Insights on Source Lithology and Pressure-Temperature Conditions of Basalt Generation Using Machine Learning

Abstract

Identifying the origin and conditions of basalt generation is a crucial yet formidable task. To tackle this challenge, we introduce an innovative approach leveraging machine learning. Our methodology relies on a comprehensive database of approximately one thousand major element concentrations derived from glass samples generated through experiments encompassing a wide range of source lithologies, pressure (from 0.28 to 20 GPa) and temperature (850–2100°C). We first applied the XGBoost classification models to assess the compositional characteristics of melts from three principal mantle source categories: peridotitic, transitional, and mafic sources. We obtained an accuracy of approximately 96% on the test data set. Furthermore, we also employ an XGBoost regression model to predict the pressure and temperature conditions of generation of basalts from diverse lithologic sources. Our predictions of temperature and pressure exhibit remarkable precisions, of about 49°C and 0.37 GPa, respectively. To enhance accessibility of our model, we have implemented a user-friendly web browser application, available at (https://huggingface.co/spaces/lilucheng/sourcedetection). The web application allows users to swiftly recover the source lithology as well as pressure and temperature conditions governing basalt generation for a broad array of samples within a matter of seconds.