Diversities of chromite mineralization induced by chemo-thermal evolution of the mantle during subduction initiation.

Ophiolites, mostly formed via subduction initiation at proto-forearcs, exhibit a unique variation of mantle-derived magmatism from MORB-like to low-Ti tholeiitic and bainitic-like affinities. Such variation was suggested to form chromite deposits spanning high-Al to high-Cr types. Nevertheless, the origin of diverse magmatism during subduction initiation and their linkages to different chromite deposits has long been enigmatic.