Shift and Rotation of Composition Trends by Magma Mixing: 1983 Eruption at Miyake-jima Volcano, Japan

Pre-eruption processes are investigated for magmas erupted in1983 from Miyake-jima volcano, which is one of the most activevolcanoes in Japan. The whole-rock compositional trends of theeruptive products are principally smooth and linear. Magmaserupted from some fissures have compositions that deviate fromthe main linear trend. Phenocryst contents of samples displacedfrom the linear compositional trends are significantly lowerthan those of samples on the main trends. Anorthite-rich plagioclasephenocrysts, present throughout the 1983 products, are too calcicto have crystallized from the erupted magma composition, andwere derived from a basaltic magma through magma mixing. Althoughthe linear whole-rock composition trends favor simple two-componentmagma mixing, this cannot explain the presence of samples thatdeviate from the main trend. Instead, the observed compositiontrends were formed by mixing of a homogeneous basaltic magmawith andesitic magmas exhibiting compositional diversity. Theoriginal linear composition trends of the andesitic end-membermagma were rotated and shifted to the direction of the basalticend-member magma by magma mixing. The samples out of the maintrends represent magmas with less basaltic component than thoseon the trend. The density and viscosity of the basaltic end-membermagma were comparable with those of the andesitic end-membermagmas. The basaltic magma, discharged from one magma chamberat 2 kbar pressure, was injected into a magma chamber at lowerpressure occupied by the chemically zoned andesite magma (1kbar), and possibly as a fountain. To establish the characteristicmixing trend of the 1983 magma, the basaltic component musthave been distributed systematically in the zoned andesite magma.A requirement is that the basaltic magma spread laterally andmixed with the andesite magma at various levels of ascent ofthe fountain in the host andesite magma. Analysis of compositionalzoning in titanomagnetite crystals revealed that the eruptionof the 1983 magmas was initiated soon after the replenishmentof the basaltic magma in the 1 kbar magma chamber. KEY WORDS: compositional trend; liquid–liquid blending; magma chamber; magma mixing; Miyake-jima Volcano