This database contains mineral major and trace element compositions of mantle peridodites recovered at the West Iberian margin during ODP Leg 149 and 173 (Whitmarsh et al., 1996, 1998). The West Iberian margin (WIM) represents the continental rifted margin marking the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula, being presently regarded as the most iconic example of a magma-poor passive margin. From north to south, the margin can be divided into three main segments (Fig. 1): (i) the Galicia margin; (ii) the South Iberia Abyssal Plain and (iii) the Tagus Abyssal Plain. This segmentation resulted from rifting and continental breakup between the North American and European/Iberian plates during Early Cretaceous time (Whitmarsh & Wallace, 2001 and references therein).

The samples of this dataset come from the Iberia Abyssal Plain (IAP) and more specifically from ODP Holes 899B, 1068A and 1070A and were analysed with EPMA and LA-ICP-MS analyses at the University of Milan (Italy) and Géosciences Montpellier (France).