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Metasomatism of sub-arc mantle peridotites below southernmost South America: reduction of fO2 by slab-melt

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Abstract

Quaternary basalts in the Cerro del Fraile area contain two types of mantle xenoliths; coarse-grained (2–5 mm) C-type spinel harzburgites and lherzolites, and fine-grained (0.5–2 mm) intensely metasomatized F-type spinel lherzolites. C-type xenoliths have high Mg in olivine (Fo = 90–91) and a range in Cr# [Cr/ (Cr + Al) = 0.17–0.34] in spinel. Two C-type samples contain websterite veinlets and solidified patches of melt that is now composed of minute quenched grains of plagioclase + Cr-spinel + clinopyroxene + olivine. These patches of quenched melts are formed by decompression melting of pargasitic amphibole. High Ti contents and common occurrence of relic Cr-spinel in the quenched melts indicate that the amphibole is formed from spinel by interaction with the Ti-rich parental magma of the websterite veinlets. The fO2 values of these two C-type xenoliths range from ΔFMQ −0.2 to −0.4, which is consistent with their metasomatism by an asthenospheric mantle-derived melt. The rest of the C-type samples are free of “melt,” but show cryptic metasomatism by slab-derived aqueous fluids, which produced high concentrations of fluid-mobile elements in clinopyroxenes, and higher fO2 ranging from ΔFMQ +0.1 to +0.3. F-type lherzolites are intensely metasomatized to form spinel with low Cr# (∼0.13) and silicate minerals with low MgO, olivine (Fo = ∼84), orthpyroxene [Mg# = Mg/(Mg + ΣFe) = ∼0.86] and clinopyroxene (Mg# = ∼0.88). Patches of “melt” are common in all F-type samples and their compositions are similar to pargasitic amphibole with low TiO2 (<0.56 wt%), Cr2O3 (<0.55 wt%) and MgO (<16.3 wt%). Low Mg# values of silicate minerals, including the amphibole, suggest that the metasomatic agent is most likely a slab melt. This is supported by high ratios of Sr/Y and light rare earth elements (REE)/heavy REE in clinopyroxenes. F-type xenoliths show relatively low fO2 (ΔFMQ −0.9 to −1.1) compared to C-type xenoliths and this is explained by the fusion of organic-rich sediments overlying the slab during the slab melt. Trench-fill sediments in the area are high in organic matter. The fusion of such wet sediments likely produced CH4-rich fluids and reduced melts that mixed with the slab melt. High U and Th in bulk rocks and clinopyroxene in F-type xenoliths support the proposed interpretation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a NSERC Discovery grant to K. H. Hattori and an Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology and the University of Ottawa Excellence Scholarship to J. Wang. We thank J-P. Li for allowing us to use the spinel standards prepared by B. J. Wood and D. Virgo. Thanks are also given to L. Shi for his help during the electron microprobe analysis at McGill University. The manuscript benefited from the constructive comments by J. Hoefs, S. Arai and an anonymous journal reviewer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    Jian Wang & Kéiko H. Hattori

  2. Universität Trier, Lehrstuhl für Geologie, FB VI, Trier, 54286, Germany

    Rolf Kilian

  3. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA

    Charles R. Stern

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  1. Jian Wang
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  2. Kéiko H. Hattori
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Correspondence to Kéiko H. Hattori.

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Communicated by J. Hoefs.

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Wang, J., Hattori, K.H., Kilian, R. et al. Metasomatism of sub-arc mantle peridotites below southernmost South America: reduction of fO2 by slab-melt. Contrib Mineral Petrol 153, 607–624 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-006-0166-4

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