Lecture 4: MORB petrogenesis

Outline
1) Overview of igneous petrogenesis
2) Mid-Ocean Ridges how are they characterized?
3) MORB where and how do they form?
4) Geochemical variations in MORB (major elements,
trace elements and isotopic characteristics)
 Igneous Petrogenesis
1. Mid-ocean ridges
2. Continental rifts
3. Island Arcs
4. Active continental margins
5. Back-arc basins
6. Ocean Islands
7. Intraplate hotspot activity, carbonatites, or kimberlites
 Mid-ocean ridges
Mid-ocean ridges produce ~ 21 km3 of lava per year
~60% of the earths surface is covered with oceanic crust
 Mid-ocean Ridges
Vp (km/s)
0 2 4 6 8 10
-2

Water

0 Layer 1 = sediment

Layer 2 = extrusives
2 Layer 2a = dikes

4
Layer 3 = gabbro

Moho
8
Mantle = altered peridotite

10

Spreading rate influences thermal structure, physical

structure, crustal thickness and amount of melting
 Spreading rate and structure
Fast-spreading East Pacific Rise
Thermal structure is warmer
Crust is thicker, lithosphere is thinner
Higher degrees of melting
Sustained magma chambers and
volcanism
Less compositional diversity

Slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Thermal structure is cooler
Crust is thinner, lithosphere is thicker
lower degrees of melting
Episodic volcanism
Higher compositional diversity
 The Axial Magma Chamber: original model
Semi-permanent
MORB magmas are produced by fractional Hekinian et al. (1976)
Contr. Min. Pet. 58, 107.
crystallization within the chamber
Periodic reinjection of fresh, primitive MORB
Dikes upward through extending/faulting roof
Crystallization at top and sides successive
layers of gabbro (layer 3) infinite onion
Dense olivine and pyroxene crystals
ultramafic cumulates (layer 4)
Moho?? Seismic vs. Petrologic

Figure 13.16. From Byran and Moore (1977)

Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., 88, 556-570.
A modern concept of the axial
magma chamber beneath a After Perfit et al. (1994)
Geology, 22, 375-379.
fast-spreading ridge
Model for magma chamber beneath a slow-spreading
ridge, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Most of body well below the liquidus temperature, so convection and mixing is
far less likely than at fast ridges
numerous, small, ephemeral magma bodies occur at slow ridges
Slow ridges are generally less differentiated than fast ridges - no continuous
liquid lenses, so magmas entering the axial area are more likely to erupt
directly to the surface

2 Rift Valley
Depth (km)

Gabbro
6 Transition
zone
Moho Mush
8

10 5 0 5 10
Distance (km)
After Sinton and Detrick (1992) J. Geophys. Res., 97, 197-
Oceanic Crust and Upper
Mantle Structure

1) Geophysical studies
2) Mantle xenoliths
3) Ophiolites: uplifted oceanic crust
+ upper mantle

Lithology and thickness of a typical

ophiolite sequence, based on
the Samial Ophiolite in Oman.
After

Boudier and Nicolas (1985) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 76, 84-92.
 Rock types in the mantle
Peridotite is the dominant rock type of the Earths upper mantle
Lherzolite: fertile unaltered mantle; mostly composed of olivine,
orthopyroxene (commonly enstatite), and clinopyroxene (diopside),
and have relatively high proportions of basaltic ingredients (garnet and
clinopyroxene).
Dunite (mostly olivine) and Harzburgite (olivine + orthopyroxene) are
refractory residuum after basalt has been extracted by partial melting
Wehrlite: mostly composed of olivine plus clinopyroxene.

wehrlite lherzolite
 Ocean Crust Geology

Modern and ancient pillow basalts

Glassy pillow rinds are used to infer
original melt compositions

P. Asimow
Magma: mixture of molten rock, gases and mineral phases,
produced by mantle melting
Mantle melts between ~800-1250C due to:
1) Increase in temperature
2) Decrease in pressure
3) Addition of volatile phases

Partial melting

Adiabatic rise of
mantle material with
no heat loss
decompression
melting

Mid-Ocean Ridges
 A model for mantle melting
Several models are possible of how and where the melt is extracted
and what happens to it during transport
This average melt is primary mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB).
Hot mantle starts melting at deeper depths, thus has a larger melt
triangle or area over which melting occurs than a cooler mantle
Mantle rising nearer axis of plume traverses greater portion of
triangle and thus melts more extensively

Hot mantle cool mantle

Asimow et al., 2004

 Igneous rock classification by composition
There are several classifications, of individual rocks or rock suites.
By silica percentage:
%SiO2 Designation % Dark Minerals Designation Example
rocks
>66 Acid <40 Felsic Granite, rhyolite
52-66 Intermediate 40-70 Intermediate Diorite, andesite
45-52 Basic 70-90 Mafic Gabbro, basalt
<45 Ultrabasic >90 Ultramafic Dunite, komatiite
(plagioclase)

The common crystallization sequence at

mid-ocean ridges is: olivine ( Mg-Cr
spinel), olivine + plagioclase ( Mg-Cr
spinel), olivine + plagioclase +
clinopyroxene

(clinopyroxene) (olivine)

After Bowen (1915), A. J. Sci., and Morse (1994)

 Increased fractional crystallization
The major element
chemistry of MORBs

MORBs are the product of

fractional crystallization, melt
aggregation, seawater interaction
and crustal contamination
MgO contents are a good index for
fractional crystallization (typically,
more primitive melts have higher
MgO)
Data is often corrected back to 8
wt% MgO to estimate primary melt
compositions and to compare data
sets

Fenner-type variation diagrams for basaltic glasses from

the Afar region of the MAR. From Stakes et al. (1984)
 Global systematics
The values of regionally-averaged Na8 (i.e., Na2O concentration
corrected to 8% MgO), Fe8, water depth above the ridge axis, and
crustal thickness show significant global correlations.
Where Na8 is high, Fe8 is low
Where Na8 is high, the ridges are deep
Where Na8 is high, the crust is thin

3.5 Deep ridges Na8 is an incompatible

element, thus an indicator
3.0 of mean extent of melting.
Na 8.0 Fe8 is an indicator of mean
2.5 pressure of melting.
Axial depth is an indicator
2.0 of mantle temperature,
extent of melting, and
1.5 Shallow ridges crustal thickness
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 combined see slide #5
Fe8.0
 Synthesis of global systematics
The global correlation implies that extent of melting and pressure of
melting are positively correlated, on a global scale. This relates to the
mantle potential temperature.
If melting continues under the axis to the base of the crust everywhere,
then high potential temperature means: long melting column high
mean extent of melting low Na8 and high crustal thickness shallow
axial depth; high mean pressure of melting high Fe8. Cold mantle
yields the opposite.
Cold mantle Hot mantle
sea level
axial depth

crust
25%
20% 40%
15% F
mean P 10% mean F
5%
35%
solidus 1.5 GPa

30%
F
25%
mean P 20%
15% mean F
10%
5%

solidus 4.5 GPa

P. Asimow
Spider diagram of crust vs mantle

Workman and Hart, 2005

 A modern concept of the axial
magma chamber beneath a fast- Figure 13-15. After Perfit et al.
(1994) Geology, 22, 375-379.
spreading ridge
 Generating enriched signatures in MORB
1) Low degrees of melting
2) Mantle source enrichment

N-MORB: normal MORB

T-MORB: transitional MORB
E-MORB: enriched MORB
 Isotope systematics of MORB
Radiogenic isotope systems (Sr, Nd, Pb) are used to see mantle enrichments
due to relative compatibilities of radiogenic parents and daughters
e.g., 87Rb 87Sr, Rb is more incompatible than Sr so high 87Sr/86Sr ratios

indicate an enriched source

Compared to ocean islands and subduction zones, MORBs are relatively
homogeneous
 Stable isotopes
Like radiogenic isotopes, stable isotope can be used to trace source
enrichments and are not influenced by degrees of melting
Oxygen, boron, helium and nitrogen isotopes show very little variability
in MORB, and are distinct from enriched OIB and subduction related
lavas

Manus

Macpherson et al., 2000

He isotopes:
3
He : key tracer of a primordial component
4
He : representing a radiogenic component (U+Th decay)

3
He anomalies at ridges is evidence for degassing of primordial gases
from the earth

Typical 3He/4He ratios:

Crust : 0.01-0.05 RA
MORB : 8 1 RA
Arcs: 5 - 8 RA
Hotspots: up to 37RA

Craig and Lupton (1981)