Tracing partial melting and subduction-related metasomatism in the Kamchatkan mantle wedge using noble gas compositions

We determined noble gas composition of minerals separated from mantle-derived xenoliths hosted by andesites in the active Avacha volcano, Kamchatka peninsula, Russia in order to better constrain the provenance and nature of fluids involved in partial melting and metasomatism in the mantle wedge. The lithospheric mantle beneath Avacha mainly consists of spinel harzburgites produced by high degrees of melt extraction. Data on coarse olivine separated from seven harzburgite xenoliths constrain fluid regime during flux melting in arc settings. Pyroxenes from two websterite veins cross-cutting the harzburgites characterize post-melting metasomatism by subduction-related melts or fluids. 3He/4He-ratios of 5.2 ± 0.6 to 8.1 ± 0.3 RA obtained on both olivines and pyroxenes overlap the highest values reported for volcanic rocks from Kamchatka and fall into the typical range of continental lithospheric mantle worldwide. This rules out significant contributions of slab-derived radiogenic 4He*. The highest 40Ar/36Ar ratios are 400; Ne and Xe isotope ratios are indistinguishable from those in the air. We consider the slab as the initial source of a major portion of these 'atmospheric' gases. Element composition of noble gases in olivine differs markedly from that in vein pyroxene indicating that the composition of the fluid phase involved in partial melting was distinct from that during metasomatism. In particular, the harzburgites and veins define distinct linear trends on plots of 3He/36Ar vs. 40Ar/36Ar and of 132Xe/36Ar vs. 40Ar/36Ar. Estimates of 'mantle' 132Xe/36Ar values by extrapolating 40Ar/36Ar to 40 000 yield unrealistically high values of 0.5-0.8 (olivine) and 4-5 (vein pyroxene) ruling out a simple two-component mixing of mantle and atmospheric noble gases. Rather a two-stage mixing process applies: (1) Changes in relative proportions of slab-derived element-fractionated atmospheric gases and 'mantle' produce two hybrid mixtures dominated by atmospheric gases. This may reflect interaction of slab fluids with mantle wedge fluids on a regional scale within the melting zone. (2) Subsequently mixing of these mantle-atmosphere “hybrids” occurred shortly before the entrapment of the fluids and possibly represents locally restricted compositional variations within the source region of the xenoliths.

Research Highlights► Mantle wedge noble gas composition differs in mantle olivines and vein pyroxenes. ► This mirrors distinct formation via partial melting and mantle metasomatism.► Helium has MORB-like composition. ► Heavy noble gases are dominated by slab-derived atmospheric gases. ► Element compositions show well-defined correlations.