A Comparative Study of Progressive Serpentinisation

Abstract

The process of serpentinisation results in significant rheological, mineralogical and geochemical changes in ultramafic rocks. Characterisation of these changes is crucial to understanding serpentinisation and determination of fluid and element transfer within the crust. Investigations of serpentinisation in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) and New Caledonian ophiolite provide insights into the transfer of major, trace and rare Earth elements (REE), and, in conjunction with stable isotope analyses, are used to constrain conditions during serpentinisation.