The composition of the deep continental crust inferred from geochemical
and geophysical data
Abstract
Combing geochemical and seismological results constrains the composition
of the middle and lower continental crust better than either field can
achieve alone. The inaccessible nature of the deep crust (typically
>15 km) forces reliance on analogue samples and modeling
results to interpret its bulk composition, evolution, and physical
properties. A common practice relates major oxide compositions of small-
to medium-scale samples (e.g. medium to high metamorphic grade terrains
and xenoliths) to large scale measurements of seismic velocities (Vp,
Vs, Vp/Vs) to determine the composition of the deep crust. We provide a
framework for building crustal models with multidisciplinary constraints
on composition. We present a global deep crustal model that documents
compositional changes with depth and accounts for uncertainties in Moho
depth, temperature, and physical and chemical properties. Our 3D deep
crust global compositional model uses the USGS global seismic database
(Mooney, 2015) and a compilation of geochemical analyses on amphibolite
and granulite facies lithologies (Sammon McDonough, 2021). We find a
compositional gradient from 61.2 ± 7.3 to 53.8 ± 3.0 wt.%
SiO2 from the middle to the base of the crust, with the
equivalent lithological gradient ranging from quartz monzonite to
gabbronorite. In addition, we calculate trace element abundances as a
function of depth from their relationships to major oxides. From here,
other lithospheric properties, such as Moho heat flux, are derived (18.8
± 8.8 mW/m2). This study provides a global assessment
of major element composition in the deep continental crust.