Fresh basalts from the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) and the Shatsky Rise show lithium enrichments comparable to those of mid-oceanic ridge basalts (MORBs) and ocean island basalts (OIBs), with Li contents being significantly higher at a given MgO content. The Li isotopic compositions of the Shatsky Rise basalts (δ 7 Li = +6‰ to +7‰) are at the higher end of the range exhibited by OIBs, whereas OJP basalts (δ 7 Li = +3‰ to +5‰) have Li isotopic compositions similar to MORBs. Among all the basalts from the two oceanic large igneous provinces (LIPs), one sample from the Shatsky Rise is isotopically enriched (e.g., low 143 Nd/ 144 Nd and 176 Hf/ 177 Hf) and has higher K/Ti and lower La/Nb than the other samples. Relationships between δ 7 Li and K/Ti, La/Nb, and Rb/Nb of this sample indicate that it may have been affected by mantle that was metasomatized by slab-derived fluids. Apart from this isotopically enriched sample, δ 7 Li values of basalts from the two oceanic LIPs are positively correlated with K/Ti and Rb/Nb. Obvious linear relationships exist between δ 7 Li and Yb/Li, Y/Li, and Dy/Li for samples from the Shatsky Rise. These geochemical relationships can be explained by magmatic assimilation of hydrothermally influenced crust. The high δ 7 Li values of the Shatsky Rise basalts imply that the degree of assimilation is high because shallow magma chambers allow greater assimilation of hydrothermally influenced crust. In contrast, the low δ 7 Li values of the OJP samples may indicate they have undergone little assimilation as compared with the Shatsky Rise basalts.

A substantial portion of the Pacific basin is composed of seafloor formed during the Cretaceous Normal Superchron (CNS). Because this region lacks the magnetic lineations typically required to constrain tectonic reconstructions, we employ additional methods for interpreting CNS Pacific history, involving seafloor fabric, basement paleolatitudes, and age data. We utilize seafloor fabric, including fracture zones and the rift margins of large igneous provinces, to derive quantitative rotations. The timing of such rotations is constrained using rock ages, bounding magnetic isochrons, and estimates of interactions with surrounding terrains. The method relies on high-resolution shipboard bathymetry and rock ages, as much fine-scale seafloor fabric useful for reconstructions is not visible in satellite altimetry data. We show that the Ontong Java, Manihiki, and Hikurangi oceanic plateaus likely originated as one large superplateau, the Ontong Java Nui (OJN). Reconstructions of OJN at 123 Ma reveal large offsets between observed and predicted paleolatitudes. Observed paleolatitudes exhibit a systematic bias, which may be attributed to large-scale rotation of the entire plateau. Such a rotation would imply either that OJN was initially decoupled from the Pacific plate and able to rotate independently or that the orientation of the Pacific plate at 123 Ma differed from conventional model predictions. However, large uncertainties in absolute plate motion models prior to ca. 80 Ma preempt a conclusive interpretation for OJN formation. Given an ~10 km resolution limit for satellite altimetry, continued investments in seagoing research will be needed to investigate tectonic events in magnetic quiet zones.

High-Mg Kroenke-type basalts containing 9–11 wt% MgO from the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) include spinels. These spinels have nearly identical Cr/(Cr + Al) ratios (0.45–0.54), and are generally hosted by olivine phenocrysts with relatively primitive compositions, with Fo contents [100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe 2+ ) in atomic ratios] as high as 88. This implies that the primary OJP magmas were in equilibrium with refractory peridotites (i.e., harzburgites) and were homogenized by large-scale melting and magmatic evolutionary processes. Oxygen geobarometry indicates that the OJP primary magmas record uniform oxygen fugacity ( f O 2 ) conditions and are slightly more oxidized (0.6 log units) than normal mid-ocean ridge basalts, but record less-oxidized f O 2 conditions than ocean island basalts. These data are consistent with previous studies that suggest the OJP primary magmas were generated by large-scale and extensive melting of a mantle source region under relatively oxidized conditions.

The Lyra Basin is believed to be a contiguous part of the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP), based on geophysical studies. Volcaniclastic rocks dredged at two sites in the Lyra Basin document another post-plateau episode of magmatism on the OJP; they are olivine-titanaugite-phyric alkali basalts with as much as ~30% modal phenocrysts. Lyra Basin basalts have compositions that vary from picritic (MgO ~22 wt%) to more evolved (MgO ~5 wt%) and have low SiO 2 (41–46 wt%), high TiO 2 (2–4 wt%), and high Na 2 O + K 2 O (1–5 wt%) contents that are distinctly different from tholeiites that compose the main OJP. The 40 Ar- 39 Ar weighted mean age of Lyra Basin basalts is 65.3 ± 1.1 Ma, determined using a single-grain laser fusion method of the ground-mass from the least altered alkali basalt and of biotite separates from differentiated samples. This age is interesting because it is much younger than the main stage of OJP formation (122 Ma) and no ca. 65 Ma alkaline basalts have been found previously near or on the OJP. Incompatible trace element modeling suggests that the volcanic rocks of the Lyra Basin may have been formed by a low degree of partial melting (~3%), predominantly at the garnet-lherzolite stability field from the same OJP mantle source preserved in its thick lithospheric root. However, major and trace elements and isotopic compositions can be better explained by magma mixing of Rarotongan alkali magma and magma derived from OJP-source mantle melting (12% partial melting at garnet stability field) in the ratio of 1:2. Although the trace element compositions of Lyra basalts can be reproduced by OJP-source mantle melting with or without contribution from the Rarotongan hotspot, the lower potassium content of the calculated Rarotongan hotspot-influenced melt is more compatible with that of an average composition of Lyra basalt. These results are consistent with previous reconstruction of the OJP path from 120 Ma to its present position, indicating that it may have passed over the Rarotongan hotspot at 65 Ma. In either case, the petrogenesis of Lyra Basin basalts highlights the role of the thick lithospheric root of the OJP in the late-stage development of the plateau. Additional evidence for episodic late-stage magmatic activity on the OJP helps to elucidate the magmatic evolution of the plateau and may provide insights into the origins of other large igneous provinces.