REE and PGE Geochemical Constraints on the Formation of Dunites in the Luobusa Ophiolite, Southern Tibet

The Luobusa ophiolite, Southern Tibet, lies in the Indus–YarlungZangbo suture zone that separates Eurasia to the north fromthe Indian continent to the south. The ophiolite contains awell-preserved mantle sequence consisting of harzburgite, clinopyroxene(cpx)-bearing harzburgite and dunite. The harzburgite containsabundant pods of chromitite, most of which have dunite envelopes,and the cpx-bearing harzburgites host numerous dunite dykes.Dunite also exists as a massive unit similar to those of themantle–crust transition zones in other ophiolites. Allof the dunites in the ophiolite have a similar mineralogy, comprisingmainly olivine with minor orthopyroxene and chromite and tracesof clinopyroxene. They also display similar chemical compositions,including U-shaped chondrite-normalized REE patterns. Mantle-normalizedPGE patterns show variable negative Pt anomalies. Detailed analysisof a chromite-bearing dunite dyke, which grades into the hostcpx-bearing harzburgite, indicates that LREE and Ir decrease,whereas HREE, Pd and Pt increase away from the dunite. Thesefeatures are consistent with formation of the dunite dykes byinteraction of MORB peridotites with boninitic melts from whichthe chromitites were formed. Because the transition-zone dunitesare mineralogically and chemically identical to those formedby such melt–rock reaction, we infer that they are ofsimilar origin. The Luobusa ultramafic rocks originally formedas MORB-source upper mantle, which was subsequently trappedas part of a mantle wedge above a subduction zone. Hydrous meltsgenerated under the influence of the subducted slab at depthmigrated upward and reacted with the cpx-bearing harzburgitesto form the dunite dykes. The modified melts ponded in smallpockets higher in the section, where they produced podiformchromitites with dunite envelopes. At the top of the mantlesection, pervasive reaction between melts and harzburgite producedthe transition-zone dunites. KEY WORDS: melt–rock interaction; REE; PGE; hydrous melt; mantle; ophiolite; Tibet     

Origin of Neoproterozoic ophiolitic peridotites in south Eastern Desert, Egypt, constrained from primary mantle mineral chemistry

The ophiolitic peridotites in the Wadi Arais area, south Eastern Desert of Egypt, represent a part of Neoproterozoic ophiolites of the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS). We found relics of fresh dunites enveloped by serpentinites that show abundances of bastite after orthopyroxene, reflecting harzburgite protoliths. The bulk-rock chemistry confirmed the harzburgites as the main protoliths. The primary mantle minerals such as orthopyroxene, olivine and chromian spinel in Arais serpentinites are still preserved. The orthopyroxene has high Mg# [=Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺)], ~0.923 on average. It shows intra-grain chemical homogeneity and contains, on average, 2.28 wt.% A1₂O₃, 0.88 wt.% Cr₂O₃ and 0.53 wt.% CaO, similar to primary orthopyroxenes in modern forearc peridotites. The olivine in harzburgites has lower Fo (93?94.5) than that in dunites (Fo_94.3?Fo_95.9). The Arais olivine is similar in NiO (0.47 wt.% on average) and MnO (0.08 wt.% on average) contents to the mantle olivine in primary peridotites. This olivine is high in Fo content, similar to Mg-rich olivines in ANS ophiolitic harzburgites, because of its residual origin. The chromian spinel, found in harzburgites, shows wide ranges of Cr#s [=Cr/(Cr + Al)], 0.46?0.81 and Mg#s, 0.34?0.67. The chromian spinel in dunites shows an intra-grain chemical homogeneity with high Cr#s (0.82?0.86). The chromian spinels in Arais peridotites are low in TiO₂, 0.05 wt.% and Y_Fe [= Fe³⁺/(Cr + Al + Fe³⁺)], ~0.06 on average. They are similar in chemistry to spinels in forearc peridotites. Their compositions associated with olivine’s Fo suggest that the harzburgites are refractory residues after high-degree partial melting (mainly ~25?30 % partial melting) and dunites are more depleted, similar to highly refractory peridotites recovered from forearcs. This is in accordance with the partial melting (>20 % melt) obtained by the whole-rock Al₂O₃ composition. The Arais peridotites have been possibly formed in a sub-arc setting (mantle wedge), where high degrees of partial melting were available during subduction and closing of the Mozambique Ocean, and emplaced in a forearc basin. Their equilibrium temperature based on olivine?spinel thermometry ranges from 650 to 780 °C, and their oxygen fugacity is high (Δlog ?O₂?=?2.3 to 2.8), which is characteristic of mantle-wedge peridotites. The Arais peridotites are affected by secondary processes forming microinclusions inside the dunitic olivine, abundances of carbonates and talc flakes in serpentinites. These microinclusions have been formed by reaction between trapped fluids and host olivine in a closed system. Lizardite and chrysotile, based on Raman analyses, are the main serpentine minerals with lesser antigorite, indicating that serpentines were possibly formed under retrograde metamorphism during exhumation and near the surface at low T (<400 °C).     

Petrology and Geochemistry of the Dangqiong Ophiolite,Western Yarlung-Zangbo Suture Zone,Tibet,China

The Dangqiong ophiolite, the largest in the western segment of the Yarlung-Zangbo Suture Zone(YZSZ)ophiolite belt in southern Tibet, consists of discontinuous mantle peridotite and intrusive mafic rocks. The former is composed dominantly of harzburgite, with minor dunite, locally lherzolite and some dunite containing lenses and veins of chromitite. The latter, mafic dykes(gabbro and diabase dykes), occur mainly in the southern part. This study carried out geochemical analysis on both rocks. The results show that the mantle peridotite has Fo values in olivine from 89.92 to 91.63 and is characterized by low aluminum contents(1.5–4.66 wt%) and high Mg# values(91.06–94.53) of clinopyroxene. Most spinels in the Dangqiong peridotites have typical Mg# values ranging from 61.07 to 72.52, with corresponding Cr# values ranging from 17.67 to 31.66, and have TiO2 contents from 0 to 0.09%, indicating only a low degree of partial melting(10–15%). The olivine-spinel equilibrium and spinel chemistry of the Dangqiong peridotites suggest that they originated deeper mantle(20 kbar). The gabbro dykes show N-MORB-type patterns of REE and trace elements. The presence of amphibole in the Dangqiong gabbro suggests the late-stage alteration of subduction-derived fluids. All the lherzolites and harzburgites in Dangqiong have similar distribution patterns of REE and trace elements, the mineral chemistry in the harzburgites and lherzolites indicates compositions similar to those of abyssal and forearc peridotites, suggesting that the ophiolite in Dangqiong formed in a MOR environment and then was modified by late-stage melts and fluids in a suprasubduction zone(SSZ) setting. This formation process is consistent with that of the Luobusa ophiolite in the eastern Yarlung-Zangbo Suture Zone and Purang ophiolite in the western Yarlung-Zangbo Suture Zone.     

High-Cr and High-Al Podiform Chromitites,Western China: Relationship to Partial Melting and Melt/Rock Reaction in the Upper Mantle

Podiform chromitites include both high-Cr and high-Al varieties with distinctly different geochemical characteristics. A comparison of high-Cr and high-Al deposits in western China has demonstrated that both varieties are magmatic in origin and that chromite compositions reflect the degree of partial melting in the mantle source area. The chromitites of the Sartohay ophiolite of Xinjiang Province have chromites with low Cr numbers (<70) and are hosted in highly depleted harzburgites. In both deposits melt/wall rock interaction has produced highly depleted dunite envelopes around the chromitites. In Sartohay, high-Al magmas reacted with lherzolites to produce high-Al dunites and harzburgites, whereas in Luobusa the reaction between more refractory melts and depleted harzburgites yielded only highly depleted dunite envelopes. This study suggests that high-Al deposits can occur in weakly depleted mantle sequences (lherzolite ophiolite type or transitional type) that are locally depleted by melt/rock reaction in the immediate vicinity of the chromitite pods.     

High‐ and low‐Cr chromitite in a Tibetan Ophiolite: Evolution from Mature Subduction System to Incipient Forearc in the Neo‐Tethyan Ocean

The microstructures, major‐ and trace‐element compositions of minerals and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) maps of high‐ and low‐Cr# [spinel Cr# = Cr³⁺/(Cr³⁺+Al³⁺)] chromitites and dunites from the Zedang ophiolite in the Yarlung Zangbo Suture (South Tibet) have been used to reveal their genesis and the related geodynamic processes in the Neo‐Tethyan Ocean. The high‐Cr# (0.77‐0.80) chromitites (with or without diopside exsolution) have chromite compositions consistent with initial crystallization by interaction between boninitic magmas, harzburgite and reaction‐produced magmas in a shallow, mature mantle wedge. Some high‐Cr# chromitites show crystal‐plastic deformation and grain growth on previous chromite relics that have exsolved needles of diopside. These features are similar to those of the Luobusa high‐Cr# chromitites, possibly recycled from the deep upper mantle in a mature subduction system. In contrast, mineralogical, chemical and EBSD features of the Zedang low‐Cr# (0.49‐0.67) chromitites and dunites and the silicate inclusions in chromite indicate that they formed by rapid interaction between forearc basaltic magmas (MORB‐like but with rare subduction input) and the Zedang harzburgites in a dynamically extended, incipient forearc lithosphere. The evidence implies that the high‐Cr# chromitites were produced or emplaced in an earlier mature arc (possibly Jurassic), while the low‐Cr# associations formed in an incipient forearc during the initiation of a new episode of Neo‐Tethyan subduction at ～130‐120 Ma. This two‐episode subduction model can provide a new explanation for the coexistence of high‐ and low‐Cr# chromitites in the same volume of ophiolitic mantle.     

Petrology and PGE Abundances of High‐Cr and High‐Al Podiform Chromitites and Peridotites from the Bulqiza Ultramafic Massif,Eastern Mirdita Ophiolite,Albania

The Bulqiza ultramafic massif, which is part of the eastern Mirdita ophiolite of northern Albania, is world renowned for its high-Cr chromitite deposits. High-Cr chromitites hosted in the mantle section are the crystallized products of boninitic melts in a supra-subduction zone (SSZ). However, economically important high-Al chromitites are also present in massive dunite of the mantle-crust transition zone (MTZ). Chromian-spinel in the high-Al chromitites and dunites of the MTZ have much lower Cr# values (100Cr/(Cr+Al)) (47.7–55.1 and 46.5–51.7, respectively) than those in the high-Cr chromitites (78.2–80.4), harzburgites (72.6–77.9) and mantle dunites (79.4–84.3). The chemical differences in these two types of chromitites are reflected in the behaviors of their platinum-group elements (PGE). The high-Cr chromitites are rich in IPGE relative to PPGE with 0.10–0.45 PPGE/IPGE ratios, whereas the high-Al chromitites have relatively higher PPGE/IPGE ratios between 1.20 and 7.80. The calculated melts in equilibrium with the high-Cr chromitites are boninitic-like, and those associated with the high-Al chromitites are MORB-like but with hydrous, oxidized and TiO2-poor features. We propose that the coexistence of both types of chromitites in the Bulqiza ultramafic massif may indicates a change in magma composition from MORB-like to boninitic-like in a proto-forearc setting during subduction initiation.     

Petrogenesis and PGE Abundances of High‐Cr and High‐Al Chromitites and Peridotites from the Bulqiza Ultramafic Massif,Eastern Mirdita Ophiolite,Albania

The Bulqiza ultmafic massif, which belongs to the eastern Mirdita ophiolite of northern Albania, is world renowned for its high‐Cr chromite resource. The high‐Cr chromitites commonly host in the mantle section, while high‐Al chromitites also present in massive dunite of the mantle‐crust transition zone (MTZ) in this massif. Chromian‐spinel in the MTZ high‐Al chromitites and MTZ dunites have much lower Cr# values [Cr/(Cr+Al)×100] (47.7–55.1 and 46.5–51.7, respectively) than those of chromian‐spinel in the high‐Cr chromitites (78.2–80.4), harzburgites (72.6–77.9) and mantle dunites (79.4–84.3). The high‐Cr chromitites are rich in IPGE relative to PPGE with 0.10–0.45 PPGE/IPGE ratios, whereas the high‐Al chromitites have higher PPGE/IPGE ratios between 1.20 and 7.80. The partial melting degrees of parental magmas for the high‐Cr chromitites are beyond the critical interval (> 25%) and thus prevented sulfide saturation and diluted Pt and Pd in melts, producing high‐Cr chromitites barren of Pt and Pd. However, the degrees for the high‐Al chromitites just enter the critical interval (20–25%) for the effective extraction of PGE from mantle sulfides, which may account for the enrichments of PPGE in high‐Al chromitites. The parental melts of the high‐Cr chromitites have Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ contents of ～10.6–11.4 wt.% and 0.14–0.31 wt.%, whereas the calculated Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ for the high‐Al chromitites are ～14.9–15.9 wt.% and 0.07–0.61 wt.%, respectively. The calculated melts in equilibrium with the high‐Cr chromitites are boninitic‐like, and those with high‐Al chromitites are MORB‐like but with hydrous, oxidized and TiO₂‐poor affinities. To make a compromise between the inconsistence above, we proposed that coexistence of both types of chromitites in the Bulqiza ultramafic massif may reflect that their magma compositions transited from MORB‐like to boninitic‐like in a proto‐forearc setting during subduction initiation. Key words: Chromian‐spinel, Platinum‐group elements, high‐Cr and high‐Al chromitite, Mirdita ophiolite, Albania.     

High- and low-Cr chromitite and dunite in a Tibetan ophiolite: evolution from mature subduction system to incipient forearc in the Neo-Tethyan Ocean

The microstructures, major- and trace-element compositions of minerals and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) maps of high- and low-Cr# [spinel Cr# = Cr³⁺/(Cr³⁺ + Al³⁺)] chromitites and dunites from the Zedang ophiolite in the Yarlung Zangbo Suture (South Tibet) have been used to reveal their genesis and the related geodynamic processes in the Neo-Tethyan Ocean. The high-Cr# (0.77–0.80) chromitites (with or without diopside exsolution) have chromite compositions consistent with initial crystallization by interaction between boninitic magmas, harzburgite and reaction-produced magmas in a shallow, mature mantle wedge. Some high-Cr# chromitites show crystal-plastic deformation and grain growth on previous chromite relics that have exsolved needles of diopside. These features are similar to those of the Luobusa high-Cr# chromitites, possibly recycled from the deep upper mantle in a mature subduction system. In contrast, mineralogical, chemical and EBSD features of the Zedang low-Cr# (0.49–0.67) chromitites and dunites and the silicate inclusions in chromite indicate that they formed by rapid interaction between forearc basaltic magmas (MORB-like but with rare subduction input) and the Zedang harzburgites in a dynamically extended, incipient forearc lithosphere. The evidence implies that the high-Cr# chromitites were produced or emplaced in an earlier mature arc (possibly Jurassic), while the low-Cr# associations formed in an incipient forearc during the initiation of a new episode of Neo-Tethyan subduction at ~130–120 Ma. This two-episode subduction model can provide a new explanation for the coexistence of high- and low-Cr# chromitites in the same volume of ophiolitic mantle.     

Petrology and geochemistry of high Cr# podiform chromitites of Bulqiza,Eastern Mirdita Ophiolite (EMO), Albania

The ultramafic massif of Bulqiza, which belongs to the eastern ophiolitic belt of Albania, is a major source of metallurgical chromitite ore. The massif consists of a thick (> 4 km) sequence, composed from the base upward of tectonized harzburgite with minor dunite, a transitional zone of dunite, and a magmatic sequence of wehrlite, pyroxenite, troctolite and gabbro. Only sparse, refractory chromitites occur within the basal clinopyroxene-bearing harzburgites, whereas the upper and middle parts of the peridotite sequence contain abundant metallurgical chromitites. The transition zone dunites contain a few thin layers of metallurgical chromitite and sparse bodies are also present in the cumulate section. The Bulqiza Ophiolite shows major changes in thickness, like the 41–50 wt.% MgO composition similar with forearc peridotite as a result of its complex evolution in a suprasubduction zone (SSZ) environment. The peridotites show abundant evidence of mantle melt extraction at various scales as the orthopyroxene composition change from core to rim, and mineral compositions suggest formation in a forearc, as Fo values of olivine are in 91.1–93.0 harzburgite and 91.5–91.9 in dunite and 94.6–95.9 in massive chromitite. The composition of the melts passing through the peridotites changed gradually from tholeiite to boninite due to melt–rock reaction, leading to more High Cr# chromitites in the upper part of the body. Most of the massive and disseminated chromitites have high Cr# numbers (70–80), although there are systematic changes in olivine and magnesiochromite compositions from harzburgites, to dunite envelopes to massive chromitites, reflecting melt–rock reaction. Compositional zoning of orthopyroxene porphyroblasts in the harzburgite, incongruent melting of orthopyroxene and the presence of small, interstitial grains of spinel, olivine and pyroxene likewise attest to modification by migrating melts. All of the available evidence suggests that the Bulqiza Ophiolite formed in a suprasubduction zone mantle wedge.     

The Nature of Mantle Rocks in Ophiolites of the Polar Urals

This work presents the results of geochemical (LA-ICP-MS) study of minerals of peridotites from ophiolite complexes of the Polar Urals to clarify the nature of these formations. The distribution of trace and rare earth elements in clinopyroxenes testifies that there were three types of the mantle substratum, which formed in different geodynamic settings. Two types of primary peridotites were formed upon partial melting of the mantle at different-depth levels in the subduction zone. The first type is represented by lherzolites and diopside harzburgites, formed at partial melting under the spinel facies conditions; the second type is represented by diopside harzburgites, formed under polybaric partial melting under the garnet and spinel facies conditions. In the suprasubduction zone, peridotites experienced fluid-induced partial melting that resulted in crystallization of harzburgites. All types of harzburgites were transformed by ascending melts and fluids (refertilization) and high-temperature hydration with the formation of amphibole. These processes are recorded in variations in the REE spectra of minerals.     

西藏班公湖—怒江缝合带中段东巧地幔橄榄岩岩石成因及构造环境分析

东巧蛇绿岩位于班公湖—怒江缝合带中段,根据地理位置特征并以强玛镇为中心将东巧岩体划分为东西两个岩体。其中西岩体相对面积较大,由地幔橄榄岩、枕状玄武岩、辉长辉绿岩等组成;而东岩体面积较小,仅含地幔橄榄岩部分,各个不同单元之间呈断层接触关系。对东巧地幔橄榄岩开展岩石学、矿物学及地球化学研究发现:(1)东巧地幔橄榄岩以方辉橄榄岩为主,纯橄岩所占比例较小,约15%。豆荚状铬铁矿主要呈条带浸染状赋存在厚层且延伸较远的纯橄岩中。(2)东巧地幔橄榄岩中单斜辉石含量小于3%,矿物地球化学和全岩地球化学特征显示其来源于尖晶石相地幔源区的部分熔融,且部分熔融程度较高,估算在22%～28%,高于深海地幔橄榄岩的部分熔融程度(10%～22%)。(3)东巧地幔橄榄岩中的副矿物铬尖晶石Cr#值较高大于60,全岩具有U型球粒陨石标准化稀土元素配分模式,同时Rb、U、Zr和Sr相对富集,Hf和Nb相对亏损。全岩的地球化学特征指示了俯冲带之上的残余地幔与流体/熔体发生了反应,致使轻稀土元素以及部分微量元素选择性富集。综合东巧地幔橄榄岩的矿物化学组成成分以及全岩的地球化学特征,认为东巧地幔橄榄岩形成于大洋中脊的扩张环境中,后受到洋内俯冲作用的影响,导致俯冲带之上高度部分熔融的地幔橄榄岩与流体/熔体发生相互作用。     

Genesis and Geodynamic Significance of Chromitites from the Fuchuan Ophiolite, Southern China, as Evidenced by Trace Element Fingerprints of Chromite, Olivine and Pyroxene

The Fuchuan ophiolite is located in the northeasternmost segment of the Neoproterozoic Jiangnan orogen and consists mainly of harzburgites, with minor dunites, pyroxenite and gabbro veins and dykes. In order to investigate the genesis and tectonic setting of the Fuchuan ophiolite and chromitites, in situ analyses of unaltered chromites and silicates were carried out. Trace element analyses of unaltered chromites from the Fuchuan chromitites indicate the parental magma is of mid-ocean ridge basal...     

A Forearc (Guleman, Elaziğ) Ophiolite: Evidence from Peridotite Mineral Geochemistry

The Guleman ophiolite,one of the most important ophiolitic massifs of the Southeast Anatolian Ophiolitic Belt,consists of a core of serpentinized mantle rocks overlain by an ultramafic sequence,layered and isotropic gabbro,and sheeted dykes.The ophiolite structurally overlies the Lower Miocene Lice Formation and is overlain by young sandstones and shales of the Upper Maashtrichtian-Lower Eocene Hazar Complex and Middle Eocene Maden Complex.The Guleman ophiolite tectonically overlain by Precambrian to Upper Triassic Bitlis metamorphic massif.The mantle peridotites compose mainly of fresh and in place serpentinized harzburgite tectonite with local bands and lenses of dunites with large-sized chromitite pods.The Guleman peridotites commonly show porphyroclastic texture,high-temperature fabrics such as kink-bands in olivines.According to microprobe analyses,the harzburgite and dunite have low Ca O and Al2O3 abundance similar to Mariana forearc,and their average Cr-(=Cr/(Cr+Al)atomic)ratio of Cr-spinelsis surprisingly high(0.63)besides Fo content of olivine is between 90.9 to 92.3 in peridotites.According to Mg#(Mg/(Mg+Fe2+))versus Cr#in spinel diagram,the degree of partial melting is higher than 35%and spinel values plot in the forearc peridotites field.The Gulemanharzburgites have low Ca O,Al2O3 and Ti O2 contents in orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene lammelles,resembling those of depleted harzburgites from modern forearcs and different from moderately depleted abyssal peridotites.Consequently,we propose that the Guleman peridotites form in a forearc setting during the subduction initiation that developed as a result of northward subduction of the southern branch of the Neo-Tethys in response to the convergence between Arabian and Anatolian plates.     

Geochemistry and tectonic significance of peridotites from the South Sandwich arc–basin system, South Atlantic

Petrographic and geochemical studies of peridotites from the South Sandwich forearc region provide new evidence for the evolution of the South Sandwich arc–basin system and for the nature of interactions between arc magma and oceanic lithosphere. Peridotites from the inner trench wall in the north-east corner of the forearc vary from clinopyroxene-bearing harzburgites, through samples transitional between harzburgites and dunites or wehrlites, to dunites. The harzburgites are LREE depleted with low incompatible element abundances and have chromites with intermediate Cr# (ca. 0.40). Modelling shows that they represent the residues from 15–20% melting at oxygen fugacities close to the QFM buffer. The dunites have U-shaped REE patterns, low incompatible element abundances and high Cr# (0.66–0.77). Petrography and geochemistry indicate that the latter are the product of intense interaction between peridotite and melt saturated with olivine under conditions of high oxygen fugacity (QFM + 2). The transitional samples are the product of lesser interaction between peridotite and melt saturated with olivine ± clinopyroxene. The data demonstrate that the harzburgites originated as the residue from melting at a ridge (probably the early East Scotia Sea spreading centre), and were subsequently modified to transitional peridotites and dunites by interaction with South Sandwich arc magmas. The second dredge locality, near the South Sandwich Trench–Fracture Zone intersection, yielded rocks ranging from lherzolite to harzburgite that could similarly have resulted from a two-stage melting and enrichment process, but involving a more fertile mantle residue and a reacting melt that is transitional between MORB and island arc tholeiite. The South Sandwich peridotites have a similar petrogenetic history to those from Conical Seamount in the Mariana forearc in the sense that both involved interaction between arc magma and pre-existing mantle lithosphere of different provenance. However, the precise compositions of the magma and mantle components vary from location to location according to the precise tectonic setting and tectonic history. Overall, therefore, data from the South Sandwich and Izu–Bonin–Mariana systems emphasise the potential significance of peridotite geochemistry in unravelling the complex tectonic histories of forearcs past and present. Received: 31 August 1999 / Accepted: 3 December 1999     

Geochemical cycling during subduction initiation: Evidence from serpentinized mantle wedge peridotite in the south Andaman ophiolite suite

The ophiolite suite from south Andaman Islands forms part of the Tethyan Ophiolite Belt and preserves the remnants of an ideal ophiolite sequence comprising a basal serpentinized and tectonised mantle peridotite followed by ultramafic and mafic cumulate units, basaltic dykes and spilitic pillow basalts interlayered with arkosic wacke. Here, we present new major, trace, rare earth(REE) and platinum group(PGE) element data for serpentinized and metasomatized peridotites(dunites) exposed in south Andaman representing the tectonized mantle section of the ophiolite suite. Geochemical features of the studied rocks, marked by Al_2 O_3/TiO_2 23, LILE-LREE enrichment, HFSE depletion, and U-shaped chondrite-normalized REE patterns with(La/Sm)N 1 and(Gd/Yb)N 1, suggest contributions from boninitic mantle melts. These observations substantiate a subduction initiation process ensued by rapid slab roll-back with extension and seafloor spreading in an intraoceanic fore-arc regime. The boninitic composition of the serpentinized peridotites corroborate fluid and melt interaction with mantle manifested in terms of(i) hydration, metasomatism and serpentinization of depleted, MORB-type, sub-arc wedge mantle residual after repeated melt extraction; and(ii) refertilization of refractory mantle peridotite by boninitic melts derived at the initial stage of intraoceanic subduction. Serpentinized and metasomatized mantle dunites in this study record both MOR and intraoceanic arc signatures collectively suggesting suprasubduction zone affinity. The elevated abundances of Pd(4.4-12.2 ppb) with highΣPPGE/∑IPGE(2-3) and Pd/Ir(2-5.5) ratios are in accordance with extensive melt-rock interaction through percolation of boninitic melts enriched in fluid-fluxed LILE-LREE into the depleted mantle after multiple episodes of melt extraction. The high Pd contents with relatively lower Ir concentrations of the samples are analogous to characteristic PGE signatures of boninitic magmas and might have resulted by the infiltration of boninitic melts into the depleted and residual mantle wedge peridotite during fore-arc extension at the initial stage of intraoceanic subduction. The PGE patterns with high Os + Ir(2-8.6 ppb)and Ru(2.8-8.4 ppb) also suggest mantle rejuvenation by infiltration of melts derived by high degree of mantle melting. The trace, REE and PGE data presented in our study collectively reflect heterogeneous mantle compositions and provide insights into ocean-crust-mantle interaction and associated geochemical cycling within a suprasubduction zone regime.     

Petrogenesis and Tectonic Significance of the Cuobuzha Peridotite,Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone,China

The Yarlung Zangbo suture zone (YZSZ) in southern Tibet includes the remnants of Neo‐Tethyan oceanic lithosphere and marks a major suture between the Indian plate to the south and the Lhasa terrane of Tibet to the north. The upper mantle section of the Cuobuzha ophiolite in the northern subbelt of the western YZSZ comprises mainly clinopyroxene (cpx)‐rich and depleted harzburgites. Spinels in the cpx‐harzburgites show lower Cr^# values (12.6–15.1) than the spinels in the harzburgites (26.1–34.5), and the cpx‐harzburgites display higher heavy rare earth element concentrations than the depleted harzburgites. The harzburgites have subchondritic Os isotopic compositions (0.11624–0.11699), yielding Re‐depletion model ages (TRD) ages from 1.8 to 1.7 Ga, indicating that the Cubuzha mantle underwent at least one ancient melt extraction event ca. 1.8‐1.7Ga; whereas the cpx‐harzburgites have suprachondritic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios (0.12831–0.13125) with higher Re concentrations (0.380–0.575 ppb), indicating subsequent addition of Re following the last partial melting event that occurred during mid‐ocean ridge melt evolution processes. Although these geochemical and isotopic signatures suggest that both peridotite types in the ophiolite represent mid‐oceanic ridge–type upper mantle units, their melt evolution trends reflect different mantle processes. The cpx‐harzburgites formed from low‐degree partial melting of a primitive mantle source, and they were subsequently modified by melt‐rock interactions in a mid‐oceanic ridge environment. The depleted harzburgites, however, were produced by remelting of the cpx‐harzburgites, which later interacted with mid‐oceanic ridge basalt– or island‐arc tholeiite–like melts, possibly in a trench–distal backarc spreading center. Our new isotopic and geochemical data from the Cuobuzha peridotites confirm that the Neo‐Tethyan upper mantle had highly heterogeneous Os isotopic compositions as a result of multiple melt production and melt extraction events during its seafloor spreading evolution.     

Heterogeneously depleted Precambrian lithosphere deduced from mantle peridotites and associated chromitite deposits of Al'Ays ophiolite,Northwestern Arabian Shield,Saudi Arabia

The mantle section of Al'Ays ophiolite consists of heterogeneously depleted harzburgites, dunites and large-sized chromitite pods. Two chromitite-bearing sites (Site1 and Site2), about 10 km apart horizontally from one another, were examined for their upper mantle rocks. Cr-spinels from the two sites have different chemistry; Cr-rich in Site1 and Al-rich in Site2. The average Cr-ratio = (Cr/(Cr + Al) atomic ratio) of Cr-spinels in harzburgites, dunites and chromitites is remarkably high 0.78, 0.77 and 0.87, respectively, in Site1, compared with those of Site2 which have intermediate ratio averages 0.5, 0.56 and 0.6, respectively. The platinum-group elements (PGE) in chromitites also show contrasting patterns from Site1 to Site2; having elevated IPGE (Os, Ir, Ru) and strongly depleted in PPGE (Rh, Pt, Pd) with steep negative slopes in the former, and gentle negative slopes in the latter. The oxygen fugacity (Δlog fO₂) values deduced from harzburgites and dunites of Site1 show a wide variation under reducing conditions, mostly below the FMQ buffer. The Site2 harzburgites and dunites, on the other hand are mostly above the FMQ buffer. Two magmatic stages are suggested for the lithospheric evolution of Al'Ays ophiolite in response to a switch of tectonic setting. The first stage produced a peridotites–chromitites suite with Al-rich Cr-spinels, possibly beneath a mid-ocean ridge setting, or most likely in back-arc rift of a supra-subduction zone setting. The second stage involved higher degrees of partial melting, produced a peridotites–chromitites suite with Cr-rich Cr-spinels, possibly in a fore-arc setting. The coexistence of compositionally different mantle suites with different melting histories in a restricted area of an ophiolite complex may be attributable to a mechanically juxtaposed by mantle convection during recycling. The mantle harzburgites and dunites are apt to be compositionally modified during recycling process; being highly depleted (Site1 case) than their original composition (Site2 case).     

Platinum-group elements distribution and spinel composition in podiform chromitites and associated rocks from the upper mantle section of the Neoproterozoic Bou Azzer ophiolite, Anti-Atlas, Morocco

The distribution of platinum-group elements (PGEs), together with spinel composition, of podiform chromitites and serpentinized peridotites were examined to elucidate the nature of the upper mantle of the Neoproterozoic Bou Azzer ophiolite, Anti-Atlas, Morocco. The mantle section is dominated by harzburgite with less abundant dunite. Chromitite pods are also found as small lenses not exceeding a few meters in size. Almost all primary silicates have been altered, and chromian spinel is the only primary mineral that survived alteration. Chromian spinel of chromitites is less affected by hydrothermal alteration than that of mantle peridotites. All chromitite samples of the Bou Azzer ophiolite display a steep negative slope of PGE spidergrams, being enriched in Os, Ir and Ru, and extremely depleted in Pt and Pd. Harzburgites and dunites usually have intermediate to low PGE contents showing more or less unfractionated PGE patterns with conspicuous positive anomalies of Ru and Rh. Two types of magnetite veins in serpentinized peridotite, type I (fibrous) and type II (octahedral), have relatively low PGE contents, displaying a generally positive slope from Os to Pd in the former type, and positive slope from Os to Rh then negative from Rh to Pd in the latter type. These magnetite patterns demonstrate their early and late hydrothermal origin, respectively. Chromian spinel composition of chromitites, dunites and harzburgites reflects their highly depleted nature with little variations; the Cr# is, on average, 0.71, 0.68 and 0.71, respectively. The TiO₂ content is extremely low in chromian spinels, <0.10, of all rock types. The strong PGE fractionation of podiform chromitites and the high-Cr, low-Ti character of spinel of all rock types imply that the chromitites of the Bou Azzer ophiolite were formed either from a high-degree partial melting of primitive mantle, or from melting of already depleted mantle peridotites. This kind of melting is most easily accomplished in the supra-subduction zone environment, indicating a genetic link with supra-subduction zone magma, such as high-Mg andesite or arc tholeiite. This is a general feature in the Neoproterozoic upper mantle.     

Peridotite-chromitite complexes in the Eastern Desert of Egypt: Insight into Neoproterozoic sub-arc mantle processes

The Neoproterozoic peridotite-chromitite complexes in the Central Eastern Desert of Egypt, being a part of the Arabian-Nubian Shield, are outcropped along the E–W trend from Wadi Sayfayn, Wadi Bardah, and Jabal Al-Faliq to Wadi Al-Barramiyah, from east to west. Their peridotites are completely serpentinized, and the abundance of bastite after orthopyroxene suggests harzburgite protoliths with subordinate dunites, confirmed by low contents of Al₂O₃, CaO and clinopyroxene (< 3 vol%) in bulk peridotites. The primary olivine is Fo89.3–Fo92.6, and the residual clinopyroxene (Cpx) in serpentinites contains, on average, 1.1 wt% Al₂O₃, 0.7 wt% Cr₂O₃, and 0.2 wt% Na₂O, similar in chemistry to that in Izu-Bonin-Marian forearc peridotites. The wide range of spinel Cr-number [Cr/(Cr + Al)], 0.41–0.80, with low TiO₂ (0.03 wt%), MnO (0. 3 wt%) and Y_Fe [(Fe^3 +/(Cr + Al + Fe^3 +) = 0.03 on average)] for the investigated harzburgites-dunites is similar to spinel compositions for arc-related peridotites. The partial melting degrees of Bardah and Sayfayn harzburgites range mainly from 20 to 25% and 25 to 30% melting, respectively; this is confirmed by whole-rock chemistry and Cpx HREE modelling (~ 20% melting). The Barramiyah peridotite protoliths are refractory residues after a wide range of partial melting, 25–40%, where more hydrous fluids are available from the subducting slab. The Neoproterozoic mantle heterogeneity is possibly ascribed mainly to the wide variations of partial melting degrees in small-scale areas, slab-derived inputs and primordial mantle compositions. The Sayfayn chromitites were possibly crystallized from island-arc basaltic melts, followed by crystallization of Barramiyah chromitites from boninitic melt in the late stage of subduction. The residual Cpx with a spoon-shape REE pattern is rich in both LREE and fluid-mobile elements (e.g., Pb, B, Li, Ba, Sr), but poor in HFSE (e.g., Ta, Nb, Zr, Th), similar to Cpx in supra-subduction zone (SSZ) settings, where slab-fluid metasomatism is a prevalent agent. The studied chromitites and their host peridotites represent a fragment of sub-arc mantle, and originated in an arc-related setting. The systematic increase in the volume of chromitite pods with the increasing of their host-peridotite thickness from Northern to Southern Eastern Desert suggests that the thickness of wall rocks is one factor controlling the chromitite size. The factors controlling the size of Neoproterozoic chromitite pods are the thickness, beside the composition, of the host refractory peridotites, compositions and volumes of the supplied magmas, the amount of slab-derived fluids, and possibly the partial melting degree of the host peridotites.     

Petrogenesis of highly depleted peridotites and gabbroic rocks from the Mayarí-Baracoa Ophiolitic Belt (eastern Cuba)

The Moa-Baracoa and Mayarí-Cristal massifs (eastern Cuba) are two ophiolitic complexes mainly constituted by harzburgite tectonites and minor dunites, cut by gabbroic dykes. The Moa-Baracoa massif exhibits a well developed Moho transition zone and an incomplete crustal section made up of layered gabbros and tectonically emplaced pillow basalts. A plutonic crustal section is absent in the Mayarí-Cristal massif and mantle tectonites are in tectonic contact with arc-related volcanic rocks. Mantle peridotites are very refractory in terms of modal composition, whole rock major element and HREE contents implying that Moa-Baracoa and Mayarí-Cristal harzburgites are residues after high degrees (20–30%) of partial melting. The relative enrichment of Th, Nb, Ta and LREE in peridotites is due to re-equilibration of melting residues with percolating melts. Peridotites lost on average 6 wt% of relative MgO by intense seafloor weathering. REE contents and Mg# of melts in equilibrium with cumulate gabbros from the Moho transition zone and crustal section of the Moa-Baracoa massif coincide with those of the spatially-related pillow basalts. On the other hand, no geochemical relation has been inferred between melt in equilibrium with Mayarí-Cristal segregate and the spatially-related arc volcanics. Our results indicate that the Mayarí-Baracoa Ophiolitic Belt formed at an original back-arc spreading centre. The Moa-Baracoa massif represents a portion of MORB-like lithosphere located nearby a back-arc mid-ocean spreading ridge, and the Mayarí-Cristal massif represents a piece of transitional (MORB to IAT) mantle located closer to the paleo-volcanic arc than Moa-Baracoa.