Evidence of magma mixing: Petrological study of Shirouma-Oike calc-alkaline andesite volcano, Japan

Shirouma-Oike volcano, a Quaternary composite volcano in central Japan, consists mostly of calc-alkaline andesitic lavas and pyroclastic rocks. Products of the earlier stage of the volcano (older group) are augite-hypersthene andesite. Hornblende crystallized during the later stage of this older group, whereas biotite and quartz crystallized in the younger group.Assemblages of phenocrysts in disequilibrium, such as magnesian olivine(Fo₃₀)/quartz, iron-rich hypersthene(En₅₅)/iron-poor augite(Wo_43.5, En_42.5, Fs_14.0), and two different types of zoning on the rim of clinopyroxene are found in a number of rocks. Detailed microprobe analyses of coexisting minerals reveal that phenocrysts belong to two distinctly different groups; one group includes magnesian olivine + augite which crystallized from a relatively high-temperature (above 1000°C) basaltic magma; the second group, which crystallized from relatively low temperature (about 800°C) dacitic to andesitic magma, includes hypersthene + hornblende + biotite + quartz + plagioclase + titanomagnetite ± ilmenite (in the younger group) and hypersthene + augite + plagioclase + titanomagnetite ± hornblende (in the older group). The temperature difference between the two magmas is clarified by Mg/Fe partition between clinopyroxene and olivine, and Fe-Ti oxides geothermometer. The compositional zoning of minerals, such as normal zoning of olivine and magnesian clinopyroxene, and reverse zoning of orthopyroxene, indicate that the basaltic and dacitic-andesitic magmas were probably mixed in a magma reservoir immediately before eruption. It is suggested that the basaltic magma was supplied intermittently from a deeper part to the shallower magma reservoir, in in which dacitic-andesitic magma had been fractionating.     

Cation distribution in low-calcium pyroxenes: Dependence on temperature and calcium content and the thermal history of lunar and terrestrial pigeonites

Four pyroxenes with compositions En₄₈Fs₄₈Wo₄, En_47·5Fs_47·5Wo₅, En₄₅Fs₄₅Wo₁₀ and En₄₀Fs₄₀Wo₂₀, synthesized at 1200°C at atmospheric pressure, were heat-treated at 500, 600, 700, and 800°C for various lengths of time. These pyroxenes are variously ordered with respect to Fe²⁺ and Mg²⁺ without unmixing. The Fe²⁺-Mg²⁺ distribution over the two nonequivalent sites M1 and M2, determined through Mössbauer spectroscopy, is found to be a function of both temperature and concentration of Ca²⁺ at the M2 site. The preference of Fe²⁺ for the M2 site increases with decreasing temperature and increasing Ca²⁺. These data can be used to determine cation equilibration temperatures of lunar and terrestrial pigeonites. The lunar pigeonites usually indicate equilibration temperatures of 700–860°C, except the pigeonite from rock 14053, which may have been subjected to shock heating due to meteoritic impact.     

Sr–Nd isotopic and chemical characteristics of the silicic magma reservoir of the Aira pyroclastic eruption, southern Kyushu, Japan

Sr and Nd isotope and geochemical investigations were performed on a remarkably homogeneous, high-silica rhyolite magma reservoir of the Aira pyroclastic eruption (22,000 years ago), southern Kyushu, Japan. The Aira caldera was formed by this eruption with four flow units (Osumi pumice fall, Tsumaya pryoclastic flow, Kamewarizaka breccia and Ito pyroclastic flow). Quite narrow chemical compositions (e.g., 74.0–76.5 wt% of SiO₂) and Sr and Nd isotopic values (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70584–0.70599 and _Nd=−5.62 to −4.10) were detected for silicic pumices from the four units, with the exception of minor amounts of dark pumices in the units. The high Sr isotope ratios (0.7065–0.7076) for the dark pumices clearly suggest a different origin from the silicic pumices. Andesite to basalt lavas in pre-caldera (0.37–0.93 Ma) and post-caldera (historical) eruptions show lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70465–0.70540) and higher _Nd (−1.03 to +0.96) values than those of the Aira silicic and dark pumices. Both andesites of pre- and post-caldera stages are very similar in major- and trace-element characteristics and isotope ratios, suggesting that the both andesites had a same source and experienced the same process of magma generation (magma mixing between basaltic and dacitic magmas). Elemental and isotopic signatures deny direct genetic relationships between the Aira pumices and pre- and post-caldera lavas. Relatively upper levels of crust (middle–upper crust) are assumed to have been involved for magma generation for the Aira silicic and dark pumices. The Aira silicic magma was derived by partial melting of a separate crust which had homogeneous chemistry and limited isotope compositions, while the magma for the Aira dark pumice was generated by AFC mixing process between the basement sedimentary rocks and basaltic parental magma, or by partial melting of crustal materials which underlay the basement sediments. The silicic magma did not occupy an upper part of a large magma body with strong compositional zonation, but formed an independent magma body within the crust. The input and mixing of the magma for dark pumices to the base of the Aira silicic magma reservoir might trigger the eruptions in the upper part of the magma body and could produce a slight Sr isotope gradient in the reservoir. An extremely high thermal structure within the crust, which was caused by the uprise and accumulation of the basaltic magma, is presumed to have formed the large volume of silicic magma of the Aira stage.     

Pre-eruptive and syn-eruptive conditions in the Black Butte, California dacite: Insight into crystallization kinetics in a silicic magma system

A series of experiments and petrographic analyses have been run to determine the pre-eruption phase equilibria and ascent dynamics of dacitic lavas composing Black Butte, a dome complex on the flank of Mount Shasta, California. Major and trace element analyses indicate that the Black Butte magma shared a common parent with contemporaneously erupted magmas at the Shasta summit. The Black Butte lava phenocryst phase assemblage (20 v.%) consists of amphibole, plagioclase (core An_77.5), and Fe–Ti oxides in a fine-grained (< 0.5 mm) groundmass of plagioclase, pyroxene, Fe–Ti oxides, amphibole, and cristobalite. The phenocryst assemblage and crystal compositions are reproduced experimentally between 890 °C and 910 °C, ≥ 300 MPa, X_H2O = 1, and oxygen fugacity = NNO + 1. This study has quantified the extent of three crystallization processes occurring in the Black Butte dacite that can be used to discern ascent processes. Magma ascent rate was quantified using the widths of amphibole breakdown rims in natural samples, using an experimental calibration of rim development in a similar magma at relevant conditions. The majority of rims are 34 ± 10 μm thick, suggesting a time-integrated magma ascent rate of 0.004–0.006 m/s among all four dome lobes. This is comparable to values for effusive samples from the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption and slightly faster than those estimated at Montserrat. A gap between the compositions of plagioclase phenocryst cores and microlites suggests that while phenocryst growth was continuous throughout ascent, microlite formation did not occur until significantly into ascent. The duration of crystallization is estimated using the magma reservoir depth and ascent rate, as determined from phase equilibria and amphibole rim widths, respectively. Textural analysis of the natural plagioclase crystals yields maximum growth rates of plagioclase phenocryst rims and groundmass microlites of 8.7 × 10^− 8 and 2.5 × 10^− 8 mm/s, respectively. These rates are comparable to values determined from time-sequenced samples of dacite erupted effusively from Mount St. Helens during 1980 and indicate that syneruptive crystallization processes were important during the Black Butte eruptive cycle.     

Petrogenesis of basalts from the project FAMOUS area: experimental study from 0 to 15 kbars

Tholeiitic basalt glasses from the FAMOUS area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are among the most primitive basaltic liquids reported from the ocean basins. One of the more primitive of these[Mg/(Mg+Fe²⁺) = 0.68;Ni= 232ppm;TiO₂ = 0.61] glasses (572-1-1) was selected for an experimental investigation. This study found olivine to be the liquidus phase from 1 atm to 10.5 kbar where it is replaced by clinopyroxene. The sequence of appearance of phases at 1 atm pressure is olivine (1268°C), plagioclase (1235°C) and clinopyroxene (1135°C). The sample is multiply saturated at 10.5 kbar with olivine (Fo₈₈), clinopyroxene (Wo₃₂En₆₀Fs₉), and orthopyroxene (Wo₅En₈₃Fs₁₂). From the 1-atm data we have measured (FeO/MgO) olivine/(FeO*/MgO) liquid (K′_D) for olivine-melt pairs equilibrated at 12 temperatures in the range 1268–1205°C.K′_D varies from 0.30 at 1205°C to 0.27 at 1268°C. Analysis of high-pressure olivine melt pairs indicates a systematic increase inK′_D with pressure.Evaluation of the 1-atm experiments reveals that fractionation of olivine followed by olivine + plagioclase can generate much of the variation in major element chemistry observed in the FAMOUS basalt glasses. However, it cannot account for the entire spectrum of glass compositions — particularly with respect to TiO₂ and Na₂O. The variations in these components are such as to require different primary liquids.Comparison of clinopyroxene microphenocrysts/xenocrysts found in oceanic tholeiites with experimental clinopyroxenes reveal that the majority of those in the tholeiites may have crystallized from the magma at pressures greater than ～ 10 kbar and are not accidental xenocrysts. Clinopyroxene fractionation at high pressures may be a viable mechanism for fractionating basaltic magmas.The major and minor element mineral/meltK′_d's from our experiments have been used to model the source region residual mineralogy for given percentages of partial melting. These data suggest that ～20% partial melting of a lherzolite source containing 0–10% clinopyroxene can generate the major and minor element concentrations in the parental magmas of the Project FAMOUS basalt glasses.     

Magma degassing and basaltic eruption styles: a case study of 2000 year BP Xitle volcano in central Mexico

To investigate the relationship between volatile abundances and eruption style, we have analyzed major element and volatile (H₂O, CO₂, S) concentrations in olivine-hosted melt inclusions in tephra from the 2000 yr BP eruption of Xitle volcano in the central Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The Xitle eruption was dominantly effusive, with fluid lava flows accounting for 95% of the total dense rock erupted material (1.1 km³). However, in addition to the initial, Strombolian, cinder cone-building phase, there was a later explosive phase that interrupted effusive activity and deposited three widespread ash fall layers. Major element compositions of olivine-hosted melt inclusions from these ash layers range from 52 to 58 wt.% SiO₂, and olivine host compositions are Fo_84–86. Water concentrations in the melt inclusions are variable (0.2–1.3 wt.% H₂O), with an average of 0.45±0.3 (1σ) wt.% H₂O. Sulfur concentrations vary from below detection (50 ppm) to 1000 ppm but are mostly ≤200 ppm and show little correlation with H₂O. Only the two inclusions with the highest H₂O have detectable CO₂ (310–340 ppm), indicating inclusion entrapment at higher pressures (700–900 bars) than for the other inclusions (≤80 bars). The low and variable H₂O and S contents of melt inclusions combined with the absence of less soluble CO₂ indicates shallow-level degassing before olivine crystallization and melt inclusion formation. Olivine morphologies are consistent with the interpretation that most crystallization occurred rapidly during near-surface H₂O loss. During cinder cone eruptions, the switch from initial explosive activity to effusive eruption probably occurs when the ascent velocity of magma becomes slow enough to allow near-complete degassing of magma at shallow depths within the cone as a result of buoyantly rising gas bubbles. This allows degassed lavas to flow laterally and exit near the base of the cone while gas escapes through bubbly magma in the uppermost part of the conduit just below the crater. The major element compositions of melt inclusions at Xitle show that the short-lived phase of renewed explosive activity was triggered by a magma recharge event, which could have increased overpressure in the storage reservoir beneath Xitle, leading to increased ascent velocities and decreased time available for degassing during ascent.     

Water contents, temperatures and diversity of the magmas of the catastrophic eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia, November 13, 1985

The petrology of the highly phyric two-pyroxene andesitic to dacitic pyroclastic rocks of the November 13, 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia, reveals evidence of: (1) increasingly fractionated bulk compositions with time; (2) tapping of a small magma chamber marginally zoned in regard to H₂O contents (1 to 4%), temperature (960–1090°C), and amount of residual melt (35 to 65%); (3) partial melting and assimilation of degassed zones in the hotter less dense interior of the magma chamber; (4) probable heating, thermal disruption and mineralogic and compositional contamination of the magma body by basaltic magma “underplating”; and (5) crustal contamination of the magmas during ascent and within the magma chamber. Near-crater fall-back or “spill-over” emitted in the middle of the eruptive sequence produced a small pyroclastic flow that became welded in its central and basal portions because of ponding and thus heat conservation on the flat glaciated summit near the Arenas crater. The heterogeneity of Ruiz magmas may be related to the comparatively small volume (0.03 km³) of the eruption, nearly ten times less than the 0.2 km³ of the Plinian phase of Mount St. Helens, and probable steep thermal and P_H2O gradients of a small source magma chamber, estimated at 300 m long and 100 m wide for an assumed ellipsoidal shape.     

Intracrustal origin of Arenal basaltic andesite in the light of solid–melt interactions and related compositional buffering

The origin of Arenal basaltic andesite can be explained in terms of fractional crystallization of a parental high-alumina basalt (HAB), which assimilates crustal rocks during its storage, ascent and evolution. Contamination of this melt by Tertiary calc-alkalic intrusives (quartz–diorite and granite, with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios ranging 0.70381–0.70397, nearly identical with those of the Arenal lavas) occurs at upper crustal levels, following the interaction of ascending basaltic magma masses with gabbroic–anorthositic layers. Fragments of these layers are found as inclusions within Arenal lavas and tephra and may show reaction rims (1–5 mm thick, consisting of augite, hypersthene, bytownitic–anorthitic plagioclase, and granular titanomagnetite) at the gabbro–lava interface. These reaction rims indicate that complete `assimilation' was prevented since the temperature of the host basaltic magma was not high enough to melt the gabbroic materials (whose mineral phases are nearly identical to the early formed liquidus phases in the differentiating HAB). Olivine gabbros crystallized at pressure of about 5–6 kbar and equilibrated with the parental HAB at pressures of 3–6 kbar (both under anhydrous and hydrous conditions), and temperatures ranging 1000–1100°C. In particular, `deeper' interactions between the mafic inclusions and the hydrous basaltic melt (i.e., with about 3.5 wt.% H₂O) are likely to occur at 5.4 (±0.4) kbar and temperatures approaching 1100°C. The olivine gabbros are thus interpreted as cumulates which represent crystallized portions of earlier Arenal-type basalts. Some of the gabbros have been `mildly' tectonized and recrystallized to give mafic granulites that may exhibit a distinct foliation. Below Arenal volcano a zoned magma chamber evolved prior the last eruptive cycle: three distinct andesitic magma layers were produced by simple AFC of a high-alumina basalt (HAB) with assimilation of Tertiary quartz–dioritic and granitic rocks. Early erupted 1968 tephra and 1969 lavas (which represent the first two layers of the upper part of a zoned magma chamber) were produced by simple AFC, with fractionation of plagioclase, pyroxene and magnetite and concomitant assimilation of quartz–dioritic rocks. Assimilation rates were constant (r<sub>1</sub>=0.33) for a relative mass of magma remaining of 0.77–0.80, respectively. Lavas erupted around 1974 are less differentiated and represent the `primitive andesitic magma type' residing within the middle–lower part of the chamber. These lavas were also produced by simple AFC: assimilation rates and the relative mass of magma remaining increased of about 10%, respectively (r₁=0.36, and F=0.89). Ba enrichment of the above lavas is related to selective assimilation of Ba from Tertiary granitic rocks. Lava eruption occurred as a dynamic response to the intrusion of a new magma into the old reservoir. This process caused the instability of the zoned magma column inducing syneruptive mixing between portions of two contiguous magma layers (both within the column itself and at lower levels where the new basalt was intruded into the reservoir). Syneruptive mixing (mingling) within the middle–upper part of the chamber involved fractions of earlier gabbroic cumulitic materials (lavas erupted around 1970). On the contrary, within the lower part of the chamber, mixing between the intruded HAB and the residing andesitic melt was followed by simple fractional crystallization (FC) of the hybrid magma layer (lavas erupted in 1978–1980). By that time the original magma chamber was completely evacuated. Lavas erupted in 1982/1984 were thus modelled by means of `open system' AFCRE (i.e., AFC with continuous recharge of a fractionating magma batch during eruption): in this case assimilation rates were r₁=0.33 and F=0.86. Recharge rates are slightly higher than extrusion rates and may reflect differences in density (between extruded and injected magmas), together with dynamic fluctuations of these parameters during eruption. Ba and LREE (La, Ce) enrichments of these lavas can be related to selective assimilation of Tertiary granitic and quartz–dioritic rocks. Calculated contents for Zr, Y and other REE are in acceptable agreement with the observed values. It is concluded that simple AFC occurs between two distinct eruption cycles and is typical of a period of repose or mild and decreasing volcanic activity. On the contrary, magma mixing, eventually followed by fractional crystallization (FC) of the hybrid magma layer, occurs during an ongoing eruption. Open-system AFCRE is only operative when the original magma chamber has been totally replenished by the new basaltic magma, and seems a prelude to the progressive ceasing of a major eruptive cycle.     

Potassium-rich volcanic rocks of the Muriah complex, Java, Indonesia: Products of multiple magma sources?

The extinct Pleistocene volcano Muriah, situated behind the main Pleistocene—Recent Sunda magmatic arc in north-central Java, has erupted at least two contrasted groups of lavas. One group forms a well-defined compositional series (Anhydrous Series) from leucite basanite to tephritic phonolite, with olivine and tschermakitic clinopyroxene the main phenocrysts. The other group, the “Hydrous Series”, includes compositionally variable tephrites and high-K andesites with common plagioclase, biotite and amphibole. Lavas of the Anhydrous Series are much richer in LIL trace elements than the most potassic lavas of neighbouring active volcanoes, but relative HFS element enrichment is less pronounced. REE patterns have almost constant slopes from La (250–600 times chondrites) to Yb (5–10 times chondrites), while those of lavas of active centres are less light-enriched, and show flattening in the heavy REE. Anhydrous Series initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7043–0.7046) are lower than those of active centres (0.7047–0.7053). Hydrous Series lavas are intermediate in all these geochemical characteristics.The most mafic A-series leucite basanite, with Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺) 0.69, 140 ppm Ni and 620 ppm Cr was probably derived from the primary magma for the series by fractionation of only 5 wt.% olivine. Its REE pattern suggests derivation from a garnet-bearing source. Experiments on this basanite, with up to 10% olivine and 20% orthopyroxene added, and in the presence of H₂O and H₂O/CO₂ mixtures, have shown that for all but very high magma water contents, the olivine and garnet liquidus fields are widely separated by fields of phlogopite and clinopyroxene. There is no liquidus field of orthopyroxene. Hence, if magma production involved an equilibrium melting process alone, the most probable sources are of garnet-bearing phlogopite clinopyroxenite type. Alternatively, this magma may represent the end-product of interaction between a low-K basanite magma from a garnet lherzolite source in the asthenosphere and a phlogopite-bearing lherzolite zone in the lower lithosphere. Its production was probably related to crustal doming and extension superimposed on the dominant subduction regime. Hydrous Series magmas may have resulted from mixing between Anhydrous Series magmas and high-K calc-alkaline basaltic to andesitic magmas more directly related to subduction processes.     

Changes in magma composition at Arenal volcano,Costa Rica, 1968–1985: Real-time monitoring of open-system differentiation

Arenal volcano in Costa Rica has been erupting nearly continuously, but at a diminishing rate, since 1968, producing approximately 0.35 km³ of lavas and tephras that have shown consistent variations in chemistry and mineralogy. From the beginning of the eruption in July 1968 to early 1970 (stage 1, vol.=0.12 km³) tephras and lavas became richer in Ca, Mg, Ni, Cr, Fe, Ti, V, and Sc and poorer in Al₂O₃ and SiO₂. Concentrations of incompatible trace elements (including Sr) decreased by 5%–20%. Phenocryst contents increased 20–50 vol%. During stage 2 (1970–1973, vol. = 0.13 km³) concentrations of compatible trace elements rose, and concentrations of incompatible trace elements either remained constant or also rose. Al₂O₃ contents decreased by 1 wt%. Phenocryst content increased slightly, principally due to increased orthopyroxene. During stage 3 (mid-1974 to the present, vol.= 0.10 km³) concentrations of SiO₂ increased by 1 wt%, compatible trace elements decreased slightly, and incompatible trace element concentrations increased by 5% to 10%. Although crystals increased in size during stage 3, their overall abundance stayed roughly constant.Our modeling suggests that early stage-1 magmas were produced by boundary layer fractionation under high-p H₂O conditions of an unseen basaltic andesitic magma that intruded into the Arenal system after approximately 500 B.P. Changes in composition during stage 2 resulted from mixing of this more mafic original magma with new magma that had a similar SiO₂ content, but higher compatible and incompatible element concentrations. The changes during stage 3 resulted from continued influx of the same magma plus crystal removal.We conclude that the eruption proceeded in the following way. Before 1968 zoned stage-1 magma resided in the deep crust below Arenal. A new magma intruded into this chamber in July 1968 causing ejection of the stage-1 magmas. The intruding magma mixed with mafic portions of the original chamber producing the mixed lavas of stage 2. Continued mixing plus crystal fractionation along the chamber and conduit walls produced stage-3 lavas. The time scales of crustal level magmatic processes at Arenal range 10⁰–10³ years, which are 3–6 orders of magnitude shorter than those of larger, more silicic systems.     

Basaltic vitrophyre 15597: An undifferentiated melt sample

Apollo 15 sample 15597, from the rim of Hadley Rille, is a pyroxene vitrophyre consisting primarily of acicular pyroxene phenocrysts and glass matrix. The pyroxene centers are a Ca-poor and Mg-rich pigeonite of Wo₄En₇₀Fs₂₆ which zones outward to Wo₁₅En₅₂Fs₃₃. The latter is in contact with an epitaxial augite overgrowth of Wo₃₀En₄₀Fs₃₀ which itself zones to a Mg-poor but still Ca-rich ferroaugite of Wo₃₂En₁₀Fs₅₈. Toward the rims, Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ contents increase to a maximum of 13.8 and 3.5 wt% respectively. These zoning trends are attributed to pyroxene crystallization in the absence of co-crystallization of plagioclase or a Ti-rich phase. Grains of chromite and native nickeliron are disseminated throughout the rock. The chromites have the highest Cr₂O₃ and V₂O₃ contents (～ 55and1.8wt%) of any reported lunar spinel, and appear to have formed for the most part before pyroxene crystallization began.Textural evidence, including the vitrophyric nature of the sample itself, the unusual compositions of the pigeonite centers (high Mg and low Ca) and chromites (high Cr), and the extreme chemical zonation of the pyroxenes all give strong evidence that this rock arrived at the lunar surface in an essentially entirely liquid state, and that eruption was followed by metastable pigeonite nucleation, rapid metastable growth and continued metastable pyroxene nucleation, and final solidification. It thus may represent one of the best examples of a mare basalt completely unaffected by local differentiation.     

Mineralogy of the Ibitira eucrite and comparison with other eucrites and lunar samples

Ibitira meteorite is interpreted as a strongly metamorphosed, unbrecciated, vesicular eucrite with a primary variolitic and secondary hornfelsic texture dominated by 60% pyroxene (bulk composition En₃₇Fs₄₈Wo₁₅ exsolved into lamellae several micrometers wide of augite En₃₂Fs₂₇Wo₄₁ and pigeonite En₄₀Fs₅₆Wo₄) and 30% plagioclase An₉₄ (mosaic extinction and variable structural state). Minor phases are 5% tridymite plates one-quarter occupied by plagioclase (An₉₄) inclusions; several percent intergrowths of ilmenite and Ti-chromite with trace kamacite Fe₉₉Co_0.5Ni_0.2 and narrow olivine (Fa₈₃) rims; one grain of low-Ti-chromite enclosed in tridymite; trace troilite with kamacite Fe₉₈Co_1.0Ni_0.9. Euhedral ilmenite, Ti-chromite, plagioclase and merrillite in vesicles indicate vapor deposition. These properties can be explained by a series of processes including at least the following: (1) igneous crystallization under pressure low enough to allow vesiculation, (2) prolonged metamorphism, perhaps associated with vapor deposition and reduction, to produce the coarse exsolution of the pyroxene and the coarse ilmenite-chromite intergrowths, (3) strong shock which affected the plagioclase and tridymite but not the pyroxene, (4) sufficient annealing to allow recrystallization of the plagioclase and tridymite, and partial conversion to the low structural state of the former.     

Petrological characteristics and volatile content of magma from the 2000 eruption of Miyakejima Volcano, Japan

Among the series of eruptions at Miyakejima volcano in 2000, the largest summit explosion occurred on 18 August 2000. During this explosion, vesiculated bombs and lapilli having cauliflower-like shapes were ejected as essential products. Petrological observation and chemical analyses of the essential ejecta and melt inclusions were carried out in order to investigate magma ascent and eruption processes. SEM images indicate that the essential bombs and lapilli have similar textures, which have many tiny bubbles, crystal-rich and glass-poor groundmass and microphenocrysts of plagioclase, augite and olivine. Black ash particles, which compose 40% of the air-fall ash from the explosion, also have similar textures to the essential bombs. Whole-rock analyses show that the chemical composition of all essential ejecta is basaltic (SiO₂=51–52 wt%). Chemical analyses of melt inclusions in plagioclase and olivine phenocrysts indicate that melt in the magma had 0.9–1.9 wt% H₂O, <0.011 wt% CO₂, 0.04–0.17 wt% S and 0.06–0.1 wt% Cl. The variation in volatile content suggests degassing of the magma during ascent up to a depth of about 1 km. The ratio of H₂O and S content of melt inclusions is similar to that of volcanic gas, which has been intensely and continuously emitted from the summit since the end of August 2000, indicating that the 18 August magma is the source of the gas emission. Based on the volatile content of the melt inclusions and the volcanic gas composition, the initial bulk volatile content of the magma was estimated to be 1.6–1.9 wt% H₂O, 0.08–0.1 wt% CO₂, 0.11–0.17 wt% S and 0.06–0.07 wt% Cl. The basaltic magma ascended from a deeper chamber (10 km) due to decrease in magma density caused by volatile exsolution with pressure decrease. The highly vesiculated magma, which had at least 30 vol% bubbles, may have come into contact with ground water at sea level causing the large explosion of 18 August 2000.Editorial responsibility: S. Nakada, T. DuittAn erratum to this article can be found at     

The Hasan Dagi stratovolcano (Central Anatolia, Turkey): evolution from calc-alkaline to alkaline magmatism in a collision zone

The Hasan Dagi volcano is one of the two large Plio-Quaternary volcanoes in Cappadocia (Central Anatolia, Turkey). Three stages of edifice construction have been identified for this volcano: Paleovolcano, Mesovolcano and Neovolcano. Most samples from Hasan Dagi volcano are calc-alkaline and define an almost complete trend from basaltic andesite to rhyolite. However, the more recent (Neovolcano) mafic samples are alkaline basalts. The mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the oldest lavas (Keçikalesi (13 Ma) and Paleo-Hasan Dagi (7 Ma)) are significantly different from those of the younger lavas (Meso- and Neo-Hasan Dagi (<1 Ma)). Calcic plagioclase and pigeonite are typically observed in these older lavas. The Paleovolcano basalts are depleted in alkalis and display a tholeiitic tendency whereas the differentiated lavas are depleted in Na₂O but enriched in K₂O compared to younger lavas. There is an evolution through time towards higher TiO₂, Fe₂O₃^*, MgO, Na₂O and K₂O and lower Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ which is reflected in the basalt compositions. All the basalts display multi-element patterns typical of continental margin magmas with a significant enrichment in LILE (K, Rb, Ba and Th) and LREE and strong (Paleovolcano) to moderate (Meso- and Neovolcano) negative Nb, Zr and Ti anomalies. However, the younger basalts are the most enriched in incompatible elements, in agreement with their alkaline affinities and do not systematically display negative HFSE anomalies. REE data suggest an hydrous amphibole-bearing crystallization history for both Meso- and Neovolcano lavas. The distinction between the older and younger lavas is also apparent in trace element ratios such as Nb/Y, Ti/Y and Th/Y. These ratios indicate the role of a subducted component±crustal contamination in the genesis of the Hasan Dagi lavas, particularly for the oldest lavas (Keçikalesi and Paleo-Hasan Dagi). The decreasing influence of this component through time, over the last 6–7 m.y., has been accompanied by an increasing contribution of melt-enriched lithosphere. Although the range of variation of Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic ratios is small (0.70457–0.70515; 0.51262–0.51273; 18.80–18.94; 15.64–15.69; 38.87–39.10), it also reflects the evolution of the magma sources through time. Indeed, the youngest (Neovolcano) and most primitive basalts display significantly lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr than the Paleo- and Mesovolcano basalts, whereas the Mesovolcano basalts display more radiogenic Pb than Paleovolcano samples. Magma mixing processes between initially heterogeneous and/or variably contaminated magmas may account for the genesis of the less differentiated and intermediate lavas (48–57% SiO₂). Meso- and Neovolcano differentiated lavas (60–68% SiO₂) are either derived from the analyzed basalts or from more primitive and more depleted magmas by fractional crystallization±some crustal contamination (AFC). Furthermore, the highly differentiated samples (72–75% SiO₂) are not strongly contaminated. The strong calc-alkaline character of Hasan Dagi lavas, in the absence of contemporaneous subduction, must reflect the heritage of the early subduction of the Afro–Arabian plate under the Eurasian plate. The evolution towards alkaline compositions through time is clearly related to the development of extensional tectonics in Central Anatolia in the Late Miocene.     

Continuous soil CO<Superscript>2</Superscript> and discrete plume SO<Subscript>2</Subscript> measurements at Mt. Etna (Italy) during 1997–2000: a contribution to volcano monitoring

Continuous monitoring of soil CO₂ dynamic concentration (which is proportional to the CO₂ flux through the soil) was carried out at a peripheral site of Mt. Etna during the period November 1997–September 2000 using an automated station. The acquired data were compared with SO₂ flux from the summit craters measured two to three times a week during the same period. The high frequency of data acquisition with both methods allowed us to analyze in detail the time variations of both parameters. Anomalous high values of soil CO₂ dynamic concentration always preceded periods of increased flux of plume SO₂, and these in turn were followed by periods of summit eruptions. The variations were modeled in terms of gas efflux increase due to magma ascent to shallow depth and its consequent depressurization and degassing. This model is supported by data from other geophysical and volcanological parameters. The rates of increase both of soil CO₂ dynamic concentration and of plume SO₂ flux are interpreted to be positively correlated both to the velocity of magma ascent within the volcano and to lava effusion rate once magma is erupted at the surface. Low rates of the increase were recorded before the nine-month-long 1999 subterminal eruption. Higher rates of increase were observed before the violent summit eruption of September-November 1999, and the highest rates were observed during shorter and very frequent spike-like anomalies that preceded the sequence of short-lived but very violent summit eruptions that started in late January 2000 and continued until late June of the same year. Furthermore, the time interval between the peaks of CO₂ and SO₂ in a single sequence of gas anomalies is likely to be controlled by magma ascent velocity.Editorial responsibility: H. Shinohara     

Petrology of volcanic products younger than 42 ka on the Lipari–Vulcano complex (Aeolian Islands, Italy): an example of volcanism controlled by tectonics

Over the last 42 ka, volcanic activity at Lipari Island (Aeolian Arc, Italy) produced lava domes, flows and pyroclastic deposits with rhyolitic composition, showing in many cases evidence of magma mixing such as latitic enclaves and banding. In this same period, on nearby Vulcano Island, similar rhyolitic lava domes, pyroclastic products and lava flows, ranging in composition from shoshonite to rhyolite, were erupted. As a whole, the post-42 ka products of Lipari and Vulcano show geochemical variations with time, which are well correlated between the two islands and may correspond to a modification of the primary magmas. The rhyolitic products are similar to each other in their major elements composition, but differ in their trace element abundances (e.g. La ranging from 40 to 78 ppm for SiO₂ close to 75 wt%). Their isotopic composition is variable, too. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.704723–0.705992) and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.512575–0.512526) ranges partially overlap those of the more mafic products (latites), having ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr from 0.7044 to 0.7047 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd from 0.512672 to 0.512615. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb is 19.390–19.450 in latites and 19.350–19.380 in rhyolites. Crystal fractionation and crustal assimilation processes of andesitic to latitic melts, showing an increasing content in incompatible elements in time, may explain the genesis of the different rhyolitic magmas. The rocks of the local crustal basement assimilated may correspond to lithotypes present in the Calabrian Arc. Mixing and mingling processes between latitic and rhyolitic magmas that are not genetically related occur during most of the eruptions. The alignment of vents related to the volcanic activity of the last 40 ka corresponds to the NNW–SSE Tindari–Letojanni strike-slip fault and to the correlated N–S extensional fault system. The mafic magmas erupted along these different directions display evidence of an evolution at different P_H2O conditions. This suggests that the Tindari–Letojanni fault played a relevant role in the ascent, storage and diversification of magmas during the recent volcanic activity.     

Petrogenesis of an 800 m lava sequence in eastern Uruguay: insights into magma chamber processes beneath the Paraná flood basalt province

Major and trace element along with representative Sr, Nd and Pb isotope data are presented for drill core samples which intersect an 800 m lava pile in eastern Uruguay. The lavas form part of the Paraná flood basalt province, are low-Ti in composition but distinct from the low-Ti Gramado magma type, and have been termed the Treinte Y Trés magma type. The lava pile overlies a large positive gravity anomaly inferred to reflect an east–west trending, mid-crustal mafic intrusive body with a calculated volume of 35,000 km³. Smooth up-section compositional variations in the basalts are interpreted to record magma evolution within this mid-crustal magma chamber. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb increase throughout the sequence yet Mg remains relatively constant in the lower 200 m of the sequence, suggesting a role for magma chamber recharge. Above this the lavas show a regular, up-section decrease in Mg coupled with increasing ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and this is interpreted to reflect crystal fractionation combined with crustal contamination. The data provide further evidence that contamination of flood basalt magmas in crustal magma chambers is a common phenomenon and calculations suggest that the amount of crustal addition may be as high as 60–70%. Nevertheless, the effects of this crustal contamination do not appear able to account for the discrepancy between key incompatible trace element ratios and isotope ratios of the lavas and those of any putative mantle plume. In fact, La/Ta decreases with decreasing Mg and increasing ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr indicating that the effects of crustal contamination were actually to reduce La/Ta and implying that the parental magmas had very high La/Ta (90). These constraints are clearly inconsistent with an asthenospheric origin for the parental magmas and so, consistent with mass balance calculations, it is inferred that they were derived from the lithospheric mantle.     

Rifting episode in north iceland in 1874–1875 and the eruptions of askja and sveinagja

In 1874 and 1875 the fissure swarm of Askja central volcano was activated during a major rifting episode. This rifting resulted in a fissure eruption of 0.3 km³ basaltic magma in Sveinagja graben, 50 to 70 km north of Askja and subsequent caldera collapse forming the Oskjuvatn caldera within the main Askja caldera. Five weeks after initial collapse, an explosive mixed magma eruption took place in Askja. On the basis of matching chemistry, synchronous activity and parallels with other rifted central volcanoes, the events in Askja and its lissure swarm are attributed to rise of basaltic magma into a high-level reservoir in the central volcano, subsequent rifting of the reservoir and lateral flow magma within the fissure swarm to emerge in the Sveinagja eruption. This lateral draining of the Askja reservoir is the most plausible cause for caldera collpse. The Sveinagja basalt belong to the group of evolved tholejites characteristie of several Icelandic central volcanoes and associated fissure swarms. Such tholeiites, with Mgvalues in the 40 to 50 tange, represent magmas which have suffered extensive fractional crystallization within the crust. The 12% porphyritic Sveinagja basalt contains phenocrysts of olivine (Fo_62–67), plagioclase (An_57–62), clinopyroxene (Wo₃₈En₄₆Wo₁₆) and titanomagnetite. Extrusion temperature of the lava, calculated on the basis of olivine and plagioclase geothermometry, is found to be close to 1150°C.     

Hawaiian magma-reservoir processes as inferred from the petrology of gabbro xenoliths in basalt,Kahoolawe Island

Gabbro xenoliths in a tholeiitic lava of Kahoolawe Island, Hawaii, a 1.3–1.4 Ma shield volcano, are 1–3 cm in size and comprised of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene. Gabbro textures — while intergranular and in part subophitic-are open due to 28–48 vol.% of vesicular basalt occupying xenolith space. Vesicles in and around the xenoliths are lined or filled with rhyolitic glass (segregation vesicles). The host is evolved tholeiite (MgO 6.1 wt%) with phenocrysts, microphenocrysts, and glomerocrysts of olivine, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and plagioclase, and megacrysts (1 cm) of plagioclase. The Sr-isotope ratio of one xenolith is 0.70489; the host basalt ratio is 0.70460. Xenolith isotope composition, grain resorption, and clinopyroxene (Fs_12.5–15Wo_38–35.5), orthopyroxene (Fs_19.5–24Wo_4.1), and plagioclase (An_68–65Or_0.8–1.2) compositions suggest that these gabbros crystallized from Kahoolawe tholeiitic magma of essentially the same composition as the host basalt, but pre-dating the magma represented by the host. Based on the absence of intergranular Fe–Ti oxide phases from the pl+cpx+opx assemblages, and the open, vuggy textures, we envision crystallization on a reservoir roof at temperatures >1100°C. Entrainment of gabbro assemblages and plagioclase megacrysts from a roof mush/suspension zone occurred during convection associated with replenishment of the magma reservoir. These open-textured gabbro xenoliths are therefore not fragments of preexisting coarse-grained bodies such as sills or segregation veins. Rhyolitic glass in vesicles represents a gas-effervescence filtration process that forced fractionated residual liquids from the groundmass into voids associated with the xenoliths.Sirrine Environmental Consultants, Fremont, CA 94538     

Magma supply and storage at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, 1956–1983

Shallow crustal magma reservoirs beneath the summit of Kilauea Volcano and within its rift zones are linked in such a way that the magma supply to each can be estimated from the rate of ground deformation at the volcano's summit. Our model builds on the well-documented pattern of summit inflation as magma accumulates in a shallow summit reservoir, followed by deflation as magma is discharged to the surface or into the rift zones. Magma supply to the summit reservoir is thus proportional to summit uplift, and supply to the rift zones is proportional to summit subsidence; the average proportionality constant is 0.33 × 10⁶ m³/γrad. This model yields minimum supply estimates because it does not account for magma which escapes detection by moving passively through the summit reservoir or directly into the rift zones.Calculations suggest that magma was supplied to Kilauea during July 1956– April 1983 at a minimum average rate of 7.2 × 10⁶ m3/month. Roughly 35% of the net supply was extruded; the rest remains stored within the volcano's east rift zone (55%) and southwest rift zone (10%). Periods of relatively rapid supply were associated with the large Kapoho eruption in 1960 and the sustained Mauna Ulu eruptions in 1969–1971 and 1972–1974. Bursts of harmonic tremor from the mantle beneath Kilauea were also unusually energetic during 1968–1975, suggesting a close link between Kilauea's deep magma supply region and shallow storage reservoirs. It remains unclear whether pulses in magma supply from depth give rise to corresponding increases in shallow supply, or if instead unloading of a delicately balanced magma transport system during large eruptions or intrusions triggers more rapid ascent from a relatively constant mantle source.