Geochemical and Modeling Studies of Ocean Ridge Basalts

在这个项目中，pi将通过分析来自大西洋、印度洋和太平洋的大量玄武岩来扩展他们的地球化学建模工作。他们认为，现有的数据很少，而且往往对回答已经提出的许多重要问题没有用处：例如，是否有可能根据其微量元素比例特征绘制上地幔的区域？甚至不清楚现有数据中看到的差异有多少是由于实验室间的差异造成的。PIs认为不相容的微量元素和同位素比值对比较不同的海洋玄武岩最有帮助。他们正在开发ICP-MS技术来分析海洋玄武岩和蛇绿岩中的强不相容微量元素。他们的目标是建立源地幔非均质性、热结构和上大洋地幔对流的模型。

In this project the PIs will extend their geochemical modeling work through analysis of a large suite of basalts from Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. They argue that the existing data are few and often not useful for answering many important questions that have been raised: for example, can it be possible to map domains in the upper mantle for their trace element ratio characteristics? It is not even clear as to how much of the differences seen in the existing data are due to interlaboratory differences. The PIs argue that incompatible trace elements and isotopic ratios are most helpful in comparing different oceanic basalts. They are developing ICP-MS techniques to analyze the basalts from the oceans and ophiolites for strongly incompatible trace elements. Their objective is to develop models for source mantle heterogeneities, thermal structure and convection in the upper oceanic mantle.