Testing a New Model for Initiation of Subduction in the Western Pacific: 3He/4He Analysis of Middle Eocene Boninites
type: Dataset
description: PROJECT DETAILS ONLY - NO DATA. This proposal seeks to test the hypothesis that a mantle hotspot was responsible for generating boninite magmas in the Izu - Bonin - Mariana (IBM) arc during the middle Eocene. Reconstruction of the plate configuration at that time places the nascent IBM arc close to the location of the present Manus Basin, where a high 3He/4He hotspot has been identified through helium isotope data and tomographic imaging. This project will deliver: 3He/4He data for middle Eocene boninites to resolve the hotspot-present or hotspot-absent models for initiation of the IBM arc. Pb and O isotope ratios and U and Th concentration data to aid in constraining subduction and crustal contamination in the petrogenesis of these rocks. A framework for investigating Archean tectonics and volcanic massive sulphide deposits.
keyword: Earth core
keyword: Earth mantle
keyword: NERC_DDC
keyword: Natural resources
keyword: Tectonics
keyword: Volcanology
issued: 2025-12-03T10:59:41.400607
modified: 2026-08-06T20:51:14.518348

British Geological Survey (BGS)
type: Organization

Grant Award Details
type: Distribution
description: Resource locator
access URL: https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_full.asp
issued: 2026-08-06T20:51:14.556412
modified: 2026-08-06T20:51:14.521628