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Comparative Analysis of the Compositions of Archean and Phanerozoic Basalts: Possibilities and Limitations of Geodynamic Reconstructions on Geochemical Data

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Abstract

The chemical compositions of Phanerozoic basalts of all known geodynamic settings (mid-ocean ridges, oceanic plateaus, oceanic islands, island arcs, fore-arc and back-arc basins, continental rifts, large igneous provinces) are compared with Archean basalts, including basalts of greenstone belts and high-grade gneiss complexes. Linear discriminant analysis has shown that the Archean basalts differ significantly from Phanerozoic basalts in terms of the content of the least mobile major and trace elements. In this regard, the geochemical systematics of Phanerozoic basalts in most cases cannot be used to reconstruct the geodynamic settings of Archean basalts. The results obtained are illustrated by the example of the Mesoarchean basalts of the Olondo fragment of the Tokko–Khani greenstone belt.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to V.V. Yarmolyuk and A.A. Arzamastsev for constructive comments that significantly improved the manuscript.

Funding

The studies were supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project nos. 18-55-52001 and 19-05-00175), Russian Science Foundation (project no. 19-17-00205) and Institute of Precambrian Geology and Geochronology of Russian Academy of Sciences (project no. FMNU-2019-0005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Precambrian Geology and Geochronology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia

    S. D. Velikoslavinskii, D. P. Krylov, A. B. Kotov, V. P. Kovach & E. V. Tolmacheva

  2. Institute of the Earth’s Crust, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia

    T. M. Skovitina

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  1. S. D. Velikoslavinskii
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  2. D. P. Krylov
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  3. A. B. Kotov
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  4. V. P. Kovach
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  5. E. V. Tolmacheva
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  6. T. M. Skovitina
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Correspondence to S. D. Velikoslavinskii or T. M. Skovitina.

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Translated by M. M. Bogina

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Velikoslavinskii, S.D., Krylov, D.P., Kotov, A.B. et al. Comparative Analysis of the Compositions of Archean and Phanerozoic Basalts: Possibilities and Limitations of Geodynamic Reconstructions on Geochemical Data. Petrology 29, 502–527 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0869591121050088

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