The Vanuatu island arc is located in the SW Pacific at the convergent boundary between the Australian and Pacific plates. I present here a new geochemical study of the Vanuatu lavas based on major and trace element as well as isotopic (Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb) analyses of approximately one hundred lava samples (< 2 My).Examination of the most primitive magmas reveals the variation of the mantle source composition along the arc and demarcates three segments: a "central" segment in front the d’Entrecasteaux ridge, a "south" segment in front of the North Fiji Basin, and a "far south" segment in front of the South Fiji Basin. The composition of the different subducted basins highly influenced those of the adjacent volcanoes via mass transfer of aqueous fluid and melt subduction components. Lavas from islands facing the D'Entrecasteaux Ridge come from an enriched mantle (Indian MORB-like), distinct from that sampled at other islands (Pacific MORB-like). Additionally, this ridge likely carries with it an ancient component that may reflect entrainment of lower crust material.Localized study of some volcanic islands reveals processes related to the differentiation of lavas by fractional crystallization, processes related to crustal assimilation, and indicates the presence of magma coming from different portions of mantle with slightly different metasomatic histories.This body of work highlights extreme mantle heterogeneity under Vanuatu islands arc and testifies to the complex nature of its associated geological processes.
