Deciphering mantle source heterogeneity in space and time in the back-arc of a contemporary subduction system: A regional study of the Sredinny Range, Kamchatka

We present here the first regional set of Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions, major and trace element compositions and KAr ages for a representative suite of back-arc samples of the Sredinny Range (SR) of Kamchatka. Together with previously published analyses, this unique dataset allowed us to trace the source heterogeneity and invoke new mechanisms to explain the variably enriched geochemical signatures. Our results indicate that the Sr isotopic ratios and the LILE content of the studied rocks were mainly influenced by the subduction fluid. Neodymium isotopes, as well as the HFSE and REE distributions in the rocks, require a more complex explanation, depending on the geographical location of the studied samples and the age of their eruption. Melts representing Miocene rocks of the northern part of the SR and most of the rocks from the eastern and central flanks of the SR (from Miocene until present) were produced from a depleted MORB-like metasomatized mantle, and were then exposed to varying degrees of crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization. Higher HFSE contents and lower 143Nd/144Nd ratios in the western flank lavas, as well as high HFSE contents in the Quaternary lavas of the northern part of the SR and some of the lavas from the eastern flank of the southern part of the SR, require an alternative source for their enrichment. Delamination of the lithosphere explains the unusual, enriched signature of these rocks, whereas their variably enriched neodymium isotope ratios identify the various ages of the separation of the lithosphere from the mantle. The Nd isotopic composition of the rocks together with their HFSE content, therefore, serves as an unusual tracer for the enriched mantle domain, showing the presence of the older lithospheric blocks and indicating the timeframes for this source involvement in magma generation. •The first regional-scale compositional dataset for rocks from the Kamchatka back-arc.•143Nd/144Nd and HFSE indicate the presence of enriched mantle under the region.•Delamination of the metasomatized lithosphere explains the enrichment.•143Nd/144Nd is the best indicator of the variable age of the delaminating lithosphere.