Geochemistry characteristics of Seamounts in the Tonga arc : Influence of subduction component

Abstract:

Located in the southwest Pacific ocean, The seamounts, from TA07 seamount to TA26, in the Tonga arc are located from 20 °S to 25 °S. At 25 °S, the Tonga trench is intersected by the Louisville ridge, a ~4,300-km-long chain of seamounts and the Osbourn trough, a paleo-spreading center. For this reason, magma which created these seamounts may have various origin. Based on this, the seamounts which forming the Tonga arc are divided into three groups; including group 1(region that the earliest Louisville ridge subduction arised, correspond to TA07-12), group 2(region that the second Louisville ridge subduction arised, correspond to TA14-24); and group 3(region that the Louisville ridge and the Osbourn trough are subducting, correspond to TA25-26). These seamounts are mostly stratovolcanoes with caldera. Rocks recovered by dredging have been identified as pumice, dacite, andesite, basaltic andesites and basalts(most abundant). Major element concentrations are constant, trace element concentrations are enriched LILE, depleted HFSE compared with MORB. The Tonga arc is affected by subduction components divided into the shallow and deep subduction components. Related to subduction components, variables include mantle source, AOC(altered oceanic crust), PS(pelagic sediment), LSC(Louisville seamount chain) and OS(Osbourn trough). In the case of shallow subduction component, it tends to have higher contents in group 1, 3 and lower contents in group 2. Thus, comparatively speaking, it seems that group 1, 3 have been heavily influenced by the fluid. However, origin of the fluid seems to be different, since its locations are not continuous. In the case of deep subduction component, it shows similar range in the group 1, 2, and shows a significantly lower ratio in the group 3. The reason why its values are similar is that it is effected by the melt during the Louisville ridge was subducting and the reason why the ratio in the group 3 shown lower is because of the fluid effect and its effect was greater than the melt. Based on these reasons, group 1 affected dominantly by AOC fluid, group 2 affected dominantly by LSC melt, and group 3 affected dominantly by LSC, OS fluid. In order to clarify this, through the subsequent isotope research, we need to know the origin of the components that effected to the magma which formed the seamounts.