A long section of serpentinized depleted mantle peridotite

Authors

• C. Johan Lissenberg, Cardiff University
• Andrew M. McCaig, University of Leeds
• Susan Q. Lang, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Peter Blum, Texas A&M University
• Natsue Abe, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
• William J. Brazelton, The University of Utah
• Rémi Coltat, CSIC - Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (IACT)
• Jeremy R. Deans, University of Southern MississippiFollow
• Kristin L. Dickerson, University of California, Santa Cruz
• Marguerite Godard, Géosciences Montpellier
• Barbara E. John, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
• Frieder Klein, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Rebecca Kuehn, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
• Kuan Yu Lin, University of Delaware
• Haiyang Liu, Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Ethan L. Lopes, Stanford University
• Toshio Nozaka, Okayama University
• Andrew J. Parsons, University of Plymouth
• Vamdev Pathak, Central University of Punjab

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-9-2024

School

Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences

Abstract

The upper mantle is critical for our understanding of terrestrial magmatism, crust formation, and element cycling between Earth’s solid interior, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Mantle composition and evolution have been primarily inferred by surface sampling and indirect methods. We recovered a long (1268-meter) section of serpentinized abyssal mantle peridotite interleaved with thin gabbroic intrusions. We find depleted compositions with notable variations in mantle mineralogy controlled by melt flow. Dunite zones have predominantly intermediate dips, in contrast to the originally steep mantle fabrics, indicative of oblique melt transport. Extensive hydrothermal fluid-rock interaction is recorded across the full depth of the core and is overprinted by oxidation in the upper 200 meters. Alteration patterns are consistent with vent fluid composition in the nearby Lost City hydrothermal field.

Publication Title

Science

Volume

385

Issue

6709

First Page

623

Last Page

629

Recommended Citation

Lissenberg, C., McCaig, A., Lang, S., Blum, P., Abe, N., Brazelton, W., Coltat, R., Deans, J., Dickerson, K., Godard, M., John, B., Klein, F., Kuehn, R., Lin, K., Liu, H., Lopes, E., Nozaka, T., Parsons, A., Pathak, V. (2024). A long section of serpentinized depleted mantle peridotite. Science, 385(6709), 623-629.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/22296