Evidence for influence of the Galápagos hotspot on the East Pacific Rise MORB composition during times of superfast spreading

ODP/IODP Hole 1256D on the Cocos Plate is located on oceanic crust that formed 15 m.y. ago at the East Pacific Rise (EPR) during a period of superfast spreading (~11-20 Ma). This site is considered to be a reference site for crust formed during fast (>8 cm/y) and particularly superfast (>20 cm/y) spreading rates. The question exists whether its formation was geochemically influenced by the Galápagos hotspot. Today, the effect of the Galápagos hotspot on mid ocean ridge geochemistry can only be seen along the Cocos-Nasca Spreading Center (located immediately north of the hotspot). It has been speculated that Galápagos plume material might have reached the EPR during times of superfast spreading due to processes such as increased "ridge suction" (Niu & Hékinian, 2004). To test this idea, MORB samples from several DSDP, ODP and IODP drill sites that formed along the EPR between 3°S and 7°N and between 9 and 21 Ma have been studied to delineate any effect of the Galápagos hotspot on their geochemistry. N-MORB from sites formed during times of superfast spreading show slighty, but systematically, lower incompatible element ratios (e.g. La/Yb < 0.65, Ce/Lu <0.76), compared to rocks formed shortly before, or after, superfast spreading (La/Yb >0.66, Ce/Lu >0.8). In addition, the melts formed during superfast spreading show generally higher Eu/Hf and Eu/Eu* ratios which is interpreted to indicate a recycled gabbroic component in their source. Despite their more depleted incompatible trace element patterns, Pb (double-spike) and Nd isotope ratios of the superfast spreading MORB are enriched (higher 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb and lower 143Nd/144Nd) compared to the samples from MORB created during normal spreading. The combined trace element and isotope data suggest that EPR MORB created during superfast spreading was formed by greater degrees of melting of a possibly trace element depleted, but isotopically enriched source component. It is suggested that the source of these melts may represent Galápagos plume material that has experienced trace element depletion during partial melting under the Galápagos Islands or may reflect derivation from an incompatible element depleted plume (possibly recycled gabbroic) component, that was transported to the EPR by enhanced ridge-suction. Niu, Y. & Hékinian, R. (2004) Ridge suction drives plume-ridge interaction. In: Oceanic Hotspots (edited by Hékinian, R. & Stoffers, P.), Springer, New York, p. 285-307.