Petrogenesis of Miocene to Quaternary primitive basaltic magmas in the area of Lake Van (East Anatolia, Turkey): a case for relamination of mantle lithosphere after lithospheric delamination

We present the geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic data and the petrological evolution of primitive basaltic lavas that erupted from the Miocene to Quaternary in the East Anatolia Collision Zone to understand the geodynamic conditions and the change in the lithospheric mantle over time. Major trace element abundances, Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions and petrological models show that the primitive basaltic samples were not affected by crustal contamination and fractional crystallization. They are derived from a depleted MORB mantle modified by melts derived from subducted sediments. The primitive melts of the Miocene and Quaternary series were derived from an amphibole-bearing garnet lherzolitic mantle and an amphibole-bearing garnet–spinel lherzolite mantle source, respectively. In contrast, the Pliocene basaltic melts were formed by mixing melts originating from both an amphibole-bearing spinel and garnet lherzolite. Our thermodynamic calculations indicate that the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB) is about 30 km shallower in the Pliocene than in the Miocene.This may be explained by lithospheric delamination in the Early Pliocene. In contrast, the LAB in the Quaternary is approximately 9 km deeper than in the Pliocene, which can be explained by relamination of the mantle lithosphere. Thermal calculations have shown that about 5–11 km of the relamination can occur within 5–6 Ma and that asthenospheric melts can relaminate the base of the thinned lithospheric mantle by cooling, and the presence of the relaminated mantle lithosphere is documented throughout the whole EACZ.