326 Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 45 (1979) 326-336

© Elsevier Scientific Pubhshmg Company, Amsterdam - Printed in The Netherlands

[51

A RE-APPRAISAL OF THE USE OF TRACE ELEMENTS TO CLASSIFY AND DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN

MAGMA SERIES ERUPTED IN DIFFERENT TECTONIC SETTINGS

DAVID A WOOD
Department o f Geologtcal Scwnces, Untverslty o] Btrmmgham, P 0 Box 363, Btrmmgham B15 2TT (U K )

JEAN-LOUIS JORON
Laboratotre de geochmue comparee et systemattque, UER des Sctences de la Terre et Instttut de Physique du
Globe, LA 196 CNRS, Untverstte Pwrre et Marte Curw, 4 Place Jussteu, 75230 Parts Cede~ 05 {France)

and

MICHEL TREUIL
Groupe des Sewnees de la Terre, Laboratolre Pwrre Sue, CNRS, Centre d'Etudes NuelOaires de Saclay, B P
No 2 Glf-sur Yvette (France)

Received June 16, 1979

Revised version received August 1, 1977

The hygromagmatophlle element composition of baslc lavas from several tectonic environments are compared
with the estimated composition of the primordial mantle The observed variations are used to subdivide mid-ocean
ridge basalts (MORB) into two main types according to the tectomc character of the ridge segment from which they
were erupted Ridge segments with posmve residual gravity, depth and heat flow anomalies erupt E-type MORB
which are predominantly enriched in the more hygromagmatophlle elements, but also include magma types which
are depleted m most of these elements Both ennched and depleted E-type MORB can be dlstmgmshed from the
basalts erupted at normal ridge segments (N-type MORB) by their La/Ta ranos (in E-type MORB La/Ta ~10, in
N-type MORB La/Ta is ~15) and by Hf/Ta ratios (m E-type MORB Hf/Ta < 7, m N-type MORB Hf/Ta > 7) E-type
MORB can be distinguished from the basalts erupted at ocean Islands by their higher Hf/Ta ratios (>2) A Th-Hf-Ta
triangular diagram is used to discriminate between the different ocean floor basalts as well as those erupted at
destructive plate margins, which are depleted in Ta and Nb This diagram can also distinguish between SlllClClavas
from the different tectonic environments as well as identifying lavas that have been contaminated with continental
crust

1 Introduction s o m e success, especially t h o s e using e l e m e n t s w h i c h

T h e c o n s i d e r a b l e increase in t h e p r e c i s i o n a n d
r a p i d i t y o f w h o l e r o c k m i n o r a n d trace e l e m e n t
analysis, w i t h t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f a u t o m a t e d analyti-
cal e q u i p m e n t in t h e last decade, has led t o several
a t t e m p t s to classify a n d d i s c r i m i n a t e b e t w e e n m a g m a
series e r u p t e d in d i f f e r e n t t e c t o n i c settings using
t h e s e e l e m e n t s [ 1 - 5 ] T h e s e a t t e m p t s have m e t w i t h
are insensitive t o s e c o n d a r y processes, viz Zr, Nb, T1,
Y a n d P [3,5] Classifications b a s e d o n these i m m o b i l e
e l e m e n t s have b e e n a p p h e d to volcanic series e r u p t e d
in t h e past, w h e r e the p r e s e n t state o f p r e s e r v a t i o n
a n d p o o r e x p o s u r e p r e c l u d e s t h e u n a m b i g u o u s ldenti-
fIcaUon o f t h e p a l a e o t e c t o n l c e n v i r o n m e n t using
o t h e r available geological data [3,6]
In o r d e r to b e able t o e x t r a p o l a t e this t e c h n i q u e

to identify palaeotectonlc environments with con-
fidence one must be certain that the trace element
classification of recent magma series employed is
accurate and distinguishes as many tectonic environ-
ments as possible The trace element classification of
magma types erupted at mid-ocean ridges using Zr-T1-
Y does not distinguish the magma types erupted at
tectonlcally anomalous ridge segments (e g hot spots
or lines associated with positive residual gravity and
depth anomalies) from those magma types erupted at
normal ridge segments Substantial amounts of trace
element data have recently been published for basalts
erupted at normal and anomalous segments of the
Mad-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) as a result of the recent
phase of the Deep Sea Drilling Project and dredging
projects such as FAMOUS (e g [7,8]) Most of these
basalts plot within the field of "ocean floor basalts"
in the Zr-TI-Y triangle despite showing a large range
of Zr/Y ratios Using other trace element data it is
now possible to distinguish quite successfully
between basalts from normal and anomalous ridge
segments (e g [8]) We intend to show in this paper
some ways in which this information can be used to
supplement the Information given by the standard
dlscruninatlon diagrams
There are three main hmltatlons of the commonly
used discrimination diagrams (1) they fall to distin-
guish between magma types erupted at tectonically
different mid-ocean ridge segments, (2) they are
restricted to basic volcanlcs, as the separation of Fe-
T1 oxide phases during the fractlonation of evolved
basalts drastically modifies ratios Involving T1, (3)
only variations of a restricted range of trace elements
have been considered (1 e the immobde trace
elements which can be most efficiently analysed by
X-ray fluorescence - XRF)
In order to choose groups of elements which are
suitable for classification it is necessary to consider
the overall compositional differences between magma
types erupted in all tectonic environments, and make
some attempt to explain the reasons for the variations,
1 e are they a consequence of petrogenetlc processes
or mantle source lnhomogeneltiesq To be able to do
this it is necessary to consider a large amount of data for
several elements Instrumental neutron activation
analysis (INAA) provides a technique by which several
elements (which cannot be determined by XRF) can
be efficiently (i e, rapidly and precisely) determined
327
e g, Th, Ta, Hf and the rare earth elements (REE)
Using data obtained by both XRF and INAA techni-
ques provides information on a wide spectrmn of ele-
ments and simplifies the problems of classification
2 Notation and geochemical principles employed
To replace the undescriptlve term "incompatible"
and the frequently mls-used term "large 1on htho-
ptule" we have used the term "hygromagmatophde"
(HYG) [8,9] for those trace elements with bulk distri-
bution coefficients (D) less than one These elements
are partitioned Into the hquld phase during partial
melting processes and Into the residual liquid of a
crystalhzlng magma These can be subdivided into
("more-HYG" for those elements with D values close
to or less than 0 01 (e g Cs, Rb, K, U, Th, Ta, Nb,
Ba, La and Ce) and "less-HYG" for those elements
with D close to or greater than 0 1 (e g Zr, Hf, Sr, P,
T1, Y and the middle and heavy REE) The D values
are however strongly dependent upon the mineralogy,
composition, PH2o,Po2, P and T conditions of the
system and these element groupings only apply for
basic melts in equlhbrlum with an upper mantle
system (ol + opx + cpx • gt + sp) with low PH20 and
POE, e g an ocean ridge mantle source In systems
containing plagioclase or refractory minor phases,
e g apatlte, phlogoplte, pargaslte and titanium
oxides, the elements forming major stochlometrlc
components of these phases, 1 e P, K, and T1, cease to
be HYG elements and most of the other HYG ele-
ments have much higher D values than in the system
considered above DTa and DNb are considerably
increased if a titanium oxide phase is revolved and
Dsr IS significantly increased if plagloclase IS involved
Slhclc and intermediate magmas generally have minor
phases such as apatlte, zircon, sphene, aemgmatite
and monazlte on their lntratellurtc hquldus and most
elements considered as HYG above cease to be so
Thus some elements can be more HYG in one tectonic
setting and less HYG in another This is because the
elements grouped as more HYG above have different
ionic characters [10] M1 of the elements considered
as more HYG except Ta and Nb have ionic radius/
ionic charge ratios greater than 0 2 and it is their
large Ionic radii which makes them HYG elements
In contrast, It lS the high charge of Ta and Nb which
328
makes thenr HYG elements in most systems, but the
slnrilarity of their ionic radii with that of T1 (i e
~0 68 A) prevents their HYG character in systems
containing titanium oxide phases The different ionic
character of the more HYG elements can be utilized
m discrimination diagrams
HYG elements have been extensively used to study
magmatic processes such as crystal fractlonatlon and
partial melting because their behavlour IS governed by
simple equations [ 9 , 1 1 - 1 3 ] HYG element concen-
trations in basic lava series often show systematic
variations on bmxlal diagrams, which can be used to
distinguish which magmatlc processes have been
involved in their genesis A series of lavas related by
crystal fractionatlon will plot on a straight line passing
through the origin on an HYG element versus HYG
element diagram [9,14] A series of lavas related by
different degrees of batch partial nIeltlng wdl do so
only If two more-HYG elements are plotted, or If two
less-HYG elements with very similar D values are
plotted, e g Tb versus Y On diagrams of a more-
HYG element versus a less-HYG element such a lava
series would plot on a curve However, for a combina-
tion of elements to be useful in characterizing magma
types from different tectonic environment they must
ideally have a much greater variation In concentration
between samples from different environments than
between samples from the same environment [3]
Thus, element groups which are useful for studying
petrogenetlc processes are not always suitable for
discrimination of tectonic setting and vice versa
In fact it is the element ratios that are characteristic
of the mantle source from which magma series are
derived, rather than those dependent on petrogenetlc
processes involved, which are most useful for dis-
crimination of tectonic setting [10] It is now well estab-
lished that the sub-oceanic upper mantle is lnhomo-
geneous on a regional and local scale [ 8 , 1 5 - 1 9 ] and
that the observed variations m HYG element ratios
cannot be readily induced by the processes generally
involved In the generation of basaltic magmas
3 Fractionatlon of the HYG elements relative to the
primordial mantle
When discussing the compositional variation
among basic lavas a reference composition IS required
to which all the lavas can be compared The primor-
dial mantle (1 e present mantle + crust + hydro-
sphere + atmosphere) is useful in this context as it
gives an indication of the fractxonation events that
have been involved in generating present mantle
sources since the accretion of the Earth Despite the
controversy of whether the accretion of the Earth
from the solar nebula was homogeneous or hetero-
geneous, estimates of bulk Earth composition from
the expected condensation sequence constrained by
K/U ratio and bulk Fe and U abundances [20] show
good agreement with estimates made by summing the
contributions of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, crust,
mantle and core [21 ] The HYG element composi-
tion of the primordial mantle (Fig 1) can be obtained
from these estimates assuming that they are excluded
from the Earth's core (except P) For Zr, Nb, P and
Sr we have used the calculated values for the Archaean
mantle [22] The ratios of the refractory elements in
the calculated primordial mantle are close to C1 and
C3 chondrites with approximately twice the absolute
abundances
The HYG element contents in basalts from dlf-
100
o
:E
E_
o.
E
Cs Rb Ba Th U K Ta Nb La Ce Sr Nd P Hf Z r SmTi Tb Y
Fig 1 HYG element abundances of selected basic lavas from
different tectomc environments normahzed to the estimated
primordial mantle composition [20] • = average N-type
MORB [7,22], • = an Iceland basalt ISL79 [27], [] = Azores
basalt F1 [12], o = a basalt from the Izu-Bonm arc [35],
0 = a basamte from Victoria, southeastern Australia [24]

ferent tectomc environments normahzed to the pri-
mordial mantle are plotted on a logarithmic scale in
Fig 1 The elements have been arranged in order
of increasing D values for partial melting in condi-
tions of low PH20 and Po2 The relative variation of
D values has been calculated for reahstic mantle
mineralogies using experimentally determined mmeral-
hquld partmon coefficients where avadable (cf [23,
table 2] for compdatlon) or estimated from relative
enrichment factors m basalt series related by partial
melting processes [8] The composition of average
"normal" mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) (compiled
from data given by Bougault et al [7] and Sun and
Nesbltt [22]) plots as a relatively smooth curve m
Fig 1 indicating the progressive depletion of the
HYG elements with decreasing D
Island arc tholentes show depletion of the more
HYG refractory elements with extreme depletmn of
Ta and Nb, but enrichment of the volatile more-HYG
elements (Cs, Rb, Ba and K) relative to the other
more-HYG elements Many basalts erupted at the
so-called anomalous segments of mid-ocean ridges
(e g Iceland, Azores and MAR 45°N), which are
ennched in the more-HYG elements relative to the
less-HYG elements, show characteristic inverted "V"
patterns when normahzed to the primordial mantle
(Fig 1) Nb and Ta form the apex of this pattern
Some basalts from transmonal segments of mid-ocean
ridges (e g Reyklanes Ridge, FAMOUS area) show
HYG element variations intermediate between those
of "normal" and "enriched" MORB Most ocean
Islands and continental basalt series (l e within plate
basalts [3 ]) show similar relative vanatmn of the
HYG elements to "enriched" MORB
It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss in
detail the processes causing fractionatlons of the
HYG elements and the reader IS referred to prevmus
studies (e g [23-26,72] The HYG element depletmn
of normal MORB is consistent with its mantle source
region having suffered a previous depletion event(s)
[11 ], which radiogenic isotopes indicate occurred
earlier in Earth history [ 15,18,36], and probably
revolved the extraction of incipient partml melts
under rather special conditions [23,26] Explanations
for the more complex HYG element and radiogenic
isotope varlatmns of enriched and transltmnal MORB
are controversial and continue to be vigorously
debated in the literature [8,15,25-28] In our view
329
the most promising models invoke that the mantle
sources of transitional and enriched MORB (and
much of the sub-continental mantle) have undergone
both enrichment and depletion events earher in Earth
history and consist mainly of refractory depleted
material variably permeated by veins of material
enriched in the more-HYG elements, which have been
derived by incipient partial melting events deeper in
the mantle [23,26,27,72]
The Irregular HYG element variation in island arc
and calc-alkahc basalt series are a consequence of the
special upper mantle conditions and compositions
prevalhng at subductlon zones [71 ] The relative enrich-
ment of volatile HYG elements and radiogenic
isotopes ot Sr and Pb is generally considered to be the
result of dehydration or incipient melting of sub-
ducted lithosphere (basalt + sediment) [25,30,31]
enriching the overlying mantle wedge The depletion
of Ta and Nb relative to the other more-HYG elements
is considered to be a consequence of the high PH:O
and Po2 conditions in this environment enhancing
the stability of a titanium oxide phase [26,71 ] The
refractory nature of sphene and rutile at high and low
Ptotal respectively under hydrous conditions [32]
endorses this interpretation For a combination of
elements to be useful for discriminating between
tectonic environments, in addition to showing a
reasonable degree of variation between the magma
types plotted In Fig 1, they must [3,10]
(1) be determined efficiently even at very low con-
centratlons This requirement precludes the use of
some elements, e g Nb and Ta contents in some
island arc tholentes are less than 1 and 0 01 ppm,
respectively [33-35] - Ta can be analysed efficiently
at these concentrations but Nb cannot We there-
fore favour the use of Ta in discrimination diagrams,
but accept that Nb could be used in its place when
concentrations above 1 ppm are being considered We
should stress at this point that sample preparation is
crucial when analysing for Ta - tungsten carbide
shatter boxes may contaminate samples with up to
0 5 ppm Ta (and probably similar or slightly higher
concentrations of Nb) and should be avoided
(2) be relatively insensitive to secondary processes
such as weathering and alteratmn This requirement
precludes the use of Cs, Rb, K, U, Sr and to a less
extent Ba [36,37,40] Also recent studies have sug-
gested that the hght REE (and Th) may not be
330

Immobile under certain conditions of alteration [ 3 7 - 10 /" o~D III

Th
39], and that the variation reduced by secondary
processes may be significant for basalts with low o

absolute abundances of these elements In our stud]es

o
of variably altered ocean floor basalts sigmficant / cl A
/ F o
moblhty of Th and La only occurs in the most pala- 1.
o o o

o
gonitlsed pdlow margins Nevertheless, the potential o /

mobfl:ty of Th and La during some secondary processes OoO

/
does mean that care must be taken when using them o ~o
o
m dsscrimmatlon diagram In order to be sure that / it•.
the Th and La contents of an unknown altered basalt o

series are representative of prnnary concentrations, 01-

a suite of samples showing varying degrees of altera- */

/
tmn should be analysed The mare risk of m:sclassl-
/
ficatlon of a magma type using Th and L a m altered
samples occurs with normal MORB wh:ch has very
low concentrations (~0 1 and 1 5 ppm respectively) Ta
o Ol
Despite varying degrees of alteration of the normal o Ol 0'1 1 10
MORB drilled by the Deep Sea Drilling Project Legs
38, 45, 46 and 5 1 - 5 3 [7,27,40], ratios involving 100
La ' " ~ •
these elements with nnmoblle elements have not been
significantly modified in any of the crystalhne
samples We conclude that Th and La can be used in
d:scrlmmatlon diagrams provided that samples con-
taming large proportions of altered glass are avoided
'°
Of the HYG elements Included m F:g 1, only Th,
Ta, P, Hf, Zr, TI, the REE and Y can be considered
statable for use in dlscrlmmatlon dmgrams Here we

10 '

Th

/
o ~A•
"C Ta
01
1" 001 0'1 i 10
Fig 2 (a) T h versus H f , (b) T h v e r s u s T a , (c) L a versus T a f o r
b a s i c lavas f r o m d i f f e r e n t t e c t o m c e n v i r o n m e n t s * = N - t y p e
.,S
. o.•/
o •
MORB [7,40], * = FAMOUS area, MAR [8,34], • = Iceland
and the Reykjanes Ridge [8,27], • = east and • west Azores

01- "'o /d4... [ 3 4 ] , Q = i s l a n d a r c t h o l e n t e s a n d c a l c - a l k a h c lavas f r o m

Japan [34,35] • = bulk Earth [20]
•

will consider the use of Th, Ta, Hf and La Because

of the different HYG element patterns shown in Fig
001 a
Hf 1, blaxlal diagrams of the concentrat:ons of certain
01 10 100 element pairs can be used to distlngmsh between

basalt series erupted in some tectonic environments
(Fig 2) For example, Th versus Hf separates the dif-
ferent basalt types erupted in the oceanic environ-
ment, but does not distinguish them clearly from
magma series erupted at converging plate margins Th
versus Ta can distinguish basalt series of converging
plate margins from MORB, but the variations
between the different MORB types are relatively
small Logarithmic scales have been used In Fig 2,
because some magma types with very low abundances
of these elements would plot very close to the origin
if linear scales were used
4 Trace element classification o f ocean floor basalts
Before considering the discrimination diagrams in
more detail It is necessary to estabhsh how the basalt
types should be grouped in a classification scheme for
basic volcanic rocks based on tectonic setting In the
light of the significant and systematic varlatmns in
HYG element ratios (Figs 1 and 2) and St, Pb and Nd
isotope ratios of basalt types erupted at mid-ocean
ridges [8,18,19,25,41,42] we proposed that the
classification scheme be further refined The two tec-
tonic types of ridge segment form the basis of the
classification
(1) Normal ridge segments erupting N-type MORB
with very low abundances of the more-HYG elements
and very low Rb/Sr (ca <0 01), Th/U (ca ~2), La/
Ta (ca ~15) and Hf/Ta (ca >7) This type shows
relatively small variations in Isotope ratios 87Sr/
86Sr = 0 7023--0 7027 [36], 143Nd/144Nd =
0 5131-0 5133 [18,43],2°6pb/2°4Pb = 17 5 - 1 8 5
[44]
(2) Ridge segments with positive residual gravity,
depth and heat flow anomahes often associated with
"hot spots", which erupt basalts ennched and more
rarely depleted in the more HYG elements (we refer
to these as E-type MORB) This type consists pre-
dominantly of tholentlc basalts but shows greater
variation In HYG element and radiogenic isotope
ratios than N-type MORB (Rb/Sr ~ 0 04 and HI'/
Ta < 7 but > 2) with La/Ta about 10 and Th/U about
4 [8,19] 87Sr/86Sr is greater than 0 7027, 143Nd/
144Nd IS less than 0 5131,2°6pb/2°4Pb varies from
18 0 to 19 5 [17,18,43] In some areas where anoma-
lous ridges grade into normal ridge segments (e g the
331
Reykjanes Ridge) the depleted basalts predominate
and become progressively more similar to N-type
MORB [42] but can be distinguished by their higher
Sr and Pb isotope ratios, and element ratios such as
La/Ta [8,60] The sparse, llght-Ree-depleted picrltlC
basalts from Iceland, which have been interpreted as
the products of continuously melting an E-type
MORB mantle source [13], can also be distlngmshed
from N-type MORB in this way The presence of
llght-REE-depleted basalts at E-type MORB ridge
segments precludes the use of REE ratios, such as La/
Sm [28], for distinguishing the different types of
ridge segment There IS probably a complete chemical
gradation between E-type MORB and N-type MORB
and any chemical boundary is arbitrary Thus, in the
classification outlined above those basalts wtuch plot
near to the boundary could fall into either group and
are therefore difficult to classify There are at least
four reasons why basalts could plot close to this
boundary (1) their mantle source has this composi-
tion, (2) they are the products of continuous melting
of an E-type MORB source (whach can significantly
reduce Th/Hf and Ta/Hf ratios), (3) they represent
very small degrees of partial melting of an N-type
MORB mantle, and (4) they are N-type MORB which
have suffered extensive alteration causing enrichment
of Th Because the true parentage of these basalts IS
difficult to ascertain geochemically we have grouped
them Into a separate field and refer to them as transl-
tlonal or T-type MORB in whach the tectonic nature
of the ridge cannot be clearly defined
E-type MORB can be distinguished from magma
types erupted at ocean islands or by off-axis vol-
canism (1 e within plate basalts - WPB [3]) by their
lower more- to less-HYG element ratios WPB have
Hf/Ta ratios less than 2, and Zr/Y greater than 4 5
(the basis of their distinction in the Zr-TI-Y triangle
[3]) and are predominantly alkahc WPB also have
higher ratios of radiogenic to non-radiogenic isotopes
of Pb and/or Sr than the magma types we have identi-
fied as E-type MORB [25] There are some exceptions
to this distinction between E-type MORB and within
plate basalts For example, some basalts from the
Emperor Seamounts, and presumably Hawaii, have
trace element compositions (e g Hf/Ta ~ 3) [45]
which would be classified here as E-type MORB
Hawanan lavas are also difficult to distinguish from
E-type MORB isotoplcally [18,25] On the other
332
hand, some basalts recovered from close to the axis
of mid-ocean ridges have trace element compositions
similar to within plate basalts, e g at the MAR IPOD
Site 410 (45°N), IPOD Site 413, unit 2 (36°N)
[8], DSDP Site 344 [27] However, at each site there
is evidence to suggest that the anomalous basalts are
the products of off-axis volcanism [61,62] and
should not be classified as mid-ocean ndge basalts
anyway Nevertheless, their close association with
MORB in the ocean crust indicates that some segments
of "fossil" oceanic crust could include both MORB
and WPB magma types
5 A new d i s c n m l n a t m n diagram
Magma types from all the tectonic environments
considered do not plot in well separated fields on the
biaxial plots shown In Fig 2 However, by com-
bining the variations shown in these diagrams and
presenting them as a triangular diagram a clearer dis-
crlnunatlon emerges (Fig 3) A triangular diagram
also has the advantage of being able to include slhclc
compositions without problems of scale The scaling
factor used in the triangular diagrams prevent all the
magma types from clustering near one apex of the
triangle without altering their relative position The
fields of magma types erupted in different tectonic
enwronlnents, with the presently available data,
have been marked In order to extract data from the
literature where reliable analyses of Th, Zr and Nb
have been quoted, but not Hf and Ta, the approximate
Hf and Ta concentrations have been estimated
assuming Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta ratios of 39 and 16
respectively [19,63] These ratios are known not to
vary significantly In terrestrial magmas - precise
published data for lavas from several tectomc environ-
ments show that the Zr/Hf ratios [24,33,63-671 are
within +-10 and the Nb/Ta ratios [63,64,68] are
within -+5 of the values used The adopted values are
close to those determined in chondrltlC meteorites
[65,69,70] Such data have not influenced the posi-
tion of the field boundaries in Fig 3
The position of the bulk Earth [20] has been
plotted in the triangular diagram It plots in a position
intermedmte between the fields of terrestrial magmas
and lends some support to the notion that a combina-
tion of the source compositions of the main magma
HI/3
\
J ~'% I:': "/I "
Th/ XTa
Fig 3 Th-Hf-Ta diagram with the fields of magma composi-
tions erupted m different tectonic environments outlined
l-leldA is N-type MORB - data from the MAR [7 22 27]
and the Red Sea [55] I leld B is E-type MORB - data from
the MAR [8,27,34], Iceland region [271, Red Sea, Asal and
Manda Hararo (Afar) [55] Dotted lines mark transitional
zone between tields A and B m which plot basalts from
DSDP Sites 336 and 337 (northeast of Iceland) [27], unit
409-1 lrom 63°N MAR [8], some basalts from the Red Sea
floor [34] and a plcrltlc basalt from Iceland ISL 34 [27]
Field C l~ ~lthm plate basalt - data from Azores, Reunion,
Marquesas, Hanlsh (Red Sea) [34], Victorian basic lavas [24,
59], and Fmuruangogolak, Kenya Rift [56] Field D is for
magma series at destructive plate margins data trom Japan
[34,35] Salpan, bill, Bougainvdle [33] Chde [57] and Sar-
dinia [58] Slhclc lavas in ilelds C and D are distinguished by
horizontal bars
types and continental crust in the appropriate pro-
portions would plot in a slmdar position
SlllClC and Intermediate liras have been plotted
where data are available (mainly Iceland, Azores and
Japan) One advantage of this diagram is that slhclc
magmas plot reasonably close to their basic parents
and can therefore also be discriminated Crystal frac-
tlonatlon tends to push the residual liquid towards
the Th apex of the triangle as significant proportions
of Fe-T1 oxides, chnopyroxene and other minor
phases, (Into which Hf and Ta are partlUoned
preferentially to Th) occur as intratellurlc hquidus
phases in intermediate and slhclc hqulds It is
fortunate that the resultant increase of Th/Hf, Th/Ta,
etc, in the residual liquid is not large enough to

obscure their relationship with the appropriate paren-
tal basic magmas The change in Th/Ta ratio between
the Icelandic tholentlc magmas and their SillClC
derivatives IS greater than that observed in the Azores
magmas series This is consistent with the higher Fe
and T1 contents of Iceland magmas which results in
a large proportion of Fe-TI oxide fractlonatlon [46]
An Important feature of the diagrams is the marked
separation of calc-alkahc and crustal slhcIc rocks from
the uncontaminated syhclc rocks produced by crystal
fractlonatlon of E-type MORB and WPB parental
magmas
These diagrams should prove to be useful in classi-
fying the magma types associated with ophlohte com-
plexes and those erupted in the back-arc, marginal
ocean basins At the present time we only have data
for the Shlkoku and Dalto Basins of the West Pacific
obtained by DSDP Leg 58 [35] Basalts from Sites
442 and 443 in the Shlkoku basin are classified as
N-type MORB (some with Th/Hf slightly > 0 1) One
of the basalt sills drilled at Site 444 in the Shikoku
Basin plots in the WPB field and has been interpreted
as off-axis volcanism The other sill from Site 444
plots as E-type MORB The series of 25 sills drilled
at Site 446 plots in the fields of both WPB and E-type
MORB These data suggest that the range of mantle
sources feeding marginal basins, in this area at least,
IS similar to the main ocean basins Although we do
not have enough data from other marginal basins,
available pubhshed data for the East Scotia Sea [47]
and Bransfield Strait [48] marginal basins suggest
that some of the mantle sources may have island arc
and calc-alkahc affinities respectively More detailed
studies of marginal basin basalts are required before
meaningful geochemical comparisons between them
and those of main ocean basins can be made At the
present time we assume the two are geochemically
equivalent In most cases Saunders et al [10] came to
this conclusion in their attempt to show that back-
arc basin and main ocean basin crust are equal con-
tenders as optuollte precursors
6 Magma series contaminated by continental crust
Because crustal rocks and uncontaminated, WPB
magma types plot in widely separated positions m Fig
4, these triangular diagrams can be used to determine
333
Hf/3
Th v w v v Ta
Fig 4 Th-Hf-Ta diagram for the Okl-D6go alkahc magma
series of Japan [35 ] • = trachybasalt e = mugeante, O=
trachyandeslte, c = aegtrlne trachyte, ¢: = trachytes, * = rhyo-
htes
whether a particular WPB lava has been significantly
contaminated during ItS passage through the crust or
if a crustal component has been Involved in ItS genesis
The Okl-Dogo alkalic series in the Japan Sea is a good
example of a contaminated WPB magma series Uchl-
mlzu [49] considered the petrology, mineralogy and
major element chemistry of this series in some detail
and established that there were two distinct fractlona-
tlon trends from alkali basalt (1) an Iron-poor trend
through trachybasalt, trachyandesite to trachyte, (2)
and iron-rich trend through trachybasalt, mugearlte,
benmorelte and trachyte We have analysed 13
samples from this series [35] and they are plotted in
Fig 4 Pb ISOtope data [50] have been previously
interpreted as evidence for crustal contamination
The trachybasalts plot in the field of WPB and the
trachytes, rhyohtes and trachyandesltes plot in the
field of calc-alkahc magma types close to the average
crustal composition The mugearltes plot in between
the two and one aegIrlne trachyte plots in the position
expected for slhclc differentiates of WPB parental
magmas Our interpretation is that the trachytes,
rhyolltes and trachyandesltes are the products of
partially melting continental crust, the mugearltes are
differentiates of the trachybasalts which have been
contaminated by slhclc crustal rocks, the aegmne
334
t r a c h y t e IS a d i f f e r e n t i a t e o f t h e t r a c h y b a s a l t s t h a t
has n o t b e e n d e t e c t a b l y c o n t a m i n a t e d
T h e H e b r i d e a n T e r t i a r y lava series o f n o r t h w e s t
S c o t l a n d has also b e e n c o n t a m i n a t e d b y c o n t i n e n t a l
crust a c c o r d i n g to i s o t o p i c studies [51,52] a n d these
lavas also p l o t o u t s i d e the fields given in Fig 3 A
m o r e detailed discussion o f t h e n a t u r e o f c o n t a m i n a -
t i o n o f this lava series will b e given elsewhere [53]
H o w e v e r , we m e n t i o n this lava series here as M o r r i s o n
[54] has r e c e n t l y crltlclsed t h e use o f i m m o b i l e trace
e l e m e n t classifications o f basic m a g m a s o n t h e
g r o u n d s t h a t Heb~ldean lavas plot m several fields o n
various d ~ s c r i m l n a t m n d i a g r a m s W h e n a c c o u n t ~s
t a k e n o f t h e i r c o n t a m i n a t e d n a t u r e we believe such
criticisms are n o t j u s t i f i e d
7 Conclusions
We have a t t e m p t e d t o show t h a t in t h e h g h t o f
r e c e n t data the trace e l e m e n t classification o f o c e a n
f l o o r basalts can be u p d a t e d using h y g r o m a g m a t o p h l l e
l r a c e e l e m e n t s In this classification, using a t r i a n g u l a r
diagram o f Th-Hf-Ta, o c e a n ridge a n d w i t h i n plate
basalts ( w i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n o f H a w a n ) can be distin-
guished f r o m e a c h o t h e r a n d f r o m t h e T a - d e p l e t e d
m a g m a t y p e s e r u p t e d at d e s t r u c t i v e plate m a r g i n s
We believe t h a t this diagram c a n be used to supple-
m e n t the Zr-T1-Y t r i a n g u l a r diagram [3] w h e n t l y l n g
t o d e t e r n u n e t h e t e c t o n i c s e t t i n g o f u n k n o w n volcanic
r o c k s T h e T h - H f - T a diagram can d i s c r i m i n a t e
b e t w e e n slhclc m a g m a s derived f r o m E - t y p e M O R B
or WPB a n d t h o s e associated w i t h d e s t r u c t i v e p l a t e
m a r g i n s or r e m e l t e d c o n t i n e n t a l crust Also t h e y can
d i s t i n g u i s h WPB series c o n t a m i n a t e d b y c o n t i n e n t a l
crust
Acknowledgements
D A W wishes t o t h a n k t h e R o y a l S o c i e t y , U K ,
a n d t h e C e n t r e N a t i o n a l de R e c h e r c h e S c l e n t l f i q u e ,
F r a n c e , for a p o s t - d o c t o r a l fellowship s u p p o r t i n g his
stay at Saclay, a n d t h e N a t u r a l E n v i r o n m e n t R e s e a r c h
Council, U K , for a p o s t - d o c t o r a l fellowship sup-
p o r t i n g h i m at B i r m i n g h a m Discussions w i t h Drs
A D S a u n d e r s a n d J T a r n e y s t i m u l a t e d t h e ideas
p r e s e n t e d in t h i s p a p e r
References
1 J R Cann Rb Sr, Y, Zr and Nb in some ocean floor
basalt rocks, Earth Planet Scl Lett 10 (1970) 7
2 G Thompson, F Shido and A Mlyashtro, Trace element
distribution m fractlonated oceanic basalts, Chem Geol
9 (1972) 89
3 J A Pearce and J R Cann, Tectonic setting of basic vol-
canic rocks determined using trace element analyses,
Earth Planet Scl Lett 19 (1973)290
4 T H Pearce, B E Gorman and T C Bxrkett, The TlO2-
K20-P20 s diagram a method of discriminating between
oceanic and non-oceanic basalts, Earth Planet Scl Lett
24 (1975) 419
5 P A Floyd and J A Winchester Magma type and tectomc
setting discrimination using immobile elements, Earth
Planet Scl Lett 27 (1975)211
6 M J Bickle and E Nlsbet The oceanic affinities o[ some
alpine matlc rocks based on their T1-Zr-Y contents, J
Geol Soc London 128 (1972) 267
7 H Bougault, M Treml and J -L Joron, Trace elements in
basalts from 22°N and 36°N in the Atlantic Ocean
fractional crystalhzation partial melting and hetero-
geneity of the upper mantle, in W G Melson, P D Rabl-
nowltz et al Initial Reports ol the Deep Sea Drilhng Pro-
ject, 45 (U S Government Printing Office, Washington
D C , 1978) 493
8 D A Wood, J Tarney, J Varet, A D Saunders H Bou-
gault, J L Joron, M Treull and J R Cann, Geochemistry
of Basalts drilled an the north Atlantic by IPOD leg 49
lmphcatlons for mantle heterogeneity Earth Planet Scl
Lett 42 (1979) 77
9 M Treufl and J Varet, Crxteres volcanologlques, p~tro-
logiques et geochmuques de la gen~se et de la dilferen-
ttatlon des magmas basaltiques Fxemple de l'Atar Bull
Soc Geol Fr XV, 5-6(1973) 506
10 A D Saunders, J Tarney, N G Marsh and D A Wood,
Ophiohtes as ocean crust or marginal basin crust a geo-
chemical approach in Proceedings of the Symposium on
Ophiohte Problems (Geological Survey of Cyprus, 1979)
in press
11 P W Gast, Trace element fractIonatmn and the origin of
tholetltlC and alkahne magma types, Geochlm Cosmo-
chIm Acta 32 (1968) 1057
12 C H Langmmr, J F Bender, A E Bence, G N Hanson
and S R Taylor, Petrogenesls of basalts from the
t AMOUS area Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Earth Planet Scl
kett 36 (1977) 133
13 D A Wood Dynamic partial melting and Its application
to the petrogenesls of basalt lava series trom Iceland,
the I aeroe Islands, the Isle of Skye (Scotland) and the
Troodos Massif (Cyprus), Geochlm Cosmochma Acta
43 (1979) 1031
14 S D Weaver, J S C Sceal and I L Gibson, Trace element
data relevant to the origin of trachytic and pantellerItlC
lavas in the East African Rift System, Contrib Mineral
Petrol 36 (1972) 181

15 S S Sun and G N Hanson, Evolution of the mantle
geochemical evidence from alkah basalts, Geology 3
(1975) 297
16 R K O'Nlons and R J Pankhurst, Petrogenetic signifi-
cance of isotope and trace element variations In volcanic
rocks from the Mid-Atlantic, J Petrol 15 (1974) 603
17 R K O'Nmns, R J Pankhurst and K Gronvold, Nature
and development ol basalt magma sources beneath Iceland
and the Reykjanes Ridge, J Petrol 17 (1976) 3
18 R K O'Nlons, P J Hamilton and N M Evensen, Varm-
tlons m 143Nd/i44Nd and 87Sr/86Sr ratios in oceanic
basalts, Earth Planet Scl Lett 34 (1977) 13
19 J L Joron, H Bougault, D A Wood and M Treuil,
Application de la geochlmle des elements en trace a l'etude
des proprl6t6s et des processus de gen~se de la crofite
oceamque et du manteau sup6rleur, Bull Soc Geol Fr
XX, 4 (1978) 521
20 R Ganapathy and E Anders, Bulk composmon of the
Moon and Earth estimated from meteorites, Proc 5th
Lunar Scl Conf (1974) 1181
21 J V Smith, Possible controls on the bulk composition ot
the Earth lmphcatlons for the origin of the Earth and
Moon, Proc 8th Lunar Scl Conf (1977)333
22 S S Sun and R W Nesbltt, Chemical heterogeneity In the
Archaean mantle, composition of the Earth and mantle
evolution, Earth Planet Scl Lett 35 (1977) 429
23 G N Hanson, Evolutmn of the sub-oceanic mantle, J
Geol Soc London 134 (1977) 235
24 F A Frey, D H Green and S D Roy, Integrated models
of basalt petrogenesls A study of quartz tholentes to oh-
vine mehhtltes from south eastern Austraha utlhzmg geo-
chemical and experimental petrological data, J Petrol
19 (1978) 463
25 S S Sun, Lead isotope study of young volcamc rocks
from mid-ocean ridges, ocean islands and island arcs,
Phllos Trans R Soc London, Ser A (1979)m press
26 D A Wood, A variably vetoed sub-oceanic upper mantle
genetic significance for MORB from geochemical ew-
dence, Geology (1979) in press
27 D A Wood, J -L Joron, M Treml, M Norry and J Tar-
ney, Elemental and Sr isotope variations in basic lavas
from Iceland and the surrounding ocean floor the nature
of mantle source heterogeneltles, Contrlb Mineral
Petrol (1979) in press
28 J G Schilling, M B Bergeron and R Evans, Halogens in
the mantle beneath the north Atlantic, Philos Trans
R Soc London, Ser A (1979) in press
29 F A Frey and D H Green, The mineralogy, geochemistry
and origin of lherzohte inclusions m Victorian basamtes,
Geochlm Cosmochlm Acta 38 (1974) 1023
30 M G Best, Migration of hydrous fluids m the upper
mantle and potassium variation m calc-alkahc rocks,
Geology 3 (1975) 429
31 C J Hawkesworth, R K O'Nlons, R J Pankhurst, P J
Hamilton and N M Evensen, A geochemical study of
island-arc and back-arc tholentes from the Scotia Sea,
Earth Planet Scl Lett 36 (1977)253
335
32 P L Hellman and T H Green, The role ot sphene as an
accessory phase in the high-pressure partial melting of
hydrous marie compositions, Earth Planet Scl Lett 42
(1979) 191
33 S R Taylor, A C Capp and A L Graham, Trace element
abundances in andesltes, II Salpan, Bougamvdle and FlJl,
Contnb Mineral Petrol 23 (1969)1
34 J -L Joron and M Treud, UtlllSatlon des proprx6tes des
~lements fortement hygromagmatophlles pour l'6tude
de la composition chtmlque et de l'heterogen~lte du man-
teau, Bull G~ol Soc Fr XIX (1977) 1197
35 D A Wood, J -L Joron, N G Marsh, J Tarney and M
Treull, Major and trace element variations in basalts from
the north Phlhppme Sea drdled by IPOD leg 58 a com-
parative study of back-arc basin basalts with lava series
from Japan and mid-ocean ridges, in G DeVrles Klein,
K Kobayashl et al, Imtlal Reports of the Deep Sea Dril-
ling Project, 58 (U S Government Printing Office,
Washington, D C , 1979) in press
36 S R Hart, K, Rb, Cs, Sr and Ba contents and Sr Isotope
ratios of ocean floor basalts, PhlloS Trans R Soc Lon-
don, Ser A, 268 (1971) 573
37 D A Wood, I L Gibson and R N Thompson, Elemental
m o b ~ t y during Zeohte facies metamorphism of the
Tertiary basalts of eastern Iceland, Contrlb Mineral
Petrol 55 (1976) 241
38 P L HeUman and P Henderson, Are the rare earth ele-
ments mobile during splhtlsatlon°, Nature 267 (1977)
38
39 J N Ludden and G Thompson, An evaluation of the
behavlour of the rare earth elements during the weathering
of sea floor basalt, Earth Planet Scl Lett 43 (1979)
85
40 J-L Joron, C BoUlnger, J P Qulsefit, H Bougault and
M Treuil, Trace elements m basalts at 25°N, old crust, m
the Atlantic Ocean Alteration, mantle and magmatlc
processes, in T W Donnelly et al, Initial Reports of the
Deep Sea Drllhng Project, 5 1 - 5 3 (U S Government
Printing Office, Washington, D C , 1979) in press
41 S S Sun, R W Nesbltt and A Ya Sharaskm, Chemical
characteristics of mid-ocean ndge basalts, Earth Planet
Scl Lett 44 (1979) 119
42 J -G Schflhng, Iceland mantle plume geochemical study
of the Reykjanes Ridge, Nature 242 (1973) 565
43 D J DePaolo and G J Wasserburg, Nd Isotope variations
and petrogenetlc models, Geophys Res Lett 3 (1976)
249
44 M Tatsumoto, Isotopic composition of lead In oceanic
basalt and Its imphcatlon to mantle evolution, Earth
Planet Scl Lett 38 (1978) 63
45 P Cambon, J L Joron, H Bougault and M Freud, Leg
55 Emperor Seamounts, trace elements in transitional
tholentes, alkah basalts and hawantes, mantle homo-
genelty or heterogeneity and magmatlc processes, in
E D Jackson, I Kmzuml et al, Initial Reports of the
Deep Sea Drilling Project 55 (U S Government Printing
Office, Washington, D C , 1979) in press
336
46 D A Wood, Major and trace element varmtlons m the
Tertiary lavas of eastern Iceland and their significance
with respect to the Iceland Geochemical Anomaly, J
Petrol 19 (1978) 393
47 A D Saunders and J Tarney, The geochemistry of basalts
from a back-arc spreading centre in the East Scotia Sea,
Geochlm Cosmochlm Acta 43 (1979) 555
48 S D Weaver, A D Saunders, R J Pankhurst and J Tar-
ney, A geochemical study of magmatlsm associated with
the mRlal stages of back-arc spreading the Quaternary
volcanlcs of Bransfield Strait, from South Shetland
Islands, Contrlb Mineral Petrol 68 (1979)151
49 M Uchlmlzu, Geology and petrology of alkali rocks from
D6go, Okl Islands, J Fac Scl, Umv Tokyo, Sect II,
16 (1966) 85
50 H Kurasawa, Isotopic composition of lead and concen-
trations of uranium, thorium and lead m volcanic rocks
lrom D~go of the Okl Islands, Geochem J 2 (1968) 11
51 S Moorbath and H Welke, Lead isotope studies on
igneous rocks from the Isle of Skye, north~est Scot-
land, Earth Planet Scl Lett 5 (1969) 217
52 S R Carter, N M Evensen, P J Hamilton a n d R K
O'Nlons, Neodymium and strontium isotope evidence for
crustal contammatxon of continental volcamcs, Science
202 (1978) 743
53 D P Mattey and D A Wood, Major and trace element
ewdence for crustal contamination of the Tertiary lava
series of northwest Scotland (In preparation)
54 M A Mornson, The use of "Immobile" trace elements to
distinguish the palaeotectomc affimt~es of metabasalts
applications to the palaeocene basalts of Mull and Skye,
northwest Scotland, Earth Planet Scl Lett 39 (1978)
407
55 M Treuil and J -L Joron, Etude g~ochlmlque des ~l~-
merits en traces dans le magmatlsme de l'Afar Imphca-
tlons p&rog~n&lques et comparalson avec le magmatisme
de l'Islande et de la dorsale medloatlantlque, in Afar
Between Continental and Oceanic Rifting, A thlger and
A Rosier, eds (E Schwelzerbart'sche Veflagsbuchhand-
lung, Stuttgart, 1976) 26
56 S D Weaver The Quaternary caldera volcano Emuruango-
golak, Kenya Rift, ancl the petrology of a blmodal ferro-
basalt-partellentlc trachyte succession, Bull Volcanol
40-4, 1976-77 (1978) 209
57 L Lopez-Escobar, F A Frey and M Vergara Andesites
from central-south Chile trace element abundances and
petrogenesls, in Proceedings of the Symposium on
Andean and Antartic Volcanology problems, Gonzales
l, erran, ed (Glannml and Flgh, Naples, 1976) 725
58 J Vernieres, J L Joron M Treufl, C C o u l o n a n d C
Dupuy, Coefficients de partage de quelques elements en
trace entre plagloclase et verre dans les lgnlmbrltes
lmphcatlons petrogenetlques, Chem Geol 19 (1977)
309
59 S E Kesson, The primary geochemistry of the Monaro
alkaline volcamcs, south-eastern Austraha - evidence for
upper mantle heterogeneity, Contnb Mineral Petrol 42
(1973) 93
60 S S Sun, M Tatsumoto and J -G Schilhng, Mantle plume
mLxmg along the Reykjanes Ridge axis lead isotope evi-
dence, Science 190 (1975) 143
61 M Talwam, G Udmstev et al, Imtlal Report of the Deep
Sea Drllhng Project, 38 (U S Government Printing Office,
Washington, D C , 1976) 1256 pp
62 B P Luyendyk, J R C a n n e t al Initial Report of the
Deep Sea Dnlhng ProJect, 49 (U S Government Printing
Office, Washington, D C , 1978) 1020 pp
63 H Bougault, J -L Joron and M Treuil The primordial
chondrltlc nature and large scale heterogeneltles in the
mantle evidence from high and low partition coefficient
elements in oceanic basalts, Philos Trans R Soc Lon-
don, Ser A (1979) in press
64 D Gottfrled, L P Greenland and E Y Campbell, Variation
of Nb-Ta, Zr-Hf, Th-U and K-Cs in two dlabase-grano-
phyre suites, Geochlm Cosmochlm Acta 32 (1968) 925
65 R Ganapathy, G M Papla and L Grossman, the abun-
dance of Zr and Hf in the solar system, Earth Planet
Scl Lett 29 (1976) 302
66 F J Flanagan, 1972 values for international geochemical
reference samples, Geochlm Cosmochxm Acta 33 11973)
81
67 S Abbey, Calibration standards, X-Ray Spectrom 7
(1978) 99
68 D Gottfrled and J I Dmnm dlstnbutlon of Ta in some
igneous rocks and coexisting nunerals in the southern
Cahforma Bathohth, U S Geol Surv Prof Paper 525-B
(1965) 96
69 A L Graham and B Mason, Nlobmm in meteorites,
Geochlm Cosmochlm Acta 36 (1972) 917
70 W D Ehmann and T V Rebagay, Zirconium and haf-
nium in meteorites by activation analysis, Geochlm
Cosmochim Acta 34 (1970) 649
71 A D Saunders, J Tarney and S D Weaver, Transverse
geochemical variations across the Antarctic Peninsula
lmphcatlons tor the genesis of calc-alkaline magmas,
Earth Planet Sci Lett (in press)
72 J Tarney, D A Wood, A D Saunders, J R Cann and
J Varet Nature of mantle heterogeneity in the North
Atlantic evidence from deep sea drilling, Philos Trans
R Soc London (in press)