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Geochemistry and geochronology of the mafic lavas from the southeastern Ethiopian rift (the East African Rift System): assessment of models on magma sources, plume–lithosphere interaction and plume evolution

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Abstract

Major and trace element and isotopic ratios (Sr, Nd and Pb) are presented for mafic lavas (MgO > 4 wt%) from the southwestern Yabello region (southern Ethiopia) in the vicinity of the East African Rift System (EARS). New K/Ar dating results confirm three magmatic periods of activity in the region: (1) Miocene (12.3–10.5 Ma) alkali basalts and hawaiites, (2) Pliocene (4.7–3.6 Ma) tholeiitic basalts, and (3) Recent (1.9–0.3 Ma) basanite-dominant alkaline lavas. Trace element and isotopic characteristics of the Miocene and Quaternary lavas bear a close similarity to ocean island basalts that derived from HIMU-type sublithospheric source. The Pliocene basalts have higher Ba/Nb, La/Nb, Zr/Nb and 87Sr/86Sr (0.70395–0.70417) and less radiogenic Pb isotopic ratios (206Pb/204Pb = 18.12–18.27) relative to the Miocene and Quaternary lavas, indicative of significant contribution from enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle in their sources. Intermittent upwelling of hot mantle plume in at least two cycles can explain the magmatic evolution in the southern Ethiopian region. Although plumes have been originated from a common and deeper superplume extending from the core–mantle boundary, the diversity of plume components during the Miocene and Quaternary reflects heterogeneity of secondary plumes at shallower levels connected to the African superplume, which have evolved to more homogeneous source.

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Acknowledgments

T.C. was supported by a scholarship fund from the Japanese Government for the Special Graduate Program in Marine Sciences for International Students (Univ. Ryukyus). Special thanks go to all members of the Regional Geology and Geochemistry Department of Geological Survey of Ethiopia for technical support and involving in geological mapping of the study area. We are also grateful to Shigeru Ohode (Univ. Ryukyus) for providing access to ICP-MS and TIMS facilities. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C; 13640483, 17540458 and 21540496 to R.S.).

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  1. Takele Chekol

    Present address: Pheasant Memorial Laboratory, Institute for Study of the Earth’s Interior, Okayama University at Misasa, Tottori, 682-0193, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of the Ryukyus, Senbaru-1, Nishihara, Okinawa, 903-0213, Japan

    Ryuichi Shinjo, Takele Chekol & Daniel Meshesha

  2. Research Institute of Natural Sciences, Okayama University of Science, Okayama, 700-0005, Japan

    Tetsumaru Itaya

  3. Institute for Frontier Research on Earth Evolution (IFREE), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan

    Yoshiyuki Tatsumi

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  1. Ryuichi Shinjo
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Correspondence to Ryuichi Shinjo.

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Communicated by T. L. Grove.

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Shinjo, R., Chekol, T., Meshesha, D. et al. Geochemistry and geochronology of the mafic lavas from the southeastern Ethiopian rift (the East African Rift System): assessment of models on magma sources, plume–lithosphere interaction and plume evolution. Contrib Mineral Petrol 162, 209–230 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-010-0591-2

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