Geochemical observations from various magmatic settings indicate that lithological heterogeinity is a common feature of the convecting mantle. In detail, however, this heterogeinity along with the underlying processes and mechanisms leading to today’s status of the mantle are still poorly understood.
The volatile distribution in the mantle strongly depends on the mechanisms and the efficiency of volatile recycling into the mantle and the efficiency of degassing. The survival of geochemical information of a melt generated at the mantle source depends critically on melt transport processes, which deliver melts from source to surface. Reactive transport processes can alter the chemistry and signal of source lithology during ascent. A better understanding of such processes is required to improve our understanding of the record preserved in basalts.
This session aims to combine geochemical, mineralogical and modelling approaches to improve our understanding of a heterogeneous mantle.