Late Miocene (7–9 Ma) basaltic rocks from the Monbetsu-Kamishihoro graben in northeast Hokkaido have chemical affinities to certain back-arc basin basalts (referred to herein as Hokkaido BABB). Pb-, Ndand Sr-isotopic compositions of the Hokkaido BABB and arc-type volcanic rocks (11–13 Ma and 4–4.5 Ma) from the nearby region indicate mixing between the depleted mantle and an EM II-like enriched ...

The Moon contains chlorine that is isotopically unlike that of any other body yet studied in the Solar System, an observation that has been interpreted to support traditional models of the formation of a nominally hydrogen-free ("dry") Moon. We have analyzed abundances and isotopic compositions of Cl and H in lunar mare basalts, and find little evidence that anhydrous lava outgassing was import...

Oceanic crust is a massive potential habitat for microbial life on Earth, yet our understanding of this ecosystem is limited due to difficulty in access. In particular, measurements of rates of microbial activity are sparse. We used stable carbon isotope incubations of crustal samples, coupled with functional gene analyses, to examine the potential for carbon fixation on oceanic crust. Both sea...

We reexamine the relationship between pyroxene composition and near-infrared absorption bands, integrating measurements of diverse natural and synthetic samples. We test an algorithm (PLC) involving a two-part linear continuum removal and parabolic fits to the 1 and 2 lm bands—a computationally simple approach which can easily be automated and applied to remote sensing data. Employing a suite o...

Marie and intermediate granulite xenoliths, collected from Cenozoic alkali basalts, provide samples of the lower crust in western Saudi Arabia. The xenoliths are metaigneous two-pyroxene and garnet granulites. Mineral and whole rock compositions are inconsistent with origin from Red Sea rift-reIated basalts, and are compatible with origin from island arc calc-alkatine and low-potassium tholeiit...

Multispectral images of the lunar western limb and far side obtained from Galileo reveal the compositional nature of several prominent lunar features and provide new information on lunar evolution. The data reveal that the ejecta from the Orientale impact basin (900 kilometers in diameter) lying outside the Cordillera Mountains was excavated from the crust, not the mantle, and covers pre-Orient...

Abstract Late Cenozoic basaltic rocks in Nang Rong Columnar Jointed Basalts southern Khorat Plateau are among the greatest columnar basalts Thailand as famous geoheritage sites. This work aims to characterize and evaluate post-quarrying area by field investigation, petrography, geochemistry, geological engineering. A petrographical study determines these olivine basalts, presenting porphyritic ...

To explain the elevated osmium isotope (186Os-187Os) signatures in oceanic basalts, the possibility of material flux from the metallic core into the crust has been invoked. This hypothesis conflicts with theoretical constraints on Earth's thermal and dynamic history. To test the veracity and uniqueness of elevated 186Os-187Os in tracing core-mantle exchange, we present highly siderophile elemen...

One of the characteristic features of Ordovician tectonism in the east Lachlan Fold Belt is the occurrence of calcalkaline to shoshonitic basalts, which have been recognised as part of an intraoceanic arc environment (Glen et al. 1998), consistent with early tectonic interpretations (Oversby 1971; Scheibner 1973). Aside from typical traceelement abundances of intraoceanic arcs, critical evidenc...