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Petrogenesis of highly depleted peridotites and gabbroic rocks from the Mayarí-Baracoa Ophiolitic Belt (eastern Cuba)

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Abstract

The Moa-Baracoa and Mayarí-Cristal massifs (eastern Cuba) are two ophiolitic complexes mainly constituted by harzburgite tectonites and minor dunites, cut by gabbroic dykes. The Moa-Baracoa massif exhibits a well developed Moho transition zone and an incomplete crustal section made up of layered gabbros and tectonically emplaced pillow basalts. A plutonic crustal section is absent in the Mayarí-Cristal massif and mantle tectonites are in tectonic contact with arc-related volcanic rocks. Mantle peridotites are very refractory in terms of modal composition, whole rock major element and HREE contents implying that Moa-Baracoa and Mayarí-Cristal harzburgites are residues after high degrees (20–30%) of partial melting. The relative enrichment of Th, Nb, Ta and LREE in peridotites is due to re-equilibration of melting residues with percolating melts. Peridotites lost on average 6 wt% of relative MgO by intense seafloor weathering. REE contents and Mg# of melts in equilibrium with cumulate gabbros from the Moho transition zone and crustal section of the Moa-Baracoa massif coincide with those of the spatially-related pillow basalts. On the other hand, no geochemical relation has been inferred between melt in equilibrium with Mayarí-Cristal segregate and the spatially-related arc volcanics. Our results indicate that the Mayarí-Baracoa Ophiolitic Belt formed at an original back-arc spreading centre. The Moa-Baracoa massif represents a portion of MORB-like lithosphere located nearby a back-arc mid-ocean spreading ridge, and the Mayarí-Cristal massif represents a piece of transitional (MORB to IAT) mantle located closer to the paleo-volcanic arc than Moa-Baracoa.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thanked to A. Rodriguez-Vega (Ñico), R. Díaz Martínez, J. Batista Rodríguez and S. Pereira for field assistance. We acknowledge X. Llovet (Serveis Cientificotècnics of the Universitat de Barcelona), O. Bruguier and S. Pourtales (ISTEEM, Montpellier) for their kind assistance during EMPA and ICP-MS analyses. Detailed and critical reviews by E. Rampone and O. Müntener significantly improved the manuscript. C.M. thanks P. Montagna for fruitful discussions on MABE evaluation procedure. This research has been financially supported by the spanish “Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología” through the research grants BTE2001–3308, CGL2004–00622, and “Acción Integrada Hispano-Francesa” HF2002–0093, and by the Junta de Andalucía Research Group RNM 131. C.J.G. research has been supported by a “Ramón y Cajal” fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada - CSIC, Granada, Spain

    Claudio Marchesi & Fernando Gervilla

  2. Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avenida Fuentenueva s/n, 18002, Granada, Spain

    Claudio Marchesi, Carlos J. Garrido & Fernando Gervilla

  3. Laboratoire de Tectonophysique, ISTEEM, Université Montpellier II, Montpellier, France

    Marguerite Godard

  4. Departament de Cristal.lografia, Mineralogia i Dipòsits Minerals, Facultat de Geologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Joaquín A. Proenza

  5. Instituto Superior Minero-Metalúrgico de Moa, Las Coloradas, s/n, Moa, Holguín, Cuba

    Jesús Blanco-Moreno

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  1. Claudio Marchesi
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  2. Carlos J. Garrido
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  4. Joaquín A. Proenza
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Marchesi, C., Garrido, C.J., Godard, M. et al. Petrogenesis of highly depleted peridotites and gabbroic rocks from the Mayarí-Baracoa Ophiolitic Belt (eastern Cuba). Contrib Mineral Petrol 151, 717–736 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-006-0089-0

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