| Summary: | Hf, Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes, and major, trace and rare earth elements (REE) were determined for a suite of peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths, constituent garnet and clinopyroxene and the host Nikos kimberlite (100 Ma) from Somerset Island, in order to constrain the chemical and isotopic composition of the lithosphere beneath the northern Canadian craton. The refractory Nikos peridotites are characterized by high olivine forsterite contents (avg. Fo = 92.3) and depletions in incompatible major elements (Fe, Al, Ca), but are enriched in incompatible trace elements, such as large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE), while having approximately chondritic heavy rare earth element (HREE) contents. Mass balance calculations using REE contents of clinopyroxene and garnet indicate that calculated LREE abundances for the Nikos xenoliths are significantly lower (e.g. Nd ~50%) than those of the analyzed whole-rocks. These results suggest the presence of small amounts of a kimberlite-related LREE-rich interstitial component (i.e. ~1% kimberlite liquid and/or ~0.01% apatite) to account for the excess LREE abundances, with little effect on the HREE budgets of the xenoliths. The 143Nd/144Nd(0.1Ga) (0.51249--0.51276) isotopic compositions of the Nikos peridotites are little variable and overlap those of the Nikos kimberlite at the time of sample transport. The low-temperature peridotites (<1100°C) that sample the shallow lithosphere are characterized by more radiogenic 176Hf/177Hf(0.1Ga) (0.28296--0.28419) and Pb (206Pb/204Pb (0.1Ga) = 17.82--19.03), but lower 87Sr/ 86Sr(0.1Ga) (0.7047--0.7066) isotopic ratios than those of the high-temperature peridotites (>1100°C; 0.28265--0.28333; 17.18--18.30; 0.7064--0.7085, respectively). Incompatible trace element compositions of the xenoliths confirm this depth stratification indicating that shallow and deep (>160 km) Somerset lithosphere are characterized by distinct chemical and isotopic characteristics. The Lu-Hf isotope compositions of the low-temperature peridotites plot along a 2.8 Ga reference isochron, which is consistent with an interpretation that the shallow Somerset lithosphere stabilized in the Archean to depth of ~150 km. The deep lithospheric mantle, which is probably younger, does not share the same petrogenetic history and may contain recycled material (altered oceanic crust and sedimentary component?). The Hf isotope compositions for the shallow low-temperature peridotites indicate that part of the lithosphere beneath the Canadian craton is characterized by more radiogenic Hf isotope signatures than estimates for "depleted" mantle.
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