Synchrotron Data - Gazley 9645 (Sep 2016) - Trace element distribution in the world's youngest eclogites

Fluid-mediated trace element redistribution in subduction zones is a key aspect of element cycling in the Earth. The depths at which fluid migration episodes occur, and the fluid compositions involved are poorly understood. Eclogite rocks from Papua New Guinea uniquely preserve, without overprinting, a physical and chemical record of their journey to mantle depths (>100 km) and back to the Earth’s surface. They record fluid flow as a zone of trace element enrichment just before exhumation. Mapping the distributions of key elements by X-ray fluorescence microscopy will clarify understanding of element redistributions that accompany early exhumation from mantle depths.