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Episodic entrainment of deep primordial mantle material into ocean island basalts

Author

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  • Curtis D. Williams

    (University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue
    Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration)

  • Mingming Li

    (Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration
    Present address: Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.)

  • Allen K. McNamara

    (Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration)

  • Edward J. Garnero

    (Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration)

  • Matthijs C. van Soest

    (Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration)

Abstract

Chemical differences between mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) and ocean island basalts (OIBs) provide critical evidence that the Earth’s mantle is compositionally heterogeneous. MORBs generally exhibit a relatively low and narrow range of 3He/4He ratios on a global scale, whereas OIBs display larger variability in both time and space. The primordial origin of 3He in OIBs has motivated hypotheses that high 3He/4He ratios are the product of mantle plumes sampling chemically distinct material, but do not account for lower MORB-like 3He/4He ratios in OIBs, nor their observed spatial and temporal variability. Here we perform thermochemical convection calculations which show the variable 3He/4He signature of OIBs can be reproduced by deep isolated mantle reservoirs of primordial material that are viscously entrained by thermal plumes. Entrainment is highly time-dependent, producing a wide range of 3He/4He ratios similar to that observed in OIBs worldwide and indicate MORB-like 3He/4He ratios in OIBs cannot be used to preclude deep mantle-sourced hotspots.

Suggested Citation

  • Curtis D. Williams & Mingming Li & Allen K. McNamara & Edward J. Garnero & Matthijs C. van Soest, 2015. "Episodic entrainment of deep primordial mantle material into ocean island basalts," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:6:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms9937
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9937
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