Uranium-series disequilibria in MORB, revisited: A systematic numerical approach to partial melting of a heterogeneous mantle

Abstract

We present computational modeling outcomes for bilithologic (peridotite and pyroxenite) mantle melting in divergent environments, considering equilibrium and disequilibrium porous flow melting of 0–50 % pyroxenite in thermal equilibrium with peridotite, potential temperatures of 1300 and 1400 °C, upwelling rates from 1–50 cm yr⁻¹, maximum porosities of 0.1–2.0 %, and four compositions that span pyroxenite melting behavior. Basalt-like pyroxenites (G2) uniquely produce low (²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th) and (²³¹Pa/²³⁵U) with high (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U), but quantities greater than ~10 % produce anomalously thick crust, restricting their global abundance. Silica-deficient pyroxenite (M7-16 and MIX1G) melts are more moderate, but require chemical re-equilibration during transport to resemble global basalts, while hybrid lithologies (KG1) produce melts similar to those of peridotites. Uranium-series disequilibria in partial melts can also be decoupled from trace elements by radioactive decay in two-dimensional regimes. The mantle must thus contain multiple types of pyroxenite on a global scale, with melts traveling by complex networks and experiencing heterogeneous extents of chemical re-equilibration.