Ancient Melt Depletion and Metasomatic History of the Subduction Zone Mantle: Osmium Isotope Evidence of Peridotites from the Yap Trench, Western Pacific

Abstract

Highly depleted peridotites from the Yap Trench in the western Pacific Ocean have been studied for Re-Os elements and Re-Os isotopes. These peridotites have a low Re-Os content and variable 187Os/188Os ratios (0.12043–0.14867). The highest 187Os/188Os ratio is far higher than that of the primitive upper mantle and the lowest 187Os/188Os ratio is comparable to the most unradiogenic 187Os/188Os ratio (0.11933) discovered in subduction zone peridotites. The suprachondritic 187Os/188Os ratios of the Yap Trench peridotites results from modification of the mantle wedge by slab-derived fluid and melt. This is consistent with the observation that high 187Os/188Os ratios generally occur in oceanic peridotites with low Os content (<2 ppb) since Os may be reduced during late processes such as fluid alteration and melt refertilization. The sub-chondritic 187Os/188Os ratios of the Yap Trench peridotites correspond to a Re depletion age of 0.24–1.16 billion years, which means that these peridotites represent old mantle residue of ancient melting events. This ancient melting, combined with probable back-arc melting and forearc melting during subduction initiation, indicates that the Yap Trench mantle has a complex evolutionary history. The amount of old mantle residue in the oceanic asthenosphere was underestimated because the 187Os/188Os ratio in mantle peridotites is elevated during late processes. Therefore, old depleted mantle fragments may contribute substantially to the chemical heterogeneity of the oceanic mantle.