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Geochemical Fingerprinting of Ancient Oceanic Basalts: Classification of the Cuban Ophiolites

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Geology of Cuba

Part of the book series: Regional Geology Reviews ((RGR))

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Abstract

Mesozoic ophiolites are an important feature of Cuban geology. Although Cuban ophiolites have been studied over the past 40 years, there is still need for systematic studies regarding their internal structure, geochemical characteristics, and emplacement mechanisms. The ophiolites are distributed along the so-called “Northern” and “Eastern” Cuban ophiolite belts, and are strongly dismembered and intermingled mainly with Cretaceous volcanic arc rocks. Ophiolite-associated basalts along the northern Cuban orogenic belt record magmatic history of the ophiolite formation from the Protocaribbean seafloor spreading to subduction initiation stage. We have compiled geochemical data of 15 oceanic basalt samples from previous works, together with data of an analyzed sample during this study. We discuss geochemical criteria based on immobile element proxies for fractionation indices, alkalinity, mantle flow and subduction addition, and field relationships, providing a comprehensive ophiolite classification according to the tectonic setting at which these ophiolites formed. The lavas exhibit three magmatic types. One type has subduction-related fingerprint with dominance of boninite and IAT affinities, likely related to a forearc setting. The second type has a MOR-type (N-MORB and E-MORB) signature, most of them carrying a subtle influence of subduction component, overlapping a border of the backarc field. Subordinately, a transitional type occurs with MOR-type-OIB fingerprint that is considered most likely plume-type ophiolite. The results show then that the studied lavas correspond mostly to subduction-related ophiolite and some of them have incorporated subduction component probably during the time when the Protocaribbean oceanic lithosphere downgoing beneath the Caribbean plate. Some rare remnants of plume-MORB-type ophiolite have also occurred.

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Abbreviations

BA:

Backarc

CA:

Calc-Alkaline

C-MORB:

Contaminated Middle Ocean Ridge Basalt

ECOB:

Eastern Cuban Ophiolite Belt

E-MORB:

Enriched Middle Ocean Ridge Basalt

FA:

Forearc

FAB:

Forearc Basalt

Fm:

Formation

IAT:

Island Arc Tholeites

ICP-EOS:

Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer

ICP-MS:

Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Mass Spectrometer

INAA:

Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

MOR:

Mid-Ocean Ridge

MORB:

Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt

My:

Millions of years

N-MORB:

Normal Middle Ocean Ridge Basalt

NCOB:

Northern Cuban Ophiolite Belt

OIB:

Ocean Island Basalt

P-type:

Plume type

REE:

Rare Earth Elements

TAS:

Total Alkali Silica

VA:

Volcanic Arc

WSU:

Washington State University

XRF:

X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Instituto de Geología y Paleontología/Servicio Geológico de Cuba for covering the expenses of geochemical analyses of sample SC1 introduced in this study and for allowing in the framework of a research project to perform this scientific work. We express our sincere thanks to Dr. Manuel E. Pardo Echarte, Dr. Jorge Rabassa, and Springer Editorial for giving us the opportunity to contribute this paper to the special monograph on Geology of Cuba.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Geología Y Paleontología-Servicio Geológico de Cuba, Vía Blanca no. I002 Y Carretera Central. San Miguel Del Padrón CP, 11 000, La Habana, Cuba

    Angelica Isabel Llanes Castro

  2. Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, 5007, Bergen, Norway

    Harald Furnes

Authors
  1. Angelica Isabel Llanes Castro
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  2. Harald Furnes
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Correspondence to Angelica Isabel Llanes Castro .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Exploration Scientific-Research Unit, Centro de Investigación del Petróleo, El Cerro, La Habana, Cuba

    Manuel Enrique Pardo Echarte

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Llanes Castro, A.I., Furnes, H. (2021). Geochemical Fingerprinting of Ancient Oceanic Basalts: Classification of the Cuban Ophiolites. In: Pardo Echarte, M.E. (eds) Geology of Cuba. Regional Geology Reviews. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67798-5_6

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