ABSTRACT

We present Sr-Nd-Pb isotope data from the Paleocene-Eocene volcanic rocks in King George Island, South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica. The initial isotopic ratios of the analyzed samples display limited variations: ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, 0.512790 to 0.512905 (εNd, +4.2 to +6.5); ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, 0.703342 to 0.703877 (εSr, -15.6 to -8.0); ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 18.48 to 18.64; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 15.50 to 15.64; ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 37.99 to 38.41. We interpret these data in combination with previously published trace and isotope data for Meso-Cenozoic volcanic rocks in the South Shetland Islands to gain a better understanding of the geochemical evolution of the mantle source region. The studied rocks are from four volcanic islands and range in age from 143 to 44 Ma. They have high abundances of large ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements relative to high field strength elements, consistent with products of subduction related magmatism. The systematic inter-island variations are recognized from a comprehensive examination of the trace elements and isotopic compositions. The degree of enrichment of Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions decreases towards younger samples, while the ratios of fluid-mobile elements/HFSE (Sr/Yb, Pb/Yb and U/Yb) gradually increase. The previous studies on these volcanic rocks concluded that the compositional variations of the South Shetland Islands volcanic suites were mainly controlled by two component mixing between altered MORB and Pacific sediments. However, we here propose that the compositional trends observed in the volcanic rocks of the South Shetland Islands can be created from the addition of a relatively constant subduction component to temporally varying heterogeneous mantle sources. The higher radiogenic Pb and Sr isotopes and lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios of the older volcanic rocks from Greenwich and Livingston islands compared to younger rocks can be explained by the significant influence of enriched previously metasomatized mantle material rather than fluids or sediment melts from the subducting slab. In contrast, the geochemical nature of the youngest King George Island volcanic rocks suggests a relatively large contribution of a slab-derived fluid component to the magma generation, but a minor role of the enriched component.