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Geochemistry of axial lavas from the mid- and southern Mariana Trough, and implications for back-arc magmatic processes

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Abstract

The Mariana Trough, a relatively simple intra-oceanic back-arc basin, is ideal for investigating magmatic processes and mantle-crust interaction in a subduction setting. We present new major- and trace element compositions for 31 basaltic lava and glass samples from the Mariana Trough back-arc spreading center. The studied lavas include phenocrysts of plagioclase, olivine and pyroxene. Major element compositions show that these lavas range from tholeiitic basalt to basaltic andesite, and belong to a sub-alkali tholeiitic series produced by fluid-influenced fractional crystallization of primary basaltic melts. Trace element compositions show that these lavas are transitional between typical normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and island arc basalt (IAB), and are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare earth elements (LREEs). Trace element ratios, e.g., Ba/Th, Pb/Ce, Th/Nd, La/Sm, Th/Nb, Ba/Nb and Th/Nb, indicate that the mantle from which these lavas were derived underwent modification resulting from the addition of multiple subduction components. Some typical trace element ratios (e.g., Ba/Nb- total subduction component, Ba/Th- shallow subduction, and Th/Nb-deep subduction component) from our new data and the literature suggest that a latitudinal variation exists in addition to subduction components, and indicates a more complex and heterogeneous distribution of subduction components in the Mariana back-arc region. We suggest that, (1) compared to back-arc locations at 18° N and 15.5° N, lavas from back-arc locations at 17° N indicate higher levels of modification by hydrous fluid released from the subducted slab, and (2) compared to back-arc locations at 17° N and 15.5° N, petrogenesis of lavas from back-arc locations at 18° N indicates a greater influence of sediment melt.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to Philip Leat and an anonymous expert for their constructive reviews that helped to improve the manuscript. Major oxides and trace elements were determined by X-rayfluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy at the Testing Center of Shandong Bureau, China Metallurgical Geology Bureau. This work was supported by the National Programme on Global Change and Air-Sea Interaction (no. GASI-GEOGE-02); Basic Scientific Fund for National Public Research Institutes of China (2016S01); National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants nos. 41776070, 41276003, 41322036); Taishan Scholarship from Shandong Province.; and AoShan Talents Program Supported by Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (no. 2015ASTP-ES16). IM acknowledges support from the Australian Research Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Lab of Marine Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Quanshu Yan, Pingyang Zhang, Yanguang Liu, Shiying Wu & Xuefa Shi

  2. Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Quanshu Yan, Yanguang Liu & Xuefa Shi

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

    Quanshu Yan

  4. State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Pingyang Zhang

  5. School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, Australia

    Ian Metcalfe

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Yan, Q., Zhang, P., Metcalfe, I. et al. Geochemistry of axial lavas from the mid- and southern Mariana Trough, and implications for back-arc magmatic processes. Miner Petrol 113, 803–820 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-019-00683-x

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