Petrology and geochemistry of South Mid-Atlantic Ridge (19°S) lava flows: implications for magmatic processes and possible plume-ridge interactions

Abstract The South Mid-Atlantic Ridge (SMAR) 19°S segment, approximately located along the line of Saint Helena volcanic chain (created by Saint Helena mantle plume), is an ideal place to investigate the issue whether the ridge-hotpot interaction process affected the whole MAR. In this study, we present major and trace elemental compositions and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic ratios of twenty fresh lava samples concentrated in a relatively small area in the SMAR 19°S segment. Major oxides compositions show that all samples are tholeiite. Low contents of compatible trace elements (e.g., Ni = 239–594 ppm and Cr = 456–1010 ppm) and low Fe/Mn (54–67) and Ce/Yb (0.65–1.5) ratios of these lavas show that their parental magmas are partially melted by a spinel lherzolite mantle source. Using software PRIMELT3, this study obtained mantle potential temperatures (Tp) beneath the segment of 1321–1348 °C, which is lower relative to those ridges influenced by mantle plumes. The asthenospheric mantle beneath the SMAR 19°S segment starts melting at a depth of ∼ 63 km and ceases melting at ∼43 km with a final melting temperature of ∼1265 °C. The extent of partial melting is up to 16%–17.6% with an average adiabatic decompression value of 2.6%/kbar. The correlations of major oxides (CaO/Al2O3) and trace elements (Cr, Co, V) with MgO and Zr show that the parental magma experienced olivine and plagioclase fractional crystallization during its ascent to the surface. 87Sr/86Sr (0.702398–0.702996), 143Nd/144Nd (0.513017–0.513177) and 206Pb/204Pb (18.444–19.477) ratios of these lavas indicate the mantle source beneath the SMAR 19°S segment is composed of a three-component mixture of depleted MORB mantle, PREMA mantle, and HIMU mantle materials. The simple, binary mixing results among components from plume-free SMAR MORB, Saint Helena plume and Tristan plume show that asthenospheric mantle beneath the SMAR 19°S segment may be polluted by both Saint Helena and Tristan plume enriched materials. The abovementioned mantle potential temperatures, together with the low Saint Helena (