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Peculiar Mg–Ca–Si metasomatism along a shear zone within the mantle wedge: inference from fine-grained xenoliths from Avacha volcano, Kamchatka

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Abstract

We found extremely high-Mg# (=Mg/(Mg + total Fe) atomic ratio) ultramafic rocks in Avacha peridotite suite. All the high-Mg# rocks have higher modal amounts of clinopyroxene than ordinary Avacha peridotite xenoliths, and their lithology is characteristically heterogeneous, varying from clinopyroxenite through olivine websterite to pyroxene-bearing dunite. The Mg# of minerals is up to 0.99, 0.98 and 0.97 in clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and olivine, respectively, decreasing progressively toward contact with dunitic part, if any. The petrographical feature of pyroxenes in the high-Mg# pyroxenite indicates their metasomatic origin, and high LREE/HREE ratio of the metasomatic clinopyroxene implies that the pyroxenites are the products of reaction between dunitic peridotites and high-Ca, silicate-rich fluids. The lithological variation of the Avacha high-Mg# pyroxenites from clinopyroxenite to olivine websterite resulted from various degrees of fluid-rock reaction coupled with fractional crystallization of the high-Ca fluids, which started by precipitation of high-Mg# clinopyroxene. Such fluids were possibly generated originally at a highly reduced serpentinized peridotite layer above the subducting slab. The fluids can reach the uppermost mantle along a shear zone as a conduit composed of fine-grained peridotite that developed after continent-ward asthenospheric retreats from the mantle wedge beneath the volcanic front. The fluids are incorporated in mantle partial melts when the magmatism is activated by expansion of asthenosphere to mantle wedge beneath the volcanic front.

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Acknowledgments

Samples we examined in this study were collected by Prof. V. M. Okrugin, Dr. K. Kadoshima and Mr. A. Koyanagi. We thank Prof. T. L. Grove and two anonymous reviewers, whose comments were helpful in reconstruction of the former manuscript. We greatly appreciate Dr. H. Shukuno and Dr. Y. Tatsumi for their assistance with map analysis in JAMSTEC. LA-ICP-MS analyses were supported by Dr. T. Morishita and Dr. A. Tamura. This research was supported by Grant-in-Aid (A) (SA) and Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) 21740375 (SI).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth Science Course, School of Natural System, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan

    Satoko Ishimaru & Shoji Arai

  2. IFREE, JAMSTEC, 2-15 Natsushima, Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan

    Shoji Arai

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  1. Satoko Ishimaru
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  2. Shoji Arai
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Correspondence to Satoko Ishimaru.

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Communicated by T. L. Grove.

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Ishimaru, S., Arai, S. Peculiar Mg–Ca–Si metasomatism along a shear zone within the mantle wedge: inference from fine-grained xenoliths from Avacha volcano, Kamchatka. Contrib Mineral Petrol 161, 703–720 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-010-0558-3

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