Mobility and depositional controls of radioelements in hydrothermal systems at the Long Valley and Valles calderas

The loci and abundance of U and Th were examined in tuffaceous rocks encompassing hydrothermal systems at the Long Valley caldera, California and the Valles caldera, New Mexico. Aspects of these systems may be analogous to conditions expected in a potential site for a high-level waste repository in welded tuff. Examination of radioelements in core from scientific drill holes at these sites was accomplished by gamma-ray spectrometry and fission-track radiography. In the lateral-flowing hydrothermal system at the Long Valley caldera, where temperatures range from 140 to 200 °C, U is concentrated to 20 ppm in Fe-rich zones of varved tuff and to 50 ppm with Fe-rich mineral phases in tuff fragments of a calcite-cemented breccia. U-series disequilibrium in some of these samples suggests mobilization/deposition of parent U and/or its daughters. In the vapor zone of the Valles caldera's hydrothermal system (temperature ˜ 100 °C), the concordance of high U, low Th/U and decreasing whole-rock O-isotope ratios suggests that U was concentrated in response to hydrothermal circulation when the system was formerly liquid-dominated. In the underlying present-day liquid-dominated zone (temperature to 210 °C), U, up to several tens of parts per million, occurs with pyrite and Fe-oxide minerals, and in concentrations to several percents with a Ti-Nb-Y-rare earth mineral. In the Valles system's outflow zone, U is also concentrated in Fe-rich zones as well as in carbonaceous-rich zones in the Paleozoic sedimentary rocks that underlie the Quaternary tuff. Th, associated with accessory minerals, predominates in breccia zones and in a mineralized fault zone near the base of the Paleozoic sedimentary sequence. Relatively high concentrations of U occur in springs representative of water recharging the Valles caldera's hydrothermal system. In contrast, considerably lower U concentrations occur in hot waters (> 220 °C) and in the system's outflow plume, suggesting that U is concentrating in the hotter part of the system. The Long Valley and Valles observations indicate that U and Ra are locally mobile under hydrothermal conditions, and that reducing conditions associated with Fe-rich minerals and carbonaceous material are important factors in the adsorption of U, and thus can retard its transport in water at elevated temperature.     

Timing of magma extraction during the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption (Campi Flegrei Caldera)

A core drilled within the northern part of the city of Napoli has offered the unique opportunity to observe in one single sequence the superposition of the four pyroclastic flow units emplaced during the Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) eruption. Such a stratigraphic succession has never been encountered before in natural or in man made exposures. Therefore the CI sequence was reconstructed only on the basis of stratigraphic correlations and compositional data (in literature). The occurrence of four superposed CI flows, together with all the data available (in literature) allowed us to better constrain the chemical stratigraphy of the deposit and the compositional structure of the CI magma chamber. The CI magma chamber includes two cogenetic magma layers, separated by a compositional gap. The upper magma layer was contaminated by interaction with radiogenic fluids. The two magma layers were extruded either individually or simultaneously during the course of the eruption. In the latter case they produced a hybrid magma. But no evidence of input of new geochemically and isotopically distinct magma batches just prior or during the eruption has been found. Comparison with the exposed CI deposits has permitted reconstruction of variable eruption phases and related magma withdrawal and caldera collapse episodes. The eruption was likely to have began with phreatomagmatic explosions followed by the formation of a sustained plinian eruption column fed by the simultaneous extraction from both magma layers. Towards the end of this phase the upward migration of the fragmentation surface and the decrease in magma eruption rate and/or activation of fractures formed an unstable pulsating column that was fed only by the most-evolved magma layer. This plinian phase was followed by the collapse of the eruption column and the beginning of caldera formation. At this stage expanded pyroclastic flows fed by the upper magma layer in the chamber generated. During the following major caldera collapse episode, the maximum mass discharge rate was reached and both magma layers were tapped, generating expanded pyroclastic flows. Towards the end of the eruption, only the deeper and less differentiated magma layer was tapped producing more concentrated pyroclastic flows that traveled short distances.     

ESR dating of quartz phenocrysts in the El Cajete and Battleship Rock Members of Valles Rhyolite, Valles Caldera, New Mexico

The electron spin resonance (ESR) dating method was employed on quartz phenocrysts separated from pumice of the El Cajete and Battleship Rock Members of the Valles Rhyolite in the Valles caldera, New Mexico. The results of heating experiments indicate that Ti impurity centers have two components; a thermally stable one and a less stable, temperature sensitive one. ESR dates using the stable Ti center yield eruption ages of 59 ± 6 ka for the Battleship Rock Member and 53 ± 6 ka for the El Cajete Member while recent ¹⁴C dates (S. Reneau and J. Gardner, unpub. data) from carbonized logs in the El Cajete pumice indicate that its age is older than 50 ka. Our results indicate that volcanism in the Valles caldera is much younger than previously thought (≥ 130 ka) and that recent revisions to the post-0.5 Ma stratigraphy of Valles caldera are probably in error. The results suggest that ESR dating of quartz may be a useful method for obtaining ages of units in other Quaternary volcanic areas.     

Geochemistry and isotopes of fluids from sulphur springs, Valles Caldera, New Mexico

Detailed geochemistry supported by geologic mapping has been used to investigate Sulphur Springs, an acid-sulfate hot spring system that issues from the western flank of the resurgent dome inside Valles Caldera. The most intense activity occurs at the intersection of faults offsetting caldera-fill deposits and post-caldera rhyolites. Three geothermal wells in the area have encountered pressures <1 MPa and temperatures of 200°C at depths of 600 to 1000 m. Hot spring and fumarole fluids may discharge at boiling temperatures with pH 1.0 and SO₄ 8000 mg/l. These conditions cause argillic alterations throughout a large area.Non-condensible gases consist of roughly 99% CO₂ with minor amounts of H₂S, H₂, and CH₄. Empirical gas geothermometry suggests a deep reservoir temperature of 215 to 280°C. Comparison of ¹³C and ¹⁸O between CaCO₃ from well cuttings and CO₂ from fumarole steam indicates a fractionation temperature between 200 and 300°C by decarbonation of hydrothermally altered Paleozoic limestone and vein calcite in the reservoir rocks. Tritium concentrations obtained from steam condensed in a mudpot and deep reservoir fluids (Baca #13, 278°C) are 2.1 and 1.0 T.U. respectively, suggesting the steam originates from a reservoir whose water is mostly >50 yrs old. Deuterium contents of fumarole steam, deep reservoir fluid, and local meteoric water are practically identical even though ¹⁸O contents range through 4‰, thus, precipitation on the resurgent dome of the caldera could recharge the hydrothermal system by slow percolation. From analysis of D and ¹⁸O values between fumarol steam and deep reservoir fluid, steam reaches the surface either (1) by vaporizing relatively shallow groundwater at 200°C or (2) by means of a two-stage boiling process through an intermediate level reservoir at roughly 200°C.Although many characteristics of known vapor-dominated geothermal systems are found at Sulphur Springs, fundamental differences exist in temperature and pressure of our postulated vapor-zone. We propose that the reservoir beneath Sulphur Springs is too small or too poorly confined to sustain a “true” vapor-dominated system and that the Sulphur Springs system may be a “dying” vapor-dominated system that has practically boiled itself dry.     

The roles of magma and groundwater in the phreatic eurptions at Inyo Craters,Long Valley Caldera,California

The Inyo Craters (North Inyo Crater and South Inyo Crater), and a third crater, Summit Crater, are the largest of more than a dozen 650- to 550-yr-B.p. phreatic craters that lie in a 1-km-square area at the south end of the Inyo Volcanic Chain, on the west side of the Long Valley Caldera in eastern California. The three craters are aligned within a 1-km-long northsouth system of fissures and normal faults, and coincide in age with aligned magmatic vents farther north in the Inyo Volcanic Chain, suggesting that they were all produced by intrusion of one or more dikes. To study the sequence and mechanisms of the eruptions, the deposits were mapped, sampled, and compared with subsurface stratigraphy obtained from the core of a slant hole drilled directly below the center of South Inyo Crater from the southwest. The deposits from the two Inyo Craters are fine-grained (median diameter less than 1 mm), are several meters thick at the crater walls, and cover at most a few km² of ground surface. Stratigraphic relationships between the Inyo Craters and Summit Crater indicate that the eruptions proceeded from north to south, overlapped slightly in time, and produced indistinctly plane-parallel bedded, poorly sorted deposits, containing debris derived primarily from within 450 m of the surface. Debris from the deepest identifiable unit (whose top is at 450 m depth) is present at the very base of both Inyo Craters deposits, suggesting that the eruptive vents were open and tapping debris from at least that depth, probably along preexisting fractures, even at their inception. According to ballistic studies, the greatest velocity of ejected blocks was of the order of 100 m/s. All eruptions, particularly the least powerful, selectively removed debris from the finest-grained, most easily eroded subsurface units. Although juvenile fragments have been previously identified in these deposits, they are confined primarily to the grain-size fraction smaller than 0.25 mm dia. and probably did not constitute more than several percent of the deposit. It is therefore suggested that these juvenile fragments were not the main source of heat for the eruptions, and that the eruptions were caused either by: (1) heating of water by fragmented magma that was not ejected before the eruption shut off; (2) slow heating (over months to years) of groundwater under confined conditions without fragmentation of magma, followed by a second process (pressure buildup, seismic faulting, or intrusions) that breached the confinement; or (3) breach of a pre-existing confined geothermal aquifer.     

Water and magma generation at subduction zones

The basaltic ocean crust, metasomatized and metamorphosed during and after generation at the ocean ridge, contains H₂O stored in minerals and pore fluid. Phase equilibrium data establish the conditions for dehydration, and the conditions for melting of amphibole-gabbro or amphibole-quartz-eclogite, or for quartz-eclogite or mantle peridotite if aqueous fluids are available. But there is no concensus about the temperature distribution through the subducted crust, or within the overlying mantle wedge. Therefore, a variety of magmatic models can be derived from the experimental data. According to some calculations, endothermic dehydration reactions in the depth interval 75–125 km cool the oceanic crust to such an extent that it cannot be a major source of magmas; instead, concentrated aqueous fluids released from the crust generate magmas in the overlying peridotite. However, according to most existing thermal models, if temperatures in ocean crust are cool enough to prohibit melting of amphibolite, then temperatures in the mantle above the main sources of expelled fluids are too low for hydrous melting. The ocean crust appears to be effectively dehydrated by 100–125 km depth. Dense hydrous magnesian silicates are not likely candidates for deeper H₂O transport. The extent to which H₂O can be fixed in metasomatic phlogopite in crust or mantle is a significant but undetermined factor. Experimental data on minerals and liquid compositions do not support the concept of primary magmas for andesites and associated lavas from mantle or subducted crust. Complex, multi-stage processes appear to be more likely, which is consistent with recent interpretations of geochemical data.     

Linking variable explosion style and magma textures during 2002 at Stromboli volcano,Italy

Microtextural characteristics of fresh ejecta from Stromboli volcano were examined from three periods of differing eruption style and intensity in 2002. Activity shifted from relatively weak and infrequent ash-charged explosions during January through May into two broad cycles of waxing activity in June through late September, and late September through December, followed by the onset on 28 December of the 2002/2003 effusive eruption. Analyzed sets of lapilli from May, September/October, and 28 December show contrasts in the physical properties of magma resident in the shallow conduit during this range of activity. Three distinct textures are observed among the analyzed pyroclasts: low density (LD) with an abundance of subspherical bubbles, the presence of large, irregularly shaped bubbles, and a light-to-transparent glass matrix; transitional texture (TT) with an intermediate number of subspherical bubbles, a high frequency of large, irregularly-shaped bubbles, and a honey colored glass matrix; and high density (HD) with sparse relatively small bubbles, conspicuous large irregular bubbles, and a dark glass matrix. Observational and quantitative data (density, vesicle size) indicate that these textures are linked through variable residence time in Stromboli’s shallow conduit, with an ongoing evolution from LD to HD magma. Calculations suggest that residual LD magma will evolve to HD texture in a period of hours to days. Contrasting amounts of the LD, TT, and HD magmas are present in each sample, with the most TT in May, the most LD in September/October, and the most HD in December. This implies that the shallow magma had a different rheology at each collection period. The viscosity of LD and HD magmas are calculated to be in the range of 2,000 to 2,600 and 3,000 to 5,000 Pa s, respectively, which, with their changing proportions, must have implications for rates of bubble slug ascent and processes of fragmentation. This study suggests that an increasing maturity of magma in Stromboli’s shallow conduit (with resultant increase in viscosity) feeds back to reduce the intensity of explosions, whereas a steady flux of LD magma favors more powerful explosions.     

Topographic correlations with soil and regolith thickness from shallow‐seismic refraction constraints across upland hillslopes in the Valles Caldera,New Mexico

How rock is weathered physically and chemically into transportable material is a fundamental question in critical‐zone science. In addition, the distribution of weathered material (soil and intact regolith) across upland landscapes exerts a first‐order control on the hydrology of watersheds. In this paper we present the results of six shallow seismic‐refraction surveys in the Redondo Mountain region of the Valles Caldera, New Mexico. The P‐wave velocities corresponding to soil (≤ 0.6 km s^?1) were inferred from a seventh seismic survey where soil‐thickness data were determined by pit excavation. Using multivariable regression, we quantified the relationships among slope gradient, aspect, and topographic wetness index (TWI) on soil and regolith (soil plus intact regolith) thicknesses. Our results show that both soil and regolith thicknesses vary inversely with TWI in all six survey areas while varying directly with slope aspect (i.e. thicker beneath north‐facing slopes) and inversely with slope gradient (i.e. thinner beneath steep slopes) in the majority of the survey areas. An empirical model based on power‐law relationships between regolith thickness and its correlative variables can fit our inferred thicknesses with R² ‐values up to 0.880 for soil and 0.831 for regolith in areas with significant topographic variations. These results further demonstrate the efficacy of shallow seismic refraction for mapping and determining how soil and regolith variations correlate with topography across upland landscapes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phenocryst crystallization during ascent of alkali basalt magma at Rishiri Volcano, northern Japan

Phenocrysts in volcanic rocks are commonly used to deduce crystallization processes in magma chambers. A fundamental assumption is that the phenocrysts crystallized in the magma chambers at isobaric and nearly equilibrium conditions, on the basis of their large sizes. However, this assumption is not always true as demonstrated here for a porphyritic alkali basalt (Kutsugata lava) from Rishiri Volcano, northern Japan. All phenocryst phases in the Kutsugata lava, plagioclase, olivine, and augite, have macroscopically homogeneous distribution of textures showing features characteristic of rapid growth throughout the crystals. Rarely, a core region with distinct composition is present in all phenocryst phases. Phenocrysts, excluding this core, are occasionally in direct contact with each other, forming crystal aggregates. The equilibrium liquidus temperature of plagioclase, the dominant phase (35 vol%) in the Kutsugata lava, can never exceed the estimated magmatic temperature, unless the liquidus temperature increases significantly due to vesiculation of the magma during ascent. This suggests that most phenocrysts in the Kutsugata lava were formed by decompression of the magma during ascent in a conduit, rather than by cooling during residence in a magma reservoir. In the magma chamber before eruption, probably located at depth of more than 7 km, only cores of the phenocrysts were present and the magma was nearly aphyric (<5 vol% crystals), though the observed rock is highly porphyritic with up to 40 vol% crystals. The Kutsugata magma is inferred to have been rich in dissolved H₂O (>4 wt.%) in the magma chamber, and liquidus temperatures of phenocryst phases were significantly suppressed. Large undercooling caused by decompression and degassing of the magma was the driving force for significant crystallization during ascent because of the increase in liquidus temperature due to vapor exsolution. Low ascent rate of the Kutsugata magma, which is suggested by pahoehoe lava morphology and no association of pyroclastics, gave sufficient time for crystallization. Furthermore, the large degree of superheating of plagioclase in the magma chamber caused plagioclase crystallization with low population density and large crystal size, which characterizes the porphyritic nature of the Kutsugata lava. Alkali basalt is likely to satisfy these conditions and similar phenomena are suggested to occur in other volcanic systems.     

Volcanic tremor at Mt. Etna: Inferences on magma dynamics during effusive and explosive activity

During 1999, the volcanic activity at Mt. Etna was both explosive and effusive at the summit craters: Strombolian activity, lava fountains and lava flows affected different areas of the volcano, involving three of the four summit craters. Results from analysis of the 1999 volcanic tremor features are shown at two different time scales. First, the long-term time variation of the features of the volcanic tremor (including spectral and polarization parameters), during the entire year, was compared with the evolution of the eruptive activity. This approach demonstrated the good agreement between tremor data and observed eruptive activity; the activation of different tremor sources was suggested. Then, a more refined analysis of the volcanic tremor, recorded during 14 lava fountain eruptions, was performed. In particular, a shift of the dominant frequencies towards lower values was noted which corresponds with increasing explosive activity. Similar behaviour in the frequency content has already been observed in other explosive eruptions at Mt. Etna as well as on other volcanoes. This behaviour has been explained in terms of either an increase in the tremor source dimension or a decrease in the sound speed in the magma within the conduit. These results confirm that the volcanic tremor is a powerful tool for better understanding the physical processes controlling explosive eruptions at Mt. Etna volcano.     

Gas percolation in upper-crustal silicic crystal mushes as a mechanism for upward heat advection and rejuvenation of near-solidus magma bodies

Several crystal-rich, intermediate to silicic magmas erupted at arc volcanoes record a reheating event shortly prior to eruption: they provide evidence for remobilization of crystal mushes by mafic magmas. As hybridization between the mush and the mafic magma is often limited, bulk mixing could not be the dominant process in transferring heat. Conductive heating from a basaltic underplate plays a role, but a few characteristics of these rejuvenated mushes suggest that reheating occurs faster than predicted by conduction.In the upper crust, a process that can transport heat faster than conduction, and still remain chemically nearly imperceptible, is the upward migration of a hot volatile phase (“gas sparging”) that originates in underplated mafic magmas. Using numerical simulations, we quantified the thermal effects of two-phase flow (a silicic melt phase and a H₂O–CO₂ fluid phase) in the pore space of shallow silicic mushes that have reached their rheological lock-up point (i.e., rigid porous medium, crystallinity ≥ 50 vol.%). Results show that the reheating rates are significantly faster than conduction for volatile fluxes > 0.1 m³/m² yr. Considering that volatiles can be rapidly exsolved from the underplated mafic magma, these high fluxes can be promptly reached, leading to fast reheating; sill-like batches of mushes with volumes similar to the 1995–present eruption of the Soufrière Hills (Montserrat, W.I.) can be reheated by a few tens of degrees and remobilized within days to weeks. At these high fluxes, a considerable volume of volatiles is needed (similar to the volume of mush being reheated). Large silicic systems (> 100–1000 km³) require unrealistic amounts of volatiles to be reheated in a continuous, high-flux sparging event. Rejuvenation of batholithic mushes therefore requires multiple sparging episodes separated by periods dominated by near-conductive heat transfer at low-flux sparging (< 0.1 m³/m² yr) and may take up to 100–200 ky.     

Renewed uplift at the Yellowstone Caldera measured by leveling surveys and satellite radar interferometry

 A first-order leveling survey across the northeast part of the Yellowstone caldera in September 1998 showed that the central caldera floor near Le Hardy Rapids rose 24±5 mm relative to the caldera rim at Lake Butte since the previous survey in September 1995. Annual surveys along the same traverse from 1985 to 1995 tracked progressive subsidence near Le Hardy Rapids at an average rate of –19±1 mm/year. Earlier, less frequent surveys measured net uplift in the same area during 1923–1976 (14±1 mm/year) and 1976–1984 (22±1 mm/year). The resumption of uplift following a decade of subsidence was first detected by satellite synthetic aperture radar interferometry, which revealed approximately 15 mm of uplift in the vicinity of Le Hardy Rapids from July 1995 to June 1997. Radar interferograms show that the center of subsidence shifted from the Sour Creek resurgent dome in the northeast part of the caldera during August 1992 to June 1993 to the Mallard Lake resurgent dome in the southwest part during June 1993 to August 1995. Uplift began at the Sour Creek dome during August 1995 to September 1996 and spread to the Mallard Lake dome by June 1997. The rapidity of these changes and the spatial pattern of surface deformation suggest that ground movements are caused at least in part by accumulation and migration of fluids in two sill-like bodies at 5–10 km depth, near the interface between Yellowstone's magmatic and deep hydrothermal systems. Received: 30 November 1998 / Accepted: 16 April 1999     

Seismic and ground deformation crises at Rabaul Caldera: Prelude to an eruption?

A dramatic short-term increase in seismicity and ground deformation took place at Rabaul Caldera on 19 September 1983, and marked the start of a period of frequent episodes of high seismic energy release and concurrent rapid ground deformation. Together with increased background levels of seismicity and ground deformation, these phenomena are interpreted as indications of higher rates of magma injection at shallow depths within the caldera, which greatly increases the likelihod of an eruption at Rabaul in the near future. A modest volume of magma, about 100 million m³, could be available for eruption from two shallow reservoirs, but a somewhat deeper and much larger magma body — residual from the latest major eruption about 1400 yr BP — may also exist beneath the caldera.     

The behavior of light lithophile and halogen elements in felsic magma: geochemistry of the post-caldera Valles Rhyolites, Jemez Mountains Volcanic Field, New Mexico

Post-collapse rhyolite lava domes, lava flows and pyroclastic rocks from Valles caldera (1140 ka), erupted from 1133 ka to approximately 520-60 ka, have been sampled to study variations of light lithophile (Li, Be, B) and halogen (F, Cl) elements. Our principal objectives were: (1) to examine the mobility of these elements during post-eruptive devitrification and hydration; and (2) to study their behavior during magma differentiation. Compared to fresh glassy samples, devitrified rocks from the same dome are depleted in B, Li, F and Cl, but not in Be. During devitrification, Be was immobile while the other elements were progressively more mobile in the order B < Li < Cl < F, fluorine being the most mobile element. Considering only fresh glassy samples, Li, Be and B were enriched in residual liquids and behaved incompatibly during differentiation of successive magma batches at 973-787 ka and 557-521 ka. The rhyolites have low B/Be ratios of 2–3 which decrease slightly with increasing Be; these values suggest a small fractionation of B from Be during evolution of the magmas. While F behaves like the light lithophile elements, Cl shows (1) much smaller temporal enrichment during differentiation at 973-787 ka and (2) depletion with time from 557 to 521 ka. At the same time, the Cl/Be ratio declines progressively from ˜250 in the oldest rhyolites to ˜ 100 in the youngest rhyolites. These data suggest that (1) a magmatic fluid phase continuously extracted Cl from fluid-saturated magmas and (2) some of the magmatic Cl lost could have been incorporated into the Valles hydrothermal system.     

Eruptive history of Mount Mazama and Crater Lake Caldera, Cascade Range, U.S.A.

New investigations of the geology of Crater Lake National Park necessitate a reinterpretation of the eruptive history of Mount Mazama and of the formation of Crater Lake caldera. Mount Mazama consisted of a glaciated complex of overlapping shields and stratovolcanoes, each of which was probably active for a comparatively short interval. All the Mazama magmas apparently evolved within thermally and compositionally zoned crustal magma reservoirs, which reached their maximum volume and degree of differentiation in the climactic magma chamber 7000 yr B.P.The history displayed in the caldera walls begins with construction of the andesitic Phantom Cone 400,000 yr B.P. Subsequently, at least 6 major centers erupted combinations of mafic andesite, andesite, or dacite before initiation of the Wisconsin Glaciation 75,000 yr B.P. Eruption of andesitic and dacitic lavas from 5 or more discrete centers, as well as an episode of dacitic pyroclastic activity, occurred until 50,000 yr B.P.; by that time, intermediate lava had been erupted at several short-lived vents. Concurrently, and probably during much of the Pleistocene, basaltic to mafic andesitic monogenetic vents built cinder cones and erupted local lava flows low on the flanks of Mount Mazama. Basaltic magma from one of these vents, Forgotten Crater, intercepted the margin of the zoned intermediate to silicic magmatic system and caused eruption of commingled andesitic and dacitic lava along a radial trend sometime between 22,000 and 30,000 yr B.P. Dacitic deposits between 22,000 and 50,000 yr old appear to record emplacement of domes high on the south slope. A line of silicic domes that may be between 22,000 and 30,000 yr old, northeast of and radial to the caldera, and a single dome on the north wall were probably fed by the same developing magma chamber as the dacitic lavas of the Forgotten Crater complex. The dacitic Palisade flow on the northeast wall is 25,000 yr old. These relatively silicic lavas commonly contain traces of hornblende and record early stages in the development of the climatic magma chamber.Some 15,000 to 40,000 yr were apparently needed for development of the climactic magma chamber, which had begun to leak rhyodacitic magma by 7015 ± 45 yr B.P. Four rhyodacitic lava flows and associated tephras were emplaced from an arcuate array of vents north of the summit of Mount Mazama, during a period of 200 yr before the climactic eruption. The climactic eruption began 6845 ± 50 yr B.P. with voluminous airfall deposition from a high column, perhaps because ejection of 4−12 km³ of magma to form the lava flows and tephras depressurized the top of the system to the point where vesiculation at depth could sustain a Plinian column. Ejecta of this phase issued from a single vent north of the main Mazama edifice but within the area in which the caldera later formed. The Wineglass Welded Tuff of Williams (1942) is the proximal featheredge of thicker ash-flow deposits downslope to the north, northeast, and east of Mount Mazama and was deposited during the single-vent phase, after collapse of the high column, by ash flows that followed topographic depressions. Approximately 30 km³ of rhyodacitic magma were expelled before collapse of the roof of the magma chamber and inception of caldera formation ended the single-vent phase. Ash flows of the ensuing ring-vent phase erupted from multiple vents as the caldera collapsed. These ash flows surmounted virtually all topographic barriers, caused significant erosion, and produced voluminous deposits zoned from rhyodacite to mafic andesite. The entire climactic eruption and caldera formation were over before the youngest rhyodacitic lava flow had cooled completely, because all the climactic deposits are cut by fumaroles that originated within the underlying lava, and part of the flow oozed down the caldera wall.A total of 51−59 km³ of magma was ejected in the precursory and climactic eruptions, and 40−52 km³ of Mount Mazama was lost by caldera formation. The spectacular compositional zonation shown by the climactic ejecta — rhyodacite followed by subordinate andesite and mafic andesite — reflects partial emptying of a zoned system, halted when the crystal-rich magma became too viscous for explosive fragmentation. This zonation was probably brought about by convective separation of low-density, evolved magma from underlying mafic magma. Confinement of postclimactic eruptive activity to the caldera attests to continuing existence of the Mazama magmatic system.     

Isotope systematics in minerals: biotite rejuvenation and exchange during Alpine metamorphism

The Hercynian schists and granites of the Helvetic basement (Aar Massif) in the Central Swiss Alps are overprinted by low-grade Alpine metamorphism and associated deformation. Rb/Sr and K/Ar ages of biotites are systematically reset by the later greenschist facies event. This rejuvenation is apparently controlled by temperature, mineral chemistry and grain size and independent of deformation and exsolution. Thermally activated volume diffusion best explains this behaviour with Ar and Sr having similar activation energies, and diffusion rates for Sr showing a greater dependence on biotite composition. Feldspars and apatite also show increasing equilibration to the Alpine event and together with Alpine equilibria in the micas reveal important changes in the isotopic compositions of exchanging reservoirs. These spatial and temporal variations must be assessed before true mineral ages can be calculated. Generally the higher-grade equilibria show less radiogenic exchange reflecting increased dilution by external fluids of radiogenic components released at the main front of isotopic resetting.Rb/Sr ages of Alpine muscovites in the granites suggest a maximum possible age of metamorphism of 25 Ma in this low-grade area. This implies significant diachroneity in the timing of peak metamorphism in the Central Alps, with the relatively delayed metamorphism in this area a reflection of the later initial thickening and delayed uplift of the Helvetic basement.     

Crystallization of microlites and degassing during magma ascent: Constraints on the fluid mechanical behavior of magma during the Tenjo Eruption on Kozu Island, Japan

Bubble and crystal textures provide information with regard to the kinetics of the vesiculation and crystallization processes. They also provide insights into the fluid mechanical behavior of magma in a conduit. We performed textural (bubble and crystal) and compositional analyses of pyroclasts that were obtained from the Tenjo pyroclastic flow, which resulted on account of the eruption in 838 A.D. on Kozu Island, about 200 km south of Tokyo, Japan. Pyroclasts in one flow unit (300∼2,060 kg/m³; average density 1330 kg/m³) can be classified into three types on the basis of vesicle textures. Type I pyroclasts have small isolated spherical bubbles with higher vesicularities (67–77 vol.%) and number density (10.8–11.7 log m⁻³). Type II pyroclasts have vesicularities similar to type I (61–69 vol.%), but most bubbles exhibit evidences of bubble coalescence, and lower number densities than type I (8.9–9.5 log m⁻³). Type III pyroclasts contain highly deformed bubbles with lower vesicularities (16–34 vol.%) and number densities (8.2–9.0 log m⁻³). The microlite volume fraction (DRE converted) also changes consistently across type I, type II, and type III as 0.06, 0.08, and 0.10–0.15, respectively. However, the number density of the microlites remains nearly invariant in all the pyroclast types. These facts indicate that the variation in the microlite volume fraction is controlled not by the number density (i.e., nucleation process), but by the size (i.e., growth process); the growth history of each type of microlite was different. Water content determinations show that the three types of pumices have similar H₂O contents (2.6±0.2 wt%). This fact implies that all three types were quenched at nearly the same depth (35±5 MPa, assuming that the magma was water-saturated) in the conduit. If the crystal sizes are limited only by growth time, a variation in this parameter can be related to the residence time, which is attributed to the flow heterogeneity in the conduit. By assuming a laminar Poiseuille-type flow, these textural observations can be explained by the difference in ascent velocity and shearing motion across the conduit, which in turn results in the differences in growth times of crystals, degrees of deformation, and bubble coalescence. Consequently, for crystals in the inner part of the conduit, the crystal growth time from nucleation to quenching is shorter than that near the conduit wall. The vesicle texture variation of bubbles in types I, II, and III results from the difference in the deformation history, implying that the effect of degassing occurred primarily towards the conduit wall.     

Downsag and extension at calderas: new perspectives on collapse geometries from ice-melt,mining, and volcanic subsidence

Structures at calderas may form as a result of precursory tumescence, subsidence due withdrawal of magmatic support, resurgence, and regional tectonism. Structural reactivation and overprinting are common. To explore which types of structures may derive directly from subsidence without other factors, evidence is reviewed from pits caused by the melting of buried ice blocks, mining subsidence, scaled subsidence models, and from over 50 calderas. This review suggests that complex patterns of peripheral deformation, with multiple ring and arcuate fractures both inside and outside caldera rims, topographic embayments, arcuate graben, and concentric zones of extension and compression may form as a direct result of subsidence and do not require a complex subsidence and inflation history. Downsag is a feature of many calderas and it does not indicate subsidence on an inward-dipping ring fault, as has been inferred previously. Where magmatic inflation is absent or slight, initial arcuate faults formed during collapse are likely to be multiple, and dip outwards to vertical. Associated downsag causes the peripheries of calderas undergo radial (centripetal) extension, and this accounts for some of the complex peripheral fractures, arcuate crevasses, graben, and some topographic moats. The structural boundary of a caldera, defined here as the outermost limits of subsidence and related deformation including downsag, commonly lies outside ring faults and outside the embayed topographic wall. It is likely to be funnel-shaped, i.e. inward-dipping, even though ring and arcuate fractures within it may dip outward. Inward-dipping arcuate normal faults at shallow levels and steep inward-dipping contacts between a caldera's fill and walls may both occur at a caldera that has initially subsided on outward-dipping ring faults. They arise due to peripheral surficial extension, gravitational spreading and scarp collapse. Topographic enlargement at some calderas and the formation of embayments may reflect general progressive downsag and localized downsag, respectively. These processes may occur in addition to surficial degradation of oversteep ring-fault scarps.     

生态补水对白洋淀流域地表水和地下水水化学特征的影响

生态补水是维持和改善白洋淀生态环境的重要途径.为研究生态补水对白洋淀水环境的影响,分别在补水前与补水后采集淀水、河水及地下水样品,分析区域地表水和地下水水化学特征.结果表明：（1）白洋淀补水前、后地表水与地下水的水化学组成中Na⁺为主要阳离子,补水后阴离子以HCO₃^-为主,淀区南部地表水电导率高;补水后地表水与地下水Ca²⁺、Mg²⁺和HCO₃^-浓度显著增加,水体电导率降低.（2）补水前地下水为Na-HCO₃型水,地表水主要为Na-Cl·SO₄及Na-Cl·HCO₃类型;补水后地表水与浅层地下水向Ca·Mg-HCO₃型演化,深层地下水水化学类型基本保持不变.（3）生态补水使白洋淀水位升高,淀区水面积增大,缓解了水资源短缺的问题;同时也使浅层地下水水化学组成发生改变,而深层地下水暂未受到影响.生态补水后,受稀释和混合作用的影响,水体Na⁺、Cl^-和SO₄^2-浓度显著下降,Ca²⁺、Mg²⁺及HCO₃^-浓度增加.在白洋淀生态补水中应"先治污,后补水",以减少补水过程中污染物向淀区的运移,还应注意区域地下水位上升过程中的阳离子交换及水岩相互作用,为合理调配生态补水及改善白洋淀生态环境提供科学依据.     

Imaging and modelling the subsurface structure of volcanic calderas with high-resolution aeromagnetic data at Vulcano (Aeolian Islands,Italy)

In this paper, we present a magnetic model of the subsurface structure of Vulcano island based on high-resolution aeromagnetic data. Three profiles across the most intense magnetic anomalies over the Piano and Fossa calderas were selected for the magnetic modelling, which was constrained by structural and volcanological data, previous geophysical models, paleomagnetic data, and borehole stratigraphy obtained from two deep wells. The interpretation of the magnetic sources represents a significant contribution to the understanding of the Piano and Fossa calderas’ underlying structure, providing us with evidence of the lateral discontinuity between them at depth. We propose that the positive magnetic anomalies in the Piano caldera area are caused by: (a) the remnants of an early submarine volcano; (b) an outcropping dyke swarm related to the feeding system of the Primordial Vulcano phase (beneath Mt. Saraceno); and (c) the presence of a non-outcropping dyke system intruded along a NE–SW-oriented intra-caldera fault (beneath the eastern part of the Piano caldera). Offshore, to the west, the magnetic anomaly map suggests the presence of a submarine volcanic structure, not revealed by bathymetric data, which could represent the eruptive centre, the presence of which has been indirectly deduced from the outcrop of eastern-dipping lavas on the western seashore. Magnetic modelling of the Fossa caldera points to the presence of a highly magnetized cone-like body inside the Fossa cone, centred beneath the oldest crater rims. We interpret this body as a pile of tephritic lavas emplaced in an early phase of activity of the Fossa cone, suggesting that the volume of mafic lavas that erupted at the beginning of the construction of the Fossa edifice was more significant than has previously been deduced. Furthermore, the presence of a magnetized body inside the Fossa cone implies that high temperatures are contained in very limited spaces, do not affect its bulk inner structure, and are restricted to fumarolic conduits and vents. In addition, structures beneath the western and northern part of the Fossa caldera are revealed to have null or low magnetization, which can be ascribed to the presence of pyroclasts and hyaloclastites in this area as well as to a large volume of hydrothermally altered materials. This suggests that the hydrothermal system, with a very limited extension at present, affected a larger area in the past, especially beneath the western part of the caldera.