320,000 years of interaction between a fast-spreading ridge and nearby seamounts monitored using major, trace and isotope composition data from oceanic basalts: Zoom at 15.6°N on the East Pacific Rise

Data Brief. 2022 Aug 24:44:108550. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.108550. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Abstract

Basaltic samples were collected by the French submersible ``Nautile'' during the "Parisub" cruise (2010, R/V L'Atalante, Ifremer) along a 25 km long sampling profile crossing perpendicularly the current axis of the East Pacific Rise at 15.6°N, as well as the trace of its two former parallel axes located further east. The total length of the profile corresponds to an approximate time interval of ∼ 320,000 years. The corresponding dataset documents the geochemical response of Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalts (MORB) related to the progressive convergence between the ridge segment and a nearby hotspot. It also represents one of the highest-sampling (and in turn geochemical) resolution efforts to date. The major, trace element and isotopic compositions determined through optical and mass spectrometry analysis of 52 samples are presented and compared to other previous data obtained from the same area. The data obtained strictly follow the conventions used in rock geochemistry in terms of data acquisition, reduction, and format, so that they can be compared to similar data from other regions. The different figures present (i) The geological context of study area, (ii) A classification of the samples according to their geochemical composition and geological context for a better legibility of the dataset, (iii) A comparison with data from other oceanic rises, (iv) A detailed method explaining the foundations of the chronology between samples established, and (v) A chronological representation of the geochemical composition of the basalts collected. These data can be useful for anyone interested in marine geosciences and more specifically scientists studying mantle geochemistry, oceanic lithosphere formation, and hotspot-ridge interactions. These data can also be used to model magmatic processes, crust-mantle interactions, and can be integrated in geophysical and geological models of seafloor accretion.

Keywords: High-resolution data; Mantle geochemistry; Mid-ocean ridge; Radiogenic isotopes; Seamounts; Submersible.