A Rare Glimpse of Paleoproterozoic Sub-Arc Mantle: The Ussuit Peridotite, West Greenland

Abstract

Mantle residues beneath Archean cratonic nuclei have been extensively studied, whereas less attention has been given to the mantle lithosphere beneath Proterozoic mobile belts that link these nuclei. Rare mantle tectonites within tectonic mélanges of Paleoproterozoic mobile belts provide information important to understanding the broader processes involved in the construction of the cratonic mantle lithosphere. Here we present mineral compositions, bulk-rock major, trace, and platinum group elements, Re-Os isotopes, and olivine oxygen isotopes from a Paleoproterozoic mantle tectonite in West Greenland–the Ussuit peridotite. The Ussuit peridotite was emplaced in the crust during the Nagssugtoqidian orogeny between 1,870 Ma and 1,775 Ma and preserves primary melt depleted characteristics that reflect >30% melting, for example, Al₂O₃ < 0.4 wt.%, Ti < 10 ppm, Lu/Yb > 0.25, and Mg #s up to 93. Cryptic signatures of hydrous melting, for example, spinel Cr #’s >65, Os/Ir ratios between 0.3 and 6, and supramantle olivine δ¹⁸O values, suggest that the high degree of melt depletion was partly inherited from a forearc or sub-arc melting environment. Re-Os isotopic systematics show melt depletion occurred at ∼2 Ga overlapping the juvenile oceanic arc crust that hosts the peridotites. This age coincides with a peak in the global production of juvenile cratonic lithosphere. Furthermore, the global Paleoproterozoic cratonic mantle has strong geochemical similarities with the Ussuit peridotites. It is suggested that subduction zone peridotites form key components of the Paleoproterozoic cratonic lithospheric mantle, creating a viscous, buoyant mantle lithosphere that contributed to the long-term stability of the greater cratonic masses.