Persistence of mantle lithospheric Re-Os signature during lithosphere-asthenosphere interaction:...

ORIGINAL PAPER

Persistence of mantle lithospheric Re–Os signature duringasthenospherization of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle:insights from in situ isotopic analysis of sulfidesfrom the Ronda peridotite (Southern Spain)

Claudio Marchesi Æ William L. Griffin ÆCarlos J. Garrido Æ Jean-Louis Bodinier ÆSuzanne Y. O’Reilly Æ Norman J. Pearson

Received: 2 February 2009 / Accepted: 13 July 2009 / Published online: 14 August 2009

� Springer-Verlag 2009

Abstract The western part of the Ronda peridotite massif

(Southern Spain) consists mainly of highly foliated spinel-

peridotite tectonites and undeformed granular peridotites that

are separated by a recrystallization front. The spinel tecto-

nites are interpreted as volumes of ancient subcontinental

lithospheric mantle and the granular peridotites as a portion

of subcontinental lithospheric mantle that underwent partial

melting and pervasive percolation of basaltic melts induced

by Cenozoic asthenospheric upwelling. The Re–Os isotopic

signature of sulfides from the granular domain and the

recrystallization front mostly coincides with that of grains in

the spinel tectonites. This indicates that the Re–Os radio-

metric system in sulfides was highly resistant to partial

melting and percolation of melts induced by Cenozoic

lithospheric thermal erosion. The Re–Os isotopic systematics

of sulfides in the Ronda peridotites thus mostly conserve the

geochemical memory of ancient magmatic events in the

subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Os model ages record two

Proterozoic melting episodes at *1.6 to 1.8 and 1.2–1.4 Ga,

respectively. The emplacement of the massif into the sub-

continental lithospheric mantle probably coincided with one

of these depletion events. A later metasomatic episode caused

the precipitation of a new generation of sulfides at *0.7 to

0.9 Ga. These Proterozoic Os model ages are consistent with

results obtained for several mantle suites in Central/Western

Europe and Northern Africa as well as with the Nd model

ages of the continental crust of these regions. This suggests

that the events recorded in mantle sulfides of the Ronda

peridotites reflect different stages of generation of the con-

tinental crust in the ancient Gondwana supercontinent.

Keywords Subcontinental lithospheric mantle �Partial melting � Proterozoic � Re–Os isotopes � Sulfide �Ronda massif

Introduction

The Re–Os isotopic system has proved to be an invaluable

tool in mantle petrology because the geochemical behavior

of these elements during mantle melting has been tradi-

tionally considered to minimize the influence of metaso-

matic processes on Os isotopic composition and to allow the

definition of the temporal evolution of mantle rocks (e.g.

Shirey and Walker 1998; Carlson 2005). However, the

possibility to obtain precise and accurate in situ Re–Os

Communicated by J. Hoefs.

Present Address:C. Marchesi (&) � J.-L. Bodinier

Geosciences Montpellier, UMR 5243, CC 60, CNRS-Universite

Montpellier II, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France

e-mail: [email protected];

[email protected]

J.-L. Bodinier

e-mail: [email protected]

C. Marchesi � W. L. Griffin � S. Y. O’Reilly � N. J. Pearson

GEMOC ARC National Key Centre,

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences,

Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia


S. Y. O’Reilly


N. J. Pearson


C. J. Garrido

Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (IACT),

CSIC-Universidad de Granada, Avenida Fuentenueva s/n,

18002 Granada, Spain


123

Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:315–330

DOI 10.1007/s00410-009-0429-y

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228483466_The_Re-Os_isotope_system_in_cosmochemistry_and_high-temperature_geochemistry?el=1_x_8&enrichId=rgreq-1145a706-28a9-4ef1-b9e3-579b7471e24b&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzIyNTg1MzQ2NjtBUzo5NzEyODIxMDc2Mzc3N0AxNDAwMTY4NTc5NzM1

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222546454_Application_of_the_Pt-Re-Os_isotopic_systems_to_mantle_geochemistry_and_geochronology?el=1_x_8&enrichId=rgreq-1145a706-28a9-4ef1-b9e3-579b7471e24b&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzIyNTg1MzQ2NjtBUzo5NzEyODIxMDc2Mzc3N0AxNDAwMTY4NTc5NzM1

isotopic measurements in individual grains of platinum-

group alloys (Hirata et al. 1998) and sulfide minerals

(Pearson et al. 2002) showed that the Re–Os isotopic

composition of the mantle can be modified during melt-rock

percolation–reaction processes. In fact, distinct generations

of platinum-group minerals and sulfides have different

signatures in terms of Re–Os isotope ratios, thus leading to a

heterogeneous isotopic composition of the mantle at dif-

ferent length scales (Rehkamper et al. 1999; Alard et al.

2002, 2005; Griffin et al. 2002, 2004; Beyer et al. 2006; Frei

et al. 2006). Hence the influence of distinct episodes of

partial melting and melt percolation on the Re–Os isotopic

systematics of mantle peridotites is controversial.

In this paper, we examine the Re–Os isotopic variations

induced by partial melting and melt transport related to

‘‘asthenospherization’’ of the subcontinental lithospheric

mantle, using in situ isotopic analyses of sulfides in the

Ronda mantle peridotites (Southern Spain). One of the most

remarkable features of this orogenic peridotite massif is the

transition from a spinel-peridotite tectonite to a granular

peridotite domain, separated by a narrow gradient (Van der

Wal and Vissers 1993). Microstructural, modal and chemical

variations across this transition zone (hereafter called the

‘‘recrystallization front’’ to be consistent with previous

work) indicate that it was a narrow zone between a partial

melting and melt percolation region (the granular peridotite

domain) and a portion of ancient subcontinental lithospheric

mantle (the spinel tectonite domain) (Van der Wal and

Vissers 1993, 1996; Van der Wal and Bodinier 1996; Garrido

and Bodinier 1999; Lenoir et al. 2001; Vauchez and Garrido

2001). The formation of the Ronda recrystallization front has

been related by Van der Wal and Vissers (1993) and Lenoir

et al. (2001) to the well-established Cenozoic thermal

erosion of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle above

upwelling asthenosphere in the western Mediterranean

region (e.g. Platt and Vissers 1989; Vissers et al. 1995; Soto

and Platt 1999; Platt et al. 2003; Booth-Rea et al. 2007). We

show here that the Re–Os isotopic systematics of sulfide

grains in the granular peridotite domain and at the recrys-

tallization front mostly preserve the geochemical signature

of the spinel tectonite domain in spite of the pervasive

microstructural and compositional changes that affected the

main silicate phases. The Re–Os isotopic system in sulfides

appears thus to have been largely unaffected by melting and

allied metasomatic processes during asthenosphere–litho-

sphere interaction and retains the geochemical memory of

ancient magmatic events in the lithosphere.

Geological setting

The Ronda peridotite is the largest (*300 km2) known

exposure of subcontinental mantle peridotites on Earth. It is

located in the northern part of the Gibraltar arc and the

western Betic Cordillera (Southern Spain) (Fig. 1a), which

constitutes the westernmost segment of the Alpine belt in

Europe.

Modern petrological, structural and geochemical inves-

tigations of the western part of the Ronda peridotite (Van

der Wal and Vissers 1993, 1996; Van der Wal and Bodinier

1996; Garrido and Bodinier 1999; Lenoir et al. 2001;

Vauchez and Garrido 2001; Precigout et al. 2007; Bodinier

et al. 2008) have revealed the existence of three kilometre-

scale, petrological, geochemical and structural domains

(Fig. 1b), which broadly correspond to the four peridotite

facies identified by Obata (1980) in this massif. From

northwest to southeast, these tectono-magmatic domains

are: (1) a spinel (±garnet) tectonite domain subdivided

into the garnet–spinel mylonites, which mark the northern

and western boundaries of the massif, and a domain of

foliated spinel tectonites to the south. This domain records

a decompression and cooling event that brought this

Plagioclasetectonites

1 kmN

TangierGibraltar

Rondamassif

100 km

RX3

RX8

RX12

RX26

RX28

RX31

RX36

RX42

Garnet-spinel mylonites

Spinel tectonites

Granular peridotites

Plagioclase tectonites

Recrystallization front

Sample textures

granular

porphyroclastic

transitional

RX34

Betic Cordillera

MediterraneanSea(a)

(b)

DR93.11

DR93.10

RPD 07-18

07RV12A

07RV10B

RPD 07-11RPD 07-6B

Spineltectonites

Granularperidotites

RPD 07-9

RPD 07-15

N 36°30

W 5°15

Fig. 1 a Geographic location of the Ronda peridotite massif in the

Betic Cordillera (Southern Spain). b Geological map of the SW

region of the Ronda massif with the boundaries of the textural

domains identified by Van der Wal and Vissers (1993, 1996). Circlesindicate the locations of the sampling localities and the microstruc-

tural facies groups of the samples. Modified after Lenoir et al. (2001)

316 Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:315–330

123

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222191439_In_situ_measurement_of_Re-Os_isotopes_in_mantle_sulfides_by_laser_ablation_multicollector-inductively_coupled_plasma_mass_spectrometry_Analytical_methods_and_preliminary_results?el=1_x_8&enrichId=rgreq-1145a706-28a9-4ef1-b9e3-579b7471e24b&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzIyNTg1MzQ2NjtBUzo5NzEyODIxMDc2Mzc3N0AxNDAwMTY4NTc5NzM1

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242126728_The_Recrystallization_Front_of_the_Ronda_Peridotite_Evidence_for_Melting_and_Thermal_Erosion_of_Subcontinental_Lithospheric_Mantle_beneath_the_Alboran_Basin?el=1_x_8&enrichId=rgreq-1145a706-28a9-4ef1-b9e3-579b7471e24b&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzIyNTg1MzQ2NjtBUzo5NzEyODIxMDc2Mzc3N0AxNDAwMTY4NTc5NzM1

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222001311_In-situ_Osmium_Isotope_Ratio_Analyses_of_Iridosmines_by_Laser_Ablation_Multiple_Collector_Inductively_Coupled_Plasma_Mass_Spectrometry?el=1_x_8&enrichId=rgreq-1145a706-28a9-4ef1-b9e3-579b7471e24b&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzIyNTg1MzQ2NjtBUzo5NzEyODIxMDc2Mzc3N0AxNDAwMTY4NTc5NzM1

fragment of the lithospheric mantle from *1150�C and

2.7 GPa to 900�C and 1.9 GPa (Precigout et al. 2007). This

substantial thinning of thick subcontinental lithospheric

mantle is corroborated by the presence of graphitized dia-

mond pseudomorphs in garnet pyroxenites (Davies et al.

1993). (2) The coarse granular peridotite domain roughly

coincides with Obata’s Seiland subfacies. It is located in the

central part of the Ronda peridotite massif and is separated

from the spinel tectonites by a narrow recrystallization front

(Van der Wal and Vissers 1996; Van der Wal and Bodinier

1996; Lenoir et al. 2001). Structural and geochemical data

on peridotite and pyroxenite show that the coarse-granular

peridotites are secondary in origin, and were developed at

the expense of older, porphyroclastic spinel tectonites by

annealing and partial melting (Van der Wal and Vissers

1996; Van der Wal and Bodinier 1996; Garrido and Bodi-

nier 1999; Lenoir et al. 2001; Vauchez and Garrido 2001).

(3) The plagioclase tectonite domain, which corresponds to

Obata’s (1980) plagioclase lherzolite facies, formed at the

expense of the granular peridotites. It records late low-

pressure cooling (\1 GPa) associated with strain localiza-

tion in subsolidus shear zones before the final emplacement

into the crust (Van der Wal and Vissers 1993, 1996).

The petrological, geochemical and structural zoning of

the Ronda massif records thinning and uplift of a thick and

old subcontinental lithospheric mantle, accommodated by

ductile shear zones (Precigout et al. 2007). This thinning

was followed by a short thermal event marked by the

propagation of a partial melting and recrystallization front

separating ‘‘asthenospherized’’ coarse-grained peridotites

from older spinel tectonites (Lenoir et al. 2001). This

extensional episode probably took place in a back-arc

setting in an orogenic wedge situated several hundred km

eastwards of the present site of emplacement (e.g. Booth-

Rea et al. 2007, and references therein). Southward to

westward retreat of the African slab during the Oligocene-

Early Miocene accounts for intense back-arc lithosphere

extension, leading to high-temperature conditions and

melting at the base of an extremely attenuated subconti-

nental lithospheric mantle (Garrido and Bodinier 1999;

Lenoir et al. 2001; Precigout et al. 2007).

Sampling and sulfide mineralogy

For this study we selected 26 mantle peridotites represen-

tative of the different structural domains of the western

Ronda massif; we obtained precise Os isotopic data for

sulfides in 18 of these samples (Fig. 1b) that have variable

degrees of serpentinization (30–50 vol.%). They are nine

porphyroclastic lherzolites and harzburgites from the spinel

tectonite and garnet–spinel mylonite domains, five lherz-

olites from the recrystallization front, showing transitional

microstructures between the spinel tectonites and the

granular peridotites, and four lherzolites and harzburgites

from the coarse-granular domain. The petrographic fea-

tures, mineralogy and whole-rock compositions of most of

these samples have been described by Van der Wal and

Bodinier (1996), Lenoir et al. (2001) and Soustelle et al.

(2009).

The distribution of accessory sulfides is rather hetero-

geneous at the thin section scale but generally several tens

of grains were detected in each section. No clear correla-

tion was observed between the sulfide abundance and the

rock-type or microstructure. Sulfides vary in diameter from

*30 to *150 lm and consist of ovoid rounded droplets or

irregularly shaped grains with lobate boundaries. They are

either embedded in aggregates of serpentine interstitial

between the main silicate minerals or enclosed as clusters

of small inclusions in the predominant mineral phases,

especially in large orthopyroxene porphyroclasts.

Sulfide composition is dominated by Fe–Ni–Cu–S pha-

ses (Table 1) as usually observed in mantle peridotites

(Lorand and Alard 2001; Griffin et al. 2002; Alard et al.

2005). Monomineralic Fe-rich pentlandite (Fe/Niat = 1.37–

2.29; N = 25 electron microprobe analyses) is by far the

most common sulfide phase in the mineral assemblage

whereas a Cu-rich phase (chalcopyrite and isocubanite)

was seldom detected, and mainly as an outer rim or

exsolution lamellae in the largest grains. The rather vari-

able composition of Fe-rich pentlandite does not show any

particular correlation with the sulfide grains’ microstruc-

tural position, the fertility of the sample, or the location in

the different peridotite domains. One or more Pt-rich

nuggets up to several microns across were detected in

several sulfide grains by the inspection of the time-resolved

signals collected during the laser microprobe analyses.

These Pt-rich discrete minerals occasionally occur within

the base metal sulfides of mantle peridotites (Alard et al.

2000; Luguet et al. 2001, 2003; Lorand et al. 2008). Some

large sulfide grains disseminated in the serpentine matrix

are partially replaced by iron hydroxides or dendritic

veinlets of magnetite ± native copper and small lamellae

of awaruite. This assemblage is common in partly ser-

pentinised peridotites from the Ronda massif and else-

where, and is interpreted as product of the reducing

conditions related to the incipient serpentinization of

olivine at low temperature (\300�C; Lorand 1985;

Gueddari et al. 1996; Lorand et al. 2000; Bach et al. 2004;

Alt et al. 2007).

Analytical techniques

Fe–Ni–Cu sulfides were searched for on *150 to 200 lm

thick sections of each sample by reflected light microscopy.

Contrib Mineral Petrol (2010) 159:315–330 317

123

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225385643_Origin_of_the_recrystallisation_front_in_the_Ronda_peridotite_by_km-scale_pervasive_porous_melt_flow?el=1_x_8&enrichId=rgreq-1145a706-28a9-4ef1-b9e3-579b7471e24b&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzIyNTg1MzQ2NjtBUzo5NzEyODIxMDc2Mzc3N0AxNDAwMTY4NTc5NzM1

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242126728_The_Recrystallization_Front_of_the_Ronda_Peridotite_Evidence_for_Melting_and_Thermal_Erosion_of_Subcontinental_Lithospheric_Mantle_beneath_the_Alboran_Basin?el=1_x_8&enrichId=rgreq-1145a706-28a9-4ef1-b9e3-579b7471e24b&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzIyNTg1MzQ2NjtBUzo5NzEyODIxMDc2Mzc3N0AxNDAwMTY4NTc5NzM1

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123

Major element analyses of sulfide phases were obtained by

electron microprobe using a CAMECA SX 100 instrument

at the Geochemical Analysis Unit of GEMOC (Macquarie

University, Sydney, Australia). Accelerating voltage was

15 kV and beam current 20 nA, and a set of natural and

synthetic standards was used. Representative electron

microprobe analyses of sulfides are given in Table 1.

Re–Os in situ isotopic analyses were performed at GE-

MOC using the technique described in detail by Pearson

et al. (2002) and Griffin et al. (2002). A New Wave/Mer-

chantek UP 213 laser microprobe with a modified ablation

cell was coupled with a Nu Plasma Multicollector ICP-MS.

The laser was fired at a frequency of 5 Hz, with energies of

1–2 mJ/pulse and using a spot size of 80 lm. A dry aerosol

of Ir was bled into the gas line between the ablation cell

and the ICP-MS to provide a mass-bias correction with a

precision independent of the abundance of Os in the

unknown. During ablation runs, a standard NiS bead

(PGE-A) with 199 ppm Os (Lorand and Alard 2001) and187Os/188Os = 0.1064 (Pearson et al. 2002) was analyzed

between samples to monitor and correct any drift in the ion

counters. These corrections typically were less than 2%

over a long day’s analytical session. The overlap of 187Re

on 187Os was corrected by measuring the 185Re peak and

using 187Re/185Re = 1.6742. The data were collected using

the Nu Plasma time-resolved software, which allows the

selection of the most stable intervals of the signal for

integration. The selected interval is divided into 40 repli-

cates to provide a measure of the standard error. For sul-

fides [60 lm in diameter and containing at least 40 ppm

Os, an internal precision for 187Os/188Os of 0.1–1% (2 SEs)

was routinely obtained; for smaller grains or lower Os

contents the internal precision is 1–2%. Only individual

grains with 187Re/188Os \ 0.5 have been considered in this

study in order to apply precise corrections for the isobaric

interference of 187Re on 187Os (Nowell et al. 2008). The

Re–Os isotopic data of the sulfides are reported in Table 2.

cOs and model ages have been calculated by comparison

with the Os isotopic evolution of the primitive upper

mantle (PUM, present day187Os/188Os = 0.1296, 187Re/188Os = 0.4353, Meisel et al. 2001; Carlson 2005). The

PUM is a hypothetical upper mantle reservoir that has

never experienced a melt depletion or enrichment event

(Meisel et al. 2001). As such, true PUM almost certainly

does not exist anywhere within the mantle but is a fictive

concept generally used as reference for the Os isotopic

composition of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (e.g.

Alard et al. 2002; Reisberg et al. 2005; Schilling et al.

2008). The uncertainties on TMA model ages include the

uncertainties in the measured 187Os/188Os and 187Re/188Os

according to the equation of Sambridge and Lambert

(1997). During this work Os contents in sulfides were

estimated by comparing the signal intensity on the sample

to that obtained on the PGE-A standard. The accuracy of

these data is limited by variations in ablation conditions,

the lack of an internal standard, the known small compo-

sitional heterogeneity of the particular bead of PGE-A used

as the isotopic standard, and especially by the probability

that maximum signals are not achieved during short runs

on small grains. Despite these uncertainties, the Os con-

tents reported here (Table 2) are believed to be represen-

tative of the volume sampled.

Results

Over 1,000 sulfide grains were entirely sampled during Os

isotopic measurements but only 88 had sufficiently high Os

concentrations to give usefully precise isotopic results; 80

of these grains had 187Re/188Os \ 0.5 and have been con-

sidered in the dataset (Table 2). 43 were found in spinel

tectonites, 21 in transitional lherzolites at the recrystalli-

zation front, and 16 in granular peridotites. The Os contents

of the analyzed sulfides vary between 14 and[900 ppm and

Re/Os (calculated from the measured 187Re/188Os) between

\0.01 and 0.075. These relatively high Os concentrations

indicate a magmatic rather than hydrothermal origin for the

grains, as hydrothermal fluids normally precipitate Fe-rich

sulfide phases (pyrrhotite–pyrite) with \100 ppb Os

(Luguet et al. 2004; Alard et al. 2005). In the Os versus

Re/Os diagram (Fig. 2a) the sulfide population of the Ronda

massif can be divided in two groups: (1) Group 1 is char-

acterized by low Re/Os (B0.004) and a large variability in

Os abundances (81–909 ppm); (2) Group 2 has higher

Re/Os (C0.004) and average lower Os concentration

(14–200 ppm) than Group 1. Both groups include sulfides

from the three peridotite domains but Group 1 mostly

consists of grains detected in the spinel tectonites.187Os/188Os varies between 0.1163 and 0.1204 in Group

1 and between 0.1139 and 0.1335 in Group 2 (Fig. 2b).

These values correspond to cOs = -12.1 to 3.1 but almost

all the grains (75/80) have 187Os/188Os lower than PUM

(cOs up to -2.1). 187Re/188Os spans from 0.002 to 0.02 in

Group 1 and from 0.02 to 0.34 in Group 2 (Fig. 3). No

systematic correlations exist between 187Os/188Os or187Re/188Os and the microstructural setting of the sulfides

(i.e., interstitial versus inclusion-type), the fertility of the

sample, or the location of the sample in the peridotite

domains (Fig. 3). In Group 1, calculated TRD (Walker et al.

1989) and TMA vary between 1.2 and 1.8 and 1.3 and

1.8 Ga, respectively. Group 2 has more variable TRD (-0.5

to 2.1 Ga), and TMA spans from -1.0 to 5.7 Ga because of

the large range in Re/Os. The few meaningless future ages

and ages older than 4.5 Ga reflect derivation of Os from a

source more radiogenic than PUM and the local distur-

bance of the Re–Os system.


123

Table 2 Re–Os data on sulfides in the Ronda peridotites

Sample Sulfide

group

Sulfide

microstructure

187Os/188Os

2 SE 187Re/188Os

2 SE Re/Os Osa

(ppm)

2 SE cOs TRD

(Ga)

TMA

(Ga)

2 SDb

(Ga)

Spinel tectonite domain

RX8—Lherzolite (Lenoir et al. 2001)

RX8 S29 Group 2 Interstitial 0.1325 0.0012 0.26 0.0098 0.058 42 3 2.3 -0.39 -1.02 0.42




RX31 S8 Group 2 Interstitial 0.1228 0.0008 0.23 0.0032 0.050 77 11 -5.2 0.95 1.94 0.22

RX42—Harzburgite (Lenoir et al. 2001)

RX42 S21 Group 2 Inclusion in Ol 0.1214 0.0011 0.11 0.0019 0.025 30 3 -6.3 1.13 1.50 0.19

DR93.10–Harzburgite (Van der Wal and Bodinier 1996)

DR93.10 S5 Group 2 Inclusion in Opx 0.1201 0.0019 0.04 0.0019 0.010 43 6 -7.2 1.29 1.43 0.28



DR93.10 S14 Group 2 Interstitial 0.1214 0.0006 0.10 0.0480 0.023 103 18 -6.2 1.12 1.45 0.23








DR93.10 S3b Group 2 Inclusion in Opx 0.1209 0.0018 0.13 0.0118 0.029 65 19 -6.6 1.19 1.68 0.35

DR93.10 S6b Group 2 Interstitial 0.1219 0.0010 0.14 0.0400 0.030 75 3 -5.8 1.06 1.52 0.28

DR93.10 S9b Group 2 Interstitial 0.1203 0.0006 0.08 0.0118 0.019 200 22 -7.1 1.27 1.56 0.11

07RV 10B—Harzburgite (Soustelle et al. 2009)

07RV 10B S3 Group 2 Inclusion in Opx 0.1257 0.0008 0.14 0.0042 0.032 59 8 -2.9 0.54 0.79 0.16

07RV 10B S52 Group 2 Intersttial 0.1202 0.0003 0.16 0.0380 0.035 67 6 -7.2 1.30 2.00 0.28

07RV 12A—Harzburgite (Soustelle et al. 2009)

07RV 12A S2 Group 1 Interstitial 0.1187 0.0012 0.01 0.0012 0.002 81 13 -8.3 1.49 1.51 0.16


07RV 12A S5 Group 1 Inclusion in Opx 0.1183 0.0008 0.01 0.0004 0.002 241 32 -8.6 1.54 1.56 0.11





RPD 07-9—Harzburgite

RPD 07-9 S28 Group 2 Interstitial 0.1250 0.0007 0.25 0.0042 0.056 44 5 -3.5 0.64 1.46 0.22



RPD 07-9 S73 Group 2 Inclusion in Ol 0.1245 0.0009 0.22 0.0158 0.049 37 3 -3.9 0.71 1.40 0.26




RPD 07-11—Lherzolite





123

Table 2 continued

Sample Sulfide

group

Sulfide

microstructure

187Os/188Os

2 SE 187Re/188Os

2 SE Re/Os Osa

(ppm)

2 SE cOs TRD

(Ga)

TMA

(Ga)

2 SDb

(Ga)

RPD 07-11 S50 Group 2 Inclusion in Opx 0.1240 0.0017 0.06 0.0015 0.014 27 2 -4.2 0.77 0.89 0.27


RPD 07-18—Harzburgite



RPD 07-18 S18 Group 1 Inclusion in Spl 0.1200 0.0003 0.01 0.0016 0.003 224 11 -7.3 1.32 1.36 0.04



RX3 S26 Group 2 Inclusion in Opx 0.1247 0.0007 0.10 0.0020 0.022 52 8 -3.7 0.68 0.87 0.13









RPD 07-6B—Lherzolite

RPD 07-6B S10 Group 2 Interstitial 0.1226 0.0020 0.07 0.0058 0.016 43 9 -5.3 0.96 1.14 0.32






RPD 07-6B S49 Group 1 Inclusion in Opx 0.1181 0.0007 0.01 0.0007 0.002 133 13 -8.7 1.56 1.59 0.10


RPD 07-6B S1b Group 2 Interstitial 0.1193 0.0004 0.07 0.0048 0.015 85 6 -7.8 1.40 1.65 0.07





RPD 07-15—Lherzolite

RPD 07-15 S11 Group 2 Inclusion in Opx 0.1172 0.0007 0.07 0.0240 0.016 61 13 -9.5 1.69 2.01 0.17

Granular peridotite domain


RX12 S3 Group 1 Inclusion in Cpx 0.1175 0.0001 0.002 0.0001 0.0004 909 108 -9.3 1.65 1.66 0.01













123

Discussion

Effects of alteration on Os and Re mobility,

and the origin of sulfide groups

As the Ronda peridotites are variably serpentinised

(Garrido et al. 2000), interpretations of the variations of187Os/188Os and 187Re/188Os in Ronda sulfides in terms

of primary magmatic processes require first an assessment

of the potential effects of alteration of peridotite on Os and

Re mobility. The Ronda peridotites show serpentinite

assemblages characteristic of low fluid flux (Lorand et al.

2000; Garrido et al. 2000) that generates strongly reducing

conditions due to the production of H2 from reaction of

0.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

Re/

Os

(a)

Group 1

Group 2

Spinel tectonite


Granular peridotite

0 200 400 600 800

Os (ppm)

1000

0.115

0.120

0.125

0.130

0.135

187 O

s/18

8 Os

(b)

Group 1

Group 2

Spinel tectonite


Granular peridotite

Fig. 2 Os (ppm) versus Re/Os (a) and 187Os/188Os (b) in individual

sulfides from the Ronda peridotites. White-crossed circles Sulfide

inclusions in the main minerals of spinel tectonites, white circlesinterstitial sulfides in spinel tectonites, gray-crossed triangles sulfide

inclusions in the main minerals of transitional lherzolites from the

recrystallization front, gray triangles interstitial sulfides in transi-

tional lherzolites from the recrystallization front, black-crossedsquares sulfide inclusions in the main minerals of granular peridotites,

black squares interstitial sulfides in granular peridotites. Barsrepresent 2 SEs of Os, Re/Os and 187Os/188Os values

Group 1

Group 2

0.5

187Re/188Os

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4

187 O

s/18

8 Os

0.115

0.120

0.125

0.130

0.135

PUMAge = 739 360 Ma

Initial187Os/188Os = 0.1198 9MSWD = 66

Spineltectonite

RecrystallizationfrontGranularperidotiteSpl and Pl tectoniteswhole-rock

Fig. 3 187Re/188Os versus 187Os/188Os in sulfides from the Ronda

peridotites. Symbols as in Fig. 2. Bars represent 2 SEs of 187Re/188Os

and 187Os/188Os measurements. Data for Ronda whole-rock spinel

(Spl) and plagioclase (Pl) tectonites from Reisberg et al. (1991). Starindicates the Re–Os isotopic composition of the primitive upper

mantle (PUM, Meisel et al. 2001; Carlson 2005). The black solid lineis an ‘‘errorchron’’ line calculated for sulfides with 187Os/188Os lower

than PUM from the spinel tectonite and coarse-granular peridotite

domains

Table 2 continued

Sample Sulfide

group

Sulfide

microstructure

187Os/188Os

2 SE 187Re/188Os

2 SE Re/Os Osa

(ppm)

2 SE cOs TRD

(Ga)

TMA

(Ga)

2 SDb

(Ga)

DR93.11—Harzburgite (Van der Wal and Bodinier 1996)

DR93-11 S3 Group 2 Interstitial 0.1200 0.0007 0.09 0.0038 0.019 118 8 -7.3 1.31 1.63 0.13

DR93-11 S10 Group 2 Inclusion in Cpx 0.1208 0.0012 0.19 0.0050 0.042 49 13 -6.7 1.21 2.09 0.28



DR93-11 S31 Group 1 Inclusion in Spl 0.1204 0.0009 0.01 0.0017 0.001 169 31 -7.0 1.25 1.27 0.13


Ol olivine, Opx orthopyroxene, Spl spinel, Cpx clinopyroxene

cOs and model ages calculated by comparison with PUM (187Os/188Os = 0.1296; 187Re/188Os = 0.4353)a Semiquantitative values: measured by comparison of signal with PGE-A standardb Propagated 2SE analytical uncertainties on 187Os/188Os and 187Re/188Os


123

water with iron-rich peridotite minerals and formation of

magnetite (Bach et al. 2004, 2006). Noble metals are

immobile under reducing conditions (Snow and Schmidt

1998; Rehkamper et al. 1999) and therefore the Os contents

of sulfides are not significantly affected by serpentiniza-

tion. This conclusion is supported by Os studies of sulfides

in heavily serpentinised abyssal peridotites, showing that

they still retain their primary Os isotope magmatic signa-

ture (Alard et al. 2005). Highly oxidizing fluids involved in

some types of seafloor weathering can mobilize Os (Snow

and Reisberg 1995), but this type of alteration is absent in

the Ronda peridotites (Lorand et al. 2000). On the other

hand, Re is considered to be highly mobile in fluids (Sun

et al. 2003, 2004), and therefore serpentinization or

weathering may induce both secondary Re depletion (Snow

and Schmidt 1998; Snow et al. 2000) and Re uptake

(Meisel et al. 1996; Batanova et al. 2008). Lorand et al.

(2000) attributed whole-rock Re depletion in the Ronda

peridotites to serpentinization. In our study, the analyzed

grains show a broad trend of increasing 187Re/188Os cou-

pled with less variable 187Os/188Os (Fig. 3), which is

inconsistent with Re loss by alteration. Furthermore, Re

depletion due to serpentinization should mostly have

affected easily altered intergranular sulfides, but these

grains show the same range of 187Re/188Os as those

included in silicates (Fig. 3). These observations lead us to

conclude that 187Os/188Os and 187Re/188Os ratios in Ronda

sulfides reflect primary magmatic processes.

Group 1 sulfides generally have high Os contents and

low Re/Os (Fig. 2a) that suggest they derive from grains

residual after melt extraction from the upper mantle (Alard

et al. 2000, 2002; Griffin et al. 2002; Bockrath et al. 2004).

Their relatively unradiogenic Os isotopic ratios (Fig. 2b)

indicate that they have evolved for a long time in a low

Re/Os environment and suggest that the influence of

metasomatic processes on their composition was minor.

Indeed, Group 1 consists mainly of sulfides from the spinel

tectonite domain of Ronda, where metasomatic processes

occurred by low-melt-fraction percolation (Garrido and

Bodinier 1999), and a small group of sulfide inclusions in

pyroxene and spinel at the recrystallization front and in the

coarse-granular domain (Fig. 2). As noted above, the

Os-isotope composition of sulfides in the Ronda massif is

generally not correlated with their microstructural position,

but the inclusion of these grains in primary minerals

probably helped to minimize their interaction with perco-

lating melts/fluids relatively enriched in Re (Burton et al.

1999; Alard et al. 2002).

Group 2 has higher Re/Os and generally lower Os

concentrations than Group 1 (Fig. 2a) suggesting it origi-

nated by reaction between oxidizing melts/fluids and pre-

existing grains during refertilization and/or melt-rock

reaction (Alard et al. 2000, 2002; Griffin et al. 2002). The

five grains with 187Os/188Os higher than PUM (Fig. 3) may

be derived from melts/fluids that preferentially scavenged

Os from highly radiogenic pyroxenites; a further six grains

have 187Os/188Os higher than PUM which may reflect their

origin from radiogenic mafic layers, but these sulfides

were not considered in the dataset as they have187Re/188Os [ 0.5.

Persistence of lithospheric Re–Os signature in sulfides

across the Ronda recrystallization front

The recrystallization front in the Ronda peridotite (Fig. 1b)

separates the spinel tectonite domain, interpreted as old,

veined lithospheric mantle, from the granular domain

where the microstructures and mineralogical assemblages

of peridotites and pyroxenites in the precursor spinel tect-

onites are obliterated (Van der Wal and Vissers 1996;

Garrido and Bodinier 1999; Lenoir et al. 2001; Vauchez

and Garrido 2001; Soustelle et al. 2009). Variations in the

concentrations of lithophile major- and trace-elements in

peridotites collected over a distance of *10 km along the

Ronda recrystallization front (Fig. 1b) are consistent with

the development of the coarse-granular domain by *5%

partial melting of refertilized spinel tectonites (Garrido and

Bodinier 1999; Lenoir et al. 2001; Soustelle et al. 2009).

Melting and refertilization processes associated with the

generation of the Ronda recrystallization front are well

illustrated by variations of the whole-rock YbN content and

CaO/MgO ratio of peridotites across the front (Fig. 4a, b).

The extraction of partial melts from the coarse-granular

peridotites is indicated by their more homogeneous and

statistically significant lower whole-rock YbN (Fig. 4a) and

CaO/MgO (Fig. 4b) relative to the precursor spinel tecto-

nites (Lenoir et al. 2001). At the recrystallization front,

coarse-granular peridotites are separated from the spinel

tectonites by the more fertile transitional peridotites,

characterized by relatively higher YbN (Fig. 4a) and CaO/

MgO (Fig. 4b) (Lenoir et al. 2001; Soustelle et al. 2009).

These geochemical variations indicate that these transi-

tional peridotites were refertilized by synchronous melt-

consuming reactions at and ahead of the peridotite melting

front, as also attested by the formation of undeformed

secondary clinopyroxene (Lenoir et al. 2001) variably

enriched in REE (Soustelle et al. 2009).

The above results show that partial melting and refer-

tilization associated with the development of the Ronda

recrystallization front, which are considered to have

occurred in the Cenozoic (Van der Wal and Vissers 1993;

Lenoir et al. 2001), efficiently overprinted and homoge-

nized the lithophile major- and trace-element heterogene-

ities of the former spinel tectonite domain (Fig. 4a, b). As a

consequence, one might expect some substantial difference

in the 187Re/188Os and 187Os/188Os ratios of sulfides from


123

the coarse-granular peridotites and the recrystallization

front compared to those in the spinel tectonites. Partial

melting leading to the coarse-granular peridotites could

have induced a decrease of the 187Re/188Os ratio and more

restricted ranges in 187Re/188Os and 187Os/188Os in coarse-

granular peridotites compared to the spinel tectonites. On

the other hand, an expected effect of igneous refertilization

at the recrystallization front is a possible increase in187Re/188Os compared to that in the spinel tectonites. As

the thermal erosion of lithospheric mantle beneath the

western Mediterranean region occurred in the late Oligo-

cene-early Miocene (Platt et al. 1998; Soto and Platt 1999;

Booth-Rea et al. 2007), the influence of the potential187Re/188Os variations induced by this melting and melt

percolation event on the time-integrated 187Os/188Os can be

considered negligible.

Figure 4c, d shows that the distributions of 187Os/188Os

and 187Re/188Os in sulfides of peridotites from the different

domains are decoupled from variations of YbN and CaO/

MgO across the front and do not display the trends expected

for additional partial melting in the coarse-granular domain

and refertilization at the recrystallization front. This implies

that Re and Os in sulfides were largely unaffected by the

partial melting and melt transport that generated the Ronda

recrystallization front and that are recorded by lithophile

element variations at kilometric length-scales. This may

indicate that for low degrees of melting (*5%) such as

those that generated the coarse-granular peridotites from the

spinel tectonite domain (Lenoir et al. 2001), Re and Os are

not significantly fractionated in monosulfide solid solution,

which is the sulfide phase stable during mantle melting and

whose subsolidus product is Fe-rich pentlandite (Ballhaus

et al. 2001; Brenan 2002; Barnes et al. 2006). This is con-

sistent with experimental and natural data that show that

both Os and Re are compatible in monosulfide solid solution

and have similar partition coefficients with sulfide melt

(DOs/DReMSS/sulfide melt = 0.8–1.5; Lambert et al. 1999;

Brenan 2002; Barnes et al. 2006). Thus, the Re and Os

Fig. 4 Box plots summarizing the distributions of whole-rock YbN

(a) (N normalized to chondrite after Sun and McDonough 1989),

CaO/MgO (b), and 187Os/187Os (c) and 187Re/187Os (d) in sulfides for

peridotite samples from the different tectonic domains of the Ronda

massif (ST spinel tectonite domain, RF recrystallization front, CGcoarse-granular domain). Each box depicts the sampling distribution

between the 25th and 75th percentiles; the solid and dotted lineswithin the boxes mark the median and the mean value, respectively;

whiskers (error bars) above and below the boxes indicate the 90th and

10th percentiles, respectively. For the plots of 187Os/187Os and187Re/187Os in sulfides, we also show outliers (i.e., values outside the

10th and 90th percentiles) plotted as individual symbols (symbols as

in Fig. 2). The Ronda peridotite database for this figure encompasses

peridotites analyzed and/or compiled by Lenoir et al. (2001)

(including the samples selected for this study, Table 2), as well as

the new peridotites sampled in this study with notation RPD (Fig. 1;

Table 2)

ST RF CG

187 R

e/18

8 Os

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

CaO

/MgO

0.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10

Yb N

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

187 O

s/18

8 Os

0.110

0.115

0.120

0.125

0.130

0.135

ST RF CG(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

c


123

isotope compositions of sulfides in the coarse-granular

peridotites are mostly inherited from those of the ancient

lithospheric spinel tectonites. A rough positive correlation

between 187Os/188Os and 187Re/188Os can be observed

among sulfides with negative cOs from the spinel tectonite

and coarse-granular domains (Fig. 3). This population

scatters about an ‘‘errorchron’’ with an age of 739 ±360 Ma

(MSWD = 66) and initial 187Os/188Os = 0.1198, which

corresponds to a model age of 1.3 Ga, identical to that

obtained by whole-rock analysis of samples from the spinel

and plagioclase tectonite domains (Reisberg et al. 1991;

Reisberg and Lorand 1995). We interpret this weak corre-

lation as a mixing line among different generations of sul-

fides, as inferred for mantle xenoliths (Alard et al. 2002;

Griffin et al. 2002, 2004) and abyssal peridotites (Alard

et al. 2005).

Sulfides in lherzolites at the recrystallization front have

Re–Os isotope compositions similar to grains in spinel

tectonites and coarse-granular peridotites (Fig. 4c, d) and

only three of them show an evident decoupling between

relatively high 187Re/188Os and unradiogenic 187Os/188Os

(Fig. 3). These interstitial sulfides are probably products of

the refertilization (i.e., clinopyroxene-producing) reactions

which caused significant enrichment of Re relative to Os

and that occurred at and ahead of the recrystallization front

(Lenoir et al. 2001; Soustelle et al. 2009). The decoupling

between relatively low 187Os/188Os and high 187Re/188Os in

these grains is consistent with the relatively recent forma-

tion of the Ronda recrystallization front (probably Ceno-

zoic, Lenoir et al. 2001), as little 187Os ingrowth has

occurred since the Re enrichment event.

Variability of the Os model ages calculated for sulfides

187Os/188Os in sulfides from the Ronda peridotites shows

significant variations at the thin section scale (Table 2) as has

been generally noted in mantle rocks from both continental

and oceanic lithosphere (Alard et al. 2002, 2005; Griffin et al.

2002, 2004; Luguet et al. 2007). This implies that the whole-

rock Os isotope composition and model ages of such samples

are controlled by the modal abundance and Os contents of

distinct generations of sulfides in the sample and indicates

that the upper mantle is not adequately homogeneous in

terms of 187Os/188Os to be described by large-scale geo-

chemical reservoirs (Meibom et al. 2002).

Figure 5 shows the distributions of TRD and TMA

(excluding the few meaningless future ages and ages older

than 4.5 Ga) in individual sulfides from the different

structural domains of Ronda (Fig. 5a–c) and in the whole

massif (Fig. 5d). TRD ages cluster around three main peaks:

Rel

ativ

e pr

obab

ility

0.0 0.5 3.02.01.51.0 3.5 4.02.5 4.5 0.0 0.5 3.02.01.51.0 3.5 4.02.5 4.5

Rel

ativ

e pr

obab

ility

Model age (Ga) Model age (Ga)

Model age (Ga)

0.0 0.5 3.02.52.01.51.0 3.5 4.0 0.0 0.5 3.02.01.51.0 3.5 4.02.5 4.5

Model age (Ga)

Spinel tectonite Recrystallization front

Granular peridotite

(a)

Whole massif

(b)

(c) (d)

TRD

TMA

TRD

TMA

TRD

TMA

TRD

TMA

Fig. 5 Cumulative probability

plots of Os model ages (Ga) for

sulfides from the different

structural domains of Ronda

(a–c) and the whole massif (d).

Black solid line Re-depletion

ages (TRD, Walker et al. 1989);

gray dashed line model ages

(TMA)


123

1.6–1.8, 1.2–1.4, and 0.7–0.8 Ga. No substantial differ-

ences exist among the Re-depletion ages calculated in the

three peridotite domains except for a minor peak at

*0.4 Ga that is shown only by sulfides at the recrystalli-

zation front (Fig. 5b). The distribution of TMA is less

homogeneous. Minor peaks corresponding to Archean

model ages are visible in all the domains: at *2.5 and

3.4 Ga in spinel tectonites (Fig. 5a); at *2.5, 2.8 and 4 Ga

at the recrystallization front (Fig. 5b); and at *3 Ga in the

granular domain (Fig. 5c). Proterozoic TMA ages generally

coincide with the values of TRD and mostly cluster around

*1.6–1.9, 1.3–1.5, and 0.9 Ga; a minor TMA model age of

*0.6 Ga is recorded in sulfides at the recrystallization

front (Fig. 5b).

The observation that Archean model ages are only

evident in the TMA distributions, and in particular at the

recrystallization front, suggests that they reflect second-

ary uptake of Re and do not represent real magmatic

events. In contrast, the different Proterozoic model ages

are generally well constrained both in TRD and TMA and

are evident in all the domains. Group 1, which we

interpret as derived from grains residual after melting,

shows model ages around the two most ancient Prote-

rozoic peaks. These age peaks are the most prominent

ones displayed by the distributions of both TRD and TMA

and suggest that the Ronda peridotites underwent two

main melting events at *1.6 to 1.8 and 1.2–1.4 Ga,

respectively. The *1.6 to 1.8 Ga peak is consistent with

the U–Pb age of 1783 ± 37 Ma reported by Sanchez-

Rodrıguez and Gebauer (2000); it was determined by

SHRIMP analysis of an inherited core of zircon in a

garnet pyroxenite from the spinel tectonite domain. A

prominent *1.2 to 1.4 Ga tectonothermal event in the

Ronda massif is documented both by a Sm–Nd ‘‘error-

chron’’ on clinopyroxene (Reisberg et al. 1989) and by

whole-rock Os model ages of peridotites and garnet

pyroxenites (Reisberg et al. 1991; Reisberg and Lorand

1995). Group 2, which probably formed by interaction of

ancient grains with younger metasomatic melts/fluids,

has more variable model ages and shows that a third

generation of sulfides precipitated in the Ronda perido-

tites at *0.7 to 0.9 Ga. Pan-African (0.5–0.9 Ga) ages

have been reported for zircons from high-grade meta-

morphic rocks in the Betic Cordillera (Zeck and

Whitehouse 1999; Zeck and Williams 2001) and the

western Mediterranean (Platt et al. 1998).

Significance of the magmatic events recorded

by Os isotopes

Frey et al. (1985) argued that the Ronda peridotites are

residues after moderate degrees of partial melting in the

garnet- and spinel-stability fields. In particular, the

relative depletion and homogenization of the coarse-

granular peridotites compared to refertilized spinel tecto-

nites ahead of the recrystallization front is ascribed to

2.5–6.5% partial melting in the Cenozoic (Lenoir et al.

2001). As mantle sulfides are normally exhausted after

12–30% partial melting (Luguet et al. 2003; Lorand and

Gregoire 2006; Alt et al. 2007) depending on sulfur

abundance and pressure (Mavrogenes and O’Neill 1999),

the preservation of residual sulfides could be expected in

the Ronda peridotites. Group 1 has the geochemical sig-

nature of residual sulfides (Fig. 2a) and its Os-isotope

composition records two different melting episodes at

*1.6 to 1.8 and 1.2–1.4 Ga, respectively. We propose

that one of these Proterozoic events probably coincided

with the emplacement of the massif into the refractory

subcontinental lithosphere. If we assume that the Ronda

peridotites accreted to the lithosphere at *1.6 to 1.8 Ga,

the residual grains with Os model ages of *1.2 to 1.4 Ga

may testify to the reworking of the lithosphere in the

Mesoproterozoic. Alternatively, if the massif became part

of the lithosphere at about 1.2–1.4 Ga, according to the

common interpretation of whole-rock Os isotopic data

(Reisberg et al. 1991; Reisberg and Lorand 1995), the

residual sulfides with Os model ages of *1.6 to 1.8 Ga

could be interpreted as inherited grains that survived

within the convective mantle for *0.2 to 0.6 Ga. Sulfides

in Group 2 with Os model ages of *0.7 to 0.9 Ga sug-

gest the percolation of metasomatic melts/fluids in the

Neoproterozoic when the massif was equilibrated at sub-

solidus conditions.

Considering the uncertainties inherent in model age

calculations, the three Proterozoic magmatic events rec-

ognized in the Ronda massif are consistent with similar

Os model ages obtained for several mantle peridotite

suites in Central and Western Europe (Meisel et al.

1996, 1997; Burnham et al. 1998; Snow et al. 2000;

Alard et al. 2002; Schmidt and Snow 2002; Malitch

2004) as well as in the geologically similar Beni Bousera

massif in Northern Morocco (Pearson et al. 2004). These

depletion events recorded in mantle rocks correspond to

the peaks of Nd model ages calculated for the crustal

basement of Hercynian Europe (Ben Othman et al. 1984;

Stosch and Lugmair 1984; Liew and Hofmann 1988;

Gilbert et al. 1994; Pin et al. 2002) and Northern Africa

(Polve 1983; Gasquet et al. 1992) (Fig. 6). The Prote-

rozoic Os model ages exhibited by sulfides in the Ronda

peridotites thus appear to correspond to different stages

of generation of the crustal mass of Gondwana, which

was later recycled in the Paleozoic. Interestingly, similar

mantle depletion ages recorded in osmium alloys provide

evidence for global episodes of generation of the Earth’s

continental crust at *1.2 and 1.9 Ga (Pearson et al.

2007).


123

Conclusions

Re–Os in situ isotopic analyses of sulfides in the different

structural domains of the Ronda peridotite massif provide

insights into the geochemical behavior of this isotopic

system during partial melting and melt percolation induced

by asthenospherization of the subcontinental lithospheric

mantle. The Re–Os isotopic signature of sulfides in

peridotites at the recrystallization front and in the coarse-

granular domain mostly coincides with that in spinel tect-

onites. This implies that the Re–Os isotopic system in

sulfides was not significantly disturbed by a relatively

recent episode of partial melting and equilibration with

percolating melts. Only some sulfides in lherzolites at the

recrystallization front have unradiogenic Os isotopes cou-

pled with relatively high 187Re/188Os, which was probably

induced by recent Re enrichment related to the refertil-

ization reactions at the front. Thus, the Re–Os systematics

of the Ronda massif record an ancient, multistage mantle

evolution that was mostly unaffected by the Cenozoic

lithospheric thermal erosion. In particular, Re–Os isotopes

show that the Ronda peridotites experienced two melting

episodes in the Proterozoic, at *1.6 to 1.8 and *1.2 to

1.4 Ga, respectively. One of these events probably corre-

sponds to the emplacement of the massif into the subcon-

tinental lithospheric mantle. Metasomatic melts/fluids

invaded the mantle peridotites at *0.7 to 0.9 Ga and

precipitated a new generation of sulfides when the massif

was equilibrated at subsolidus conditions.

The Os model ages calculated for sulfides in the Ronda

peridotites coincide with similar results obtained for

several ultramafic bodies in Central/Western Europe and

Northern Africa as well as with Nd model ages of their

Hercynian crustal basement. This suggests that sulfides in

Ronda record different Proterozoic episodes of crustal

generation in the ancient Gondwana supercontinent.

The preservation of Proterozoic Os model ages in sul-

fides at the Ronda recrystallization front and in the coarse-

granular domain testifies to the capacity of the Re–Os

isotopic system to conserve the memory of ancient mag-

matic events (e.g. Shirey and Walker 1998; Carlson 2005;

Luguet et al. 2008). In particular, the persistence of the Os

isotopic signature of sulfides in an ‘‘asthenospherized’’

mantle domain that experienced relatively recent thermally

driven partial melting and recrystallization preserves the

geochemical imprint of a *2 Ga tectonic evolution.

Acknowledgments We thank Anders Meibom and an anonymous

reviewer for their constructive comments on the submitted version of

the manuscript. This study used instrumentation funded by Australian

Research Council LIEF and DEST Systemic Infrastructure Grants,

Macquarie University and Industry, and was supported by the Spanish

‘‘Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion’’ Grants BTE2006-1489,

PCI2006-A9-0580 and HF2008-0073, the Spanish Council for

Research (CSIC) Grant 2008-30I014, and the Junta de Andalucıa

research group RNM-131. C.M.’s research has been supported by a

postdoctoral fellowship from the Universidad de Granada (Spain) and

by a Marie Curie Intra European Fellowship within the Seventh

European Community Framework Programme. This is publication

number 603 from the GEMOC ARC National Key Centre

(http://www.es.mq.edu.au/GEMOC/).

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