Miocene silicic volcanism in southwestern Idaho: geochronology,geochemistry, and evolution of the central Snake River Plain

New ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar geochronology, bulk rock geochemical data, and physical characteristics for representative stratigraphic sections of rhyolite ignimbrites and lavas from the west-central Snake River Plain (SRP) are combined to develop a coherent stratigraphic framework for Miocene silicic magmatism in this part of the Yellowstone ‘hotspot track’. The magmatic record differs from that in areas to the west and east with regard to its unusually large extrusive volume, broad lateral scale, and extended duration. We infer that the magmatic systems developed in response to large-scale and repeated injections of basaltic magma into the crust, resulting in significant reconstitution of large volumes of the crust, wide distribution of crustal melt zones, and complex feeder systems for individual eruptive events. Some eruptive episodes or ‘events’ appear to be contemporaneous with major normal faulting, and perhaps catastrophic crustal foundering, that may have triggered concurrent evacuations of separate silicic magma reservoirs. This behavior and cumulative time-composition relations are difficult to relate to simple caldera-style single-source feeder systems and imply complex temporal-spatial development of the silicic magma systems. Inferred volumes and timing of mafic magma inputs, as the driving energy source, require a significant component of lithospheric extension on NNW-trending Basin and Range style faults (i.e., roughly parallel to the SW–NE orientation of the eastern SRP). This is needed to accommodate basaltic inputs at crustal levels, and is likely to play a role in generation of those magmas. Anomalously high magma production in the SRP compared to that in adjacent areas (e.g., northern Basin and Range Province) may require additional sub-lithospheric processes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi: ) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. This paper constitutes part of a special issue dedicated to Bill Bonnichsen on the petrogenesis and volcanology of anorogenic rhyolites.     

Rhyolites in continental mafic Large Igneous Provinces: Petrology,geochemistry and petrogenesis

We present a detailed review of the petrological and geochemical aspects of rhyolite and associated silicic volcanic rocks(up to 20 vol%of all rocks)reported to date from twelve well known Phanerozoic continental mafic Large Igneous Provinces(LIPs).These typically spread over<104 km^2(rarely 105 km^2 for Parana-Etendeka)area and comprise<10~4 km^3 of extrusive silicic rocks,erupted either during or after the main basaltic eruption within<5 Myr,with some eruption(s)continuing for≤30 Myr.These rhyolites and associated silicic volcanic rocks(60-81 wt.%of SiO2)are mostly metaluminous to peraluminous and are formed via(ⅰ)fractional crystallization of parental mafic magma with negligible crustal contamination,and(ⅱ)melting of continental crust or assimilation and fractional crystallization(AFC)of mafic magma with significant crustal contribution.Rhyolites formed by extensive fractional crystallization are characterized by the presence of clinopyroxene phenocrysts,exhibit steep negative slopes in bivariate major oxides plots and weak to no Nb-Ta anomaly;these typically have temperature>900℃.Rhyolites formed by significant crustal contribution are characterized by strong negative Nb-Ta anomalies,absence of clinopyroxene phenocrysts,and are likely to have a magma temperature<900℃.Geochemical signatures suggest rhyolite melt generation in the plagioclase stability field with a minor fraction originating from lower crustal depths.A large part of the compositional variability in rhyolites,particularly the SrNd-Pb-O isotope ratios,suggests a significant role of continental crust(upper crustal melting or AFC)in the evolution of these silicic rocks in the continental mafic LIPs.     

钦杭结合带中段龙头寨群黄竹洞组地质时代的新证据:流纹岩夹层的SHRIMP锆石U-Pb年龄及地质意义

为进一步查明钦(州湾)-杭(州湾)结合带中段龙头寨群的地质时代及龙头寨群黄竹洞组与上覆南迳组的接触关系,在野外考察、代表性剖面测制的基础上,对粤北始兴司前龙头寨群黄竹洞组变质岩系顶部首次发现的火山岩夹层的2个弱变质流纹岩样品进行了SHRIMP锆石U-Pb年龄测定,获得~(206)Pb/~(238)U加权平均年龄分别为436.2±2.1Ma (n=15,MSWD=1.60)和438.7±2.1Ma(n=16,MSWD=1.17),指示黄竹洞组的地质时代属晚奥陶世-早志留世,为黄竹洞组的地质时代归属提供了证据。结合上覆南迳组碎斑熔岩SHRIMP锆石U-Pb年龄为443.6±5.4Ma,说明黄竹洞组火山岩夹层与南迳组火山岩的锆石U-Pb年龄在误差范围内一致,属同期火山活动的产物,为黄竹洞组与南迳组的接触关系属整合接触提供了时代约束。粤北龙头寨群黄竹洞组顶部火山岩及南迳组火山岩系的发现和地质时代的厘定,为钦-杭结合带中段晚奥陶世-早志留世龙头寨群属活动大陆边缘沉积提供了依据,暗示钦-杭结合带中段加里东造山带属俯冲-碰撞造山带。     

满洲里南部白音高老组流纹岩锆石U-Pb定年及岩石成因

满洲里南部白音高老组火山岩主要由流纹岩组成,含少量珍珠岩和流纹质凝灰岩。LA-ICPMS锆石U-Pb定年结果显示,流纹岩形成于141~139Ma的早白垩世早期。岩石地球化学研究表明,火山岩具有高硅富碱、贫钙镁和高FeO^T/MgO比值的特征; 稀土丰度总量较高(∑REE介于103×10^-6~488×10^-6),轻重稀土分馏明显［(La/ Yb)_N=4.12~30.94)］,Eu负异常显著(δEu=0.12~0.46); 微量元素以富集Rb、Th、U、K,强烈亏损Ba、Sr、P、Ti,中等亏损Nb、Ta和高Ga/Al值为特征,与A-型花岗岩特征相似。锆石¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf比值介于0.282785~0.282970之间,ε_Hf(t)值均为正值,介于3.78~9.98之间。流纹岩岩浆来源于斜长石稳定区玄武质下地壳物质的部分熔融,形成于非造山板内伸展构造环境。     

Viscosity measurements of hydrous rhyolitic melts using the fiber elongation method

We have devised a new, simple and easy technique to measure the viscosity of hydrous silicate melts by combining an autoclave for melt hydration and the fiber elongation method for viscosity measurement. Using this, we measured the viscosity of hydrous rhyolitic melts whose water content ranges from 0.02 to 0.58 wt%. We observed a drastic decrease in viscosity against water content: 0.1 wt% water decreases the viscosity about an order of magnitude. Even when the water content is only 0.02 wt%, the viscosity decreased about half an order of magnitude. These results clearly demonstrate that the effect of water on viscosity should not be ignored even when it occurs as a trace constituent. We compared our experimental data with those derived from a non-Arrhenian viscosity model, which is considered to be applicable to calc-alkaline samples. This model succeeded in expressing the viscosity variation against water content but was unable to accurately predict the measured viscosity of liquids.Editorial responsibility: D. Dingwell     

Petrogenesis and tectonic setting of the peralkaline Pine Canyon caldera, Trans-Pecos Texas, USA

The Pine Canyon caldera is a small (6–7 km diameter) ash-flow caldera that erupted peralkaline quartz trachyte, rhyolite, and high-silica rhyolite lavas and ash-flow tuffs about 33–32 Ma. The Pine Canyon caldera is located in Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA, in the southern part of the Trans-Pecos Magmatic Province (TPMP). The eruptive products of the Pine Canyon caldera are assigned to the South Rim Formation, which represents the silicic end member of a bimodal suite (with a “Daly Gap” between 57 and 62 wt.% SiO₂); the mafic end member consists primarily of alkali basalt to mugearite lavas of the 34–30 Ma Bee Mountain Basalt. Approximately 60–70% crystallization of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, olivine, magnetite, and apatite from alkali basalt coupled with assimilation of shale wall rock (M_a/M_c = 0.3–0.4) produced the quartz trachyte magma. Variation within the quartz trachyte–rhyolite suite was the result of 70% fractional crystallization of an assemblage dominated by alkali feldspar with subordinate clinopyroxene, fayalite, ilmenite, and apatite. High-silica rhyolite is not cogenetic with the quartz trachyte–rhyolite suite, and can be best explained as the result of  5% partial melting of a mafic granulite in the deep crust under the fluxing influence of fluorine. Variation within the high-silica rhyolite is most likely due to fractional crystallization of alkali feldspar, quartz, magnetite, biotite, and monazite. Lavas and tuffs of the South Rim Formation form A-type rhyolite suites, and are broadly similar to rock series described in anorogenic settings both in terms of petrology and petrogenesis. The Pine Canyon caldera is interpreted to have developed in a post-orogenic tectonic setting, or an early stage of continental rifting, and represents the earliest evidence for continental extension in the TPMP.     

俄罗斯Kurile-Kamchatka地区安山质熔体的成分、挥发分组成和微量元素

Melt inclusions in minerals from some volcanoes of the Kurile-Kamchatka region were examined.The studied basaltic andesites and andesites were sampled from volcanoes of the Central Kamchatka depression(Shiveluch and Bezymyannyi),Eastern Kamchatka volcanic belt(Avachinskii and Karymskii),and Iturup Island,Southern Kuriles(Kudryavyi).Basalts of the 1996 eruption of the Karymskii volcanic center and dacites of Dikii Greben'volcano,Southern Kamchatka were also studied.More than 260 melt inclusions from 31 rock samples were homogenized,and quenched glasses were analyzed using electron and ion microprobes.The compositions of melt inclusions in andesitic phenoerysts vary in silica contents from 56 to 80wt%.Al_2 O_3 ,FeO,MgO,CaO decrease and Na_2O and K_2O increase with increasing SiO_2.Many inclusions(about 80% )are dacitic or rhyolitic.However,the compositions of silicic glasses(>65wt% SiO_2)in andesites significantly differ in TiO2,FeO,MgO,CaO,and K_2O contents from those in dacites and rhyolites.High-potassium melts(K_2O 3.8～6.8wt% )with various SiO_2 from 51.4 to 77.2wt% were found in minerals of all volcanoes studied.This indicates a contribution of a component selectively enriched in potassium to magmas of the whole region.A great compositional diversity of melt inclusions in plagioelase phenocrysts from the Bezymyannyi andesites suggests a complex history of plagioclase crystallization and magma evolution in the andesite formation.Melts from different volcanoes strongly vary in volatile contents.The highest H_2O contents are found in the melts from Shiveluch(3.0～7.2wt%,4.7wt% on average)and Avachinskii (4.7～4.8wt%);while those are lower in melts of Kudryavyi(0.1～2.6wt% ),Dikii Greben'(0.4～1.8wt%),and Bezymyannyi (<1wt%).Chlorine contents are also variable.The lowest values are found in the Bezymyannyi melts(0.09wt% on average),the highest Cl contents are typical of melt inclusions in minerals from the Karymskii andesites(0.26wt% on average).The melts from Avachinskii,Dikii Greben',Kudryavyi,and Shiveluch show intermediate Cl contents(0.13～0.20wt% ).The pressure of 350～1600 bar determined by CO_2 fluid inclusions in plagioclase from the Shiveluch andesites suggests a magma chamber at a depth of 1.5～6 km. Concentrations of 17 elements were determined in glasses of melt inclusions in plagioclases from five volcanoes(Avachinskii, Bezymyannyi,Dikii Greben',Kudryavyi,and Shiveluch).The studied melts show similar trace-element patterns with Nb and Ti minima and B,K,Be,and Li maxima.The melts are close to typical island arc magmas by Sr/Y,La/Yb,K/Ti,and Ca/St ratios, and have some specific regional geochemical features.REE patterns sensitive to degree of magma differentiation indicate that Kudryavyi magmas are most primitive,while Shiveluch magmas are most evolved.     

Stratigraphy,distribution and geochemistry of widespread felsic volcanic units in the Mesoproterozoic Gawler Range Volcanics,South Australia

Three widespread felsic volcanic units, the Eucarro Rhyolite, Pondanna Dacite Member and Moonaree Dacite Member, have been distinguished in the Mesoproterozoic Gawler Range Volcanics. These three units are the largest in the Gawler Range Volcanics, each in excess of 500 km³. Each unit is ～300 m thick and includes a black, formerly glassy base, a granophyric columnar‐jointed interior, and an amygdaloidal outer margin. The units are very gently dipping and locally separated by thin (<20 m) lenses of either ignimbrite (Mt Double Ignimbrite), tuffaceous sandstone or faults. The youngest unit, the Moonaree Dacite Member, covers a central area with a diameter greater than 80 km. The southern two units have east‐west extents in the order of 180 km, but are much less extensive from south to north (5–60 km). All three units are dominated by euhedral phenocrysts and are relatively crystal rich. Both the Eucarro Rhyolite and Moonaree Dacite Member contain clasts of basement granitoid and other lithologies and are locally heterogeneous in texture and composition. Some granitoid clasts have disintegrated, liberating feldspar and quartz crystals into the surrounding host. These liberated crystals cause textural variations, but can be identified on the basis of shape (amoeboid or skeletal) and/or size (megacrysts). Textural and lithofacies characteristics are consistent with the interpretation that these units are lavas; the strongly elongate distribution and wide extent of the Eucarro Rhyolite and Pondanna Dacite Member could indicate that vents were aligned along an extensive east‐west‐trending fissure system. Stratigraphic nomenclature has been revised to better reflect the presence of the three emplacement units. The oldest unit, the Eucarro Rhyolite, is dominated by plagioclase‐phyric rhyolite that locally includes granitoid clasts and megacrysts. Along the northern margin, the rhyolite is amygdaloidal and has mingled with a quartz‐rich rhyolite (Paney Rhyolite Member). The Eucarro Rhyolite and Paney Rhyolite Member replace the formerly defined ‘Eucarro Dacite’, ‘Nonning Rhyodacite’, ‘Yannabie Rhyodacite’ and ‘Paney Rhyolite’. The two younger units, Pondanna Dacite Member and Moonaree Dacite Member, are compositionally and spatially distinct, newly defined members of the Yardea Dacite.     

History of the Ordovician continental platform shelf margin of Australia

Much of South Australia, western New South Wales, and Tasmania was affected by the Late Cambrian‐Early Ordovician Delamerian Orogeny. Areas of the former shelf margin exhibit molasse‐type conglomerates overlying a major late Middle to Late Cambrian unconformity (Jukesian Movement in Tasmania or Mootwingee Movement in western N.S.W.). In continental platform areas to the north the effects of the orogeny were less intense with, in the Georgina Basin for instance, only dis‐conformable relationships, and the overlying deposits consisting of fine elastics and carbonates. Regression accompanied this first phase of tectonic upheaval and was followed by a period of ‘late Tremadoc’ transgression of the sea into several embayment areas of the continental platform. This short‐lived transgression was succeeded by ‘early Arenig’ regression which appears to be related to a second, less intense Delamerian orogenic phase. Expression of this phase ranges from unconformity in west Tasmania (Haulage and Lynchford Movements) to disconformity in the Georgina Basin (Kelly Creek Movement).

A second, more extensive and long‐lived transgression of the sea from the ‘middle Arenig’ to about the end of the ‘Llanvirn’ resulted in the development of the epicontinental Larapintine Sea, permitting interchange of warmer and cooler waters from either ends of the seaway. Combined fossil, lithological and palaeomagnetic evidence suggests that, of the fragments of Gondwanaland, Australia alone straddled the Ordovician equator, with its present west coast approximately along the line of Lat. 30°S. Influxes of sand from the areas of mild‐high relief to the south appear to have been deflected in an anticlockwise direction along the open, ocean‐facing Gnalta Shelf of western N.S.W. towards the eastern end of the Larapintine Sea perhaps as a result of a major westward‐flowing equatorial current. The influxes progressively constricted and finally blocked off the eastern end of the seaway by the end of ‘Llanvirn’ time. The closure, and final regression of the sea from all continental platform areas, seems to have been accompanied by a phase of local uplift and erosion (Dullingari Movement of northeastern South Australia). In cratonic areas of central and northern Australia a period of Late Ordovician or Early Silurian uplift and erosion (Rodingan Movement) followed. Dullingari and Rodingan Movements may be correlated with phases of the Benambran Orogeny of the Tas‐man Geosyncline.

Late Ordovician cratonic sedimentation was restricted to the shelf margin. On the Tasmanian Shelf carbonates accumulated during a long period of relative tectonic quiescence and gentle subsidence. First signs of onset of the Benambrian Orogeny are shown by the appearance of clastics in the topmost beds of the Tasmanian Ordovician sequence.