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We present an estimate for the composition of the depleted mantle (DM), the source for mid‐ocean ridge basalts (MORBs). A combination of approaches is required to estimate the major and trace element abundances in DM. Absolute concentrations of few elements can be estimated directly, and the bulk of the estimates is derived using elemental ratios. The isotopic composition of MORB allows calculation of parent‐daughter ratios. These estimates form the “backbone” of the abundances of the trace elements that make up the Coryell‐Masuda diagram (spider diagram). The remaining elements of the Coryell‐Masuda diagram are estimated through the composition of MORB. A third group of estimates is derived from the elemental and isotopic composition of peridotites. The major element composition is obtained by subtraction of a low‐degree melt from a bulk silicate Earth (BSE) composition. The continental crust (CC) is thought to be complementary to the DM, and ratios that are chondritic in the CC are expected to also be chondritic in the DM. Thus some of the remaining elements are estimated using the composition of CC and chondrites. Volatile element and noble gas concentrations are estimated using constraints from the composition of MORBs and ocean island basalts (OIBs). Mass balance with BSE, CC, and DM indicates that CC and this estimate of the DM are not complementary reservoirs.
Salters et al. (Sat,) studied this question.