Abstract
The lavas of the Cameroon line display a lead isotope anomaly at the continent/ocean boundary which can be attributed to a fossil mantle plume, the diminishing lateral effects of which can be recognized as far as 400km to either side. The high 206Pb/204Pb ratio—characteristic of the mantle endmember known as 'HIMU'—seems to arise from U/Pb fractionation accompanying melt migration following emplacement of the plume in the upper mantle 125 Myr ago.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allègre, C. J. Tectonophysics 81, 109–132 (1982).
Hofmann, A. W. & White, W. M. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 57, 421–436 (1982).
Storey, M. et al. Nature 336, 371–374 (1988).
Morris, J. D. & Hart, S. R. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 47, 2015–2030 (1983).
Sleep, N. H. J. geophys. Res. 89, 10029–10041 (1984).
Zindler, A., Staudigel, H. & Batiza, R. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 70, 175–195 (1984).
Fitton, J. G. & Dunlop, H. M. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 72, 23–38 (1985).
White, W. M. Geology 13, 115–118 (1985).
Hart, S. R., Gerlach, D. C. & White, W. M. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 50, 1551–1557 (1986).
Zindler, A. & Hart, S. A. Rev. Earth planet. Sci. 14, 493–571 (1986).
White, W. M. & Hofmann, A. W. Nature 196, 821–825 (1982).
Palacz, Z. A. & Saunders, A. D. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 79, 270–280 (1986).
Nakamura, Y. & Tatsumoto, M. Geomochim. cosmochim. Acta. 52, 2909–2924 (1988).
Vidal, Ph., Chauvel, C. & Brousse, R. Nature 307, 536–538 (1984).
Halliday, A. N., Dickin, A. P., Fallick, A. E. & Fitton, J. B. J. Petrol. 29, 181–211 (1988).
Fitton, J. G., Kilburn, C. R. J., Thirlwall, M. F. & Hughes, D. J. Nature 306, 327–332 (1983).
Gerlach, D. C., Cliff, R. A., Davies, G. R., Norry, M. & Hodgson, N. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 52, 2979–2992 (1988).
Anthony, E. Y., Segalstad, T. V. & Neuman, E-R. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 53, 1067–1076 (1989).
Allègre, C. J. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 5, 261–269 (1969).
Vidal, P. & Dosso, L. Geophys. Res. Lett. 5, 169–172 (1978).
Vollmer, R. Nature 270, 144–147 (1977).
Allègre, C. J., Dupre, B. & Brevart, O. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A306, 49–59 (1982).
Chase, C. G. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 52, 277–284 (1981).
McKenzie, D. & O'Nions, R. K. Nature 301, 229–231 (1983).
O'Nions, R. K. J. geol. Soc., Lond. 144, 259–274 (1987).
Menzies, M. A. & Wass, S. Y. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 65, 287–302 (1983).
O'Nions, R. K., Evensen, N. M. & Hamilton, P. J. J. geophys. Res. 84, 6091–6101 (1979).
Meijer, A. Geophys. Res. Lett. 12, 741–744 (1985).
Meijer, A., Kwon, T-T. & Tilton, G. R. J. geophys. Res. 95, 433–448 (1990).
Fitton, J. G. Spec. Publs geol. Soc. Lond. 30, 273–291 (1987).
Dunlop, H. M. & Fitton, J. G. Contr. Miner. Petrol. 71, 125–131 (1979).
Lasserre, M. Bull. Bur. Rech. geol. min. Paris 2e Ser., Sect. IV, No. 2, 143–159 (1978).
Cantagrel, J-M., Jamond, C. & Lasserre, M. C. r. somm. Soc. geol. Fr. 6, 300–303 (1978).
Morgan, J. W. Tectonophysics 94, 123–139 (1983).
Fitton, J. G. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 51, 132–138 (1980).
Dalrymple, G. B., Clague, D. A., Garcia, M. O. & Bright, S. W. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 92, 315–318 (1981).
Phipps, S. P. Nature 334, 27–31 (1988).
White, R. & McKenzie, D. J. geophys. Res. 94, 7685–7729 (1989).
Schilling, J-G. Nature 314, 62–67 (1985).
Schilling, J-G., Thompson, G., Kingsley, R. & Humphris, S. Nature 313, 187–191 (1985).
Gaier, S. J. G. & O'Nions, R. K. Nature 316, 778–782 (1985).
Newsom, H. E., White, W. M., Jochum, K. P. & Hofmann, A. W. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 80, 299–313 (1986).
Cohen, R.S. & O'Nions, R. K. J. Petrol. 23, 299–324 (1982).
Griffiths, R. W., Gurnis, M. & Eitelberg, G. Geophys. J. 96, 477–495 (1989).
Olson, P. & Singer, H. J. Fluid Mech. 158, 511–531 (1985).
Griffiths, R. W. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 78, 435–446 (1986).
Griffiths, R. W. Phys. Earth planet. Inter. 43, 261–273 (1986).
Griffiths, R. W. J. Fluid Mech. 166, 115–138 (1986).
White, W. M., Hofmann, A. W. & Puchelt, H. J. geophys. Res. 92, 4881–4893 (1987).
McKenzie, D. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 74, 81–91 (1985).
Langmuir, C. H., Bender, J. F., Bence, A. E. & Hanson, G. N. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 36, 133–156 (1977).
Seitz, M. G. Yb Carnegie Instn Wash. 72, 551–553 (1973).
Watson, E. B., Ben Othman, D., Luck, J-M. & Hofmann, A. W. Chem. Geol. 62, 191–208 (1987).
Vollmer, R. & Norry, M. J. Nature 301, 141–143 (1983).
Halliday, A. N. et al. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 94, 274–290 (1989).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Halliday, A., Davidson, J., Holden, P. et al. Trace-element fractionation in plumes and the origin of HIMU mantle beneath the Cameroon line. Nature 347, 523–528 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/347523a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/347523a0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Geoheritage of the Príncipe UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve (West Africa): Selected Geosites
Geoheritage (2023)
-
Remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS)-based high-resolution mapping of potential groundwater recharge zones on the hard rock terrains of the Cameroon volcanic line (CVL)
SN Applied Sciences (2023)
-
Structure of the lithosphere beneath Cameroon using global gravity model data: implications for the setting of the Cameroon Volcanic Line
Acta Geophysica (2023)
-
The Bafoussam volcanic series: origin and evolution of the volcanism along the Cameroon volcanic line
Acta Geochimica (2022)
-
Pozzolanic activities of some pyroclastic materials of Tombel Graben (Cameroon Volcanic Line) and potentiality for their use in construction industry
Arabian Journal of Geosciences (2021)