Revisiting the South China Sea MORBs: Mg isotope and whole-rock geochemical constraints

Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalts (MORBs) from the South China Sea (SCS) have attracted great attention from geologists in the past decade, but their petrogenesis still remains controversial. Here, we show that the Mg isotopes of MORBs from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Sites U1431, U1433 and U1434 are heterogeneous and present the mechanisms causing such heterogeneity. The MORBs from Sites U1431, U1433 and U1434 have δ26Mg values ranging from −0.35‰ to −0.21‰, from −0.34‰ to −0.13‰, and from −0.30‰ to −0.20‰, respectively. Together with all the published data, we found the MORBs at Site U1431 with high MgO contents (> 9 wt%) usually have δ26Mg values that are generally lower than the normal mantle (−0.25‰ ± 0.04‰), whereas some of the Site U1433 MORBs are higher than the normal mantle. Shallow-level geological processes like seawater alteration have negligible effects on the Mg isotope fractionation of our samples. Elemental ratio indicative of the degree of partial melting (like Sm/Nd) from the same site also shows no relationship with the δ26Mg variations. Olivine is proposed to have light Mg isotopes. Considering the high MgO (> 9 wt%) contents of low-δ26Mg samples and the petrographic evidence, we propose that their slightly light Mg isotopic compositions of U1431 MORBs may result from the enrichment of olivine, rather than reflecting the mantle source. Moreover, low Ce/Pb ratios and most variable δ26Mg values of some U1433 MORBs suggest that lower continental crustal materials have contributed to their source. As all the previously published MORBs are evolved, we use the Revpet to estimate the mantle melting conditions of SCS MORBs, including the Site U1500 samples recovered from the northern margin of SCS. Compared with the global MORBs data, there is no thermal anomaly in SCS MORBs. Together with our new Mg isotope data, therefore, we propose that the role of the Hainan mantle plume in the opening and spreading of the SCS may be insignificant. •The Mg isotope variation of U1431 MORBs from the South China Sea is caused by the enrichment of olivine.•Lower continental crust contamination may account for the high δ26Mg values of U1433 MORBs.•No thermal evidence of Hainan mantle plume can be found during the seafloor spreading of SCS.