Sulfide resorption during crustal ascent and degassing of oceanic plateau basalts.

Mantle plume-related magmas typically have higher chalcophile and siderophile element (CSE) contents than mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). These differences are often attributed to sulfide-under-saturation of plume-related melts. However, because of eruption-related degassing of sulfur (S) and the compositional, pressure, temperature and redox effects on S-solubility, understanding the magmatic behavior of S is challenging. Using CSE data for oceanic plateau basalts (OPB), which rarely degas S, we show that many OPB are sulfide-saturated. Differences in the timing of sulfide-saturation between individual OPB suites can be explained by pressure effects on sulfur solubility associated with ascent through over-thickened crust. Importantly, where S-degassing does occur, OPB have higher CSE contents than S-undegassed melts at similar stages of differentiation. This can be explained by resorption of earlier-formed sulfides, which might play an important role in enriching degassed melts in sulfide-compatible CSE and potentially contributes to anomalous enrichments of CSE in the crust.