Abstract
New Hf isotope data provide new insights into the nature of the mantle beneath the southern Lau basin, adding new constraints on the displacement process of the Pacific mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-type mantle by the Indian MORB-type mantle. The Hf isotopic ratios (176Hf/177Hf) of submarine lavas from the eastern Lau spreading center (ELSC) range from 0.283194 (εHf = 14.92) to 0.283212 (εHf = 15.54), with an average value of 0.283199 (εHf = 15.11) whereas those from the Valu Fa ridge (VFR) vary from 0.283221 (εHf = 15.88) to 0.283200 (εHf = 15.14), with an average of 0.283214 (15.61), indicating that ELSC lavas have a slightly more radiogenic Hf isotopic composition than VFR lavas. In contrast to the results from previous studies, the new Hf analyses combined with previous Nd isotope data clearly show that both VFR and ELSC have the distinct Hf–Nd isotope composition of the so-called DUPAL isotopic anomaly in the Indian MORB-type mantle. The DUPAL isotopic signature at VFR demonstrates for the first time that the inflow of the Indian MORB-type mantle has reached the southern tip of tectonic propagation in the southern Lau basin.
Similar content being viewed by others
Introduction
The Lau basin-Tonga arc system, similar to the Mariana arc/backarc basin system, is an intra-oceanic convergent margin with little influence from continental crust materials. Therefore, the system has been considered as an ideal place for testing the plate tectonic and seafloor spreading hypotheses1,2, as well as for modeling the magmatic processes intimately associated with plate subduction3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18. Additionally, hthis system is ideally suited for investigating the relationship between subduction input and arc/backarc output19,20.
Previous studies had shown that lavas from Lau backarc spreading axes contain variable contributions from the subducted slab13,15,17,21,22,23. Along-axis (nearly latitudinal) compositional variations may be due to variable amounts of slab-derived fluids, different lengths and ways of transport of such fluids, and the diversity of amount and type of sediment entering the ‘ambient mantle’ above the subducting plate15,17,23,24. Moreover, the original Pacific mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-type mantle (PMM) in the Lau basin-Tonga arc system has been influenced by the inflow of Indian MORB-type mantle , possibly following the 'docking' of Ontong-Java plateau and/or the collision of the Samoan plume with the northern part of the Lau basin-Tonga arc system5,18,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32. The scope of the Indian MORB-type mantle influence in the Lau backarc basin, however, is still in debate22,33,34.
The Indian MORB mantle source between Bouvet Island and the Australian-Antarctic Discordance has a distinct DUPAL isotopic anomaly, characterized by positive delta 208Pb/204Pb and delta 207Pb/204Pb, high 87Sr/86Sr, low 206Pb/204Pb (old Pb) and a wide range of delta εHf values35. In contrast, the Indian MORB-type mantle in SW Pacific, although also having the DUPAL signature, is different as it has a characteristically high, Pacific MORB-like 206Pb/204Pb (relatively young Pb). Therefore, the occurrence of an “Indian MORB mantle”in SW Pacific22 is confusing because this mantle did not come from the Indian Ocean asthenosphere36; its origin is more likely due to processes operating in the SW Pacific region, such as melt depletion of dispersed Samoa plume material37 or process operating on some other DUPAL sources22,33,38. Thus, in this study, we refer to the Indian MORB-type mantle in the Lau basin-Tonga arc system as the DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle.
With the gradual southward propagation of the backarc rift zones, the DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle mantle is thought to have wedged into and replaced the pre-existing original Pacific MORB mantle beneath the Tonga arc and Lau backarc basin6,22,39. The influx of fluids containing components from the slab (subduction components) into the mantle wedge also added compositional variation to the ambient mantle13,22,24,40,41,42. Therefore, precisely identifying the composition of ambient mantle is a key to the clarification of the distribution patterns, as well as the displacement process, of the original Pacific MORB mantle and inflowing DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle.
Studies involving traditional Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic ratios, combined with trace element data, have shown the simultaneously presence of the Pacific MORB mantle and Dupal-like Indian MORB-type mantle domains in the Lau basin-Tonga arc system, but the precise boundary between the two remains unclear8,9,10,14,15,17,23. A major reason is that these geochemical tracers are also influenced by the addition of subduction components. Relative to the elements Sr, Pb and even the less-fluid mobile Nd, Hf is least mobile in fluids derived from the subducting slab22,43,44,45,46, although it may be mobile particularly if the fluids contain partial melts47,48,49. Therefore, after constraining the characteristics and amount of subduction components in arc and backarc lavas, the application of combined Hf and Nd isotopic systematics has been widely acclaimed to be the best tracer of the nature and composition of ambient mantle beneath volcanic arc and backarc regions22,24,40,41,42,43,49,50,51. Because the DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle is characterized by higher εHf and lower εNd than the Pacific MORB mantle18,22,41,43,48,52,53, a combined Nd-Hf isotopic investigation may allow for a better tracing of these mantle domains in the Lau basin-Tonga arc system.
To date, Hf isotopic data for lavas from backarc spreading axes in the Lau basin-Tonga arc system are still scarce22,51. This study presents new Hf isotopic data for the eastern Lau spreading center (ELSC) and Valu Fa ridge (VFR) lavas from the southern Lau basin in order to better constrain its ambient mantle composition40 and to refine the boundary between the Pacific MORB mantle and DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle in the region. The new data provide some clues for the complex backarc spreading dynamics and inflow mechanism of DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle accompanying the opening of Lau backarc basin. For the purpose of comparison, we also compile published Hf-Pb-Sr–Nd isotope data for Lau basin, Tonga ridge, Lau ridge and Samoa volcanic chain from the GEOROC (Geochemistry of Rocks of the Oceans and Continents) database (https://georoc.mpch-mainz.gwdg.de/georoc/Start.asp).
Lau Basin, located between the active Tonga Arc to the east and the Lau Ridge (a remnant volcanic arc) to the west in SW Pacific (Fig. 1), is an active intra-oceanic backarc basin. It has a mean depth of 2300 m, a length of 1000 km and is V-shaped, with a width of approximately 450 km in the north (15°S) that narrows to about 200 km in the south (25°S)1,11,54,55,56. Due to the integrated effects of Pacific plate subduction beneath the Australian plate and the docking of Ontong Java plateau plus the collision with the Samoan plume in the north, the Lau basin has undergone a relatively complex backarc spreading history. The basin can be roughly divided into three broad regions defined by major tectonic features: (1) Mangatolu triple junction to the northeast of Niua Fo’ou Island, (2) Central Lau Spreading Centre (CLSC) (including Peggy ridge) and (3) ELSC and its propagating rift tip—Valu Fa ridge11,40,57. Lau Basin opened from north to south starting at 6 Ma in two stages11,54. The first stage is a ‘Basin and Range’ style of rifting that is followed by seafloor spreading through rift propagation at about 5 Ma, and formed the ancient Lau Basin. The second is an extensional stage (induced by southward rift propagation) since 2 Ma that formed the current Lau Basin containing CLSC, ELSC and Valu Fa ridge. The ELSC has a full spreading rate of 95 mm/year (north) to 73 mm/year (south) at the Valu Fa ridge , which is only about 40 km from the Ata Island in the Tofua arc54 (Fig. 1). Detailed geophysical descriptions of the Lau-Tonga system have been presented in a number of previous studies2,58,59,60,61.
Samples analyzed in this study were collected in situ from ELSC and Valu Fa ridge in the southern Lau Basin using an underwater remotely operated vehicle equipped with manipulator arms and cameras during the 19th Chinese global expedition of the R/V Dayangyihao in 2007. Twelve samples consisting of three glass and nine whole rocks (six from Valu Fa ridge and six from ELSC) (red stars in Fig. 1) were selected for Hf isotopic analysis in this study. Five of the sites are on spreading axes (L-1, L-7, L-8, L-9, and L-11) and the rest are on ridge flanks (L-2, L-3, L-4, L-5, L-6, L-10, and L-12). These samples have been described previously in Yan et al.17.
Results
The Hf isotopic compositions of the samples analyzed are presented in Supplementary Dataset Table S1 and shown graphically in Figs. 2 and 3. The new data have a narrow range of 176Hf/177Hf composition (0.283194–0.283202 (< 1 εHf unit) for the Valu Fa ridge and 0.283200–0.283221 (< 1 εHf unit) for ELSC, consistent with their homogeneous 143Nd/144Nd composition (0.513042–0.512051 (< 1 εNd unit) for Valu Fa ridge and 0.513037–0.513052 (< 1 εNd unit) for ELSC). Compared to ELSC lavas, Valu Fa ridge lavas have slightly higher or more radiogenic 176Hf/177Hf ratios. The new data for both Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas are within the isotopic range of the lavas from the entire Lau basin-Tonga arc system, but in general, they have higher 176Hf/177Hf for given 87Sr/86Sr, 143Nd/144Nd and Pb isotope ratios compared to those published Valu Fa ridge and ELSC data. In general, the new Valu Fa ridge and ELSC data are close to those for lavas from Ata and Hunga islands in the main volcanic (Tofua) arc, but are different for lavas from Eua island in the forearc (or remnant/older arc) to the east of Tofua arc (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4) . In the εNd versus εHf plot, the new Valu Fa ridge and ELSC data fall in the Indian MORB-type mantle field above the mantle array65 and oceanic island basalt (OIB) array52 (Fig. 4). Although not shown, they also plot in the Indian MORB-type mantle field in the 208Pb/204Pb versus 206Pb/204Pb discrimination diagrams being used to distinguish the Indian MORB-type mantle from the Pacific MORB mantle by Pearce et al.22 (for the Southwest Pacific), Pearce et al.43 (for Mariana region), and Kempton et al.50 (for the Australian-Antarctic Discordance).
Discussion
The combined Hf–Nd isotope systematics has been widely used to delineate mantle domains beneath the vast and geologically complex western Pacific trench-arc-backarc (Mariana and Lau basin-Tonga arc) systems22,24,40,41,42,43,50,51. It was in these systems that the two types of mantle sources, Pacific MORB mantle and DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle, were identified17,22,42. However, the boundary between the two mantle domains based on Hf–Nd isotope systematics in the Lau Basin is not entirely clear, and this is due to the limited amount of data22.
Yan et al.17 showed that most of the same Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas analyzed in this study lie in the overlapping Pacific MORB mantle and Dupal-like Indian MORB-type mantle fields and also partly in the field for Tonga arc lavas, which have been affected by subduction components, based on their Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic composition. Thus, these isotopic tracers do not unambiguously identify the boundary between Pacific MORB mantle and DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle in the ambient mantle. Previously, Staudigel et al.33 and Pearce et al.22 proposed that the inflowing Dupal-like Indian MORB-type mantle derived from south Pacific isotopic and thermal anomaly33 or other regions34,66 has wedged into ELSC, but since the Valu Fa ridge still has a Pacific MORB mantle signature similar to the southern Tonga arc, it was suggested that the displacement of the Pacific MORB mantle by the DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle did not reach the southern tip of the Valu Fa ridge. However, our new data show that lavas from Ata and Hunga islands in the Tofua volcanic arc are close to those for Valu Fa ridge and ELSC, but is different from those for lavas from Eua island in the forearc (or older/remnant arc) (Figs. 1–4), implying that the nature of mantle source beneath the southern Tofua arc is similar to that beneath the Valu Fa ridge and ELSC and different from that beneath Eua island in the Tonga ridge (forearc or remnant arc).
Below, we use the new Hf isotopic data, combined with previously published Nd isotopic data17, to further evaluate the replacement of the Pacific MORB mantle by the inflowing DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle in the ambient mantle beneath the southern Lau Basin.
The effect of subduction components on the combined Hf–Nd isotope systematics
Available Hf isotope data for the Lau basin-Tonga arc system lavas cover a moderate compositional range22. The new Hf–Nd isotope data for ELSC and Valu Fa ridge lavas clearly show that their lavas plot within the IMM field (Fig. 4), inconsistent with the results from previous studies17,22,51. However, the new data may not represent the true ambient mantle Hf–Nd isotope composition because of the negative Hf anomalies in the normalized trace element concentrations of the lavas (see Fig. 5 in Yan et al.17). Arc lavas from a mantle wedge containing subduction components are generally depleted relative to other trace elements in high field-strength elements, particularly Nb but also Hf47,48,49, and, thus, the negative Hf concentration anomalies imply that the ambient mantle beneath ELSC and Valu Fa ridge had been affected by the subduction components as well. Thus, it is necessary to constrain the subduction components influence on the measured Hf–Nd isotope composition of the lavas first before it can be successfully used to discriminate the Indian MORB-type mantle from the Pacific MORB mantle in the southern Lau basin18,22,41,42,43,50. Accordingly, we evaluate whether the Nd and Hf concentrations and isotopic compositions of Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas had been influenced by the subduction components or not, and if they were, what is the combined Hf–Nd isotope composition of their mantle source after such influence has been removed from the measured values.
A way to evaluate the influence of subduction components in the Hf–Nd isotope composition of the Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas is through the method of Woodhead et al.41,48,49. These authors claimed that the Hf and Nd isotopic compositions of backarc basin lavas may have been affected by solute-rich fluids containing partial melts of subducted sediments. In order to get the true composition of the ambient mantle beneath backarc basins, the influence of subduction components in backarc lavas should be first clarified and ruled out40,41. However, when we applied their filtering criteria (i.e., samples with Th/Ta < 3 and Ba/Nb < 741), all Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas show evidence of the subduction components. In fact, almost all Lau basin lavas have Ba/Nb ratios > 7, implying the presence of subduction components beneath the entire Lau basin15,16,17,23,30,67. Lavas from southern Mariana arc system also do not pass the same filtering criteria and, thus, Ribeiro et al.42 calculated the original isotopic composition of the pre-subduction mantle instead. The isotopic compositions of the pre-subduction mantle source of the Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas following Ribeiro et al.’s method42 (i.e., filtering the Hf–Nd isotopic ratios of lavas from their subduction influence) are also listed in Supplementary Dataset Table S1. Results show that 5% of slab fluids were added to the ambient mantle; after deducting such subduction contribution, the corrected εNd* and εHf* values for the Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas range from 8.7–11.6 and 16.1–19.1, respectively (Supplementary Dataset Table S1). Significantly, when these corrected data are plotted in the εHf versus εNdm (the Nd isotopes of ambient mantle, see its calculating formula22 in Supplementary Dataset Table S1) diagram (Fig. 5), they still lie on the the Indian MORB-type mantle side of the Indian MORB-type mantle—the Pacific MORB mantle boundary of Pearce et al.22. Thus, the addition of a small of amount (< 5%) of slab fluids to the ambient mantle does not significantly affect the combined Hf–Nd isotope systematics, which indicates that both the Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas most likely came from a DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle source.
Another way to evaluate the influence of subduction components in the Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas is through the use of the εHf versus Nd/Hf diagram22 (Fig. 6). The diagram shows that almost all our samples except for one Valu Fa ridge lava plot within the MORB array, which is distinct from the field for Tonga arc lavas that have been affected by the subduction components and, thus, have higher and variable Nd/Hf ratios for given εHf22. Therefore, the 176Hf/177Hf of the Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas were not influenced by the subduction components, implying that they basically represent the Hf isotopic composition of the ambient mantle.
To evaluate the influence of subduction components on the Nd concentration and isotopic composition in the lavas, we calculated their ΔNd values (proportions of Nd in the mantle wedge from the subduction addition), and ΔεNdP/I (the displacement of εNd from the boundary between the Indian MORB-type mantle and Pacific MORB mantle) using the detailed calculations by Pearce et al.22,43. Results show that the ΔNd values of the Valu Fa ridge lavas vary from 0.195 to 0.441, and those of ELSC lavas range from 0.005 to 0.077 (Supplementary Dataset Table S1), suggesting that the Nd content in both the Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas received contributions from the subduction components, as also shown by previous studies15,17,22,23,67. However, the ΔεNdP/I values for the Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas are above zero, with VFR lavas ranging from 1.28 to 1.53, and ELSC lavas ranging from 1.58 to 2.15 (Supplementary Dataset Table S1). The positive values indicate that the lavas are coming from a DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle source, which is inconsistent with previous studies claiming that the Valu Fa ridge lavas just tap a Pacific MORB mantle source22,24. In summary, ΔεNdP/I and ΔNd values (Supplementary Dataset Table S1) indicate that both ELSC and Valu Fa ridge lavas tap a DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle source as well.
In summary, the above modeling results indicate that the ambient mantle beneath both ELSC and Valu Fa ridge had been affected by the subduction components, and this is better shown by the Nd isotope composition of the lavas. After correcting for such an effect, however, the combined Nd-Hf isotope data indicate a DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle ambient mantle beneath ELSC and Valu Fa ridge. Thus, the addition of subduction components has a negligible effect on the Hf isotope composition. A possibility is that Hf, as a high field-strength element, is indeed immobile in subduction fluids, unless there is partial melting of the subducted sediment47,48,49. There is a consensus that Th/Nb or Th/Ta can be used as indicators of partial melting of sediment, although the geochemical behavior of Nb and Ta hosted in stable rutile in the subducted slab is still in debate47,48,49. The Th/Ta ratios of the Valu Fa ridge lavas range up to 5.5, with an average value of 4.0, and the only sample with Th/Ta < 3 is L-6 (2.8; Supplementary Dataset Table S1). In contrast, the Th/Ta ratios of ELSC lavas are all < 3, and ranging from 0.2 to 1.8, with average value of 1.2 (Supplementary Dataset Table S1). Thus, according to the criterion of Woodhead et al41, all Valu Fa ridge lavas have sediment contributions, except for sample L-6, which together with ELSC lavas have no sediment melt contribution. Significantly, however, the new Valu Fa ridge and ELSC data show a homogeneous Hf (and Nd) isotope composition (Figs. 2, 4, 6). Such a Hf and Nd isotope homogeneity suggests that the sediment contribution does not affect the compositional homogeneity of Hf isotopic ratios of these lavas, and is consistent with the idea that compared to isotopic tracers (e.g., Pb, Sr and to a certain extent Nd) that are affected by the subduction components, the element Hf is immobile (Fig. 6). In other words, the Hf isotopic ratios of Lau basin lavas are insensitive to the influence of slab components derived from the subducting plate22. Hence, the Hf and Nd isotopic composition of the Valu Fa ridge lavas, together with ELSC lavas, come from the DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle mantle.
Implications of the Indian MORB mantle beneath the Valu Fa ridge in the southern Lau basin
Pacific MORB mantle is ubiquitous in the whole Tonga-Lau ridge region before Lau back-arc spreading, u as all older volcanic rocks collected from Lau relict ridge and Tonga ridge until now didn’t tap the Indian MORB-type mantle (Figs. 2–4), implying that the Indian MORB-type mantle more likely are later stage exotic mantle. Previous studies have shown that in the Lau basin backarc region, a series of southward to southwestward propagating spreading rift axes, which accommodate crustal extension within the Pacific lithosphere11,54, have enabled the DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle mantle to advect into the region underlain by a Pacific MORB-type mantle22,39,51. The fact that the Valu Fa ridge lavas have the Hf isotopic composition of the DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle mantle already identified in the Northern Lau Spreading Center, Mangatolu triple junction, CLSC backarc spreading regions and northern and central Tonga arc implies that the DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle mantle is flowing into the tip of propagating rift in the southern Lau basin. In turn, this indicates that mantle and tectonic processes are occurring contemporaneously during the opening of the Lau basin. Data in this study also clearly show that inflowing DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle mantle has also reached the mantle beneath Hunga and Ata islands in the southern Tofua volcanic arc (Figs. 2–4). However, it appeared that the Indian MORB-type mantle did not reach the Eua island in the Tonga ridge (remnant or older forearc), because existing evidences for those relatively old volcanics with ages of about 20–46 Ma on the island (e.g., Eua island) just tapped the Pacific MORB mantle did not definitely support the idea that the mantle beneath Tonga ridge have been replaced by Indian-type mantle22. In fact, due to the inactive feature (no active volcanism) for these islands in remnant or older forearc, it is reasonable that there is no mantle processes (e.g., mantle emplacement) beneath these regions.
We developed a cartoon model for the possible spatial distribution of DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle beneath the Lau basin, and proposed the replacement extent of the Pacific MORB mantle by the DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle (Fig. 7). In the proposed tectonic scenario, the asthenosphere mantle partial melting process beneath Lau back-arc spreading centers provides a possibility that the migrating DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle flows come into the melting zone and mix with the preexisting Pacific MORB mantle. With the gradual opening of Lau basin southwards, DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle flows gradually propagate from the northwestern to the southern Lau basin. So far the southernmost position they have reached is at the southern part of the Valu Fa ridge. Meanwhile, the asthenosphere mantle beneath the Tofua volcanic arc which is proximal to back-arc spreading centers (e.g., CLSC, ELSC and Valu Fa ridge) has been contaminated (or replaced) by DUPAL-likee Indian MORB-type mantle. The pacific asthenosphere mantle components beneath the Northwest Lau Spreading Center, CLSC, ELSC, Valu Fa ridge and Tofua volcanic arc have been replaced by the Indian MORB-type mantle, whereas Lau ridge and Tonga ridge are still maintaining the properties of pacific mantle asthenosphere.
Conclusion
In this study, we present new Hf isotope data that provide new insights into the mantle dynamics and tectonic processes in the southern Lau basin.
-
(1)
The Hf isotopic ratios (176Hf/177Hf) of submarine lavas from the ELSC and Valu Fa ridge range from 0.283194 (εHf = 14.92) to 0.283212 (εHf = 15.54), with the average value of 0.283199 (εHf = 15.11), and those from the Valu Fa ridge vary from 0.283200 (εHf = 15.14) to 0.283221(εHf = 15.88), with the average of 0.283214 (15.61).
-
(2)
In contrast to those of previous studies, results of this study clearly show that the Valu Fa ridge and ELSC lavas are relatively homogeneous and have a DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle signature.
-
(3)
A key outcome of this study is that a DUPAL-like Indian MORB-type mantle source is already flowing into the southerly propagating Valu Fa ridge in the southern Lau basin, indicating contemporaneous nature of mantle dynamic and lithospheric tectonic processes in the Lau basin -Tonga arc system.
Methods
Hafnium isotope ratios of the 12 samples were obtained at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. Two whole rock samples (L-7 and L-11) were leached prior to digestion as replicates. For this purpose, sample powders were soaked in double-distilled 8 N HNO3 for one hour at ~ 95℃. The leached samples were centrifuged and the leachates were discarded. Centrifuging was repeated twice with double-distilled water. Residues were transferred into Teflon beakers, and dried down prior to routine sample digestion.
For each sample, about 200–250 mg of powder (about 200–250 mg) was digested using a 3:1 HF (ca. 27 N) + HNO3 (ca. 16 N) mixed acid, and several times re-digested with HNO3, 6 N HCL and finally a mixture of 6 N HCL + 0.06 N HF prior to dissolution in 3 N HCL. The chemical separation of Hf was achieved with the single, 1 ml column filled with Eichrom Ln resin (100–150 μm) following the procedure after Münker et al.63. Prior to loading onto the column, all Fe was reduced by adding about 0.5 ml 1 M ascorbic acid. After loading, all matrix elements such as Fe, REEs and Ti are washed out prior to Hf extraction in a mixture of 6 N HCl + 0.2 N HF.
Hafnium isotope ratios were measured using a ThermoFisher Neptune Plus multi-collector ICP-MS also at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. Instrument performance was monitored by multiple measurements of an in-house Hf Spex standard (176Hf/177Hf = 0.28216) that was analyzed alternately with the samples. The Hf Ames standard is intercalibrated to the JMC-475 standard with the same 176Hf/177Hf ratio of 0.28216064 to which all measured 176Hf/177Hf ratios were normalized. Sample solutions were constantly monitored for levels of Lu and Yb, and 176Hf/177Hf ratios were only accepted when the 176Yb and 176Lu contribution to the 176Hf signal was < 0.6%, and thus negligible. Internal measurement errors are between 7–17 ppm (2σ). Replicate measurements of the Hf Spex standard give an external reproducibility of 176Hf/177Hf of 0.282156 ± 0.000005 (35 ppm, 2σ, n = 8) and 176Hf/177Hf of 0.282148 ± 0.000003 (21 ppm, 2σ, n = 25) during the two days of data collection in May and August 2013, respectively. For each batch, international standard BCR-2 was concurrently dissolved and analyzed as unknown and gave 176Hf/177Hf of 0.282865 (2σ = 8 ppm) and 176Hf/177Hf of 0.282869 (2σ = 15 ppm), respectively.
Data availability
All data are reported in the Supplementary Information.
References
Karig, D. E. Origin and development of Marginal basins in the Western Pacific. J. Geophys. Res. 76, 2542–2561 (1971).
Zellmer, K. E. & Taylor, B. A three-plate kinematic model for Lau Basin opening. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. https://doi.org/10.1029/2000GC000106 (2001).
Gill, J. B. Composition and age of Lau Basin and ridge volcanic rocks: implications for evolution of an interarc basin and remnant arc. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 87, 1384–1395 (1976).
Hawkins, J. W. Petrology and geochemistry of basaltic rocks of the Lau Basin. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 28, 283–298 (1976).
Volpe, A. M., MacDougall, J. D. & Hawkins, J. W. Lau Basin basalts (LBB): trace element and Sr–Nd isotopic evidence for heterogeneity in backarc basin mantle. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 90, 174–186 (1988).
Loock, G., McDonough, W. F., Goldstein, S. L. & Hofmann, A. W. Isotopic composition of volcanic glasses from the Lau Basin. Mar. Min. 9, 235–245 (1990).
McCulloch, M. T. & Gamble, J. A. Geochemical and geodynamical constraints on subduction zone magmatism. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 102, 358–374 (1991).
Falloon, T. J., Malahoff, A., Zonenshain, L. P. & Bogdanova, Y. Petrology and geochemistry of backarc basin basalts from Lau Basin spreading ridges at 15°, 18° and 19° S. Mineral. Petrol. 47, 1–35 (1992).
Ewart, A., Bryan, W. B., Chappell, B. W. & Rudnick, R. L. Regional geochemistry of the Lau-Tonga arc and backarc systems. In Proc Ocean Drill. Program (eds Hawkins, J. W. et al.) 385–425 (Ocean Drilling Program, College Station, TX, 1994).
Ewart, A., Collerson, K. D., Regelous, M., Wendt, J. I. & Niu, Y. Geochemical evolution within the Tonga–Kermadec– Lau arc–backarc systems: the role of varying mantle wedge composition in space and time. J. Petrol. 39, 331–368 (1998).
Hawkins, J. W. & Allan, J. F. Petrologic evolution of the Lau Basin sites. In Proc. Ocean Drill. Program (eds Hawkins, J. W. et al.) 427–470 (Ocean Drilling institute, College Station, 1994).
Pearce, J. A. et al. Geochemistry of the Lau Basin volcanic rocks: Influence of ridge segmentation and arc proximity. In Volcanism Associated with Extension at Consuming Plate Margins. Special Contributions (ed. Smellie, J. L.) 53–75 (Geological Society, London, 1994).
Pearce, J. A. & Stern, R. J. Origin of backarc basin magmas: Trace element and isotope perspectives. In Backarc Spreading Systems: Geological, Biological, Chemical, and Physical Interactions. Geophysical Monograph Series (eds Christie, D. M. et al.) 63–86 (American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, 2006).
Smith, I. E. M. & Price, R. C. The Tonga-Kermadec arc and Havre-Lau backarc system: Their role in the development of tectonic and magmatic models for the western Pacific. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 156, 315–331 (2006).
Escrig, S., Bezos, A., Goldstein, S. L., Langmuir, C. H. & Michael, P. J. Mantle source variations beneath the Eastern Lau Spreading Center and the nature of subduction components in the Lau basin–Tonga arc system. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 10, Q04014. https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GC002281 (2009).
Haase, K. M., Fretzdorff, S., Mühe, R., Garbe-Schönberg, D. & Stoffers, P. A geochemical study of off-axis seamount lavas at the Valu Fa Ridge: constraints on magma genesis and slab contributions in the southern Tonga subduction zone. Lithos 112, 137–148 (2009).
Yan, Q., Castillo, P. R. & Shi, X. Geochemistry of basaltic lavas from the southern Lau Basin: input of compositionally variable subduction components. Int. Geol. Rev. 54, 1456–1474 (2012).
Price, A. A. et al. Evidence for a broadly distributed Samoan-plume signature in the northern Lau and North Fiji Basins. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 15, 986–1008 (2014).
Castillo, P. R., Lonsdale, P. F., Moran, C. L. & Hawkins, J. W. Geochemistry of mid-Cretaceous Pacific crust being subducted along the Tonga- Kermadec Trench: implications for the generation of arc lavas. Lithos 112, 87–102 (2009).
Plank, T. & Langmuir, C. Tracing trace elements from sediment input to volcanic output at subduction Zone. Nature 362, 739–742 (1993).
Peate, D. W. et al. U-series isotope data on Lau Basin Glasses: the role of subduction-related fluids during melt generation in backarc basins. J. Geol. 42, 1449–1470 (2001).
Pearce, J. A., Kempton, P. D. & Gill, J. B. Hf–Nd evidence for the origin and distribution of mantle domains in the SW Pacific. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 260, 98–114 (2007).
Tian, L. et al. Major and trace element and Sr–Nd isotope signatures of lavas from the Central Lau Basin: implications for the nature and influence of subduction components in the back-arc mantle. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 178, 657–670 (2008).
Todd, E., Gill, J. B. & Pearce, J. A. A variably enriched mantle wedge and contrasting melt types during arc stages following subduction initiation in Fiji and Tonga, southwest Pacific. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 335, 180–194 (2012).
Giardini, D. & Woodhouse, J. H. Horizontal shear flow in the mantle beneath the Tonga arc. Nature 319, 551–555 (1986).
Poreda, R. J. & Craig, H. He and Sr isotopes in the Lau Basin mantle: depleted and primitive mantle components. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 113, 487–493 (1992).
Turner, S., Handler, M., Bindeman, I. & Suzuki, K. New insights into the origin of O-Hf–Os isotope signatures in arc lavas from Tonga-Kermadec. Chem. Geol. 266, 187–193 (2009).
Smith, G. P. et al. A complex pattern of mantle flow in the Lau Backarc. Science 292, 713–716 (2001).
Lupton, J. E., Arculus, R. J., Greene, R. R., Evans, L. J. & Goddard, C. I. Helium isotope variations in seafloor basalts from the Northwest Lau Backarc Basin: mapping the influence of the Samoan hotspot. Geophys. Res. Lett. 36, L17313 (2009).
Tian, L. et al. Major and trace element and Sr-Nd isotope signatures of the northern Lau Basin lavas: implications for the composition and dynamics of the back-arc basin mantle. J. Geophy. Res. 116(B11), 11201–11218 (2011).
Lytle, M. L. et al. Tracing mantle sources and Samoan influence in the northwestern Lau back-arc basin. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 13, Q10019 (2012).
Zhang, H., Yan, Q., Li, C., Zhu, Z. & Shi, X. Geochemistry of diverse lava types from the Lau Basin (SW Pacific): implications for complex back-arc mantle dynamics. Geol. J. 54, 3643–3659 (2019).
Staudigel, H. et al. The longevity of the South Pacific isotopic and thermal anomaly. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 102, 24–44 (1991).
Hickey-Vargas, R., Hergt, J. M. & Spadea, P. The Indian Ocean type isotopic signature in western Pacific marginal basins: origin and significance. Active Margins and Marginal Basins of the Western Pacific. Am. Geophys. Union Geophys. Monogr. 88, 175–197 (1995).
Hart, S. R. A large-scale isotope anomaly in the Southern Hemisphere mantle. Nature 309, 753–757 (1984).
Hanan, B. B. et al. Pb and Hf isotope variations along the Southeast Indian Ridge and the dynamic distribution of MORB source domains in the upper mantle. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 375, 196–208 (2013).
Jackson, M. G. et al. Samoan hot spot track on a “hot spot highway”: implications for mantle plumes and a deep Samoan mantle source. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 11, Q12009 (2010).
Hanan, B. et al. Hf and Pb isotope constraints on the source origin of Northern Lau Basin back-arc basin basalts. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 72, A347 (2008).
Hergt, J. M. & Hawkesworth, C. J. Pb-, Sr-, and Nd-isotopic evolution of the Lau Basin: implications for mantle dynamics during backarc opening. In Proc Ocean Drill Program (eds Hawkins, J. W. et al.) 505–517 (Ocean Drilling Program, College Station, 1994).
Todd, E. et al. Hf isotopic evidence for small-scale heterogeneity in the mode of mantle wedge enrichment: Southern Havre Trough and South Fiji Basin back arcs. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 12, Q09011 (2011).
Woodhead, J. D., Stern, R. J., Pearce, J. A., Hergt, J. M. & Vervoort, J. Hf–Nd isotope variation in Mariana Trough basalts: the importance of “ambient mantle” in the interpretation of subduction zone magmas. Geology 40, 539–542 (2012).
Ribeiro, J. M. et al. Asthenospheric outflow from the shrinking Philippine Sea Plate: evidence from Hf–Nd isotopes of southern Mariana lavas. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 478, 258–271 (2017).
Pearce, J. A., Kempton, P. D., Nowell, G. M. & Noble, S. R. Hf–Nd element and isotope perspective on the nature and provenance of mantle and subduction components in arc-basin systems: examples from the western Pacific. J. Petrol. 40, 1579–1611 (1999).
Münker, C., Worner, G., Yogodzinski, G. & Churikova, T. Behaviour of high field strength elements in subduction zones: constraints from Kamchatka-Aleutian arc lavas. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 224, 275–293 (2004).
Tollstrup, D. L. & Gill, J. B. Hafnium systematics of the Mariana arc: evidence for sediment melt and residual phases. Geology 33, 737–740 (2005).
Barry, T. L., Pearce, J. A., Leat, P. T. & Millar, I. L. Hf isotope evidence for selective mobility of high-field-strength-elements in a subduction setting: South Sandwich Islands. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 252, 223–244 (2006).
Woodhead, J., Eggins, S. & Gamble, J. High field strength and transition element systematics in island arc and back-arc basin basalts: evidence for multi-phase melt extraction and a depleted mantle wedge. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 114, 491–504 (1993).
Woodhead, J. D., Hergt, J. M., Davidson, J. P. & Eggins, S. M. Hafnium isotope evidence for ‘conservative’ element mobility during subduction zone processes. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 192, 331–346 (2001).
Woodhead, J., Hergt, J. M., Greig, A. & Edwards, L. Subduction zone Hf-anomalies: mantle messenger, melting artefact or crustal process?. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 304, 231–239 (2011).
Kempton, P. D. et al. Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotope results from ODP Leg 187: evidence for mantle dynamics of the Australian-Antarctic Discordance and origin of the Indian MORB source. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 3, 1047 (2002).
Hergt, J. M. & Woodhead, J. D. A critical evaluation of recent models for Lau-Tonga arc–backarc basin magmatic evolution. Chem. Geol. 245, 9–44 (2007).
Chauvel, C., Lewin, E., Carpentier, M., Arndt, N. T. & Marini, J. C. Role of recycled oceanic basalt and sediment in generating the Hf–Nd mantle array. Nat. Geosci. 1, 64–67 (2008).
Chauvel, C., Marini, J. C., Plank, T. & Ludden, J. N. Hf-Nd input flux in the Izu-Mariana subduction zone and recycling of subducted material in the mantle. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 10, Q01001 (2009).
Hawkins, J. W. Evolution of the Lau Basin—Insights from ODP leg 135. Am. Geophys. Union Geophys. Monogr. 88, 125–173 (1995).
Taylor, B., Zellmer, K., Martinez, F. & Goodliffe, A. Seafloor spreading in the Lau back-arc basin. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 144, 35–40 (1996).
Keller, N. S., Arculus, R. J., Hermann, J. & Richards, S. Submarine back-arc lava with arc signature: Fonualei spreading center, northeast Lau basin, Tonga. J. Geophys. Res. 113(B8), 231–234 (2008).
Jenner, G. A., Cawood, P. A., Rautenschlein, M. & White, W. M. Composition of backarc basin volcanics, Valu Fa Ridge, Lau Basin: evidence for a slab-derived component in their mantle source. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 32, 209–222 (1987).
Bevis, M., Taylor, F. W. & Schutz, B. E. Geodetic observations of very rapid convergence and back-arc extension at the Tonga Trench. Nature 374, 249–251 (1995).
Pelletier, B. & Louat, R. Seismotectonics and present-day relative plate motions in the Tonga Lau and Kermadec Havre region. Tectonophysics 165, 237–250 (1989).
Jacobs, A. M., Harding, A. J. & Kent, G. M. Axial crustal structure of the Lau backarc basin from velocity modeling of multichannel seismic data. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 259, 239–255 (2007).
Parson, L. M. & Wright, I. C. The Lau–Havre–Taupo backarc basin: a southward-propagating, multi-stage evolution from rifting to spreading. Tectonophysics 263, 1–22 (1996).
Caulfield, J. et al. Mantle flow, volatiles, slab-surface temperatures and melting dynamics in the north Tonga arc-Lau back-arc basin. J. Geophys. Res. 117, B11209 (2012).
Münker, C., Weyer, S., Scherer, E. & Mezger, K. Separation of high field strength elements (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf) and Lu from rock samples for MC-ICPMS measurements. Geochem. Geophy. Geosyst. 2, 2001GC000183 (2001).
Nowell, G. M. et al. High precision Hf isotope measurements of MORB and OIB by thermal ionisation mass spectrometry: insights into the depleted mantle. Chem. Geol. 149, 211–233 (1998).
Vervoort, J. D., Patchett, P. J., Blichert-Toft, J. & Albarède, F. Relationships between Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd isotopic systems in the global sedimentary system. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 168, 79–99 (1999).
Smart, K. A., Tappe, S., Ishikawa, I., Pfander, J. A. & Stracke, A. K-rich hydrous mantle lithosphere beneath the Ontong Java Plateau: significance for the genesis of oceanic basalts and Archean continents. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 248, 311–342 (2019).
Bézos, A., Escrig, S., Langmuir, C. H., Michael, P. J. & Asimow, P. D. Origins of chemical diversity of back-arc basin basalts: a segment-scale study of the Eastern Lau Spreading Center. J. Geophys. Res. 114, B06212 (2009).
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to three anonymous referees for their valuable comments on the manuscript, and Sebastian Tappe for editorial handling and helpful comments. This work was supported by the National Program on Global Change and Air-Sea Interaction (no. GASI-GEOGE-02), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants nos. 41776070, 41276003, 41506047, 41322036, U1606401). Q. Yan acknowledges support from the Taishan Scholarship from Shandong Province (China) and the China Scholarship Council.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Q.Y., S.S., H.Z., L.T., conceived the experiments; Q.Y., S.S., H.Z., L.T., and X.S. conducted experiments; Q.Y., S.S., P.C., and H.Z., wrote the manuscript. All authors analyzed data, contributed to interpretive aspects and reviewed the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary information
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Yan, Q., Straub, S., Castillo, P. et al. Hafnium isotope constraints on the nature of the mantle beneath the Southern Lau basin (SW Pacific). Sci Rep 10, 17476 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-74565-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-74565-0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Melts from hydrous depleted back-arc mantle at a young boninitic volcano on the flank of Valu Fa Ridge (Lau basin, SW Pacific)
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology (2023)