High H2O Content in Pyroxenes of Residual Mantle Peridotites at a Mid Atlantic Ridge Segment

Abstract

Global correlations of mid-ocean-ridges basalt chemistry, axial depth and crustal thickness have been ascribed to mantle temperature variations affecting degree of melting. However, mantle H2O content and elemental composition may also play a role. How H2O is distributed in the oceanic upper mantle remains poorly constrained. We tackled this problem by determining the H2O content of orthopyroxenes (opx) and clinopyroxenes (cpx) of peridotites from a continuous lithospheric section created during 26 Ma at a 11°N Mid-Atlantic Ridge segment, and exposed along the Vema Transform. The H2O content of opx ranges from 119 ppm to 383 ppm; that of cpx from 407 ppm to 1072 ppm. We found anomalous H2O-enriched peridotites with their H2O content not correlating inversely with their degree of melting, although H2O is assumed to be incompatible during melting. Inverse correlation of H2O with Ce, another highly incompatible component, suggests post-melting H2O enrichment. We attribute a major role to post-melting temperature-dependent diffusion of hydrogen occurring above the melting region, where water-rich melt flows faster than residual peridotites through dunitic conduits cross-cutting the uprising mantle. Accordingly, estimates of the H2O content of the MORB mantle source based on H2O in abyssal peridotites can be affected by strong uncertainties.