[1] Nominally anhydrous minerals in 46 peridotite xenoliths hosted by Cenozoic basalts from five localities (Fangshan, Penglai, Qixia, Changle, and Hebi) of the eastern part of the North China Craton (NCC) have been investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The water contents (H 2 O wt %) of clinopyroxene (cpx), orthopyroxene (opx), and olivine (ol) range from 27 to 223 ppm, 8 to 94 ppm, and ∼0 ppm, respectively. On the basis of (1) the homogenous H 2 O content within single pyroxene grains and (2) the equilibrium partitioning of H 2 O between cpx and opx, it is suggested that the pyroxenes largely preserve the H 2 O content of their mantle source, although possible H loss during xenolith ascent cannot be excluded for ol. The recalculated whole-rock H 2 O contents, using mineral modes and assuming a partition coefficient of 10 for water between cpx and ol, range from 6 to 56 ppm (average of 23 ± 13 ppm). In combination with previously reported data, the recalculated whole-rock water contents of peridotite xenoliths (105 samples from 9 localities) hosted by Cenozoic basalts from the eastern part of the NCC range from 6 to 85 ppm (average of 25 ± 18 ppm). The Cenozoic lithospheric mantle of the eastern part of the NCC is therefore characterized by a low water content compared to continental lithospheric mantle worldwide represented by typical cratonic and off-cratonic peridotites (normally 40-180 ppm, with average values of 119 ± 54 ppm and 78 ± 45, respectively) and to oceanic mantle values (>50 ppm) inferred from MORB and OIB. Peridotite xenoliths have low-to-moderate spinel Fe 3+ /SFe (0.02-0.34) and whole rock DFMQ values (from −4.2 to 2.2, normally between −2.5 and 1.5), which are not correlated with pyroxene H 2 O contents. Therefore, the low water contents cannot have resulted from oxidation of the mantle xenoliths and may have been caused instead by heating from an upwelling asthenosphere flow that acted in concert with NCC lithospheric thinning during the late Mesozoic to early Cenozoic. If so, the present eastern NCC lithospheric mantle represents essentially relict ancient lithospheric mantle after the thinning event, rather than newly accreted and cooled asthenospheric mantle.

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Water contents of clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene in mantle peridotites from various xenolith occurrences in intraplate settings (both oceanic and continental) were determined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The localities are as follow: Sal Island (Cape Verde Archipelago); Baker Rocks and Greene Point (Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica); Panshishan and Lianshan (Subei Basin, Eastern China). They represent well-known localities where detailed petrographical and geochemical studies have already been carried out or areas which are currently under investigation. The water incorporated in these pyroxenes is low (cpx, 37-399ppm; opx: 9-166ppm)(or very low as in Greene Point, Antarctica; cpx, 5-16ppm; opx: 9-16ppm) and, among each population, no clear correlation with melting parameters (MgO contents) in single mineral is evident. Results are compared with the available literature data on water contents in mantle pyroxene which includes peridotites from on-craton (hosted by kimberlitic-type magmas) and off-craton (hosted by alkaline basic magmas), as well as subarc mantle settings. The "relatively dry" (cpx: 140-528 ppm; opx: 38-280 ppm) sub-arc mantle xenoliths (Peslier et al., 2002) are shown to be wetter than the intraplate (off-craton) xenoliths. Cratonic mantle pyroxenes are only represented by a few determinations on garnet peridotites and eclogite from Kaapvaal and Colorado Plateau. They record the highest water contents (cpx: 342-1012 ppm; opx: 180-491 ppm) so far measured in mantle pyroxenes from various tectonic settings. Despite the limited data set, the indication that the cratonic mantle is strongly hydrated is compelling. Rehydration for the Colorado Plateau craton may be due to the Farallon plate subduction (Li et al., 2008), while for Kaapvaal Craton it might be related to young (<100Ma) metasomatic enrichments (Griffin et al., 2003a; Kobussen et al., 2008). If this is the case then the Archean mantle water content needs to be determined; this may be solved by analysing highly depleted unmetasomatized lithologies. However, assuming that the water content was initially very low, it is hard to believe that metasomatic events, similar to those observed in the intraplate settings studied in this work, would be able to produce a significant water content. According to literature and our own data it appears that water rehydration may substantially occur at convergent margins.

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