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The involvement of deep plume-related materials in the South Atlantic Ocean asthenosphere as indicated by isotopic independent component analysis of basalts

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Abstract

Mantle convection plays a key role in magmatism and volcanism on Earth. The final distribution of deep mantle material upwelled into the asthenosphere cannot be clearly tracked using seismic imaging techniques. Where mid-ocean ridges and plumes interact, the along-ridge variations in plume-affected basalts constrain the spatial extent of the plume-related flow in the asthenosphere. These variations are helpful for revealing convection throughout the mantle from the core-mantle boundary (CMB) to the bottom of the lithosphere. In this study, regional geophysical data, as well as the results of geochemical independent component analysis of radiogenic Sr–Nd-Pb isotopes of South Mid-Atlantic Ridge (SMAR) basalts, were used to analyze the distribution characteristics of the plume-affected asthenosphere beneath the South Atlantic Ocean. We determined that the ridge scope of the Ascension plume-influenced SMAR segments is bounded by the Ascension transform fracture (~ 7.5°S) to the north and the Bode Verde transform fracture (~ 11.1°S) to the south, while the Saint Helena plume-contaminated SMAR segments are bounded by the Cardno transform fracture (~ 14.2°S) to the north and the Trinidade transform fracture (~ 20.8°S) to the south. Furthermore, we determined that the melt extraction process taking place between the mantle plume and ridge system may weaken the plume-related geochemical signals of these plume-affected MORBs. Our results suggest that the distribution of plume-related asthenosphere under the South Atlantic is influenced by large transform faults that block the propagation of the plumes along the bottom of the lithosphere, as well as the propagation of plume-affected materials along the ridge system.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 42276078); Basic Scientific Fund for National Public Research Institutes of China (grant number GY0222Q04); Project of Laoshan Laboratory (grant number LSKJ202204103); China Ocean Mineral Resources R & D Association Project (grant numbers DY135-S2-2, DY135-S2-2-01); Taishan Scholarship from Shandong Province.

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  1. College of Earth Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266590, China

    Haitao Zhang & Quanshu Yan

  2. Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Metallogeny, First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Qingdao, 266061, Shandong, China

    Haitao Zhang, Quanshu Yan, Chuanshun Li & Xuefa Shi

  3. Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, Shandong, China

    Haitao Zhang, Quanshu Yan, Chuanshun Li & Xuefa Shi

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HZ designed the project, downloaded the data, calculated the parameters, interpreted the results and wrote the paper. QY, CL, XS contributed to the discussion of results and writing.

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Zhang, H., Yan, Q., Li, C. et al. The involvement of deep plume-related materials in the South Atlantic Ocean asthenosphere as indicated by isotopic independent component analysis of basalts. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 112, 1293–1309 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-023-02298-2

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