Crystallization experiments using a hydrous ferrobasalt as starting material, conducted at 200 MPa, 940–1200°C, at a wide range of water activities (0·1–1) and redox conditions (QFM − 3 to QFM + 4, where QFM is the quartz–fayalite–magnetite oxygen buffer), show that H₂O influences significantly the differentiation history of ferrobasaltic magmas. A combination of our data with published experiments on dry ferrobasalt at 1 atm provides an extensive experimental database for modeling and quantifying crystallization and differentiation processes within a typical Fe-rich tholeiitic system under both dry and hydrous conditions. The addition of H₂O decreases liquidus temperatures and changes significantly the proportions, temperature range and sequence of crystallizing mineral phases. The dry liquidus is at about 1170°C whereas the liquidus for H₂O-saturated melts is at ∼1060°C. The main phases crystallizing from H₂O-bearing ferrobasalt at the investigated conditions are olivine (OL), clinopyroxene (CPX), plagioclase (PL), magnetite (MT), hematite (HM), ilmenite (ILM) and amphibole (AM). The phase assemblage is similar to that of the dry system except for the presence of HM at extremely oxidizing conditions and AM at low temperatures (< 950°C) and H₂O-saturated conditions. The important observation made in this study is that the stability of Fe–Ti-oxides, and in particular MT, as well as the simultaneous coprecipitation of MT and ILM, are almost independent of the activity of H₂O (aH₂O) in the system, whereas the liquidus temperatures of the silicate minerals are dramatically depressed by increasing aH₂O. The stabilities of oxides are controlled mainly by the redox conditions prevailing in the system. The most pronounced effect of aH₂O on the liquidus temperatures of silicates is observed for PL, which shows a considerable delay in crystallization with progressive magma differentiation. Early crystallization of Fe–Ti-oxides in H₂O-bearing ferrobasaltic compositions precludes any significant Fe enrichment during differentiation. As Fe enrichment is a characteristic feature of the Skaergaard intrusion, it implies that the Skaergaard parental magma did not contain considerable amounts of water. On the other hand, our experiments indicate that the differentiation of some ferrobasaltic series from the Columbia River flood basalt province might have occurred in magmatic systems containing significant amounts of volatiles (∼0·5–3 wt % H₂O).

The Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana (IBM) fore arc preserves igneous rock assemblages that formed during subduction initiation circa 52 Ma. International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 352 cored four sites in the fore arc near the Ogasawara Plateau in order to document the magmatic response to subduction initiation and the physical, petrologic, and chemical stratigraphy of a nascent subduction zone. Two of these sites (U1440 and U1441) are underlain by fore‐arc basalt (FAB). FABs have mid‐ocean ridge basalt (MORB)‐like compositions, however, FAB are consistently lower in the high‐field strength elements (TiO₂, P₂O₅, Zr) and Ni compared to MORB, with Na₂O at the low end of the MORB field and FeO* at the high end. Almost all FABs are light rare earth element depleted, with low total REE, and have low ratios of highly incompatible to less incompatible elements (Ti/V, Zr/Y, Ce/Yb, and Zr/Sm) relative to MORB. Chemostratigraphic trends in Hole U1440B are consistent with the uppermost lavas forming off axis, whereas the lower lavas formed beneath a spreading center axis. Axial magma of U1440B becomes more fractionated upsection; overlying off‐axis magmas return to more primitive compositions. Melt models require a two‐stage process, with early garnet field melts extracted prior to later spinel field melts, with up to 23% melting to form the most depleted compositions. Mantle equilibration temperatures are higher than normal MORB (1,400 °C–1,480 °C) at relatively low pressures (1–2 GPa), which may reflect an influence of the Manus plume during subduction initiation. Our data support previous models of FAB origin by decompression melting but imply a source more depleted than normal MORB source mantle.

International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 352 recovered a high-fidelity record of volcanism related to subduction initiation in the Bonin fore-arc. Two sites (U1440 and U1441) located in deep water nearer to the trench recovered basalts and related rocks; two sites (U1439 and U1442) located in shallower water further from the trench recovered boninites and related rocks. Drilling in both areas ended in dolerites inferred to be sheeted intrusive rocks. The basalts apparently erupted immediately after subduction initiation and have compositions similar to those of the most depleted basalts generated by rapid sea-floor spreading at mid-ocean ridges, with little or no slab input. Subsequent melting to generate boninites involved more depleted mantle and hotter and deeper subducted components as subduction progressed and volcanism migrated away from the trench. This volcanic sequence is akin to that recorded by many ophiolites, supporting a direct link between subduction initiation, fore-arc spreading, and ophiolite genesis.