Quaternary volcanism near the Valley of Mexico: implications for subduction zone magmatism and the effects of crustal thickness variations on primitive magma compositions

The Valley of Mexico and surrounding regions of Mexico and Morelos states in central Mexico contain more than 250 Quaternary eruptive vents in addition to the large, composite volcanoes of Popocatépetl, Iztaccíhuatl, and Nevado de Toluca. The eruptive vents include cinder and lava cones, shield volcanoes, and isolated andesitic and dacitic lava flows, and are most numerous in the Sierra Chichináutzin that forms the southern terminus of the Valley of Mexico. The Chichináutzin volcanic field (CVF) is part of the E-W-trending Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB), a subduction-related volcanic arc that extends across Mexico. The crustal thickness beneath the CVF (∼50 km) is the greatest of any region in the MVB and one of the greatest found in any arc worldwide. Lavas and scoriae erupted from vents in the CVF include alkaline basalts and calc-alkaline basaltic andesites, andesites, and dacites. Both alkaline and calc-alkaline groups contain primitive varieties that have whole rock Mg#, MgO, and Ni contents, and liquidus olivine compositions (≤Fo₉₀) that are close to those expected of partial melts from mantle peridotite. Primitive varieties also show a wide range of incompatible trace element abundances (e.g. Ba 210–1080 ppm; Ce 25–100 ppm; Zr 130–280 ppm). Data for primitive calc-alkaline rocks from both the CVF and other regions of the MVB to the west are consistent with magma generation in an underlying mantle wedge that is depleted in Ti, Zr, and Nb and enriched in large ion lithophile (K, Ba, Rb) and light rare earth (La, Ce) elements. Extents of partial melting estimated from Ti and Zr data are lower for primitive calc-alkaline magmas in the CVF than for those from the regions of the MVB to the west where the crust is thinner. The distinctive major element compositions (low CaO and Al₂O₃, high SiO₂) of the primitive calc-alkaline magmas in the CVF indicate a more refractory mantle source beneath this region of thick crust. In contrast, primitive alkaline magmas from the CVF and other regions of the MVB show compositional similarities to intraplate-type alkali basalts erupted behind the arc in the Mexican Basin and Range province. These similarities are consistent with the hypothesis that slab-induced convection in the mantle wedge beneath the MVB causes advection of asthenospheric mantle from behind the arc to the region of magma generation. Trace element systematics of primitive magmas in the MVB reveal substantial variability in both the extent of mantle wedge enrichment by subduction processes and in the composition of mantle heterogeneities that are related to previous extraction of alkaline to sub-alkaline basaltic melts. Received: 23 June 1998 / Accepted: 23 December 1998     

Mafic magmas from Mount Baker in the northern Cascade arc,Washington: probes into mantle and crustal processes

Five mafic lava flows located on the southern flank of Mount Baker are among the most primitive in the volcanic field. A comprehensive dataset of whole rock and mineral chemistry reveals the diversity of these mafic lavas that come from distinct sources and have been variably affected by ascent through the crust. Disequilibrium textures present in all of the lavas indicate that crustal processes have affected the magmas. Despite this evidence, mantle source characteristics have been retained and three primitive endmember lava types are represented. These include (1) modified low-K tholeiitic basalt (LKOT-like), (2) typical calc-alkaline (CA) lavas, and (3) high-Mg basaltic andesite and andesite (HMBA and HMA). The Type 1 endmember, the basalt of Park Butte (49.3–50.3 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 64–65), has major element chemistry similar to LKOT found elsewhere in the Cascades. Park Butte also has the lowest overall abundances of trace elements (with the exception of the HREE), indicating it is either derived from the most depleted mantle source or has undergone the largest degree of partial melting. The Type 2 endmember is represented by the basalts of Lake Shannon (50.7–52.6 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 58–62) and Sulphur Creek (51.2–54.6 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 56–57). These two lavas are comparable to calc-alkaline rocks found in arcs worldwide and have similar trace element patterns; however, they differ from each other in abundances of REE, indicating variation in degree of partial melting or fractionation. The Type 3 endmember is represented by the HMBA of Tarn Plateau (51.8–54.0 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 68–70) and the HMA of Glacier Creek (58.3–58.7 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 63–64). The strongly depleted HREE nature of these Type 3 units and their decreasing Mg# with increasing SiO₂ suggests fractionation from a high-Mg basaltic parent derived from a source with residual garnet. Another basaltic andesite unit, Cathedral Crag (52.2–52.6 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 55–58), is an Mg-poor differentiate of the Type 3 endmember. The calc-alkaline lavas are least enriched in a subduction component (lowest H₂O, Sr/P_N, and Ba/Nb), the LKOT-like lavas are intermediate (moderate Sr/P_N and Ba/Nb), and the HMBA are most enriched (highest H₂O, Sr/P_N and Ba/Nb). The generation of the LKOT-like and calc-alkaline lavas can be successfully modeled by partial melting of a spinel lherzolite with variability in composition of slab flux and/or mantle source depletion. The HMBA lavas can be successfully modeled by partial melting of a garnet lherzolite with slab flux compositionally similar to the other lava types, or less likely by partial melting of a spinel lherzolite with a distinctly different, HREE-depleted slab flux.     

Evolution of parental magmas of Miocene shield basalts of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands): constraints from crystal,melt and fluid inclusions in minerals

 Picritic units of the Miocene shield volcanics on Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, contain olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts with abundant primary melt, crystal and fluid inclusions. Composition and crystallization conditions of primary magmas in equilibrium with olivine Fo_90-92 were inferred from high-temperature microthermometric quench experiments, low-temperature microthermometry of fluid inclusions and simulation of the reverse path of olivine fractional crystallization based on major element composition of melt inclusions. Primary magmas parental for the Miocene shield basalts range from transitional to alkaline picrites (14.7–19.3 wt% MgO, 43.2–45.7 wt% SiO₂). Crystallization of these primary magmas is believed to have occurred over the temperature range 1490–1150° C at pressures ≈5 kbar producing olivine of Fo_80.6-90.2, high-Ti chrome spinel [Mg/ (Mg+Fe²⁺)=0.32–0.56, Cr/(Cr+Al)=0.50–0.78, 2.52–8.58 wt% TiO₂], and clinopyroxene [Mg/(Mg+Fe)=0.79–0.88, Wo_44.1-45.3, En_43.9-48.0, Fs_6.8-11.0] which appeared on the liquidus together with olivine≈Fo₈₆. Redox conditions evolved from intermediate between the QFM and WM buffers to late-stage conditions of NNO+1 to NNO+2. The primary magmas crystallized in the presence of an essentially pure CO₂ fluid. The primary magmas originated at pressures >30 kbar and temperatures of 1500–1600° C, assuming equilibrium with mantle peridotite. This implies melting of the mantle source at a depth of ≈100 km within the garnet stability field followed by migration of melts into magma reservoirs located at the boundary between the upper mantle and lower crust. The temperatures and pressures of primary magma generation suggest that the Canarian plume originated in the lower mantle at depth ≈900 km that supports the plume concept of origin of the Canary Islands. Received: 23 October 1995/Accepted: 21 February 1996     

Jorullo Volcano,Michoacán,Mexico (1759–1774): The earliest stages of fractionation in calc-alkaline magmas

Between 1759 and 1774, Jorullo Volcano and four associated cinder cones erupted an estimated 2 km³ of magma which evolved progressively with time from early, hypersthene-normative, primitive basalts to late-stage, quartz-normative, basaltic andesites. All lavas contain <6 vol% phenocrysts of magnesian olivine (Fo_90-70) with Cr-Al-Mg-spinel inclusions, and microphenocrysts of plagioclase and augite; late-stage basaltic andesites also carry phenocrysts of plagioclase, augite, and rare orthopyroxene, hornblende pseudomorphs, and microphenocrysts of titanomagnetite. Olivine-melt compositions indicate liquidus temperatures ranging from 1,230° C to 1,070° C in the early- and late-stage lavas, respectively; \(f_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} } \) was about 0.6 log units above the Ni-NiO buffer in the early lavas but increased to 2.5 log units above Ni-NiO in the late lavas, perhaps through groundwater-magma interaction. Smooth major and trace element compositional trends in the lavas can be largely modeled by simple crystal fractionation of olivine, augite, plagioclase, and minor spinel. La, Ce, and other incompatible elements (Rb, Sr, Ba, Hf, Th, Ta), however, are anomalously enriched in the latestage lavas, whereas the heavy rare earth elements (Dy, Yb, Lu) are anomalously depleted. The modeled crystal fractionation event must have occurred at lower-crustal to upper-mantle pressures (8–15 kb), although the crystals actually present in the Jorullo lavas appear to have formed at low pressures. Thus, a two-stage crystallization history is implied. Despite the presence of granitic xenoliths in middle-stage lavas from Jorullo, bulk crustal assimilation appears to have played an insignificant role in generating the compositional trends among the lavas. As MgO decreases from 9.3 to 4.3 wt% through the suite, Al₂O₃ increases from 16.4 to 19.1 wt%. Most highalumina basalts reported in the literature have 18 to 21 wt% Al₂O₃, but are too depleted in MgO, Ni, and Cr to have been generated directly through mantle partial melting. These high-alumina basalts have probably undergone significant fractionation of olivine, augite, plagioclase, and spinel from primitive parental basalts similar to the early Jorullo lavas. Such primitive basalts are rarely erupted in mature arcs and may be completely absent from mature stratovolcanoes. Cerro La Pilita is a late-Quaternary cinder and lava cone centered just 3 km south of Jorullo. The primitive trachybasalts of Cerro La Pilita, however, are radically different from the Jorullo basalts. They are nepheline normative with high concentrations of K₂O (>2.5 wt%), P₂O₅ (>0.9 wt%), Ba (1,200 ppm), Sr (>2,000 ppm), and many other incompatible elements, and contain crystals of hornblende and apatite in addition to olivine, spinel, augite, and plagioclase. The magmas of these two neighboring volcanoes cannot be related to one another by any simple mechanism, and must represent fundamentally different partial melting events in the mantle. The contrasts between Jorullo and Cerro La Pilita demonstrate the difficulty in defining simple relationships between magma type and distance from the trench in the Mexican Volcanic Belt.     

Magma storage and ascent during the 1995 eruption of Fogo,Cape Verde Archipelago

The 1995 eruption of Fogo (Cape Verde Islands) differed from previous eruptions by the occurrence of evolved lavas, the SW-orientation of vents, and pre-eruptive seismicity between Fogo and the adjacent (~20 km) island of Brava. We have conducted a thermobarometric and chemical study of this eruption in order to reconstruct its magma plumbing system and to test for possible connections to Brava. The bimodal eruption produced basanites (5.2–6.7 wt% MgO) and phonotephrites (2.4–2.8 wt% MgO) that are related by fractional crystallization. Clinopyroxene-melt-barometry of phenocrysts yields pressure ranges of 460–680 MPa for the basanites and 460–520 MPa for the phonotephrites. Microthermometry of CO₂-dominated fluid inclusions in olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts yields systematically lower pressure ranges of 200–310 MPa for basanites and 270–470 MPa for phonotephrites. The combined data indicate pre-eruptive storage of the 1995 magmas within the lithospheric mantle between 16 and 24 km depth. During eruption, the ascending magmas stalled temporarily at 8–11 km depth, within the lower crust, before they ascended to the surface in a few hours as indicated by zonations of olivine phenocrysts. Our data provide no evidence for magma storage at shallow levels (<200 MPa) or lateral magma movements beneath the Fogo-Brava platform. Sr–Nd–Pb isotope ratios of samples from Brava differ significantly from those of the 1995 and older Fogo lavas, which rules out contamination of the 1995 magmas by Brava material and indicates different mantle sources and magma plumbing systems for both islands.     

Melting of metasomatized subcontinental lithosphere: undersaturated mafic lavas from Rungwe,Tanzania

 This paper uses the geochemistry of primitive mafic lavas from the Rungwe volcanic province (southwestern Tanzania) to infer the source mineralogy and melting history. Post-Miocene mafic lavas from Rungwe include alkali basalts, basanites, nephelinites and picrites with up to 18.9 wt% MgO; nephelinites (>13.5% normative nepheline) are restricted to Kiejo volcano in the southern portion of the province. Rungwe lavas differ from most Western Rift volcanics in that they are not unusually potassic (K₂O/Na₂O ca. 0.40). Sparsely phyric mafic lavas contain phenocrysts and xenocrysts of plagioclase (An_82–90), clinopyroxene (4.5–9.5 wt% Al₂O₃), and olivine (Fo_79–88); one basanite contains a 1 mm xenocryst of apatite included in magnesian clinopyroxene. All samples have high abundances of incompatible elements (e.g., 0.7–2.2 wt% P₂O₅) and are enriched in REE relative to HFSE (Hf, Zr, Ti, Y), Cs, Ba, and K. Some incompatible element ratios are constant throughout the Rungwe suite (e.g., Zr/Nb, Sr/Ce, K/Rb), but other ratios are extremely variable and exceed the range measured in global Ocean Island Basalts (OIB) (e.g., Ba/Nb, Sm/Zr, La/Nb, Pb/Ce, Nb/U). The range in degree of silica saturation, and its excellent correlation with P₂O₅/Al₂O₃, indicate that the Rungwe suite records variable degrees of melting. Variations of individual incompatible trace element abundances in nephelinite and basanite samples suggest that the source contains metasomatic amphibole, ilmenite, apatite, and zircon. The Rungwe suite is interpreted as a series of low-percentage melts of CO₂-rich peridotite at pressures that span the garnet-spinel transition. A geochemical comparison of Rungwe samples to lavas from other Western Rift volcanic centers requires that the source mineralogy varies along the rift axis, although each province is underlain by metasomatized peridotite. The incompatible trace element signatures of Western Rift lavas indicate that the source area is typically homogeneous on the scale of individual volcanoes, although lavas from each volcano reflect a range in degree of melting. Significantly, volcanoes with distinct geochemistry are always separated by major rift faults, suggesting that volcanic and tectonic surface features may correspond to metasomatic provinces within the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Received: 30 May 1994 / Accepted: 5 April 1995     

Experimental insights into the formation of high-Mg basaltic andesites in the trans-Mexican volcanic belt

High-Mg basaltic andesites and andesites occur in the central trans-Mexican volcanic belt, and their primitive geochemical characteristics suggest equilibration with mantle peridotite. These lavas may represent slab melts that reequilibrated with overlying peridotite or hydrous partial melts of a peridotite source. Here, we experimentally map the liquidus mineralogy for a high-Mg basaltic andesite (9.6 wt% MgO, 54.4 wt% SiO₂, Mg# = 75.3) as a function of temperature and H₂O content over a range of mantle wedge pressures. Our results permit equilibration of this composition with a harzburgite residue at relatively high water contents (>7 wt%) and low temperatures (1,080–1,150°C) at 11–14 kbar. However, in contrast to the high Ni contents characteristic of olivine phenocrysts in many such samples from central Mexico, those of olivine phenocrysts in our sample are more typical of mantle melts that have fractionated a small amount of olivine. To account for this and the possibility that the refractory mantle source may have had olivine more Fo-rich than Fo₉₀, we numerically evaluated alternative equilibration conditions, using our starting bulk composition adjusted to be in equilibrium with Fo₉₂ olivine. This shifts equilibration conditions to higher temperatures (1,180–1,250°C) at mantle wedge pressures (11–15 kbar) for H₂O contents (>3 wt%) comparable to those analyzed in olivine-hosted melt inclusions from this region. Comparison with geodynamic models shows that final equilibration occurred shallower than the peak temperature of the mantle wedge, suggesting that basaltic melts from the hottest part of the wedge reequilibrated with shallower mantle as they approached the Moho.     

Plagioclase zoning as an indicator of magma processes at Bezymianny Volcano,Kamchatka

Back-scattered electron (BSE)-derived zoning patterns of plagioclase phenocrysts are used to identify magma processes at Bezymianny Volcano, Kamchatka, based on the 2000–2007 sequence of eruptive products. The erupted magmas are two-pyroxene andesites, which last equilibrated at ~915°C temperature, 77–87 MPa pressure, and a water content of ~1.4 wt%. Textural and compositional zoning of individual plagioclase phenocrysts typically includes a repeated core-to-rim sequence of oscillatory zoning (An_50–60) truncated by a dissolution surface followed by an abrupt increase in An content (up to An₈₅), which then gradually decreases rimward. This zoning pattern is interpreted to be the result of frequent replenishments of the magma chamber which cause both thermal and chemical interaction between resident and recharge magmas. The outermost 70- to 150-μm-wide zoning patterns of plagioclase phenocrysts are composed of dissolution surface with a subsequent increase in An and Fe contents. Zoning patterns of the rims exhibit correlation among plagioclase phenocrysts within one eruption. Rims are interpreted as a result of crystallization of a batch of magma in the conduit after recharge event.     

Plagioclase-free andesites from Zitácuaro (Michoacán), Mexico: petrology and experimental constraints

Approximately 150 km west of Mexico City in the central part of the Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB) near Zitácuaro, Mexico, young volcanism has produced shield volcanoes, large volume silicic deposits, and fault-related basalt and andesite lava flows and cinder cones. This paper concerns a small cluster of Pleistocene andesite cones and flows which can be separated into two distinct groups: high-magnesium andesites (>6% MgO, 57–59% SiO₂), conveniently called basaltic andesites, with phenocrysts of orthopyroxene and augite, or augite and olivine; and andesites (60–62% SiO₂, <4.6% MgO), which have phenocrysts of orthopyroxene and augite, and ghosts of relict hornblende. Remarkably, plagioclase phenocrysts are absent, and evenly distributed but sparse (0.5–3.5%) quartz xenocrysts are present in all the lavas. In order to establish the conditions under which early crystallizing plagioclase is suppressed in these lavas, water saturated experiments up to 3 kbars were performed on one of the basaltic andesites. The conditions required to reproduce the phenocryst assemblages (either olivine + augite or opx + augite) are temperatures in excess of 1000 °C, with water saturated liquids (>3 wt%) at pressures of about 1 kbar. Compared to basaltic andesites of western Mexico, the Zitácuaro basaltic andesites have ∼2 wt% lower Al₂O₃ concentrations, which causes plagioclase to precipitate at significantly lower temperatures, and it therefore follows the crystallization sequence: olivine, augite, and orthopyroxene. Based on ubiquitous quartz xenocrysts, with glassy rhyolitic inclusions, a reasonable conclusion is that substantial mixing of a quartz-bearing rhyolitic magma with a parental basaltic andesite has occurred at low pressure (shallow depth), and this would account for the low Al₂O₃ concentrations in the Zitácuaro basaltic andesites. Whatever the mechanism of incorporation, the quartz xenocrysts are evidence of contamination of basaltic magma with more siliceous material, thus making it difficult to use these magmas as indicators of mantle melting processes. Received: 29 July 1997 / Accepted: 29 January 1998     

The origin of high-Mg magmas in Mt Shasta and Medicine Lake volcanoes,Cascade Arc (California): higher and lower than mantle oxygen isotope signatures attributed to current and past subduction

We report the oxygen isotope composition of olivine and orthopyroxene phenocrysts in lavas from the main magma types at Mt Shasta and Medicine Lake Volcanoes: primitive high-alumina olivine tholeiite (HAOT), basaltic andesites (BA), primitive magnesian andesites (PMA), and dacites. The most primitive HAOT (MgO > 9 wt%) from Mt. Shasta has olivine δ¹⁸O (δ¹⁸O_Ol) values of 5.9–6.1‰, which are about 1‰ higher than those observed in olivine from normal mantle-derived magmas. In contrast, HAOT lavas from Medicine Lake have δ¹⁸O_Ol values ranging from 4.7 to 5.5‰, which are similar to or lower than values for olivine in equilibrium with mantle-derived magmas. Other magma types from both volcanoes show intermediate δ¹⁸O_Ol values. The oxygen isotope composition of the most magnesian lavas cannot be explained by crustal contamination and the trace element composition of olivine phenocrysts precludes a pyroxenitic mantle source. Therefore, the high and variable δ¹⁸O_Ol signature of the most magnesian samples studied (HAOT and BA) comes from the peridotitic mantle wedge itself. As HAOT magma is generated by anhydrous adiabatic partial melting of the shallow mantle, its 1.4‰ range in δ¹⁸O_Ol reflects a heterogeneous composition of the shallow mantle source that has been influenced by subduction fluids and/or melts sometime in the past. Magmas generated in the mantle wedge by flux melting due to modern subduction fluids, as exemplified by BA and probably PMA, display more homogeneous composition with only 0.5‰ variation. The high-δ¹⁸O values observed in magnesian lavas, and principally in the HAOT, are difficult to explain by a single-stage flux-melting process in the mantle wedge above the modern subduction zone and require a mantle source enriched in ¹⁸O. It is here explained by flow of older, pre-enriched portions of the mantle through the slab window beneath the South Cascades.     

The significance of phenocryst diversity in tephra from recent eruptions at Popocatepetl volcano (central Mexico)

Tephra lapilli from six explosive eruptions between April 1996 and February 1998 at Popocatepetl volcano (=Popo) in central Mexico have been studied to investigate the causes of magma diversification in thick-crusted volcanic arcs. The tephra particles are sparsely porphyritic (≈5 vol%) magnesian andesites (SiO₂=58–65 wt%; MgO=2.6–5.9 wt%) that contain phenocrysts of NiO-rich (up to 0.67 wt% NiO) magnesian olivine (Fo_89–91 cores) with inclusions of Cr-spinel (cr#=59–70), orthopyroxene (mg#=63–76), clinopyroxene (mg#=68–86), intermediate to sodic plagioclase (An_33–66), and traces of amphibole. Major and trace element systematics indicate magma mixing. The liquid mg#_melt ratios inferred from the ferromagnesian phenocrysts suggest the existence of a mafic (mg#_melt ≈ 72–76) and an evolved component magma (mg#_melt ≈ 35–40). These component magmas form a hybrid magnesian andesite with an intermediate range of mg#_melt=50–72. The mafic end member (mg#_melt ≈ 72–75) is saturated with olivine and spinel and crystallizes at temperatures ≈1170–1085 °C with oxygen fugacities close to the fayalite–magnetite–quartz buffer and elevated water contents of several wt% H₂O. A likely location of crystallization is at lower crustal levels, possibly at the Moho. Olivine is followed by high-mg# clinopyroxene which could start to crystallize during magma ascent. At depths of ≈4 to 13 km, the mafic magma mixes with an evolved composition containing low-mg# clino- and orthopyroxene and plagioclase at a temperature of ≈950 °C. The repetitive ascent of batches of mafic magmas spaced days to weeks apart implies multiple episodes of crystallization and magma mixing. The tephra is similar to the Popo magnesian andesites, suggesting similar generic processes for the common lavas of the volcano. The advantage of the tephra is that it can be used to reconstruct the composition of the mafic magma. Building on the elemental systematics of the tephra and a comparison to the near-primary basalts from the surrounding monogenetic fields, we infer that the Popo mafic end member is a magnesian andesite with variable, but high SiO₂ contents of ≈55–62 wt% and near-primary characteristics, such as high-mg#_melt of 72–75, FeO*/MgO ratios <1 (if extrapolated to an mg#_melt of 72–75), and high Ni contents (=200 ppm Ni). This model implies that the typical elemental signature of the Popo andesites, such as the low CaO, Al₂O₃, FeO*, high Na₂O contents, and the depletion in high-field strength elements (e.g., P, Zr, Ti), are mantle source phenomena. Thus, determining the elemental budget of the magnesian andesite, as it is prior to the modifications by crustal differentiation, is central to quantifying the subcrustal mass fluxes beneath Popo. Received: 13 December 1999 / Accepted: 11 August 2000     

High-Mg# andesitic lavas of the Shisheisky Complex,Northern Kamchatka: implications for primitive calc-alkaline magmatism

Primitive arc magmatism and mantle wedge processes are investigated through a petrologic and geochemical study of high-Mg# (Mg/Mg + Fe > 0.65) basalts, basaltic andesites and andesites from the Kurile-Kamchatka subduction system. Primitive andesitic samples are from the Shisheisky Complex, a field of Quaternary-age, monogenetic cones located in the Aleutian–Kamchatka junction, north of Shiveluch Volcano, the northernmost active composite volcano in Kamchatka. The Shisheisky lavas have Mg# of 0.66–0.73 at intermediate SiO₂ (54–58 wt%) with low CaO (<8.8%), CaO/Al₂O₃ (<0.54), and relatively high Na₂O (>3.0 wt%) and K₂O (>1.0 wt%). Olivine phenocryst core compositions of Fo90 appear to be in equilibrium with whole-rock ‘melts’, consistent with the sparsely phyric nature of the lavas. Compared to the Shisheisky andesites, primitive basalts from the region (Kuriles, Tolbachik, Kharchinsky) have higher CaO (>9.9 wt%) and CaO/Al₂O₃ (>0.60), and lower whole-rock Na₂O (<2.7 wt%) and K₂O (<1.1 wt%) at similar Mg# (0.66–0.70). Olivine phenocrysts in basalts have in general, higher CaO and Mn/Fe and lower Ni and Ni/Mg at Fo88 compared to the andesites. The absence of plagioclase phenocrysts from the primitive andesitic lavas contrasts the plagioclase-phyric basalts, indicating relatively high pre-eruptive water contents for the primitive andesitic magmas compared to basalts. Estimated temperature and water contents for primitive basaltic andesites and andesites are 984–1,143°C and 4–7 wt% H₂O. For primitive basalts they are 1,149–1,227°C and 2 wt% H₂O. Petrographic and mineral compositions suggest that the primitive andesitic lavas were liquids in equilibrium with mantle peridotite and were not produced by mixing between basalts and felsic crustal melts, contamination by xenocrystic olivine, or crystal fractionation of basalt. Key geochemical features of the Shisheisky primitive lavas (high Ni/MgO, Na₂O, Ni/Yb and Mg# at intermediate SiO₂) combined with the location of the volcanic field above the edge of the subducting Pacific Plate support a genetic model that involves melting of eclogite or pyroxenite at or near the surface of the subducting plate, followed by interaction of that melt with hotter peridotite in the over-lying mantle wedge. The strongly calc-alkaline igneous series at Shiveluch Volcano is interpreted to result from the emplacement and evolution of primitive andesitic magmas similar to those that are present in nearby monogenetic cones of the Shisheisky Complex.     

The Aurora volcanic field,California-Nevada: oxygen fugacity constraints on the development of andesitic magma

 The Aurora volcanic field, located along the northeastern margin of Mono Lake in the Western Great Basin, has erupted a diverse suite of high-K and shoshonitic lava types, with 48 to 76 wt% SiO₂, over the last 3.6 million years. There is no correlation between the age and composition of the lavas. Three-quarters of the volcanic field consists of evolved (<4 wt% MgO) basaltic andesite and andesite lava cones and flows, the majority of which contain sparse, euhedral phenocrysts that are normally zoned; there is no evidence of mixed, hybrid magmas. The average eruption rate over this time period was ∼200 m³/km²/year, which is typical of continental arcs and an order of magnitude lower than that for the slow-spreading mid-Atlantic ridge. All of the Aurora lavas display a trace-element signature common to subduction-related magmas, as exemplified by Ba/Nb ratios between 52 and 151. Pre-eruptive water contents ranged from 1.5 wt% in plagioclase-rich two-pyroxene andesites to ∼6 wt% in a single hornblende lamprophyre and several biotite-hornblende andesites. Calculated oxygen fugacities fall within –0.4 and +2.4 log units of the Ni-NiO buffer. The Aurora potassic suite follows a classic, calc-alkaline trend in a plot of FeO^T/MgO vs SiO₂ and displays linear decreasing trends in FeO^T and TiO₂ with SiO₂ content, suggesting a prominent role for Fe-Ti oxides during differentiation. However, development of the calc-alkaline trend through fractional crystallization of titanomagnetite would have caused the residual liquid to become so depleted in ferric iron that its oxygen fugacity would have fallen several log units below that of the Ni-NiO buffer. Nor can fractionation of hornblende be invoked, since it has the same effect as titanomagnetite in depleting the residual liquid in ferric iron, together with a thermal stability limit that is lower than the eruption temperatures of several andesites (∼1040–1080°C; derived from two-pyroxene thermometry). Unless some progressive oxidation process occurs, fractionation of titanomagnetite or hornblende cannot explain a calc-alkaline trend in which all erupted lavas have oxygen fugacites ≥ the Ni-NiO buffer. In contrast to fractional crystallization, closed-system equilibrium crystallization will produce residual liquids with an oxygen fugacity that is similar to that of the initial melt. However, the eruption of nearly aphryic lavas argues against tapping from a magma chamber during equilibrium crystallization, a process that requires crystals to remain in contact with the liquid. A preferred model involves the accumulation of basaltic magmas at the mantle-crust interface, which solidify and are later remelted during repeated intrusion of basalt. As an end-member case, closed-system equilibrium crystallization of a basalt, followed by equilibrium partial melting of the gabbro will produce a calc-alkaline evolved liquid (namely, high SiO₂ and low FeO^T/MgO) with a relative f _{O 2} (corrected for the effect of changing temperature) that is similar to that of the initial basalt. Differentiation of the Aurora magmas by repeated partial melting of previous underplates in the lower crust rather than by crystal fractionation in large, stable magma chambers is consistent with the low eruption rate at the Aurora volcanic field. Received: 7 July 1995 / Accepted: 19 April 1996     

Petrogenetic and geotectonic significance of Neoproterozoic suprasubduction mantle as revealed by the Wizer ophiolite complex,Central Eastern Desert,Egypt

Ophiolite complexes, formed in a suprasubduction zone environment during Neoproterozoic time, are widely distributed in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Their mantle sections provide important information on the origin and tectonic history of ocean basins these complexes represent. The geochemistry and mineralogy of the mantle section of the Wizer ophiolite complex, represented by serpentinites after harzburgite containing minor dunite bodies, are presented. Presence of antigorite together with the incipient alteration of chromite and absence of chlorite suggests that serpentinization occurred in the mantle wedge above a Neoproterozoic subduction zone. Wizer peridotites have a wide range of spinel compositions. Spinel Cr# [100Cr/(Cr + Al)] decrease gradually from dunite bodies (Cr# = 81–87) and their host highly depleted harzburgites (Cr# = 67–79) to the less depleted harzburgites (Cr# = 57–63). Such decreases in mantle refractory character are accompanied by higher Al and Ti contents in bulk compositions. Estimated parental melt compositions point to an equilibration with melts of boninitic composition for the dunite bodies (TiO₂ = ~<0.07–0.22 wt%; Al₂O₃ = 9.4–10.6 wt%), boninitic-arc tholeiite for the highly depleted harzburgites (TiO₂ = <0.09–0.28 wt%; Al₂O₃ = 11.2–14.1 wt%) and more MORB-like affinities for the less depleted harzburgites (TiO₂ = ~<0.38–0.51 wt%; Al₂O₃ = 14.5–15.3 wt%). Estimated equilibrium melts are found in the overlying volcanic sequence, which shows a transitional MORB–island arc geochemical signature with a few boninitic samples. Enrichment of some chromites in TiO₂ and identification of sulfides in highly depleted peridotites imply interaction with an impregnating melt. A two-stage partial melting/melt–rock reaction model is advocated, whereby, melting of a depleted mantle source by reaction with MORB-like melts is followed by a second stage melting by interaction with melts of IAT–boninitic affinities in a suprasubduction zone environment to generate the highly depleted harzburgites and dunite bodies. The shift from MORB to island arc/boninitic affinities within the mantle lithosphere of the Wizer ophiolite sequence suggests generation in a protoarc-forearc environment. This, together with the systematic latitudinal change in composition of ophiolitic lavas in the Central Eastern Desert (CED) of Egypt from IAT–boninitic affinities to more MORB-like signature, implies that the CED could represent a disrupted forearc-arc-backarc system above a southeast-dipping subduction zone.     

Microtextural and mineral chemical analyses of andesite–dacite from Barren and Narcondam islands: Evidences for magma mixing and petrological implications

Andesite and dacite from Barren and Narcondam volcanic islands of Andaman subduction zone are composed of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, olivine, titanomagnetite, magnesio-hornblende and rare quartz grains. In this study, we use the results of mineral chemical analyses of the calc-alkaline rock suite of rocks as proxies for magma mixing and mingling processes. Plagioclase, the most dominant mineral, shows zoning which includes oscillatory, patchy, multiple and repetitive zonation and ‘fritted’ or ‘sieve’ textures. Zoning patterns in plagioclase phenocrysts and abrupt fluctuations in An content record different melt conditions in a dynamic magma chamber. ‘Fritted’ zones (An₅₅) are frequently overgrown by thin calcic (An₇₂) plagioclase rims over well-developed dissolution surfaces. These features have probably resulted from mixing of a more silicic magma with the host andesite. Olivine and orthopyroxene with reaction and overgrowth rims (corona) suggest magma mixing processes. We conclude that hybrid magma formed from the mixing of mafic and felsic magma by two-stage processes – initial intrusion of hotter mafic melt (andesitic) followed by cooler acidic melt at later stage.     

Compositional and Dynamic Controls on Mafic--Silicic Magma Interactions at Continental Arc Volcanoes: Evidence from Cordn El Guadal, Tatara-San Pedro Complex, Chile

Heterogeneous andesitic and dacitic lavas on Cordn El Guadalbear on the general problem of how magmas of differing compositionsand physical properties interact in shallow reservoirs beneathcontinental arc volcanoes. Some of the lavas contain an exceptionallylarge proportion (<40%) of undercooled basaltic andesiticmagma in various states of disaggregation. Under-cooled maficmagma occurs in the silicic lavas as large (<40 cm) basalticandesitic magmatic inclusions, as millimeter-sized crystal-clotsof Mg-rich olivine phenocrysts plus adhering Carich plagioclasemicrophenocrysts (An_50–70), and as uniformly distributed,isolated phenocrysts and microphenocrysts. Compositions andtextures of plagioclase phenocrysts indicate that inclusion-formingmagmas are hybrids formed by mixing basaltic and dacitic melts,whereas textural features and compositions of groundmass phasesindicate that the andesitic and dacitic lavas are largely mechanicalmixtures of dacitic magma and crystallized basaltic andesiticmagma. This latter observation is significant because it indicatesthat mechanical blending of undercooled mafic magma and partiallycrystallized silicic magma is a possible mechanism for producingthe common porphyritic texture of many calc-alkaline volcanicrocks. The style of mafic-silicic magma interaction at CordonEl Guadal was strongly dependent upon the relative proportionsof the endmembers. Equally important in the Guadal system, however,was the manner in which the contrasting magmas were juxtaposed.Textural evidence preserved in the plagioclase phenocrysts indicatesthat the transition from liquid-liquid to solid-liquid mixingwas not continuous, but was partitioned into periods of magmachamber recharge and eruption, respectively. Evidently, duringperiods of recharge, basaltic magmas rapidly entrained smallamounts of dacitic magma along the margins of a turbulent injectionfountain. Conversely, during periods of eruption, dacitic magmagradually incorporated small parcels of basaltic andesitic magma.Thus, the coupled physical-chemical transition from mixed inclusionsto commingled lavas is presumably not coincidental. More likely,it probably provides a partial record of the dynamic processesoccurring in shallow magma chambers beneath continental arevolcanoes. KEY WORDS: Chile; commingling; magma mixing; magmatic inclusions ^*Present address: Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA     

Mineral chemistry of submarine lavas from Hilo Ridge, Hawaii: implications for magmatic processes within Hawaiian rift zones

The crustal history of volcanic rocks can be inferred from the mineralogy and compositions of their phenocrysts which record episodes of magma mixing as well as the pressures and temperatures when magmas cooled. Submarine lavas erupted on the Hilo Ridge, a rift zone directly east of Mauna Kea volcano, contain olivine, plagioclase, augite ±orthopyroxene phenocrysts. The compositions of these phenocryst phases provide constraints on the magmatic processes beneath Hawaiian rift zones. In these samples, olivine phenocrysts are normally zoned with homogeneous cores ranging from ∼ Fo₈₁ to Fo₉₁. In contrast, plagioclase, augite and orthopyroxene phenocrysts display more than one episode of reverse zoning. Within each sample, plagioclase, augite and orthopyroxene phenocrysts have similar zoning profiles. However, there are significant differences between samples. In three samples these phases exhibit large compositional contrasts, e.g., Mg# [100 × Mg/(Mg+Fe⁺²)] of augite varies from 71 in cores to 82 in rims. Some submarine lavas from the Puna Ridge (Kilauea volcano) contain phenocrysts with similar reverse zonation. The compositional variations of these phenocrysts can be explained by mixing of a multiphase (plagioclase, augite and orthopyroxene) saturated, evolved magma with more mafic magma saturated only with olivine. The differences in the compositional ranges of plagioclase, augite and orthopyroxene crystals between samples indicate that these samples were derived from isolated magma chambers which had undergone distinct fractionation and mixing histories. The samples containing plagioclase and pyroxene with small compositional variations reflect magmas that were buffered near the olivine + melt ⇒Low-Ca pyroxene + augite + plagioclase reaction point by frequent intrusions of mafic olivine-bearing magmas. Samples containing plagioclase and pyroxene phenocrysts with large compositional ranges reflect magmas that evolved beyond this reaction point when there was no replenishment with olivine-saturated magma. Two of these samples contain augite cores with Mg# of ∼71, corresponding to Mg# of 36–40 in equilibrium melts, and augite in another sample has Mg# of 63–65 which is in equilibrium with a very evolved melt with a Mg# of ∼30. Such highly evolved magmas also exist beneath the Puna Ridge of Kilauea volcano. They are rarely erupted during the shield building stage, but may commonly form in ephemeral magma pockets in the rift zones. The compositions of clinopyroxene phenocryst rims and associated glass rinds indicate that most of the samples were last equilibrated at 2–3 kbar and 1130–1160 °C. However, in one sample, augite and glass rind compositions reflect crystallization at higher pressures (4–5 kbar). This sample provides evidence for magma mixing at relatively high pressures and perhaps transport of magma from the summit conduits to the rift zone along the oceanic crust-mantle boundary. Received: 8 July 1998 / Accepted: 2 January 1999     

Evidence for adiabatic decompression melting in the Southern Mariana Arc from high-Mg lavas and melt inclusions

Unusually magnesian (Mg# ∼76) basalts have been sampled from a small submarine volcano situated on the Mariana arc magmatic front. Total alkalis range from 1.7 to 1.94%, Al₂O₃ from 9.09 to 10.3% and CaO from 13.9 to 14.09%. These lavas can be classified based on mineralogy as picrite and ankaramite. Olivine-hosted melt inclusions (MIs) have median MgO contents of 17.17–17.86 wt%, 0.35–0.5% TiO₂, 42–50% SiO₂ and 1.66–3.43% total alkalis, which suggest that the parental magmas were primitive mantle melts. Trace element concentrations for both MIs and lavas are arc-like, although more depleted than most arc lavas. Chlorine (182–334 ppm) and H₂O contents (0.11–0.64 wt%) in the MIs are consistent with the estimated median oxygen fugacities (log ΔFMQ of + 1.53–1.66) which lie at the low end of the range estimates for arc basalts and picrites (ΔFMQ = + 1 to + 3). Isotopic compositions of Sr, Nd, Hf and Pb are similar to those of other Mariana arc lavas and indicate derivation from an Indian Ocean mantle domain. The averaged magmatic temperature estimate from several geothermometers was 1,367°C at 1–1.5 GPa. We propose that high-Mg magmagenesis in this region results from the adiabatic decompression melting of relatively anhydrous but metasomatized mantle wedge. This melting is attributed to enhanced upwelling related to unusual tectonics on the over-riding plate related to a tear or other discontinuity on the subducted slab.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Geology and petrogenesis of the edgecumbe volcanic field,SE Alaska: The interaction of basalt and sialic crust

The Edgecumbe volcanic field is a Holocene volcanic province located on Kruzof Island, SE Alaska. Exposed within the 260 km² field are basalt, andesitic basalt, andesite, dacite and rhyodacite. The rhyodacites were erupted after the basalts and before the andesites. The volcanics, which are Al-rich (14–18 wt%) and lack an iron enrichment trend, range from tholeiites (47 wt% SiO₂) through rhyodacites (72%), but a compositional gap of approximately 9 wt% separates the dacites and rhyodacites. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ranges from 0.70297 in the basalts to 0.70440 in a pyroxene andesite. δ ¹⁸O increases across the suite: 5.8‰ to 7.9‰. Plagioclase (An_32–86) is the dominant phenocryst in all but one lava. Olivine (Fo_58–86) occurs in the basic lavas (<53 wt% SiO₂), but is replaced by orthopyroxene (En_43–73) and clinopyroxene (En₃₁Wo₄₁-En₄₈Wo₄₀) in the more siliceous volcanics. In the basalts and rhyodacites, plagioclase is weakly zoned, but extreme zoning (<30 mole% An) is characteristic of phenocrysts in the intermediate lavas. Fractionation of the observed phenocryst assemblages could not have produced the more silicous volcanics. Instead they were generated by partial melting of intrusive basement (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70487; δ ¹⁸O: 8.7–9.3) by basaltic magma and subsequent assimilation. Mass balance calculations show the rhyodacites are almost pure partial melt (<5% basaltic component) whereas the intermediate lavas contain between 30 and 60% partial melt.     

Petrology of peridotite xenolith-bearing basaltic to andesitic lavas from the Shiribeshi Seamount,off northwestern Hokkaido,the Sea of Japan

The Shiribeshi Seamount off northwestern Hokkaido, the Sea of Japan, is a rear-arc volcano in the Northeast Japan arc. This seamount is composed of calc-alkaline and high-K basaltic to andesitic lavas containing magnesian olivine phenocrysts and mantle peridotite xenoliths. Petrographic and geochemical characteristics of the andesite lavas indicate evidence for the reaction with the mantle peridotite xenoliths and magma mixing between mafic and felsic magmas. Geochemical modelling shows that the felsic end-member was possibly derived from melting of an amphibolitic mafic crust. Chemical compositions of the olivine phenocrysts and their chromian spinel inclusions indicate that the Shiribeshi Seamount basalts in this study was derived from a primary magma in equilibrium with relatively fertile mantle peridotites, which possibly represents the mafic end-member of the magma mixing. Trace-element and REE data indicate that the basalts were produced by low degree of partial melting of garnet-bearing lherzolitic source. Preliminary results from the mantle peridotite xenoliths indicate that they were probably originated from the mantle beneath the Sea of Japan rather than beneath the Northeast Japan arc.