Abstract
RECENT studies of deep sea basalts have revealed the great predominance of olivine tholeiites over both normative nepheline and normative quartz basalts1. An alkali basalt recently dredged between 2,950 and 1,975 m near St. Peter and St. Paul Rocks (St. Paul's Rocks) consequently seemed worthy of prompt description. Although mentioned in an abstract2, we have not previously published a chemical analysis of this basalt. This alkali basalt flow is of special interest because it is not part of a large submarine volcano, but rather evidently was erupted directly on a floor of spinel peridotite mylonites similar to and contiguous with those described from St. Paul's Rocks, a probable high temperature intrusion derived from the mantle3.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chayes, F., Ann. Rep. Director Geophys. Lab., Carnegie Inst., 156 (1965).
Melson, W. G., Jarosewich, E., Bowen, V. T., and Thompson, G., Prog. Ann. Meeting Geol. Soc. Amer., 138 (1966).
Melson, W. G., Jarosewich, E., Bowen, V. T., and Thompson, G., Science, 155, 1532 (1967).
Muir, I. D., Tilley, C. E., and Scoon, J. H., J. Petrol., 5, 409 (1964).
Engel, A. E. J., Engel, C. G., and Haven, R. G., Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., 76, 719 (1965).
Engel, A. E. J., and Engel, C. G., Science, 146, 477 (1964).
Yoder, H. S., jun., and Tilley, C. E., J., Petrol., 3, 342 (1962).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
MELSON, W., JAROSEWICH, E., CIFELLI, R. et al. Alkali Olivine Basalt dredged near St. Paul's Rocks, Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Nature 215, 381–382 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/215381a0
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/215381a0
This article is cited by
-
Percolated mantle peridotites along the Romanche Fracture Zone (Equatorial Atlantic ocean)
Rendiconti Lincei (1999)
-
Subcontinental mantle exposed in the Atlantic Ocean on St Peter–Paul islets
Nature (1990)
-
Ultramafic inclusions and high-pressure xenocrysts in submarine basanitoid, equatorial Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology (1979)
-
Tholeiitic and alkali basalts from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 43 ° N
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology (1979)
-
Transitional basalts of alkaline or tholeiitic affinity in the somali trap series (southeastern margin of the main Ethiopian rift from 8° 10′ to 8° 70′ Lat. N)
Bulletin Volcanologique (1974)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.