Off-rift Axis Channelized Melt and Lithospheric Metasomatism along Mid-ocean Ridges—A Case Study from Iceland on the Limits of Melt Channelling

• Published in: Journal of Petrology
• Main Authors: Jordan, Maud, Pilet, Sebastien, Brenna, Marco
• Other Authors: University of Lausanne
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2022
• Subjects: Geochemistry and Petrology; Geophysics; Mid-Atlantic Ridge; Reykjanes; Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/petrology/egac052; https://academic.oup.com/petrology/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/petrology/egac052/44153061/egac052.pdf; https://academic.oup.com/petrology/article-pdf/63/7/egac052/45191265/egac052.pdf

Abstract Magmatism in Iceland is classically explained by the interaction of the mid-Atlantic ridge with the Iceland plume. The growth of Iceland through time is the result of volcanic activity at the rift axis. However, Holocene volcanism (0–11.5 ka) is not restricted to the rift zone (RZ) but also occurs off-axis, specifically in the western Snæfellsnes Volcanic Belt (SVB) and in the Southern Flank Zone (SFZ). The rift and off-axis postglacial volcanic zones are separated by a gap of ~60–80 km. While the volcanic activity of the SFZ seems correlated with the actual location of the Iceland plume, the plume relation to the SVB is uncertain. To address the origin and relationships between rift and off-rift magmas, we present new data from two transects perpendicular to the Reykjanes rift. The lavas in the SVB are characterized by transitional to alkaline compositions, with elevated incompatible trace element content. In contrast, the RZ volcanic rocks have tholeiitic compositions with trace element signatures slightly more enriched than Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB). Rift and off-rift Iceland lavas are all characterized by positive Ba and Nb anomalies, particularly in alkaline rocks. Tholeiitic and alkaline lavas show distinct differentiation sequences, with the main difference being the delayed crystallization of plagioclase in the fractionating assemblage of alkaline magmas. We apply these sequences to calculate primary magma compositions, which are then used to constrain melting conditions. Geochemical modelling indicates that Iceland rift and off-rift magmas can be produced from a peridotitic mantle source if lithospheric processes are involved. We demonstrate that recycled crust in the form of pyroxenite is not required to generate Snæfellsnes alkaline lavas. The low solidus temperature and high productivity of pyroxenite favour early and more extensive melting producing primary magmas that are not sufficiently enriched in incompatible trace elements to explain the compositional variation of Snæfellsnes ...