Large melt diversity at a mid-ocean ridge thermal low.

Abstract

Mid-ocean ridges serve as key sites for understanding the composition of the mantle, but extensive melting usually masks its lithological diversity. This study explores how cold mid-ocean ridge segments, such as the eastern Romanche ridge-transform intersection (ERRTI), provide unique insights into mantle heterogeneity. Here, a thick cold lithosphere faces the warm ridge segment efficiently cooling the ridge tip, thus reducing melting and mixing, and allowing distinct short-scale lithologies to be sampled. Our findings reveal a mosaic of mantle components with diverse geochemical and isotopic signatures, reflecting dynamic mantle processes over time. By examining these cold regimes, this research sheds light on the mantle's compositional complexity and its evolution, offering a fresh perspective on lithospheric dynamics and melt generation in settings independent of hotspot influences.