Internal distribution of Li and B in serpentinites from the Feather River Ophiolite, California, based on laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) analyses of B and Li in serpentinized peridotites from the Feather River Ophiolite (California) indicates that B is enriched in serpentine minerals compared to the whole‐rock and less altered olivine grains, while Li in serpentine is depleted or comparable to whole‐rock Li. The high B contents of serpentine minerals correlate with the relatively enriched whole‐rock B contents. The low Li contents of serpentine minerals are consistent with the relatively low Li whole‐rock contents and suggest that only small amounts of Li were added during serpentinization or that some Li was even leached out. A simple model of partial melting shows that Li/Yb increases with increasing melt depletion (and clinopyroxene depletion) in the peridotitic residue because Li is most compatible in olivine while Yb is most compatible in clinopyroxene. Thus, high Li/Yb ratios in peridotites by themselves do not indicate secondary enrichments in Li. However, Li/Yb and Yb contents of many of the Feather River Ophiolites plot above the melt depletion curve in Li/Yb versus Yb space, indicating that these serpentinites experienced subtle and preferential enrichments in Li during serpentinization. If serpentinized oceanic lithospheric mantle, as represented by the Feather River Ophiolite, is important in subduction recycling, then recycled mantle domains having a serpentinite protolith might be characterized by strong B enrichments but only small Li enrichments.