Aleutian island arc magma production rates and mechanisms

Abstract

Abstract. The variation in island arc magma production rates and their influencing mechanisms are of great significance since island arc magma is considered a main source of continental crust growth. The island arc magma directly originates from the molten mantle wedge, and the mantle melting is driven by fluids or melts from the subducted slab. Slab dehydration flux mainly depends on the slab thermal structures, and subducted slab melting requires a sufficiently high temperature. For the Aleutian subduction system, the subducted Pacific Plate has diverse thermal structures due to the existing fracture zones, ridges and slab window, so it is an ideal region for arc magma production rate research. However, the previous estimations are based on seismic profiles that only provide magma production rates at specific regions of the Aleutian arc, and these results are controversial. Here, we design a magma production rate estimation method based on gravity inversion constrained by deep seismic profiles. The first overview map of magma production rates along the Aleutian arc strike demonstrates that the magma production rates have the same trend as the slab dips, and the peaks correspond to the subduction of the fracture zones and ridges. The potential mechanisms for these correlations are as follows: (1) Slab water flux at subarc depths increases with increasing slab dip. More fluid flux would induce more mantle melting, and so the arc magma production rates are increased. (2) Water-rich serpentine is formed by hydrothermal alteration on or near the surface of the subducted slab when there are fracture zones. Serpentine decomposition at a depth of 80–120 km releases fluids in addition to the fluids released during normal slab dehydration. Therefore, more fluids induce more mantle melting and correspond a larger magma production rate. (3) The slab located in the Emperor Seamounts has a relatively high temperature and is also weak, so its melting is easier. Similarly, more slab melt means more mantle melt and a higher island arc magma production rate.