Abstract
Tholeiitic basalts in various stages of alteration were dredged from Late Cretaceous volcanic rocks (60–67 Ma) in the Hebrides Terrace seamount area in the Atlantic Ocean. These rocks are extrusive olivine basalts, including high- and low-Al basalts. High-Al basalts are depleted in MgO, CaO, Cr, Sc, V, Sr, Zr and enriched in TiO2, Na2O, Nb, Rb as compared with low-Al basalts. Petrography and bulk-rock composition (major, trace and rare-earth elements) data defined clear tholeiitic suites displaying possible liquid lines of descent related to different degrees of crystal fractionation and partial melting. Isotopic dating of dredged samples gave the guyot an age of 60–67 Ma, in support of the assumption that it was formed during the Late Cretaceous.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.References
Abbey S. (1980) Studies of standard samples for use in the general analysis of silicate rocks and minerals (Part 6, 1979 edition of usable values) [J].Geol. Surv. Can. Paper. 80-14 (30 pages).
Cox K. G., Bell J. D., and Pankhurst R. J. (1979)The Interpretation of Igneous Rocks [M]. pp. 450. George Allen and Unwin, London.
Duncan R. A. and McDougall I. (1974) Migration of volcanism with time in the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia [J].Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 21, 414–420.
Dymond J. (1975) K-Ar ages of Tahiti and Moorea, Society Islands and implications for the hot-spot model [J].Geol. 3, 236–240.
Fornari D. J., Batiza R., and Allan J. F. (1987) Irregularly shaped seamounts near the east Pacific rise: Implications for seamount origin and rise axis processes. InSeamounts, Islands and Atolls [C]. (eds. Keatin et al.). Amer. Geophy. Union.43, 13–21.
Gardner J. V., Dean W. E., and Blakely R. J. (1984) Shimada Seamount: an example of recent mid-plate volcanism [J].Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. 95, 855–862.
Gee J., Staudigel H., and Natland J. H. (1991) Geology and petrology of Jasper Seamount [J].J. Geophys. Res. 96, 4083–4105.
Hasse K. (1991)Petrologie und Geochemie Vulkanischer Gesteine des Vesteris Seamounts und der Region um Jan Mayen, Norwegen-Gronland See [M]. pp. 131, Diplomarbit Universitate Kiel.
Jarrard R. and Clague D. A. (1977) Implications of Pacific island and seamount ages for the origin of volcanic chains [J].Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 15, 57–76.
Jones E. J., Ramsay A. T., Preston N. J., and Smith A. C. (1974) A Cretaceous guyot in the Rockall Trough [J].Nature. 251, 129–131.
Lonsdale P. (1985) Non-transform offsets of the Pacific Cocos plate boundary and their traces on the rise flank [J].Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 96, 313–327.
McDougall I. (1979) Age of shield-building volcanism of Kauai and linear migration of volcanism in Hawaiian Island chain [J].Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 46, 31–42.
Megson J. B. (1983)Marine Geophysical Investigations: Rockall Trough to Porcupine Seabight Unpublished [D]. pp. 216, Edinburgh University.
Mertz D. F. and Renne P. R. (1995) Quaternary multi-stage alkaline volcanism at Vesteris Seamount (Norwegian-Greenland Sea): Evidence from laser step heating40Ar/39Ar experiments [J].J. Geodynamics. 19, 79–95.
Mertz D. F., Devey C. W., Todt W., Stoffers P., and Hofmann A. W. (1991) Sr-Nd-Pb isotope evidence against plume-asthenosphere mixing north of Iceland [J].Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 107, 243–255.
Mullen E. D. (1983) MnO/TiO2/P2O5: A major element discriminant for basaltic rocks of oceanic environments and its application for petrogenesis [J].Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 62, 53–62.
Nayudu Y. R. (1962) A new hypothesis for the origin of guyots and seamount terraces in the crust of the Pacific Basin [J].Amr. Geoph. Union. 6, 171–180.
O’connor J. M. and Le Roex A. P. (1992) South Atlantic hotspot-plume systems: 1. Distribution of volcanism in time and space [J].Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 113, 343–364.
Omran M. A. (1990)Geophysical Studies in the Hebrides Terrace Seamount Area [D]. pp. 348, University of Aberystwyth.
Pearce J. A. and Cann J. R. (1973) Tectonic setting of basic volcanic rocks determined using trace element analyses [J].Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 19, 290–300.
Pearce J. A., Gorman B. E. and Birkett T. C. (1975) The TiO2-K2O-P2O5 diagram: A method of discriminating between oceanic and non-oceanic basalts [J].Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 24, 419–426.
Pringle M. S., Staudigle H., and Gee J. (1991) Jasper Seamount: Seven million years of volcanism [J].Geology. 19, 364–368.
Ridley W. I., Rhodes J. M., Reid A. M., Jakes P., Shin C., and Bass M. N. (1974) Basalts from Leg 6 of the deep-sea drilling project [J].J. Petrol. 15, 140–159.
Roberts D. G. (1971) New geophysical evidence on the origins of the Rockall Plateau and Trough [J].Deep Sea Res. 18, 353–360.
Roberts D. G., Masson D. G., and Miles P. R. (1981) Age and structure of the southern Rockall Trough, new evidence [J].Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 52, 115–128.
Scrutton R. A. and Roberts D. G. (1971) The structure of Rockall Plateau and Trough, Northeast Atlantic. InThe Geology of East Atlantic Continental Margin [C] (ed. Delany F. M.). pp. 77–87.
Smith D. K. (1988) Shape analysis of Pacific seamounts [J].Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 90, 457–466.
Taylor S. R. (1969) Trace element chemistry of andesites and associated calc-alkaline rocks [J].Bull. Oregon Dept. Geol. Miner. Ind. 65, 43–63.
Turner D. L., Forbes R. B., and Naeser C. (1973) Radiometric ages of Kodiak Seamount and Giacomini Guyot, Gulf of Alaska: Implications for circum-Pacific plate [J].Science. 182, 579–581.
Winchseter J. A. and Floyd P. A. (1976) Geochemical magma type discrimination: Application to altered and metamorphosed basic igneous rocks [J].Earth. Plant. Sci. Lett. 28, 459–469.
Wood M. V., Hall J., and Hoorn B. V. (1987) Post-Mesozoic differential subsidence in the north-east Rockall Trough related to volcanicity and sedimentation. InPetroleum Geology of Northwest Europe. [C] (eds. Brooks J. and Glennie K.). pp. 677–685.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
El-Tokhi, M., Omran, M. & El-Muslem, A. Geochemistry of Late Cretaceous (60–67 Ma) igneous activities in the hebrides terrace seamount (guyot) area, Scotland. Chin. J. Geochem. 24, 9–17 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02869684
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02869684