Geochemistry of pillow basalts from Bompoka, Andaman–Nicobar islands, Bay of Bengal, India

Pillow lavas in Bompoka island of the Andaman–Nicobar islands, forming a part of Sunda–Burmese forearc, are composed of plagioclase and clinopyroxene microphenocrysts in a fine-grained ferruginous groundmass along with glass. They are also characterized by several quench plagioclase and clinopyroxene morphologies. Zr/TiO2 versus Nb/Y relationship of these pillow lavas show that these are tholeiitic basalts in composition. These basalts have low MgO (5.19–6.12 wt%), Ni (84–118 ppm), and Cr (144–175 ppm) abundance and high FeO(T)/MgO (1.71–1.92) ratios, reflecting their fractionated nature. In Th/Yb versus Nb/Yb and Ti/Yb versus Nb/Yb binary diagrams, they show N-MORB affinity. However, La/Nb–Y and Ce/Nb–Th/Nb relationships along with a slight LREE depleted (LaN/YbN = 0.75–0.82) pattern and high Ba/Zr (0.28–0.40) ratios and LILE (K, Rb, Ba, Sr and Th) enrichment relative to N-MORB, suggest their back-arc basin basalt affinity. It is inferred that these pillow basalts have been derived from a metasomatised N-MORB-like mantle source in a trench-distal (wider) back-arc basin, probably near the leading edge of the Eurasian continent during Early to Late Cretaceous times, prior to the currently active Andaman–Java subduction system.

► Petrography of the pillow basalts show several quench morphologies of plagioclases.
► Geochemistry of these basalts show tholeiitic back-arc basin basalt affinity.
► They have been derived from a metasomatised N-MORB-like mantle source.
► It is suggested that these basalts have formed in a trench-distal back-arc basin.