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Petrology of the Ninety East Ridge (Indian Ocean) compared to other aseismic ridges

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Abstract

The volcanics from the Ninety East Ridge in the Indian Ocean consist of basalts and oceanic andesites. The basalts from the Ninety East Ridge differ from the Mid-Indian Oceanic Ridge basalts in their higher pyroxene content, their higher Fe2O3 + FeO content (>11%), higher TiO2 content (2–3%), and variable K2O content (0.2–1.5%). Volcanics from other aseismic ridges, i.e. the Cocos, the Iceland-Faeroe and the Walvis ridges, show a trend of differentiation which has progressed further than is commonly encountered on mid-oceanic ridge rocks. The Ninety East and the Iceland-Faeroe ridges contain mildly tholeiitic basalts and oceanic andesites while the Walvis and the Cocos Ridges consist of plagioclase-alkali basalts, trachybasalts and trachytes. The majority of basalts found on aseismic ridges have a higher total iron oxide content (>11%) and a more variable K2O (2–3%) and TiO2 (1.5–4%) content than mid-oceanic ridge basalts. The type of volcanism encountered on aseismic ridges is similar to that of the islands which are near or associated with the ridges.

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  1. Centre Océanologique de Bretagne, F-29273, Brest, France

    Roger Hekinian

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Contribution no 185 of the Départment Scientifique, Centre Océandogique de Bretagne.

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Hekinian, R. Petrology of the Ninety East Ridge (Indian Ocean) compared to other aseismic ridges. Contr. Mineral. and Petrol. 43, 125–147 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00572715

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