Mantle hydration and the role of water in the generation of large igneous provinces

Jia Liu (), Qun-Ke Xia (), Takeshi Kuritani, Eero Hanski and Hao-Ran Yu
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Jia Liu: Zhejiang University
Qun-Ke Xia: Zhejiang University
Takeshi Kuritani: Hokkaido University
Eero Hanski: University of Oulu
Hao-Ran Yu: University of Science and Technology of China

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract The genesis of large igneous provinces (LIP) is controlled by multiple factors including anomalous mantle temperatures, the presence of fusible fertile components and volatiles in the mantle source, and the extent of decompression. The lack of a comprehensive examination of all these factors in one specific LIP makes the mantle plume model debatable. Here, we report estimates of the water content in picrites from the Emeishan LIP in southwestern China. Although these picrites display an island arc-like H2O content (up to 3.4 by weight percent), the trace element characteristics do not support a subduction zone setting but point to a hydrous reservoir in the deep mantle. Combining with previous studies, we propose that hydrous and hot plumes occasionally appeared in the Phanerozoic era to produce continental LIPs (e.g., Tarim, Siberian Trap, Karoo). The wide sampling of hydrous reservoirs in the deep mantle by mantle plumes thus indicates that the Earth’s interior is largely hydrated.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01940-3

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