REEBOX PRO : A forward model simulating melting of thermally and lithologically variable upwelling mantle

The compositions and volumes of basalts erupted in divergent margin environments provide a record of the thermal, chemical, and dynamical state of their mantle source regions. To relate basalt compositions and volumes to the underlying thermochemical and dynamical state of their mantle source regions, we have developed REEBOX PRO, a compiled stand‐alone application that simulates adiabatic decompression melting of passively or actively upwelling mantle containing up to five distinct lithologies. The model calculates melt compositions using thermodynamic and experimental constraints on the melting behaviors and mineral‐melt partitioning behavior of homogeneous and lithologically heterogeneous mantle sources containing anhydrous peridotite, hydrous peridotite, harzburgite, and/or silica‐saturated/‐undersaturated pyroxenite. Key model outputs include the mean composition and crustal thickness for the bulk basaltic crust, calculated for passive and active upwelling scenarios. Here, we present the mathematical formulations underlying the model and benchmark it against existing hydrous melting models and models for mid‐ocean ridge basalt formation. We show that the hydrous and anhydrous peridotite melting models incorporated in REEBOX PRO capture the essential differences in basalt composition and volume demonstrated by previous models, and constrain the ambient mantle beneath the global spreading ridge system to be between 1319 and 1366°C, depending on the relative fertility and/or water content of the mid‐ocean ridge mantle source. We also show how model outputs may be manipulated outside of the modeling program to calculate nontraditional melt mixing scenarios. These examples highlight the flexibility of REEBOX PRO for simulating melt generation within a range of geodynamical contexts.