Ophiolites:

Mid-ocean Ridge Basalts

The Mid-Oceanic Ridge System

Figure 13-1. After Minster et al.

(1974) Geophys. J. Roy. Astr.
Soc., 36, 541-576.
 Ridge Segments and Spreading Rates
Table 13-1. Spreading Rates of Some Mid-Ocean
Ridge Segments
Category Ridge Latitude Rate (cm/a)*
21-23oN
• Slow-spreading ridges:
Fast East Pacific Rise 3
13oN 5.3
11oN 5.6
< 3 cm/a 8-9oN 6
2 oN 6.3
• Fast-spreading ridges: 20-21oS 8
33oS 5.5
> 4 cm/a 54oS 4
56oS 4.6
Slow Indian Ocean SW 1
SE 3-3.7
Central 0.9
Mid-Atlantic Ridge 85oN 0.6
45oN 1-3
36oN 2.2
23oN 1.3
48oS 1.8
From Wilson (1989). Data from Hekinian (1982), Sclater et al .
(1976), Jackson and Reid (1983). *half spreading
Oceanic Crust and Upper Mantle Structure

 4 layers distinguished via seismic velocities

Sample Sources:
 Deep Sea Drilling Program
 Dredging of fracture zone scarps

 Ophiolites with subaerial exposure

 Oceanic Crust and
Upper Mantle
Structure

Typical Ophiolite

Wehrlite: a Peridotite mostly

composed of olivine plus
clinopyroxene

Figure 13-3. Lithology and thickness of

a typical ophiolite sequence, based on
the Samial Ophiolite in Oman. After
Boudier and Nicolas (1985) Earth
Planet. Sci. Lett., 76, 84-92.
 Oceanic Crust and Upper Mantle
Structure
Layer 1

A thin layer
of pelagic
sediment

Figure 13-4. Modified after

Brown and Mussett (1993) The
Inaccessible Earth: An
Integrated View of Its Structure
and Composition. Chapman &
Hall. London.
 Oceanic Crust and Upper Mantle
Structure
Layer 2 is basaltic
Subdivided into
two sub-layers

Layer 2A & B =
pillow basalts
Layer 2C = vertical
sheeted dikes
Figure 13-4. Modified after
Brown and Mussett (1993) The
Inaccessible Earth: An
Integrated View of Its Structure
and Composition. Chapman &
Hall. London.
 Oceanic Crust and
Upper Mantle
Structure
Discontinuous diorite
and tonalite
(“plagiogranite”)
bodies = late
differentiated liquids
Tonalite is an igneous, plutonic (intrusive) rock, of felsic
composition, with phaneritic texture. Similar to Granite except
Feldspar is mostly present as plagioclase, with less than 10%
alkali feldspar.

Figure 13-3. Lithology and thickness of

a typical ophiolite sequence, based on
the Samial Ophiolite in Oman. After
Boudier and Nicolas (1985) Earth
Planet. Sci. Lett., 76, 84-92.
Layer 3 more complex and controversial
Believed to be mostly gabbros, crystallized from a shallow
axial magma chamber (feeds the dikes and basalts)

Layer 3A = upper
isotropic and
lower, somewhat
foliated
(“transitional”)
gabbros
Layer 3B is more
layered, & may
exhibit cumulate
textures
Layer 4 = ultramafic rocks

Ophiolites: base of 3B grades into

layered cumulate wehrlite &
gabbro
Wehrlite intruded into layered
gabbros
Below  cumulate dunite with
harzburgite xenoliths
The ultramafic igneous rock, harzburgite, is a variety of
peridotite consisting mostly of the two minerals,
olivine and low-calcium (Ca) pyroxene (enstatite)

Below this is a tectonite -

harzburgite and dunite:
unmelted fraction of the
partially melted (depleted)
mantle.
MORB Petrography and Major Element
Chemistry

 A “typical” MORB is an olivine Tholeiite

with low K2O (< 0.2%)
and low TiO2 (< 2.0%)
 Lab analyses use glass, which is certain to
represent liquid.
  The low-P crystallization sequence is: olivine (
Mg-Cr Spinel), olivine + plagioclase ( Mg-Cr
Spinel), olivine + plagioclase + clinopyroxene

Why low
pressure?

Figure 7-2. After Bowen

(1915), A. J. Sci., and
Morse (1994), Basalts and
Phase Diagrams. Krieger
Publishers.
 In MORBS, Fe-Ti
oxides are restricted
to the groundmass,
and thus form late in
the MORB sequence

http://www-
odp.tamu.edu/publications/176_SR/chap_08/
c8_f4.htm
Hence the early Fe-enrichment
characteristic of the tholeiite trend
on an ACF diagram – the iron
doesn’t precipitate out until late, so
it becomes relatively more
abundant in early glass as Mg++ is
used up.
Ulvöspinel - TiFe2O4
 The major element
chemistry of MORBs
Table 13-2. Average Analyses and CIPW Norms of MORBs
MAR : Mid-Atlantic Ridge (BVTP Table 1.2.5.2)
Oxide (wt%) All MAR EPR IOR
EPR : East-Pacific Rise SiO2 50.5 50.7 50.2 50.9
TiO2 1.56 1.49 1.77 1.19
IOR: Indian Ocean Ridge Al2O3 15.3 15.6 14.9 15.2
FeO* 10.5 9.85 11.3 10.3
MgO 7.47 7.69 7.10 7.69
Normative minerals: q Quartz, CaO 11.5 11.4 11.4 11.8
or Orthoclase, ab Albite, an Na2O 2.62 2.66 2.66 2.32
Anorthite, di Diopside, hy K2O 0.16 0.17 0.16 0.14

Hyperthene, ol Olivine, mt P2O5 0.13 0.12 0.14 0.10

Total 99.74 99.68 99.63 99.64
Magnetite, il Ilmenite, ap
Apatite Norm
q 0.94 0.76 0.93 1.60
or 0.95 1.0 0.95 0.83
MORBs vary a little in composition ab 22.17 22.51 22.51 19.64
an 29.44 30.13 28.14 30.53
di 21.62 20.84 22.5 22.38
EPR the most different hy 17.19 17.32 16.53 18.62
ol 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
mt 4.44 4.34 4.74 3.90
 MORBs cannot all
be primary
magmas; most are
derivative magmas
resulting from
fractional
crystallization

Figure 13-5. “Fenner-type” variation

diagrams for basaltic glasses of the
MAR. Note different ordinate scales.
From Stakes et al. (1984) J. Geophys.
Res., 89, 6995-7028.
Conclusions about MORBs, and the processes
beneath mid-ocean ridges
– MORBs are not the completely uniform
magmas that they were once considered to
be
 They show chemical trends consistent with
fractional crystallization of olivine,
plagioclase, and perhaps clinopyroxene
 As early forming crystals remove elements
from the melt, new chemical compositions
become frequent.
Magma chamber processes
maybe different
Fast at fast- (EPR)  a broader range of
ridge segments
spreading ridges compared
compositions and a larger proportion of evolved
to slow ones
liquids
Magmas
Fastridge erupted
segments slightly off the axis of ridges are
(EPR)
more
display evolved
a broader thanofthose at the axis itself.
range
compositions, and produce a
larger proportion of evolved
liquids than do slow
segments

Also magmas erupted

slightly off the axis of ridges
are more evolved than those
at the axis itself
Depleted mantle is the residue that remains after a given element has been
removed from Peridotite to form a basaltic melt. The incompatible elements (e.g.
K, Sr, Rb, U, and rare-earth elements) are preferentially partitioned into a melt,
and during ocean crustal formation these elements in particular have been
removed from the mantle, leaving the mantle depleted in incompatibles.

Incompatibles present in a MORB melt generally solidify in late fractionation

minerals derived from the basaltic melt. WE SHOULD USE ANALYSES OF GLASS
(no crystal structure) at any stage if we want melt compositions.

The depleted mantle can still partially melt and form MORBs, all you need is low
pressure

IDEA later MORBs will have less incompatibles such as LILE K+, as some were
already removed by earlier MORB formation.
.
 An incompatible element is an element that is unsuitable in size and/or charge to fit in the cation sites of the possible minerals.
Elements that have difficulty in entering cation sites of the minerals are concentrated in the melt phase of magma (liquid phase).
Another way to classify incompatible elements is by mass: light rare earth elements are La - Sm, and heavy rare earth elements
(HREE) are Eu - Lu. Rocks or magmas rich, or only slightly depleted in light rare earth elements (LREE) are referred to as fertile,
and those with strong depletions in LREE are referred to as depleted.

 REE diagram for MORBs

We see two
types of
MORBs with
Rare Earths:

Figure 13-10.
Data from
Schilling et al.
(1983) Amer. J.
Sci., 283, 510-586.
There are incompatible-rich and incompatible-poor
mantle source regions for MORB magmas

– N-MORB (normal MORB) taps the depleted

upper mantle source
 Mg# > 65: K2O < 0.10 TiO2 < 1.0
 Depleted in LREE, Low LILE e.g. K+
– E-MORB (enriched MORB, also called P-MORB
for plume) taps the (deeper) fertile mantle
 Mg# > 65: K2O > 0.10 TiO2 > 1.0
 Rich in LREE, higher in LILE e.g. K+
An incompatible element is an element that is unsuitable in size and/or charge to fit in the cation sites of the possible minerals.
Elements that have difficulty in entering cation sites of the minerals are concentrated in the melt phase of magma (liquid phase).
Another way to classify incompatible elements is by mass: light rare earth elements are La - Sm, and heavy rare earth elements
(HREE) are Eu - Lu. Rocks or magmas rich, or only slightly depleted in light rare earth elements (LREE) are referred to as fertile,
and those with strong depletions in LREE are referred to as depleted.
E-MORBs (squares) enriched in LREE over N-MORBs
(red triangles): regardless of Mg#
 Lack of distinct break suggests three MORB types
– E-MORBs La/Sm > 1.8
– N-MORBs La/Sm < 0.7
– T-MORBs (transitional) intermediate values

Figure 13-11. Data from

Schilling et al. (1983) Amer.
J. Sci., 283, 510-586.
 The mantle beneath the ocean basins
is not homogeneous
– N-MORBs tap an upper, depleted mantle
– E-MORBs tap a deeper enriched source

Idea:
– T-MORBs = mixing of N- and E- magmas
during ascent and/or in shallow
chambers
 MORB Petrogenesis
Generation
 Separation of the plates
 Upward motion of mantle
material into extended zone
 Decompression partial
melting associated with near-
adiabatic rise
 N-MORB melting initiated ~
60-80 km depth in upper
depleted mantle where it
inherits depleted trace
element and isotopic char.

Figure 13-13. After Zindler et al. (1984) Earth

Planet. Sci. Lett., 70, 175-195. and Wilson (1989)
Igneous Petrogenesis, Kluwer.
• Idea:
Convective flow
that caused the
divergence at
MOR runs to
Boundary Layer.
• Lower enriched
mantle reservoir
may also be
drawn upward
and an E-MORB
plume initiated
Figure 13-13. After Zindler et al.
(1984) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 70,
175-195. and Wilson (1989) Igneous
Petrogenesis, Kluwer.
•Completely liquid body is a thin (tens to hundreds of meters thick) and narrow (< 2
km wide) sill-like lens 1-2 km beneath the seafloor

•Provides reflector noticed in detailed seismic profiles shot along and

across sections of the EPR

•Melt surrounded by a wider mush and transition zone of low seismic velocity

•Transition zone transmits shear waves, but may still have a minor amount of melt)
•“Magma chamber” = melt + mush zone (the liquid portion is continuous through them)

•Lens maintained by reinjection.

A modern concept of the

axial magma chamber Figure 13-15. After Perfit et al.
(1994) Geology, 22, 375-379.
beneath a FAST ridge
  Melt body  continuous reflector up to several
kilometers along the ridge crest, with gaps at
fracture zones, small deviations in alignment
(devals) and offset spreading centers ( OSCs ).
 Large-scale chemical variations indicate poor
mixing along axis, and/or intermittent liquid
magma lenses, each fed by a source conduit

Figure 13-16 After Sinton

and Detrick (1992) J. Devals: subtle bends or tiny offsets less
Geophys. Res., 97, 197-216. than 500 meters in size.
 Sinton and Detrick (1992) Model for magma
chamber beneath a slow-spreading ridge,
such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
– Model: With a reduced heat and magma supply, a steady-state
eruptible melt lens is absent. Instead a dike-like mush zone and a
smaller transition zone are beneath a well-developed rift valley
– Model assumption: Most of body well below the liquidus
temperature.
– Prediction: convection and mixing is far less likely than at fast
ridges. 2 Rift Valley
Depth (km)

4
Figure 13-16 After
Sinton and Gabbro
6 Transition
Detrick (1992) J. zone
Moho Mush
Geophys. Res., 97,
197-216. 8

10 5 0 5 10
Distance (km)