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Magmatic processes associated with oceanic crustal accretion at slow-spreading mid-oceanic ridges are less well understood compared with those at fast-spreading ridges. Zoned plagioclase in the basalts might record these magmatic processes as a result of the very slow intra-crystal diffusion of CaAl–NaSi. Plagioclase phenocrysts in plagioclase-phyric basalt from Hole U1433B of International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 349 in the South China Sea show complex zoning patterns (e.g. normal, reverse, oscillatory and patchy). These samples provide a rare opportunity to determine the magma dynamics associated with oceanic crustal accretion at slow-spreading ridges through time. Igneous lithological units in Hole U1433B consist of a series of massive lava flows at the bottom and a thick succession of small pillow lava flows at the top. Most of the plagioclase phenocrysts in the massive lava show core–rim zonation with high-An cores (An ∼85%; in mole fraction; Pl-A) in equilibrium with melts that are more primitive than their host. Some high-An cores of Pl-A phenocrysts contain melt inclusions and are depleted in La, Ce, Y and Ti, but enriched in Sr and Eu; this is interpreted as resulting from dissolution–crystallization processes during reaction of hot melt with pre-existing plagioclase cumulates. In the pillow lavas, most of the plagioclase phenocrysts show normal core–mantle–rim zonation (Pl-B) with An contents decreasing gradually from the core to the mantle to the rim, suggesting extensive magma mixing and differentiation. Reversely zoned plagioclases (Pl-C) are sparsely present throughout the basalts, but mostly occur in the lower part of the drill hole. The cores of euhedral Pl-C phenocrysts are compositionally comparable with the mantles of Pl-B phenocrysts, suggesting that the evolved magma was recharged by a relatively primitive magma. Melt inclusion-bearing Pl-A phenocrysts occur mainly in the massive lava, but rarely in the pillow lava, whereas Pl-B phenocrysts are present dominantly in the pillow lava, which reflects reducing melt–rock interaction and enhanced magma mixing, recharging and differentiation from the bottom to the top of the hole. In addition, the extensive magma mixing and differentiation recorded by Pl-B phenocrysts in the pillow lava require the existence of a melt lens beneath the mid-ocean ridge. Consistently, the plagioclase phenocrysts in the pillow lava mostly lack melt inclusions, corresponding to very weak melt–rock reactions, which indicates that the magma was transported through plagioclase cumulates by channel flow and requires a higher magma supply to the magma conduit. Therefore, the textural and compositional variations of plagioclase phenocrysts in the samples reflect the changes in magma dynamics of the mid-ocean ridge basalt through time with respect to oceanic crustal accretion at slow-spreading ridges. Overall, the oceanic crustal accretion process is sensitive to the magma supply. In the period between two episodes of extension, owing to a low melt supply the primitive melt percolates through and interacts with the mush zone by porous flow, which produces melt inclusion-bearing high-An plagioclase through dissolution–crystallization processes. At the initial stage of a new episode of extension, the melt infiltrates the mush zone and entrains crystal cargoes including melt inclusion-bearing high-An plagioclase. During the major stage of extension, owing to a relatively high melt supply the melt penetrates the mush zone by channel flow and can pool as melt lenses somewhere beneath the dikes; this forms intermediate plagioclases and the reverse zoning of plagioclases by magma mixing, recharging and differentiation in the melt lens. Such magmatic processes might occur repeatedly during the episodic extension that accompanies oceanic crustal accretion at slow-spreading ridges, which enhances the lateral structural heterogeneity of the oceanic crust.

The tectonic window at Pito Deep, in the southern Pacific Ocean, permits study of the formative processes of uppermost East Pacific Rise (EPR) gabbroic ocean crust. Here we present a detailed microstructural and crystallographic study of 17 gabbroic samples from the uppermost ∼800 m of plutonic crust exposed in the Pito Deep Rift. We integrate two- and three-dimensional measurements of crystal size, shape, spatial distribution and orientation, with petrographic observations and geochemical data to constrain the formation of fast spread gabbroic ocean crust. The shallowest samples, collected < 55 metres below the sheeted dikes (mbsd), have evolved bulk-rock compositions, elongate plagioclase crystals, a clear plagioclase shape- and crystallographic-preferred orientation, and preserve only minor amounts of intracrystalline strain. The characteristics of these rocks and their proximity to the sheeted dike complex, suggests they formed by crystallization at the lateral tip of an axial melt lens that solidified as it moved off axis. Underlying samples from 96–724 mbsd, record more primitive bulk-rock compositions, less elongate plagioclase crystals and exhibit increasing strength of both plagioclase shape- and crystallographic-preferred orientation with depth below the sheeted dikes. These samples host plagioclase crystals that show increasing intracrystalline strain with depth, suggesting magmatic to hypersolidus submagmatic flow within the mush zone beneath the axial melt lens. These observations, together with inclined-to-steeply dipping mineral layering preserved below ∼180 mbsd, are interpreted to record the downward transport of crystal-rich magma originating at the bottom of the melt lens through the uppermost kilometre of the mush zone at the EPR. The location of initial crystallization along the floor of the axial melt lens determines the magmatic processes that affect the crystal-rich magma en route to solidification as lower ocean crust.

International audience; The current distribution ranges of vent species result from the complex tectonic history of oceanic ridges. A growing number of DNA barcode studies report the presence of cryptic species across geological discontinuities that offset ridge systems and have gradually helped to draw a more precise picture of the historical migration pathways of vent fauna. We reexamined the phylogeny of species within the Lepetodrilus elevatus complex along the East Pacific Rise (EPR) ridge system in the light of new samples from the Galápagos Rift and the Guaymas Basin. Our analyses of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene sequences, coupled with morphological data, highlight the occurrence of a distinct lineage along the Galápagos Rift and offer new insight into the current distribution range of this species complex. Due to the absence of clear morphological diagnostic criteria and the potential overlap of these lineages at key locations, we recommend reassigning the taxon L. galriftensis to the subspecies level and maintaining the name L. elevatus for all clades along the EPR/Galápagos Rift system.

Determining the mineralogical changes occurring in subducted oceanic crust is key to understanding short- and long-term geochemical cycles. Although numerous studies have explored the mineral assemblages that form in mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) at different depths below the Earth’s surface, it is widely recognized that seafloor hydrothermal alteration of the uppermost portion of the oceanic crust can change its composition between a ridge and a trench prior to subduction. In this study, we use petrological modelling to explore the effects of different types of pre-subduction hydrothermal alteration on the phase changes that occur during seafloor alteration of MORB-like compositions during subduction along an average Phanerozoic geotherm. We consider a representative composition of altered oceanic crust, as well as extreme end-member scenarios (pervasive spilitization, chloritization, and epidotization). Our models show that epidotization and chloritization of MORB strongly affects phase equilibria at different depths, whereas spilitization and an average style of alteration produce relatively fewer changes on the mineral assemblage to those expected in a pristine MORB. Devolatilization of MORB during subduction occurs mostly in the forearc region, although the type and extent of alteration strongly control the depth and magnitude of fluid released. Altered compositions carry significantly more H2O to sub- and postarc depths than unaltered compositions; the H2O carrying capacity of unaltered and altered compositions is further enhanced during subduction along colder geotherms. Extremely localized areas affected by epidotization can transport up to 22 times more H2O than unaltered MORB and up to two times more than average altered oceanic crust compositions to depths beyond the arc. Regardless of the extent and style of alteration, the stability of hydrous phases, such as epidote and phengite (important trace element carriers), is expanded to greater pressure and temperature conditions. Thus, hydrothermal alteration of the subducted oceanic slab-top represents a viable, and probably common, mechanism that enhances geochemical recycling between the Earth’s hydrosphere and shallow interior.

International audience; Although the axial melt lens (AML) beneath fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges has been detected by seismic reflection for decades, its nature and role in the accretion of lower oceanic crust and the evolution and eruption of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) are still poorly constrained. Plutonic rocks consisting of quartz-bearing gabbros, diorites and tonalites, which might represent the upper part of a fossilized AML, have for the first time been recovered from an intact fast-spreading oceanic crust section by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Hole 1256D. Whole-rock major elements show a wide and continuous compositional range (e.g. Mg# 24–70) and apparent enrichments in Ti and Fe at intermediate MgO contents (4–6 wt %). Trace element characteristics are coherent for the different lithology groups defined by petrography and mineral modes; that is, gabbro, clinopyroxene-rich diorite, amphibole-rich or oxide-rich diorite and tonalite. The gabbros and diorites are consistent with modeled products of MORB fractional crystallization, composed of mixed melt and cumulate in varying ratios. Modeled trace elements (especially with respect to Eu) support a model in which the tonalites originated from low-degree partial melting of the sheeted dikes overlying the AML, rather than extreme fractional crystallization. Enrichments in rare earth elements (REE) in clinopyroxenes from the gabbroic and dioritic intrusive rocks suggest strong assimilation of REE-rich tonalitic components by evolved MORB magmas. Hydrothermal alteration was pervasive during cooling of the plutonic system, which can be traced by petrography, mineral compositions and bulk-rock geochemistry. The upper part of AML, largely composed of low-density and high-viscosity felsic magmas, may serve as a barrier to eruptible MORB melts in the lower part of AML.

Mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) are arguably the most abundant and also the simplest igneous rocks on the Earth. A correct understanding of their petrogenesis thus sets the cornerstone of igneous petrogenesis in general and also forms the foundation for studying mantle dynamics. Because major element compositions determine the mineralogy, phase equilibria and physical properties of rocks and magmas, understanding global MORB major element systematics is of prime importance. The correlated large MORB major element compositional variations are well understood as the result of cooling-dominated crustal-level processes (e.g. fractional crystallization, magma mixing, melt–rock assimilation or reaction, and other aspects of complex open-magma chamber processes), but it remains under debate what messages MORB major elements may carry about mantle sources and processes. To reveal mantle messages, it is logical to correct MORB melts for the effects of crustal-level processes to Mg# ≥ 0·72 to be in equilibrium with mantle olivine of ≥Fo90. Such corrected MORB major element (e.g. Si72, Ti72, Al72, Fe72, Mg72, Ca72 and Na72) compositional variations thus reflect fertile mantle compositional variation, composition-controlled mantle physical property variation (e.g. density and solidus), variation in the extent and pressure of melting, and uncertainties associated with the correction. The correction-related uncertainties can be removed through justified heavy averaging. Because ridge axial depth variation (∼0 to ∼6000 m below sea level) and plate spreading rate variation (150 mm a–1) are the two largest known physical variables along the global ocean ridge system, possible correlations of MORB major element compositions at Mg# ≥ 0·72 with these two physical variables are expected to reveal intrinsic controls on global MORB petrogenesis and ocean ridge dynamics. Indeed, global MORB major element data averaged with respect to both ridge axial depth intervals and ridge spreading rate intervals show significant first-order correlations. These correlations lead to the conclusion that the ridge axial depth variation and MORB chemistry variation are two different effects of a common cause, induced by fertile mantle compositional variation. The latter determines (1) variation in both composition and mode of mantle mineralogy, (2) variation of mantle density, (3) variation of ridge axial depth, (4) source-inherited MORB compositional variation, (5) density-controlled variation in the maximum extent of mantle upwelling, (6) apparent variation in the extent of melting, and (7) the correlated variation of MORB chemistry with ridge axial depth. These correlations also confirm the recognition that the extent of mantle melting increases with, and is caused by, increasing plate spreading rate. Mantle temperature variation could play a part, but its overstated role in the literature results from a basic error (1) in treating ridge axial depth variation as solely caused by mantle temperature variation by ignoring the intrinsic control of mantle composition, (2) in treating mantle plume-influenced ridges (e.g. Iceland) as normal ridges of plate spreading origin, and (3) in treating seismic low velocity at great depths (>300 km) beneath these mantle plume-influenced ridges as evidence for hot ridge mantle. There is no evidence for large mantle temperature variation beneath ridges away from mantle plumes. The suggested conclusions of this study may continue to be debated, but they are most objective, and are most consistent with petrological, geochemical, geological and geophysical principles and observations.

Tests of models of melt generation and mantle source variations beneath mid-ocean ridges require a definitive set of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) compositions corrected for shallow-level processes. Here we provide such a dataset, with both single sample and segment means for 241 segments from every ocean basin, which span the entire range of spreading rate, axial depth, and MORB chemical composition. Particular attention is paid to methods of fractionation correction. Values corrected to 8 wt % MgO are robust as they are within the range of the data. Extrapolation to equilibrium with mantle olivine is a non-unique procedure that is critically dependent on the MgO content where plagioclase first appears. MORB data, trace element ratios and calculated liquid lines of descent provide consistent evidence that plagioclase fractionation primarily occurs between 8 and 9 wt % MgO, with the exception of hydrous magmas mainly from back-arc segments.Varying the MgO content of plagioclase appearance over large ranges does not produce the observed systematics at 8 wt % MgO, but may contribute to the spread of the data. Data were evaluated individually for each segment to ensure reliable fractionation correction, and segment means are reported normalized both to MgO of 8 wt % and also to a constant Mg/(MgþFe) in equilibrium with Fo90 olivine. Both sets of corrected compositions show large variations in Na2O and FeO, good correlations with segment depth, and systematic relationships among the major elements. A particularly good correlation exists between Al90 and Fe90.These new data are not in agreement with the presentation of Niu & O’Hara (Journal of Petrology 49, 633^664, 2008), whose results relied on an inaccurate fractionation correction procedure, which led them to large errors for highand low-FeO magmas. The entire dataset is provided in both raw and normalized form so as to have a uniform basis for future evaluations. The new data compilation permits tests of competing models for the primary causes of variations in MORB parental magmas: variations in mantle composition, mantle temperature, reactive crystallization or lithospheric thickness. The principal component of chemical variation among segment mean compositions is remarkably consistent with variations in mantle temperature of some 2008C beneath global ocean ridges. Comparisons with experimental data, pMELTS and other calculations show that variations in mantle fertility at constant mantle potential temperature produce trends that are largely orthogonal to the observations. At the same time, there is clear evidence for mantle major element heterogeneity beneath and around some hotspots and beneath back-arc basins. Super slowspreading ridges display a characteristic chemical signature of elevated Na90 and Al90 and lowered Si90 relative to faster-spreading ridges. If this signature were produced by reactive crystallization, Si90 should be higher rather than lower in these environments owing to the thicker lithosphere and lower temperatures of mantle^melt reaction. Instead, the data are consistent with lower extents of mantle melting beneath a thicker lithosphere. Hence, variations in extent of melting appear to be the dominant control on the major element compositions of MORB parental magmas. Trace elements, in contrast, require a large component of mantle heterogeneity, apparent in the factor of 50 variation in K90. Such variations do not correlate with the other major elements, showing that major element and trace

The Godzilla Megamullion is a giant oceanic core complex located in an extinct slow-spreading segment of the Parece Vela Basin (Philippine Sea). It exposes lower crust and mantle, offering an opportunity to unravel the architecture, composition, and magmatic processes operating in the shallow mantle of a back-arc basin. Here we present data on primitive troctolites and associated olivinegabbros close to the breakaway zone of the megamullion. The troctolites are subdivided into olivine (olivine460 vol. %) and plagioclase (plagioclase460 vol. %) sub-types. Both have textures and mineral compositions suggesting formation through melt^rock reaction.We suggest that the Ol-troctolites formed by dissolution and disaggregation of dunite with crystallization of new plagioclase and diopside by a mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like melt, producing a high-Mg melt.The Pl-troctolites probably formed by local dissolution of an anorthositic cumulate and crystallization of olivine, diopside and new plagioclase owing to mixing the high-Mg melt residual to the formation of the Ol-troctolites with melt crystallizing an anorthositic cumulate. We show that the Oland Pl-troctolites and associated Ol-gabbros were strongly influenced by melt^rock reaction with the enclosing peridotite, reflecting solidification by reaction and conductive cooling of ascending melts in the mantle. The effects of the melt^rock reaction account for a sharp decrease in plagioclase anorthite content with respect to diopside Mg# and olivine forsterite content. Contrasting olivine nickel contents can constrain the environment of formation of olivine-rich rocks in the lower crust and mantle, the extent and nature of the processes by which they form, and the melt compositions involved in the reaction process. Comparison of olivine nickel contents in troctolite and gabbro occurrences in oceanic and ophiolite settings reveals a set of relationships consistent with this. Olivine gabbros from the 1508 m Hole 735B Atlantis Bank gabbro section have low nickel contents, whereas those from the 1400 m Hole U1309D Atlantis Massif gabbro section have high nickel. This is consistent with less-reacted infiltrating melt at the latter, and suggests that U1309D represents a deeper section of the lower crust near the crust^mantle transition, whereas the former has been shown to have crystallized near the dike^gabbro transition. Godzilla troctolites and gabbros bear clear similarities to East Pacific Rise (EPR) troctolites and gabbroic segregations drilled in dunites crosscutting residual mantle peridotite at Hess Deep Site 895.The latter represent multi-stage crystallization of stagnant melts in conduits beneath the EPR.Thus, it appears that the processes that formed the Godzilla troctolites occur beneath ocean ridges across the spreading rate spectrum.

SUMMARY On 2010 November 14, an intense swarm of earthquakes began in the western Gulf of Aden. Within a 48-hr period, 82 earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.5 and 5.5 were reported along an ∼80-km-long segment of the east–west trending Aden Ridge, making this swarm one of the largest ever observed in an extensional oceanic setting. In this study, we calculate centroid-moment-tensor solutions for 110 earthquakes that occurred between 2010 November and 2011 April. Over 80 per cent of the cumulative seismic moment results from earthquakes that occurred within 1 week of the onset of the swarm. We find that this sequence has a b-value of ∼1.6 and is dominated by normal-faulting earthquakes that, early in the swarm, migrate westwards with time. These earthquakes are located in rhombic basins along a section of the ridge that was previously characterized by low levels of seismicity and a lack of recent volcanism on the seafloor. Body-wave modelling demonstrates that the events occur in the top 2–3 km of the crust. Nodal planes of the normal-faulting earthquakes are consistent with previously mapped faults in the axial valley. A small number of strike-slip earthquakes observed between two basins near 44°E, where the axial valley changes orientation, depth and width, likely indicate the presence of an incipient transform fault and the early stages of ridge-transform segmentation. The direction of extension accommodated by the earthquakes is intermediate between the rift orthogonal and the direction of relative motion between the Arabian and Somalian plates, consistent with the oblique style of rifting occurring along the slow-spreading Aden Ridge. The 2010 swarm shares many characteristics with dyke-induced rifting episodes from both oceanic and continental settings. We conclude that the 2010 swarm represents the seismic component of an undersea magmatic rifting episode along the nascent Aden Ridge, and attribute the large size of the earthquakes to the combined effects of the slow spreading rate, relatively thick crust and recent quiescence. We estimate that the rifting episode was caused by dyke intrusions that propagated laterally for 12–18 hr, accommodating ∼1–14 m of opening or ∼85–800 yr of spreading along this section of the ridge. Our findings demonstrate the westward propagation of active seafloor spreading into this section of the western Gulf of Aden and illustrate that deformation at the onset of seafloor spreading may be accommodated by discrete episodes of faulting and magmatism. A comparison with similar sequences on land suggests that the 2010 episode may be only the first of several dyke-induced rifting episodes to occur in the western Gulf of Aden.

New geochemical and isotopic data are presented for volumetrically minor, depleted low-Ti basalts that occur in the Plateau Basalt succession of central East Greenland (CEG), formed during the initial stages of opening of the North Atlantic at 55 Ma. The basalts have mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like geochemistry (e.g. depleted light rare earth elements) and are distinct from the high-Ti lavas that dominate the sequence. Rare earth element geochemistry implies derivation from a source more depleted than the typical MORB source, and suggests polybaric melting and contributions from both spinel- and garnet-facies mantle. The low-Ti basalts have Sr^Nd^ Pb^Hf isotopic characteristics that are similar to those of depleted magmas from Iceland (e.g. Theistareykir) and adjacent ridges (Kolbeinsey and Reykjanes) and distinct from global MORB (e.g. negative 207 Pb, and Hf and Nd isotope compositions that plot above the mantle reference line). Isotope and trace element data indicate the involvement of two depleted source components. One component has isotopic compositions similar to other depleted components identified in the North Atlantic and has high Rb/Zr and Ba/Nb. The second is isotopically less depleted with lower Rb/Zr and Ba/ Nb. Small degrees of crustal contamination (51%) by both amphibolitic and granulitic crust result in relatively large changes in isotopic composition (c .1 % lower for 206 Pb/ 204 Pb and 0·1% higher for 87 Sr/ 86 Sr depending on the contaminant). Negative Nb suggests a MORB affinity for the low-Ti magmas; however, they are distinguished from global normal (N)-MORB on the basis of vertical deviations from the Northern Hemisphere Reference Line (negative 207 Pb and positive 208 Pb), and relative enrichments in Ba, Sr and Pb. The isotopic compositions of the low-Ti CEG basalts suggest correlation with modern depleted components beneath Iceland and adjacent ridges, considered to be derived from upper mantle sources polluted by the Iceland plume. However, small positive Pb peaks when normalized to MORB, and lower Nb distinguish the CEG low-Ti basalts from depleted Icelandic compositions. The lower Nb (5 0) and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, and suggestion of higher 206 Pb/ 204 Pb in crustally uncontaminated parental melts imply a closer affinity to compositions from the oceanic ridges surrounding Iceland (especially the Reykjanes Ridge), yet they are subtly distinct on the basis of available trace element data. We suggest that this depleted component was an integral part of the plume that melted primarily during the rapid lithospheric uplift and extension associated with continental break-up.

SUMMARY We investigate how subduction may be triggered by continental crust extension at a continental margin. The large topography contrast between continental and oceanic domains drives the spreading of continental crust over oceanic basement. Subduction requires the oceanic plate to get submerged in mantle, so that negative buoyancy forces may take over and drive further descent. This is promoted by two mechanisms. Loading by continental crust bends the oceanic plate downwards. Extension in the continental domain induces crustal thinning, which acts to raise mantle above the oceanic plate. In this model, the width of the continental region undergoing extension is an important control parameter. The main physical controls are illustrated by laboratory experiments and simple theory for elastic flexure coupled to viscous crustal spreading. Three governing dimensionless parameters are identified. One involves the poorly constrained oceanic plate buoyancy. We find that the oceanic plate can be thrust to depths larger than 40 km even if it is buoyant, enabling metamorphic reactions and density increase in the oceanic crust. Another parameter is the ratio between the width of the continental extension region and the flexural parameter for the oceanic plate. Initiating subduction is easier if the continent thins over a short lateral distance or if the oceanic plate is strong. The third important parameter is the ratio of oceanic plate thickness to initial continental crust thickness, such that a weak plate and a thick crust do not favour subduction. Thus, the change from a passive to an active margin depends on the local characteristics of the continental crust and is not determined solely by the age and properties of the oceanic lithosphere. It is shown that the spreading of continental crust induces uplift of the margin as the adjacent seafloor subsides. Evidence for the emplacement of continental crust over oceanic basement at passive margins is reviewed.

In 1999, an unusual earthquake swarm at the 85°E/85°N volcanic centre on the ultraslow spreading Gakkel Ridge, Arctic Ocean, was detected teleseismically. The swarm lasted over 9 months and counted 252 events with mb ≥ 3.1. It represents the strongest and largest ever recorded mid-ocean ridge earthquake swarm, and it occurred at a site where spreading rates are only about 10 mm yr–1. We relocated the earthquake swarm comparing the performance of three different localization algorithms: (1) the absolute least-squares routine HYPOSAT, (2) the absolute probabilistic routine NonLinLoc and (3) the relative least-squares routine Mlocate. The epicentres as calculated by each algorithm mostly did not agree within their error ellipses. Thus, the choice of location algorithm proved more critical than, for example, the choice of a local velocity model.We compiled a set of well-localized events which closely agree in at least two routines, mostly Mlocate and NonLinLoc. We conclude that the earthquake swarm of 1999 was related to a spreading episode and shows a complex interplay of tectonic and magmatic events. Our geological interpretation revealed three phases in swarm activity: In the first phase from January 17 up to February 1 fracturing of the crust took place, either as a result of or enabling magmatic intrusion. Seismicity in the second phase from February 2 to April 6 expanded along- and across axis. It showed signs of magmatic interaction, but a clear dyke migration pattern is absent. At the beginning of the third phase, a distinct break in the event rate suggested a change in the physical process, either an adjustment of the stress field to the new regime or a transition to an effusive stage.

SUMMARY Hotspot-ridge interactions lead to the dynamic evolution of divergent plate boundaries, including propagating and overlapping ridge segments. In southern Iceland, the Eastern Volcanic Zone (EVZ) formed approximately 2–3 Ma ago during the last eastward ridge jump from the Western Volcanic Zone (WVZ), and is propagating to the southwest into the Tertiary lithosphere of the Eastern Volcanic Flank Zone. North America–Eurasia relative plate motion is partitionedbetweentheEasternandWVZs.Weutilizenewterrestrial(dry-tilt)andspace(GPS and InSAR) geodetic data to investigate the nature of plate spreading and magma–tectonic interaction at the southern terminus of this propagating ridge system. We present a new GPS derived horizontal velocity field covering the period 1994–2006, new InSAR analyses for the periods 1993–2000 and 2003–2007, and models of plate spreading across this region. The velocity field indicates horizontal surface deformation consistent with plate spreading across and the propagation of the EVZ. The dry-tilt and InSAR data show transient deformation signals associated with magmatic processes. The velocity field is corrected for these transient deformation sources in order to investigate the nature of secular plate motion. Our model results indicate a decrease in spreading rate from northeast (15 mm yr −1 ) to southwest (9 mm –

We develop a model for oceanic volcanism that involves fracturing of the seismic lithosphere to access melts from the partly melted seismic low-velocity zone. Data on global seismic shear-wave velocities are combined with major-element compositions of global mid-ocean ridge basalt glasses, Hawaiian basalt glasses, and phase relations in the CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2 and CaO-MgO-Al2O3SiO2-Na 2O-FeO systems at pressures from 1atm to 6 GPa. We use these data to constrain the pressure^temperature conditions for melt extraction at Hawaii and mid-ocean ridges (including Iceland), and to evaluate the existence of hot mantle plumes. In the low-velocity zone, the maximum reduction and maximum anisotropy of seismic shear-wave velocity (maximum melt fraction) occurs at a depth of � 140^150 km for crustal ages4� 50 Ma, and a depth of � 65 km at the East Pacific Rise axis. Seismic data indicate a smooth depth transition between these extremes. Experimental phase-equilibrium data, when combined with natural glass compositions, show that pressure^temperature conditions of tholeiitic melt extraction at Hawaii (� 4^5 GPa, 1450^15008C) and the global oceanic ridge system (� 1·2^1· 5G Pa, 1250^12808C) are an excellent match for the two depth ranges of maximum melting indicated by seismic shear-wave data. At Hawaii, magmas escape to the surface along a fracture system that extends through the lithosphere into the low-velocity zone. This allows eruption of progressively deeper melts from the low-velocity zone, which exist at equilibrium along a normal geotherm. No significant decompression melting occurs. This produces the characteristic sequence at each volcano of initial low-volume alkalic magmas, then voluminous tholeiitic magmas that show low-pressure olivine-controlled crystallization, and final low-volume alkalic magmas from extreme depths. At the East Pacific Rise, the more shallow depth of magma extraction is caused by a perturbed ridge geotherm that grazes the lherzolite solidus within the thermal boundary layer. This results in an absence of olivine-controlled crystallization. Hawaii is not a hot plume. Instead, it shows magmas characteristic of normal mature-ocean thermal conditions in the low-velocity zone. We find no evidence of anomalously high temperatures of magma extraction and no role for hot mantle plumes anywhere in the ocean basins.

Whereas the majority of eruptions at oceanic spreading centers produce lavas with relatively homogeneous mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) compositions, the formation of tholeiitic andesites and dacites at mid-ocean ridges (MORs) is a petrological enigma. Eruptions of MOR high-silica lavas are typically associated with ridge discontinuities and have produced regionally significant volumes of lava. Andesites and dacites have been observed and sampled at several locations along the global MOR system; these include propagating ridge tips at ridge^transform intersections on the Juan de Fuca Ridge and eastern Gala¤ pagos spreading center, and at the 98N overlapping spreading center on the East Pacific Rise. Despite the formation of these lavas at various ridges, MOR dacites show remarkably similar major element trends and incompatible trace element enrichments, suggesting that similar processes are controlling their chemistry. Although most geochemical variability in MOR basalts is consistent with low-pressure fractional crystallization of various mantle-derived parental melts, our geochemical data for MOR dacitic glasses suggest that contamination from a seawater-altered component is important in their petrogenesis. MOR dacites are characterized by elevated U,Th, Zr, and Hf, low Nb andTa concentrations relative to rare earth elements (REE), and Al2O3, K2O, and Cl concentrations that are higher than expected from low-pressure fractional crystallization alone. Petrological modeling of MOR dacites suggests that partial melting and assimilation are both integral to their petrogenesis. Extensive fractional crystallization of a MORB parent combined with partial melting and assimilation of amphibole-bearing altered crust produces a magma with a geochemical signature similar to a MOR dacite.This supports the hypothesis that crustal assimilation is an important process in the formation of highly evolved MOR lavas and may be significant in the generation of evolved MORB in general. Additionally, these processes are likely to be more common in regions of episodic magma supply and enhanced magma^crust interaction such as at the ends of ridge segments.

A 410 km long Ocean Bottom Seismometer profile spanning from the Bear Island, Barents Sea to oceanic crust formed along the Mohns Ridge has been modelled by use of ray-tracing with regard to observed P-waves. The northeastern part of the model represents typical continental crust, thinned from ca. 30 km thickness beneath the Bear Island to ca. 13 km within the Continent–Ocean-Transition. Between the Hornsund FZ and the Knolegga Fault, a 3–4 km thick sedimentary basin, dominantly of Permian/Carboniferous age, is modelled beneath the ca. 1.5 km thick layer of volcanics (Vestbakken Volcanic Province). The P-wave velocity in the 3–4 km thick lowermost continental crust is significantly higher than normal (ca. 7.5 km s–1). We interpret this layer as a mixture of mafic intrusions and continental crystalline blocks, dominantly related to the Paleocene-Early Eocene rifting event. The crystalline portion of the crust within the south-western part of the COT consists of a ca. 30 km wide and ca. 6 km thick high-velocity (7.3 km s–1) body. We interpret the body as a ridge of serpentinized peridotites. The magmatic portion of the ocean crust accreted along the Knipovich Ridge from continental break-up at ca. 35 Ma until ca. 20 Ma is 3–5 km thicker than normal. We interpret the increased magmatism as a passive response to the bending of this southernmost part of the Knipovich Ridge. The thickness of the magmatic portion of the crust formed along the Mohns Ridge at ca. 20 Ma decreases to ca. 3 km, which is normal for ultra slow spreading ridges.

The thickness of the crust created at ocean spreading centres depends on the spreading rate and melt production in the mantle. It is ~5–8 km for a crust formed at slow and fast spreading centres and 2–4 km at ultra-slow spreading centres away from hotspots and mantle anomalies. The crust is generally thin at the fracture zones and thick beneath hotspots and large igneous provinces. Here we present results for the crust generated at the fast Wharton spreading centre 55–58 Ma ago using seismic reflection and refraction data. We find that the crust over a 200 km segment of the Wharton Basin is only 3.5–4.5 km thick, the thinnest crust ever observed in a fast spreading environment. A thin crust could be produced by the presence of depleted and/or cold mantle. Numerical simulations and recent laboratory experiments studying the impact of a hot plume under a lithosphere show that a curtain of weak cold downwellings of depleted mantle material is likely to develop around the edges of the hot plume pond. Because of a strongly temperature-dependent viscosity of lithospheric material, the hotter, therefore less viscous, bottom of the lithosphere can be mobilized by an impinging plume. If sampled by a spreading centre, the locally cold and depleted mantle should result in low production of melt. We suggest that the observed thin crust in the Wharton Basin is likely to have been formed by the interaction between the Kerguelen mantle plume and the Wharton spreading centre ~55 Ma ago.

Evidence from abyssal peridotites suggests that significant chemical reaction with peridotite can occur during the early stages of cooling and crystallization of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) magmas. We evaluate the hypothesis that reactive crystallization (crystallization influenced by such melt^rock reaction) could cause magma compositions to evolve along a different chemical trajectory than expected for fractional crystallization, and that reactive crystallization might be common in MORB petrogenesis. If correct, this hypothesis implies that a component of major element variability in fractionation-corrected MORB, commonly interpreted solely in terms of mantle source composition and potential temperature, could reflect reactive crystallization. The compositional evolution of MORB magmas undergoing reactive crystallization is predicted using thermodynamic calculations.We find that the decreasing melt MgO content during reactive crystallization is accompanied by nearly constant Mg-number [defined as molar MgO/ (MgOþFeO)], whereas melt SiO2 and Na2O contents evolve to higher values than in fractional crystallization. However, the extent of crystallization as a function of temperature is essentially identical during the initial 30^40% of both fractional and reactive crystallization. Comparison of melt transport and reaction timescales in a 1-D, steady-state, porous flow column shows that melt migration via grain-scale porous flow at the transition from melting to crystallization beneath ocean ridges will most probably give rise to reactive crystallization, whereas melt transport through the thermal boundary layer in larger conduits (dikes) will lead to fractional crystallization. Scatter in fractionation-corrected major element compositions could therefore reflect sample-to-sample variations in melt transport dynamics. Using a global compilation of MORB glass compositions, we show that 40^70% of the variability in fractionation-corrected MgO contents observed worldwide is also typically present in groups of samples collected from within 30 km of each other. Such short length-scale variability in MgO, and hence in the temperature of primitive magmas, cannot be due to variability in mantle potential temperature. There is a negative correlation in the variability of fractionation-corrected MgO (and most other compositional variables) with spreading rate.We infer that this negative correlation reflects a greater role for reactive crystallization in the thicker thermal boundary layers present beneath slow-spreading ridges. We demonstrate the ability of combined reactive and fractional crystallization to account for major element variability at several case-study locations, and argue that reactive crystallization can explain many observations of 30 km scale variability. Interpreted in terms of reactive crystallization, fractionation-corrected MgO variability could potentially bound geodynamic parameters such as the depth of onset of diking and the fraction of gabbro emplaced into residual mantle peridotite beneath the igneous crust.

Summary A generalized model for large-scale mantle convection is set up, taking into account heat flow values measured on oceanic ridges and rates of movement suggested by continental drift. The problem of geisotherm distribution during steady laminar convection is approached by regarding heat as transferred from depth by a thermal boundary layer which surrounds an adiabatic cell core. The thermal characteristics of the ascending limb of such a cell are considered in connection with problems of (a) formation of basaltic magma by partial fusion of peridotitic upper mantle, (b) the formation of oceanic crust by hydration (serpentinization) of peridotite. The descending limb is evaluated as a potential source of energy for orogeny and regional metamorphism in continental crust.

P>A new plate tectonic model is presented which describes the emplacement of the Mozambique Ridge off southeast Africa as the result of long lasting volcanic activity (140-122 Ma) during the initial opening between Africa and Antarctica. Thus, an oceanic origin for the Mozambique Ridge is proposed. This model is based on a new and systematic high resolution magnetic anomaly data set acquired across the Mozambique Ridge and throughout the Mozambique Basin. Data from the Mozambique Basin allow the identification of Mesozoic magnetic anomalies from M0r to M26 (124.61-155.3 Ma) with previously unmatched accuracy. Small-scale fracture zones are recognized by offsets of magnetic anomalies in the westernmost part of the basin. Additionally, a bend in the major fracture zones 'F' and 'E' between M17r and M18n (142.84-144.04 Ma) and a recognized sinusoidal change in spreading direction with an amplitude of about 15 degrees indicate that the basin experienced several small scale changes in spreading direction through time. A maximum change in spreading direction to almost 0 degrees at around M11n (135.69 Ma) is followed by a short lived increase in spreading half rate from 23.5 km Ma-1 to about 27.5 km Ma-1 in the time frame from M10r to M9n (134.30-132.83 Ma). We propose that this is related to the initial opening of the South Atlantic Ocean represented by the onset of seafloor spreading between the Falkland Plateau and Africa in the conjugate Georgia and Natal basins. Across the Mozambique Ridge, high amplitude magnetic anomalies at major structural boundaries suggest that the different plateaus of the ridge were formed at different times. A simple 2-D gravity and magnetic model for the ridge supports the hypothesis of multiple volcanic episodes which formed the ridge though long lasting volcanic activity between about 140 and 122 Ma. Together with new and verified rotation parameters from the Mozambique Basin and its conjugate, the Riiser-Larsen Sea, Antarctica, a series of plate tectonic reconstructions are presented which demonstrate when and how the different parts of the ridge evolved through time.

Kane Megamullion, an oceanic core complex near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) abutting the Kane Transform, exposes nearly the full plutonic foundation of the MARK paleo-ridge segment. This provides the first opportunity for a detailed look at the patterns of mantle melting, melt transport and delivery at a slow-spreading ridge. The Kane lower crust and mantle section is heterogeneous, as a result of focused mantle melt flow to different points beneath the ridge segment in time and space, over an ∼300–400 kyr time scale. The association of residual mantle peridotite, dunite and troctolite with a large ∼1 km+ thick gabbro section at the Adam Dome Magmatic Center in the southern third of the complex probably represents the crust–mantle transition. This provides direct evidence for local melt accumulation in the shallow mantle near the base of the crust as a result of dilation accompanying corner flow beneath the ridge. Dunite and troctolite with high-Mg Cpx represent melt–rock reaction with the mantle, and suggest that this should be taken into account in modeling the evolution of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB). Despite early precipitation of high-Mg Cpx, wehrlites similar to those in many ophiolites were not found. Peridotite modes from the main core complex and transform wall define a depletion trend coincident with that for the SW Indian Ridge projecting toward East Pacific Rise mantle exposed at Hess Deep. The average Kane transform peridotite is a lherzolite with 5·2% Cpx, whereas that from the main core complex is a harzburgite with only 3·5% Cpx. As the area corresponds to a regional bathymetric low, and the crust is apparently thin, it is likely that most residual mantle along the MAR is significantly more depleted. Thus, harzburgitic and lherzolitic ophiolite subtypes cannot be simply interpreted as slow- and fast-spreading ridges respectively. The mantle peridotites are consistent with a transform edge effect caused by juxtaposition of old cold lithosphere against upwelling mantle at the ridge–transform intersection. This effect is far more local, confined to within 10 km of the transform slip zone, and far smaller than previously thought, corresponding to ∼8% as opposed to 12·5% melting of a pyrolitic mantle away from the transform. Excluding the transform, the overall degree of melting over 3 Myr indicated by the peridotites is uniform, ranging from ∼11·3 to 13·8%. Large variations in composition for a single dredge or ROV dive, however, reflect local melt transport through the shallow mantle. This produced variable extents of melt–rock reaction, dunite formation, and melt impregnation. At least three styles of late mantle metasomatism are present. Small amounts of plagioclase with elevated sodium and titanium and alumina-depletion in pyroxene relative to residual spinel peridotites represent impregnation by a MORB-like melt. Highly variable alumina depletion in pyroxene rims in spinel peridotite probably represents cryptic metasomatism by small volumes of late transient silica-rich melts meandering through the shallow mantle. Direct evidence for such melts is seen in orthopyroxenite veins. Finally, a late hydrous fluid may be required to explain anomalous pyroxene sodium enrichment in spinel peridotites. The discontinuous thin lower crust exposed at Kane Megamullion contrasts with the >700 km2 1·5 km+ thick Atlantis Bank gabbro massif at the SW Indian Ridge (SWIR), clearly showing more robust magmatism at the latter. However, the SWIR spreading rate is 54% of the MAR rate, the offset of the Atlantis II Fracture Zone is 46% greater and Na8 of the spatially associated basalts 16% greater—all of which predict precisely the opposite. At the same time, the average compositions of Kane and Atlantis II transform peridotites are nearly identical. This is best explained by a more fertile parent mantle beneath the SWIR and demonstrates that crustal thickness predicted by simply inverting MORB compositions can be significantly in error.

SUMMARY Axial and ridge flank depths on the Southeast Indian Ridge (SEIR) systematically increase for 2500 km from 90 ◦ E to 120 ◦ E approaching the Australian-Antarctic Discordance. The SEIR also experiences an abrupt change in ridge axis morphology near 103 ◦ 30 � E with axial highs found to the west and axial valleys to the east. Since the spreading rate is constant throughout this region, these variations have been ascribed to an along-axis gradient in mantle temperature. A seismic refraction experiment provides information on the crustal thickness and seismic velocity structure of two segments with differing axial morphology. Segment P2, centred near 102 ◦ E with an axial high has a mean crustal thickness of 5.9 ± 0.2 km, while the mean crustal thickness is 5.3 ± 0.3 km at Segment S1 with an axial valley and centred near 109 ◦ 45 � E. Isostatic compensation of the difference in crustal thickness and density structure between the two segments only accounts for 33 m of the 198 m difference in average ridge flank depth between the two segments. The remaining depth difference must result from a difference in mantle density. Melt production models imply a mantle temperature difference of 11–13.5 ◦ C to produce the observed difference in crustal thickness. Isostatic compensation of the two segments requires that the resulting density difference must extend to about 300 km in the mantle. The transition in axial morphology along the SEIR is very abrupt occurring over a narrow zone within a single segment in which the transition is complete. If a linear mantle temperature gradient is assumed, the temperature difference across the transition segment is only 2.4 ◦ C. The change in axial morphology is accompanied by abrupt changes in other parameters including abyssal hill height, magnetic anomaly amplitude, layer 2a thickness and the presence or absence of an axial magma lens. The abrupt, coincident change in a number of parameters with a very small change in mantle temperature strongly suggests a threshold change between two distinctly different modes of crustal accretion. The trigger for the transition appears to be whether a steady-state crustal magma lens can be maintained.

SUMMARY Analysis of 3100 km of newly acquired marine magnetic data constrained by satellite and shipborne free air gravity anomalies in the corridor between the 86°E fracture zone and Ninetyeast Ridge, north of the equator reveals the evolutionary history of the Late Cretaceous crust characterised by anomaly 34 through 31 (83.5-68.7 Ma) under complex tectonic settings. Seafloor spreading model studies suggest that the crust, particularly between the chrons 33R and 33 (79.0 - 73.6 Ma) was formed with variable and slightly higher half-spreading rates (4.8 - 7.1 cm/yr) than the crust of similar age either in the regions west of 86°E fracture zone, east of the Ninetyeast Ridge or the Southern Crozet Basin. Further, the interpretation of magnetic anomalies suggests the presence of fossil spreading ridge segments and extra oceanic crust on the Indian plate that has been transferred from the Antarctica plate by discrete southward ridge jumps. These ridge jumps are caused by thermal instability of the spreading center as the Indian plate moved northward over the Kerguelen mantle plume. The present study indicates that the spreading ridge-plume interaction is the prime mechanism for these ridge jumps, which have occurred since 75.8 Ma. The newly identified magnetic anomalies 34 through 31 and the inferred ~N3°E trending fracture zones refined the plate reconstruction models for that period.

SUMMARY Enhanced melt productivity as a consequence of buoyant upwelling and small-scale convection of the mantle during rifting may play an important role in determining the fundamental structure of igneous crust produced during and following continental breakup. This paper investigates the relationship between rift-related decompression melting and the influence of small-scale mantle convection and rift geometry on the subsequent production and distribution of melt-related crust. Extension of the lithosphere is modelled numerically using a 2-D plane-strain finite element method for viscous-plastic creeping flows. The evolving temperature and pressure fields within the model are coupled to an algorithm that predicts the amount and timing of decompression melting of upwelling mantle. Predicted melt fractions are converted to equivalent thicknesses of igneous crust, and the predicted crustal thicknesses for a series of models are compared to the observed crustal structure of rifted margins inferred from seismic data. Models characterized by small-scale mantle convection can to first order reproduce the general architecture of most volcanic rifted margins, that is, a relatively narrow band of thick (12–13 km) igneous crust (inferred to occur along strike of the margin), juxtaposed with thinner oceanic crust farther offshore. The variability in thickness (4–7 km) predicted for the later-stage thinner igneous crust is however difficult to reconcile with global observations of oceanic crustal thickness (7 ± 1 km). Also, the peak 13 km thickness of igneous crust predicted for models with convectively enhanced upwelling fails to match the great thicknesses (≥20 km) of igneous crust observed at many volcanic margins. Composite models that include both small-scale convection and a small increase to mantle potential temperature predict large pulses in initial magmatism and generation of 17 to 21-km-thick crust, followed by unstable production of thinner igneous crust. The results indicate that models with small-scale convection and no temperature anomaly may play a role in explaining the formation of volcanic margins with only moderately thick (11–15 km) igneous crust. Further, convection coupled with small increases to mantle temperature may be important during the initial phase of very thick igneous crust generation at some volcanic margins. Predicted distributions of igneous crust are moderately sensitive to asymmetric rifting of the lithosphere. Prior to breakup, igneous crust accretion is asymmetric; subsequent to breakup, symmetry in the thermal structure of the upwelling sublithospheric mantle is the dominant control on the final distribution of igneous crust.

SUMMARY We discuss theoretical and computational method on plate-driven mantle flow beneath midocean ridges. We consider a steady-state flow induced by motion of overlying rigid plates in an incompressible viscous mantle beneath a generic ridge-transform-ridge plate boundary. No assumption of orthogonal and symmetric spreading at ridge axis is made. Analytical solutions for viscosity flow in a half-space and in a layered viscosity mantle beneath an infinitesimal thickness lithosphere and beneath plates that thicken with increasing age, are presented. Numerical calculations were carried out using a standard fast Fourier transform algorithm. The difficulty of using standard Fourier methods to predict accurately the mantle flow field in the proximity of the plate boundaries is overcome by applying the Gegenbauer reconstruction post-processing technique to the Fourier pseudo-spectral solutions. Finally, we present some examples of flow computations. We consider, for both models, two different ridge-transformridge geometries consisting of 100 and 1000 km offsets of two ridge segments spreading at 15 mm/yr half rate. We found a significant difference in the flow structure between the two flow models close to ridge axis and ridge-transform intersections. The proposed model and methods are useful for fast mantle flow calculations to investigate melting processes beneath spreading centres, and to predict the relationship between mantle temperature, crustal thickness and geochemistry of the oceanic crust.

SUMMARY Bathymetry, gravity and magnetic data (about 9200 lkm) of the Comorin Ridge, north central Indian Ocean were investigated using the transfer function and forward model techniques to understand the mode of isostatic compensation and origin of the ridge. The ridge extends for about 500 km in NNW–SSE direction and associates with low-amplitude gravity anomalies ranging from 25 to 30 mGal compared to the ridge relief, suggesting that the anomalies are compensated at deeper depths. From Admittance analysis an Airy model or local compensation with an elastic plate thickness (T e) of about 3 km and crust thickness (t) of 15–20 km are suggested for the southern part of the Comorin Ridge (south of 5 ◦ N), whereas for the northern part a flexural plate model with an elastic thickness of about 15 km is obtained. Admittance analysis together with the results from gravity forward modelling reveal that the south part was emplaced on relatively weak oceanic crust with both surface and subsurface loading, while the north part was emplaced on the continental crust. Based on present studies and published plate kinematic models we interpret that the Comorin Ridge was evolved at about 90 Ma during the rift stage of Madagascar from the southwest of India. We have also demarcated the continent–ocean boundary (COB) west of Sri Lanka and southern tip of India, which runs across the strike of the ridge, placing the northern part of the ridge on continent and southern part on oceanic crust. On the southern part of the ridge eastern flank is steep-faulted up to 0.6 km and is controlled by the 79 ◦ E FZ and then by COB.

SUMMARY The Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic Ocean is the slowest spreading portion of the global midocean ridge system. Total spreading rates vary from 12.8 mm yr −1 near Greenland to 6.5 mm yr −1 at the Siberian margin. Melting models predict a dramatic decrease in magma production and resulting crustal thickness at these low spreading rates. At slow spreading ridges, small volcanic seamounts are a dominant morphologic feature of the rift valley floor and an important mechanism in building the oceanic crust. This study quantitatively investigates the extent, nature and distribution of seamount volcanism at the ultraslow Gakkel Ridge, the manner in which it varies along the ridge axis and the relationship of the volcanoes to the larger scale rift morphology. A numerical algorithm is used to identify and characterize isolated volcanic edifices by searching gridded swath-bathymetry data for closed concentric contours protruding above the surrounding seafloor. A maximum likelihood model is used to estimate the total number of seamounts and the characteristic height within different seamount populations. Both the number and size of constructional volcanic features is greatly reduced at the Gakkel Ridge compared with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). The density of seamounts (number/area) on the rift valley floor of the Western Volcanic Zone (WVZ) is ∼55% that of the MAR. The observed volcanoes are also much smaller, so, the amount of erupted material is greatly reduced compared with the MAR. However, the WVZ is still able to maintain a MAR-like morphology with axial volcanic ridges, volcanoes scattered on the valley floor and rift valley walls consisting of high-angle faults. Seamount density at the Eastern Volcanic Zone (EVZ) is ∼45% that of the WVZ (∼25% that of the MAR). Seamounts are clustered at the widely spaced magmatic centres characteristic of the EVZ, although some seamounts are found between magmatic centres. These seamounts tend to be located at the edge of the rift valley or on the valley walls rather than on the valley floor. Seamounts in the Sparsely Magmatic Zone (SMZ) are located almost entirely at the 19 ◦ E magmatic centre with none observed within a 185 km-long portion of the rift valley floor. The EVZ and SMZ appear to display a mode of crustal accretion, characterized by extreme focusing of melt to the magmatic centres. Magmas erupted between the magmatic centres appear to have ascended along faults. This is very different from what is observed at the WVZ (or the MAR), and there is a threshold transition between the two modes of crustal accretion. At the Gakkel Ridge, the location of the transition appears to be localized by a boundary in mantle composition.

When a mantle plume with elevated temperature underlies an oceanic spreading centre it affects the generation of oceanic crust by creating thicker crust. We map the variation in crustal thickness and seismic velocity along three long-offset seismic profiles acquired over oceanic crust generated shortly after continental breakup in the North Atlantic: a 212-kmlong flowline from the Faroes rifted continental margin across crust of 51–42 Ma age, where oceanic spreading developed close to the inferred centre of the Iceland mantle plume; a 256 km flowline extending from the Hatton rifted continental margin across crust of 52–40 Ma age, about 800 km south of the presumed centre of the mantle plume; and a 99 km strike line over oceanic crust formed at 43 Ma in the Iceland Basin off the Hatton continental margin. The crustal velocity structure along each profile is constrained by multichannel seismic reflection data, which is used primarily to map the sediments, and by densely spaced ocean-bottom seismometers, which recorded wide-angle reflections and refractions to offsets of more than 100 km. Over 56 000 crustal diving wave and Moho wide-angle reflection arrivals were used in joint crustal refraction and reflection tomographic inversions. Quantitative error analysis shows that the seismic velocity of the crust is mostly constrained to within 0.1 km s−1 and the depth of the Moho to within ±250 m. We interpret the crustal thickness and velocity changes along the profiles as caused primarily by changes in the mantle temperature at the time of crustal formation. If all the oceanic crustal thickness variations are ascribed to mantle temperature changes, we infer that as mature seafloor spreading developed following continental breakup, the mantle cooled by ca. 75 ◦C over a 10 Myr period, although it still remained hotter than the global average of normal oceanic crust. The crust formed close to Iceland is at all times thicker than that formed further away, which we interpret as reflecting higher temperatures close to the centre of the thermal anomaly created by the mantle plume. Currently at the Reykjanes Ridge, south of Iceland, we interpret thicker than normal oceanic crust as being caused by the presence of hotter mantle, modulated by thickness variations of 1.5–2.0 km which are attributed to temporal variations in the mantle plume temperature of about 25 ◦C on a 3–6 Myr timescale. A 1.5 km increase in thickness of oceanic crust generated between 48 and 45 Ma on the Faroes line is similar in magnitude and duration to those occurring on the present day Reykjanes Ridge, which we suggest is due to a temperature pulse of ∼25 ◦C. Gravity lineations in the northern North Atlantic suggest that the oceanic crust has exhibited small thickness fluctuations of similar size throughout its history, interpreted as due to small fluctuations in the temperature of the Iceland mantle plume.

SUMMARY Several trench-outer rise settings in subduction zones worldwide are characterized by a high degree of alteration, fracturing and hydration. These processes are induced by bending-related faulting in the upper part of the oceanic plate prior to its subduction. Mapping of P- and S-wave velocity structures in this complex tectonic setting provides crucial information for understanding the evolution of the incoming oceanic lithosphere, and serves as a baseline for comparison with seismic measurements elsewhere. Active source seismic investigations at the outer rise off Southern Central Chile (∼43 ◦ S) were carried out in order to study the seismic structure of the oceanic Nazca Plate. Seismic wide-angle data were used to derive 2-D velocity models of two seismic profiles located seaward of the trench axis on 14.5 Ma old crust; P01a approximately parallel to the direction of spreading and P03 approximately parallel to the spreading ridge and trench axes. We determined P- and S-velocity models using 2-D traveltime tomography. We found that the Poisson’s ratio in the upper crust (layer 2) ranges between ∼0.33 at the top of the crust to ∼0.28 at the layer 2/3 interface, while in the lowermost crust and uppermost mantle it reaches values of ∼0.26 and ∼0.29, respectively. These features can be explained by an oceanic crust significantly weathered, altered and fractured. Relative high Poisson’s ratios in the uppermost mantle may be likely related to partially hydrated mantle and hence serpentinization. Thus, the seismic structure of the oceanic lithosphere at the Southern Central Chile outer rise exhibits notable differences from the classic ophiolite seismic model (‘normal’ oceanic crust). These differences are primarily attributed to fracturing and hydration of the entire ocean crust, which are direct consequences of strong bending-related faulting at the outer rise. On the other hand, the comparison of the uppermost mantle P-wave velocities at the crossing point between the perpendicular profiles (∼90 km oceanward from the trench axis) reveals a low degree of Pn anisotropy (

Iceland lies astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and was created by seafloor spreading that began about 55 Ma. The crust is anomalously thick (� 20^40 km), indicating higher melt productivity in the underlying mantle compared with normal ridge segments as a result of the presence of a mantle plume or upwelling centered beneath the northwestern edge of the Vatnajo« kull ice sheet. Seismic and volcanic activity is concentrated in � 50 km wide neovolcanic or rift zones, which mark the subaerial Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and in three flank zones. Geodetic and geophysical studies provide evidence for magma chambers located over a range of depths (1� 5^21km) in the crust, with shallow magma chambers beneath some volcanic centers (Katla, Grimsvo« tn, Eyjafjallajo« kull), and both shallow and deep chambers beneath others (e.g. Krafla and Askja). We have compiled analyses of basalt glass with geochemical characteristics indicating crystallization of ol^plag^cpx from 28 volcanic centers in the Western, Northern and Eastern rift zones as well as from the Southern Flank Zone. Pressures of crystallization were calculated for these glasses, and confirm that Icelandic magmas crystallize over a wide range of pressures (0� 001 to � 1 GPa), equivalent to depths of 0^35 km. This range partly reflects crystallization of melts en route to the surface, probably in dikes and conduits, after they leave intracrustal chambers. We find no evidence for a shallow chamber beneath Katla, which probably indicates that the shallow chamber identified in other studies contains silica-rich magma rather than basalt. There is reasonably good correlation between the depths of deep chambers (417 km) and geophysical estimates of Moho depth, indicating that magma ponds at the crust^mantle boundary. Shallow chambers (57� 1km) are located in the upper crust, and probably form at a level of neutral buoyancy. There are also discrete chambers at intermediate depths (� 11km beneath the rift zones), and there is strong evidence for cooling and crystallizing magma bodies or pockets throughout the middle and lower crust that might resemble a crystal mush. The results suggest that the middle and lower crust is relatively hot and porous. It is suggested that crustal accretion occurs over a range of depths similar to those in recent models for accretionary processes at mid-ocean ridges. The presence of multiple stacked chambers and hot, porous crust suggests that magma evolution is complex and involves polybaric crystallization, magma mixing, and assimilation.

Plagioclase ultraphyric basalts (PUBs) with up to 54% plagioclase phenocrysts were dredged in the rift valley and adjacent flanks of the ultraslow-spreading Mohns and Knipovich ridges.The PUBs show large variations in crystal morphologies and zoning. The large variations suggest that single basalt samples contain a mixture of plagioclase crystals that aggregated at different levels in the magma conduits. Resorbed crystals and repeated reverse zones suggest that the magma reservoirs were replenished and heated several times. Thin concentric zones with melt inclusions, and sharp reductions in the anorthite content of 3^7%, are common between the reverse zones. These zones, and skeletal crystals with distinctly lower anorthite contents than massive crystals, are interpreted to be the result of rapid crystalliztion during strong undercooling.The changes between short periods of cooling and longer periods with reheating are explained by multiple advances of crystal-rich magma into cool regions followed by longer periods of gradual magma inflow and temperature increase. The porphyritic basalts are characterizd by more depleted and more fractionated compositions than the aphyric basalts, with lower (La/Sm)N ,K 2 Oa nd Mg-numbers. This relationship, and the observation that PUBs are sampled only close to segment centres along these ridges, suggests that the PUBs formed by higher degrees of melting and evolved in more long-lived magma reservoirs. We propose that the zoning patterns of plagioclase crystals and crystal morphologies of these PUBs reflect the development and flow of magma through a stacked sill complex-like conduit system, whereas the aphyric equivalents represent later flow of magma through the conduit. The formation of voluminous higher-degree melts may trigger the development of the magma conduits and explain the generally depleted compositions of PUB magmas.

In a global examination of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glass compositions, we find that Na8^Fe8^depth variations do not support modeling of MORBs as aggregates of melt compositions generated over a large range of temperature and pressure. However, the Na 8^Fe8 variations are consistent with the compositional systematics of solidus melts in the plagioclase^spinel lherzolite transition in the CaO^MgO^Al2O3^SiO2^Na2O^FeO (CMASNF) system. For natural compositions, the P^Trange for melt extraction is estimated to be � 1� 2^1� 5 GPa and � 1250^12808C.This P^Trange is a close match with the maximum P^T conditions for explosive pressurerelease vaporization of carbonate-bearing melts. It is proposed that fracturing of the lithosphere induces explosive formation and escape of CO2 vapor.This provides the vehicle for extraction of MORBs at a relatively uniform Tand P. The upper portion of the CO2-bearing and slightly melted seismic low-velocity zone flows toward the ridge, rises at the ridge axis to lower-lithosphere depths, melts much more extensively during this rise, and releases MORB melts to the surface driven by explosively escaping CO2 vapor.The residue and overlying crust produced by this melting then migrate away from the ridge axis as new oceanic lithosphere. The entire process of oceanic lithosphere creation involves only the upper � 140 km. When lithospheric stresses shift fracture formation to other localities, escape of CO2 ceases, the vehicle for transporting melt to the surface disappears, and ridges die. Inverse correlations of Na8 vs Fe8 for MORB glasses are explained by mantle heterogeneity, and positive variations superimposed on the inverse variations are consistent with progressive extraction of melts from short, ascending melting columns. The uniformly low temperatures of MORB extraction are not consistent with the existence of hot plumes on or close to ocean ridges. In this modeling, the southern Atlantic mantle from Bouvet to about 268N is relatively homogeneous, whereas the Atlantic mantle north of about 268 Ns hows significant long-range heterogeneity. The mantle between the Charlie Gibbs and Jan Mayen fracture zones is strongly enriched in FeO/MgO, perhaps by a trapped fragment of basaltic crust. Iceland is explained as the product of this enrichment, not a hot plume. The East Pacific Rise, Galapagos Ridge, Gorda Ridge, and Juan de Fuca Ridge sample mantle that is heterogeneous over short distances.The mantle beneath the Red Sea is enriched in FeO/MgO relative to the mantle beneath the northern Indian Ocean.

Niu, Y., O'Hara, M. J. (2008). Global correlations of ocean ridge basalt chemistry with axial depth: A new perspective. Journal of Petrology, 49 (4), 633-664.

SUMMARY A mechanical-statistical model is presented that aims to help to understand the history and geometry of the process of formation of fracture zones along oceanic ridges. It uses ideas of statistical fracture theory used in engineering, namely the Weibull fracture model. The approximate parallelism of the fracture zones along ridges makes it possible to use a onedimensional point process model with points along the ridge axes, which represent the transform faults. The ratios of the lengths of the corresponding fracture zones to the ocean width are used to obtain a rough estimate of the Weibull modulus, which is an important material parameter in fracture theory. The theory is refined by introducing a hard-core point process model. The corresponding positive minimum distance between subsequent fracture zones results from stress relaxation in the vicinity of a given fracture zone.

SUMMARY We present a tectonic interpretation of the breakup and early seafloor spreading between India and Antarctica based on improved coverage of potential field and seismic data off the east Antarctic margin between the Gunnerus Ridge and the Bruce Rise. We have identified a series of ENE trending Mesozoic magnetic anomalies from chron M9o (∼130.2 Ma) to M2o (∼124.1 Ma) in the Enderby Basin, and M9o to M4o (∼126.7 Ma) in the Princess Elizabeth Trough and Davis Sea Basin, indicating that India–Antarctica and India–Australia breakups were roughly contemporaneous. We present evidence for an abandoned spreading centre south of the Elan Bank microcontinent; the estimated timing of its extinction corresponds to the early surface expression of the Kerguelen Plume at the Southern Kerguelen Plateau around 120 Ma. We observe an increase in spreading rate from west to east, between chron M9 and M4 (38–54 mm yr–1), along the Antarctic margin and suggest the tectono-magmatic segmentation of oceanic crust has been influenced by inherited crustal structure, the kinematics of Gondwanaland breakup and the proximity to the Kerguelen hotspot. A high-amplitude, E–W oriented magnetic lineation named the Mac Robertson Coast Anomaly (MCA), coinciding with a landwards step-down in basement observed in seismic reflection data, is tentatively interpreted as the boundary between continental/transitional zone and oceanic crust. The exposure of lower crustal rocks along the coast suggests that this margin formed in a metamorphic core complex extension mode with a high strength ratio between upper and lower crust, which typically occurs above anomalously hot mantle. Together with the existence of the MCA zone this observation suggests that a mantle temperature anomaly predated the early surface outpouring/steady state magmatic production of the Kerguelen LIP. An alternative model suggests that the northward ridge jump was limited to the Elan Bank region, whereas seafloor spreading continued in the West Enderby Basin and its Sri Lankan conjugate margin. In this case, the MCA magnetic anomaly could be interpreted as the southern arm of a ridge propagator that stopped around 120 Ma.

SUMMARY The active mid-ocean ridge of the Arctic Ocean, named Gakkel ridge, is the slowest spreading ridge of the global system of mid-oceanic ridges with full spreading rates declining from about 12.5 to 6 mm yr−1 from west to east. Geological models of seafloor spreading predict a decreasing intensity of magmatic processes with decreasing spreading rate. In summer 2001, the multidisciplinary Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge Expedition (AMORE2001) discovered robust magmatism at western Gakkel ridge, an amagmatic section further east and pronounced volcanic centres at eastern Gakkel ridge. During AMORE2001, an attempt was made at recording the microearthquake activity of the ridge which allows important insights into the character and dynamics of active crustal accretion at the ridge axis. Due to the permanent ice cover of the Arctic Ocean, the use of ocean-bottom seismometers bears the risk of instrument and data loss. In this pilot study, we used for the first time drifting ice floes as platforms for small seismological arrays. The arrays consisted of four three-component seismometers equipped with GPS devices and arranged as a triangle with a central seismometer and a side length of about 1 km. Three such arrays were deployed in different rift segments and recorded the seismic activity continuously for 5–11 days at a sampling rate of 100 Hz. The array technique allowed to distinguish clearly between icequakes and earthquakes and to localize the earthquake source to within few kilometres or less depending on epicentral distance. We intensively discuss the detection capabilities and the location accuracy of this single array on a drifting ice floe. Earthquake magnitudes could not be calculated in our pilot study but are estimated to be significantly smaller than magnitude 2 by comparison with a regional earthquake of known magnitude. Furthermore, we analyse the characteristics of the recorded seismic events ranging from long waveforms of regional events to short local events with reverberations in the water column. All of the arrays recorded numerous microearthquakes in the central rift valley and on its flanks which we interpret as tectonic earthquakes. A swarm of microearthquakes was localized with high accuracy underneath the crest of a volcanic ridge in the rift valley and is proposed to have magmatic origin. The pilot study was thus successful in detecting, localizing and interpreting microearthquakes below magnitude 2 at Gakkel ridge. However, we suggest improvements of the method for a comprehensive microearthquake survey of Gakkel ridge which should aim at an understanding of active magmatism and faulting at ultraslow-spreading ridges.

SUMMARY The northernmost spreading centre of the world, the Gakkel Ridge, is also an end-member in terms of global spreading velocities. Models show that full spreading rates vary between 1.3 and 0.63 mm yr −1 along the almost 1800 km long ridge system in the Central Arctic Ocean. The western part of the ridge was investigated in great detail by a two-ship expedition in summer 2001. The complete data sets and the modelling of the seismic refraction and aeromagnetic experiments gathered during this expedition are shown in this study. The magnetic signals along the dense (2 km spacing) aeromagnetic flight lines acquired at the same time show a good correlation between high amplitudes and a shallowing of the rift valley and the presence of large volcanic constructions at the rift shoulders. The magnetic anomalies rapidly fade out east and west of these centres of focused magmatism. This might indicate that the basaltic layer producing the magnetic anomaly thins away from the volcanic centres. A continuous magnetic anomaly is observed along the rift valley west of 3 ◦ 30 � E, consistent with increasing and more robust magmatism. The crustal thickness along the Gakkel Ridge varies greatly. Beneath some of the centres of focused magmatism, the oceanic crust thickens up to 3.5 km. In the amagmatic segments in between the crust thins to 1.4‐2.9 km. This observation is also valid for the Western Volcanic Zone west of 3 ◦ 30 � E, where despite the stronger magnetic anomaly the crust does not significantly thicken. The strength of the magnetic anomaly along the rift valley is thus not a reliable indicator of crustal thickness beneath the Gakkel Ridge. The data show that the crustal thickness does not change dramatically across 3 ◦ 30 � E. Only the occurrence of a large elongate volcanic ridge significantly influences this parameter. More frequent volcanic eruptions along such ridges are most likely responsible for the basalts found in the westernmost part of the Gakkel Ridge. In the non-transform segments some seismic stations indicate that mantle rocks are exposed at the seafloor, with no indication of the presence of a basaltic cover or normal oceanic crust. Both the seismic and magnetic data support models in which the uppermost basaltic cover is responsible for the magnetic anomaly in the rift valley.

Palaeocene (c. 55^58Ma) adakitic andesites from the Yanji area, NE China, are typically clinopyroxene-bearing sodic andesites containing 60 9^62 2% SiO2 and 4 02^4 36% MgO, with high Mg-number [100Mg/(Mgþ Fe) atomic ratio] from 65 5 to 70 1. Whole-rock geochemical features include high Cr (128^161ppm) and Ni (86^117 ppm) concentrations, extremely high Sr (2013^2282 ppm), low Y (10^11ppm) and heavy rare earth elements (HREE; e.g. Yb1⁄4 0 79^1 01ppm), and mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like Sr^Nd^Pb isotopic compositions [e.g. Sr/ Sr(i)1⁄4 0 70298^0 70316, eNd(t)1⁄4þ3 8 to þ6 3 and Pb/ Pb1⁄417 98 ^ 18 06], analogous to high-Mg adakites occurring in modern subduction zones. However, mineralogical evidence from clinopyroxene phenocrysts and microcrystalline plagioclase clearly points to magma mixing during magma evolution. Iron-rich clinopyroxene (augite) cores with low Sr, high Y and heavy REE contents, slightly fractionated REE patterns and large negative Eu anomalies probably crystallized along with low-Ca plagioclase from a lower crustal felsic magma. In contrast, high Mg-number clinopyroxene (diopside and endiopside) mantles and rims have higher Sr and lower HREE and Yconcentrations, highly fractionated REE patterns (high La/Yb) and negligible Eu anomalies, similar to those found in adakites from subduction zones.The Yanji adakitic andesites can be interpreted as a mixture between a crust-derived magma having low Mg-number and Sr, and high Y and HREE, and a mantle-derived high Mg-number adakite having high Sr and low Y and HREE concentrations. During storage and/or ascent, the mixed magma experienced further crustal contamination to capture zircons, of a range of ages, from the wall rocks.The absence of coeval arc magmatism and an extensional tectonic regime in the Yanji area and surrounding regions suggest that these Palaeocene adakitic andesites were formed during post-subduction extension that followed the late Cretaceous Izanagi^Farallon ridge subduction. Generation of these adakitic andesites does not require contemporaneous subduction of a young, hot oceanic ridge or delamination of eclogitic lower crust as suggested by previous models.

A grid of 32 across-axis and five axis-parallel multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection profiles were acquired at an axial volcanic ridge (AVR) segment at 57° 45'N, 32° 35'W on the slow-spreading Reykjanes Ridge, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, to determine the along-axis variation and geometry of the axial magmatic system and to investigate the relationship between magma chamber structure, the along-axis continuity and segmentation of melt supply to the crust, the development of faulting and the thickness of oceanic layer 2A. Seismic reflection profiles acquired at mid-ocean ridges are prone to being swamped by high amplitude seabed scattered noise which can either mask or be mistaken for intracrustal reflection events. In this paper, we present the results of two approaches to this problem which simulate seabed scatter and which can either be used to remove or simply predict events within processed MCS profiles. The 37 MCS profiles show clear intracrustal seismic events which are related to the structure of oceanic layer 2, to the axial magmatic system and to the faults which dismember each AVR as it ages through its tectono-magmatic life cycle and which form the median valley walls. The layer 2A event can be mapped around the entirety of the survey area between 0.1 and 0.5 s two-way traveltime below the seabed, being thickest at AVR centres, and thinning both off-axis and along-axis towards AVR tips. Both AVR-parallel and ridge-parallel trends are observed, with the pattern of on-axis layer 2A thickness variation preserved beneath relict AVRs which are rafted off-axis largely intact. Each active AVR is underlain by a mid-crustal melt lens reflection extending almost along its entire length. Similar reflection events are observed beneath the offset basins between adjacent AVRs. These are interpreted as new AVRs at the start of their life cycle, developing centrally within the median valley. The east–west spacings of relict AVRs and offset basins is ∼5–7 km, corresponding to a life span of the order of 0.5–0.7 Myr, during which AVRs appear to undergo multiple 20–60 Kyr tectono-magmatic cycles.

SUMMARY The Woodlark rift system is one of the few places where active ocean basin formation can be studied. Within this rift system, continental extension rates are some of the fastest on the planet, and extension progresses eastwards to full seafloor spreading. We use results from a recent passive seismic experiment to address the role of magmatism prior to the onset of seafloor spreading. We invert local earthquake P and S traveltimes for 3-D structure around and ahead of the active spreading tip. From the local earthquake tomography we observe three main structures. Seismic velocities in the crust show a sharp contrast between regions that resemble continental crust ahead of the spreading tip and oceanic crust to the east. In the continental portion, P velocities increase from 5.6 km s −1 to 6.9 km s −1 between 10 and 25 km depth, indicating a bulk felsic to intermediate composition, similar to other continental regions. Beneath the seismic Moho (23‐28 km depth, as defined by receiver functions) a 10‐15-kmthick gradient zone exist locally with velocities from 7.0 to 7.9 km s −1 , which may reflect an underplated mafic, granulite facies lowermost crust, or perhaps magmatic intrusion into the lithospheric mantle. In contrast, farther east and closer to the active spreading tip, velocities rapidly increase from 6.5 to 7.2 km s −1 between 8 and 18 km depth. These fast crustal velocities appear in a narrow zone roughly 60 km wide and indicate a mafic crust, similar to oceanic crust. Our velocity results suggest that the transition from diffuse continental rifting to localized seafloor spreading likely occurs across a narrow zone. Magmatism prior to the onset of seafloor spreading may not play a significant role in altering crust until the onset of seafloor spreading, except through underplating at the base of the crust.

The Southwest Indian Ridge represents a slow-spreading end-member of the global mid-ocean ridge system, and as such its structure places important constraints on models of melt supply and delivery from the mantle at ridges. We present results from a wide-angle seismic experiment conducted at the ridge axis at 66°E, in a region that has comprehensive swath bathymetric, gravity and magnetic data coverage and where the full spreading rate is ∼12 mm yr −1 . Based on these data, the experiment traversed four spreading segments. Crustal thickness and velocity structure were determined along three intersecting profiles each ∼100 km long using shots from a 10-gun, 71 L tuned airgun array towed at 15 m depth and fired at 40 s intervals, recorded on three ocean bottom hydrophones on each profile. OBH data show high-amplitude arrivals from oceanic Layer 2, lower-amplitude arrivals from Layer 3 and wide-angle reflections from the Moho. Forward modelling and inversion of traveltime picks from these data show that the crust consists of a 1.5–2.5-km-thick Layer 2 with a high velocity gradient and a 0.5–3.0-km-thick Layer 3 with a low velocity gradient, and a crustal thickness of 2.2–5.4 km. Additional constraints on the models come from 2-D modelling of gravity data along the profiles, corrected for 3-D effects of off-line bathymetry. Along-axis, the thickness of Layer 2 varies little, but Layer 3 is thick at segment centres and very thin at segment boundaries. Along a flowline profile, crustal thickness varies by up to 75 per cent from its minimum value in ∼3 Myr. The reduced crustal thickness is consistent with observations from very slow-spreading ridge axes elsewhere and may be explained by conductive cooling of the upwelling mantle. The large along-axis variations in Layer 3 thickness indicate that magmatic accretion is focused at segment centres and melt is delivered to segment ends perhaps only by lateral dyke propagation. Flowline variations in crustal thickness may result from episodicity of melt supply on timescales of ∼3 Myr and by tectonic extension during amagmatic periods. Velocities at the top of Layer 2 are poorly correlated with crustal age based on magnetic anomalies, suggesting also that episodicity is decoupled between adjacent segments.

Wolf volcano, an active shield volcano on northern Isabela Island in the Galapagos Archipelago, has undergone two major stages of caldera collapse, with a phase of partial caldera refilling between. Wolf is a typical Galapagos shield volcano, with circumferential vents on the steep upper carapace and radial vents distributed in diffuse rift zones on the shallower-sloping lower flanks. The radial fissures continue into the submarine environment, where they form more tightly focused rift zones. Wolf ’s magmas are strikingly monotonous: estimated eruptive temperatures of the majority of lavas span a total of only 22 C. This homogeneity is attributed to buffering of magmas as they ascend through a thick column of olivine gabbroic mush that has been deposited from a thin, shallow (

26 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, The Galápagos volcanic province (GVP) includes several aseismic ridges resulting from the interaction between the Galápagos hotspot (GHS) and the Cocos-Nazca spreading centre (CNSC). The most prominent are the Cocos, Carnegie and Malpelo ridges. In this work, we investigate the seismic structure of the Carnegie ridge along two profiles acquired during the South American Lithospheric Transects Across Volcanic Ridges (SALIERI) 2001 experiment. Maximum crustal thickness is ∼19 km in the central Carnegie profile, located at ∼85°W over a 19-20 Myr old oceanic crust, and only ∼13 km in the eastern Carnegie profile, located at ∼82°W over a 11-12 Myr old oceanic crust. The crustal velocity models are subsequently compared with those obtained in a previous work along three other profiles over the Cocos and Malpelo ridges, two of which are located at the conjugate positions of the Carnegie ones. Oceanic layer 2 thickness is quite uniform along the five profiles regardless of the total crustal thickness variations, hence crustal thickening is mainly accommodated by layer 3. Lower crustal velocities are systematically lower where the crust is thicker, thus contrary to what would be expected from melting of a hotter than normal mantle. The velocity-derived crustal density models account for the gravity and depth anomalies considering uniform and normal mantle densities (3300 kg m-3), which confirms that velocity models are consistent with gravity and topography data, and indicates that the ridges are isostatically compensated at the base of the crust. Finally, a two-dimensional (2-D) steady-state mantle melting model is developed and used to illustrate that the crust of the ridges does not seem to be the product of anomalous mantle temperatures, even if hydrous melting coupled with vigorous subsolidus upwelling is considered in the model. In contrast, we show that upwelling of a normal temperature but fertile mantle source that may result from recycling of oceanic crust prior to melting, accounts more easily for the estimated seismic structure as well as for isotopic, trace element and major element patterns of the GVP basalts, The SALIERI-2001 experiment was funded by the German Ministry of Education, Research, Science and Technology (BMBF) under project no. 03G0159A. The French scientific party was supported by IRD, Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers (INSU) and French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) through ship time exchange. VS was financially supported by a grant from the Marie Curie Fellowship EU programme, contract no. HPRI–CT–1999–00037, during the time the work was conducted

We present a 3-D crustal model of the East Greenland Fjord Region between 69°N and 74°N. The model covers the Precambrian shield and the Caledonian orogenic belt, the adjoining Devonian and Mesozoic basins, the continent-ocean transition and the Cenozoic oceanic areas as far as the Kolbeinsey and the Mohns mid-oceanic ridges. Existing seismic models of the crustal structure are extrapolated into adjacent areas using 3-D gravity modelling. For this purpose, we compile a new regional-scale Bouguer anomaly map. The Precambrian shield, west of the Caledonian orogen (approximately west of 32°W), shows a mean thickness of 35 km with only small-scale undulations. This thickness is at the lower limit of the global range in shield thickness. The Caledonian orogen exhibits a pronounced mountain root with overall crustal thicknesses up to 51 km. Beside the Urals, the East Greenland Caledonides are one of the two Palaeozoic mountain belts where a crustal root has preserved to the present day. Continuation of the crustal model to the east, beyond the continent-ocean transition, yielded thicknesses of the crystalline oceanic crust from 9 km near the Kolbeinsey Ridge to 3 km west of the Mohns Ridge. Differences in the thermal structures of the old continental and the young oceanic lithosphere are responsible for the low-density mantle beneath the oceanic crust, which is also demonstrated by 3-D gravity modelling.

The dynamic and melting processes of a ridge-centred plume have been investigated in a companion paper by Ruedas et al. (hereafter referred to as Paper I) in a set of 3-D numerical fluid dynamic models with varying plume excess temperatures and melt extraction thresholds. In Paper I, the modelled thickness of the generated crust has been compared to observations of the Icelandic crust. Using the results of those plume models magnetotelluric (MT) transfer functions and seismic velocity anomalies are predicted in this paper. Together with Paper I, a dynamically consistent set of geophysical observables of a ridge-centred plume is presented and applied to Iceland. Temperature, partial melting and the connectivity of the melt phase influence the electrical conductivity of crust and mantle rocks. The temperature and melt fraction of our plume models are used to calculate 3-D conductivity models for MT modelling. For the melt geometry ellipsoidal inclusions with appropriate aspect ratios were assumed to control melt connectivity. The resulting transfer functions are compared to each other and to models not including a plume to separate signals from the ridge and the plume. They may be applied to observed MT measurements. If the plume head contains only 1 per cent of melt, the plume signal cannot be distinguished from the ridge signal, at least 3 per cent melt is needed for such distinction. The other predicted observables calculated from the different numerical models are seismic velocity anomalies. The temperature-induced VP and VS anomalies were estimated including anharmonic and anelastic effects as well as the water induced increase of dislocation mobility that lowers seismic velocities. Realistic melt geometries, as observed in laboratory experiments, were used to calculate the effect of partial melts on the seismic velocities. VS anomaly distributions are synthesized from the different plume models and compared to seismic observations. To reconcile seismic anomalies of the plume head and plume stem, a wet plume stem overlain by a partially molten, dehydrated plume head is favoured. The combined interpretation of available observations, crustal thicknesses (Paper I) and seismic results, with our dynamic plume models (Paper I) leads to a favoured plume model with 135 K excess temperature and a vertical velocity of approximately 13 cm yr−1 at 200 km depth, with 1 per cent melt extraction threshold, and a melting zone of approximately 500 km width and 100 km depth extent., This research was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, grants Schm 872/6-1 and Schm 872/6-2. We wish to thank Wolfgang Jacoby for helpful and inspiring discussions, Thomas J. Shankland and an anonymous referee for valuable comments and constructive criticism.

This paper presents the first comprehensive major and trace element data for � 130 abyssal peridotite samples from the Pacific and Indian ocean ridge–transform systems. The data reveal important features about the petrogenesis of these rocks, mantle melting and melt extraction processes beneath ocean ridges, and elemental behaviours. Although abyssal peridotites are serpentinized, and have also experienced seafloor weathering, magmatic signatures remain well preserved in the bulk-rock compositions. The better inverse correlation of MgO with progressively heavier rare earth elements (REE) reflects varying amounts of melt depletion. This melt depletion may result from recent sub-ridge mantle melting, but could also be inherited from previous melt extraction events from the fertile mantle source. Light REE (LREE) in bulk-rock samples are more enriched, not more depleted, than in the constituent clinopyroxenes (cpx) of the same sample suites. If the cpx LREE record sub-ridge mantle melting processes, then the bulk-rock LREE must reflect post-melting refertilization. The significant correlations of LREE (e.g. La, Ce, Pr, Nd) with immobile high field strength elements (HFSE, e.g. Nb and Zr) suggest that enrichments of both LREE and HFSE resulted from a common magmatic process. The refertilization takes place in the ‘cold’ thermal boundary layer (TBL) beneath ridges through which the ascending melts migrate and interact with the advanced residues. The refertilization apparently did not affect the cpx relics analyzed for trace elements. This observation suggests grain-boundary porous melt migration in the TBL. The ascending melts may not be thermally ‘reactive’, and thus may have affected only cpx rims, which, together with precipitated olivine, entrapped melt, and the rest of the rock, were subsequently serpentinized. Very large variations in bulk-rock Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta ratios are observed, which are unexpected. The correlation between the two ratios is consistent with observations on basalts that DZr/DHf < 1 and DNb/DTa < 1. Given

Laser ablation microprobe data are presented for olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene in spinel harzburgite and lherzolite xenoliths from La Palma, Hierro, and Lanzarote, and new whole-rock trace-element data for xenoliths from Hierro and Lanzarote. The xenoliths show evidence of strong major, trace element and Sr isotope depletion (87Sr/86Sr ≤ 0·7027 in clinopyroxene in the most refractory harzburgites) overprinted by metasomatism. The low Sr isotope ratios are not compatible with the former suggestion of a mantle plume in the area during opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Estimates suggest that the composition of the original oceanic lithospheric mantle beneath the Canary Islands corresponds to the residues after 25–30% fractional melting of primordial mantle material; it is thus significantly more refractory than ‘normal’ mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) mantle. The trace element compositions and Sr isotopic ratios of the minerals least affected by metasomatization indicate that the upper mantle beneath the Canary Islands originally formed as highly refractory oceanic lithosphere during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean in the area. During the Canarian intraplate event the upper mantle was metasomatized; the metasomatic processes include cryptic metasomatism, resetting of the Sr–Nd isotopic ratios to values within the range of Canary Islands basalts, formation of minor amounts of phlogopite, and melt–wall-rock reactions. The upper mantle beneath Tenerife and La Palma is strongly metasomatized by carbonatitic or carbonaceous melts highly enriched in light rare earth elements (REE) relative to heavy REE, and depleted in Zr–Hf and Ti relative to REE. In the lithospheric mantle beneath Hierro and Lanzarote, metasomatism has been relatively weak, and appears to be caused by high-Si melts producing concave-upwards trace element patterns in clinopyroxene with weak negative Zr and Ti anomalies. Ti–Al–Fe-rich harzburgites/lherzolites, dunites, wehrlites and clinopyroxenites formed from mildly alkaline basaltic melts (similar to those that dominate the exposed parts of the islands), and appear to be mainly restricted to magma conduits; the alkali basalt melts have caused only local metasomatism in the mantle wall-rocks of such conduits. The various metasomatic fluids formed as the results of immiscible separations, melt–wall-rock reactions and chromatographic fractionation either from a CO2-rich basaltic primary melt, or, alternatively, from a basaltic and a siliceous carbonatite or carbonaceous silicate melt.