Skip to main content
Log in

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

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

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.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The data underlying this article will be shared on reasonable request to the corresponding author.

References

  • Adam C, Vidal V, Escartín J (2007) 80–Myr history of buoyancy and volcanic fluxes along the trails of the Walvis and St Helena hotspots (South Atlantic). Earth Planet Sci Lett 261(3–4):432–442

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson DL (2005) Scoring hotspots: the plume and plate paradigms. Geol Soc Spec Papers 388:31–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Beattie P (1993) Uranium-thorium disequilibria and partitioning on melting of garnet peridotite. Nature 363:63–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellot N, Boyet M, Doucelance R, Bonnand P, Savov IP, Plank TA, Elliott TR (2020) Origin of negative cerium anomalies in subduction-related volcanic samples: constraints from Ce and Nd isotopes. Chem Geol 500:46–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.09.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brenan JM, Shaw HF, Ryerson FJ, Phinney DL (1995) Mineral-aqueous fluid partitioning of trace elements at 900°C and 2.0 GPa: Constraints on the trace element chemistry of mantle and deep crustal fluids. Geochim Cosmochim Ac 59:3331–3350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell IH, Griffiths RW (1990) Implications of mantle plume structure for the evolution of flood basalts. Earth Planet Sci Lett 99:79–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castillo PR (2015) The recycling of marine carbonates and sources of HIMU and FOZO ocean island basalts. Lithos 216:254–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2014.12.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castillo P, Batiza R (1989) Strontium, neodymium and lead isotope constraints on near-ridge seamount production beneath the South Atlantic. Nature 342(6247):262–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chauvel C, Hofmann AW, Vidal P (1992) HIMU-EM: The French Polynesian connection. Earth Planet Sci Lett 110:99–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cottaar S, Romanowicz B (2012) An unusually large ULVZ at the base of the mantle near Hawaii. Earth Planet Sci Lett 355–356:213–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dalton CA, Langmuir CH, Gale A (2014) Geophysical and geochemical evidence for deep temperature variations beneath mid-ocean ridges. Science 344(6179):80–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douglass J, Schilling JG (2000) Systematics of three-component, pseudo-binary mixing lines in 2d isotope ratio space representations and implications for mantle plume-ridge interaction. Chem Geol 163(1):1–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douglass J, Schilling JG, Fontignie D (1999) Plume-ridge interactions of the Discovery and Shona mantle plumes with the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (40°–55°S). J Geophys Res 104:2941–2962

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dumoulin C, Chobet G, Doin MP (2008) Convective interactions between oceanic lithosphere and asthenosphere: Influence of a transform fault. Earth Planet Sci Lett 274:301–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fontignie D, Schilling JG (1996) Mantle heterogeneities beneath the South Atlantic: a Nd-Sr-Pb isotope study along the Mid-Atlantic ridge (3–46°S). Earth Planet Sci Lett 142(1):209–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • French SW, Romanowicz BA (2014) Whole-mantle radially anisotropic shear velocity structure from spectral-element waveform tomography. Geophys J Int 199:1303–1327

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • French SW, Romanowicz B (2015) Broad plumes rooted at the base of the Earth’s mantle beneath major hotspots. Nature 525:95–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • French SW, Lekic V, Romanowicz B (2013) Waveform tomography reveals channeled flow at the base of the oceanic asthenosphere. Science 342:227–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gale A, Dalton CA, Langmuir CH, Su Y, Schilling JG (2013) The mean composition of ocean ridge basalts. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 14(3):489–518

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Georgen J (2014) Interaction of a mantle plume and a segmented mid-ocean ridge: Results from numerical modeling. Earth Planet Sci Lett 392:113–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham DW, Jenkins WJ, Schilling JG, Thompson G, Kurz MD, Humphris SE (1992) Helium isotope geochemistry of mid-ocean ridge basalts from the South Atlantic. Earth Planet Sci Lett 110(1–4):133–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham DW, Castillo PR, Lupton JE, Batiza R (1996) Correlated He and Sr isotope ratios in South Atlantic near-ridge seamounts and implications for mantle dynamics. Earth Planet Sci Lett 144:491–503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granot R, Dyment J (2015) The Cretaceous opening of the South Atlantic Ocean. Earth Planet Sci Lett 414:156–163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green TH (1994) Experimental studies of trace-element partitioning applicable to igneous petrogenesis—Sedona 16 years later. Chem Geol 117:1–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grindlay NR, Fox PJ, Vogt PR (1992) Morphologya nd tectonics of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (25°- 27°30’S) from Sea Beam and magnetic data. J Geophys Res 97:6983–7010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanan BB, Kingsley RH, Schilling JG (1986) Pb isotope evidence in the South Atlantic for migrating ridge–hotspot interactions. Nature 322(6075):137–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoernle K, Hauff F, Kokfelt TF, Haase K, Garbe-Schönberg D, Werner R (2011) On- and off-axis chemical heterogeneities along the South Atlantic Mid-Ocean-Ridge (5–11°S): shallow or deep recycling of ocean crust and/or intraplate volcanism. Earth Planet Sci Lett 306(1–2):86–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Humphris SE, Thompson G (1985) Petrological and geochemical variations along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between 46°S and 32°S: Influence of the Tristan da Cunha mantle plume. Geochim Cosmochim Ac 49:1445–1464

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyvärinen A (1999) Fast and robust fixed-point algorithms for independent component analysis. IEEE Trans Neural Netw 10:626–634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Israel C, Boyet M, Doucelance R, Bonnand P, Frossard P, Auclair D, Bouvier AS (2020) Formation of the Ce-Nd mantle array: crustal extraction vs. recycling by subduction. Earth Planet Sci Lett 530:115941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115941

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ito G, Lin J, Graham D (2003) Observational and theoretical studies of the dynamics of mantle plume–mid-ocean ridge interaction. Rev Geophys 41(4):1017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwamori H, Albarède F (2008) Decoupled isotopic record of ridge and subduction zone processes in oceanic basalts by independent component analysis. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 9:Q04033. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GC001753

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwamori H, Nakamura H (2012) East-west mantle geochemical hemispheres constrained from independent component analysis of basalt isotopic composition. Geochem J 46:39–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwamori H, Nakamura H (2015) Isotopic heterogeneity of oceanic, arc and continental basalts and its implications for mantle dynamics. Gondwana Res 27:1131–1152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwamori H, Albarède F, Nakamura H (2010) Global structure of mantle isotopic heterogeneity and its implications for mantle differentiation and convection. Earth Planet Sci Lett 299:339–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwamori H, Yoshida K, Nakamura H et al (2017) Classification of geochemical data based on multivariate statistical analyses: Complementary roles of cluster, principal component, and independent component analyses. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 18:994–1012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kamenetsky V, Mass R, Sushchevskaya N, Norman M, Cartwright I, Peyve A (2001) Remnants of Gondwanan continental lithosphere in oceanic upper mantle: Evidence from the South Atlantic Ridge. Geology 29(3):243–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kawabata H, Hanyu T, Chang Q, Kimura JI, Nichols ARL, Tatsumi Y (2011) The petrology and geochemistry of St Helena alkali basalts: evaluation of the oceanic crust-recycling model for HIMU OIB. J Petrol 52(4):791–838

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kincaid C, Gable C, Ito G (1995) Laboratory investigation of the interaction of off-axis mantle plumes and spreading centers. Nature 376(6543):758–761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kogiso T, Tatsumi Y, Nakano S (1997) Trace element transport during dehydration processes in the subducted oceanic crust: 1. Experiments and implications for the origin of ocean island basalts. Earth Planet Sci Lett 148:193–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumagai I, Davaille A, Kurita K, Stutzmann E (2008) Mantle plumes: thin, fat, successful or failing? Constraints to explain hot spot volcanism through time and space. Geophys Res Lett 35:L16301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin SC, van Keken PE (2006) Dynamics of thermochemical plumes: 2. Complexity of plume structures and its implications for mapping mantle plumes. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 7:Q03003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matos RMD, Ana K, Norton I, Casey K (2021) The fundamental role of the Borborema and Benin-Nigeria provinces of NE Brazil and NW Africa during the development of the South Atlantic Cretaceous Rift system. Mar Petrol Geol 127:104872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2020.104872

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNamara AK, Garnero EJ, Rost S (2010) Tracking deep mantle reservoirs with ultra-low velocity zones. Earth Planet Sci Lett 299:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montagner JP, Ritsema J (2001) Interaction between ridges and plumes. Science 294:1472–1473

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montelli R, Nolet G, Dahlen FA, Masters G, Hung SH (2004) Finite-frequency tomography reveals a variety of plumes in the mantle. Science 303(5656):338–343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan WJ (1971) Convection plumes in the lower mantle. Nature 230:42–43

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura H, Iwamori H, Nakagawa M et al (2019) Geochemical mapping of slab-derived fluid and source mantle along Japan arcs. Gondwana Res 70:36–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor JM, Duncan RA (1990) Evolution of the Walvis Ridge-Rio Grande Rise hot spot system: Implications for African and South American plate motions over plume. J Geophys Res 95:17475–17502

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor JM, Stoffers P, Bogaard P, McWilliams M (1999) First seamount age evidence for significantly slower African plate motion since 19 to 30 Ma. Earth Planet Sci Lett 171:575–589

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor JM, Jokat W, le Roex AP et al (2012) Hotspot trails in the South Atlantic controlled by plume and plate tectonic processes. Nat Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paulick H, Münker C, Schuth S (2010) The influence of small-scale mantle heterogeneities on mid-ocean ridge volcanism: evidence from the Southern Mid-Atlantic ridge (7°30′S to 11°30′S) and Ascension Island. Earth Planet Sci Lett 296(3–4):299–310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearce JA (2005) Mantle preconditioning by melt extraction during flow: Theory and petrogenetic implication. J Petrol 46(5):973–997

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salters VJM, Longhi J (1999) Trace element partitioning during the initial stages of melting beneath mid-ocean ridges. Earth Planet Sci Lett 166:15–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schilling JG (1985) Upper mantle heterogeneities and dynamics. Nature 314(6006):62–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sleep NH (2008) Channeling at the base of the lithosphere during the lateral flow of plume material beneath flow line hot spots. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 9:Q08005. https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GC002090

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sleep NH (2011) Small-scale convection beneath oceans and continents. Chinese Sci Bull 56(13):1292–1317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Storey BC (1995) The role of mantle plumes in continental break-up: case histories from Gondwanaland. Nature 377:301–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stracke A (2012) Earth’s heterogeneous mantle: A product of convection-driven interaction between crust and mantle. Chem Geol 330:274–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suetsugu D et al (2009) South Pacific mantle plumes imaged by seismic observation on islands and seafloor. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 10:Q11014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tera F, Wasserburg GJ (1972) U-Th-Pb systematics in lunar highland samples from the Luna 20 and Apollo 16 missions. Earth Planet Sci Lett 17:36–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weatherley SM, Katz RF (2010) Plate–driven mantle dynamics and global patterns of mid-ocean ridge bathymetry. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 11(10):196–211. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GC003192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White WM, Duncan RA (1996) Geochemistry and geochronology of the Society Islands: New evidence for deep mantle recycling earth processes: reading the isotopic code. Geophys Monogr Ser AGU Wash DC 95:183–206

    Google Scholar 

  • Willbold M, Stracke A (2010) Formation of enriched mantle components by recycling of upper and lower continental crust. Chem Geol 276:188–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2010.06.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu X, Tian L, Wang X et al (2020) Tracing mantle sources in the northern Lau back-arc basin by independent component analysis of basalt isotopic compositions. Int Geol Rev 62(7–8):938–954. https://doi.org/10.1080/00206814.2018.1561337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu D, Fontignie D, Schilling JG (1997) Mantle plume-ridge interaction in the Central North Atlantic: A Nd isotope study of Mid-Atlanitc ridge basalts from 30°N to 50°N. Earth Planet Sci Lett 146:259–272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang H, Shi X, Li C, Yan Q et al (2020) Petrology and geochemistry of South Mid-Atlantic Ridge (19°S) lava flows: implications for magmatic processes and possible plume-ridge interactions. Geosci Front 11:1953–1973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2020.06.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang H, Yan Q, Li C, Shi X et al (2021) Tracing material contributions from Saint Helena plume to the South Mid-Atlantic ridge system. Earth Planet Sci Lett 572:117130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao D (2004) Global tomographic images of mantle plumes and subducting slabs: insight into deep earth dynamics. Phys Earth Planet Inter 146:3–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zindler A, Hart SR (1986) Chemical geodynamics. Ann Rev Earth Planet Sci 14:493–571

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

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.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

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.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Quanshu Yan.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (XLSX 28 KB)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

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

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-023-02298-2

Keywords

Navigation