Résumé
Peridotites from ultraslow-spreading ridges preserve signatures of the depleted mantle, while also reflecting the fine scale compositional variability present in the mantle. Traditional analyses of these depleted rocks have focused on clinopyroxene, the main trace element host in spinel peridotites. However, key isotopic systems, such as lead and osmium, are hosted in other phases at low but significant concentration levels. The amount of lead contained within mantle mineral phases is of critical importance to understanding the long-term evolution of the Earth, because the radiogenic isotopes of lead are sensitive to past material cycling and melt-rock interaction. Sulfides have long been suggested as the main host for lead (Pb) in the mantle, but recent studies have demonstrated that Pb is not exclusively hosted in this trace phase. Therefore, the Pb contents of the major peridotite mineral phases (olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene) need to be reassessed. Lead concentration data is available for orogenic and xenolith peridotite samples, which are typically more enriched than abyssal peridotites, but these do not provide direct information on the oceanic upper mantle. Direct measurement of Pb in abyssal peridotites has so far been limited because of its extremely low concentration (often <1 ppm). We report Pb and other trace element concentration data for peridotite phases determined by in-situ laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The LA-ICP-MS technique achieves high spatial resolution combined with detection of low elemental abundances. External precision varied from 6% to 17%, with a precision of 6% for Pb, based on 14 repeat analyses of BIR-1G standard basalt glass. Laser spot size varied from 102-163 microns, which produced a detection limit of 0.42-0.81 ppb for Pb. This study focused on abyssal peridotites from the ultra-slow spreading Gakkel and Southwest Indian Ridges (SWIR), with samples coming from segments with full spreading rates <13 mm/yr. Both Gakkel and SWIR samples are relatively unaltered (<50%) and include some completely fresh samples from Gakkel. A total of five Gakkel and six SWIR peridotites were analyzed by LA-ICP-MS, with a subset of samples also analyzed for bulk rock trace elements by solution ICP-MS. Combined with mineral modal data, this study provides a direct comparison of measured and calculated bulk rock Pb concentrations to determine a comprehensive assessment of the distribution of Pb among upper mantle phases Results indicate that all three of the main mantle mineral phases have similar Pb concentrations, ranging from 2-20 ppb, which corresponds to 0.1-0.01 times the primitive mantle composition. Preliminary calculations suggest that olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene combined contain enough Pb to match measured bulk rock concentrations. Clinopyroxene typically exhibits a negative Pb anomaly relative to Ce and Nd. In comparison, orthopyroxene, olivine, and bulk rock powders show positive Pb anomalies. Therefore, relative concentrations suggest that orthopyroxene (and to a lesser extent olivine) may host the majority of Pb in the mantle and therefore control the long-term cycling of this important isotopic tracer.