Search

International audience; The Upper Cretaceous sedimentary sequence at International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1512 in the Ceduna Sub-basin of the Great Australian Bight represents a continuous, > 690 m thick interval of black silty clay and claystone spanning the lower Turonian through Lower Campanian (~10 million years). Sediments were deposited in an elongate, ~E-W oriented, ~2500 km long rift system that developed between Australia and Antarctica with an open-ocean connection to the west and a continental bridge to the east. Site U1512 cores provide a unique, continuous record of Late Cretaceous deposition in the Ceduna Sub-basin on the hanging wall of the Wallaroo Fault Zone. Study of U1512 samples could provide both an important high-latitude, southern hemisphere perspective on climatic evolution during the peak and demise of the Cretaceous hothouse and an offshore record of the sedimentation history in the basin during the Late Cretaceous portion of the Gondwanan breakup. The Upper Cretaceous sequence at Site U1512 is notable for its lithologic uniformity. Burrow-mottled to massive claystone and silty claystone make up the majority of the almost 700 m section, while rare (n = 28) isolated, 2 to 21 cm thick medium to fine sandstone beds are a minor lithology. Macrofossils present include common inoceramids and rare occurrences of other bivalves and ammonites. Microfossils include common occurrences of calcareous nannofossils, agglutinated and calcareous benthic foraminifera, radiolaria and organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts as well as rare small, surface dwelling planktonic foraminifera. Carbonate (

International audience; Petrophysical properties of volcanic rocks are controlled by lithology and subsequent modification by alteration processes. Investigating the linkages, using a range of different techniques, are important to establish how petrophysical properties can inform about the alteration state of volcanic rocks. Here, we compile petrophysical data and correlate these with geochemical and mineralogical analyses acquired from a volcanic sequence on the Naturaliste Plateau, offshore southwest Australia (IODP Site U1513). The sequence consists of alternating basalt lava flows and volcaniclastic deposits, intruded by multiple dolerite dikes. Variable alteration intensities from fresh-slight to strong are quantified using Chemical Index of Alteration. Intervals of slightly altered dikes exhibit low porosity and high values of bulk density, P-wave velocity and thermal conductivity. The increase of alteration intensity corresponds to decreases in bulk density to ∼2 g/cm3, P-wave velocity to ∼2000 m/s, thermal conductivity to ∼1.2 W/(m·K) and an increase in porosity up to 50%. Natural Gamma Ray and magnetic susceptibility vary downhole with rock composition and at lithologic boundaries. The distinct variations exhibit a good correlation with primary lithologic characteristics and secondary mineralogical and textural changes attributed to alteration processes. We provide synthesis models of petrophysical variation with alteration intensity. Although differences in primary lithology and alteration type introduce limitations and uncertainties, there is a reasonable applicability of our results to rapidly characterize the alteration intensity and volcanic stratigraphy in volcanic sequences and to calibrate wireline log-based determinations. This will help others to develop strategies for exploration, drilling, and geophysical research of volcanic rocks.

The Mentelle Basin is a large and deep-water sedimentary basin located on the southwest Australian rifted margin. The basin lies west of the Perth Basin, east of the Naturaliste Plateau and south of the Perth Abyssal Plain. The rifted margin formed when the Greater Indian plate separated from the Australian-Antarctic plate during the Jurassic to early Cretaceous. Based on seismic reflection data, several km thick sediments infilling the basin have been interpreted. However, due to lack of geological and geophysical data, the basin has not been studied enough to understand its evolution. In 2017, International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 369 drilled four sites, U1513–U1516, in the Mentelle Basin and recovered important cores including late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous sections. At Site U1515 on the eastern margin of the basin, drilling penetrated below the seismically imaged breakup unconformity into the middle Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous syn-rift strata. Holes at Site U1513 on the western margin cored the syn-rift volcanic sequence, the Hauterivian to early Aptian volcaniclastic-rich sandstone sequence spanning the syn- to post-rift phase, and the Aptian to Albian post-rift claystone sequence. Drilling at Sites U1514 and U1516 in the central part reached the Albian post-rift sequence. Using a combination of shipboard and post-expedition data, we interpret the lithological, paleontological and geochemical characteristics of the syn- to post-rift sequences. The results allowed us to reconstruct the Early Cretaceous stratigraphy, tectonics, paleo-environment, and basin evolution of the Mentelle Basin. During the syn-rift phase, the middle Jurassic to lower Cretaceous non-marine sediments were deposited in the eastern Mentelle Basin, while volcanic rocks were emplaced in the western part. The 82 m thick volcanic sequence consists of alternating basalt flows and volcaniclastics with dolerite dikes, which indicate multiple volcanic eruption events in subaerial to shallow water environments. It was overlain by the 235 m thick volcaniclastic-rich sequence consisting of massive or laminated sandstone layers, deposited in shelf to upper bathyal depths. The deposition period spans the syn- to post-rift phase of the basin but decreasing sedimentation rate and shallow marine setting suggest that the post-rift thermal subsidence did not immediately follow the final continental breakup. We interpret that the delayed thermal subsidence was likely to be induced by adjacent mantle plume activities. Deep marine claystone sequences blanketing most of the basin indicate Aptian to Albian post-rift thermal subsidence.

The early to mid-Aptian was punctuated by episodic phases of organic-carbon burial in various oceanographic settings, which are possibly related to massive volcanism associated with the emplacement of the Ontong Java, Manihiki, and Hikurangi oceanic plateaus in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, inferred to have formed a single plateau called Ontong Java Nui. Sedimentary osmium (Os) isotopic compositions are one of the best proxies for determining the timing of voluminous submarine volcanic episodes. However, available Os isotopic records during the age are limited to a narrow interval in the earliest Aptian, which is insufficient for the reconstruction of long-term hydrothermal activity. We document the early to mid-Aptian Os isotopic record using pelagic Tethyan sediments deposited in the Poggio le Guaine (Umbria-Marche Basin, Italy) to precisely constrain the timing of massive volcanic episodes and to assess their impact on the marine environment. Our new Os isotopic data reveal three shifts to unradiogenic values, two of which correspond to black shale horizons in the lower to mid-Aptian, namely the Wezel (herein named) and Fallot Levels. These Os isotopic excursions are ascribed to massive inputs of unradiogenic Os to the ocean through hydrothermal activity. Combining the new Os isotopic record with published data from the lowermost Aptian organic-rich interval in the Gorgo a Cerbara section of the Umbria-Marche Basin, it can be inferred that Ontong Java Nui volcanic eruptions persisted for ∼5 m.y. during the early to mid-Aptian.

nternational Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 369 drilled four sites on the southwestern Australian continental margin, in the deep water Mentelle Basin (MB) and on the neighboring Naturaliste Plateau (NP). The drillsites are located on continental crust that continued rifting after seafloor spreading began further north on the Perth Abyssal Plain (PAP) between magnetochrons M11r and M11n (133–132 Ma), ending when spreading began west of the NP between chrons M5n and M3n (126–124 Ma). Drilling recovered the first in situ samples of basalt flows overlying the breakup unconformity on the NP, establishing a magnetostratigraphically constrained eruption age of >131–133 Ma, and confirming a minimal late Valanginian age for the breakup unconformity (coeval with the onset of PAP seafloor spreading). Petrogenetic modeling indicates the basalts were generated by 25% melting at 1.5 GPa and a potential temperature of 1380°C–1410°C, consistent with proximity of the Kerguelen plume during breakup. Benthic foraminiferal fossils indicate that the NP remained at upper bathyal or shallower depths during the last 6 Myr of rifting and for 3–5 Myr after breakup between India and Australia. The limited subsidence is attributed to heat from the nearby Kerguelen plume and PAP spreading ridge. The margin subsided to middle bathyal depths by Albian time and to lower bathyal (NP) or greater (MB) depths by late Paleogene time. Periods of rapid sedimentation accompanied a westward jump of the PAP spreading ridge (108 Ma), rifting on the southern margin (100–84 Ma), and opening of the southern seaway between Australia and Antarctica (60–47 Ma).

International audience; The Naturaliste Plateau is a submarine continental ribbon rifted from the southwest Australian margin during the Early Cretaceous breakup of East Gondwana. It occupied a key position near the juncture of Greater India and the boundary between Australia and Antarctica. However, details of the Early Cretaceous evolution of the plateau are not well known because of limited data. Drilling at Site U1513 during IODP Expedition 369 recovered the first complete Lower Cretaceous succession on the eastern Naturaliste Plateau. The succession includes syn-rift volcanic rocks, Hauterivian to early Aptian volcaniclastic-rich sedimentary rocks, and Albian claystone strata. The 235-m thick volcaniclastic-rich sequence represents the missing post-breakup record in the southwest Australian rifted margin. It spans the transition from syn- to post-rift phase during the final stages of breakup between Greater India and Australia-Antarctica. We report the lithological, petrophysical, geochemical, paleontological, and paleomagnetic characteristics of the sequence, and then synthesize the results to define the Early Cretaceous depositional environment and subsidence history of the Naturaliste Plateau. From the early Hauterivian, weathered volcanic products were eroded and re-deposited locally as a volcaniclastic-rich sequence, with a major contribution from the southern Naturaliste Plateau. The depositional environment evolved from a shelf to upper bathyal condition during the Hauterivian through early Barremian with a decreasing sedimentation rate. This period is defined as a late syn-rift subsidence phase by NW-SE trending extension. After the final breakup with Greater India, the plateau remained at upper bathyal depths with little deposition until the early Aptian. Mid–lower bathyal depths inferred from the Albian claystone strata suggest that the post-rift thermal subsidence commenced during the late Aptian. This two-phase post-rift subsidence reflects the proximity or high temperature of mantle plume, possibly the Kerguelen plume, and its westward migration relative to the southwest Australian rifted margin.

金沢大学理工研究域地球社会基盤学系, Detailed reconstruction of Indian summer monsoons is necessary to better understand the late Quaternary climate history of the Bay of Bengal and Indian peninsula. We established a chronostratigraphy for a sediment core from Hole 19B in the western Bay of Bengal, extending to approximately 80kyr BP and examined major and trace element compositions and clay mineral components of the sediments. Higher δ 18 O values, lower TiO 2 contents, and weaker weathering in the sediment source area during marine isotope stages (MIS) 2 and 4 compared to MIS 1, 3, and 5 are explained by increased Indian summer monsoonal precipitation and river discharge around the western Bay of Bengal. Clay mineral and chemical components indicate a felsic sediment source, suggesting the Precambrian gneissic complex of the eastern Indian peninsula as the dominant sediment source at this site since 80kyr. Trace element ratios (Cr/Th, Th/Sc, Th/Co, La/Cr, and Eu/Eu*) indicate increased sediment contributions from mafic rocks during MIS 2 and 4. We interpret these results as reflecting the changing influences of the eastern and western branches of the Indian summer monsoon and a greater decrease in rainfall in the eastern and northeastern parts of the Indian peninsula than in the western part during MIS 2 and 4. © 2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Many seamounts on the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) occur near the Stewart Arch, a topographic high that extends parallel to the North Solomon Trench along the southern margins of the plateau. Despite the thick sediment cover, several volcanic cones with strong acoustic reflection were discovered on the submarine flank of the Nuugurigia Seamount. From such volcanic cones, basalts were successfully sampled by dredging. Radiometric dating of basalts and ferromanganese encrustation indicate eruption age of 20–25 Ma, significantly younger than the ~ 122 Ma main OJP plateau and post-plateau basalts. The age range coincides with the collision of the OJP with the Solomon Arc. The Nuugurigia basalts geochemically differ from any other rocks sampled on the OJP so far. They are alkali basalts with elevated Sr, low Zr and Hf, and Enriched Mantle-I (EMI)-like isotopic composition. Parental magmas of these alkali basalts may have formed by small-degree melting of peridotitic mantle impregnated with recycled pyroxenite material having enriched geochemical composition in the OJP's mantle root. We conclude that small-volume alkali basalts from the enriched mantle root migrated through faults or fractures caused by the collision along the Stewart Arch to form the seamount. Our results suggest that the collision of the OJP with the Solomon arc played an important role in the origin of similar post-plateau seamounts along the Stewart Arch.

The South China Sea is the largest marginal basin in the world, and is located in the confluence of three major tectonic plates (Pacific-Philippine Sea, Indo-Australia, Eurasia). Its tectonic history and evolution throughout the Cenozoic has been the subject of much discussion with regards to its mechanism, timing, and relationship to neighboring geological features. We conducted the first Re-Os isotope study of the South China Sea cores recovered from ocean drilling (ODP-Ocean Drilling Program and IODP-International Ocean Discovery Program) and from Philippine oil exploration wells in order to investigate whether or not the basin's tectonic evolution will be reflected in the seawater Os isotope record. These cores represent the northern and southern conjugate margins of the South China Sea, and should have complementary records of the tectonic events in the basin. We found three important negative anomalies in the South China Sea's seawater Os isotope record at 35–33 Ma, 26–23 Ma, and ~ 13–6 Ma, which are temporally related to tectono-magmatic events. At the northern margin, the record starts with the lowest (187Os/188Os)i values of 0.37 and 0.32 for the oldest samples, which then progresses to more radiogenic values for younger sediments. The trend is consistent with the start of seafloor spreading at ~ 33 Ma that saw the peak in the flux of mantle-derived material, which later slowed down until the second peak between 26 and 23 Ma. However, these unradiogenic values also mark the Eocene-Oligocene Transition and more likely implies South China Sea connectivity to global ocean circulation since pre-Oligocene. In both margins, slight to marked decrease in (187Os/188Os)i values deviate from the global trend and coincides with the ridge jump at ~ 23 Ma. In the southern conjugate margin, (187Os/188Os)i show a general decreasing tendency opposite that of the northern margin and the global trend starting from Mid- to Late Miocene (~ 13–6 Ma). Mass balance modeling suggests that the two younger negative excursions may be accounted for by mantle and hydrothermal Os inputs of ~ 372 mol/my at ~ 23 Ma and post ~ 13 Ma. We suggest that the post ~ 13 Ma protracted decrease in (187Os/188Os)i values for the southern margin reflects localized input of mantle-derived lithogenic Os from the Luzon Arc combined with post-spreading magmatic intrusions, and possibly gradual changes in paleoceanographic condition at the southern East Sub-basin.

Shatsky Rise in the Northwest Pacific is the best example so far of an oceanic plateau with two potential hotspot tracks emanating from it: the linear Papanin volcanic ridge and the seamounts comprising Ojin Rise. Arguably, these hotspot tracks also project toward the direction of Hess Rise, located ∼1200 km away, leading to speculations that the two plateaus are connected. Dredging was conducted on the massifs and seamounts around Shatsky Rise in an effort to understand the relationship between these plateaus and associated seamounts. Here, we present new 40Ar/39Ar ages and trace element and Nd, Pb, and Hf isotopic data for the recovered dredged rocks and new trace elements and isotopic data for a few drill core samples from Hess Rise. Chemically, the samples can be subdivided into plateau basalt-like tholeiites and trachytic to alkalic ocean-island basalt compositions, indicating at least two types of volcanic activity. Tholeiites from the northern Hess Rise (DSDP Site 464) and the trachytes from Toronto Ridge on Shatsky’s TAMU massif have isotopic compositions that overlap with those of the drilled Shatsky Rise plateau basalts, suggesting that both Rises formed from the same mantle source. In contrast, trachytes from the southern Hess Rise (DSDP Site 465A) have more radiogenic Pb isotopic ratios that are shifted toward a high time-integrated U/Pb (HIMU-type mantle) composition. The compositions of the dredged seamount samples show two trends relative to Shatsky Rise data: one toward lower 143Nd/144Nd but similar 206Pb/204Pb ratios, the other toward similar 143Nd/144Nd but more radiogenic 206Pb/204Pb ratios. These trends can be attributed to lower degrees of melting either from lower mantle material during hotspot-related transition to plume tail or from less refractory shallow mantle components tapped during intermittent deformation-related volcanism induced by local tectonic extension between and after the main volcanic-edifice building episodes on Shatsky Rise. The ocean-island-basalt-like chemistry and isotopic composition of the Shatsky and Hess rise seamounts contrast with those formed by purely deformation-related shallow mantle-derived volcanism, favoring the role of a long-lived mantle anomaly in their origin. Finally, new 40Ar/39Ar evidence indicates that Shatsky Rise edifices may have been formed in multiple-stages and over a longer duration than previously believed.

Many groups or chains of seamounts border, or are associated with, oceanic plateaus but their origin and relationship with plateau volcanism are debated. An example is Ojin Rise Seamounts, a group of ~80 seamounts located northeast of the 147–134 Ma Shatsky Rise, an oceanic plateau that was formed along the trace of a triple junction in the northwest Pacific Ocean. A notable topographic feature of Ojin Rise Seamounts is that they are distributed in such a way that they appear to be connected to another oceanic plateau in the east, the ~100 Ma Hess Rise. Many seamounts are arranged in a NW–SE direction (almost in the same absolute plate motion direction) and some are organized into seamount chains consisting of several volcanic cones connected by a common platform, reflecting a complex volcanic history. Here we report petrography as well as major and trace element, Sr, Nd, Pb, and Hf isotope, and 40Ar-39Ar age data for basalts dredged from five seamounts in the western part of Ojin Rise Seamounts. We found that the 40Ar-39Ar ages of the cones (123.7–120.7 Ma) are distinctly younger than the magnetic lineation age (M9-M7; 134–132 Ma) around the chain. The younger age suggests either a protracted development for the seamount chain, previously proposed to have formed near-ridge, or age difference between the platform and cones. The morphological and age differences are supported by petrography and geochemistry: platform basalts are aphyric, whereas cone basalts are slightly to highly plagioclase-phyric (up to 48 vol%); platform basalts are depleted in trace element and isotope composition, but cone basalts are enriched with high Nb/Ti and 87Sr/86Sr, and low 143Nd/144Nd and 176Hf/177Hf ratios. The depleted signature of the platform basalts is similar to that of the abundant normal type basalts of Shatsky Rise with an isotope composition that overlaps with that of normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORB), whereas trace elements are enriched (e.g., higher Nb/Zr and Nb/Ti than N-MORB). However, slight geochemical differences between the Ojin platform basalts and Shatsky normal type basalts exist and are expressed in higher 208Pb/204Pb isotope ratios of the former. The depleted signature implies shallow mantle dilution of the (enriched) Shatsky plume tail near a ridge. In contrast, the enriched signature of the cone basalts indicates little contribution from N-MORB source mantle as (enriched) plume volcanism moved away from the ridge. The enriched features (Nb/Zr and 176Hf/177Hf) of the Ojin Rise cone basalts increase with increasing distance from Shatsky Rise and conform with a geochemical evolution model that involves increasing contribution from a highly enriched Hess Rise source component with time.

The tectonic and paleoceanographic setting of the Great Australian Bight (GAB) and the Mentelle Basin (MB; adjacent to Naturaliste Plateau) offered an outstanding opportunity to investigate Cretaceous and Cenozoic climate change and ocean dynamics during the last phase of breakup among remnant Gondwana continents. Sediment recovered from sites in both regions during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 369 will provide a new perspective on Earth’s temperature variation at sub-polar latitudes (60°–62°S) across the extremes of the mid-Cretaceous hot greenhouse climate and the cooling that followed. The primary goals of the expedition were to Investigate the timing and causes for the rise and collapse of the Cretaceous hot greenhouse climate and how this climate mode affected the climate-ocean system and oceanic biota; Determine the relative roles of productivity, ocean temperature, and ocean circulation at high southern latitudes during Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs); Identify the main source regions for deep-water and intermediate-water masses in the southeast Indian Ocean and how these changed during Gondwana breakup; Characterize how oceanographic conditions at the MB changed during the Cenozoic opening of the Tasman Passage and restriction of the Indonesian Gateway; Resolve questions on the volcanic and sedimentary origins of the Australo-Antarctic Gulf and Mentelle Basin and provide stratigraphic control on the age and nature of the prebreakup successions. Hole U1512A in the GAB recovered a 691 m thick sequence of black claystone ranging from the early Turonian to the early Campanian. Age control is primarily based on calcareous nannofossils, but the presence of other microfossil groups provided consistent but low-resolution control. Despite the lithologic uniformity, long- and short-term variations in natural gamma ray and magnetic susceptibility intensities show cyclic alternations that suggest an orbital control of sediment deposition that will be useful for developing an astrochronology for the sequence. Sites U1513–U1516 were drilled between 850 and 3900 m water depth in the MB and penetrated 774, 517, 517, and 542 meters below seafloor (mbsf), respectively. Under a thin layer of Pleistocene–upper Miocene sediment, Site U1513 cored a succession of Cretaceous units from the Campanian to the Valanginian. Site U1514 sampled an expanded Pleistocene–Eocene sequence and terminated in the upper Albian. The Cenomanian–Turonian interval at Site U1514 recovered deformed sedimentary rocks that probably represent a detachment zone. Site U1515 is located on the west Australian margin at 850 m water depth and was the most challenging site to core because much of the upper 350 m was either chert or poorly consolidated sand. However, the prebreakup Jurassic(?) sediments interpreted from the seismic profiles were successfully recovered. Site U1516 cored an expanded Pleistocene, Neogene, and Paleogene section and recovered a complete Cenomanian/Turonian boundary interval containing five layers with high total organic carbon content. Recovery of well-preserved calcareous microfossil assemblages from different paleodepths will enable generation of paleotemperature and biotic records that span the rise and collapse of the Cretaceous hot greenhouse (including OAEs 1d and 2), providing insight to resultant changes in deep-water and surface water circulation that can be used to test predictions from earth system models. Paleotemperature proxies and other data will reveal the timing, magnitude, and duration of peak hothouse temperatures and any cold snaps that could have allowed growth of a polar ice sheet. The sites will also record the mid-Eocene–early Oligocene opening of the Tasman Gateway and the Miocene–Pliocene restriction of the Indonesian Gateway; both passages have important effects on global oceanography and climate. Understanding the paleoceanographic changes in a regional context provides a global test on models of Cenomanian–Turonian oceanographic and climatic evolution related both to extreme Turonian warmth and the evolution of OAE 2. The Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks and underlying Jurassic(?) sediments cored in different parts of the MB provide information on the timing of different stages of the Gondwana breakup. The recovered cores provide sufficient new age constraints to underpin a reevaluation of the basin-wide seismic stratigraphy and tectonic models for the region.

International audience; Coring/logging data and physical property measurements from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349 are integrated with, and correlated to, reflection seismic data to map seismic sequence boundaries and facies of the central basin and neighboring regions of the South China Sea. First-order sequence boundaries are interpreted, which are Oligocene/Miocene, middle Miocene/late Miocene, Miocene/Pliocene, and Pliocene/Pleistocene boundaries. A characteristic early Pleistocene strong reflector is also identified, which marks the top of extensive carbonate-rich deposition in the southern East and Southwest Subbasins. The fossil spreading ridge and the boundary between the East and Southwest Subbasins acted as major sedimentary barriers, across which seismic facies changes sharply and cannot be easily correlated. The sharp seismic facies change along the Miocene-Pliocene boundary indicates that a dramatic regional tectonostratigraphic event occurred at about 5 Ma, coeval with the onsets of uplift of Taiwan and accelerated subsidence and transgression in the northern margin. The depocenter or the area of the highest sedimentation rate switched from the northern East Subbasin during the Miocene to the Southwest Subbasin and the area close to the fossil ridge in the southern East Subbasin in the Pleistocene. The most active faulting and vertical uplifting now occur in the southern East Subbasin, caused most likely by the active and fastest subduction/obduction in the southern segment of the Manila Trench and the collision between the northeast Palawan and the Luzon arc. Timing of magmatic intrusions and seamounts constrained by seismic stratigraphy in the central basin varies and does not show temporal pulsing in their activities..

The Louisville Seamount Chain (LSC) is, besides the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain, one of the longest-lived hotspot traces. We report here the first Re-Os isotope and platinum group element (PGE) data for Canopus, Rigil, and Burton Guyots along the chain, which were drilled during IODP Expedition 330. The LSC basalts possess (187Os/188Os)i = 0.1245–0.1314 that are remarkably homogeneous and do not vary with age. A Re-Os isochron age of 64.9 ± 3.2 Ma was obtained for Burton seamount (the youngest of the three seamounts drilled), consistent with 40Ar-39Ar data. Isochron-derived initial 187Os/188Os ratio of 0.1272 ± 0.0008, together with data for olivines (0.1271–0.1275), are within the estimated primitive mantle values. This (187Os/188Os)i range is similar to those of Rarotonga (0.124–0.139) and Samoan shield (0.1276–0.1313) basalts and lower than those of Cook-Austral (0.136–0.155) and Hawaiian shield (0.1283–0.1578) basalts, suggesting little or no recycled component in the LSC mantle source. The PGE data of LSC basalts are distinct from those of oceanic lower crust. Variation in PGE patterns can be largely explained by different low degrees of melting under sulfide-saturated conditions of the same relatively fertile mantle source, consistent with their primitive mantle-like Os and primordial Ne isotope signatures. The PGE patterns and the low 187Os/188Os composition of LSC basalts contrast with those of Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) tholeiites. We conclude that the Re-Os isotope and PGE composition of LSC basalts reflect a relatively pure deep-sourced common mantle sampled by some ocean island basalts but is not discernible in the composition of OJP tholeiites.

Mantle-derived spinel peridotite and spinel plagioclase pyroxenite xenoliths hosted in Cenozoic alkali basalts (20 Ma) are found in the Xikeer area, western Tarim Block, NW China. Based on petrographic and geochemical characteristics, the peridotite xenoliths are divided into three groups. Group 1 peridotite xenoliths have experienced high degree melt extraction (~ 17% fractional melting) and weak, incipient metasomatism. Group 2 and 3 peridotite xenoliths have undergone extensive silicate melt metasomatism, resulting in clinopyroxenes with spoon-shaped and highly fractionated REE patterns respectively. Although their present texture is metamorphic, the pyroxenite xenoliths were initially of metasomatic origin, with high pressure protolith mineral assemblage of orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + spinel ± olivine. Numerical modeling of the Mg-number shows that the Xikeer pyroxenites may have resulted from reaction between Group 1 peridotite and a primitive Permian picritic melt at a high melt/rock ratio (> 15) and that the host basanite is incapable of being the metasomatic melt. The Re–Os isotopic systematics of the Xikeer peridotites and pyroxenites yield an apparent isochron of ~ 290 Ma, virtually identical to the age of Tarim flood basalts. Their eNd(t = 290 Ma) ranges from + 9.5 to + 14.3, typical of convecting mantle. We propose that the Xikeer xenolith suite may have been initially formed by melt extraction from the convecting mantle and, shortly after, was refertilized by Tarim mantle plume melts during the Early Permian, a process which is referred to as mantle ‘auto-refertilization’.

Previous studies of Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) basalts reveal that they are products of 20–30% degree of melting and possess ocean-island-like Pb, Nd, and Sr isotopic signatures that fall within a limited range yet define two distinct isotopic groups represented by the Kroenke- and Kwaimbaita-type basalts and by the Singgalo-type basalts. The origin of the two groups is not clear, although the Kroenke–Kwaimbaita-type signature has been suggested to represent the plateauʼs main mantle source, probably originating from the lower mantle. In this study, samples from central Malaita, Solomon Islands and Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Sites 807, 1185B, and 1187 were analyzed for Os and Hf isotopic composition to further investigate the origin of the bimodal isotopic composition of OJP basalts. The Kroenke-type basalts, which are parental to Kwaimbaita-type basalts, show the least effect of post-emplacement alteration on their Os isotopic composition and have e Hf ( t ) = + 10.8 to +13.3, Os = 118–174 ppt, Re = 161–1111 ppt, and near-chondritic ( Os 187 / Os 188 ) t = 0.1322 ± 0.0029 [ γ Os ( t ) = 2.7 ± 2.2 and 4.3 ± 2.3 ( n = 6 ; 1σ) relative to primitive upper mantle (PUM) and average chondrite values, respectively], suggesting a near-primitive mantle source for the OJP. Up to 25% assimilation of altered Jurassic Pacific MORB crust into fractionating Kroenke-type magma could explain the lower, 11–51 ppt, Os contents and more radiogenic, ( Os 187 / Os 188 ) t = 0.1395 ± 0.0020 [ γ Os ( t ) = 8.4 ± 1.5 and 10.0 ± 1.5 ( n = 3 ; 1σ)], composition of some Kwaimbaita-type basalts. These compositions are markedly different from those of the least altered Singgalo-type basalts with e Hf ( t ) = + 10.2 to +11.5 and ( Os 187 / Os 188 ) t = 0.3301 ± 0.0175 [ γ Os ( t ) = 156 ± 14 and 160 ± 14 ( n = 8 , 1σ)] and low, 21–37 ppt, Os contents that are lower oceanic crust-like. Despite the scatter in the Re–Os isotope data, meaningful isochron ages and initial values were obtained. These ages are 121.4 ± 4.6 Ma for Malaitan Kwaimbaita Fm. basalts and 123 ± 24 Ma for Singgalo-type basalts, with initial 187Os/188Os of 0.129 ± 0.025 and 0.325 ± 0.098 , respectively. The Re–Os ages agree very well with the average ∼122 Ma 40Ar–39Ar age for the OJP. The Re–Os and Lu–Hf results reinforce the interpretation of a two-component mantle source for the OJP consisting of a dominant near-primitive mantle similar to that involved in the sources of several ocean islands, represented by the Kroenke- and Kwaimbaita-type basalts, and old, recycled lower continental crustal material expressed subtly in the isotopic signature of the Singgalo-type basalts. A lower crustal influence may be explained by incorporation of ancient, delaminated mafic continental crust into a thermochemical plume; incorporation could provisionally involve dense ex-crustal material that had accumulated in the lower mantle or less dense material that had stagnated at mid-mantle depths.

We present initial isotopic ratios of lead for Early Cretaceous (Barremian–Aptian) sections from Shatsky Rise (Pacific) and Gorgo a Cerbara (Italy). Our Pb isotopic data track an interval representing Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE)-1a, which is characterized by quasi-global deposition of organic carbon-rich black shale. Pb isotopic compositions of sediments from Shatsky Rise decrease at the end of Barremian time, from radiogenic continental values to unradiogenic values, and subsequently remained less radiogenic until the end of early Aptian time. We explain the isotopic shift by a significant increase in supply rate of unradiogenic Pb, most likely due to massive volcanism. In contrast, the Pb isotopic compositions from the Italian section, which was situated at the western end of Tethys, are mostly identical to those of upper continental crust, showing no significant change in supply rate of unradiogenic Pb. The discrepancy between two sites is attributed to quiescent deep-submarine eruptions of Pacific large igneous provinces (LIPs) such as the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP), which severely limited dispersion of Pb-carrying particles out of the Pacific Ocean. Published Os isotopic data from the Italian section indicate two episodes of massive eruptions of OJP or contemporaneous Manihiki and Hikurangi plateaus starting from earliest Aptian time, slightly later than that indicated by the sedimentary Pb isotopic record from Shatsky Rise. Differences in isotopic variations between Pb and Os likely reflect differences in their chemical behaviors in the oceans, i.e., Pb isotopic compositions would have varied in response to local or regional changes in sediment provenances, whereas large-scale changes in Os inputs are required to explain variations in seawater Os isotopic compositions. Our Pb isotopic data, together with the published Os isotopic record, provide new evidence for the eruptive history of OJP together with contemporaneous Pacific plateaus and its environmental consequences, starting from end-Barremian time and extending through early Aptian time.

The Early Cretaceous Ontong Java Plateau was emplaced at almost the same time as marine biotic changes that culminated in oceanic anoxic event 1 (OAE1a). A causative link between these events has been suggested, but direct evidence has been lacking until now. New Os isotope measurements across the Lower Aptian “Selli Level” black shale deposited during OAE1a in central Italy reveal two negative excursions in marine 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios within a period of 2 Ma starting above the Barremian-Aptian boundary and ending just above the Selli Level horizon, suggesting an order-of-magnitude increase in the global fl ux of unradiogenic Os. The results are consistent with early and major phases of eruption of the Ontong Java Plateau. The latter phase is estimated to have been as short as ~1 Ma and may have induced widespread oceanic stratifi cation that triggered OAE1a.

Age-corrected Pb, Sr and Nd isotope ratios early Aptian basalt from four widely separated sites on the Ontong Java Plateau that were sampled during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 192 cluster within the small range reported for three earlier drill sites, for outcrops in the Solomon Islands, and for the Nauru and East Mariana basins. Hf isotope ratios also display only a small spread of values. A vitric tuff with eNd(t) = +4.5 that lies immediately above basement at Site 1183 represents the only probable example from Leg 192 of the Singgalo magma type, flows of which comprise the upper 46-750 m of sections in the Solomon Islands and at Leg 130 Site 807 on the northern flank of the plateau. All of the Leg 192 lavas, including the high-MgO (8-10 wt%) Kroenke-type basalts found at Sites 1185 and 1187, have eNd(t) between +5.8 and +6.5. They are isotopically indistinguishable from the abundant Kwaimbaita basalt type in the Solomon Islands, and at previous plateau, Nauru Basin and East Mariana Basin drill sites. The little-fractionated Kroenke-type flows thus indicate that the uniform isotopic signature of the more evolved Kwaimbaita-type basalt (with 5-8 wt% MgO) is not simply a result of homogenization of isotopically variable magmas in extensive magma chambers, but instead must reflect the signature of an inherently rather homogeneous (relative to the scale of melting) mantle source. In the context of a plume-head model, the Kwaimbaita-type magmas previously have been inferred to represent mantle derived largely from the plume source region. Our isotopic modelling suggests that such mantle could correspond to originally primitive mantle that experienced a rather minor fractionation event (e.g. a small amount of partial melting) approximately 3 Ga or earlier, and subsequently evolved in nearly closed-system fashion until being tapped by plateau magmatism in the early Aptian. These results are consistent with current models of a compositionally distinct lower mantle and a plume-head origin for the plateau. However, several other key aspects of the plateau are not easily explained by the plume-head model. The plateau also poses significant challenges for asteroid impact Icelandic-type and plate separation (perisphere) models. At present, no simple model appears to account satisfactorily for all of the observed first-order features of the Ontong Java Plateau. © The Geological Society of London 2004.

Combined analyses of deep tow magnetic anomalies and International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349 cores show that initial seafloor spreading started around 33 Ma in the northeastern South China Sea (SCS), but varied slightly by 1-2 Myr along the northern continent-ocean boundary (COB). A southward ridge jump of approximate to 20 km occurred around 23.6 Ma in the East Subbasin; this timing also slightly varied along the ridge and was coeval to the onset of seafloor spreading in the Southwest Subbasin, which propagated for about 400 km southwestward from approximate to 23.6 to approximate to 21.5 Ma. The terminal age of seafloor spreading is approximate to 15 Ma in the East Subbasin and approximate to 16 Ma in the Southwest Subbasin. The full spreading rate in the East Subbasin varied largely from approximate to 20 to approximate to 80 km/Myr, but mostly decreased with time except for the period between approximate to 26.0 Ma and the ridge jump (approximate to 23.6 Ma), within which the rate was the fastest at approximate to 70 km/Myr on average. The spreading rates are not correlated, in most cases, to magnetic anomaly amplitudes that reflect basement magnetization contrasts. Shipboard magnetic measurements reveal at least one magnetic reversal in the top 100 m of basaltic layers, in addition to large vertical intensity variations. These complexities are caused by late-stage lava flows that are magnetized in a different polarity from the primary basaltic layer emplaced during the main phase of crustal accretion. Deep tow magnetic modeling also reveals this smearing in basement magnetizations by incorporating a contamination coefficient of 0.5, which partly alleviates the problem of assuming a magnetic blocking model of constant thickness and uniform magnetization. The primary contribution to magnetic anomalies of the SCS is not in the top 100 m of the igneous basement.

The Early Cretaceous Greater Ontong Java Event in the Pacific Ocean may have covered ca. 1% of the Earth's surface with volcanism. It has puzzled scientists trying to explain its origin by several mechanisms possible on Earth, leading others to propose an extraterrestrial trigger to explain this event. A large oceanic extraterrestrial impact causing such voluminous volcanism may have traces of its distal ejecta in sedimentary rocks around the basin, including the paleo-Tethys Ocean which was then contiguous with the Pacific Ocean. The contemporaneous marine sequence at central Italy, containing the sedimentary expression of a global oceanic anoxic event (OAE1a), may have recorded such ocurrence as indicated by two stratigraphic intervals with (187)Os/(188)Os indicative of meteoritic influence. Here we show, for the first time, that platinum group element abundances and inter-element ratios in this paleo-Tethyan marine sequence provide no evidence for an extraterrestrial trigger for the Early Cretaceous massive volcanism.

Basalt sills cored in lowermost Berriasian sediments on Shatsky Rise in the northwest Pacific yield a mean 4 0 Ar- 3 9 Ar incremental heating age of 144.6 ′ 0.8 Ma, providing a minimum estimate on the age of the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary. The largest part of the rise was emplaced at rates similar to those of several continental flood basalts. The rise formed at an oceanic triple junction, and the sills, as well as lavas from two dredge sites, exhibit an ocean ridge-type Nd-Pb-Sr isotope signature. This signature is provisionally consistent with either a perisphere or meteorite-impact model, but is not predicted by the plume-head model of plateau formation. However, no model can yet be rejected, given the very sparse sampling of Shatsky Rise.