Sm‐Nd, Rb‐Sr, and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O isotopic systematics in an oceanic crustal section: Evidence from the Samail Ophiolite

Abstract

The Sm‐Nd, Rb‐Sr, and 18 O/ 16 O isotopic systems have been used to distinguish between the effects of seafloor hydrothermal alteration and primary magmatic isotopic variations. The Sm‐Nd isotopic system is essentially unaffected by seawater alteration, while the Rb‐Sr and 18 O/ 16 O systems are sensitive to hydrothermal interactions with seawater. Sm‐Nd mineral isochrons from the cumulate gabbros of the Samail ophiolite have an initial 143 Nd/ 144 Nd ratio of ε Nd = 7.8 ± 0.3, which clearly substantiates the oceanic affinity of this complex. The initial 143 Nd/ 144 Nd ratios for the harzburgite, plagiogranite, sheeted diabase dikes, and basalt units have a limited range in ε Nd of from 7.5 to 8.6, indicating that all the lithologies have distinctive oceanic affinities, although there is also some evidence for small isotopic heterogeneities in the magma reservoirs. The Sm‐Nd mineral isochrons give crystallization ages of 128 ± 20 m.y. and 150 ± 40 m.y. from Ibra and 100 ± 20 m.y. from Wadi Fizh, which is approximately 300 km NW of Ibra. These crystallization ages are interpreted as the time of formation of the oceanic crust. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr initial ratios on the same rocks have an extremely large range of from 0.7030 to 0.7065 and the δ 18 O values vary from 2.6 to 12.7. These large variations clearly demonstrate hydrothermal interaction of oceanic crust with seawater.