Petrogenesis of serpentinites from the Franciscan Complex, western California, USA

Serpentinites from the Franciscan Complex of California, USA, were analyzed for their bulk major and trace element compositions, relict mineral (spinel and pyroxene) compositions, and stable isotope (O, H, Cl) compositions with the goal of determining protolith origin and subsequent serpentinizing fluid sources in order to decipher the tectonic setting of serpentinization. We focused on serpentinite bodies found in the Franciscan Complex (west of Cuesta Ridge; south of San Francisco; Tiburon Peninsula; Healdsburg) (n=12). Three samples from Cuesta Ridge (part of the Coast Range ophiolite) were also analyzed for comparison. Serpentinites from Cuesta Ridge have flat to U-shaped chondrite-normalized REE patterns and spinels with Cr# values >0.60 implying a supra-subduction zone origin. In contrast, Franciscan serpentinites west of Cuesta Ridge and Tiburon Peninsula have positive-sloped REE patterns. This depletion in LREE is typical of abyssal peridotites. Most relict spinels have low Cr# values (