Noble gases in anhydrous mantle xenoliths from Tasmania in comparison with other localities from eastern Australia: Implications for the tectonic evolution

Ultramafic xenoliths from Tasmanian basalts were analysed for elemental and isotopic compositions of noble gases, for greater understanding of the evolution of the underlying subcontinental lithosphere. The noble gas isotopic compositions indicate contributions of radiogenic and MORB-like components to the xenoliths. The MORB-like component is characterized by 3He/4He ratios between 7 and 9 Ra while the radiogenic component shows lower 3He/4He ratios than those in MORB (8.75 ± 2.14 Ra, Graham, 2002). The identified radiogenic component in xenoliths from Tasmania may stem from subduction events, during which the mantle wedge and subcontinental lithospheric mantle were metasomatised by U- and Th-rich fluids. As subduction processes have played important role in the evolution of Eastern Australia during the Paleozoic, the radiogenic component is probably associated with this event. Incorporation of MORB-like noble gases in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath Tasmania is likely related to extensional rifting and associated opening of the Tasman Sea in the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The identified noble gas components of the xenoliths are consistent with the geochemical character of the host basalt based on the radiogenic isotope and trace element systematics. This agreement and the petrographic observations (e.g. fluid inclusion trails connected with the reaction rim of the minerals close to the host basalt, spongy texture) indicate that fluids (noble gases, CO2) most likely propagated from the host basalts to the xenoliths forming fluid inclusions. The observed noble gas isotopic heterogeneity in mantle-derived xenoliths from Tasmanian to North Queensland reflects isotopic heterogeneity at regional scale in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath eastern Australia.