Melting of recycled ancient crust responsible for the Gutenberg discontinuity

Abstract

A discontinuity in the seismic velocity associated with the lithosphere-asthenosphere interface, known as the Gutenberg discontinuity, is enigmatic in its origin. While partial mantle melts are frequently suggested to explain this discontinuity, it is not well known which factors critically regulate the melt production. Here, we report geochemical evidence showing that the melt fractions in the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary were enhanced not only by accumulation of compacted carbonated melts related to recycled ancient marine sediments, but also by partial melting of a pyroxene-rich mantle domain related to the recycled oceanic eclogite/pyroxenites. This conclusion is derived from the first set of Mg isotope data for a suite of young petit-spot basalts erupted on the northwest Pacific plate, where a clearly defined Gutenberg discontinuity exists. Our results reveal a specific linkage between the Gutenberg discontinuity beneath the normal oceanic regions and the recycling of ancient subducted crust and carbonate through the deep Earth.

The seismic Gutenberg discontinuity has long been associated with the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, yet the physical explanation of what is causing the discontinuity remains debated. Here, the authors report geochemical evidence, including Mg isotopes, and suggest that melting of recycled crust is responsible for the Gutenberg discontinuity.