Technical Note 20/6
LEG 185
CRUSTAL FLUXES AND MASS BALANCES
AT THE MARIANA-IZU CONVERGENT
MARGIN
Modified by T. Plank from Proposal 472 Submitted by:
Terry Plank, Roger Larson, James Gill, Robert Stern, Julie Morris, Tim
Elliott, Peter Floyd, Jeffrey Alt, and Lew Abrams
Staff Scientist: Jay Miller
Co-chief Scientists: Terry Plank and John Ludden
ABSTRACT
During Leg 185 two deep-water sites will be drilled, one seaward of the Mariana Trench
(Ocean Drilling Program Hole 801C) and one seaward of the Izu-Bonin Trench (Site BON-
8A). The primary objectives are to investigate sediment subduction along this arc-trench system
and to characterize the chemical fluxes during alteration of the oceanic crust. Despite the simple
setting and shared subducting plate, there are still clear geochemical differences between the
Marianas and Izu volcanic arc systems. Drilling the crustal inputs (sediments and basalts) can
help test whether geochemical contrasts in the volcanics derive from contrasts in the crustal
inputs to the two trenches. Previous drilling has already provided sections through the
sedimentary layer approaching the Mariana Trench. Drilling during Leg 185 will provide
samples of the remaining input fluxes to the subduction zones: the upper 300-500 m of altered
basaltic crust at Hole 801C, and the sediments (500-600 m) and upper 300-400 m of basaltic
crust at Site BON-8A. With Hole 801C, the science party will also provide the first reference
site for the structure and composition of old Pacific (Jurassic), fast-spreading oceanic crust to
compare with other crustal end-members (e.g., young-slow, young-fast, and old-slow). One
outcome of Leg 185 will be the best existing mass balance of input and output fluxes for
several key tracers (H2O, CO2, U, and Pb) cycled through the
subduction factory.
INTRODUCTION
The State of Crust-Mantle Recycling Science
Subduction zones are the modern sites of continental crust formation and destruction.
Continental growth occurs today by accretion of island arcs and magmatic additions to the crust
at arcs. Crustal destruction occurs by subduction of crustal material (seawater components,
marine sediments, and basaltic crust) at oceanic trenches. Thus, the geochemical and physical
evolution of the Earth's crust and mantle depends in large part on the fate of subducted material
at convergent margins (Armstrong, 1968; Karig and Kay, 1981). The crustal material on the
downgoing plate is recycled to various levels in the subduction zone. Some of it returns to the
shallow crust during forearc accretion and dewatering, some returns to the arc crust via
volcanism, some is mixed back into the deep mantle, and some may even re-emerge in mantle
plumes. Despite strong evidence for these different types of crustal recycling (from seismic
imaging, drilling, and isotopic tracers), and despite the important ramifications for mantle
evolution, continent formation, and geochemical cycles, few studies have focused on
quantifying crustal fluxes through subduction zones.
Von Huene and Scholl (1991) calculated a large global flux of subducted sediment_as high as
modern crustal growth rates. Their calculations, however, represent an upper limit on sediment
fluxes into the mantle because some material is cycled back to the upper plate. It is a common
misconception that the sediment contribution to the volcanic arc is trivial (around 1%), based
on isotopic mixing arguments, which constrain only the proportion of sediment to mantle and
not the proportion of the total subducting budget that contributes to the arc. To calculate the
latter, estimates of input fluxes (sediment) and output fluxes (volcanic) are required. Earlier
flux balances by Karig and Kay (1981) for the Marianas suggested that 10% of the sedimentary
section contributes elements to the arc, whereas more recent calculations (Plank and Langmuir,
1993; Zheng et al., 1994) give values of 30%-50% globally.
These estimates, however, have large uncertainties because none of them take into account all
of the crustal outputs. Plank and Langmuir (1993) do not consider underplating or erosion at
the forearc; von Huene and Scholl (1991) do not consider recycling to the arc, and neither
study considers the mobile components dissolved in fluids that are lost to the forearc. It is
entirely possible that the 50%-70% recycling efficiency to the deep mantle suggested by Plank
and Langmuir (1993) could be reduced to 0% for many important element tracers, given the
other shallower outputs that have yet to be taken into account. Clearly, the difference between
70% and 0% recycling would lead to vastly different outcomes for mantle evolution and
structure.
The Role of Drilling
The recycling equation involves many variables_aging of the oceanic lithosphere, flow of
material through accretionary prisms, and fluid circulation at active margins_that are linked
across a convergent margin and can be explored in combination through a drilling transect (Fig.
1; Scholl et al., 1996). The incoming section of sediment and altered oceanic crust can be
drilled near trenches. The extent of sediment accretion, underplating, erosion and subduction
can be determined by combining forearc drilling with seismic reflection images and material
balance considerations. The fluids lost from the downgoing plate can be sampled by drilling
into fault zones and serpentine seamounts. Output to the arc can be determined from the
chemical composition of the volcanics and from arc growth rates. The flux of crustal material
that is eventually recycled to the mantle is then the input minus the output. Because the bulk
sediment is not conserved through the entire subduction process, chemical tracers must be used
to track the sediment and deduce the recycling processes. Thus, the problem is impossible to
solve by remote means and is completely dependent on drilling to recover material for chemical
analysis.
Determination of crustal fluxes into the mantle is not yet possible. This is largely because the
current approach is a piecemeal one, with various parts of the problem investigated at different
margins. Although this is a good way to understand individual processes, it is not a good way
to determine the behavior of the entire system. The approach that we emphasize here is to try to
solve the recycling equation at a few margins where significant progress can be made on most
fronts by a focused drilling effort.
BACKGROUND
Crustal Recycling at the Izu-Mariana Margin
There are several reasons why the Marianas-Izu margin is ideal for studying subduction
recycling (Fig. 2). Significant progress has already been made on many parts of the flux
equation. Forearc sites of fluid outflow (serpentine seamounts) have already been drilled (Leg
125; Fryer, 1992), as have most of the sedimentary components being subducted at the
Mariana trench (Leg 129; Lancelot and Larson, 1990). The volcanic arcs and backarcs are
among the best characterized of intraoceanic convergent margins, both in space and time (Legs
125 and 126; Gill et al., 1994; Arculus et al., 1995; Elliott, et al., 1997; Ikeda and Yuasa,
1989; Stern et al., 1990; Tatsumi et al., 1992; Woodhead and Fraser, 1985). And here the
problem is simplified because the upper crust is oceanic, so upper crustal contamination is
minimized. Sediment accretion in the forearc is nonexistent (Taylor, 1992), so sediment
subduction is complete. Despite the simple oceanic setting and the shared plate margin, there
are still clear geochemical differences between the Mariana and Izu arcs (e.g., in Pb isotopes
and in elemental enrichments; Figs. 3a and 3b). The divergence of compositions between the
volcanics of these two oceanic arcs provides the simplest test for how the composition of the
subducting crust affects them. The key missing information is the composition of the incoming
crustal sections, particularly the (altered) basement sections.
Exisiting Crustal Inventory at the Izu-Mariana Margin
Of the eight holes drilled in the seafloor immediately east of the Izu-Bonin Trench (not
including the Shatsky Rise sites), only one penetrated basement, Site 197 (Fig. 2). No
sediments, however, and only 1 m of basalt were recovered. Recovery was poor at most of the
other sites: less than 25 m of sediment was recovered at all sites drilled during Leg 20 (Sites
194-198); the recovered material being dominantly pelagic clays above resistant cherts.
Although more was recovered at Sites 52 (45 m) and 578 (165 m), drilling again was stopped
by the cherts, leaving hundreds of meters of unsampled sediment below. Prior drilling has
provided us with many samples of the upper 50- to 150-m pelagic clay and ash unit, but almost
nothing of the units below, including the oceanic crust.
The main goal of Izu-Bonin drilling is to sample all sedimentary units and the upper alteration
zone (~ 300 m) of the oceanic crust below.
The success rate in coring sediments and basement to the south, seaward of the Marianas, was
just about as poor as that experienced to the north, until Leg 129, when three complete sections
(Ocean Drilling Program [ODP] Sites 800-802) were sampled through the cherts to
"basement." Sedimentary units were well sampled during Leg 129, but normal oceanic crust
was sampled at only one site, Hole 801C. At the other two sites, off-axis Cretaceous sills and
flows were encountered as "basement." The crustal inventory at the Marianas Trench includes
(from top to bottom): pelagic clay, chert, and radiolarite (+ chalk), Cretaceous volcaniclastic
turbidites, radiolarite, off-axis Cretaceous intrusives and extrusives, and Jurassic oceanic crust.
Based on Leg 129 drilling and prior Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) efforts, we have
adequate samples of the sedimentary units being subducted at the Mariana Trench (providing
estimates of chemical fluxes with better than 30% precision for most elements [Plank and
Langmuir, in press]). However, our only sample of Jurassic oceanic crust, which must
comprise the largest mass of crustal material being subducted at the Mariana Trench, comes
from the lowest 63 m at Hole 801C (of the ~135 m total penetration into basement at Holes
801B and C, only the lower 63 m of drilling recovered 43 m of normal, Jurassic tholeiitic
oceanic crust).
Thus the main goal of Mariana drilling is to provide a more complete sampling of the upper
alteration zones in the Jurassic seafloor, which constitutes a significant part of the budget for
many geochemical tracers of the subduction process.
Exisiting Crustal Mass Balance for the Marianas
With information in hand, it is possible to calculate many of the input and output fluxes for a
few chemical components through the Marianas subduction zone. We consider here a
preliminary flux balance for H2O (Fig. 4). The sediment input is fairly well
constrained by previous drilling during Leg 129 (Sites 800-802), and by the extensive chemical
analyses of the recovered material (Karl et al., 1992; Karpoff, 1992; Lees et al., 1992; France-
Lanord et al., 1992) as well as the geochemical logs for the different holes (Pratson et al.,
1992; Fisher et al., 1992). As a result, H2O flux estimates for sediments from
Sites 800 and 801 are quite consistent with one another (within 15%). The other crustal input
flux is the subducting oceanic crust, which is very poorly constrained because of a lack of
significant penetration into the mid-ocean ridge (MOR) basement in this area (63 m at Hole
801C). The geochemical budget of elements in the oceanic crust has two sources: primary
igneous and secondary alteration. The primary igneous composition is fairly well constrained,
based on extensive sampling of modern mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) and on the relatively
unaltered samples recovered from Hole 801C. The secondary alteration fluxes are virtually
unknown, however, and can only be estimated from various other regions, compilations, and
assumptions: the average global H2O flux in Peacock (1990), alteration studies
of DSDP Hole 504B (Alt et al., 1986) and DSDP Sites 417/418 (Staudigel et al., 1995), and
assuming 10% interpillow material at Hole 801C (Castillo et al., 1992b). These estimates show
that the alteration fluxes may be large, but are poorly known. The applicability of existing data
(obtained for slow-spreading old crust at Sites 417 and 418 and medium-spreading young crust
at Hole 504B) to the crust seaward of the Marianas Trench (old-fast spreading) remains to be
seen and is, in fact, a major goal of Leg 185.
Unique to the seafloor seaward of the Marianas Trench is an overprint of Cretaceous basement
flows and sills. There are two sources of uncertainty in estimating this flux: the thickness of the
Cretaceous "basement" layer and its chemical composition. Calculations based on sonobuoy
velocities, reflection data, and drilling results from Leg 129 indicate a 100- to 400-m-thick
layer of massive Cretaceous basalt, and possibly some interbedded sediments, overlying
Jurassic oceanic crust (Abrams et al., 1993). Although this is not the case for water, the total
flux of many elements depends critically on whether this Cretaceous basalt is alkalic (as for Site
800 basalts and various seamounts of the Pigafetta Basin [PB]) or tholeiitic (as for Site 802
basalts of the East Mariana Basin [EMB]). Although plate trajectories (Fig. 2) indicate that the
seafloor subducting beneath the Marianas is largely the tholeiitic EMB, we consider both EMB
(tholeiitic) and PB (alkalic) type basalts in estimating the water flux into the subduction zone
(Fig. 4). Both estimates yield small water input fluxes relative to the sediment and altered
Jurassic MORB.
The first measurable outputs from the subduction zone are the forearc fluids, which have
shown to be freshened and from a subducted source (Mottl, 1992). It is currently difficult to
estimate rates based on the fluid flow itself, and we therefore use a model based on the total
(maximum) water generated during clay mineral breakdown in the subducted sediments (Plank
et al., 1994). This calculation is model dependent, but further study of the nature of these
fluids will help to identify the actual dehydration reactions that are occurring with depth during
subduction. Figure 4 shows that the water outputs to the forearc may be a significant fraction
of the sediment input. Magmatic outputs to the volcanic arc and backarc are determined from
the chemical composition of arc and backarc basalts (assuming 5.7 and 1.25 wt%
H2O above MORB background, respectively; Stolper and Newman, 1994) and
from magmatic addition rates. The magmatic arc water flux is the largest of the crustal outputs
from the subduction zone.
These preliminary calculations provide some initial insights into the flux balance in subduction
zones and reveal where the major uncertainties lie. If we ignore the igneous MORB and
Cretaceous basalt contributions as no net gain from the mantle perspective, then the continental
water inputs and outputs appear to be remarkably closely balanced across the subduction zone.
The balance hinges critically, however, on the magnitude of the basement alteration fluxes.
Current estimates are poor, and the actual flux balance could still go either way. Drilling
through the upper oceanic crust subducting beneath the Marianas, however, can dramatically
improve one key flux in the mass balance equation_the alteration flux.
Exisiting Crustal Mass Balance for Izu-Bonin
Because we have yet to sample either the sediments or altered oceanic crust seaward of the Izu
Trench to any significant extent, we are much more limited in our ability to determine the mass
balance. However, we can make some predictions about the crustal inputs to the Izu Trench
based on the Izu volcanic output. Izu basalts record almost half the K or Ba enrichment of
Marianas basalts (Fig. 3b), whereas sediment mass fluxes into the two trenches are roughly
comparable, or even greater, at Izu (600 m of sediment into Izu vs. 400 m into the Marianas
Trench). Thus, Izu sediments should be much poorer in K and Ba than Marianas sediments.
One way to explain this would be to replace the volcaniclastic sections in the Marianas sediment
columns with cherts, which are barren of K and may be very poor in Ba (Karl et al., 1992).
This makes some sense given what we know about the history of sedimentation in this part of
the ocean_the Cretaceous overprint east of the Marianas may be absent to the north, east of
Izu (Fig. 2), where the seafloor spent a longer time on average beneath equatorial zones of high
biologic productivity (Fig. 5), possibly leading to greater sections of chert and/or carbonates.
Drilling the seafloor east of Izu can directly test these predictions. Sediment layers are fairly
uniform throughout the region, reflecting fairly uniform pelagic sedimentation. Thus, a single
hole should give us a fairly representative sampling of sediments being subducted at the Izu
trench. If the extra thickness of sediments off Izu is not dominantly barren cherts, this means
that much of this sediment does not contribute to arc magmas, either because it is underplated
(we can see that it is not accreted), or because it fails to dewater or melt beneath the arc. Thus,
by drilling and sampling the crustal inputs, we can learn more about the process of sediment
subduction and recycling.
The geochemical differences between the Mariana and Izu arc volcanics could also be related to
the chemical composition of the altered oceanic crust. K or water contents in the altered basaltic
sections may vary regionally, possibly explaining regional variations in K and the extent of
melting reflected in Marianas and Izu lavas. This can be tested by drilling the upper oxidative
alteration zone, which contains most of the alkali budget in the oceanic crust, in both regions.
Finally, some of the differences between the Izu and Marianas lavas may have nothing to do
with subducted input and may be explained by more enriched mantle beneath the Marianas.
Evidence for enriched mantle in the region comes from enriched shoshonites of the adjacent
Volcano arc (Bloomer et al., 1989; Lin et al., 1989). Although drilling cannot test whether
enriched mantle exists beneath the Marianas, it can make invoking it unnecessary.
SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES
Previous drilling has already provided us with many parts of the crustal flux equation at the Izu
and Marianas margins and provides a strong rationale for continuing the effort to detemine the
mass balance fluxes across the subduction zones. The missing part of the flux equation is
largely the input: (1) both the incoming sediment and basaltic sections approaching the Izu-
Bonin Trench and (2) the altered oceanic crust seaward of the Mariana Trench. To provide this
critical information on the crustal inputs to the subduction zone, drilling is planned at two sites:
one seaward of the Izu Trench (Site BON-8A) and one seaward of the Marianas Trench (ODP
Hole 801C).
Site BON-8A
The primary motivation for Site BON-8A, a site ~60 km seaward of the Izu Trench (Fig. 2), is
to provide the first complete section of sediment and altered oceanic crust entering this
subduction zone. Previous drilling failed to penetrate successfully through resistant cherts, so
most of the sediment column is unsampled. Only 1 m of basalt has been recovered from
basement in this vast area. We propose to drill and core the entire sedimentary sequence (~600
m) at Site BON-8A, as well as the upper oxidative alteration zone of the basaltic basement
(~300 m). The scientific objectives are to
1.provide estimates of the sediment inputs and altered basalt inputs (geochemical fluxes) into
the Izu subduction zone;
2.contrast crustal budgets here with those for the Marianas, to test whether along-strike
differences in the volcanics can be explained by along-strike variations in the crustal inputs;
3.compare basement alteration characteristics with those at Hole 801C (also in old Pacific
crust);
4.provide constraints on the Early Cretaceous paleomagnetic time scale; and
5.provide constraints on mid-Cretaceous carbonate compensation depth (CCD) and equatorial
circulation fluctuations.
In addition to serving as an important reference site for crustal inputs to the Izu-Bonin Trench,
Site BON-8A can also address additional paleomagnetic and paleoceanographic problems.
Because the subduction cycling objectives have already been discussed in some detail above
("Background" section), we elaborate more below on the paleomagnetic and paleoceanographic
objectives.
Site BON-8A is approximately on magnetic Anomaly M12 (Nakanishi et al., 1988). Its
basement age should be about 135 Ma and should correspond to the Valanginian Stage of the
Early Cretaceous according to recent time scale calibrations (Harland et al., 1990; Gradstein et
al., 1994; Channell et al., 1995). However, those age estimates are poorly known and can be
tested by drilling at Site BON-8A. Specifically, a reasonably precise date on M12 at Site BON-
8A could test the proposed new time scale of Channell et al. (1995).
Based on its theoretical Cretaceous paleolatitude history, Site BON-8A may have formed at
about 5¯S, drifted south to 10¯S in its early history, and then gradually drifted north, crossing
the paleoequator as the Pacific Plate accelerated its northward motion about 85-90 Ma (Fig. 5).
A site such as Site BON-8A with an Early Cretaceous basement age (~135 Ma), an equatorial
paleolatitude history during the mid-Cretaceous, and a predictable subsidence history for the
Cretaceous is ideal for testing proposed CCD variations (Theirstein, 1979; Arthur et al., 1985).
In addition, Erba (1992), following Roth (1981), has shown that certain species of
nannoplankton can be characterized as "high fertility indices" and used as approximate
indicators of the paleoequatorial upwelling zone. Using these nannoflora, potential fluctuations
in the mid-Cretaceous equatorial circulation system could be studied at Site BON-8A when it
was nearly stationary near the paleoequator (especially from 115 to 95 Ma).
Site 801
The primary motivation for returning to ODP Hole 801C, seaward of the Marianas Trench
(Fig. 2), is to sample the upper oxidative zone of alteration, and possibly the entire extrusive
layer (layer 2b), of this oldest in situ oceanic crust. Previous drilling during Leg 129 only
penetrated 63 m into "normal" Jurassic basement. Based on Hole 504B and other basement
sites with sufficient penetration, the upper oxidative zone of alteration, which contains the
lion's share of some element budgets (e.g., K, B, etc.), lies in the upper 200-300 m of the
basaltic crust. The transition from volcanics to dikes may not lie much deeper (500-600 m at
Hole 504B; only a few 100 m at Hess Deep). We propose to drill at least 350 m farther into
basement at Hole 801C to accomplish the following scientific objectives:
1.Characterize the geochemical fluxes and geophysical aging attending the upper oxidative
alteration of the oceanic crust at Hole 801C;
2.Compare igneous compositions, structure, and alteration with other drilled sections of in
situ oceanic crust (in particular Hole 504B, contrasting a young site in Pacific crust with the
oldest site in Pacific crust);
3.Help constrain general models for seafloor alteration that depend on spreading rate and age
(Hole 801C is the world's oldest oceanic crust and was formed at a fast-spreading ridge, so
it embodies several end-member characteristics); and
4.Test models for the Jurassic Magnetic "Quiet" Zone.
In addition to serving as an important reference site for crustal inputs to the Mariana trench,
Hole 801C can also address additional paleomagnetic problems. Because the subduction
cycling objectives have already been discussed in some detail above ("Background" section),
we elaborate more below on the paleomagnetic objective.
Site 801C is located in an area of very low-amplitude magnetic anomalies, usually called the
Jurassic Magnetic "Quiet" Zone (JQZ). The JQZ has been suggested to result from (1) oceanic
crust of a single polarity with small anomalies from intensity fluctuations, (2) oceanic crust
with magnetic reversals so numerous as to "cancel each other out" when measured at the sea
surface, or (3) oceanic crust with a more normal frequency of magnetic reversals acquired
when the dipole field intensity was anomalously low. Deepening Hole 801C will allow testing
of the above hypotheses_particularly the third hypothesis of magnetic reversals during a
period of anomalously low field intensity_ if fresh, unaltered volcanic glass can be obtained.
Such material can yield reliable paleointensity information (Pick and Tauxe, 1993) on the very
fine, single-domain grains of the titanium-free magnetite within the volcanic glass.
DRILLING STRATEGY
Site BON-8A
The site objectives for Site BON-8A are to continuously core the sedimentary section (600 m)
and the upper pillow alteration zone in the basement section (300 m of basement). Drilling and
hole stability in the sediment section are predicted to be good at this site, but recovery will be
moderate to poor in the anticipated cherty sediments. It is recommended that the uppermost 150
m clay and volcanic ash section be cased off in the reentry hole with an extra-long conductor
casing to avoid possible swelling clays that may threaten the subsequent basement drilling and
downhole measurements programs. Recovery within chert sequences, especially of soft,
chalky sediments, was still a problem during Leg 129 because of the need to pump heavily
during chert penetration to keep the hole clean. The recent, dramatically increased recovery of
hydrothermal sediments in the TAG area during Leg 158 with the newly designed, motor-
driven core barrel (MDCB) in place of rotary core barrel (RCB) coring raises the encouraging
possibility of similar enhanced recovery in chert/chalk sequences. We envision deploying the
MDCB in a second hole at Site BON-8A to sample at least the upper part of the chert/chalk
sequence, if recovery was unacceptably poor in the first hole and geochemical logging did not
successfully bridge the sampling gap.
Site 801
The site objective is to penetrate through the upper, oxidative alteration zone in basaltic
basement, deepening Hole 801C at least another 350 m (to ~940 meters below seafloor [mbsf]
or ~480 m sub-basement, with a total drill string length of 6630 m. If drilling problems are
encountered, several other sites in the Pigafetta Basin near Site 801 show the Jurassic basement
reflector on seismic records and have at least 50 m of pelagic clay overlying the shallowest
cherts to laterally support the drill string during initial chert penetration.
LOGGING PLAN
Recording downhole geochemical and physical properties data during Leg 185 is essential to
filling recovery gaps in both sediment and basement sections, as well as enabling site-to-site
comparisons of the chemical signatures of the drilled sequences.
Downhole Measurements at Site BON-8A
The oceanic crust subducted in the Izu-Bonin Trench has never been sampled nor logged. To
compare the sedimentary sequence and the upper oceanic crust at Site BON-8A with the those
at Hole 801C, the geochemical and geophysical tools as well as the formation microscanner
(FMS) will be used. Moreover, to satisfy the time-scale objective (i.e., to determine the age of
the basement), the magnetic susceptibility and total magnetic field measurements could provide
a paleomagnetic reversal sequence of the overlying sediment. The azimuthal resistivity tool
(ARI) will also be used in the basement section to measure resistivity. Because determining the
geochemical budgets in sediment and basement columns is central to the objectives of Leg 185,
geochemical logging (GLT) will be extremely valuable. Leg 129 geochemical logging served as
an excellent proxy for actual recovery of sediments similar to those expected at Site BON-8A
(Fisher et al., 1992).
Downhole Measurements in Hole 801C
Downhole measurements were conducted in the upper 100 m of basement in Hole 801C during
Leg 144 to begin the characterization of typical old oceanic crust generated at a fast-spreading
rate (Larson et al., 1993). The most surprising result from the Leg 144 downhole
measurements was the extremely high permeability measured below 501 mbsf in a
hydrothermal alteration zone. This zone appears to act as an aquifer, an argument supported
with the apparent bulk porosity profile. Below the hydrothermal zone and within the tholeiitic
basalts, the logs begin to approximate more expected values for old oceanic crust. Additional
permeability experiments will be carried out deeper in the hole to characterize the hydrologic
properties of this end-member oceanic crust, away from the perturbations of off-axis lavas. To
further characterize the petrology, hydrogeology, structure, and physical properties of this old
oceanic crust, the hole will be logged using the triple combo, geochemical, and the FMS tool
strings. The ARI tool will also be used to measure resistivity in basement sections.
PROPOSED SITES
Site BON-8A (Table 1)
Site BON-8A is approximately 60 km east of the Izu-Bonin Trench, where the plate surface is
broken by normal faults as it bends into the subduction zone. Avoiding some of this
complexity, Site BON-8A is located on the top of a fault block in flat-lying sediments. Coring
the complete sedimentary section as well as the upper oxidative zone of the oceanic crust at Site
BON-8A will sample the main crustal components that enter the Bonin Trench. Based on our
assessment of regional variations in subducting sediments elsewhere (Plank and Langmuir, in
press), we feel confident that a single reference site will provide adequate constraints on the
crustal inputs to the Izu-Bonin Trench. Even though the sedimentary stratigraphy will vary
regionally, changes in unit thickness can be mapped more efficiently seismically than with
multiple drill holes. Site BON-8A should provide us with samples of the largely pelagic
sediments from the region. Of the approximately 600 m of sediment, we anticipate 150 m of
pelagic clay and volcanic arc ash above 450 m of mid- to Early Cretaceous cherty porcellanites
and chalks. The basement should be Early Cretaceous MORB, with the upper 300 m of
extrusives containing the oxidative alteration zone. Specific site objectives are discussed in the
"Scientific Objectives" section.
Hole 801C (Table 1)
Although located almost 1000 km from the Mariana Trench, Hole 801C is the most promising
site for penetrating Jurassic MORB in the region. Throughout much of the Pigafetta and East
Mariana Basins (Fig. 2), "basement" consists of Cretaceous flows and sills that overlie the
"normal" Jurassic crust. Because these Cretaceous units have already been sampled during Leg
129 drilling, the remaining goal is the MORB section. Hole 801C is the only location where
Jurassic-aged material has been reached in a reasonable amount of drilling time, and that
material should be essentially the same as what is now being subducted beneath the Marianas.
It is necessary to penetrate several hundred meters into the upper oxidative layer of Jurassic
basement to constrain that part of the crustal input equation, and that section is now available
directly beneath the bottom of Hole 801C. Hole 801C was left clean with a reentry cone that is
cased and cemented into basement, and it is ready for more extensive basement drilling.
Further background on Hole 801C can be found in Lancelot and Larson, et al. (1990). Specific
site objectives for Leg 185 are listed in the "Scientific Objectives" section.
REFERENCES
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Sager, W.W., Sliter, W.V., and Stein, S. (Eds.), The Mesozoic Pacific: Geology, Tectonics and Volcanism,
Am. Geophys. Union, Geophysical Mon., 77:77-101.
Abrams, L.J., Larson, R.L., Shipley, T.H., and Lancelot, Y., 1992. The seismic stratigraphy and
sedimentary history of the East Mariana and Pigafetta basins of the western Pacific. In Larson, R., Lancelot,
Y., et al., Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 129: College Station, TX (Ocean Drilling Program), 551-570.
Alt, J.C., Honnorez, J., Laverne, C., and Emmerman, R., 1986. Hydrothermal alteration of a 1 km
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TABLE 1 (revised)
PROPOSED SITE INFORMATION AND DRILLING STRATEGY
SITE: BON-8A PRIORITY: 1 POSITION:
31¯18.5'N,
142¯57.5'E
WATER DEPTH: 6000 m SEDIMENT THICKNESS: 600 m TOTAL PENETRATION:
900 m
SEISMIC COVERAGE: Conrad 2005, Line 39, shotpoint #2936 at 1613Z on 10/13/76
Objectives: (1) Provide estimates of the sediment inputs and altered basalt inputs (geochemical
fluxes) into
the Izu-Bonin subduction zone. (2) Contrast crustal budgets here with those for the Marianas to
test whether
along-strike differences in the volcanics can be explained by along-strike variations in the crustal
inputs. (3)
Compare basement alteration characteristics with those at Hole 801C (also in old Pacific crust). (4)
Provide
constaints on the Early Cretaceous paleomagnetic time scale. (5) Provide constraints on mid-
Cretaceous CCD and equatorial circulation fluctuations.
Drilling Program: APC, XCB, MDCB, RCB
Logging and Downhole Operations: Triple combo, GLT, FMS/Sonic, GHMT, ARI, Permeability
Nature of Rock Anticipated: Pelagic clay with volcanic arc ash (150 m); cherty porcellanites and
chalks
(450 m); basaltic pillows, flows, breccia, and possibly dikes (>300 m)
SITE: BON-9 (alternate to 8A) PRIORITY: 2 POSITION:
31¯18.5'N, 143¯2.5'E
WATER DEPTH: 5875 m SEDIMENT THICKNESS: 600 m TOTAL PENETRATION:
900 m
SEISMIC COVERAGE:
Objectives: Same objectives as BON-8A.
SITE: 801C PRIORITY: 1 POSITION: 18.642¯N,
156.36¯E
WATER DEPTH: 5674 m SEDIMENT THICKNESS: 460 m TOTAL PENETRATION:
950 m
SEISMIC COVERAGE: MESOPAC II, Line 10 at 0600, 8/26/89
Objectives: (1) Characterize the geochemical fluxes and geophysical aging attending the upper
oxidative
alteration of the oceanic crust at Hole 801C. (2) Compare igneous compositions, structure, and
alteration with
other drilled sections of in situ oceanic crust (in particular Hole 504B, contrasting a young site in
Pacific crust
with the oldest site in Pacific crust). (3) Help constrain models for seafloor alteration that depend
on spreading
rate and age (Hole 801C is the world's oldest oceanic crust and was formed at a fast-spreading
ridge, so it
embodies several end-member characteristics). (4) Test models for the Jurassic Magnetic "Quiet"
Zone.
Drilling Program: RCB
Logging and Downhole Operations: Triple Combo, GLT, FMS/Sonic, ARI, Permeability
Nature of Rock Anticipated: Basaltic pillows, flows, breccia, and possibly dikes (>350 m)
SITE: PIG-3B (alternate to 801C) PRIORITY: 2 POSITION:
18.663¯N,
157.095¯E
WATER DEPTH: 5674 m SEDIMENT THICKNESS: 460 m TOTAL PENETRATION:
950 m
SEISMIC COVERAGE:
Objectives: Same objectives as Hole 801C.