OXYGEN ISOTOPE HETEROGENEITY OF THE MANTLE DEDUCED FROM GLOBAL 18O SYSTEMATICS OF BASALTS FROM DIFFERENT GEOTECTONIC SETTINGS

Abstract

Based upon a compilation and analysis of O-isotope data for Neogene volcanic rocks worldwide, the d18O variation for 743 basalts (historic lavas, submarine glasses, and lavas with 2O) is +2.9 to +11.4‰. Mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB) has a uniform O-isotope composition with d180=+5.7±0.2‰. Basalts erupted in different tectonic settings have mean 18O/16O ratios that are both lower and higher than MORB, with continental basalts enriched in 18O by ca. 1‰ over oceanic basalts. The d18O range for the subset of 88 basalts with Mg# [100·Mg(Mg+Fe2+)] 75–68, considered to be unmodified primary mantle partial melts, is +3.6 to +8.7‰. These features are a clear indication that: (1) the Earth's upper mantle is heterogeneous with respect to its O-isotope composition; (2) that both low-18O and high-18O reservoirs have contributed to basalt petrogenesis. Large-ion lithophile element-enriched basalts associated with subduction at convergent plate margins are slightly enriched in 18O, a characteristic that is considered to be an intrinsic feature of the subduction process. Intraplate oceanic and continental basalts have highly variable 18O/16O ratios, with individual localities displaying d18O ranges in excess of 1.5 to 2‰. Systematic co-variations between O-, Sr-, Nd-, and Pb-isotope ratios reflect the same principal intramantle end-member isotopic components (DMM, HIMU, EM-I, EM-II) deduced from radiogenic isotope considerations and, therefore, imply that a common process is responsible for the origin of upper mantle stable and radiogenic isotope heterogeneity, namely the recycling of lithospheric material into the mantle.