Mantle sources of Cenozoic volcanoes around the South China Sea revealed by geochemical and isotopic data using the principal component analysis

Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to determine the implications of geochemical and isotopic data from Cenozoic volcanic activities in the Southeast Asian region, including China (South China Sea (SCS), Hainan Island, Fujian-Zhejiang coast, Taiwan Island), and parts of Vietnam and Thailand. We analyzed 15 trace element indicators and 5 isotopic indicators for 623 volcanic rock samples collected from the study region. Two principal components (PCs) were extracted by PCA based on the trace elements and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic ratios, which probably indicate an enriched oceanic island basalt-type mantle plume and a depleted mid-ocean ridge basalt-type spreading ridge. The results show that the influence of the Hainan mantle plume on younger volcanic activities (<13 Ma) is stronger than that on older ones (>13 Ma) at the same location in the Southeast Asian region. PCA was employed to verify the mantle-plume-ridge interaction model of volcanic activities beneath the expansion center of SCS and refute the hypothesis that the tension of SCS is triggered by the Hainan plume. This study reveals the efficiency and applicability of PCA in discussing mantle sources of volcanic activities; thus, PCA is a suitable research method for analyzing geochemical data.