187 188 signatures. Sub-chondritic Os/ Os and ΔεHf signatures on or slightly below the terrestrial εHf - εNd array indicate that the mantle sources of these basalts do not contain significant recycled crustal material. Rather, the sources of the basalts are interpreted to include variable and geographically controlled mixtures of a deeply derived enriched mantle plume, relatively depleted mantle similar to that beneath the Mid-Atlantic ridge, and recycled metasomatized mantle wedge. The second project focuses on assessing the utility of Li isotopes as a tracer of heterogeneous mantle sources. The δ7Li data of Central Group island (Faial, Pico and Terceira) and São Miguel basalts vary only slightly (+3.1 to +4.7‰), and are all within the range of normal MORB, despite large variations in radiogenic isotopes. Nevertheless, the Central Group island basalts have, on average, slightly higher δ7Li than São Miguel, and exhibit positive correlations with Sr and Os isotopes, and negative correlations with Pb, Nd and Hf isotopes, and are consistent with the interpretations of the Hf-Os isotope study. New diffusion modeling furthermore suggests that mantle heterogeneities induced by subduction processes may be maintained in the mantle for timescales of >2.5Ga. The third project assesses the utility of microwave digestion for Os isotopic analysis. Compared to conventional Carius tube digestions, microwave digestion is faster and safer, and allows for the use of HF to achieve complete dissolution of silicate samples. This study demonstrated that microwave digestions successfully achieve spike-sample equilibration, have acceptably low processing blanks, and produce yields >90%. Li, Hf AND Os ISOTOPE SYSTEMATICS OF AZORES BASALTS AND A NEW MICROWAVE DIGESTION METHOD FOR Os ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science by Huimin Yu Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2011 Dissertation Director: Elisabeth Widom, Ph.D. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction 2 References 6 Chapter 2: Hafnium and osmium isotopic systematics of ocean island basalts in the Central Group islands of the Azores Archipelago Abstract 10 Body Text 11 References 39 Chapter 3: Lithium isotope systematics of basalts from the Azores Archipelago: constraints on the origin of the mantle sources Abstract 86 Body Text 88 References 114 Chapter 4: Microwave Digestion Method for Os analysis Abstract 155 Body Text 156 References 169 Chapter 5: Conclusions Summary 181 References 183 ii LIST OF TABLES Chapter 2: Hafnium and osmium isotopic systematics of ocean island basalts in the Central Group islands of the Azores Archipelago 1. Major element, trace element and isotopic ratios of the Central Group island basalts 48 2. The compositions of end-members in Os-Sr-Pb mixing models 59 3. The compositions of end-members in Nd-Hf mixing models 60 Chapter 3: Lithium isotope systematics of basalts from the Azores Archipelago: constraints on the origin of the mantle sources 1. Compositions of Azores basalts samples including lithium concentrations and isotopic compositions 125 2. δ7Li values of four olivine-whole rock pairs 127 Chapter 4: Microwave Digestion Method for Os analysis 1. Comparison of microwave digestion and Carius tube digestion 170 2. Osmium yields of microwave digestion 171 iii LIST OF FIGURES Chapter 2: Hafnium and osmium isotopic systematics of ocean island basalts in the Central Group islands of the Azores Archipelago 1. Map of Azores Archipelago 61 2. 87Sr/86Sr versus 206Pb/204Pb ratios for basalts of the Central Group islands, Azores archipelago 63 3. Total alkalis versus SiO2 and plot of Ni versus MgO for basalts from the Central Group islands 65 4. Variations of major element versus MgO for the basalts from the Central Group islands 67 5. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns for the Central Group island basalts 69 6. Primitive-mantle normalized trace element patterns for the Central Group island basalts 71 7. Trace element compositions of the Central Group island basalts 73 8. Whole-rock isotope signatures of the Central Group island basalts 75 9. Osmium isotope signatures of the Central Group island basalts 77 10. Calculated mixing trends between enriched Azores mantle plume (AMP) and potential recycle crustal components 79 11. Neodymium and Hf isotope signatures of the Central Group island basalts and calculated mixing trends between enriched Azores mantle plume (AMP) and potential recycle crustal components 81 12. Model of proposed mantle sources beneath the Azores archipelago 83 Chapter 3: Lithium isotope systematics of basalts from the Azores Archipelago: constraints on the origin of the mantle sources 1. Lithium isotope signatures of Earth reservoirs 128 2. Map of Azores Archipelago 130 87 86 206 204 3. Sr/ Sr versus Pb/ Pb for basalts of the Azores archipelago 132 iv 4. Deviation of individual analyses from the mean of replicate analyses of all standards (L-SVEC 50ppb) 134 7 5. Comparison of δ Li values between whole rocks and olivine separates 136 6. Histogram of Li isotopic composition of the Azores basalts and MORB 138 7. δ7Li values of whole rock powder from the Central Group islands versus radiogenic isotopes 140 7 87 86 8. δ Li versus Sr/ Sr of global OIB 142 9. Osmium concentrations and isotopic compositions of the Central Group island basalts 144 7 10. Major and trace element compositions versus δ Li for Azores basalts 146 11. Isotopic ratios and major and trace element compositions of the Azores basalts 148 12. Calculated mixing trends between basalt and pelagic sediment 150 7 13. Diffusion models for Li concentrations and δ Li of recycled material 152 Chapter 4: Microwave Digestion Method for Os analysis 1. The temperature and pressure change during heating of aqua regia in the microwave 172 2. The temperature and pressure change during heating of HF+EtOH+HCl in the microwave 174 3. Distillation system for Os separation 176 4. Osmium concentrations and 187Os/188Os ratios of sample aliquots digested by Carius tube and microwave 178 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincerely gratitude to the many people who have helped me during my study at Miami University. The first and the foremost is my advisor Dr. Elisabeth Widom. Everything she taught me over last six years is extremely valuable in my research career and in my whole life. She encouraged me to develop independent thinking skills. I am really grateful to her patience of my scientific writing and guidance when I lost direction during my research. I respect her as an extremely knowledgeable geologist as well as a successful mentor. Thanks to all the people who have served on my committees: Dr. William K. Hart, Dr. Michael R. Brudzinski and Dr. Michael W. Crowder. I owe a special thanks to Dr. Paul B. Tomascak for making the time to come to Oxford for my defense. I would also like to thank Dave Kuentz and John Morton for their assistance in the labs in Miami University. Thank you to Lin Qiu and Roberta Rudnick at University, Richard Carlson at DTM for their assistance in their labs during my visit. I thank all faculty and staff in the Department of Geology at Miami University, especially Cathy Edwards and Jeanne Johnston for their assistance with day to day questions. I am thankful to Amy Gelinas and Qing Meng for their assistance with sample analysis and all of my lab mates, Elise Conte, George Daly, Rebecca Tortorello and Fara Rasoazanamparany to share ideas, discuss my research and help my English. I also would like to thank Shanshan Ji, Yun Luo, Qing Meng, Jing Zhang, Qiuyuan Huang and Shizuko Watanabe for their friendships. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family. My husband, Yongjian Han, always understands me, supports me and encourages me. My daughter Grace Han and my son Steven Han bring a lot of fun and are my source of happiness. I owe a special thanks to my parents Guangshan Yu and Wenqing Shi. Without their support and understanding, I could not finish my doctoral dissertation. These projects were supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF EAR # 0510598 and NSF EAR # 0549552 to Elisabeth Widom) and the Geological Society of America (8696-07 to Huimin Yu). vi CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 Ocean island basalts (OIB) exhibit large variations in their chemical and isotopic compositions, indicating that they are produced by melting
Recommended publications
  • Mantle Dynamics and Characteristics of the Azores Plateau
    Earth and Planetary Science Letters 362 (2013) 258–271 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Earth and Planetary Science Letters journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/epsl Mantle dynamics and characteristics of the Azores plateau C. Adam a,n, P. Madureira a,b, J.M. Miranda c, N. Lourenc-o c,d, M. Yoshida e, D. Fitzenz a,1 a Centro de Geofı´sica de E´vora/Univ. E´vora, 7002-554 E´vora, Portugal b Estrutura de Missao~ para a Extensao~ da Plataforma Continental (EMEPC), 2770-047, Pac-o d’ Arcos, Portugal c Instituto Portugues do Mar e da Atmosfera, Lisboa, Portugal d University of Algarve, IDL, Campus de Gambelas, 8000 Faro, Portugal e Institute for Research on Earth Evolution (IFREE), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan article info abstract Article history: Situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores plateau is a region of elevated topography Received 25 July 2012 encompassing the triple junction between the Eurasian, Nubian and North American plates. The plateau is Received in revised form crossed by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the Terceira Rift is generally thought of as its northern boundary. 2 November 2012 The origin of the plateau and of the Terceira Rift is still under debate. This region is associated with active Accepted 5 November 2012 volcanism. Geophysical data describe complex tectonic and seismic patterns. The mantle under this region Editor: T. Spohn Available online 18 January 2013 is characterized by anomalously slow seismic velocities. However, this mantle structure has not yet been used to quantitatively assess the influence of the mantle dynamics on the surface tectonics.
    [Show full text]
  • The Portuguese Inquisition, a Inquisição Portuguesa, The
    THE PORTUGUESE INQUISITION, The Portuguese Inquisition remains THE PORTUGUESE INQUISITION The case of Maria Lopes, burned at the stake in 1576 largely obscure. This book provides A INQUISIÇÃO PORTUGUESA, context and presents the tragic case of O caso de Maria Lopes, queimada na fogueira em 1576 !"#$"%&'()*+%,-)%.#*,%/'0"1%2#'0% the Azores burned at the stake. Ladinabooks NON­FICTION Cover image by Kriszta Hernadi Porto, Portugal ISBN 978-0-9919946-0-1 Ladinabooks 90000 > Porto, Portugal www.ladinabooks.com www.ladinabooks.blogspot.ca [email protected] 9 780991 994601 Manuel Azevedo Fernanda Guimarães IV THE PORTUGUESE INQUISITION A INQUISIÇÃO PORTUGUESA Ladinabooks I 3$#*,%(456$*-)7%$1%89:;+%.#*,%(#$1,$1< =66%#$<-,*%#)*)#>)7%)?@)(,%2'#%,-)%A4',",$'1%'2%*-'#,%("**"<)*%2'#%,-)% (4#('*)*%'2%*,47B+%@#$,$@$*0%'#%#)>$)/C D'(B#$<-,%E%89:;%!"14)6%=F)>)7'%"17%3)#1"17"%G4$0"#H)* Ladinabooks I'#,'+%I'#,4<"6 ///C6"7$1"5''J*C@'0%% ///C6"7$1"5''J*C56'<*(',C@" 6"7$1"5''J*K<0"$6C@'0 3#'1,%@'>)#%"#,$*,L%M#$*F,"%N)#1"7$ D'>)#%7)*$<1%"17%,)?,%6"B'4,L%O"1B"%P"1,-'4#1'4, O#"1*6",'#*L%!"14)6%=F)>)7'+%=7)6$1"%I)#)$#"+%Q'H'%R)6<"7' I'#,4<4)*)%,#"1*@#$5)#L%3)#1"17"%G4$0"#H)* S7$,'#L%!"14)6%=F)>)7' Printed and bound in Canada ISBN 978­0­9919946­0­1 (pbk) 978­0­9919946­1­8 (ebook) 3'#,-@'0$1<%2#'0%&"7$1"5''J*L% The Portuguese Inquisition, the case of 12 year­old Violante Francesa, 1606.
    [Show full text]
  • S41598-020-76691-1 1 Vol.:(0123456789)
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Rifting of the oceanic Azores Plateau with episodic volcanic activity B. Storch1*, K. M. Haase1, R. H. W. Romer1, C. Beier1,2 & A. A. P. Koppers3 Extension of the Azores Plateau along the Terceira Rift exposes a lava sequence on the steep northern fank of the Hirondelle Basin. Unlike typical tholeiitic basalts of oceanic plateaus, the 1.2 km vertical submarine stratigraphic profle reveals two successive compositionally distinct basanitic to alkali basaltic eruptive units. The lower unit is volumetrically more extensive with ~ 1060 m of the crustal profle forming between ~ 2.02 and ~ 1.66 Ma, followed by a second unit erupting the uppermost ~ 30 m of lavas in ~ 100 kyrs. The age of ~ 1.56 Ma of the youngest in-situ sample at the top of the profle implies that the 35 km-wide Hirondelle Basin opened after this time along normal faults. This rifting phase was followed by alkaline volcanism at D. João de Castro seamount in the basin center indicating episodic volcanic activity along the Terceira Rift. The mantle source compositions of the two lava units change towards less radiogenic Nd, Hf, and Pb isotope ratios. A change to less SiO2-undersaturated magmas may indicate increasing degrees of partial melting beneath D. João de Castro seamount, possibly caused by lithospheric thinning within the past 1.5 million years. Our results suggest that rifting of oceanic lithosphere alternates between magmatically and tectonically dominated phases. Oceanic plateaus with a crustal thickness to 30 km cover large areas in the oceans and these bathymetric swells afect oceanic currents and marine life 1,2.
    [Show full text]
  • Tectonic-Sedimentary System of the Atlantis‒Meteor Seamounts (North
    ISSN 0024-4902, Lithology and Mineral Resources, 2019, Vol. 54, No. 5, pp. 374–389. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc., 2019. Russian Text © The Author(s), 2019, published in Litologiya i Poleznye Iskopaemye, 2019, No. 5. Tectonic-Sedimentary System of the Atlantis‒Meteor Seamounts (North Atlantic): Volcanism and Sedimentation in the Late Miocene‒Pliocene and Position in the Atlantic‒Arctic Rift System N. P. Chamova, *, I. E. Stukalovaa, S. Yu. Sokolova, A. A. Peivea, N. V. Gor’kovaa, A. A. Razumovskiia, M. E. Bylinskayaa, and L. A. Golovinaa aGeological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pyzhevskii per., 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia *e-mail: [email protected] Received February 19, 2019; revised February 19, 2019; accepted March 13, 2019 Abstract—The paper analyzes original data obtained on the Atlantis‒Meteor seamount system during Cruise 33 of the R/V Akademik Nikolai Strakhov in the eastern North Atlantic. This system is a volcanic rise formed on the Canary abyssal plate and represents one of the key objects for understanding the geological history of opening of the central segment of the Atlantic Ocean. Basalts, tephrites, and organogenic terrigenous lagoonal marine sediments dredged from the Atlantis, Plato, and Cruiser seamounts are considered. Petrog- raphy and compositions of the Atlantis and Cruiser basalts reflect significant differences in settings of their eruptions. Well-crystallized vesicle-free olivine basalts from the Atlantis Seamount were ejected under deep- water conditions. Glassy vesicular basalts of the Cruiser Seamount are typical of shallow subaerial eruptions. Evidence for the accumulation of tuff breccias and tuff gravelstones of the Plato Seamount in subaerial set- tings are obtained.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF Linkchapter
    Index [Italic page numbers indicate major references] Abaco Knoll, 359 116, 304, 310, 323 Bahama Platform, 11, 329, 331, 332, Abathomphalus mayaroensis, 101 Aquia Formation, 97, 98, 124 341, 358, 360 Abbott pluton, 220 aquifers, 463, 464, 466, 468, 471, Bahama volcanic crust, 356 Abenaki Formation, 72, 74, 257, 476, 584 Bahamas basin, 3, 5, 35, 37, 39, 40, 259, 261, 369, 372, 458 Aquitaine, France, 213, 374 50 ablation, 149 Arcadia Formation, 505 Bahamas Fracture Zone, 24, 39, 40, Abyssal Plain, 445 Archaean age, 57 50, 110, 202, 349, 358, 368 Adirondack Mountains, 568 Arctic-North Atlantic rift system, 49, Bahamas Slope, 12 Afar region, Djibouti, 220, 357 50 Bahamas-Cuban Fault system, 50 Africa, 146, 229, 269, 295, 299 Ardsley, New York, 568, 577 Baja California, Mexico, 146 African continental crust, 45, 331, Argana basin, Morocco, 206 Bajocian assemblages, 20, 32 347 Argo Fan, Scotian margin, 279 Balair fault zone, 560 African Craton, 368 Argo Salt Formation, 72, 197, 200, Baltimore Canyon trough, 3, 37, 38, African margin, 45, 374 278, 366, 369, 373 40, 50, 67, 72 , 81, 101, 102, African plate, 19, 39, 44, 49 arkoses, 3 138, 139, 222, 254, 269, 360, Afro-European plate, 197 artesian aquifers, 463 366, 369, 396, 419,437 Agamenticus pluton, 220 Ashley Formation, 126 basement rocks, 74 age, 19, 208, 223 Astrerosoma, 96 carbonate deposits, 79 Agulhas Bank, 146 Atkinson Formation, 116, 117 crustal structure, 4, 5, 46 Aiken Formation, 125 Atlantic basin, 6, 9, 264 faults in, 32 Aikin, South Carolina, 515 marine physiography, 9 geologic
    [Show full text]
  • 98-031 Oceanus F/W 97 Final
    A hotspot created the island of Iceland and its characteristic volcanic landscape. Hitting the Hotspots Hotspots are rela- tively small regions on the earth where New Studies Reveal Critical Interactions unusually hot rocks rise from deep inside Between Hotspots and Mid-Ocean Ridges the mantle layer. Jian Lin Associate Scientist, Geology & Geophysics Department he great volcanic mid-ocean ridge system hotspots may play a critical role in shaping the stretches continuously around the globe for seafloor—acting in some cases as strategically T 60,000 kilometers, nearly all of it hidden positioned supply stations that fuel the lengthy beneath the world’s oceans. In some places, how- mid-ocean ridges with magma. ever, mid-ocean ridge volcanoes are so massive that Studies of ridge-hotspot interactions received a they emerge above sea level to create some of the major boost in 1995 when the US Navy declassified most spectacular islands on our planet. Iceland, the gravity data from its Geosat satellite, which flew Azores, and the Galápagos are examples of these from 1985 to 1990. The satellite recorded in unprec- “hotspot” islands—so named because they are edented detail the height of the ocean surface. With believed to form above small regions scattered accuracy within 5 centimeters, it revealed small around the earth where unusually hot rocks rise bumps and dips created by the gravitational pull of from deep inside the mantle layer. dense underwater mountains and valleys. Research- But hotspots may not be such isolated phenom- ers often use precise gravity measurements to probe ena. Exciting advances in satellite oceanography, unseen materials below the ocean floor.
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Protected Areas in the Azores – the Case
    Current challenges of the Azorean Marine Protected Areas -- The Faial-Pico MPA -- Gilberto P. Carreira [email protected] Department of Biodiversity and Marine Policy Regional Directorate for Sea Affairs Regional Secretariat of the Sea, Science and Technology Government of the Azores The plan: 1. Why is marine conservation challenging in the Azores? A. Biophysical reasons; B. Great variety if marine uses; C. Institutional complexity. 2. Marine conservation in the Azores: A. International framework; B. The building of marine conservation in the Azores. 3. Implementing MPAs policy – current processes: A. Legal framework; B. Network of marine protected areas; C. Some processes currently under way. 4. Four management instruments to manage MPAs in the Azores: A. Island Natural Parks; B. Marine Park of the Azores; C. Maritime spatial planning; D. Fisheries regulations: i. Santa Maria; ii. Graciosa; iii. São Miguel; iv. The case sudy of the Faial-Pico channel. 5. Management of MPAs in the Azores - What are the DRAM current challenges for the next future? 6. So, what would be a good contribution of AQUACROSS to the implementation of a MPA policy in the Azores? 1 - Why is marine conservation challenging in the Azores? Geography • Far from the mainland; • Islands are spread over 600 km; • Population ~250.000. A small terrestrial territory, and a huge marine territory EEZ: 957 292 Km2 (55% Portugal EEZ; 16.3% EU EEZ); Average depth: ~3000m Specificities of the Azores: Great diversity of unique habitats and ecossystems A. Biophysical
    [Show full text]
  • Hotspots and Mantle Plumes Pdf
    Hotspots and mantle plumes pdf Continue The mantle feathers area is hot, upwelling the mantle. A hot spot develops above the train. Magma, generated by a hot spot, rises through rigid slabs of the lithosphere and produces active volcanoes on the Earth's surface. As ocean volcanoes move away from the hotspot, they cool and subside, producing old islands, atolls and seamounts. As continental volcanoes move away from the hotspot, they cool, subside and die out. Hot spots are places inside the mantle where stones melt to generate magma. The presence of a hot spot stems from abnormal volcanism (i.e. not on the plate boundary) such as Hawaiian volcanoes within the Pacific Plate. The Hawaiian hotspot has been active for at least 70 million years, producing a volcanic chain that stretches for 3,750 miles (6,000 km) across the Pacific Northwest. Hot spots also develop under continents. Yellowstone hot spot has been active for at least 15 million years, producing a chain of caldera and volcanic features along the plains of the Snake River, which stretches 400 miles (650 km) west from northwest Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border. Keep in mind, however, that these are just theories. No one knows the answer. The honest answer is that many people are working on it but have not yet come up with an answer. Graphics After Morgan, J., 1971, Convection feathers in the lower mantle: Nature, art 230, p. 42-43. Volcanic regions, which are thought to feed on the underlying mantle, are abnormally hot compared to the surrounding mantle Diagram, showing a cross-section across the Earth's lithosphere (yellow) with magma rising from the mantle (red).
    [Show full text]
  • Northward Drift of the Azores Plume in the Earth’S Mantle
    ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11127-7 OPEN Northward drift of the Azores plume in the Earth’s mantle Maëlis Arnould 1,2,3, Jérôme Ganne4, Nicolas Coltice1 & Xiaojun Feng 5 Mantle plume fixity has long been a cornerstone assumption to reconstruct past tectonic plate motions. However, precise geochronological and paleomagnetic data along Pacific continuous hotspot tracks have revealed substantial drift of the Hawaiian plume. The 1234567890():,; question remains for evidence of drift for other mantle plumes. Here, we use plume-derived basalts from the Mid-Atlantic ridge to confirm that the upper-mantle thermal anomaly associated with the Azores plume is asymmetric, spreading over ~2,000 km southwards and ~600 km northwards. Using for the first time a 3D-spherical mantle convection where plumes, ridges and plates interact in a fully dynamic way, we suggest that the extent, shape and asymmetry of this anomaly is a consequence of the Azores plume moving northwards by 1–2 cm/yr during the past 85 Ma, independently from other Atlantic plumes. Our findings suggest redefining the Azores hotspot track and open the way for identifying how plumes drift within the mantle. 1 Laboratoire de Géologie, École Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR 8538, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France. 2 Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Terre, Planètes, Environnement, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5276, 2 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622 Villeurbanne, France. 3 EarthByte Group, School of Geosciences, Madsen Building F09, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006 NSW, Australia. 4 IRD, CNRS, GET, Université Toulouse III, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France.
    [Show full text]
  • Source Characteristics of Jurassic Ferropicrites from Dronning Maud
    A106 Goldschmidt Conference Abstracts 2005 Basalt Geochemistry and Mantle Dynamics Source characteristics of Jurassic The Azores hotspot: A lower mantle ferropicrites from Dronning Maud origin for Terceira magmas as shown Land, Antarctica by Ne isotopic data 1 2 1,2 1 3 A.V. LUTTINEN AND H. HUHMA P. MADUREIRA , M. MOREIRA AND J. MATA 1Department of Geology, P.O.Box 64, FI-00014 University of 1Institut de Physique du globe de Paris, Université paris VII, Helsinki, Finland ([email protected]) CNRS UMR 7579, 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France 2Geological Survey of Finland, P.O.Box 123, FI-21520 Espoo, ([email protected]) Finland ([email protected]) 2Centro de Geofísica de Évora/Departamento de Geociências da Universidade de Évora, Rua Romão Ramalho, 59, Middle Jurassic basalts of Vestfjella, western Dronning 7000-671 Évora, Portugal ([email protected]) Maud Land comprise an Antarctic extension of the Karoo 3Centro e Departamento de Geologia da Faculdade de large igneous province. In addition to intrusive equivalents of Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, the lavas, crosscutting dolerite dikes include a group of C6-4º Piso, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal ([email protected]) picrites with unusually high total FeO (>14 wt.%) and low Al2O3 (<10 wt.%) at given MgO (10–18 wt.%). The picrites The collection of helium isotopic data in the last twenty are probably coeval, or nearly so, with the lavas, although years has shown different signatures for MORB and OIB precise age data are lacking. Mantle-normalised incompatible basalts and this has been used as the basis for the two-layer element fingerprints indicate two subgroups of such mantle model.
    [Show full text]
  • The Biodiversity of Terrestrial Arthropods in Azores Manual Versión Española
    Revista IDE@ - SEA, nº 5B (30-06-2015): 1–24. ISSN 2386-7183 1 Ibero Diversidad Entomológica @ccesible www.sea-entomologia.org/IDE@ Introduction The biodiversity of terrestrial arthropods in Azores Manual Versión española The biodiversity of terrestrial arthropods in Azores Carla Rego1,2, Mário Boieiro1,2, Virgílio Vieira1,2,3 & Paulo A.V. Borges1,2 1 Azorean Biodiversity Group (GBA, CITA-A) and Platform for Enhancing Ecological Research & Sustainability (PEERS), Universidade dos Açores, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias, 9700 -042 Angra do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal. 2 cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes / Azorean Biodiversity Group and Universidade dos Açores - Departamento de Ciências Agrárias, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal. 3 Departamento de Biologia, Universidade dos Açores, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, Açores, Portugal 1. The Azores archipelago The Azores are a volcanic archipelago located in the middle of North Atlantic Ocean. Together with the archipelagos of Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands and Cabo Verde, they are part of Macaronesia, the “happy islands” (Fernández-Palacios, 2010). The Azorean Islands were discovered by Portuguese naviga- tors in 1427 (Santa Maria), Flores and Corvo being the last islands to be found in 1452. However, accord- ing to old maps its existence was previously known. It is believed that the archipelago received its name from birds that were common in these islands either the Goshawk (Açor in Portuguese) or a local subspe- cies of Buzzard (Buteo buteo rothschildi) that the sailors erroneously identified as goshawks (Frutuoso, 1963). The archipelago is composed by nine main islands and some small islets. The islands are divided in three groups: the eastern group with Santa Maria, São Miguel and Formigas islets, the central group with Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial and the western group composed by Flores and Corvo (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Geodiversidade E Geossítios Da Ilha De São Jorge
    GEODIVERSIDADE E GEOSSÍTIOS DA ILHA DE SÃO JORGE EVA ALMEIDA LIMA, JOÃO CARLOS NUNES, SARA MEDEIROS & DIANA PONTE Departamento de Geociências, LAGE, Universidade dos Açores, Rua da Mãe de Deus, 13-A, Apartado 1422, 9501-801 PONTA DELGADA RESUMO As ilhas dos Açores, de natureza vulcânica, apresentam uma grande variedade de rochas, formas, estruturas e paisagens, que deriva em especial dos condicionalismos geotectónicos intrínsecos ao seu posicionamento, em pleno Atlântico Norte e na junção tripla das placas litosféricas Euroasiática, Norte Americana e Núbia. A paisagem açoriana é caracterizada por 27 sistemas vulcânicos, que incluem 16 grandes edifícios vulcânicos (e.g. vulcões poligenéticos, na sua maioria siliciosos e com caldeira) e 11 zonas de vulcanismo fissural basáltico. Estes sistemas vulcânicos integram um total de cerca de 1750 vulcões monogenéticos (designadamente cones de escórias/bagacina, domos, coulées, cones surtseianos, anéis de tufos e maars) dispersos quer pelos flancos e interior das depressões implantadas no topo dos vulcões poligenéticos, quer pelas cordilheiras vulcânicas e campos de cones de escórias que constituem aquelas zonas de vulcanismo fissural. A ilha de São Jorge apresenta-se como uma extensa cordilheira vulcânica de natureza basáltica s.l., com cerca de 54 km de extensão e orientação geral WNW-ESE, que se caracterizada, do ponto de vista morfo-vulcânico, por duas regiões distintas: 1) a Oeste, uma zona de relevo acidentado, de vulcanismo recente e com cones vulcânicos bem preservados, responsáveis pela emissão de inúmeras escoadas lávicas que originaram frequentemente fajãs lávicas na base das falésias costeiras; 2) a zona Leste, mais antiga, de morfologia mais suave, rede de drenagem mais evoluída e encaixada e frequentes fajãs detríticas na base das arribas, que retratam uma acção mais prolongada dos processos erosivos e de alteração dos materiais vulcânicos.
    [Show full text]