Formation of harzburgite by pervasive melt/rock reaction in the upper mantle

Many mantle peridotite samples are too rich in Si02 (in the form of orthopyroxene) and have ratios of light to heavy rare earth elements that are too high to be consistent with an origin as the residuum of partial melting of the primitive mantle. Trace element studies of melt/rock reaction zones in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inNature (London) Vol. 358; no. 6388; pp. 635 - 641
Main Authors Kelemen, Peter B, Dick, Henry J. B, Quick, James E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing 20.08.1992
Nature Publishing Group
Subjects
Crystalline rocks
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Geochemistry
Geology
Igneous and metamorphic rocks petrology, volcanic processes, magmas
Soil and rock geochemistry
United States
North America
California
trace elements
neodymium
harzburgite
lherzolite
upper mantle
igneous rocks
magmas
partial melting
ultramafics
peridotites
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Many mantle peridotite samples are too rich in Si02 (in the form of orthopyroxene) and have ratios of light to heavy rare earth elements that are too high to be consistent with an origin as the residuum of partial melting of the primitive mantle. Trace element studies of melt/rock reaction zones in the Trinity peridotite provide evidence for reaction of the mantle lithosphere with ascending melts, which dissolved calcium-pyroxene and precipitated orthopyroxene as magma mass decreased. This process can account for the observed major and trace element compositions of lithospheric mantle samples, and may accordingly be prevalent in the upper mantle.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 23
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/358635a0