Petrology and geochemistry of Adak Island plutonic xenoliths: implications for primitive magma generation and crustal differentiation in the Aleutian Island arc

Abstract

Abstract Deep crustal cumulates in arcs offer a window into the chemistry and crystallization conditions (P-T-H2O-fO2) of primitive basalts in the upper mantle and lower crust and can be studied in ancient exhumed terranes or in xenoliths erupted in young arc lavas. Here, we expand on previous studies and thoroughly characterize the extensive xenolith suites erupted from the Mt. Moffett and Mt. Adagdak volcanic centers (Adak Island, Central Aleutians), which range from primitive ultramafic cumulates to more evolved amphibole gabbros and hornblendites. We present detailed petrography as well as in situ trace and major element mineral chemistry. We use these data to calculate pressure, temperature, and fO2 estimates for the xenoliths, and compare these findings to experimental results to understand the crystallization sequence and P-T-H2O-fO2 under which the cumulates formed. The Moffett crystallization sequence is defined by early amphibole fractionation and an abrupt shift in oxide compositions from chromite to magnetite, while the Adagdak suite is characterized by simultaneous saturation of amphibole+plagioclase and oxide compositions that become increasingly aluminous before magnetite saturation. Olivine–spinel oxybarometry of the Adagdak xenoliths indicates that they are oxidized relative to MORB (FMQ +0.1 to +2.1). Highly fractionated REE and elevated Sr/Y ratios are observed in clinopyroxene from the most primitive cumulates, consistent with a contribution from a basaltic eclogite melt. This basaltic eclogite melt is hypothesized to come from partial melting of the slab or through melting of basalt introduced into the subarc mantle through forearc subduction erosion. These signatures are greatly diminished in the more evolved lithologies, which can be explained through fractionation of plagioclase and amphibole. Our findings support the presence of a complex magmatic plumbing system beneath Adak, with Mt. Moffett and Mt. Adagdak volcanic centers tapping compositionally distinct sources. More broadly, our results are consistent with studies suggesting that low-degree basaltic eclogite melts through slab melting or forearc subduction erosion contribute to arc magmas in the Aleutians, though the associated geochemical signatures are easily obscured by differentiation in the crust.