Experimental constraints on the origin and evolution of mildly alkalic basalts from the Kerguelen Archipelago, Southeast Indian Ocean

This experimental study examines the role of clinopyroxene fractionation on major element trends and alkalinity variations in mildly alkalic basalts from the Kerguelen Archipelago, Southeast Indian Ocean. Equilibrium crystallization experiments were carried out on a natural basalt (MgO=5 wt.%, alkalinity index=0.10) over a range of pressures (0–1.43 GPa) and water contents (nominally dry to hydrous, 1.2 wt.% H₂O) under relatively oxidizing conditions (Δlog FMQ=+1 to +2) at 0 GPa and relatively reducing conditions (Δlog FMQ=0 to –2) at all higher pressures. The hydrous experiments at 0.93 GPa closely reproduce most of the compositional variations in the 24–25 Ma mildly alkalic lavas from the archipelago, which supports a major role for high-Al clinopyroxene fractionation (5–9 wt.% Al₂O₃) at pressures corresponding to the base of the Northern Kerguelen Plateau (15–20 km). However, clinopyroxene fractionation at depth fails to produce important changes in the alkalinity of the residual melts. The transition from tholeiitic to mildly alkalic basalts on the Kerguelen Archipelago thus reflects primarily changes in melting conditions (lower extents of partial melting at higher pressures), which is related to crustal and lithospheric thickening as distance from the Southeast Indian Ridge increased over time from 43 to 24 Ma.     

Tholeiitic and alkali basalts from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 43 ° N

Tholeiitic basalts dredged from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) axis at 43 ° N are enriched in incompatible trace elements compared to the ‘ normal’ incompatible element depleted tholeiites found from 49 ° N to 59 ° N and south of 33 ° N on the MAR. The most primitive 43 ° N glasses have MgO/FeO*= 1.2 and coexist with olivine (Fo_90–91) and chrome-rich spinel. The tholeiitic basalts from the MAR 43 ° N are distinct from the strongly incompatible trace element depleted tholeiities found elsewhere in the Atlantic, and have trace element features typical of island tholeiities and MAR axis tholeiites from 45 ° N. Petrographic, major, and compatible trace element trends of the axial valley tholeiites at 43 ° N are consistent with shallow-level fractionation; in particular, evolution from primitive liquids with forsteritic olivine plus chrome spinel as liquidus phases to fractionated liquids with plagioclase plus clinopyroxene as major crystallizing phases. However, each dredge haul has distinctive incompatible trace element abundances. These trace element characteristics require a hetrogeneous mantle or complex processes such as open system fractional crystallization and magma mixing. Alkali basalts (～5% normative nepheline) were dredged from a prominent fracture zone at 43 ° N. Typical of alkali basalts they are strongly enriched (compared to tholeiites) in incompatible elements. Their highly fractionated rare-earth element (REE) abundances require residual garnet during partial melting. The 43 ° N tholeiites and alkali basalts could be derived from a garnet peridotite source with REE contents equal to 2 × chondrites by ～5% and 1% melting, respectively. Alternatively, they could be derived from a moderately light REE enriched source by ～25% and 9.5% melting, respectively.     

The strontium isotopic composition of basalts from the East Pacific and Chile Rises and abyssal hills in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Strontium isotopic differences between the basalts from the East Pacific and the Chile Rises (0.7026–0.7035, average 0.7028) and abyssal hills (0.7025–0.7037, average 0.7033) suggest that these are produced from different source materials. A progressive increase of K/Rb with decrease in Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratio is interpreted in terms of relative depletion of dispersed elements in the source materials.Institute of Marine Sciences Contribution No. 163.     

西太平洋维嘉平顶山沉积特征及富钴结壳资源意义

基于中国大洋36和41航次浅地层剖面数据,结合DSDP钻井及国内外相关研究,对西太平洋维嘉平顶山顶部沉积物的浅地层剖面特征、沉积环境、沉积时代、沉积物厚度分布特征等进行了研究,发现3种主要的地层反射特征,分别代表3个沉积单元;山顶沉积物的厚度分布呈现出3个沉积中心区和4个基岩裸露/沉积物稀薄区的特点;平顶山东部的沉积异常可能与始新世的第二次火山活动有关。根据富钴结壳的生长和发育特点,结合维嘉平顶山的沉积物分布特征,圈定了结壳资源潜力分布区。维嘉平顶山作为中国重要的富钴结壳合同区块,本次研究对其富钴结壳资源进一步的勘探工作具有指导意义。     

The strontium isotopic composition of basalts from the Gordo and Juan de Fuca Rises,northeastern Pacific Ocean

The strontium isotopic compositions have been determined for twelve tholeiitic basalts dredged from the Gordo and Juan de Fuca Rises. Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratios range from 0.7012 to 0.7031 and average 0.7026. These data, combined with other data from the East Pacific Rise indicate that tholeiite basalts being erupted along the active rises, in the Pacific Ocean, contain less radiogenic Sr⁸⁷ than basalts erupted on the islands. These isotopic differences between the ocean-ridge tholeiite and the more alkali island basalts indicate that variations in Rb/Sr have persisted in the mantle for billions of years. The possible origins and distribution of these heterogeneties are discussed.     

中太平洋YJC海山富钴结壳矿物组成与元素地球化学

运用等离子光谱、等离子质谱、X射线衍射、红外光谱和场发射电镜等分析测试方法,对太平洋威克(Wake)海岭YJC海山中的富钴结壳中不同构造层的矿物组成和元素地球化学研究表明:矿石矿物是水羟锰矿和少量的钙锰矿,脉石矿物是磷灰石、石英和方解石等,微量矿物有蒙脱石、高岭石、钠沸石、斜发沸石、伊利石、水黑云母、磁铁矿和角闪石等。老结壳磷灰石的质量分数>10%,P>1%;新结壳磷灰石<10%,P<1%。老结壳相对富集Cu、Ca、P等元素,新结壳相对富集TMn、TFe、Co、Ni、Ba、Zn、Pb、Mo等元素。结壳内部纹层构造的不同位置及包体内的微区成分变化较大,TMn和TFe呈同消长关系,但TMn/TFe值相对稳定。结壳的稀土元素总量为1761.88×10-6,Ce具明显的正异常。老结壳相对富集稀土元素,新结壳略富Eu。     

碱性玄武岩中长石巨晶的结构水：红外光谱和核磁共振谱研究

运用傅立叶变换红外光谱技术（ＦＴＩＲ,红外区和近红外区）和质子魔角旋转核磁共振技术（＾１ＨＭＡＳＮＭＲ）对来自安徽女山,江苏盘石山和河北汉诺坝新生代大恶性玄武岩中的４个歪长石巨晶进行了观察,结果显示,这些巨晶含有结构水,主要以Ｈ２Ｏ的形式存在,其中３个样品的结构水含量（Ｈ２Ｏ）分别为４０５μｇ／ｇ,９１５μｇ／ｇ,μｇ／ｇ。这些数据和文献中已有的资源表明,名义上无水的长石族矿物可以是地球上的水储库     

Experimental constraints on the low-pressure evolution of transitional and mildly alkalic basalts: multisaturated liquids and coexisting augites

Basaltic liquids, saturated at one-atmosphere in augite, olivine, and plagioclase, show a strong linear trend in pseudo-quaternary projections from nepheline to slightly quartz normative compositions. Coexisting augites show a corresponding variation from slightly nepheline to hypersthene normative compositions. Consequently, alkalic and mildly alkalic liquids coexist with nepheline normative augites; tholeiitic liquids coexist with hypersthene normative augites; and transitional liquids coexist with augites compositionally intermediate between those crystallizing in alkalic and tholeciitic melts. The variation in augite composition is due to a decrease in wollastonite and non-quadrilateral components, going from mildly alkalic, to transitional, and tholeiitic augites. The observed liquid and augite trends lack correlations between normative composition and crstallization temperature. This is an artifact of plotting unrelated liquid lines of descent. Individual liquid lines of descent, in contrast, display good correlation between normative composition and crystllization temperature, which, for both liquids and coexisting augites, are highly oblique to nearly perpendicular to the general trend. Because the composition of the first augite to appear on the liquidus varies as a function of the bulk system, the location of the thermal divide shows corresponding variations. As a consequence, unifying cotectics and pseudo-quaternary normative projections should not, without specific experimental knowledge, be used to address liquid lines of descent and common magmatic parentages.     

Isotopic and trace-element indications of lithospheric and asthenospheric components in Tertiary alkalic basalts, northeastern Brazil

Plate reconstructions at 30 Ma place northeastern Brazil over the Fernando de Noronha hotspot, presently 250 km offshore northeastern Brazil. Tertiary basaltic centers in northeastern Brazil may therefore be products of the Fernando de Noronha hotspot. We examined alkalic basalt from seven 30–13 Ma old centers in Rio Grande do Norte and Pernambuco states to assess this possible link. Compositions are primitive, where MgO concentrations range from 12.5 to 17 wt.%, and SiO₂ from 41 to 48 wt.%. Trace-element abundances and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions compare well with those of ocean island basalt: =0.7038–0.7051, =0.51266–0.51280, and =18.52–19.35. There are correlations among SiO₂-undersaturation, incompatible-element abundances, relative percentages of partial melting (based on La/Yb and La/Y ratios), and the degree of isotopic ‘enrichment' inherited from mantle sources. There is also a negative correlation for La/Nb (0.6–0.86) vs. Ba/Nb (6.6–10.6), where lower La/Nb samples represent larger percentages of melting of a source comparatively enriched in radiogenic Sr. We attribute these compositional relationships to the lavas representing mixing of melts mainly from asthenosphere of largely HIMU plus DM characterization, probably the Fernando de Noronha plume, with melts from subcontinental lithosphere that was isotopically closer to EM1. Isotopic and trace-element compositions of the northeastern Brazil basalts are generally similar to those of Fernando de Noronha lavas (12–2 Ma), and some minor trace-element differences observed (e.g., more Zr, Nb, and less Th compared to northeastern Brazil basalts) are probably due to heterogeneity within the asthenospheric plume and to melt contributions from delaminated subcontinental lithosphere that may underlie Fernando de Noronha.     

Incursion of the Pacific Ocean Water into the Indian Ocean

Using the data collected during the International Indian Ocean Expedition, maps showing the distribution of depth, acceleration potential, salinity and oxyty were prepared for the northeast monsoon for the four potential thermosteric anomaly surfaces: 160, 120, 80 and 60 cl/t. Zonal components of current along 84°E were computed from the geopotential dynamic heights. From such an analysis, it became clear that low-salinity water from the Pacific intrudes into the western Indian Ocean through the Banda and Timor seas in the upper layers above 100 cl/t surface, while the North Indian Ocean Water penetrates towards the Eastern Archipelago below 100 cl/t surface. The South Equatorial Countercurrent and the Tropical Countercurrent are well depicted on the vertical section of zonal components as well as on the distribution of acceleration potential.     

Lead isotope relations in oceanic Ridge basalts from the Juan de Fuca-Gorda Ridge area N.E. Pacific Ocean

Lead isotopic analyses of a suite of basaltic rocks from the Juan de Fuca-Gorda Ridge and nearby seamounts confirm an isotopically heterogeneous mantle known since 1966. The process of mixing during partial melting of a heterogeneous mantle necessarily produces linear data arrays that can be interpreted as secondary isochrons. Moreover, the position of the entire lead isotope array, with respect to the geochron, requires that U/Pb and Th/Pb values are progressively increased over the age of the earth. Partial melting theory also dictates analogous behavior for the other incompatible trace elements. This process explains not only the LIL element character of MOR basalts, but also duplicates the spread of radiogenic lead data collected from alkali-rich oceanic basalts. This dynamic, open-system model of lead isotopic and chemical evolution of the mantle is believed to be the direct result of tectonic flow and convective overturn within the mantle and is compatible with geophysical models of a dynamic earth.     

Ages,rare-earth element enrichment,and petrogenesis of tholeiitic and alkalic basalts from Kahoolawe Island,Hawaii

Kahoolawe Island, Hawaii (18×11 km), is a basaltic shield volcano with caldera-filling lavas, seven identified postshield vents, and at least two occurrences of apparent rejuvenated-stage eruptive. We examined 42 samples that represent all stages of Kahoolawe volcano stratigraphy for their petrography, whole-rock major-and trace-element contents, mineral compositions, and K–Ar ages. The two oldest shield samples have an average age of 1.34±0.08 Ma, and four postshield samples (3 are alkalic) average 1.15±0.03 Ma; ages of 1.08 and 0.99 Ma for two additional tholeiitic samples probably are minimum ages. Whole-rock major- and trace-element and mineral compositions of Kahoolawe shield and caldera-fill laves are generally similar to the lavas forming Kilauea and Mauna Loa tholeiitic shields, but in detail, Kahoolawe shield lavas have distinctive compositions. An unusual aspect of many postshield Ka-hoolawe lavas is anomalously high REE and Y abundances (up to 200 ppm La and 175 ppm Y) and negative Ce anomalies. These enrichments reflect surficial processes, where weathering and soil development promoted REE-Y transport at the weathering front. Major element abundances (MgO, 10–6 wt.%) for shield and caldera-fill basalts are consistent with fractionation of ol+px+pl in frequently replenished magma reservoirs. In general, tholeiitic basalts erupted from late vents are higher in SiO₂ than the shield lavas, and temporal differences in parental magma compositions are the likely explanation. Alkalic basalts that erupted from vents are comparable in composition to those at other Hawaiian volcanoes. Trace-element abundance ratios indicate that alkalic basalts represent either relatively lower degrees of melting of the shield source or a distinct source. Apparent rejuvenated-stage basalts (i.e., emplaced after substantial Kahoolawe erosion) are tholeiitic, unlike the rejuvenated-stages at other Hawaiian volcanoes (alkalic). Kahoolawe, like several other Hawaiian volcanoes, has intercalated tholeiitic and alkalic basalts in the postshield stage, but it is the only volcano that appears to have produced tholeiitic rejuvenated-stage lavas.     

Soviet seismic studies of the Earth''s crust in the Pacific Ocean during the international upper mantle project — a summary

The main results of seismic investigations in the transition zone from the Asian continent to the Pacific Ocean and in several regions of the Pacific Ocean are reported briefly. One of the most surprising findings is the existence of a layer with a P-velocity of 9 km/sec only 12–15 km below the oceanic crust-mantle boundary. Some recommendations for future investigations are given.     

Assessment of acoustic backscatter intensity surveying on deep-sea ferromanganese crust: Constraints from Weijia Guyot,western Pacific Ocean

Near-bottom observation data from the manned deep submersible Jiaolong with high-precision underwater positioning data from Weijia Guyot, Magellan Seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean are reported. Three substrate types were identified: Sediment, ferromanganese crust, and ferromanganese crust with a thin cover of sediment. The ferromanganese crusts show clear zoning and their continuity is usually disturbed by sediments on areas of the mountainside with relatively gentle slope gradients. The identified substrate spatial distributions correspond to acoustic backscatter intensity data, with regions of high intensity always including crust development and regions of low intensity always having sediment. Therefore, acoustic backscatter intensity surveying appears useful in the delineation and evaluation of crust resources, although further more work is needed to develop a practicable methodology.     

Pollen distribution in the northeast Pacific Ocean

Distributional patterns of palynomorphs in core tops from the continental margin of the northeast Pacific Ocean (30°–60°N lat 118°–150°W long) reflect the effects of fluvial and marine sedimentation as well as the distribution of terrestrial vegetation. Maximum pollen concentration (grains/cm³ of marine sediment) occurs off the mouth of the Columbia River and off San Francisco Bay (the outlet of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers) and appears to be coincident with areas of high terrigenous lutite deposition. The abundance of pollen and spores in shelf sediments is extremely variable with high concentrations typical only of the finest sediments. On the slope, rise and abyssal plain, pollen concentration shows a general decrease with distance from shore. This suggests that in the northeast Pacific pollen is transported into the marine environment primarily by rivers and that, in terms of sedimentation, pollen may be regarded as part of the organic component of fine-grained lutum.Pinus, the principal pollen component of marine sediment on the northeast Pacific margin, is concentrated adjacent to the major drainage systems of areas in which pine grows. Tsuga heterophylla, Picea, and Alnus, important components of the temperate conifer forest, are concentrated off the area of their optimal development, western Washington. Quercus, Sequoia, and Compositae concentrations are greater off the southern California coast where they are prominent in the vegetation. The relative (percent) abundance of most of these pollen taxa in marine sediments reflects a positive relationship to their distribution on land. Picea and Alnus are relatively more important north of 45°N, Tsuga heterophylla between 45°–50°N, and Quercus, Sequoia, and Compositae south of 40°N. Pine percentages increase seaward, from less than 10% of the pollen sum in shelf sediments to over 50% in sediments on the abyssal plain. This seems to indicate selective transport of pine pollen. Factor analysis of pollen data from the 61 core tops results in four pollen assemblages. Three of these assemblages (Quercus-Compositae-Sequoia, Tsuga heterophylla-Pinus, and Alnus-Picea) reflect the distribution of vegetation on the adjacent continent, one (Pinus) reflects primarily the effects of marine sedimentation.     

Experimental constraints on depths of fractionation of mildly alkalic basalts and associated felsic rocks: Pantelleria,Strait of Sicily

Pantelleria, Italy, is a continental rift volcano consisting of alkalic basalt, trachyte, and pantellerite. At 1 atm along the FMQ buffer, the least-evolved basalt (Mg #= 58.5% norm ne) yields olivine on the liquidus at 1,180° C, followed by plagioclase, then by clinopyroxene, and by titanomagnetite and ilmenite at 1,075°. After 70% crystallization, the residual liquid at 1,025° is still basaltic and also contains apatite and possibly kaersutite. A less alkalic basalt shows the same order of phase appearance. Glass compositions define an Fe-enrichment trend and a density maximum for anhydrous liquids that coincides with a minimum in Mg#.During the initial stages of crystallization at 1 atm, liquids remain near the critical plane of silica-undersaturation until, at lower temperatures, Fe-Ti oxide precipitation drives the composition toward silica saturation. Thus the qtz-normative trachytes and pantellerites typically associated with mildly ne-normative basalts in continental rifts could be produced by low-pressure fractional crystallization or by shallow-level partial melting of alkali gabbro. At 8 kbar, clinopyroxene is the liquidus phase at 1,170° C, followed by both olivine and plagioclase at 1,135°. Because clinopyroxene dominates the crystallizing assemblage and plagioclase is more albitic than at 1 atm, liquids at 8 kbar are driven toward increasingly ne-normative compositions, suggesting that higher-pressure fractionation favors production of phonolitic derivatives.Natural basaltic samples at Pantelleria are aphyric or contain 1–10% phenocrysts of plag olcpx or ol>cpx, with groundmass Fe-Ti oxides and apatite. The lack of phenocrystic plagioclase in two of the lavas suggests that crystallization at slightly higher PH₂O may have destabilized plagioclase relative to the 1-atm results, but there is no preserved evidence for significant fractionation at mantle depths as clinopyroxene is the least abundant phenocryst phase in all samples and contains only small amounts of octahedral Al. The liquid line and phenocryst compositions match more closely the 1-atm experimental results than those at 8 kbar.Although major-element trends in natural liquids and crytals reflect low-pressure fractionation, minor- and trace-element concentrations preserve evidence of multiple parental liquids. Scatter in variation diagrams exceeds that attributable to crystal accumulation in these phenocryst-poor rocks, and the large range in concentrations of P and Ti at high MgO contents cannot be produced by polybaric fractionation nor by mixing with coexisting felsic magmas. Sr and O isotope ratios rule out significant interaction with crystalline upper crust, Mesozoic shelf sediments, or Tertiary evaporites. Positive correlations of compatible and incompatible elements suggest that the basalts are not simply related to one another by closed-system fractional crystallization of a single parental magma. Increasing Ce/Yb with Ce suggests that these relations are not a product of mixing within a replenished magma chamber, nor of mixing with more felsic members of the suite, which have smaller Ce/Yb ratios. Low-pressure fractional crystallization of ol+cpx+ plag±oxides from slightly different parental magmas produced by varying degrees of melting of garnet-bearing peridotite is a possible scenario.Small and infrequently replenished magma reservoirs in this continental rift environment may account for the strongly differentiated nature of the Pantellerian basalts. There is no correlation between Mg# and eruptive frequency, in part because concentration of volatiles in residual liquids offsets the effect of Fe-enrichment on melt density, such that strong Fe-enrichment is no hindrance to eruption.     

Surface pollution of the Pacific Ocean by petrochemicals

Dangerous influence of all kinds of surface pollution on marine environment especially on fishery basins is a part of an ecological problem. Oil forms are actively spread by intensive navigation and wind-wave activity. Research into ocean pollution allowed to work out a conception of how to combat it. The essence of this conception consists in controlling migratory oil forms in water and changing pollution into such forms which can be easily removed from the marine environment or which are subject to intensive natural biochemical degradation. For this purpose a number of ecological experiments were carried out. The data received are shown in tables.