Volcanism of the Kerguelen Plateau (Indian Ocean): Composition, Evolution, and Sources

Petrographic and geochemical study of basalts in the Kerguelen Plateau basement revealed changes in the composition and character of volcanism during the development of this tectonovolcanic structure. The Kerguelen Plateau is one of the largest intraplate rises in the World Ocean. It started to form about 120 Ma ago. The age of basalts and overlying sediments shows that the plateau formation succeeded in the northwestern direction. Basalts of the Kerguelen Plateau basement are products of tholeiitic melts in terms of geochemistry, but differ from the mid-oceanic ridge basalt (MORB). They are enriched in incompatible trace elements and rare earth elements (REE) relative to MORB, and the degree of enrichment varies in basalts from different segments of the plateau. The composition of basalts does not directly depend on their age. Specific features of the plateau magmatism are commonly explained in terms of a long-living deep magma plume, which variously interacted with a depleted upper mantle source at different stages of the plateau formation. However, taking into account block morphology and deep structure of the plateau, one can suggest that the plateau volcanism was initiated by a large fault. As the volcanism prograded to the northwest, the depth of fault penetration into the mantle changed. The composition of basalts in the plateau basement was also governed by the formation depth of primary melts.