The Lower Cretaceous tholeiitic basalt cored at Site 738, on the southernmost part of the Kerguelen Plateau, shows anomalous Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions compared to other lavas from Kerguelen Island and the Kerguelen Plateau. The strongly negative value of eNd (– 8.5) and high 207Pb/204Pb ratio (15.71) reflect a long-term evolution in a source high in Nd/Sm and µ. These geochemical properties, not observed in the Indian Ocean mantle plumes (St. Paul, Kerguelen Islands), have been reported for alkali lavas erupted in East Antarctica, thus suggesting that they originate from the Gondwana subcontinental lithosphere.

Supplement to: Alibert, Chantal (1991): Mineralogy and geochemistry of a basalt from Site 738: implications for the tectonic history of the southernmost part of the Kerguelen Plateau. In: Barron, J; Larsen, B; et al. (eds.), Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, College Station, TX (Ocean Drilling Program), 119, 293-298