The geochemical and isotopic composition of the Miocene Vestfirðir basalts, Northwest Iceland: Tracking the evolution of the Iceland mantle plume


Balci U., Martin-Roberts E., Hardarson B., Fitton J. G., Olive V., Ickert R., ...Daha Fazla

Chemical Geology, cilt.711, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 711
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2026.123407
  • Dergi Adı: Chemical Geology
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Artic & Antarctic Regions, Chemical Abstracts Core, Compendex, Geobase
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: High-3He/4He mantle, Miocene Iceland mantle plume
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

AbstractThe Miocene basalts of Vestfirðir, northwest Iceland, provide a record of the Iceland mantle plume shortly after its arrival beneath the mid-Atlantic ridge. We present new trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb-He isotope data from a comprehensive collection of 16–8 Ma basalts to investigate the temporal and compositional evolution of the plume. Basalts erupted before a volcanic hiatus at ∼14.9 Ma include both depleted, negative ΔNb lavas that resemble N-MORB and enriched, plume-derived basalts with positive ΔNb that resemble E-MORB. Basalts erupted after the hiatus all have positive ΔNb, they are manifestly more enriched than the pre-hiatus lavas and have high 3He/4He (up to 42 Ra), consistent with the presence of plume mantle beneath the relocated rift. The plume-derived basalts record contributions from two distinct enriched components (NWE1 and NWE2) and a depleted component (NWD1), which show geochemical signatures similar to those recorded in modern Icelandic basalts. Both the enriched mantle components have high 3He/4He ratios, and the depleted high-3He/4He mantle component that dominates the proto-Iceland plume sampled by Baffin Island and West Greenland lavas is not evident in the Miocene sequence. The absence of 3He/4He correlations with trace elements or radiogenic isotopes suggests the high-3He/4He source does not have a unique geochemical composition.