Evolution of La Palma,Canary archipelago

La Palma is the northwestern island in the Canary archipelago. The island is volcanically active and in recent years there have been two eruptions (1949 and 1971). The oldest rocks that crop out on the island are altered spilitic lavas and they are intruded by numerous dykes and a number of mafic and ultramafic plutonic rocks. These rocks form part of the floor of the huge Caldera de Taburiente. In the walls of the Caldera one finds a 1000 metres thick unit that is composed of lavas and tephra. The rocks are called the El Time formation; and they together with the rocks of the Cumbre Vieja ridge are mainly composed of accumulative mafic rocks, basanites, hawaiites, benmoreites and phonolitic trachytes. These sodarich alkalic rocks are considered to have evolved by fractional crystallization of a basanitic magma in a near surface environment.It is proposed that La Palma developed on a relatively cold section of a plate of oceanic lithosphere that was over 100 m.y. old. During the Alpine-Atlas orogeny this section of the African plate was disrupted and a basanitic magma was extruded onto the sea floor. The volcanic focus of this eruption became established as a local centre for the degassing of the mantle and as a result this area has experienced a long series of eruptions.During the first phase in the evolution of La Palma the submarine edifice of the island was constructed and the rocks of the Caldera Floor formation were emplaced. After a period of marine erosion the huge old volcano Taburiente developed in the northern half of the island. During the final phase in the evolution of the island the southern section of the volcanic edifice subsided and formed the El Paso tectonic basin and the volcanic rift zone along which the many smaller volcanoes of the Cumbre Vieja ridge have developed.     

The 2011 submarine volcanic eruption in El Hierro (Canary Islands)

Forty years after the Teneguía Volcano (La Palma, 1971), a submarine eruption took place off the town of La Restinga, south of El Hierro, the smallest and youngest island of the Canarian Archipelago. Precursors allowed an early detection of the event and its approximate location, suggesting it was submarine. Uncertainties derived from insufficient scientific information available to the authorities during the eruption, leading to disproportionate civil protection measures, which had an impact on the island's economy—based primarily on tourism—while residents experienced extra fear and distress.     

Kinematic model for Tenerife Island (Canary Islands,Spain): Geodynamic interpretation in the Nubian plate context

Establishment of a geodetic network in Tenerife is the starting point for the use of GPS and other precise geodetic techniques in the support of the study of kinematics and their relation with island volcanic activity. This paper is focused on the characterization of volcanotectonic activity of Tenerife, to determine the geodynamic framework for volcanic surveillance.TEGETEIDE network, set up in 2005 and re-observed each year, is composed of seven GNSS–GPS stations scattered throughout the island. A horizontal deformation model is presented in order to explain the observed island displacement pattern in the geodynamic context of the Nubian plate.According to the models obtained, the most important geologic structures, such as the volcanic rifts and the caldera, determine the current deformation pattern of Tenerife. The geodynamics of the most stable areas of the island behave similarly to that observed from the permanent GNSS–GPS reference stations located in La Palma and Gran Canaria Islands.Anomalous geodynamic behaviour has been detected in two zones of Tenerife, which configure an NW–SE axis crossing the central sector of the island, related with the volcanotectonic activity of the island and its surroundings.     

The magma plumbing system for the 1971 Teneguía eruption on La Palma,Canary Islands

The 1971 Teneguía eruption is the most recent volcanic event of the Cumbre Vieja rift zone on La Palma. The eruption produced basanite lavas that host xenoliths, which we investigate to provide insight into the processes of differentiation, assimilation and magma storage beneath La Palma. We compare our results to the older volcano magmatic systems of the island with the aim to reconstruct the temporal development of the magma plumbing system beneath La Palma. The 1971 lavas are clinopyroxene-olivine-phyric basanites that contain augite, sodic-augite and aluminium augite. Kaersutite cumulate xenoliths host olivine, clinopyroxene including sodic-diopside, and calcic-amphibole, whereas an analysed leucogabbro xenolith hosts plagioclase, sodic-augite-diopside, calcic-amphibole and hauyne. Mineral thermobarometry and mineral-melt thermobarometry indicate that clinopyroxene and plagioclase in the 1971 Teneguía lavas crystallised at 20–45 km depth, coinciding with clinopyroxene and calcic-amphibole crystallisation in the kaersutite cumulate xenoliths at 25–45 km and clinopyroxene, calcic-amphibole and plagioclase crystallisation in the leucogabbro xenolith at 30–50 km. Combined mineral chemistry and thermobarometry suggest that the magmas had already crystallised, differentiated and formed multiple crystal populations in the oceanic lithospheric mantle. Notably, the magmas that supplied the 1949 and 1971 events appear to have crystallised deeper than the earlier Cumbre Vieja magmas, which suggests progressive underplating beneath the Cumbre Vieja rift zone. In addition, the lavas and xenoliths of the 1971 event crystallised at a common depth, indicating a reused plumbing system and progressive recycling of Ocean Island plutonic complexes during subsequent magmatic activity.     

Rhyolitic pumice in the basaltic pyroclasts from the 1971 eruption of Teneguía volcano,Canary Islands

Fragments of acid pumice have been found among the basic pyroclastics thrown out by the Teneguía volcano during its explosive phases. The presence of these pumice fragments brings up the problem of their origin and their relationships to the mechanism of the eruption.The composition of the analysed samples coincides exactly with the low temperature trough in petrogeny's residua system, albits-orthoclase-silica. The samples can be classified as rhyolites and trachytes.The authors propose that the pumice was produced by the fusion of the acid phase in a subvolcanic complex located beneath the island of La Palma.     

Slope failures on the flanks of the western Canary Islands

Landslides have been a key process in the evolution of the western Canary Islands. The younger and more volcanically active Canary Islands, El Hierro, La Palma and Tenerife, show the clearest evidence of recent landslide activity. The evidence includes landslide scars on the island flanks, debris deposits on the lower island slopes, and volcaniclastic turbidites on the floor of the adjacent ocean basins. At least 14 large landslides have occurred on the flanks of the El Hierro, La Palma and Tenerife, the majority of these in the last 1 million years, with the youngest, on the northwest flank of El Hierro, as recent as 15 thousand years in age. Older landslides undoubtedly occurred, but are difficult to quantify because the evidence is buried beneath younger volcanic rocks and sediments. Landslides on the Canary Island flanks can be categorised as debris avalanches, slumps or debris flows. Debris avalanches are long runout catastrophic failures which typically affect only the superficial part of the island volcanic sequence, up to a maximum thickness of 1 to 2 km. They are the commonest type of landslide mapped. In contrast, slumps move short distances and are deep-rooted landslides which may affect the entire thickness of the volcanic edifice. Debris flows are defined as landslides which primarily affect the sedimentary cover of the submarine island flanks. Some landslides are complex events involving more than one of the above end-member processes.Individual debris avalanches have volumes in the range of 50–500 km³, cover several thousand km² of seafloor, and have runout distances of up to 130 km from source. Overall, debris avalanche deposits account for about 10% of the total volcanic edifices of the small, relatively young islands of El Hierro and La Palma. Some parameters, such as deposit volumes and landslide ages, are difficult to quantify. The key characteristics of debris avalanches include a relatively narrow headwall and chute above 3000 m water depth on the island flanks, broadening into a depositional lobe below 3000 m. Debris avalanche deposits have a typically blocky morphology, with individual blocks up to a kilometre or more in diameter. However, considerable variation exists between different avalanche deposits. At one extreme, the El Golfo debris avalanche on El Hierro has few large blocks scattered randomly across the avalanche surface. At the other, Icod on the north flank of Tenerife has much more numerous but smaller blocks over most of its surface, with a few very large blocks confined to the margins of the deposit. Icod also exhibits flow structures (longitudinal shears and pressure ridges) that are absent in El Golfo. The primary controls on the block structure and distribution are inferred to be related to the nature of the landslide material and to flow processes. Observations in experimental debris flows show that the differences between the El Golfo and Icod landslide deposits are probably controlled by the greater proportion of fine grained material in the Icod landslide. This, in turn, relates to the nature of the failed volcanic rocks, which are almost entirely basalt on El Hierro but include a much greater proportion of pyroclastic deposits on Tenerife.Landslide occurrence appears to be primarily controlled by the locations of volcanic rift zones on the islands, with landslides propagating perpendicular to the rift orientation. However, this does not explain the uneven distribution of landslides on some islands which seems to indicate that unstable flanks are a ‘weakness’ that can be carried forward during island development. This may occur because certain island flanks are steeper, extend to greater water depths or are less buttressed by the surrounding topography, and because volcanic production following a landslide my be concentrated in the landslide scar, thus focussing subsequent landslide potential in this area. Landslides are primarily a result of volcanic construction to a point where the mass of volcanic products fails under its own weight. Although the actual triggering factors are poorly understood, they may include or be influenced by dyke intrusion, pore pressure changes related to intrusion, seismicity or sealevel/climate changes. A possible relationship between caldera collapse and landsliding on Tenerife is not, in our interpretation, supported by the available evidence.     

The smectite to chlorite transition in a fossil seamount hydrothermal system: the Basement Complex of La Palma, Canary Islands

Abstract The hydrothermal metamorphism of a sequence of Pliocene-aged seamount extrusive and volcanoclastic rocks on La Palma includes a relatively complete low-P-T facies series encompassing the zeolite, prehnite-pumpellyite, and greenschist facies. The observed mineral zonations imply metamorphic gradients of 200–300° C km^-1. The transition from smectite to chlorite in the La Palma seamount series is characterized by discontinuous steps between discrete smectite, corrensite and chlorite, which occur ubiquitously as vesicles and, to a much lesser extent, vein in-fillings. Trioctahedral smectites [(Mg/(Fe + Mg) = 0.4–0.75] occur with palagonite and Na-Ca zeolites such as analcime and a thompsonite/natrolite solid solution. Corrensite [(Mg/(Fe + Mg) = 0.5–0.65] first appears at stratigraphic depths closely corresponding to the disappearance of analcime and first appearance of pumpellyite. Discrete chlorite [(Mg/(Fe + Mg) = 0.4–0.6] becomes the dominant layer silicate mineral coincident with the appearance of epidote and andraditic garnet. Within the stratigraphic section there is some overlap in the distribution of the three discrete layer silicate phases, although random interstratifications of these phases have not been observed. Although smectite occurs as both low- and high-charge forms, the La Palma corrensite is a compositionally restricted, 1:1 mixture of low-charge, trioctahedral smectite and chlorite. Electron microprobe analyses of coarse-grained corrensite yield structural formulae close to ideal values based on 50 negative charge recalculations. Calcium (average 0.20 cations/formula unit) is the dominant interlayer cation, with lesser Mg, K and Na. The absence of randomly interlayered chlorite/smectite in the La Palma seamount series may reflect high, time-integrated fluid fluxes through the seamount sequence. This is consistent with the ubiquity of high-variance metamorphic mineral assemblages and the general absence of relict igneous minerals in these samples.     

Rates of magma ascent and depths of magma reservoirs beneath La Palma (Canary Islands)

Peridotitic mantle xenoliths from historic and prehistoric eruptions on La Palma show many similarities. Prolonged reactions of the xenoliths with their host magmas have been used to place constraints on the magma transport system beneath the island. All xenoliths show crystalline selvages and 0.9–2.6 mm wide diffusion zones in olivine along most of their surface. Diffusion kinetics in olivine, combined with fluid inclusion barometry, document that selvages and diffusion zones formed at crustal levels within 8 to about 100 years. Some xenolith fractures lack selvages and were in contact with the host magma for less than 4 days. A multistage magma ascent is proposed: (i) peridotite wall rock was fragmented and became incorporated into the ascending magma years to decades prior to the eruption; (ii) the xenoliths were rapidly transported to, and deposited in, crustal magma reservoirs, forming selvages and diffusion zones at the xenolith rims; (iii) renewed fragmentation of the xenoliths occurred days to hours prior to eruption, possibly by decompressive strain fracturing during rapid ascent.     

Geochemical variation trends between the different Canary Islands in relation to their geological position

Geochemical variation trends established from 700 chemical analyses of rocks from the Canary Islands, show that the islands can be separated into two distinct groups. One group consists of Gran Canaria, Tenerife and La Palma with alkaline characters and rapid progressive alkalinization trends. The other group of islands (Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Gomera and El Hierro), also has an alkaline character but differs from the former in showing slower alkalinization trends. The evolution patterns of the magmas of both groups indicate that each new magmatic cycle is on the whole more alkaline than its immediate predecessor. These differences a are supposed to be connected with the predominance in the one group of magmatism related to ‘African’ tectonic lines and in the other of magmatism related to ‘Atlantic’ tectonic lines.     

Geochemistry and Crustal Evolution of Volcano-sedimentary Successions and Orthogneisses in the São Gabriel Block, Southernmost Brazil — Relics of Neoproterozoic Magmatic Arcs

Precambrian metaplutonic rocks of the São Gabriel block in southernmost Brazil comprise juvenile Neoproterozoic calc-alkaline gneisses (Cambaí Complex). The connection with associated (ultra-)mafic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks (Palma Group) is not well established. The whole complex was deformed during the Brasiliano orogenic cycle. Both metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks as well as metaplutonic rocks of the Cambaí Complex have been sampled for geochemical analyses in order to get constraints on the tectonic setting of these rocks and to establish a tectonic model for the São Gabriel block and its role during the assembly of West-Gondwana. The major element compositions of the igneous rocks (Palma Group and Cambaí Complex) indicate a subalkaline character; most orthogneisses have a calc-alkaline chemistry; many metavolcanic rocks of the Palma Group show signatures of low-K tholeiitic volcanic arc basalts. Trace element data, especially Ti, Zr, Y, Nb, of most igneous samples from both the lower Palma Group and the Cambaí Complex indicate origin at plate margins, i.e., in a subduction zone environment. This is corroborated by relative enrichment in LREE, low contents of Nb and other high field strength elements and enrichment in LILE like Rb, Ba, and Th. The data indicate the possible existence of two suites, an oceanic island arc and a continental arc or active continental margin. However, some ultramafic samples of the lower Palma Group in the western São Gabriel block indicate the existence of another volcanic suite with intra-plate character which possibly represents relics of oceanic island basalts (OIB). Trace element data indicate contributions from andesitic to mixed felsic and basic arc sources for the metasedimentary rocks. The patterns of chondrite- and N-MORB-normalized spider diagrams resemble the patterns of the igneous rocks, i.e., LILE and LREE enrichment and HFS depletion. The geochemical signatures of most igneous and metasedimentary samples and their low (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_t ratios suggest only minor contribution of old continental crust.A geotectonic model for the São Gabriel block comprises east-ward subduction and following accretion of an intra-oceanic island arc to the eastern border of the Rio de la Plata Craton at ca. 880 Ma, and westward subduction beneath the newly formed active continental margin between ca. 750 and 700 Ma. The São Gabriel block represents relics of an early Brasiliano oceanic basin between the Rio de la Plata and Kalahari Cratons. This ocean to the east of the Rio de la Plata Craton might be traced to the north and could possibly be linked with Neoproterozoic juvenile oceanic crust in the western Brasília belt (Goiás magmatic arc).     

S-rich apatite-hosted glass inclusions in xenoliths from La Palma: constraints on the volatile partitioning in evolved alkaline magmas

The composition of S-rich apatite, of volatile-rich glass inclusions in apatite, and of interstitial glasses in alkaline xenoliths from the 1949 basanite eruption in La Palma has been investigated to constrain the partitioning of volatiles between apatite and alkali-rich melts. The xenoliths are interpreted as cumulates from alkaline La Palma magmas. Apatite contains up to 0.89 wt% SO₃ (3560 ppm S), 0.31 wt% Cl, and 0.66 wt% Ce₂O₃. Sulfur is incorporated in apatite via several independent exchange reactions involving (P⁵⁺, Ca²⁺) vs. (S⁶⁺, Si⁴⁺, Na⁺, and Ce³⁺). The concentration of halogens in phonolitic to trachytic glasses ranges from 0.15 to 0.44 wt% for Cl and from <0.07 to 0.65 wt% for F. The sulfur concentration in the glasses ranges from 0.06 to 0.23 wt% SO₃ (sulfate-saturated systems). The chlorine partition coefficients (D_Cl^{apatite/glass}) range from 0.4 to 1.3 (average D_Cl^{apatite/glass} = 0.8), in good agreement with the results of experimental data in mafic and rhyolitic system with low Cl concentrations. With increasing F in glass inclusions D_F^{apatite/glass} decreases from 35 to 3. However, most of our data display a high partition coefficient (~30) close to D_F^{apatite/glass} determined experimentally in felsic rock. D_S^{apatite/glass} decreases from 9.1 to 2.9 with increasing SO₃ in glass inclusions. The combination of natural and experimental data reveals that the S partition coefficient tends toward a value of 2 for high S content in the glass (>0.2 wt% SO₃). D_S^{apatite/glass} is only slightly dependent on the melt composition and can be expressed as: SO_{3 apatite} (wt%) = 0.157 * ln SO_{3 glass} (wt%) + 0.9834. The phonolitic compositions of glass inclusions in amphibole and haüyne are very similar to evolved melts erupted on La Palma. The lower sulfur content and the higher Cl content in the phonolitic melt compared to basaltic magmas erupted in La Palma suggest that during magma evolution the crystallization of haüyne and pyrrhotite probably buffered the sulfur content of the melt, whereas the evolution of Cl concentration reflects an incompatible behavior. Trachytic compositions similar to those of the (water-rich) glass inclusions analyzed in apatite and clinopyroxene are not found as erupted products. These compositions are interpreted to be formed by the reaction between water-rich phonolitic melt and peridotite wall-rock.     

Multi-stage magma ascent beneath the Canary Islands: evidence from fluid inclusions

Gabbroic and ultramafic xenoliths and olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts in basaltic rocks from Gran Canaria, La Palma, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Gomera (Canary Islands) contain abundant CO₂-dominated fluid inclusions. Inclusion densities are strikingly similar on a regional scale. Histogram maxima correspond to one or more of the following pressures: (1) minimum 0.55 to 1.0 GPa (within the upper mantle); (2) between 0.2 and 0.4 GPa (the Moho or the lower crust); (3) at about 0.1 GPa (upper crust). Fluid inclusions in several rocks show a bimodal density distribution, the lower-density maximum comprising both texturally early and late inclusions. This is taken as evidence for an incomplete resetting of inclusion densities, and simultaneous formation of young inclusions, at well-defined magma stagnation levels. For Gran Canaria, pressure estimates for early inclusions in harzburgite and dunite xenoliths and olivine phenocrysts in the host basanites overlap at 0.9 to 1.0 GPa, indicating that such magma reservoir depths coincide with levels of xenolith entrainment into the magmas. Magma chamber pressures within the mantle, inferred to represent levels of mantle xenolith entrainment, are 0.65–0.95 GPa for El Hierro, 0.60–0.68 GPa for La Palma, and 0.55–0.75 GPa for Lanzarote. The highest-density fluid inclusions in many Canary Island mantle xenoliths have probably survived in-situ near-isobaric heating at the depth of xenolith entrainment. Inclusion data from all islands indicate ponding of basaltic magmas at Moho or lower crustal depths, and possibly at an additional higher level, strongly suggestive of two main crustal accumulation levels beneath each island. We emphasize that repeated magmatic underplating of primitive magmas, and therefore intrusive accretion, are important growth mechanisms for the Canary Islands, and by analogy, for other ocean islands. Comparable fluid inclusion data from primitive rocks in other tectonic settings, including Iceland, Etna and continental rift systems (Hungary, South Norway), indicate that magma accumulation close to Moho depths shortly before eruption is not, however, restricted to oceanic intraplate volcanoes. Lower crustal ponding and crystallization prior to eruption may be the rule rather than the exception, independent of the tectonic setting. Received: 30 May 1997 / Accepted: 6 February 1998     

Geochemical and H-O-Sr-Nd isotope evidence for magmatic processes and meteoric-water interactions in the basal complex of La Gomera, Canary Islands

The plutonic rocks of the Basal Complex of La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain, were studied by means of major and trace element contents and by H-O-Sr-Nd isotope compositions in order to distinguish primary magmatic characteristics and late-stage alteration products. Deciphering the effects of alteration allowed us to determine primary, plume-related compositions that indicated D- and ¹⁸O-depletion relative to normal upper mantle, supporting the conclusions of earlier studies on the plutonic rocks of Fuerteventura and La Palma. Late-stage alteration took place during the formation of the intrusive series induced by interaction with meteoric water. Inferred isotopic compositions of the meteoric water indicate that the water infiltrated into the rock edifice at a height of about 1500 m above sea level, suggesting the existence of a subaerial volcano which was active during the intrusive activity and that it has been either distroyed or remain buried by later volcanic and landslide events.     

Trace element characteristics of graywackes and tectonic setting discrimination of sedimentary basins

The graywackes of Paleozoic turbidite sequences of eastern Australia show a large variation in their trace element characteristics, which reflect distinct provenance types and tectonic settings for various suites. The tectonic settings recognised are oceanic island arc, continental island arc, active continental margin, and passive margins. Immobile trace elements, e.g. La, Ce, Nd, Th, Zr, Nb, Y, Sc and Co are very useful in tectonic setting discrimination. In general, there is a systematic increase in light rare earth elements (La, Ce, Nd), Th, Nb and the Ba/Sr, Rb/Sr, La/Y and Ni/Co ratios and a decrease in V, Sc and the Ba/Rb, K/Th and K/U ratios in graywackes from oceanic island arc to continental island arc to active continental margin to passive margin settings. On the basis of graywacke geochemistry, the optimum discrimination of the tectonic settings of sedimentary basins is achieved by La-Th, La-Th-Sc, Ti/Zr-La/Sc, La/Y-Sc/Cr, Th-Sc-Zr/10 and Th-Co-Zr/10 plots. The analysed oceanic island arc graywackes are characterised by extremely low abundances of La, Th, U, Zr, Nb; low Th/U and high La/Sc, La/Th, Ti/Zr, Zr/Th ratios. The studied graywackes of the continental island arc type setting are characterised by increased abundances of La, Th, U, Zr and Nb, and can be identified by the La-Th-Sc and La/Sc versus Ti/Zr plots. Active continental margin and passive margin graywackes are discriminated by the Th-Sc-Zr/10 and Th-Co-Zr/10 plots and associated parameters (e.g. Th/Zr, Th/Sc). The most important characteristic of the analysed passive margin type graywackes is the increased abundance of Zr, high Zr/Th and lower Ba, Rb, Sr and Ti/Zr ratio compared to the active continental margin graywackes.     

Composition and evolution of submarine volcanic rocks from the central and western Canary Islands

Submarine volcanic rocks dredged during RV Meteor cruise M43-1 comprise alkali basalts, basanites, nephelinites and their differentiates representing both basement-shield and young post-shield volcanics of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro. The primitive lavas vary widely in trace element composition (e.g., Zr/Y=6.6-11.7, (La/Sm)_N=2.3-5.4, and Ba/Yb=71-311), and they are characterized by steep, rare-earth element patterns with mean (La/Yb)_N=16, and by pronounced, positive primitive mantle-normalized Nb and Ta and negative K anomalies similar to HIMU-type basalts. Rocks from the submarine flanks west and north of Gran Canaria are isotopically and geochemically identical to rocks of the subaerial Miocene shield stage, but they are distinct from rocks of the post-shield stages (Zr/Nb=6.3-8.9, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70327-0.70332, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd=0.51289-0.51293, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=19.55-19.88). Most rocks dredged from the submarine flanks of Tenerife are isotopically and geochemically similar to rocks of the adjacent subaerial shield remnants, but a few resemble rocks of the subaerial post-shield stages (total range in Zr/Nb=4.6-6.1, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70300-0.70329, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd=0.51281-0.51292, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=19.51-19.96). Rocks from the southern submarine ridge of La Palma cover the entire compositional range of the subaerial rocks of that ridge. Additionally, they comprise a high Zr/Nb group which resembles rocks of the ca. 1-Ma-old Taburiente shield of northern La Palma (total range in Zr/Nb=3.0-6.4, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70297-0.70314, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd=0.51288-0.51296, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=19.21-19.79). Rocks from the southern submarine ridge of El Hierro compositionally resemble subaerial rocks of the island (Zr/Nb=4.1-6.2, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70296-0.70314, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd=0.51291-0.51297, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=19.25-19.91). The degree of melting in the subcanarian mantle is interpreted to decrease from east to west across the archipelago whereas the proportion of depleted mantle component in the melting anomaly increases, as illustrated by Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes. The isotopic characteristics of the mantle source beneath the Canary Islands represents a mixture of HIMU, DMM and EM I. The overall isotopic signature is intermediate between that of Madeira to the north, which trends towards more depleted compositions, and that of the Cape Verde Islands to the south which shows a pronounced trend towards enriched mantle compositions. A clear trend towards the EM II component is only evident in more evolved rocks dredged from a seamount between Tenerife and Gran Canaria, some of which contain terrigenous sedimentary xenoliths. We propose a genetic model which relates similar mantle source signatures of volcanic archipelagos off West Africa to a common, large-scale lower mantle upwelling which, according to geophysical data, becomes more diffuse in the upper mantle. Narrow plumes or blobs feeding the volcanic centers along the passive margin may rise from this thermal anomaly due to upwelling in small, continent-parallel upper-mantle convection cells.     

The upper mantle under La Palma,Canary Islands: formation of Si−K−Na-rich melt and its importance as a metasomatic agent

 Mantle xenoliths hosted by the Historic Volcan de San Antonio, La Palma, Canary Islands, fall into two main group. Group I consists of spinel harzburgites, rare spinel lherzolites and spinel dunites, whereas group II comprises spinel wehrlites, amphibole wehrlites, and amphibole clinopyroxenites. We here present data on group I xenoliths, including veined harzburgites and dunites which provide an excellent basis for detailed studies of metasomatic processes. The spinel harzburgite and lherzolite xenoliths have modal ol−opx−cpx ratios and mineral and whole rock major element chemistry similar to those found in Lanzarote and Hierro, and are interpreted as highly refractory, old oceanic lithospheric mantle. Spinel dunites are interpreted as old oceanic peridotite which has been relatively enriched in olivine and clinopyroxene (and highly incompatible elements) through reactions with basaltic Canarian magmas, with relatively high melt/peridotite ratio. Group I xenoliths from La Palma differ from the Hierro and Lanzarote ones by a frequent presence of minor amounts of phlogopite (and amphibole). Metasomatic processes are also reflected in a marked enrichment of strongly incompatible relative to moderately incompatible trace elements, and in a tendency for Fe−Ti enrichment along grain boundaries in some samples. The veins in the veined xenoliths show a gradual change in phase assemblage and composition of each phase, from Fe−Ti-rich amphibole+augite+Fe−Ti-oxides+apatite+basaltic glass, to Ti-poor phlogopite+Cr-diopside±chromite+ Si−Na−K-rich glass+fluid. Complex reaction zones between veins and peridotite include formation of clinopyroxene±olivine+glass at the expense of orthopyroxene in harzburgite, and clinopyroxene+spinel±amphibole±glass at the expense of olivine in dunite. The dramatic change in glass composition from the broadest to the narrowest veins includes increasing SiO₂ from 44 to 67 wt%, decreasing TiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio from >0.24 to about 0.02, and increasing K₂O and Na₂O from 1.8 to >7.0 wt% and 3.8 to 6.7 wt%, respectively. The petrographic observations supported by petrographic mixing calculations indicate that the most silicic melts in the veined xenoliths formed as the result of reaction between infiltrating basaltic melt and peridotite wall-rock. The highly silicic, alkaline melt may represent an important metasomatic agent. Pervasive metasomatism by highly silicic melts (and possibly fluids unmixed from these) may account for the enriched trace element patterns and frequent presence of phlogopite in the upper mantle under La Palma. Received: 15 January 1996 / Accepted 30 May 1996     

Silicic melts produced by reaction between peridotite and infiltrating basaltic melts: ion probe data on glasses and minerals in veined xenoliths from La Palma, Canary Islands

Mantle xenoliths hosted by the historic Volcan de San Antonio, La Palma, Canary Islands include veined spinel harzburgites and spinel dunites. Glasses and associated minerals in the vein system of veined xenoliths show a gradual transition in composition from broad veins to narrow veinlets. Broad veins contain alkali basaltic glass with semi-linear trace element patterns enriched in strongly incompatible elements. As the veins become narrower, the SiO₂-contents in glass increase (46 → 67 wt% SiO₂ in harzburgite, 43 → 58 wt% in dunite) and the trace element patterns change gradually to concave patterns depleted in moderately incompatible elements (e.g. HREE, Zr, Ti) relative to highly incompatible ones. The highest SiO₂-contents (ca. 68% SiO₂, low Ti-Fe-Mg-Ca-contents) and most extreme concave trace element patterns are exhibited by glass in unveined peridotite xenoliths. Clinopyroxenes shift from LREE-enriched augites in basaltic glass, to REE-depleted Cr-diopside in highly silicic glass. Estimates indicate that the most silicic glasses represent melts in, or near, equilibrium with their host peridotites. The observed trace element changes are compatible with formation of the silicic melts by processes involving infiltration of basaltic melts into mantle peridotite followed by reactions and crystallization. The Fe-Mg interdiffusion profiles in olivine porphyroclasts adjacent to the veins indicate a minimum period of diffusion of 600 years, implying that the reaction processes have taken place in situ in the upper mantle. The CaO-TiO₂-La/Nd relationships of mantle rocks may be used to discriminate between metasomatism caused by carbonatitic and silicic melts. Unveined mantle xenoliths from La Palma and Hierro (Canary Islands) show a wide range in La/Nd ratios with relatively constant, low-CaO contents which is compatible with metasomatism of “normal” abyssal peridotite by silicic melts. Peridotite xenoliths from Tenerife show somewhat higher CaO and TiO₂ contents than those from the other islands and may have been affected by basaltic or carbonatitic melts. The observed trace element signatures of ultramafic xenoliths from La Palma and other Canary Islands may be accounted for by addition of small amounts (1–7%) of highly silicic melt to unmetasomatized peridotite. Also ultramafic xenoliths from other localities, e.g. eastern Australia, show CaO-TiO₂-La/Nd relationships compatible with metasomatism by silicic melts. These results suggest that silicic melts may represent important metasomatic agents. Received: 15 November 1998 / Accepted: 17 May 1999     

Carbonate xenoliths in La Palma: Carbonatite or alteration product?

Carbonate xenoliths containing olivine and rimmed by kaersutitic amphibole were collected in basaltic rocks of the Basal Complex of La Palma. The mineralogical composition and microscopic appearance may suggest a relationship with carbonatites in general, thus a major element, trace element and stable isotope study was conducted to investigate the origin of the carbonate formation. Based on electron microprobe analyses, the carbonate is calcite with up to 6.3 wt% MgO and 7.2 wt% SiO₂. The elevated SiO₂ content may suggest a melt origin for the carbonate. However, the C and O isotope compositions of the carbonate xenoliths (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O around −1‰ and 13‰, respectively) are similar to those of calcite veins and amygdales in basaltic rocks of the Basal Complexes of La Palma and Fuerteventura and are interpreted as produced by fluid degassing and metasomatism by CO₂-H₂O fluid derived from mobilization of sedimentary material. Trace element contents determined by laser-ablation ICP-MS analyses support the assumed origin, thus, the relationship with carbonatitic melts can be excluded. Based on trace element compositions, the amphibole surrounding the xenoliths is not related genetically to the carbonate. The elevated SiO₂ content of the calcite can be attributed to submicron relics of pyroxene, thus, the use of this feature as an evidence for melt origin is questionable.     

Evidence for distinct proportions of subducted oceanic crust and lithosphere in HIMU-type mantle beneath El Hierro and La Palma, Canary Islands

Shield-stage high-MgO alkalic lavas from La Palma and El Hierro (Canary Islands) have been characterized for their O-Sr-Nd-Os-Pb isotope compositions and major-, trace-, and highly siderophile-element (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Pd, Re) abundances. New data are also reported for associated evolved rocks, and entrained xenoliths. Clear differences in Pd/Ir and isotopic ratios for high Os (>50 ppt) lavas from El Hierro (δ¹⁸O_olivine = 5.17 ± 0.08‰; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7029 to 0.7031; ε_Nd = +5.7 to +7.1; ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 0.1481 to 0.1750; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 19.1 to 19.7; Pd/Ir = 6 ± 3) versus those from La Palma (δ¹⁸O_olivine = 4.87 ± 0.18‰; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7031 to 0.7032; ε_Nd = +5.0 to +6.4; ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 0.1421 to 0.1460; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 19.5 to 20.2; Pd/Ir = 11 ± 4) are revealed from the dataset.Crustal or lithospheric assimilation during magma transport cannot explain variations in isotopic ratios or element abundances of the lavas. Shallow-level crystal-liquid fractionation of olivine, clinopyroxene and associated early-crystallizing minerals (e.g., spinel and HSE-rich phases) controlled compatible element and HSE abundances; there is also evidence for sub-aerial degassing of rhenium. High-MgO lavas are enriched in light rare earth elements, Nb, Ta, U, Th, and depleted in K and Pb, relative to primitive mantle abundance estimates, typical of HIMU-type oceanic island basalts. Trace element abundances and ratios are consistent with low degrees (2-6%) of partial melting of an enriched mantle source, commencing in the garnet stability field (?110 km). Western Canary Island lavas were sulphur undersaturated with estimated parental melt HSE abundances (in ppb) of 0.07 ± 0.05 Os, 0.17 ± 0.16 Ir, 0.34 ± 0.32 Ru, 2.6 ± 2.5 Pt, 1.4 ± 1.2 Pd, 0.39 ± 0.30 Re. These estimates indicate that Canary Island alkali basalts have lower Os, Ir and Ru, but similar Pt, Pd and Re contents to Hawai’ian tholeiites.The HIMU affinities of the lavas, in conjunction with the low δ¹⁸O_olivine and high ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb for La Palma, and elevated ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os for El Hierro implies melting of different proportions of recycled oceanic crust and lithosphere. Our preferred model to explain isotopic differences between the islands is generation from peridotitic mantle metasomatised by <10% pyroxenite/eclogite made from variable portions of similar aged recycled oceanic crust and lithosphere. The correspondence of radiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os, elevated Re/Os and Pt/Os, and low-δ¹⁸O in western Canary Island lavas provides powerful support for recycled oceanic crust and lithosphere to generate the spectrum of HIMU-type ocean island basalt signatures. Persistence of geochemical heterogeneities throughout the stratigraphies of El Hierro and La Palma demonstrate long-term preservation of these recycled components in their mantle sources over relatively short-length scales (∼50 km).     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">BVRI</Emphasis>Hα CCD photometry of the spiral galaxy NGC 3184

We have carried out BVRIHα CCD surface photometry of the spiral galaxy with active star formation NGC 3184 using the 1-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory. B and Hα data from the ING Archive (La Palma Observatory) were also used. We consider the structure and radial brightness distribution of the galaxy. Stellar populations in different regions of the galaxy are analyzed using two-color diagrams. We have identified and studied star-forming regions in NGC 3184 and estimated their ages based on evolutionary modeling.