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Major and trace element and Sr and Nd isotopic results from mantle diapirs in
the Oman ophiolite: Implications for off-axis magmatic processes

Article  in  Earth and Planetary Science Letters · January 2016

DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2015.12.005

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 Earth and Planetary Science Letters 437 (2016) 138–149

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

www.elsevier.com/locate/epsl

Major and trace element and Sr and Nd isotopic results from mantle
diapirs in the Oman ophiolite: Implications for off-axis magmatic
processes
Marie Nicolle a,∗ , David Jousselin a , Laurie Reisberg a , Delphine Bosch b , Aurore Stephant a
a
Université de Lorraine, CRPG, 54501, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
b
Université Montpellier II, Géosciences Montpellier, UMR-CNRS 5243, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The Oman ophiolite includes both a fossil fast spreading axis, defined by five mantle diapirs, and an
Received 5 August 2014 off-axis mantle diapir emplaced 30 km from the axis, providing a natural laboratory for the study of
Received in revised form 8 December 2015 off-axis magmatic processes. We compare field and petrological observations coupled with geochemical
Accepted 14 December 2015
and isotopic analyses of samples from the off-axis diapir with those of the nearest on-axis diapir, with
Available online 20 January 2016
a particular focus on the Moho Transition Zone (MTZ). Both diapirs are defined by the presence of
Editor: T. Elliott
steeply plunging lineations, but in the on-axis case, these lineations rotate gradually into parallelism
Keywords: with the horizontal magmatic lineations of the overlying crust, while in the off-axis case, a shear zone
mantle separates the steeply plunging lineations from the horizontal lineations of the surrounding mantle. In
ophiolite the on-axis diapir, the MTZ is 50 to 500 m thick and composed of dunite with layered gabbro lenses
off-axis magmatism whereas in the off-axis diapir, the MTZ is thicker and composed of dunite with massive (∼20% of MTZ)
pyroxenite clinopyroxenite lenses and a notable absence of plagioclase. Moreover, the off-axis diapir is associated
major and trace elements
with amphibole-bearing intrusions, consisting of Mg-rich gabbroic sills in the mantle peripheral to the
Sr and Nd isotopes
diapir, and microgabbroic lenses of broadly basaltic composition in the overlying crust. The ε Nd values
of the pyroxenites in the MTZ of the off-axis diapir fully overlap with those of the intrusions in the
surrounding mantle and crust, suggesting that they are genetically related. Calculated rare earth element
(REE) abundances of liquids in equilibrium with clinopyroxene imply that the magmas that traversed the
MTZ of the off-axis diapir were more depleted in highly incompatible elements than their counterparts
in the MTZ of the on-axis diapir. On the other hand, Nd isotopic compositions of the off-axis samples
(ε Nd = 6.2–7.9 in 18 of 19 samples) indicate derivation of their parental magmas from a less depleted
source than that which produced the magma associated with the on-axis gabbro (ε Nd = 7.8–9.2, 10
analyses).
To explain these observations, we suggest that the earliest magmas in the uprising off-axis diapir formed
from the partial melting of pyroxenite veins with less radiogenic Nd isotopic compositions than those of
the ambient peridotite. As the diapir traversed the cool, hydrated lithosphere these early melts interacted
with depleted harzburgites, lowering the incompatible element contents of the melt products while
having little effect on their Nd isotopic compositions. The great abundance of clinopyroxene in the off-
axis MTZ might be explained by the high pyroxene component in the original melt but perhaps also by
the presence of water in the lithosphere, which would favor the crystallization of clinopyroxene while
inhibiting that of plagioclase. The intrusions in the overlying crust could represent, to first order, the
secondary melts produced by the melt–harzburgite reaction, while the sills in the surrounding mantle
may be cumulates from such secondary melts.
These results shed light on processes occurring during interaction between rising off-axis material and
depleted, hydrated lithospheric mantle. Furthermore, if our interpretation is correct, the low ε Nd values
of the off-axis samples contribute to the growing body of evidence for the presence of pyroxenite veins
in the MORB mantle source.
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

*
Corresponding author. Increasing evidence suggests that magmatic activity beneath
E-mail address: mnicolle@crpg.cnrs-nancy.fr (M. Nicolle).
mid-ocean ridges is not limited to the ridge axis. In the study of
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.12.005
0012-821X/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
 M. Nicolle et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 437 (2016) 138–149 139

Fig. 1. Map of the southern part of the Oman ophiolite showing the locations of the on-axis Maqsad and off-axis Mansah diapirs (open rectangles). As seen most clearly in
the Sumail massif, a system of dikes formed in a NW-SE ridge system crosscuts an older dike system oriented NE-SW. Plunging lineations (indicated by zones contoured in
deep yellow) define the mantle diapirs. I) Interpretative sketch of the ophiolite (circles: diapirs, dark gray: shear zones, thick blue lines: dike orientations, dashed line: ridge
axis). II–III) Schematic cross-sections of the on-axis Maqsad diapir and off-axis Mansah diapir, modified from Jousselin and Nicolas (2000). Horizontal straight lines in the
lithospheric harzburgite represent the frozen flow direction of the lithospheric mantle. Lines in the asthenospheric section represent flow orientations in each diapir. MTZ
denotes Moho Transition Zone. Each small letter references an illustration in Fig. 2. Adapted from Boudier et al. (1997). (For interpretation of the references to color in this
figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)

Toomey et al. (2007), mantle melt upwelling was found 5 to 20 km
from the axis over nearly half of a 200 km first order segment
of the East Pacific Rise (EPR). The discovery of melt lenses in the
lower crust, up to 20 km from the rise (Crawford and Webb, 2002;
Crawford et al., 1999; Garmany, 1989), also shows that not all melt
is focused beneath the ridge. Furthermore, seamount volcanism
provides direct evidence of off-axis magmatic processes.
When melt is delivered off-axis, its composition may be mod-
ified by interaction with cool, hydrothermally altered lithospheric
mantle (Bosch et al., 2004). However, assimilation and fractional
crystallization in the crust may obscure the effects of sub-Moho
processes in erupted basalts. Off-axis magma may even be blocked
by the cold crustal barrier and not reach the surface. Thus the ori-
gin of off-axis magmatism may be more effectively investigated
by examining rocks beneath the Moho, which are preserved from
complications occurring at higher levels. An ideal target is the
Moho Transition Zone (MTZ), the region immediately underlying
the crust–mantle interface, which is accessible almost exclusively
in ophiolites (Boudier and Nicolas, 1995).
The Oman ophiolite presents relics of a former fast-spreading
ridge, delineated by five on-axis diapirs (Boudier et al., 1997),
whose size and spacing match the distribution of melt upwelling
centers on the EPR (Toomey et al., 2007). An off-axis upwelling
center was also identified (Jousselin and Nicolas, 2000), providing
a field laboratory to explore the contrasts between on and off-axis
magmatism. Below, we compare major and trace element and Sr
and Nd isotope data for whole rocks and minerals from the MTZ
in and around this off-axis diapir with similar data from the more
classic MTZ section of a nearby on-axis diapir.
2. Geological setting and field description of the diapirs
The Oman ophiolite, about 500 km long and 50 to 100 km wide,
was obducted on the Oman margin during the closure of the Neo-
Tethys ocean 95 million years ago (Coleman, 1981; Hacker, 1994).
Its continuous gabbroic crust indicates the presence of extensive,
long lived magma chambers along the ridge, suggesting that it
is a relic of a fast spreading center (Nicolas and Boudier, 1995),
as confirmed by high resolution dating indicating a half spread-
ing rate of 10 cm/yr (Rioux et al., 2012). The tectonic context of
the Oman ophiolite remains controversial, the two main hypothe-
ses being a Mid-Ocean Ridge (e.g. Boudier et al., 1988; Godard et
al., 2006, 2003; Hacker, 1994; Nicolas and Boudier, 2003) and a
Supra-Subduction Zone (SSZ) setting (e.g. Pearce and Cann, 1971;
Pearce et al., 1981; Shervais, 2001).
In the southern part of the ophiolite (the Rustaq, Sumail and
Wadi Tayin massifs), a NW-SE dike system is observed over a
width of 20–50 km, separating into two parts a NE-SW dike sys-
tem found in the outer parts of the massifs (Fig. 1). This ge-
ometry shows that a paleo-spreading center is preserved in the
center of the massifs (Boudier et al., 1997), along an alignment
of five mantle diapirs (Fig. 1-I). Mantle diapirs, formed by local-
140 M. Nicolle et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 437 (2016) 138–149

ized melt upwelling, are identified by steeply plunging lineations,

the presence of numerous dikes in the harzburgite and a MTZ
thicker than 50 m (Jousselin et al., 1998). In the on-axis case
(Fig. 1-II), radial horizontal lineations in the mantle at the out-
skirts of the diapirs and their parallelism with magmatic lineations
in the lower crust indicate formation beneath a mature spread-
ing center, when the gabbro was still in a magmatic state. The
on-axis MTZ varies from a few meters to 450 m in thickness
and contains mostly dunite, as well as a few horizons with pla-
gioclase impregnated dunites and layered gabbro lenses (Boudier
and Nicolas, 1995; Jousselin et al., 2012; Kelemen et al., 1997;
Koga et al., 2001) (Fig. 2a). We studied the Maqsad diapir of
the Sumail massif, a typical example of an on-axis diapir in-
vestigated in several previous studies (e.g. Godard et al., 2000;
Koga et al., 2001).
The Mansah diapir is also located in the Sumail massif, but
about 30 km northeast of the alignment defined by the five on-axis
diapirs (Fig. 1). The study of Jousselin and Nicolas (2000) and our
new field observations reveal characteristics contrasting with those
of the on-axis diapirs. The Mansah diapir (Fig. 1-III) is bounded by
shear zones that separate the steeply plunging lineations of the di-
apir from the horizontal lineations of the surrounding harzburgites.
This structure is interpreted to result from the impingement of the
diapir on the off-axis horizontally laminated lithospheric mantle.
The overlying Moho and lowermost crust are tectonized, as if dis-
turbed by the uprising diapir (Fig. 2b). In places, the top of the
MTZ forms a physical mixing zone between the MTZ pyroxenites
and the gabbros from the pre-existing lower crust (Fig. 2c). The
MTZ is very thick, up to 1 km, and is composed of dunite with py-
roxenite lenses (Fig. 2d) varying in size from tens of centimeters
to tens of meters. These lenses make up ∼20% of the MTZ section
and contain clinopyroxene with variable amounts of olivine and al-
most no orthopyroxene. They are less strongly deformed than the
on-axis layered gabbro lenses, which are entirely absent in the off-
axis case. Fig. 2. (a) Dunite with layered gabbro lenses in the MTZ of the on-axis Maqsad
diapir. (b) Tectonized Moho (highlighted by the dashed yellow line), with sets of
Within a five kilometer region around and above the off-axis
westward dipping normal faults in the overlying lower crust, above the off-axis
Mansah diapir, but not inside the diapir itself, the lower crust Mansah diapir. (c) Semi-solid melange of pyroxenite from the off-axis MTZ with
and mantle are intruded by gabbroic and microgabbroic bod- the crustal gabbros at the Moho. (d) Dunite (red) with pyroxenite lenses (green) in
ies (Fig. 1-III). Similar intrusions are not reported elsewhere in the MTZ of the off-axis Mansah diapir. (e) Close-up of a Wasit sill, with fine-grained
center and coarse-grained borders. (f) Nidab intrusions in the lower crust. (g) Elon-
the ophiolite. In the mantle section, they consist of 10 to 50
gated peridotite xenoliths in a Nidab intrusion. Contours highlighted by the dashed
cm thick gabbroic sills, with fine-grained centers and amphibole- lines. (h) Close-up of a peridotite xenolith (5 cm long) in a Nidab intrusion show-
rich, coarse-grained margins. These are referred to as “Wasit” sills ing a 0.5 cm wide pyroxenite reaction rim. Du – Dunite; Px – Pyroxenite; Cpx –
(Fig. 2e), after their type locality. The intrusions in the crust and Clinopyroxene; Gb – Gabbro. (For interpretation of the references to color in this
figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)
the upper 50 m of the mantle have microgabbroic textures, and are
referred to as “Nidab” intrusions (Fig. 2f), after their type locality.
These intrusions sometimes take the form of dikes, 10 to 200 cm – Dunites and harzburgites from both the on and off-axis di-
thick, but more often form large (>10 m), chaotic lenses. Xenoliths apirs. Some can be described as “impregnated”, i.e. they con-
of harzburgite and dunite, varying in size from a few centimeters tain interstitial phases suggesting precipitation from or inter-
to several meters, are incorporated into the Nidab intrusions. Their action with melts. These phases consist of clinopyroxene and
elongated shapes with rounded edges and the reaction zones at plagioclase in the on-axis samples, but only clinopyroxene in
their boundaries suggest incomplete assimilation of these litholo- the off-axis samples.
gies, which are most likely derived from the lithospheric mantle – Gabbro lenses, found only in the on-axis MTZ, composed of
overlying the rising diapir before it reached the Moho (Fig. 2g–h). olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase.
Both the Wasit sills and the Nidab lenses lack the deformation – Pyroxenites, found only in the off-axis MTZ, composed of
fabric of the mantle and crustal sections into which they intrude. clinopyroxene with varying amounts of olivine and extremely
Together with the fine-grained texture and the presence of amphi- rare orthopyroxene. Though some samples approach wehrlitic
bole, these characteristics are consistent with their injection into compositions, all will be referred to as pyroxenites for simplic-
frozen and hydrated off-axis lithosphere. ity. Two samples are from a mixing zone between pyroxenite
and lower crustal gabbro at the Moho (Fig. 2c). One was an-
alyzed in bulk while in the other, a dark layer (olivine and
3. Rock types investigated clinopyroxene with minor plagioclase) and a white layer (es-
sentially plagioclase) were analyzed separately.
Petrographic descriptions and geographic coordinates of sam- – The off-axis gabbroic (Wasit) and microgabbroic (Nidab) in-
ples are given in supplementary Table A.1; locations are in Fig. 3. trusions, which rim the Mansah diapir, and contain olivine,
Lithologies include: pyroxene, plagioclase and amphibole.
 M. Nicolle et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 437 (2016) 138–149
Fig. 3. Simplified geologic maps of the Mansah and Maqsad areas, adapted from
Jousselin and Nicolas (2000) and Jousselin et al. (1998), showing sample locations.
Blue: Nidab intrusions; green: Wasit sills; black: pyroxenites; red: gabbros; orange:
dunites; yellow: harzburgites; purple: gabbro–pyroxenite melange. Gb – gabbro;
Px – pyroxenite. The dashed lines represent the wadis. The contours represent lin-
eation isodips. (a) Map of the Mansah area. Dark gray – crust; light gray – dunite
and pyroxenites; white – harzburgite. (b) Map of the Maqsad area. Dark gray – gab-
bros in both the crust and the MTZ; light gray – MTZ dunites; white – harzburgite.
(For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is re-
ferred to the web version of this article.)
4. Results
Descriptions of all analytical techniques can be found in the
electronic appendix. Data are presented in supplementary Ta-
bles A.2 to A.6.
4.1. Whole rock major element compositions
Major element abundances are consistent with rock types and
reflect modal variations (Fig. A.1), so only a few key observations
are noted here. Harzburgites and dunites lacking melt impregna-
tions have the same compositions on and off-axis. Nidab and Wasit
off-axis intrusions differ from the on-axis MTZ gabbros, having
higher FeO, MnO, TiO2 and Total Alkali (Na2 O + K2 O) contents. The
Nidab intrusions have globally basaltic compositions, with higher
Al2 O3 and total alkalis and much lower MgO contents than the
Wasit sills.
141
4.2. Whole rock trace element compositions
In both diapirs, harzburgites and dunites lacking melt impreg-
nation features have extremely low Rare Earth Element (REE) and
other incompatible trace element contents, with most values be-
low detection limits (Fig. A.2a). Chondrite normalized values of the
measurable HREE hint at progressive depletion towards the lighter
REE (Fig. A.3a), as noted by Godard et al. (2000) in their study
of Maqsad diapir peridotites. In contrast, impregnated harzburgites
and dunites have nearly flat HREE patterns and moderate depletion
in LREE (Fig. A.3a), with positive anomalies in Eu in the on-axis
samples. This feature is consistent with the presence of plagioclase,
which also may explain the strong positive Pb and Sr anomalies
in the full trace element patterns of the on-axis rocks (Fig. A.2a),
though hydrothermal alteration may also play a role.
The rocks of the off-axis gabbro–pyroxenite melange have REE
compositions similar to those of off-axis pyroxenites and on-axis
gabbros. The white layer displays strong positive Eu (Fig. A.3b) and
Sr (Fig. A.2b) anomalies, characteristic of cumulus plagioclase.
The Wasit sills show REE patterns similar to those of the off-
axis pyroxenites, but with concentrations 3 to 5 times higher
(Fig. A.3c) and large positive Sr anomalies (Fig. A.4a). The Nidab
intrusions have the highest REE concentrations and, in all but one
case, display nearly flat REE patterns that contrast with the LREE
depleted patterns of the Wasit sills (Fig. A.3d). They have positive
anomalies in Eu and Sr along with negative anomalies in Zr and Th
in some samples, but relative depletion in Nb and Ta is not evident
(Fig. A.4b).
4.3. Mineral major element compositions
Major element zoning between core and rim is not observed in
any of the analyzed phases. In all thin sections, different grains
of each phase yield indistinguishable results (Table A.4). Molar
forsterite (Fo) values in olivine vary from 0.92 to 0.94 in dunites
and harzburgites from both diapirs (except for on-axis impreg-
nated dunite 07-OD20D with Fo 0.90). In the off-axis case, average
olivine Fo values were 0.91 and 0.92 in the two pyroxenites from
within the diapir, and varied from 0.79 to 0.88 in the Wasit and
Nidab intrusions surrounding the diapir. Eleven of the 12 gabbros
analyzed from the on-axis diapir MTZ yielded olivine Fo values
of 0.89–0.91. Clinopyroxene in harzburgites from both diapirs, and
in pyroxenites from the off-axis diapir, have Mg# [Mg/(Mg + Fe)]
ranging from 0.93 to 0.95, while those from the off-axis intrusions
range from 0.76 to 0.90. Mg# of clinopyroxenes of all 10 analyzed
on-axis gabbros display a limited range (0.89–0.93). Among all of
our samples, clinopyroxene Mg# and olivine Fo are positively cor-
related (Fig. A.5b). The highest fraction of molar anorthite (An%) in
plagioclase (0.96) was found in the impregnated dunite 07-OD20D,
while the An% values of plagioclase of on-axis gabbros vary from
0.81 to 0.96. In contrast, An% values of plagioclase from the off-axis
intrusions vary greatly, from 0.51 to 0.92.
4.4. Trace element compositions of separated minerals
Trace element contents of individual phases (clinopyroxene,
plagioclase, amphibole) from a given rock were quite homogeneous
(Table A.5) so only average REE compositions for each sample are
plotted in the figures cited below.
All clinopyroxenes from on-axis gabbros, off-axis pyroxenites
and the gabbro–pyroxenite melange display flat HREE patterns and
depletion in LREE, with those from the off-axis pyroxenites having
globally lower REE contents (Fig. 4a) than those from the on-axis
gabbros (this study and Koga et al., 2001). Clinopyroxenes from
the Wasit sills (Fig. 4b) also have flat HREE patterns and show
depletion in LREE, but this depletion is less marked than in the
142 M. Nicolle et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 437 (2016) 138–149
Fig. 4. Chondrite normalized REE compositions of separated minerals. (a) Clinopy-
roxene in off-axis pyroxenites and gabbro–pyroxenite melange, the red field corre-
sponds to clinopyroxene analyzed in on-axis gabbros shown for comparison (data
from our study and Koga et al., 2001). (b) Clinopyroxene in Wasit and Nidab in-
trusions. (c) Plagioclase in on-axis gabbros and gabbro–pyroxenite melange. (d)
Plagioclase in Wasit and Nidab intrusions. (e) Amphibole in Wasit and Nidab in-
trusions. For each phase, the compositions from a given sample were homogeneous
so only average values are plotted. (For interpretation of the references to color in
this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)
pyroxenites, and overall REE contents are much higher. Wasit sill
clinopyroxenes display negative anomalies in Sr, Pb and Ba (hosted
in plagioclase) as well as Nb, Ta and Ti (incorporated in amphi-
bole) (Fig. A.6). Unlike in the other lithologies, clinopyroxene in
the Nidab intrusions have nearly flat REE patterns, with about ten
times chondritic abundances (Fig. 4b).
Plagioclase from the on-axis gabbros (Fig. 4c) show moder-
ate enrichment in LREE relative to HREE, with a strong posi-
tive anomaly in Eu. In the plagioclase off-axis gabbro–pyroxenite
melange, enrichment in LREE is much less evident. Plagioclase
from the off-axis intrusions (Fig. 4d) have much higher overall REE
abundances with greater LREE enrichment than the on-axis gab-
bros.
Amphibole, found only in the off-axis intrusions, have REE spec-
tra with forms very similar to those of the corresponding clinopy-
roxene, but with 2 to 3 times higher overall abundances (Fig. 4e).
The Nidab intrusions show nearly flat REE patterns with a hint of
LREE depletion manifested by a small downturn in La, while the
relative LREE depletion of the Wasit sills is more evident. Occa-
sional minor negative Eu anomalies suggest some degree of equi-
libration with plagioclase. Amphibole in both types of intrusions
have high abundances of the High Field Strength Elements (HFSE)
Nb, Ta and Ti, which complement their low abundances in the as-
sociated clinopyroxene (Table A.5 and Fig. A.6).
4.5. Sr and Nd isotopic compositions
Sr and Nd isotopic analyses were performed on 37 samples
from the off-axis diapir (pyroxenites, Wasit and Nidab intru-
sions, pyroxenite–gabbro melange) and the on-axis diapir (gabbros,
dunites and harzburgites). As discussed below, both leached and
unleached samples were analyzed. Some Nd analyses were un-
successful because of very low Nd concentrations. Among the
unleached samples, on-axis gabbros have high ε Nd(t ) values
(ε Nd(t ) = 104 ×[(143 Nd/144 Nd)sample /(143 Nd/144 Nd)CHUR − 1], with
t = 95 Ma, the age of the ophiolite and CHUR representing the
chondritic ratio), between +8.5 and +9.2. In contrast, the un-
leached off-axis samples have lower ε Nd values between +5.6 and
+7.6, with one Wasit sill at +8.8. The dichotomy is even stronger
in Sr isotopes. Unleached on-axis gabbros have MORB-like 87 Sr/86 Sr
ratios, ranging from 0.703010 to 0.703438, with the exception of
one sample (07-OD45; 0.703749), whereas the off-axis samples
have more radiogenic values, ranging from 0.703524 to 0.706192
(Table A.6 and Fig. 5).
Sr isotopic compositions of samples from the ocean lithosphere
are often perturbed by hydrothermal circulation of seawater (see
Bosch et al., 2004, for an example from the Oman ophiolite). To
decipher the importance of this effect, analyses of leached sam-
ples were performed. The efficiency of our leaching procedure
was first demonstrated by comparing results obtained on leached
whole rocks with those from handpicked clinopyroxene sepa-
rates (see electronic appendix for details). For Sr isotopes, the di-
chotomy between on and off-axis results seen in unleached whole
rocks nearly disappears in the leached samples (Table A.6 and
Fig. 6). The on-axis leached samples have 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios ranging
from 0.703004 to 0.703832 (except for the harzburgite 07-OD27B:
0.708932), while the off-axis leached samples have 87 Sr/86 Sr ra-
tios between 0.703136 and 0.704390. Thus the highly radiogenic
Sr compositions of the unleached off-axis samples result mainly
from post-magmatic hydrothermal processes. The much smaller
post-magmatic hydrothermal influence on the on-axis gabbros may
reflect the relatively high Sr concentrations of these samples as
well as the presence of a large on-axis magma chamber that could
protect the underlying gabbros from hydrothermal circulation. Nev-
ertheless, even after leaching to remove the hydrothermal compo-
nent, off-axis samples have on average higher 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios.
Due to the extremely low Nd concentration of seawater, Nd
isotopic compositions are expected to be essentially unaffected by
hydrothermal circulation, so it is not surprising to find that the
leached samples display the same distinction between on and off-
axis Nd signatures seen in the unleached samples (Fig. 6). Among
the on-axis gabbros, ε Nd ranges from +8 to +8.8, which puts
them in the field of MORBs and unaltered ridge-related sam-
ples from Oman (Godard et al., 2006; McCulloch et al., 1981;
Rioux et al., 2012, 2013). The off-axis leached samples have
globally lower and more heterogeneous ε Nd values (+6.2 to
+7.9). With an ε Nd value of +8.8, the gabbro–pyroxenite mixture
(10-OM39C) is an exception, but this high value may reflect that
of the pre-existing gabbroic crust rather than the impinging off-
axis diapir. The off-axis leached Wasit and Nidab intrusions have
87
Sr/86 Sr ratios and ε Nd values that fully overlap, but extend to
higher 87 Sr/86 Sr, than the range of the leached pyroxenites.
5. Discussion
5.1. Contrasts between the on and off-axis diapirs
Field mapping, petrological and geochemical investigations re-
vealed several striking features of the off-axis Mansah diapir that
contrast markedly with the on-axis case (Fig. 1). In Mansah, a
shear zone separates the steeply plunging lineations of the diapir
from the horizontal foliations of the surrounding harzburgite, con-
sistent with the uprise of hot material rooted in the asthenosphere
through colder lithosphere. In Maqsad, the continuous and grad-
ual rotation of lineations towards parallelism with the surrounding
 M. Nicolle et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 437 (2016) 138–149 143

Fig. 5. (a) ε Nd versus 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios of our unleached samples (solid triangles, circles, diamonds and squares). The black area represents the unaltered samples (Wadi Tayin
massif) from McCulloch et al. (1981). The dark gray and light gray areas represent the volcanics V1 and V2 from Godard et al. (2006). MORB field: O’Nions et al. (1977),
DePaolo and Wasserburg (1976), Mahoney et al. (1989), Staudigel et al. (1991), White et al. (1993). The isotopic compositions of Cretaceous seawater are from DePaolo and
Wasserburg (1976). The seawater mixing curve was constructed assuming a Sr/Nd ratio of 2.6 × 106 in seawater and of 23 in the rocks, based on the Sr/Nd ratios in our
pyroxenite samples. (b) Histogram of 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios of all the on and off-axis unleached samples. The light gray area represents the MORB field.

Fig. 6. (a) ε Nd versus 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios of on and off-axis leached whole rocks or clinopyroxene (cpx) separates. The ε Nd mean uncertainty (2σ ) including all identified sources
of error is indicated, mean uncertainties for Sr isotopic ratios are roughly the size of the symbols. For one sample, no 87 Sr/86 Sr ratio is available, as indicated by the horizontal
double arrow. Light gray area – Oman unaltered samples (McCulloch, 1981). References for MORB and Oman unaltered fields as in Fig. 5. (b) Inset showing all samples for
which Nd data are available, leached and unleached.
144 M. Nicolle et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 437 (2016) 138–149
harzburgite is the expected result of diapirism beneath a spreading
axis, where lithosphere is absent. The off-axis MTZ is much thicker
than the on-axis MTZ and totally free of gabbroic lenses, contain-
ing instead massive accumulations (around 20% of MTZ) of weakly
deformed clinopyroxenite lacking both plagioclase and orthopyrox-
ene. The mantle and crust surrounding the off-axis diapir contain
intrusions bearing magmatic amphibole, suggesting crystallization
from a hydrated melt. Clinopyroxene from off-axis MTZ pyroxenites
have lower incompatible element abundances than those of on-
axis MTZ gabbros, and are more depleted in LREE. However the Nd
isotopic compositions of all off-axis lithologies are less radiogenic
than those of the on-axis MTZ, and on average their Sr isotopic
compositions are slightly more radiogenic (Fig. 6).
5.2. Why is the off-axis diapir so rich in clinopyroxene?
The key to understanding the differences between the on
and off-axis diapirs is to determine the origin of the abun-
dant clinopyroxenite in the off-axis MTZ. Several processes can
form clinopyroxene concentrations. Bédard (1991, 1993, 2001) and
Lissenberg and Dick (2008) noted that pyroxenite can form in the
lower oceanic crust by the reaction of migrating melt with gab-
bros. However this scenario is not applicable here because the
mantle section traversed by the rising off-axis diapir was de-
void of gabbro. Alternatively, the pyroxenites could be of cumu-
late origin if clinopyroxene precipitates before plagioclase. During
fractional crystallization, both greater pressures and higher water
contents favor the formation of clinopyroxene (Feig et al., 2006;
Koepke et al., 2009). As the MTZ of the on and off-axis di-
apirs probably formed at similar depths (i.e., crustal thickness was
roughly constant), a differential pressure effect seems unlikely. On
the other hand, enhanced water contents in the off-axis diapir are
consistent with geological constraints. As the hot diapir rose from
the asthenosphere, it partially assimilated the intervening litho-
spheric mantle, as shown by the deformed ultramafic xenoliths
in the Nidab intrusions (Fig. 2g–h). The presence of amphiboles
in the margins of the Wasit sills surrounding the diapir implies
that their parental magmas were water rich, suggesting that the
off-axis lithosphere incorporated into the rising diapir was hy-
drated. Evidence for hydrothermal processes at Moho depth in the
Oman ophiolite (Bosch et al., 2004; Nicolas and Mainprice, 2005;
Nicolas et al., 2003) provides a likely hydration mechanism, assum-
ing that such circulation can descend into the underlying mantle
section.
However the presence of water, though favoring clinopyrox-
ene crystallization while inhibiting that of plagioclase, may not
suffice to explain the large volumes of clinopyroxenite found in
the Mansah diapir MTZ. If these formed by crystallization from
a magma, they should be conjugate to large masses of resid-
ual melt. The volume of the Wasit and Nidab intrusions, which
could in theory represent such residual melts, is much smaller
than that of the crustal section conjugate to the thinner gabbroic
MTZ of the on-axis diapir. Furthermore, even at water saturation,
the temperature interval for clinopyroxene fractionation without
plagioclase is limited in MORB type magmas (∼40 ◦ C in experi-
ments using hydrated tholeiitic compositions; Koepke et al., 2009;
Feig et al., 2010). So if the pyroxenites were cumulates from even
a water-rich MORB-type melt, it is surprising that they contain no
trace of plagioclase.
Thus an additional cause besides the presence of water may be
needed to explain the very large volumes of pyroxenite observed
in the off-axis diapir. One possibility, developed below, is that the
compositions of melts delivered to the off-axis MTZ differed from
those delivered on-axis, being enriched in a clinopyroxene com-
ponent. This hypothesis is supported by the difference in Sr, and
especially Nd, isotopic composition between the MTZ of the two
diapirs, indicating that the on-axis and off-axis magmas were not
derived from the same source.
5.3. Melting of a pyroxenite-bearing source and resulting
melt–peridotite interaction
The less radiogenic Nd isotopic compositions of the Mansah py-
roxenites, compared to those of rocks from the on-axis MTZ, may
indicate that the Mansah magmas contained a melt-component
derived from pyroxenite veins. Such veins may originate directly
or indirectly from recycled oceanic crust (e.g. Allègre and Tur-
cotte, 1986), though several other origins, including delamination
of lower crustal material or metasomatic segregation could also be
envisaged (Hirschmann and Stolper, 1996). The presence of such
veins in the MORB source mantle has been postulated on the basis
of direct observations in ultramafic massifs and of coupled iso-
topic and trace element systematics in basalts (Hirschmann and
Stolper, 1996; Niu et al., 1999; Prinzhofer et al., 1989; Stracke
et al., 2000). However, the signatures of hypothesized pyroxenite
vein components in MORB magmas are quite subtle, due to mixing
and dilution with peridotite-derived melts. Rocks from the MTZ
may approach the pre-mixing isotopic compositions of the mag-
mas more closely and thus may more easily reveal the presence of
pyroxenite veins.
Pyroxenite veins have lower melting points than the surround-
ing peridotite and will thus be the first components to melt in an
upwelling mantle diapir (Hirschmann and Stolper, 1996; Kogiso et
al., 2004a, 2004b; Lambart et al., 2012; Stracke et al., 2000). Be-
neath the ridge axis, melting rates are high, leading to a greater
contribution from peridotite. In the MTZ of the on-axis diapir, the
early pyroxenite-derived melts are overwhelmed by melts derived
from the surrounding fertile peridotite, so the Nd and Sr iso-
topic ratios have MORB-like values. Off-axis, extents of melting are
lower, so the pyroxenite signature is more likely to be preserved.
As the off-axis diapir ascends towards the Moho, it interacts with
and incorporates the harzburgitic lithosphere. This lithosphere is
highly depleted in incompatible elements and cannot contribute
much Nd and Sr to the rising melts, so the magmas reaching the
MTZ retain the Nd and Sr isotopic signature of the original pyrox-
enite veins (see the electronic appendices for an example of how
such a vein melting model might work).
Melts derived from pyroxenite veins are unlikely to be in
equilibrium with the surrounding peridotite (e.g. Sobolev et al.,
2007). Based on both experiments and theoretical modeling,
Lambart et al. (2012) determined that the interaction of melts
derived from pyroxenite veins with peridotite leads to the crys-
tallization of clinopyroxene and, depending on the conditions and
compositions of the melt, to the crystallization of olivine and the
dissolution of orthopyroxene or vice versa. Although their experi-
mental conditions are not the same as ours (they consider lherzo-
lite instead of harzburgite, their modeling and experiments were
performed at higher pressures and under anhydrous conditions),
their study shows that it is possible to produce a large amount
of clinopyroxene by melt interaction in the mantle over a wide
range of pressure and temperature conditions. An analogous pro-
cess could explain the clinopyroxenes found in the MTZ of the
off-axis diapir.
We suggest that in the Mansah region, magmas formed by the
partial melting of pyroxenite veins within an ascending astheno-
spheric diapir. In Fig. 7, it is further speculated that a random
abundance of pyroxenite veins within the root of the on-axis up-
welling zone may have caused enhanced melting, and triggered the
off-axis diapirism. In the final stage of its ascent, the off-axis melt
reacted with the hydrated lithospheric harzburgite to crystallize
clinopyroxene and some olivine, while dissolving orthopyroxene. In
the model of Lambart et al. (2012), the scarcity of orthopyroxene
 M. Nicolle et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 437 (2016) 138–149
Fig. 7. Schematic cross-section of the flow structure with a possible mechanism for
the triggering of off-axis diapirism. Black arrows show large scale mantle flow, color
shades and solid contours show melt fraction in the melting region, which in many
classic models is triangular and centered on the ridge axis (e.g. Parmentier and
Morgan, 1990). A local high abundance of pyroxenite veins would produce an un-
usual amount of melting that could create a gravitational instability and trigger an
off-axis diapiric uprise superimposed on the normal flow. Also, because of its low
melting point and of the large base of the triangular melt production zone, it may
be difficult for any such heterogeneity to reach the axis unless it rose right beneath
the axis where the flow is strictly vertical.
places strong constraints on the composition of the original pyrox-
enite veins, as they must be able to produce melts with low silica
activity. However, these constraints may be relaxed in our case,
since the Mansah MTZ formed at lower pressures than those con-
sidered by Lambart et al. (2012), and at these shallow depths, even
MORB melts are out of equilibrium with orthopyroxene (Kelemen
et al., 1995). As discussed above, the presence of water derived
from the lithosphere would be likely to enhance the crystallization
of clinopyroxene and suppress that of plagioclase, normally ex-
pected to occur at our lower pressure conditions (Feig et al., 2006;
Koepke et al., 2009). The overall result may be a MTZ composed of
dunite with clinopyroxenite lenses.
5.4. Depleted incompatible element signature of pyroxenites
As noted above, the off-axis pyroxenites have less radiogenic
Nd isotopic compositions than the on-axis gabbros (Fig. 6), indicat-
ing crystallization from melts derived from a source with a lesser
degree of the time-integrated LREE depletion. However, clinopy-
roxenes from the pyroxenites have more depleted incompatible
trace element signatures than clinopyroxenes from the gabbros
(Fig. 4). To try to understand this paradox, we calculated the REE
contents of melts in equilibrium with the clinopyroxenes in the
two settings. This approach inherently assumes that the clinopy-
roxene compositions currently observed were not modified by
post-crystallization processes. Re-equilibration with trapped melts
can augment the incompatible element contents of clinopyroxenes,
leading to spuriously high REE contents in the calculated equi-
librium melts (Bédard, 1994). However, in our case, the scarcity
of intergranular phases, the absence of mineralogical zoning and
the uniformity of REE compositions from a given thin section ar-
gue against the presence of significant amounts of trapped melt,
while the preserved magmatic textures indicate that evidence for
such a phase has not been erased by recrystallization (Jousselin et
al., 2012). Thus the REE contents of clinopyroxenes are probably
original and can therefore be used to calculate the REE contents
of the melts from which they formed. To do this, we used the
predictive model for REE partitioning between clinopyroxene and
melt of Wood and Blundy (1997). This model takes into account
pressure and clinopyroxene composition, thus permitting more re-
liable estimates of melt compositions in different contexts than
those obtained assuming constant partition coefficients. To enable
145
Fig. 8. Chondrite normalized REE compositions of melts in equilibrium with clinopy-
roxenes calculated using partition coefficients based on the predictive model of
Wood and Blundy (1997). (a) Compositions of liquids in equilibrium with clinopy-
roxene in on-axis gabbros (data from our study and Koga et al., 2001) and off-axis
pyroxenites. Trace element compositions of N-MORB from the EPR and IOR are
shown for comparison (source from the GERM database: Hart et al., 1999 and ref-
erences therein). (b) Liquids in equilibrium with cpx from Wasit sills and off-axis
pyroxenites; whole rock REE compositions of the Nidab intrusions shown for com-
parison. Chondrite normalizing values and element order from Sun and McDonough
(1989).
comparison with the previous study of Koga et al. (2001), we also
used this model to recalculate the liquids in equilibrium with the
clinopyroxenes they analyzed from the gabbros of the on-axis MTZ.
The calculated melts in equilibrium with clinopyroxenes (Fig. 8a)
in the on-axis gabbros have nearly flat REE patterns, with abun-
dances mostly 5 to 15 times chondritic values, except for mi-
nor relative depletion in the lightest REE. Our calculated melt
compositions are consistent with those of Koga et al. (2001),
also from the Maqsad diapir. As they note, the Maqsad MTZ
melts are relatively uniform; their compositions are within the
range observed in the Oman volcanics (Alabaster et al., 1982;
Pallister and Knight, 1981) and similar to those of MORB.
The calculated melts in equilibrium with clinopyroxenes in the
off-axis pyroxenites (Fig. 8a) display globally flat or slightly slop-
ing HREE patterns, with depletion in LREE. Overall, the calculated
melts differ between the MTZ of the two diapirs, with those from
the off-axis MTZ being more depleted than those of the on-axis
MTZ, as shown by the lower Nd/Yb and La/Sm ratios and mostly
lower Yb and La contents of the off-axis melts in equilibrium with
the pyroxenites (Figs. 9a and A.7). Thus, unlike the inferred on-
axis melts, the calculated melts in equilibrium with the off-axis
MTZ are more depleted in REE and other incompatible elements
than the Oman volcanics or most MORB, despite the Nd isotopic
evidence for their derivation from a source with a lower time-
averaged Sm/Nd ratio.
146 M. Nicolle et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 437 (2016) 138–149
Fig. 9. (a) Chondrite normalized Nd/Yb ratios in the calculated melts in equilibrium
with the clinopyroxenes in our samples and in Koga et al. (2001). Partition coef-
ficients used in the calculation based on the model of Wood and Blundy (1997).
All of the analyses are included for each sample. (b) Primitive mantle normalized
La/Nb ratios versus 143 Nd/144 Nd ratios in the calculated melts in equilibrium with
the clinopyroxenes in the off-axis pyroxenites. Here the partition coefficients of Hart
and Dunn (1993) were used to calculate liquid Nb and La contents, as values for Nb
are not available from the study of Wood and Blundy (1997). Though the exact val-
ues of the calculated La/Nb ratios will depend on the choice of these coefficients,
the low La/Nb values obtained are consistent with the existence of negative Nb
anomalies in the equilibrium liquids. Data for the Geotimes (V1) and Lasail (V2)
lavas from Godard et al. (2006) and for N-MORB are shown for comparison (with
the 143 Nd/144 Nd ratio recalculated at 95 Ma). Primitive mantle normalization values
taken from Sun and McDonough (1989).
In the context of our model, the low incompatible element con-
tents of the off-axis pyroxenites could result in part from effective
dilution caused by interaction of the original pyroxenite-derived
melts with lithospheric, depleted harzburgite (direct evidence for
harzburgite assimilation, albeit at a higher level, is provided by
the ultramafic xenoliths in the Nidab intrusions). Clinopyroxenes
formed during melt interaction with depleted harzburgite are ex-
pected to have more depleted REE spectra than those formed by
simple crystallization from melts. This effect might be enhanced by
direct melting of the hydrated harzburgites as the diapir ascends,
diluting the incompatible element contents even further, while
having very little effect on Nd isotopic compositions, which would
reflect those of the original pyroxenite veins. Nevertheless, as our
modeling shows (see electronic appendices), interaction with de-
pleted harzburgite, while greatly lowering REE contents, can ex-
plain only part of the relative LREE depletion. In other words, the
pyroxenite veins in the source must themselves have been some-
what LREE depleted.
5.5. Origin of the Wasit and Nidab intrusions
Lambart et al. (2012) show that reaction of pyroxenite-derived
melts with peridotite generates a second melt, of quantity and
composition dependent on the conditions. If the pyroxenites of the
off-axis diapir formed by an analogous process, the resultant melt
may have escaped above and on both sides of the ascending di-
apir, forming melt lenses in the surrounding mantle (Fig. 10). Given
their MgO and Ni rich compositions, the Wasit sills may represent
cumulates from such melts, thus explaining why they share the
same Sr and Nd isotopic compositions as the pyroxenites. Clinopy-
roxenes from the Wasit sills display LREE depletion similar to, but
slightly less marked, than that of clinopyroxenes from the pyrox-
enites (Fig. 4). However they have much higher overall REE levels,
suggesting that their parental melts experienced extensive olivine
and minor clinopyroxene fractionation prior to crystallization of
the sills. This is supported by the lower Fo contents of the Wa-
sit olivines and the lower Mg# of their clinopyroxenes relative to
Fig. 10. Bottom: evolution of the off-axis Mansah diapir and formation of the Wasit
and Nidab intrusions. Top: schematic diagrams of the REE compositions expected
in the melts, clinopyroxene and/or whole rocks produced during each step of the
model (blue: observed; green: inferred liquid compositions that cannot be directly
observed). Circled letters in bottom panel correspond to REE evolution stages shown
in top panel. First, melting (at unknown depth but above the stability limit of gar-
net) of a pyroxenite vein-rich zone triggers the rise of a diapir; after this diapir
reaches the base of the lithospheric mantle (depleted harzburgite), it continues to
ascend, incorporating the harzburgite and imprinting steeply plunging lineations;
melt interacts with harzburgite forming pyroxenite towards the top of the diapir
(light yellow); melt from the diapir intrudes into the overlying lithosphere, forming
the earliest Wasit–Nidab sills and lenses which may contain mantle xenoliths. In
the second stage (center), a large part of the depleted lithospheric mantle has been
traversed and transformed by the diapir; early Wasit–Nidab intrusions are cross-cut
by the rising diapir, and the pyroxenite-bearing zone grows thicker. Finally, the di-
apir reaches and tectonises the Moho and lowermost crust, and forms, in places, the
crust–pyroxenite melange; the final Nidab intrusions are injected into the crust. Wa-
sit sills represent cumulates from the liquids expelled from the diapir, while Nidab
intrusions are approximate mixtures of liquids conjugate to the Wasit sills and to
the pyroxenite rich zones in the diapir. (For interpretation of the references to color
in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)
those of the pyroxenites (Fig. A.5). Using the model of Wood and
Blundy (1997), we calculated REE compositions of liquids in equi-
librium with clinopyroxene from the Wasit sills (Fig. 8b). However
these values are only approximate, as the complementary Ta–Nb
anomalies of the clinopyroxenes and amphiboles (Fig. A.6) sug-
gest post-crystallization re-equilibration occurred between these
two phases.
The Nidab intrusions, which have bulk major element composi-
tions approximating those of basaltic liquids (Fig. A.1) and nearly
flat whole rock and clinopyroxene REE spectra (Figs. A.3 and 4b),
may represent mixtures between liquids residual to the pyroxen-
ites and those residual to the Wasit sills. The Nidab intrusions
contain abundant amphibole-rich veins and numerous ultramafic
and crustal xenoliths, suggesting that they have assimilated litho-
spheric material hydrated by hydrothermal circulation of seawater.
This could explain why the Nidab intrusions, while having Sr and
Nd isotopic compositions broadly similar to those of the pyroxen-
ites and the Wasit sills, include samples with somewhat elevated
87
Sr/86 Sr ratios even after leaching. The full-overlap between the
εNd values of the Wasit and Nidab intrusions surrounding the
off-axis diapir, and those of the pyroxenites within the diapir, sug-
gest that all of these rocks form a magmatic suite, derived from
the same initial melts. The minor heterogeneity of the Nd and Sr
isotopic signatures at the level of the MTZ could reflect isotopic
variability among the pyroxenite veins that provided the original
melts.
 M. Nicolle et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 437 (2016) 138–149
The structural positions of the Wasit sills and Nidab intrusions
can be understood within the context of the off-axis diapir. The
absence of sills within the diapir and the sheer zone separating
the diapir from the Wasit sills of the surrounding mantle suggest
that as the diapir ascended towards the Moho, it progressively en-
gulfed the lithospheric mantle containing the Wasit sills and Nidab
dikes that were produced above and at its periphery (Fig. 10). The
presence of elongated and rounded mantle xenoliths in the Nidab
intrusions would not be possible if the Nidab intrusions were pro-
duced only after the diapir had reached the Moho. These intrusions
are only present in the last few meters of the mantle and in the
lowermost crust. We suggest that to first order, the Nidab lenses
represent the liquid produced by melt–rock reaction in the diapir,
mixed with residual liquids from the Wasit sills and modified by
interaction with the pre-existing crust and uppermost mantle.
5.6. Could the Mansah diapir result from SSZ magmatism?
As discussed above, we think that our off-axis results are most
simply explained by interaction of pyroxenite-derived melts with
hydrated, depleted harzburgites in the lithospheric section tra-
versed by an upwelling diapir. Nevertheless, we must consider the
alternate possibility that the unusual features of the Mansah diapir
reflect late-stage magmatic processes in an SSZ setting. Though the
absence of arc volcanism or of any volcaniclastic sediments, and
the lack of arc-like trace element signatures (Godard et al., 2006)
argue against the existence of a fully developed subduction envi-
ronment, evidence exists from throughout the ophiolite for higher
fluid contents in the magmatic sources relative to those of MORB
(MacLeod et al., 2013). Given the tectonic complexity that surely
existed prior to obduction, such hydrous conditions could perhaps
be reconciled with several different models.
The REE spectra of clinopyroxenes from the Mansah pyroxen-
ites resemble those of clinopyroxenes from lower crustal wehrlites
of the Haylayn block described by Koepke et al. (2009), which they
related to the Lasail magmas (also called V2) found in the northern
part of the Oman ophiolite (Ernewein et al., 1988). These late-
stage magmas are thought to result from fluid-enhanced melting
of previously depleted lithosphere, with the fluids derived from
dehydration of sediments and altered crust of the underlying slab
during incipient (Boudier et al., 1988) or more well-developed
(Pearce et al., 1981) subduction. However several observations ar-
gue against a subduction related origin for the Mansah diapir. The
negative Nb–Ta anomalies characteristic of lavas from SSZ settings
are lacking in Mansah, notably among the rocks with composi-
tions most closely resembling those of liquids (Nidab intrusions,
Fig. A.4). Moreover, although the presence of abundant clinopyrox-
ene is considered to be an argument in favor of SSZ settings, the
liquids in equilibrium with our off-axis pyroxenites lack the nega-
tive Nb anomalies that characterize lavas from SSZ (Fig. 9b; ratios
La/Nb <0.5). V2 magmas have never been found in the Sumail
block, while in the northern blocks of the ophiolite, where these
magmas are located, no structures resembling the Mansah diapir
exist. The V2 magmas have Nd isotopic compositions very similar
to those of the V1 (i.e., ridge-related) magmas (V1: ε Nd = 7.9–8.8;
V2: ε Nd = 7.3–8.7; Godard et al., 2006) and of the on-axis Maqsad
diapir (ε Nd = 7.8–8.8). In contrast, samples related to the off-axis
Mansah diapir have mostly less radiogenic values (ε Nd = 6.2–7.9).
This contrast in Nd isotopic composition suggests that the Mansah
diapir is not genetically related to the V2 magmas, so even if the
latter have a subduction-related origin this does not imply a simi-
lar origin for the Mansah magmas.
Rioux et al. (2012, 2013) found that post-ridge magmatic
crustal intrusions from the Sumail, Wadi Tayn and Rustaq–Haylayn
massifs have younger U–Pb zircon ages and slightly lower ε Nd val-
ues than ridge related magmas. They therefore drew a parallel with
147
V2 magmatism (somewhat tenuous in our view, since as noted
above, V2 and V1 magmas have indistinguishable ε Nd values), ar-
guing that both formed in a proto-arc setting. Since the samples
analyzed by Rioux et al. (2013) were collected far from the Mansah
diapir and in the upper crust rather than the MTZ, their pertinence
to the age of this structure is not obvious. In the shallow subduc-
tion model of Boudier et al. (1988), oceanic detachment is inferred
to occur along the asthenosphere–lithosphere boundary. Since the
Mansah diapir shows asthenospheric flow structures, if this model
is correct, emplacement of the diapir must predate detachment
and thus be roughly concomitant with magmatism at the ridge
axis. Therefore, clarification of the tectonic context of the off-axis
diapirism requires precise determination of its timing.
We conclude that there is no compelling evidence to suggest
that development of the Mansah structure was related to fluids
rising in a supra-subduction zone setting. Nevertheless, more work,
in particular U–Pb zircon dating (e.g. Rioux et al., 2013) of rocks
associated with the Mansah diapir, is needed to better define the
tectonic setting in which the diapir ascended.
6. Summary and conclusion
Our study of the Mansah diapir of the Oman ophiolite pro-
vides new insights into off-axis magmatic processes, particularly
those occurring in the critical crust–mantle boundary region. The
Moho Transition Zone (MTZ) of this off-axis diapir displays plung-
ing lineations that cut at high angle the horizontal foliation of the
surrounding mantle, contrasting with the continuity from vertical
to horizontal mantle flow observed in on-axis diapirs. The MTZ
of the off-axis diapir is even thicker than that of the nearby on-
axis Maqsad diapir and contains massive clinopyroxenite lenses in
dunite, rather than the gabbroic lenses in dunite found in the on-
axis case. Gabbroic sills intrude the mantle around the off-axis di-
apir and microgabbroic intrusions are found in the overlying crust.
Clinopyroxenes from the off-axis pyroxenites were derived from
melts more depleted in incompatible elements than their on-axis
equivalents. However, the Nd isotopic composition of the off-axis
melts indicates a less depleted source (ε Nd = 6.2–7.9 in 18 of 19
analyses) than that of the on-axis melts (ε Nd = 7.8–9.2, 10 analy-
ses), which are isotopically similar to Indian Ocean MORB.
To explain these unusual features, we suggest that in the off-
axis setting, a diapir rooted in the asthenosphere ascended through
the depleted, hydrated lithosphere. The first melts to form were
derived from pyroxenite veins at depth, as suggested by the less ra-
diogenic ε Nd values of the off-axis samples. During its ascent, the
diapir assimilated parts of the hydrated and depleted lithosphere
in its path. As the melt rose, it interacted with the lithospheric
harzburgite, forming clinopyroxene and olivine at the expense of
the orthopyroxene, and acquiring a more depleted trace element
signature. As harzburgite contains very little Nd, this process had
little effect on Nd isotopic compositions. The water derived from
this hydrothermally altered lithosphere enhanced the crystalliza-
tion of clinopyroxene and suppressed that of plagioclase. The gab-
broic sills found in the mantle around the diapir are cumulates
formed from the fractionated daughters of liquids produced by the
reaction between the harzburgite and pyroxenitic melts, while the
microgabbroic intrusions, found essentially in the crust, represent
the approximate corresponding liquid compositions.
The less radiogenic Nd compositions of the off-axis samples add
to the growing evidence for the presence of pyroxenite veins in the
MORB mantle source. This component was probably present in the
source of both diapirs, but in on-axis magmas its signature was
muted by a larger relative contribution from peridotite melts. Our
results show that off-axis melt delivery can have a major impact
on the mineralogy and geochemistry of the magmatic products.
As most of the geophysical evidence for off-axis deep magmatic
148 M. Nicolle et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 437 (2016) 138–149
activity at fast spreading centers is recent, the importance of such
processes may have been underappreciated.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the INSU-SYSTER(CNRS) program.
The authors are grateful to Cédric Demeurie for the polished thin
sections, Catherine Zimmermann and Christiane Parmentier for as-
sistance with Sr and Nd chemistry and analyses, Olivier Bruguier
for assistance with in-situ ICP-MS analyses andLydéric France for
helpful discussions. We thank Jean Bédard and Matthew Rioux for
their thorough and constructive reviews, which greatly improved
the quality of the manuscript. We also wish to thank the Directory
of Minerals at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Sultana-
te of Oman for their kind hospitality and logistic help.
Appendix A. Supplementary material
Supplementary material related to this article can be found on-
line at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.12.005 .
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