Rare Earth Element (REE)- SiO2 Variations in Intra-oceanic arc Felsic Liquids Generated by Basalt Fractionation and Amphibolite Melting: A Potential test for Discrimination

The origin of felsic (>63 wt. % SiO2) magmas in intra-oceanic arc settings is still in doubt. Two very different processes are currently invoked to explain their origin. These include fractional crystallization of basaltic magma and partial melting of lower crustal amphibolite. Because both fractionation and melting can lead to similar major element, trace element and isotopic characteristics in felsic magmas, such lines of evidence have been generally unsuccessful in discriminating between the two processes. However, two seemingly different lines of reasoning may provide such a means of discrimination. First, an important difference between the two processes is the role played by hornblende. In basalt fractionation, hornblende is usually not an important fractionating phase. In amphibolite melting, hornblende is an important residual phase during much of the melting interval during which felsic magmas are produced. Second, Rare Earth Element (REE) D values increase significantly with increasing SiO2 content of the liquid phase. When these two factors are incorporated into carefully constrained mass-balance models for basalt fractionation and amphibolite melting, the following general predictions emerge. For felsic liquids in intra-oceanic arcs: (1) hornblende-absent fractional crystallization should produce steadily increasing REE abundances with increasing liquid SiO2; (2) hornblende-bearing fractional crystallization should yield constant REE abundances with increasing liquid SiO2; and (3) amphibolite melting should produce either constant and then decreasing, or steadily decreasing REE abundances with liquid SiO2. These predictions constitute a potential means of determining whether or not a given suite of intra-oceanic arc felsic lavas were generated by fractional crystallization or amphibolite melting.