Slab dehydration recorded in subducted serpentine sea-mount

Abstract:

It has been considered that there is a correlation between the double seismic zones and metamorphic dehydration reaction in deep slab. The lower seismic plane of the double seismic zone is considered to be located on the 600 ^oC isotherm in the subducting lithosphere. Antigorite terminal reaction is highly temperature sensitive around 600 ^oC. Therefore it has been proposed that the oceanic lithosphere was hydrated forming serpentine prior to subduction, then serpentine was decomposed to release fluid causing dehydration embrittlement in the slab. In order to unravel relation between dehydration and seismic deformation, we have investigated dehydration process of natural metamorphic rocks recording very cold geothermal history in the crust and lithosphere in the slab. Metamorphic olivine after antigorite has been described in Italian Alps and also from the Mt. Shiraga, Japan [1]. However, the olivine was formed with talc and fluid by antigorite breakdown reaction in pressures lower than 1.5 GPa. Spinifex olivine with opx in the Cerro del Almirez [2], is the product at pressures (P > 1.5 GPa) relevant to the lower seismic plane beneath Northeast Japan. It clearly indicates the presence of large amount of water facilitate crystallization of elongated olivine with opx. It is also supported by LPO pattern of olivines determined by EBSD. Fine-grained olivine-rich samples shows that Type-C fabric pattern is dominant, suggesting deformation under water-rich condition [3]. With metamorphic olivines, chlorite was also recrystallized, suggesting that water would be transported farther down to deep. The estimated dehydration reaction has a negative P-T slope at pressures higher than 1.5 GPa. The reaction is volume reducing reaction and the olivine-opx spinifex texture was formed under volume reducing reaction. In the warm slab beneath SW Japan, the reaction has a positive slope in P-T space and forms olivine+talc+fluid. From microstrucral and petrological analysis of the Serpentinite in the Sambagawa high P/T metamorphic rocks, we found that the olivine with talc, is preserved mainly in the vein along the shear crack in mylonitized serpentinite. References: [1] K. Okamoto et al., Geochemistry, 46 205-215 (2013). [2] V. Trommsdorff et al., CMP, 132, 139-148 (1998). [3] Jung H, Karato S., Science 293, 1460-1463 (2001)