Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284
DOI 10.1007/s00410-009-0427-0
ORIGINAL PAPER
Subducted seamounts in an eclogite-facies ophiolite sequence:
the Andean Raspas Complex, SW Ecuador
Timm John Æ Erik E. Scherer Æ Volker Schenk Æ
Petra Herms Æ Ralf Halama Æ Dieter Garbe-Schönberg
Received: 5 February 2009 / Accepted: 9 July 2009 / Published online: 30 July 2009
! Springer-Verlag 2009
Abstract The metamorphic Raspas Complex of south-
west Ecuador consists of high-pressure mafic, ultramafic,
and sedimentary rocks. The Lu–Hf ages of a blueschist, a
metapelite, and an eclogite overlap at around 130 Ma and
date high-pressure garnet growth. Peak metamorphic con-
ditions in the eclogites reached 1.8 GPa at 600"C, corre-
sponding to a maximum burial depth of *60 km. The
geochemical signatures of the eclogites suggest that their
protoliths were typical mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB),
whereas the blueschists exhibit seamount-like characteris-
tics, and the eclogite-facies peridotites seem to represent
depleted, MORB-source mantle. That these rocks were
subjected to similar peak PT conditions contemporane-
ously suggests that they were subducted together as an
essentially complete section within the slab. We suggest
that this section became dismembered from the slab during
burial at great depth—perhaps as a consequence of scrap-
ing off the seamounts. The spatially close association of
Communicated by J. Hoefs.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this
article (doi:10.1007/s00410-009-0427-0) contains supplementary
material, which is available to authorized users.
T. John
Physics of Geological Processes (PGP), University of Oslo,
P.O. Box 1048, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
T. John ! V. Schenk ! P. Herms ! R. Halama !
D. Garbe-Schönberg
Institut für Geowissenschaften and SFB 574,
Universität Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany
T. John (&) ! E. E. Scherer
Institut für Mineralogie, Universität Münster,
Corrensstr. 24, 48149 Münster, Germany
e-mail: timm.john@uni-muenster.de
MORB-type eclogite, seamount-type blueschist, serpenti-
nized peridotite, and metasediments points to an exhumed
high-pressure ophiolite sequence.
Keywords Andes ! High-pressure ophiolite !
Seamount subduction ! Blueschist ! Eclogite ! Serpentinite !
Slab dismembering ! Earthquakes
Introduction
Ophiolites are fragments of oceanic lithosphere that have
been obducted onto continental crust during collisional
events. Ophiolites sensu stricto comprise rocks of the
uppermost lithospheric mantle, volcanic and intrusive
rocks of the oceanic crust, and deep-sea sediments, all in
their original structural positions (Anonymous 1972). In
recent years, however, it has become increasingly evident
that such a strict use of the term is no longer appropriate,
given the complexities of structural features, chemical
compositions, and tectonic settings of ophiolites (e.g.,
Dilek 2003). For example, Moores (1982) and Dilek (2003)
have defined a Cordilleran- or Franciscan-type ophiolite in
which dismembered parts of an oceanic lithosphere have
been integrated into accretionary orogenic belts. They are
tectonically intercalated with mélanges and high-pressure
metamorphic rocks that are characteristic of subduction
zones. In rare cases, high-pressure, low-temperature suites
comprise depleted mantle, mafic crust, and sediments, all
of oceanic origin. Even though it may not be known when
these units were juxtaposed, i.e., during formation, during
burial, or during exhumation, they may be considered to
be high-pressure ophiolite sequences (e.g., Ernst 2003).
Together with experimental constraints, geochemical
studies of such ophiolites and mélange zones may reveal
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266 Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284

how the different parts of the oceanic lithosphere and their
element budgets behave during subduction into the mantle.
In the northern Andes, four occurrences of high-pressure
mafic rocks have been recognized (Feininger 1980, 1982;
Orrego et al. 1980; De Souza et al. 1984), the southernmost
of which being the Raspas Complex in Ecuador. This is the
only known eclogite occurrence in the Andes, and it has an
oceanic origin (Maruyama et al. 1996; Bosch et al. 2002).
The Raspas Complex has been grouped together with
various metamorphic terranes into the ‘‘El Oro Metamor-
phic Complex’’ (Aspden et al. 1995). Recent studies have
interpreted these terranes as a tectonic mélange whose
elements were juxtaposed either in the late Jurassic to early
Cretaceous within the deeper part of an accretionary prism
(Aspden et al. 1995) or in the Cretaceous (or later) during
exhumation (Bosch et al. 2002; Gabriele 2002). A limited
set of geochemical data was interpreted to suggest that the
eclogite-facies mafic rocks were derived from an oceanic
plateau, whereas the lower grade mafic rocks, i.e., am-
phibolites, represent typical mid-ocean ridge basalt
(MORB)-like oceanic crust (Arculus et al. 1999; Bosch
et al. 2002). In the present study, however, we report
detailed petrological, geochemical, and geochronological
data of eclogites, blueschists, and associated high-pressure
peridotites from the Raspas Complex that strongly suggest
that a coherent section of oceanic lithosphere—including
associated seamounts—was subducted and later exhumed
as a high-pressure ophiolite suite. Considering its limited
spatial extent, this sequence is therefore one of the few
high-pressure ophiolites that contain the whole sequence of
an ideal oceanic plate, with rocks from the mantle, oceanic
crust, and sea sediments.
extends southward into the El Oro Metamorphic Complex.
The latter comprises various lithologically diverse terranes
that have distinct metamorphic ages ranging from the
Paleozoic to the Cretaceous, and these have been divided
into smaller units by several E-W-trending strike-slip faults
(Aspden et al. 1995). One of these units, the Raspas
Complex, is bounded to the North by the La Palma—El
Guayabo shear zone and to the South by a major tectonic
contact with the migmatitic gneisses of the Tahuin Group
(Fig. 1). The Raspas Complex comprises two formations,
(1) the El Toro Formation, which consists of eclogite-facies
peridotite (Gabriele et al. 2002) and (2) the Raspas For-
mation, which comprises eclogites, blueschists, and gar-
net–chloritoid–kyanite metapelites (Feininger 1978, 1980;
Gabriele 2002; Gabriele et al. 2003). We observed no
pillow- and flow structures or sheeted dikes in the Raspas
formation. In situ contacts between eclogite and blueschist
have not been found due to the extensive cover by jungle or
farmland. In some places, zoisite-rich veins penetrate the
eclogites. At one locality in the Quebrada Raspas, where
the contact between eclogite and peridotite is exposed,
fuchsite-rich rocks have formed (Feininger 1980). Because
the eclogites and blueschists are not intercalated with the
serpentinized peridotite, they are apparently not part of a
tectonic mélange (cf. Aspden et al. 1995; Bosch et al. 2002;
Gabriele 2002). The peridotites of the El Toro formation
N Arenillas
Migmatitic gneisses 5 km
La Palma-El Guayabo Shea
one r zo ne
ar z
She Shea
Eclogite-facies serpentinized Eclogite, metapelite, r zon
e
peridotite blueschist mainly ec, bs and mp
ec
as
sp
Ra

Geologic setting
R
io

o
Ar

Ri
en

Greenschists
illa
s

Rio Arenillas
The Andean range continues to form where the Nazca and Tahuin Dam Lake
Piedras
Antarctic oceanic plates subduct under the South American
Amphibolites
Rio

continent and it is typical of chains that form at long-lived Migmatitic gneisses

Pie
dra

convergent margins. Even though protracted subduction

s

continental
has been postulated, high-pressure rocks are surprisingly Biron Terrane and Tahuin Group units
COLOMBIA
rare in the Andes (Maruyama et al. 1996). The Ecuadorian
Metamorphic Complex

Raspas Formation
Complex

Quito
Raspas

ECUADOR
continental margin belongs to the northern Andean seg-
El Toro Formation oceanic
El Oro

ment (North of 5"S) and is separated from the central Cuenca

segment by a distinct change in the convergence angle at
the Huancabamba Deflection. Subduction of oceanic crust
beneath the continental margin started in the late Jurassic
(Jaillard 1990; Aspden et al. 1995). The suture zone
between the predominately oceanic terranes and the South
American plate, which is related to the Jurassic–Cretaceous
subduction and accretionary processes, is located at the
western side of the Eastern Cordillera (Litherland et al.
1994). Aspden et al. (1995) have suggested that this suture
PERU units
Arenillas-Panupali unit
Area of
main figure
Piedras unit
Fig. 1 Geological map showing the main structures and lithological
units of the El Oro Metamorphic Complex, SW Ecuador (modified
after Gabriele 2002). The Raspas Complex was sampled along the
small Rio Raspas. The dotted line divides the eastern part of the river
section, where blueschists (bs) and metapelites (mp) frequently occur
along with eclogite, from the western part, where metapelites are less
abundant and blueschist is very rare

123
Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284
have been serpentinized to varying degrees. Locally, they
host mafic dikes that have eclogitic mineral assemblages
(Gabriele 2002; Gabriele et al. 2002), indicating subduc-
tion depths similar to those of the associated eclogite-facies
meta-igneous- and sedimentary rocks of the Raspas For-
mation. The mafic rocks from the Arenillas-Panupali and
Piedras Units, located to the south of the Raspas Complex,
have been overprinted at greenschist- and amphibolite-
facies conditions, respectively. The greenschist-facies
rocks were interpreted to be former blueschists (Gabriele
2002), whereas the amphibolite-facies rocks were consid-
ered to be prograde amphibolites (Aspden et al. 1995;
Gabriele 2002). Together, these two units and the Raspas
Complex represent pieces of oceanic lithosphere sand-
wiched between continentally derived units, namely the
Biron Terrane to the North and the Tahuin Group to the
South (Feininger 1987; Gabriele 2002) (Fig. 1).
In the Raspas Complex, phengite K–Ar ages (132 ±
5 Ma; Feininger 1980) and Ar–Ar ages (123–129 Ma;
Gabriele 2002) suggest an early Cretaceous age for cooling
of the eclogite-facies rocks. Arculus et al. (1999) and Bosch
et al. (2002) suggested that the eclogite-facies mafic rocks
of the Raspas formation were originally part of an oceanic
plateau, whereas the lower grade mafic rocks, i.e.,
amphibolites, represent oceanic crust with MORB affinities.
This proposed bimodal subdivision led to a model in which
an oceanic plateau entered the subduction zone and blocked
further subduction, whereas the MORB-type rocks were
never buried to great depth and thus belong to a different
oceanic terrane (Bosch et al. 2002; Gabriele 2002). In
accordance with this model, it was suggested that a causal
link between oceanic plateau subduction and the subsequent
blockage of subduction and the associated westward jump
of the subduction zone might exist (Bosch et al. 2002).
Analytical methods
Elemental analyses of minerals (Table 1) were performed
at Kiel University on a JEOL 8900R electron microprobe
equipped with five wavelength-dispersive spectrometers.
The instrument is typically operated with a 15-kV accel-
eration voltage and a 15-nA beam for mineral analyses,
except for garnet (20 kV) and apatite (10 kV) analyses.
Spot sizes were generally *1 lm in diameter except for
mica and amphibole (5 lm), and apatite (10 lm). The
matrix correction of the raw counts was performed using
CITZAF (Armstrong 1995). Both natural and synthetic
mineral standards were used for calibration. Estimation of
ferric iron in garnet and omphacite are based on charge
balance, assuming ideal stoichiometry.
Whole rock major element contents were analyzed with a
Philips PW1480 XRF spectrometer at Kiel University
267
(Table 2). Concentrations of 26 trace elements were deter-
mined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
(ICP-MS) after HF–HNO3–HClO4 acid digestion of
*100 mg of pulverized sample material in Teflon bombs at
180"C. Before analysis, the sample solutions were diluted
20-fold and spiked with 5 ng/ml indium and rhenium for
internal standardization. The instrument was calibrated
using aqueous multi-element calibration standards without
further matrix matching. Measurements were done with an
Agilent 7500cs ICP-MS instrument under standard operat-
ing conditions. The analytical results represent averages of
three replicate measurements after subtraction of a labora-
tory reagent blank. Analytical quality was controlled by
analyzing procedural blanks (‘‘Blank’’), sample duplicates,
and international reference standards along with the sample
series. Results for the international rock standards BHVO-2
and UB-N are reported in the results table (Table 2). Con-
centrations determined from duplicate digestions of refer-
ence standards and samples differed by less than 3% for most
elements. Instrument stability was monitored by re-analyz-
ing one sample every hour. Precision as calculated from four
replicate analyses was better than 3% RSD for all elements
except heavy rare earth element (HREE), Th, and U (better
than 5% RSD). Results for W, Mo, and Sb are less precise,
with analytical errors in the range of 10, 15, and 20% RSD,
respectively. Further details of the sample preparation pro-
cedure and instrument calibration strategy can be found in
Garbe-Schönberg (1993) and John et al. (2008).
The Lu–Hf analyses were carried out at the Zentrallabor
für Geochronologie in Münster (Table 3). Whole rocks
(2–3 kg) were crushed with a steel jaw crusher, with one split
of the resulting chips being powdered in an agate mill and
another being ground to \355 lm grains with a disc mill.
Mineral separates were prepared using a magnetic separator
and hand picking. Where possible, whole garnet crystals
were picked without further magnetic separation to preserve
original proportions of core and rim material. To remove
surface contamination, mineral separates were washed for
10 min in cold 1 M HCl, and then rinsed with deionized
water. All samples were spiked with a mixed 180Hf–176Lu
tracer before digestion with HF–HNO3–HClO4. Digestion of
whole rock powders was accomplished in PFA vials placed
in steel-jacketed Teflon bombs at 180"C. Mineral separates
were digested in PFA vials on a hotplate using alternating
HF–HNO3–HClO4 and 10 M HCl treatments. This avoids
digesting some Hf-bearing inclusions (zircon and to a lesser
extent rutile) that could contain inherited- or post-garnet
growth Hf signatures and adversely affect the true garnet age
(Scherer et al. 2000). Complete digestion of other inclusions,
such as titanite, omphacite, and amphibole still occurs
however. The effect of the latter phases on garnet ages is
generally minor as compared to that of zircon and depends on
the abundance of inclusions in the bulk garnet separate, their
123
 Table 1 Representative mineral chemical data of eclogites and blueschists sampled within the Raspas Complex
268

Sample SEC 43-1 SEC 42-6 SEC 17-3 SEC 43-1 SEC 42-6 SEC 17-3 SEC 43-1 SEC 42-6 SEC 17-3 SEC 43-1 SEC 17-3 SEC 13-4 SEC 15-1
rock type eclogite eclogite blueschist eclogite eclogite blueschist eclogite eclogite blueschist eclogite blueschist eclogite blueschist
mineral omphacite omphacite omphacite garnet garnet garnet phengite phengite phengite amphibole amphibole clinozosite clinozosite

123
location 3_prf2_p11 1p16 G3a p3 1p1 3p4 3p25 5ap8 6p8 G3a p1 1p3 1p1 K_92 Ad27_293

SiO2 55.16 54.33 49.60 38.87 38.42 38.42 49.30 49.25 49.60 43.38 57.19 38.89 38.42
Al2O3 9.99 10.25 27.20 21.65 21.54 21.19 28.50 27.83 27.20 15.34 11.16 30.05 26.09
TiO2 0.17 0.21 0.11 0.02 0.00 0.17 0.656 0.80 0.11 0.55 0.08 0.19 0.11
FeO[tot] 4.89 6.99 2.82 24.09 24.99 27.96 1.91 2.44 2.82 12.47 11.00 n.c. n.c.
Fe2O3 n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. 2.99 2.51 5.31 10.17
FeO n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. 9.78 8.74 0.00 0.00
Cr2O3 n.d. n.d. 0.02 n.d. n.d. n.d. 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.00 0.04 0.07
MgO 8.77 7.62 6.64 5.03 5.01 2.76 2.89 2.98 3.10 10.54 9.45 0.16 0.05
MnO 0.03 0.01 0.06 0.40 0.40 0.69 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.00 0.07 0.00 0.23
CaO 14.62 13.74 11.58 10.63 8.87 9.69 0.00 0.00 0.02 8.59 0.90 23.47 23.05
Na2O 6.07 6.30 7.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.10 1.03 0.40 4.20 6.57 0.03 0.01
K2O 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.30 10.42 10.99 0.75 0.02 0.00 0.00
Total 99.70 99.45 99.59 100.69 99.23 100.88 94.67 94.78 94.27 96.16 96.69 97.62 98.19
Si 1.976 1.963 1.998 3.001 3.009 3.013 3.316 3.322 3.369 6.405 7.930 5.977 6.016
Al 0.422 0.437 0.475 1.971 1.989 1.959 2.259 2.213 2.177 2.669 1.824 5.443 4.815
Ti 0.005 0.006 0.000 0.001 0.000 0.010 0.033 0.041 0.005 0.061 0.009 0.022 0.013
Cr 0.000 0.000 0.001 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.005 0.000 0.005 0.008
Fe2? 0.039 0.068 0.039 1.556 1.637 1.834 0.107 0.138 0.160 1.208 1.014 0.000 0.000
Fe3? 0.107 0.143 0.175 n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. n.c. 0.332 0.262 0.614 1.198
Mg 0.468 0.410 0.355 0.579 0.585 0.323 0.290 0.300 0.314 2.320 1.953 0.037 0.011
Mn 0.001 0.000 0.002 0.026 0.027 0.046 0.001 0.000 0.002 0.000 0.008 0.000 0.030
Ca 0.561 0.532 0.446 0.879 0.744 0.814 0.000 0.135 0.001 1.359 0.134 3.865 3.867
Na 0.422 0.441 0.510 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.143 0.897 0.053 1.202 1.766 0.009 0.004
K 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.884 0.000 0.952 0.141 0.003 0.000 0.000
Total 4.000 4.000 4.000 8.013 7.991 7.999 7.034 7.048 7.033 15.702 14.903 15.974 15.962
Basis of O 6 6 6 11.5 11.5 11.5 11 11 11 23 23 26 26
XFe 0.19 0.26 0.33 0.73 0.74 0.85 0.27 0.32 0.34 0.34 0.34
XAlm 0.51 0.55 0.61
XGrs 0.29 0.25 0.27
XPrp 0.19 0.20 0.11
XSps 0.01 0.01 0.02
Q 0.57 0.55 0.49
Jd 0.39 0.38 0.47
Ae 0.04 0.07 0.04
Fe3?/FeTot 0.27 0.32 0.18
Na ? K 1.03 1.03 1.01
Na/K 0.16 0.15 0.06
A-position
Na 0.56 0.00
K 0.14 0.00

n. c. not calculated, n.d. not determined

Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284
Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284 269

Table 2 Major and trace element compositions of eclogites, blueschists, and serpentinized peridotites
Sample SEC 15-2 SEC 16-1 SEC 17-3 SEC 42-6 SEC 43-1 SEC 43-3 SEC 44-1 SEC 46-1 SEC 46-2 SEC 47-1 SEC 50-1 SEC 26-3
Rock-type Blueschist Blueschist Blueschist Eclogite Eclogite Eclogite Eclogite Eclogite Eclogite Eclogite Eclogite Peridotite
Eastinga 618202 619377 619522 618451 618458 618458 618578 618842 618842 618988 619587 617973
Northinga 9602278 9602453 9602542 9601561 9601634 9601634 9601854 9602130 9602130 9602363 9602502 9600393

Major elements (wt%)

SiO2 47.79 47.31 47.23 45.61 47.92 50.17 48.67 44.08 44.88 47.49 49.57 40.24
TiO2 1.95 2.39 2.25 2.26 1.79 1.86 1.91 1.87 2.00 1.94 1.88 0.04
Al2O3 14.80 18.15 17.09 14.54 14.67 13.89 14.84 14.71 13.49 15.07 13.62 1.62
Fe2O3 10.65 10.18 10.03 15.14 13.04 13.30 13.75 15.48 13.77 13.87 13.30 9.86
MnO 0.20 0.16 0.15 0.28 0.19 0.23 0.19 0.24 0.21 0.23 0.19 0.14
MgO 7.00 4.44 4.12 6.16 6.46 6.65 6.00 10.09 8.72 6.01 6.72 37.85
CaO 10.50 8.36 13.01 11.84 11.10 10.67 10.84 10.87 13.41 11.15 10.48 1.47
Na2O 3.04 3.29 2.40 3.26 3.09 3.02 3.02 1.69 2.30 2.77 3.04 0.04
K2O 0.27 1.59 0.51 0.15 0.53 0.07 0.48 0.16 0.11 0.51 0.07 0.01
P2O5 0.31 0.54 0.51 0.20 0.13 0.17 0.16 0.11 0.74 0.17 0.17 0.02
LOI 3.72 2.64 1.79 0.27 0.57 0.42 0.00 0.45 0.00 0.37 0.81 8.81
Total 100.23 99.05 99.09 99.71 99.49 100.45 99.86 99.75 99.63 99.58 99.85 100.10
Trace elements (ppm)
Li 19.4 62.5 40.7 35.2 48.5 13.8 51.4 11.0 13.3 67.3 20.3 0.84
Sc 29.0 35.6 37.8 46.0 44.3 42.6 43.2 44.8 48.0 42.9 39.6 11.6
V 209 254 272 415 376 390 389 362 431 358 329 67.2
Crb 265 24 235 187 214 111 211 253 252 256 144 2,758
Co 37.2 31.5 44.5 50.2 45.7 40.1 45.0 51.9 37.9 45.4 38.4 126
Ni 146 112 141 80.0 77.5 53.0 75.9 71.2 59.1 74.2 47.0 2,276
Cu 48.2 46.9 45.6 78.5 92.6 35.3 52.8 79.0 137 69.3 32.9 16.2
Zn 77.8 113 82.6 136 229 106 218 280 277 143 57.4 53.0
Ga 16.3 25.2 24.5 18.7 19.2 18.2 18.4 13.1 10.9 19.0 16.3 1.52
Rb 2.21 28.2 7.11 4.38 15.3 1.06 13.1 0.53 0.42 12.7 0.54 0.032
Sr 269 329 376 76.7 92.5 77.0 66.8 31.6 36.8 103 84.9 2.28
Y 31.9 39.3 41.2 52.6 43.1 46.1 45.1 49.1 46.4 48.0 50.5 0.775
Zr 165 240 234 131 116 109 110 102 104 109 119 0.161
Nb 14.8 29.2 26.9 3.64 2.04 2.40 2.03 2.19 4.26 2.09 1.91 0.014
Mo 0.37 0.09 0.09 0.25 0.13 0.07 0.14 0.13 0.23
Sn 1.93 1.97 1.53 0.788 0.966 0.743 1.18 0.130
Sb 0.30 0.35 0.09 0.37 0.32 0.15 0.21 0.20 0.10 0.48 1.2 0.59
Cs 0.127 1.07 0.229 0.144 0.837 0.019 0.777 0.011 0.008 0.632 0.019 0.005
Ba 47.93 1,466 91.1 77.8 98.8 21.2 79.4 6.76 21.1 60.9 121 4.33
La 13.7 24.2 21.7 5.73 4.09 3.75 3.70 4.08 4.40 3.71 3.72 0.027
Ce 36.3 54.1 53.6 16.1 11.8 12.7 11.6 13.6 14.1 11.7 12.4 0.033
Pr 4.49 7.45 6.54 2.90 2.14 2.28 2.17 2.53 2.46 2.18 2.32 0.008
Nd 19.8 31.2 27.7 15.5 11.5 12.6 11.9 13.9 12.9 12.4 12.7 0.050
Sm 5.07 7.35 6.61 5.36 4.03 4.38 4.23 5.11 4.28 4.54 4.62 0.032
Eu 1.79 2.38 2.34 1.82 1.43 1.57 1.57 1.71 1.51 1.57 1.59 0.014
Gd 5.51 7.68 6.94 6.94 5.47 5.90 5.70 6.74 5.60 6.12 6.34 0.069
Tb 0.88 1.21 1.10 1.31 1.00 1.08 1.07 1.18 1.00 1.17 1.17 0.016
Dy 5.43 7.31 6.81 8.84 6.95 7.33 7.35 7.89 6.96 7.92 8.01 0.124
Ho 1.08 1.43 1.33 1.89 1.49 1.58 1.56 1.66 1.55 1.69 1.71 0.030
Er 2.94 3.93 3.64 5.40 4.26 4.59 4.48 4.74 4.52 4.83 4.89 0.091
Tm 0.425 0.566 0.525 0.800 0.628 0.688 0.668 0.713 0.679 0.712 0.727 0.016
Yb 2.80 3.76 3.44 5.36 4.16 4.60 4.49 4.83 4.54 4.80 4.89 0.119
Lu 0.413 0.553 0.510 0.788 0.600 0.674 0.654 0.723 0.678 0.709 0.730 0.021
Hf 3.82 5.23 5.13 3.68 3.01 2.85 2.89 2.86 2.91 3.13 3.25 0.014
Ta 0.928 1.73 1.60 0.239 0.126 0.141 0.129 0.140 0.183 0.146 0.142 0.000
W 0.26 0.17 0.52 0.40 0.17 0.45 0.30 0.03
Pb 1.28 2.44 2.39 2.97 3.81 1.50 4.06 0.646 0.566 2.90 0.738 0.279
Th 1.06 2.12 1.99 0.424 0.206 0.208 0.146 0.131 0.170 0.138 0.137 0.002
U 0.331 0.459 0.380 0.328 0.212 0.069 0.184 0.175 0.540 0.194 0.054 0.011
Nb/Zr 0.090 0.122 0.115 0.028 0.018 0.022 0.018 0.021 0.041 0.019 0.016 0.089
Hf/Yb 1.37 1.39 1.49 0.69 0.72 0.62 0.64 0.59 0.64 0.65 0.66 0.12
(La/Sm)N 1.70 2.07 2.07 0.67 0.64 0.54 0.55 0.50 0.65 0.51 0.51 0.53
Nb/La 1.08 1.21 1.24 0.64 0.50 0.64 0.55 0.54 0.97 0.56 0.51 0.53

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270 Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284

Table 2 continued
Sample SEC 26-9 SEC 34-1 SEC 35-2 SEC 36-2 SEC 40-1 BHVO-2 UB-N
Rock-type Peridotite Peridotite Peridotite Peridotite Peridotite Basalt Serpentinite
Eastinga 617973 611704 611754 611786 610826
Northinga 9600393 9603766 9603691 9603642 9604149 Basalt Serpentinite
n = 15c n = 5c

Major elements (wt%)

SiO2 41.66 40.92 40.49 40.24 41.54
TiO2 0.08 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.03
Al2O3 2.84 2.02 2.37 1.34 1.69
Fe2O3 8.67 7.92 8.02 8.23 8.64
MnO 0.12 0.14 0.12 0.12 0.13
MgO 37.22 38.82 37.26 40.43 40.75
CaO 2.76 1.67 2.48 0.28 1.85
Na2O 0.25 0.03 0.07 0.00 0.25
K2O 0.02 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.01
P2O5 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00
LOI 6.98 9.24 10.01 10.06 5.67
Total 100.61 100.82 100.89 100.75 100.56
Mean SD RSD% Mean SD RSD%
Trace elements (ppm)
Li 3.96 1.18 0.99 1.03 2.76 4.52 0.2 4.7 28.4 2.79 9.8
Sc 16.2 11.4 16.8 10.5 11.2 32.4 1.6 4.9 12.4 0.2 1.5
V 80.7 55.6 73.6 37.1 51.1 323 11.9 3.7 66.5 3.3 5.0
Crb 2,514 2,308 2,674 2,775 2,344 279 21.5 7.7
Co 107 120 104 100 102 44 1.7 3.9 97.8 1 1.5
Ni 1,911 2,233 1,957 2,116 2,125 118 4.9 4.2 1,783 43 2.4
Cu 18.7 2.20 4.82 2.47 20.3 127 4.8 3.8 23.1 0.9 3.9
Zn 50.2 40.7 50.3 43.0 42.3 105 4.1 3.9 77.8 1.1 1.4
Ga 2.59 1.94 2.10 1.56 1.72 21.1 0.5 2.5 2.59 0.07 2.8
Rb 0.169 0.120 0.215 0.071 0.2 8.98 0.2 2.7 3.32 0.1 2.8
Sr 3.61 1.15 3.53 1.51 1.63 400 5.8 1.4 7.74 0.2 2.9
Y 2.15 1.33 1.58 0.504 0.919 24.6 0.8 3.4 2.53 0.1 4.1
Zr 0.772 0.315 9.49 0.294 0.049 169 7.1 4.2 3.64 0.1 3.1
Nb 0.007 0.024 0.008 0.036 0.034 17.2 0.3 1.9 0.056 0.01 10.5
Mo 0.21 0.07 0.19 0.06 0.07 4.5 0.5 10.1 0.50 0.01 1.3
Sn 0.162 0.046 0.124 0.084 0.107 1.7 0.1 2.8 0.265
Sb 0.23 0.14 0.14 3.09 0.03 0.1 0.2 21.3 0.33 0.08 24.4
Cs 0.131 0.104 0.157 0.020 0.218 0.098 0.006 5.7 10.7 0.3 2.9
Ba 4.57 2.36 4.87 3.17 1.32 135 2.6 1.9 28.3 2.1 7.4
La 0.008 0.003 0.004 0.016 0.006 15.0 0.3 1.7 0.309 0.01 3.5
Ce 0.033 0.015 0.014 0.015 0.013 36.8 0.9 2.3 0.772 0.03 3.8
Pr 0.015 0.006 0.006 0.006 0.003 5.37 0.1 1.8 0.117 0.003 2.9
Nd 0.157 0.064 0.069 0.040 0.020 24.4 0.3 1.2 0.590 0.009 1.5
Sm 0.123 0.055 0.067 0.019 0.024 6.06 0.09 1.4 0.211 0.003 1.6
Eu 0.051 0.025 0.032 0.008 0.011 2.04 0.05 2.5 0.080 0.002 3.0
Gd 0.228 0.114 0.147 0.037 0.061 6.10 0.1 2.3 0.301 0.006 1.9
Tb 0.049 0.026 0.034 0.008 0.016 0.936 0.01 1.5 0.059 0.001 1.5
Dy 0.366 0.202 0.266 0.061 0.134 5.23 0.1 2.4 0.409 0.006 1.5
Ho 0.083 0.048 0.062 0.017 0.035 0.959 0.02 2.1 0.091 0.002 1.7
Er 0.245 0.148 0.186 0.055 0.110 2.41 0.03 1.4 0.274 0.004 1.5
Tm 0.039 0.025 0.030 0.011 0.019 0.319 0.007 2.3 0.041 0.001 2.3
Yb 0.272 0.174 0.204 0.081 0.138 1.94 0.08 3.9 0.282 0.006 2.2
Lu 0.042 0.029 0.031 0.015 0.022 0.270 0.01 3.6 0.044 0.001 2.7
Hf 0.066 0.030 0.238 0.015 0.011 4.40 0.1 2.7 0.126 0.005 3.6
Ta 0.001 0.001 0.000 0.002 0.002 1.09 0.02 1.4 0.016 0.002 11.7
W 0.17 0.04 0.09 0.06 0.14 0.30 0.04 14.6 17.62 2.83 16.1
Pb 0.676 0.377 0.280 0.223 0.179 1.58 0.09 5.6 12.1 0.7 6.0
Th 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 1.19 0.03 2.7 0.062 0.004 6.8
U 0.000 0.001 0.003 0.003 0.001 0.414 0.01 2.4 0.058 0.003 4.8
Nb/Zr 0.009 0.076 0.001 0.123 0.685 0.102 0.015
Hf/Yb 0.24 0.17 1.17 0.19 0.08 2.26 0.45
(La/Sm)N 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.53 0.15 1.56 0.92
Nb/La 0.86 7.62 2.04 2.25 5.98 1.15 0.18

The La values in italics are most likely contaminated by blank

a
UTM zone 17M
b
Cr is the only trace element measured by XRF, all others were measured by ICP-MS
c
Mo, Sn, Sb, and W only in 8 BHVO-2 and 3 UB-N standards measured

123
Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284 271

Table 3 Lu–Hf isotope data

176
Sample, fraction Lu (ppm) Hf (ppm) Lu/177Hf 2 RSD (%) 176
Hf/177Hf 2 SE abs. 2 RSD (%) eHf(t)

Eclogite SEC 43-1

wr 0, bombed 0.633 3.04 0.02960 0.26 0.283244 (6) 0.0045 ?16.6
3.04 0.283222 (6) 0.0045
wr 1, bombed 0.629 3.14 0.02842 0.25 0.283222 (6) 0.0046 ?15.9
cpx 0 0.0406 0.502 0.01149 0.25 0.283275 (8) 0.0062
0.502 0.283248 (8) 0.0062
cpx 1 0.0302 0.500 0.008577 0.25 0.283174 (5) 0.0041
[500 lm grains 0.863 0.322 0.3801 0.27 0.284151 (17) 0.0247
grt 0 1.92 0.110 2.487 0.27 0.289436 (19) 0.0141
grt 1 impure 2.04 0.158 1.837 0.26 0.287823 (16) 0.0116
grt 2 1.58 0.0324 6.943 0.27 0.300454 (28) 0.0195
grt 3 whole grains 1.86 0.125 2.118 0.25 0.288339 (12) 0.0167
grt 4 whole grains 1.74 0.116 2.142 0.25 0.288433 (14) 0.0199
Blueschist SEC 16-1
wr, bombed 0.536 5.23 0.01454 0.25 0.282997 (8) 0.0119 ?9.1
\250 lm grains 0.465 0.364 0.1816 0.25 0.283465 (24) 0.0342
amp, px, & grt \500 lm 1.64 0.347 0.6722 0.29 0.284618 (21) 0.0295
grt 1 3.12 0.191 2.319 0.26 0.288389 (14) 0.0199
grt 2 3.17 0.191 2.359 0.26 0.288607 (15) 0.0207
Metapelite SEC 47-4
wr, bombed 0.515 7.76 0.009410 0.25 0.282356 (6) 0.0096 -12.8
7.76 0.282353 (11) 0.0159
wr, hotplate 0.311 0.853 0.05184 0.26 0.282682 (15) 0.0215 -5.2
grt 1 1.13 0.255 0.6307 0.27 0.284067 (7) 0.0111
grt 2 1.10 0.228 0.6867 0.27 0.284237 (9) 0.0127
Estimated uncertainties for 176Lu/177Hf values are based on the typical reproducibility of two to four analyses of single sample solutions and
include error magnification for over- or under-spiking. For 176Hf/177Hf, the typical in-run uncertainties in the last digits are shown in parentheses.
The relationship between in-run statistics (2 SE abs. = 2 times standard error, absolute) and the external reproducibility (2 RSD% = 2 standard
deviations, reported as a percentage of the measured value) of our Hf standard solution analyzed at different concentrations was used to estimate
the 2 RSD% uncertainties of samples that could only be analyzed once (see Bizzarro et al. 2003). Initial eHf values were calculated using the
isochron ages and 176Hf/177Hf = 0.282785 and 176Lu/177Hf = 0.0336 for the CHUR reference (Bouvier et al. 2008)

Hf concentration, and their age. Chemical separation pro-
cedures for Lu–Hf follow those of Münker et al. (2001), with
an additional cation exchange step [a miniaturized version of
column ‘A’ of Patchett and Tatsumoto (1980), but using
AG50W-X12 resin] to remove all remaining traces of Lu and
Yb from the Hf cuts. Lutetium and Hf were analyzed in static
mode on a Micromass Isoprobe multi-collector ICP-MS,
using 179Hf/177Hf = 0.7325 to apply an exponential law
mass bias correction. For Lu isotope dilution measurements,
the correction of the isobaric interference from 176Yb
was performed using the linear relationship between
ln(176Yb/171Yb) and ln(174Yb/171Yb) of Yb standards run
interspersed with samples (e.g., Blichert-Toft et al. 2002;
Barfod et al. 2003). Admixed Re was then used to apply an
external mass bias correction to the Lu isotope ratio mea-
surements (Scherer et al. 2001). Measured 176Hf/177Hf
values are reported relative to 176Hf/177Hf = 0.282163 for
the Münster Ames Hf standard, which is isotopically
indistinguishable from the JMC-475 standard. Procedural
blanks for Lu and Hf were B42 and B71 pg, respectively.
Calculated ages and initial isotope compositions are based on
k176Lu = 1.867 9 10-11/year (Scherer et al. 2001, 2003;
Söderlund et al. 2004). The chondritic uniform reservoir
(CHUR) parameters used for calculating initial eHf values
are 176Hf/177Hf = 0.282785 and 176Lu/177Hf = 0.0336
(Bouvier et al. 2008). The resulting values are 0.4 epsilon
units lower than those calculated using the CHUR parame-
ters of Blichert-Toft and Albarède (1997).
Petrology
Sample descriptions
Different varieties of eclogite, blueschist, and serpentinized
peridotite occur in the Raspas Complex. The eclogites

123
272
contain variable amounts of barroisitic or katophoritic
amphibole and are frequently phengite-bearing. Blueschists
predominately contain amphibole, epidote, white mica, and
garnet. The serpentinized peridotites are strongly lineated
with a partly mylonitic texture. The main focus of our
petrological work is related to the eclogites and blueschists
because they have the highest potential to preserve infor-
mation of their metamorphic evolution. The serpentinized
peridotites will only be described briefly.
Eclogites
The eclogites are fine- to medium-grained rocks. Their
prograde mineral assemblage is garnet ? omphacite ?
rutile ? barroisitic or katophoritic amphibole ± quartz ±
phengite ± carbonate. Accessory minerals include apatite,
zircon, and in some samples, sulfides (pyrite, pyrrhotine,
and chalcopyrite). Most eclogites are strongly deformed and
partially recrystallized. In rare cases, they display almost
monomineralic layers of garnet, omphacite, or amphibole.
Garnet forms sub- to euhedral porphyroblasts (Fig. 2a),
which typically contain inclusions of rutile and quartz, and
sometimes inclusions of almost the entire prograde mineral
assemblage. Subhedral omphacite grains up to 1 cm long
mark the stretching lineation. Prograde subhedral amphi-
bole occurs in textural equilibrium with omphacite
(Fig. 2b). Whereas some eclogites only contain minor
amounts of amphibole, others consist of garnet, amphibole,
and rutile almost exclusively. Although the latter rocks are
almost omphacite-free, we group them together with the
eclogites on the basis of chemical similarities between
phases common to both rock types and because they mainly
represent layers of variable width within the eclogites. The
amount of amphibole present in the eclogite seems to be
mainly a function of fluid availability during the prograde
metamorphic evolution. Phengite occurs in the eclogites
either as large subhedral grains or interstitially (Fig. 2c).
Late-stage titanite was observed in a few eclogites as rims
around rutile or as interstitial, amoeboid grains. Intense
retrogression to greenschist assemblages (albite, epidote,
actinolite, carbonate, chlorite, and titanite) has only been
observed in discordant veins within the eclogites and in the
vicinity of these veins.
Blueschists
The fine- to medium-grained blueschists contain bluish
amphibole with brownish green to bluish-green cores,
garnet, clinozoisite, omphacite, paragonite, phengite,
quartz, titanite, rutile, accessory apatite and zircon, and
secondary carbonate and chlorite. The blueschists are
usually strongly deformed with their constituent minerals
being aligned with the foliation. White mica tends to occur
123
Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284
as either large flakes, usually of paragonite composition, or
as clusters of smaller grains comprising either paragonite
or phengite. Omphacite is a less abundant phase, but in
some subdomains it is in textural equilibrium with garnet
and white mica. Clinozoisite and titanite inclusions are
abundant in the cores of garnet porphyroblasts, whereas in
garnet rims rutile inclusions are more abundant. Titanite
also occurs in omphacite grains and brownish amphibole
cores. The titanite and quartz inclusions in the garnet cores
define an internal schistosity (si) that distinctly deviates
from the external schistosity (se) (Fig. 2d). In other cases,
garnet porphyroblasts show corrosive irregular grain
boundaries in the fine-grained schistose matrix (Fig. 2e).
Matrix rutile formed exclusively as a late prograde phase
and is almost always rimmed by titanite. Blue amphibole
formed around brownish or bluish-green amphibole
(Fig. 2f) and in some cases it contains rutile inclusions.
The blue amphibole rims were obviously grown in a rutile-
bearing matrix contemporaneously with the garnet rims,
which also contain rutile inclusions. Locally, small
omphacite inclusions in garnet rims were detected during
microprobe work. Thus, the blueschist assemblage over-
prints an older high-pressure assemblage.
Serpentinized peridotites
The serpentinized peridotites are mostly schistose but some
massive, very coarse-grained (cm-scale) types were found
in which primary olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyrox-
ene are preserved. The serpentinized rocks contain antig-
orite, chlorite, amphibole, spinel (chromite and magnetite),
titanian clinohumite, carbonate, and chrysotile. The degree
of serpentinization varies from almost pristine peridotite
(B10%) up to serpentinite (95%). Antigorite is the main
serpentine mineral and may constitute up to 90% of a rock.
Minor chrysotile occurs along veins and fractures in olivine
of coarse-grained massive peridotites. Less serpentinized
rocks contain deformed, primary olivine, as well as re-
crystallized metamorphic olivine (Fig. 2g), orthopyroxene
porphyroclasts (up to centimeter-size), and partially re-
crystallized clinopyroxene. At higher degrees of serpenti-
nization, a mylonitic texture has developed, with strongly
deformed and elongated ortho- and clinopyroxene por-
phyroclasts and aggregates within a fine-grained serpentine
matrix. In less-sheared rock layers, metamorphic olivine is
typically intergrown with large euhedral antigorite blades
(Fig. 2g). Amphibole has partly replaced clinopyroxene,
whereas chlorite has partially replaced orthopyroxene and
olivine. Titanian clinohumite occurs at the margins of
olivine and clinopyroxene clasts, and within recrystallized
aggregates of these minerals (Fig. 2h). Anhedral carbonate
grains occur either as vein fillings or as part of porphyro-
clast replacement assemblages.
Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284 273

Fig. 2 Microstructures of the

eclogites, blueschists, and
peridotites. a phengite-bearing
eclogite with almost euhedral
garnet porphyroblasts. b
Eclogite with prograde
amphibole in textural
equilibrium to garnet and
omphacite. c Eclogite
displaying textural equilibrium
among garnet, omphacite, and
phengite. Note the rutile
inclusions in garnet and angles
of approximately 120" between
the phases. d Typical textures of
garnet porphyroblasts in
blueschist. The inclusion trails
comprise mainly titanite and
quartz and are at an oblique
angle to the dominant
schistosity of the rock. e
Blueschist with garnet
porphyroblast showing irregular
grain boundaries. f Typical
blueschist textures. Note the
formation of glaucophane
around barroisite and the
occurrence of phengite and
clinozoisite in the matrix. g
Serpentinized peridotite
showing metamorphic olivine
intergrown with large euhedral
antigorite blades. h
Microstructure of an extensively
serpentinized peridotite with
titanium clinohumite beside
metamorphic olivine and
antigorite. amph amphibole, ant
antigorite, bar barroisite, chum
titanium-clinohumite, czo
clinozoisite, gln glaucophane,
grt garnet, ol olivine, omp
omphacite, phe phengite, rt
rutile

Mineral chemistry XFe values range from 0.21 to 0.24. The highest Jd-content
measured in an omphacite from an eclogite is 43 mol% Jd,
Omphacite at 4 mol% Ae and an XFe value of 0.22.

Omphacite is rather uniform in composition within the Garnet

eclogite and blueschist groups, but on average, blueschist
omphacite tends to have slightly more of the jadeite (Jd)
component than eclogite omphacite (Table 1; Supplemen-
tary Figure 1). Contents of Jd and Ae vary between 37 and
40 mol% and between 3 and 10 mol%, respectively. The
Garnet porphyroblasts in the eclogites and blueschists show
chemical growth zoning characterized by almandine- and
sometimes spessartine-rich cores, and pyrope-rich rims
(Table 1). The grossular (Grs) content typically decreases

123
274 Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284

from the core outwards, with an increase at the outermost
rim (Supplementary Figure 2). The XFe value varies slightly
from sample to sample, but generally decreases from core to
rim with a final increase at the outermost rim. For eclogites,
the range of core and prograde rim compositions is
*Alm58–61Prp15–18Grs22–28Sps01–02, with an XFe value of
0.76–0.82, and *Alm52–54Prp20–24Grs23–26Sps\01, with an
XFe value of 0.68–0.73, respectively. For the blueschists,
core compositions are *Alm55–62Prp05–10Grs25–40Sps05–10,
with an XFe value of 0.84–0.95, and prograde rim compo-
sitions are *Alm58–62Prp12–18Grs22–25Sps\02, with an XFe
value of 0.76–0.82.
White mica
The white mica occurs either as phengite or paragonite.
The blueschists contain both paragonite and phengite,
whereas eclogites contain only phengite. The latter can be
either zoned or unzoned with respect to Si content, which
averages *3.29 Si atoms per formula unit (apfu) (Sup-
plementary Figure 3; Table 1). Silicon contents of phengite
cores and unzoned phengite vary from sample to sample
and have ranges of 3.30–3.33 and 3.32–3.35 apfu, respec-
tively. Rim compositions of zoned phengite grains range
between 3.25 and 3.29 apfu. Average XFe values also differ
from sample to sample and show an overall range from
0.29 to 0.35. Contents of Na and K range between 0.09 and
0.17 apfu, and between 0.85 and 0.91 apfu, respectively.
No correlations between Na/K and Si content were
observed. Paragonite is quite abundant in blueschists,
where it occurs mainly as coarse-grained books. Paragonite
is unzoned and its Si content ranges from 3.00 to 3.05 apfu
for all samples. The paragonite component varies from 90
to 98 mol% and XFe values are in the range of 0.60–0.70.
amphiboles are enriched in Na and K as compared to the
barroisite, with (Na ? K)A ranges of 0.7–0.8 and 0.40–
0.49, respectively. Rims can be of taramitic composition
due to lower Si (6.2–6.3 apfu) and higher (Na ? K)A
(0.9 apfu). The XFe values vary from rock to rock but are
usually around 0.3 to 0.4, with slightly higher values at the
rims. The late-stage amphibole composition ranges from
magnesio-hornblende to actinolite.
Epidote minerals
Clinozoisite is the epidote-group mineral in all investigated
samples. Clinozoisite in the eclogites has a low XEp of
around 0.15, low Cr2O3 (*0.04 wt%), and low MnO
(*0.05 wt%), whereas the TiO2 content is relatively high
(up to 0.2 wt%). Clinozoisite in the blueschists may be
zoned or unzoned. Zoned clinozoisite grains have average
core compositions of XEp *0.28, *0.2 wt% Cr2O3, and
*0.3 wt% MnO, and rim compositions of XEp *0.36,
*0.04 wt% Cr2O3, and 0.02–0.1 wt% MnO. The cores
usually have higher TiO2 concentrations than the rims. The
XEp values and contents of Cr2O3, MnO, and TiO2 in cli-
nozoisite vary only slightly within zoned grains and among
grains in the same rock.
Geothermobarometry
Geothermobarometric estimates were made for the eclog-
ites and blueschists (Fig. 3). Temperature estimates were
obtained for both rock types by means of the Fe–Mg
exchange garnet–clinopyroxene thermometer of Powell
(1985), considering ferrous and ferric iron distribution, and
the garnet–phengite thermometer of Green and Hellman

Amphibole
3.0
)
Sodic- to sodic–calcic amphiboles dominate in blueschists, oC
/km
5
where they are major phases. They can be classified as n(
2.0 tio metapelites eclogites
duc
glaucophane (Table 1) and barroisite (nomenclature after ub
P [GPa]

s
ld
Leake et al. 1997). Barrositic cores often have glaucophane co eclogites
] this study
serpentinites blueschists
rims (Fig. 2f). Glaucophane has Fe3?/(Fe3? ? AlVI) 1.0 /km)
(13 C
o
between 0.14 and 0.21 and XFe values between 0.32 and ction
bdu
0.36. Barroisite, which generally has higher Al and Ca and war m su

lower Si and Na contents than glaucophane, displays 0

NaB = 0.8–1.0 in most samples. The XFe values range from
0.28 to 0.35 and are usually higher where barroisite
coexists with glaucophane. In barroisite, (Na ? K)A typi-
cally ranges between 0.3 and 0.5, whereas there is no Na on
the A site in glaucophane. Sodic–calcic amphiboles in the
eclogites are either barroisitic or Mg-katophoritic in com-
position (Table 1), with the latter having higher Al and
lower Si at similar Ca concentrations. The Mg-katophoritic
200 400 600 800
T[oC]
Fig. 3 Peak pressure–temperature (P–T) estimates for all units of the
Raspas Complex. The values for the blueschists and the eclogites
obtained in this study are indicated by blue and green boxes. It is
evident that all units experienced similar peak P–T conditions. The P–
T range for metapelites (dark gray) is given in Gabriele et al. (2003).
Data for other eclogites (medium gray) and serpentinites (light gray)
are from Gabriele (2002) and Gabriele et al. (2002), respectively

123
Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284
(1982). The garnet–clinopyroxene calibrations yield a
temperature range of 550–650"C for the blueschists at 1.4–
1.6 GPa (see below), whereas the temperatures obtained
from the garnet–phengite thermometer are slightly lower
(550–600"C). However, most (eight of ten) of the estimates
obtained with both calibrations fall within 600 ± 20"C.
These estimates are similar to—but span to lower values
than—those calculated for the eclogites, which range
between 600 and 700"C at 1.6–1.8 GPa (see below) when
applying the garnet–clinopyroxene calibration, and 550–
680"C for the garnet–phengite calibration. Again, most
temperature estimates with both calibrations cluster around
600"C (600 ± 30"C; 9 of 12). The absence of kyanite and
the presence of paragonite in the blueschists provides a
maximum H2O-dependent pressure of about 1.8–2.0 GPa
at 500–700"C using the univariant reaction Pg =
OmpJd50 ? Ky ? H2O (Holland 1979). An H2O-indepen-
dent pressure estimate can be gained from the reaction
Ab = Jd ? Qtz (Holland 1980). In the absence of albite,
the maximum jadeite content in omphacite (43 mol%)
indicates a minimum pressure of *1.3 GPa at 600"C. The
garnet–omphacite–phengite equilibrium after Waters and
Martin (1993) gives equilibrium pressures of 1.4–1.6 GPa
at 600"C for the blueschists and 1.6–1.8 GPa at 600"C for
the eclogites when using (1) omphacite having 43 mol%
jadeite, (2) phengite having the average of highest mea-
sured Si contents, and (3) garnet rims with the highest XPrp
and XGrs, as measured in subdomains that exhibit apparent
textural equilibrium among all three minerals (e.g.,
Fig. 2c). Our pressure–temperature (P–T) estimates are in
agreement with the P–T calculations of Gabriele (2002)
who reported 600 ± 50"C at 1.8 GPa for the eclogites
and Feininger (1980) who calculated temperatures of
580 ± 20"C for estimated minimum pressures of
1.3 ± 0.3 GPa. Very similar P–T estimates (*600 ± 50"C
at 2.0 GPa) were obtained from phase equilibria consid-
erations for garnet–chloritoid–kyanite metapelites of the
Raspas Complex (Gabriele et al. 2003). According to
Gabriele et al. (2002), relict omphacite–garnet–rutile
associations in mafic dikes within the serpentinized peri-
dotites additionally indicates eclogite-facies pressures for
the serpentinized peridotites of the El Oro formation, for
which maximum temperatures of about 550–650"C are
constrained by the upper stability limit of the assemblage
olivine ? diopside ? antigorite ? Ti-clinohumite (Engi
and Lindsley 1980; Trommsdorff and Evans 1980; Trom-
msdorff et al. 1998; Gabriele et al. 2002). In some ser-
pentinized peridotites of the western Alps, the tectonic
relationships between eclogite and serpentinite (e.g.,
Scambelluri et al. 1991) are similar to those observed in the
Raspas Complex. The serpentinized peridotites of Erro-
Tobbio, for instance, host eclogitized mafic dikes, and
therefore also reached HP conditions (Scambelluri et al.
275
1991). Given the close spatial association of the Raspas
Complex peridotites with eclogites and blueschists (Fig. 1),
the suggested eclogite-facies pressures (Gabriele et al.
2002) for the peridotites thus seem reasonable. The
blueschists that have the peak assemblage omphacite ?
garnet ? barroisite ? phengite clearly reached eclogite-
facies conditions, but they did not to fully transform into
eclogite. Because the differences in peak pressures and
temperatures are negligible, we interpret this incomplete
conversion to be due to bulk compositional differences
between the protoliths of the blueschists and those of the
eclogites. The constraints presented above indicate that the
metamorphosed ultramafic, mafic, and sedimentary rocks
were all subjected to similar peak P–T-conditions.
Geochemistry
Thirty-six representative samples (4 blueschists, 19
eclogites, including 4 amphibole-rich ones, and 9 serpen-
tinized peridotites) were geochemically analyzed to con-
strain the tectonic setting in which their precursor rocks
were formed. From these samples, three blueschists, eight
eclogites, and six peridotites were selected for trace ele-
ment analyses and the resulting data are shown together
with the major elements in Table 2. The major element
data of the remaining samples are shown in Supplementary
Table 1. Because high- and low-temperature interaction
with seawater could have significantly altered the major
element budgets of the eclogite and blueschist protoliths,
we used the method of Schumacher (1988) to scan for
affected samples. Whereas two blueschist samples showed
evidence for low-temperature alteration effects (concomi-
tant Ca and Mg loss) typical of ocean floor basalts, no
samples (blueschist or eclogite) were strongly affected by
high-temperature alteration, in which Ca loss from the
rocks is coupled with Mg gain (e.g., Humphris and
Thompson 1978). Therefore, such high-temperature alter-
ation, which leads to Mg enrichment and perhaps shifts the
blueschist-to eclogite-transition to higher temperature (e.g.,
Barnicoat 1988), is probably not the main factor that pre-
vented the Raspas blueschists from reacting to eclogite.
Tholeiitic and calc-alkaline mafic rocks, as well as
ultramafic rocks, may form in various tectonic settings, and
trace elements may be used to distinguish among the dif-
ferent possibilities. In particular, high field strength ele-
ments (HFSE), which are considered to be relatively
immobile in aqueous fluids and under conditions of
hydrothermal alteration, seafloor weathering and up to
medium grade metamorphic processes, are useful dis-
criminators (e.g., Pearce and Cann 1973; Wood et al.
1979). For high-pressure metamorphic rocks, it has been
demonstrated that in many cases fluids are involved in their
123
276 Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284

petrogenesis, where especially the highly fluid-mobile a blueschist

large ion lithophile elements (LILE) behave rather errati- eclogite

sample/ chondrite
100
cally (e.g., John et al. 2003). Therefore only relatively OIB
fluid-immobile trace elements such as the rare earth ele- N-MORB
ments (REE) and the HFSE are useful for identifying the
tectonic setting of the precursor rocks from high-grade
metamorphic units (e.g., Möller et al. 1995; John et al.
2004; Miller et al. 2007; Jöns and Schenk 2008). We use
mainly four geochemical indicators: (1) Nb/La to test for a 10
subduction component, (2) (La/Sm)N, which is sensitive to
La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
mantle source characteristics and crustal contamination, (3)
Nb/Zr, which is also sensitive to mantle source character-
istics, and (4) Hf/Yb, which can be used to estimate b

sample / chondrite
melting depths (e.g., John et al. 2003, 2004). We further 1
examine our results using the Th/Nb versus Nb/Yb and Ti/
Yb versus Nb/Yb relationships to evaluate crustal input and
melting depth, respectively (see Pearce 2008). 0.1

Eclogites
0.01 serpentinized peridotites
All eclogites have tholeiitic bulk compositions, with 46–
50 wt% SiO2 and Al2O3 contents between *13.5 and La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu

15.0 wt%. They have high Fe and Mg contents with *12–

15 wt% Fe2O3 and *6–10 wt% MgO. The (La/Sm)N
100 c blueschist
eclogite
values of the eclogites are low (\0.7) and their HREE
sample / MORB

concentrations range between 20 and 25 times chondritic 10

values and are thus similar to those of average normal

MORB (N-MORB, Fig. 4a). Moreover, they display a
slightly negative Eu anomaly. On a MORB-normalized
trace element diagram, fluid immobile trace elements show
patterns that are also similar to those of recent MORB
(Fig. 4c). As expected, the fluid-mobile LILE scatter
widely with up to ten times enrichment or depletion, and
element ratios based on them show little or no systematic
behavior. The eclogites display a wide range in Nb/La
(with the majority lying between 0.5 and 0.7) but their low
(La/Sm)N values are typical of MORB and preclude sig-
nificant contributions from a subduction component (such
as that observed in arc basalts) or crustal contamination
(Fig. 5). The Nb/Zr values range from \0.02 to 0.04 at Hf/
Yb ratios clustering around 0.65, a combination that is
suggestive of shallow melting in a depleted mantle source
(Fig. 6). These characteristics, and values of Th/Yb
between 0.02 and 0.09, Nb/Yb between 0.39 and 0.94, and
TiO2/Yb between 0.38 and 0.44 (Fig. 7), strongly resemble
those of average N-MORB.
Blueschists
Like the eclogites, blueschists have basaltic compositions,
but they had an alkaline origin at least according to their
trace element signatures. The blueschists have, if normal-
ized to a volatile-free composition, higher Al2O3 and lower
1
0.1
0.01
Sr K Rb Ba Th Nb Ta La Ce Nd Zr Hf Sm Ti Tb Y Tm Yb
fluid mobile fluid immobile
Fig. 4 Chondrite-normalized REE variation diagrams (Boynton
1984) for: a eclogites and blueschists. Typical OIB (Sun and
McDonough 1989) and N-MORB (Hofmann 1988) compositions
are shown for comparison. b Serpentinized peridotites. The La values
of two samples (SEC 26-3 and SEC 36-2) are not shown (see Table 2
for explanations). c Trace element variation plots, normalized to
MORB (Hofmann 1988), for eclogites and blueschist. The most fluid
mobile elements (LILE) are separated from the more fluid immobile
elements (HFSE and REE), which are expected to remain essentially
fluid-immobile in systems of low fluid flux
Fe2O3 contents than the eclogites, with *15.5–19.0 wt%
Al2O3 and *10–12 wt% Fe2O3. Chondrite-normalized
REE patterns of the blueschists show a slight enrichment of
the light REE (LREE) as compared to the HREE (Fig. 4a).
Their Nb/La values, being greater than one, are too high to
have been significantly influenced by a subduction com-
ponent. The (La/Sm)N and Nb/Zr values of the blueschists,
at [1 and [0.08, respectively, are similar to those of typ-
ical oceanic intraplate basalts (OIB, Figs. 5, 6), but HREE

123
Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284 277

1.6 10
a Deep
1.4
crustal
E-MORB seamounts
recycling

y
ra
ar
1.2

c
ar
MORB

y
1.0 OIB

ni

ra
ca

ar
Nb/La

l
Vo

B
0.8 oceanic intraplate basalts

OI
Magma-

B-
oceanic plateaus

OR
0.6 crust

Th/Yb
backarc basalts

M
Eclogites interaction
0.4 this study
continental arc Bosch et al. E-MORB
0.2 Blueschists
oceanic arc this study
0.1
0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 Eclogites
(La/Sm)N this study

N-MORB Bosch et al.

Fig. 5 Plot of Nb/La versus (La/Sm)N (after John et al. 2003) for the Blueschists
eclogites and blueschists of the Raspas Formation. The protoliths of this study
the eclogites apparently formed in a mid-ocean-ridge environment, 0.01
whereas the blueschists are compositionally distinct from MORB 0.1 1 10 100
because their (La/Sm)N are too high, even for EMORB. According to Nb/Yb
their Nb/La and (La/Sm)N values, the blueschists seem to have
originated in an intraplate seamount environment. The eclogite data 10
of Bosch et al. (2002) are shown for comparison. Data for the oceanic
b
plateaus are from Mahoney et al. (1993a, b), Tejada et al. (2002), and
Ely and Neal (2003). The seamount data are from Batiza et al. (1989)
and Niu and Batiza (1997). For data sources of the other fields, see
John et al. (2003)

Th Alk
OIB array
OIB
(deep melting)
TiO2/Yb

2.0
Eclogites OIB
1 e
dg
this study
Bosch et al.
e -ri ion
1.6 m ct
Blueschists plu tera
this study
in MORB array
e
Pacific
Ris
unts (shallow melting)
1.2 East sea
mo
ORB N-MORB E-MORB
Hf/Yb

E-M Eclogites
N E this study
0.8 RB oceanic plateaus
MO Bosch et al.

Blueschists
primitive mantle

0.4
depleted
mantle source
0.0
0.00 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08
Nb/Zr
Fig. 6 Plot of Hf/Yb versus Nb/Zr modified after John et al. (2004).
Note the similarity between the eclogites and East Pacific Rise (EPR)
MORB. In contrast, the blueschists follow an enriched, plume-
influenced MORB trend that is defined by EPR seamounts (see text).
EMORB would have lower Nb/Zr values, whereas an OIB-like source
would be indicated by higher Hf/Yb values that are suggestive of
residual garnet in the source. The eclogite data of Bosch et al. (2002)
are plotted for comparison. Data for the oceanic plateaus are from
Mahoney et al. (1993a, b), Tejada et al. (2002), and Ely and Neal
(2003). The seamount data are from Batiza et al. (1989) and Niu and
Batiza (1997), whereas the OIB data are from Frey et al. (1991). For
data sources of the other fields, see John et al. (2004)
this study
0.1
enriched 0.1 1 10 100
mantle source Nb/Yb
0.10 0.12 0.14
Fig. 7 Plots of a Th/Yb versus Nb/Yb and b TiO2/Yb versus Nb/Yb,
see Pearce (2008) for references. The compositions of both the
eclogites and the blueschists follow the oceanic basalt array, with the
protoliths of the eclogites apparently being derived from a MORB-
like source and those of the blueschists displaying plume-ridge
interaction with melting at shallow depths
concentrations of these rocks, at 12–17 times chondritic
values, are slightly higher than those of typical OIB
(Fig. 4a). In addition, the (Ho/Lu)N values cluster around 1,
whereas they are usually \1 in typical OIB (Frey et al.
1991; Sun and McDonough 1989). The Hf/Yb values are
\1.5 and thus significantly lower than those of typical

123
278 Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284

OIB, which are usually above 2.0 (e.g., Frey et al. 1991) a
and may reach up to 3.6 (OIB of Sun and McDonough
1989). Additionally, the Th/Yb versus Nb/Yb relationship
(0.38–0.58 vs. 5.3–7.8) places the blueschists on the
MORB–OIB array of Pearce (2008), between enriched
MORB and OIB (Fig. 7a). High Hf/Yb values suggest
garnet in the residuum and thus deep melt source regions,
whereas lower Hf/Yb values point to shallower melting
sources, which is also shown by TiO2/Yb lower than 0.7
(Fig. 7b). Taken together, these distinct chemical features
can be best explained by the mixing of a depleted mantle
source (MORB-like) with an enriched one (OIB-like) and
melting at shallow depths. Such a geodynamic setting can
be found where seamounts form at or close to oceanic
ridges (Batiza et al. 1989; Niu and Batiza 1997). In fact, the
Nb/La versus (La/Sm)N and Hf/Yb versus Nb/Zr of the b
blueschists follow the trend of seamount-ridge variations
observed at the East Pacific Rise (Figs. 5, 6).

Serpentinized peridotites

The peridotites display a broad range of LOI from 5.7 to

11.9 wt%, reflecting variable degrees of serpentinization.
They also have low Al2O3, CaO, and TiO2 contents (*1.3–
2.8, *0.3–2.8, and *0.03–0.08 wt%, respectively) and
high MgO contents (*37–41 wt%). Concentrations of the
transition metals, e.g., Cr (2,090–2,770 ppm) and Ni
(2,080–2,370 ppm) are typical for abyssal peridotites that
have 35–41 wt% MgO (Niu 2004). The chondrite-nor-
malized REE patterns show a strong LREE depletion, c
particularly for La and Ce, which is also reflected in (La/
Sm)N \\ 1 and (Sm/Lu)N \ 1. The HREE concentrations
range between 0.2 and 1.3 times chondritic values
(Fig. 4b). Such patterns are consistent with modeled resi-
dues of a depleted mantle source after extraction of 5–10%
melt produced by fractional melting, which is typical for
the source of the basalts at mid-ocean ridges (e.g., Niu
2004).

Lu–Hf geochronology

Whole rocks and mineral separates from an eclogite, a

blueschist, and a metapelite were analyzed for Lu–Hf to
determine whether the three lithologic types were sub-
ducted and metamorphosed contemporaneously or not. The
resulting data are shown in Table 3, and isochrons are
plotted in Fig. 8. Ten fractions from eclogite SEC 43-1
yielded a Lu–Hf age of 133.4 ± 2.1 Ma, albeit with a
relatively high scatter as indicated by an MSWD of 18. The
age of blueschist SEC 16-1, 126.4 ± 4.0 Ma (5 points,
MSWD of 4.1), is consistent with that of eclogite 43-1.
Depending on whether its bomb-digested- or hotplate-
Fig. 8 Lu–Hf isochrons of samples from the Raspas Formation
digested whole rock fraction is used, the metapelite SEC
47-4 yields and age of either 147.9 ± 2.9 or 129.9 ±
5.6 Ma, respectively. The older ‘‘age’’ is most likely a
spurious result caused by the dissolution of inherited zircon
in the bomb digestion of whole rock powder. [This is
analogous to the example shown in Figure 5a of Scherer

123
Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284
et al. (2000) where the Hf in inherited zircon grains did not
isotopically equilibrate with the rest of the sample during
later garnet growth.] In contrast, the hotplate digestion of
whole rock chips (not powder) should have excluded most
zircon, inherited or otherwise, as well as some rutile from
the analysis because these minerals would not be digested.
Therefore this analysis has probably not been significantly
affected by an inherited zircon component, and we consider
the age derived from regressing it with the two garnet
fractions to represent the true crystallization age of the
garnet in the metapelite. Whereas inherited zircon of sub-
stantially older age than the HP metamorphism might be
expected to occur in metasedimentary rocks, zircon in
eclogites and blueschists derived from juvenile oceanic
crust would have crystallized between the age of that crust
and the age of HP event or exhumation. In the case of
blueschist SEC 16-1 and eclogite SEC 43-1, regressing
only the data from hotplate-digestions (i.e., excluding the
bombed whole rock fractions that might carry a zircon
signature) does not reduce the scatter (i.e., MSWD values)
or significantly change the ages or intercepts. From this, we
infer that inherited zircon in these samples, if present, was
either not much older than the HP event in which garnet
grew or it only contributes a small part to the total Hf
budget of these samples.
The elevated scatter of the SEC 43-1 correlation, and to
a lesser extent, that of SEC 16-1, casts some doubt on the
significance of the stated age uncertainties. Well-equili-
brated, high-temperature samples that have been dated
using the same digestion methods at Münster yield a mean
MSWD near 1, indicating that our estimated uncertainties
in 176Lu/177Hf and 176Hf/177Hf are realistic, i.e., they
account for the observed scatter on average. Thus, the
excess scatter observed for the eclogite and blueschist is-
ochrons is unlikely to be an artifact of the hotplate diges-
tion procedure used here. Rather, we consider the likely
cause to be variable proportions of different age compo-
nents among the analyzed fractions. For example, variable
ratios of older core- to younger rim material in each frac-
tion could generate scatter, as would incomplete separation
of younger retrograde minerals from the older, prograde
mineral fractions. Nevertheless, the ages are broadly con-
sistent, and we interpret them to demonstrate the essen-
tially contemporaneous HP garnet growth at *130 Ma in
all three rock types.
Geodynamic interpretation
The Raspas and the El Toro Formations, which define the
metamorphic Raspas Complex, yield pressure and tem-
perature estimates that are indicative of a metamorphic
evolution within a subduction zone setting. The eclogites
279
and metapelites record the highest peak pressures, whereas
blueschists likely reached slightly lower peak-pressures
(Fig. 3). Peak-metamorphic temperatures for all of the rock
types are rather similar, clustering around 600"C. This
indicates a relatively warm subduction zone having a
geothermal gradient of approximately 10–12"C/km on
average for all lithologic units. However, the calculated
temperatures are relatively high considering that pure
glaucophane in blueschists (no Na in the A site) and the
assemblage olivine–diopside–antigorite–Ti-clinohumite in
the ultramafic rocks have not reacted out. The small vari-
ations in maximum pressure of about 0.2–0.3 GPa and
essentially identical peak-temperatures point to a scenario
in which different units were either (1) never really dis-
membered from each other or (2) juxtaposed during their
exhumation but while still at great depth. However, the
recorded difference in peak-pressures and thus burial
depths are insignificant considering the errors on the indi-
vidual pressure and temperature estimates (±50"C and
0.25 GPa see, e.g., Waters and Martin 1993). This, together
with their similar ages may imply that these different rock
units have remained close together during their entire
metamorphic evolution (i.e., scenario 1 above). In addition,
the bulk compositional difference between eclogites and
blueschists, with the eclogites being the more Fe-rich of the
two (Table 2), suggests that the observed peak mineral
assemblage may be simply a function of the rock compo-
sition rather than of differences in peak metamorphic P–T
conditions. A phengite K–Ar age of 132 ± 5 Ma (Feinin-
ger 1980) from a Raspas Complex metapelite and Ar–Ar
phengite ages of 123.9 ± 1.4 and 127.1 ± 1.3 Ma
(eclogites) and 123.4 ± 1.3 and 129.3 ± 1.3 Ma (meta-
pelites) (Gabriele 2002; Bosch et al. 2002), are similar to
the Lu–Hf garnet ages. The difference between the
weighted means of Lu–Hf and Ar–Ar (K–Ar) ages is
6 ± 9 Ma. If the Lu–Hf ages are biased toward the time of
peak temperature (*600"C), then cooling down to
*400"C (e.g., Harrison et al. 2009) during exhumation
occurred over a rather short time interval (0–15 Ma),
#
implying a cooling rate of *30þ1 $20 C=Ma. If, on the other
hand, the Lu–Hf ages are biased toward the early, pre-peak
T stage of garnet growth (e.g., Lapen et al. 2003), the
implied cooling rate from 600"C would be even faster.
Geochemical data show that the protoliths of all inves-
tigated rock types formed in an oceanic setting. For
instance, the majority of the Raspas high-pressure me-
tasediments are typically semipelagic or continentally
derived, similar to sediments that are being deposited on
active continental slopes today (Bosch et al. 2002; Gabriele
et al. 2003). The strongly negative eHf(t) of the metapelite
SEC 47-4 (-12.8 for the bomb-digested whole rock,
Table 3) is consistent with this sample containing a com-
ponent that was derived from ancient continental crust.
123
280
The eclogites’ basaltic precursors formed most likely at
an oceanic ridge as indicated by their depleted trace ele-
ment characteristics and the elevated eHf(t) of *?16 for
sample SEC 43-1 (Fig. 4a, c; Table 3). In contrast, other
types of basalt, such as OIB, usually have higher concen-
trations of LREE ([La/Sm]N C 1, Figs. 4a, 5) and lower
concentrations of HREE, reflecting enriched mantle sour-
ces or smaller degrees of melting. Additionally, OIB would
typically also have TiO2/Yb values above 0.7, which is not
the case for the eclogites (Fig. 7b). Bosch et al. (2002)
suggested that the Raspas eclogites represent a fragment of
a subducted oceanic plateau, but basalts of oceanic plateaus
usually have (La/Sm)N and Nb/La of around 1 (Mahoney
et al. 1993a, b; Tejada et al. 2002; Ely and Neal 2003), and
Nb/Zr between 0.05 and 0.07, which is similar to that of
primitive mantle (Nb/Zr = 0.06, Fig. 6). By comparing the
data of Bosch et al. (2002) with our new data and a more
global data set (Figs. 5, 6, 7), it becomes evident that the
trace element signatures of the Raspas eclogites are not
compatible with an oceanic plateau setting. Instead we
conclude that the eclogites have been formed from typical
MORB.
The chemical characteristics of the blueschists are
clearly distinct from those of the eclogites. They are more
alkaline rocks with higher trace element contents and trace
element characteristics that are even distinct from enriched
MORB (Figs. 5, 6, 7). The trace element data of the
blueschists show many similarities with present-day sea-
mounts, suggesting that the blueschists’ precursors were
probably seamounts that formed close to—or at—an oce-
anic ridge. Hence it appears likely that the seamounts
subducted together with the rest of the incoming plate. That
the association of subducted MOR-basalts and seamounts
represents a realistic scenario is documented at the Central
American margin where seamounts having geochemical
characteristics similar to those discussed here (Harpp and
White 2001; Harpp et al. 2005) are located on the sub-
ducting Cocos plate close to the trench or have recently
entered the subduction zone (von Huene et al. 2000).
The association of peridotites with high-pressure mafic
meta-igneous and meta-sedimentary rocks in the Raspas
Complex is consistent with these units being a section of
the subducted oceanic slab. On the other hand, HP and
UHP metamorphic rocks are often associated with serp-
entinites that formed at the slab–mantle wedge interface
(Guillot et al. 2001; Hattori and Guillot 2007). To clarify
the relationship between the ultramafic and mafic rocks, it
is therefore important to determine whether the Raspas
peridotites represent subducted oceanic mantle or a part of
the supra-subduction mantle. Serpentinites from the Cabo
Ortegal Complex of northwestern Spain have been con-
sidered to be representative of typical mantle from the root
of an arc, i.e., supra-subduction mantle (Moreno et al.
123
Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284
10
continental lithospheric mantle (median)
sample / chondrite
1 supra-subduction
mantle
abyssal
0.1
mantle
Raspas
metaperidotites
0.01
La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
Fig. 9 Chondrite-normalized REE plot showing a comparison of the
Raspas peridotites showing whole-rock data for abyssal mantle
(peridotites from the Vulcan and Bullard fracture zones; Niu 2004),
an exhumed mantle segment interpreted as supra-subduction zone
mantle (serpentinites from the Cabo Ortegal ultramafic complex;
Pereira et al. 2008), and continental lithospheric mantle (based on
lherzolite and harzburgite xenoliths, McDonough 1990). The REE
patterns of the Raspas peridotites overlap best with those of abyssal
peridotites. Both show high degrees of LREE depletion. Note that the
REE compositions of the Raspas peridotites and the abyssal
peridotites correspond well to 5–30% batch melting of a depleted
mantle source as modeled by Niu (2004)
2001; Pereira et al. 2008). The Finero peridotite massif
(Ivrea Zone, Alps) is also interpreted to represent former
subduction zone wedge mantle, but a strongly metasoma-
tized type (Zanetti et al. 1999). For the Cabo Ortegal per-
idotites (Fig. 9), chondrite-normalized REE patterns are
relatively flat and slightly U-shaped with a slight enrich-
ment of LREE over HREE, similar to the median compo-
sition of the continental lithospheric mantle (McDonough
1990). The Finero peridotites have even higher REE con-
centrations and steeper chondrite-normalized patterns,
reflecting the strong metasomatic trace-element enrich-
ments. Complementary information about the composition
of the sub-arc mantle wedge can be gained from mantle
xenoliths in arc volcanoes, and we have compared our data
from the Raspas peridotites with spinel peridotites from
two key localities for mantle wedge xenoliths, the Kam-
chatka arc (Avachinsky volcano; Ishimaru et al. 2007;
Halama et al. 2009) and Papua New Guinea (Grégoire et al.
2001). At both localities, the harzburgitic xenoliths are
highly depleted in all REE and show U-shaped patterns that
are similar in shape to those from Cabo Ortegal but with
concentrations that are approximately one order of mag-
nitude lower. These characteristics of supra-subduction
mantle are opposite to what is observed in the Raspas rocks
(Fig. 9).
On the basis of this comparison, we conclude that the
Raspas peridotites do not represent typical supra-subduc-
tion or continental lithospheric mantle. Finally, REE data
Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:265–284
from bulk-rock abyssal peridotites show abundance varia-
tions of several orders of magnitude, suggesting complex
enrichment processes (Niu 2004). Enrichment of LREE in
abyssal peridotites has been interpreted to reflect post-
melting refertilization in the thermal boundary layer
beneath ridges (Niu 2004). For a comparison with the
Raspas peridotite data, we have therefore chosen whole-
rock compositions of abyssal peridotites that show the
smallest degree of LREE enrichment (e.g., Bullard and
Vulcan fracture zones). The data of these abyssal perido-
tites show a significant overlap with the Raspas data
(Fig. 9). The REE patterns of both the abyssal peridotites
and the Raspas peridotites are very similar to patterns
derived from various melting models as calculated by Niu
(2004). In particular, 5–30% batch melting of a depleted
mantle source can explain the REE patterns of the Raspas
peridotites quite well. Additionally, the Raspas peridotites
exhibit many chemical, metamorphic, and structural fea-
tures that are similar to those of the Erro Tobbio peridotite
(Italy), which has been interpreted to represent subducted
hydrous oceanic mantle (Scambelluri et al. 2001). In par-
ticular, these two peridotite bodies have essentially iden-
tical REE patterns. We thus conclude that the Raspas
peridotites once represented the mantle part of the oceanic
lithosphere, which has been subducted together with oce-
anic crust, which is now present as HP eclogites and
metasediments.
Taking into account the petrological, geochemical, and
geochronological evidence, the Raspas Complex represents
all components of a complete oceanic lithosphere section.
It is likely that they once have been components of a
coherent package that was dismembered from the slab
during subduction. Consequently we interpret the Raspas
Complex as a high-pressure ophiolite.
Implications
Blueschists or eclogites that have alkaline composition and
are associated with tholeiitic MORB-type eclogites have
been documented for paleo-subduction zones, e.g., in the
Alps (Hermann 2002) and New Caledonia (Spandler et al.
2004). In some cases an even more specific seamount- or
OIB-like trace element signature has been reported, e.g., in
Zambia (John et al. 2004) and Tianshan (Gao and Klemd
2003; van der Straaten et al. 2008). The existence of sea-
mounts that have been deeply subducted and then finally
exhumed has some implications for how parts from the
downgoing slab may become dismembered, which is a
prerequisite to their eventual exhumation. Seamounts are
rather prominent features on the oceanic plate (e.g., 20–
30 km across and 2–3 km high; von Huene 2008) and thus
represent obstacles to subduction on the top of the
281
incoming plate (Cloos 1992; von Huene et al. 2000;
Mochizuki et al. 2008). At shallower depths (\40 km),
seamount subduction may cause seismicity by acting as a
hindrance at the slab–wedge interface (e.g., Mochizuki
et al. 2008), and Cloos (1992) speculated that scraping off
seamounts from the subducting plate might cause great
earthquakes. However, some seamounts or portions thereof
apparently remain attached to the downgoing slab, and the
finding of high-pressure seamounts (Gao and Klemd 2003;
John et al. 2004; van der Straaten et al. 2008; this study)
indicates that they can be subducted to depths of at least
60 km. We propose that at such depths, stress induced by
friction or shearing at the slab-wedge interface would
eventually be high enough to scrape off the remaining parts
of seamounts, which, in addition to potentially generating
earthquakes, should result in a partial dismembering of the
upper part of the slab. This process may allow fragments of
the slab to be exhumed, either as individual eclogite and
blueschist bodies or as larger, coherent packages such as
the Raspas Complex.
Conclusions
(1) In the Raspas Complex, eclogites, blueschists, me-
tasediments, and peridotites all exhibit a similar P–T
evolution that suggests a maximal burial depth of
about 60 km, where the rocks were heated to about
600"C. These values imply a rather warm geothermal
gradient of about 10–12"C/km at least in the crustal-
and uppermost mantle parts of the slab.
(2) The Lu–Hf ages of an eclogite, a blueschist, and a
metapelite from the Raspas Complex are broadly
similar and indicate that these samples were all
subjected to prograde HP metamorphism at around
130 Ma. Cooling of the rocks down to *400"C was
finished by about 123 Ma, suggesting a short time
interval of \15 Ma between garnet growth and
cooling below the closure temperature of Ar in
phengite.
(3) The trace element signatures of the Raspas blues-
chists provide evidence for exhumation of subducted
seamounts. Precursors of the eclogites were most
likely MORB-type basalts and evidence for an
oceanic plateau affinity, as formerly suggested, is
absent from the sample suite investigated in this
study. Additionally, the closely associated eclogite-
facies peridotites display chemical signatures resem-
bling those of depleted MORB-source mantle.
(4) The association of MORB-type eclogite, seamount-
type blueschist, eclogite-facies serpentinized perido-
tite, and HP metasediments point to exhumed high-
pressure ophiolite sequence. Such sequences may
123
282
provide clues that lead to a deeper understanding of
how the different parts of a coherent slab behave
during subduction and about the associated fluid-
infiltration and metamorphic processes.
Acknowledgments This study was financially supported by Deut-
sche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) grants Sche 265/S1-2. We
gratefully acknowledge the support of the Center of Physics of
Geological Processes (PGP). We thank P. Duque and P. Gabriele for
sharing their insights on the El Oro region and on the Raspas Com-
plex in particular. Else-Ragnhild Neumann is thanked for helpful
discussions and P. Appel, A. Weinkauf, U. Westernströer, and C.
Kusebauch are thanked for assistance during lab work. Very con-
structive reviews by M. Scambelluri and an anonymous reviewer
helped to improve the manuscript. The efficient editorial handling by
J. Hoefs is gratefully acknowledged. This is contribution no. 134 of
the Sonderforschungsbereich 574 ‘‘Volatiles and Fluids in Subduction
Zones’’ at Kiel University.
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