Origin of differentiated lavas at Kilauea Volcano,Hawaii: Implications from the 1955 eruption

Kilauea's 1955 eruption was the first major eruption (longer than 2 days) on its east rift zone in 115 years. It lasted 88 days during which 108 × 10⁶ m³ of lava was erupted along a discontinuous, 15-km-long system of fissures. A wide compositional range of lavas was erupted including the most differentiated lavas (5.0 wt% MgO) from a historic Kilauea eruption. Lavas from the first half of the eruption are strongly differentiated (5.0–5.7 wt% MgO); later lavas are weakly to moderately differentiated (6.2–6.7 wt% MgO). Previous studies using only major-element compositions invoked either crystal fractionation (Macdonald and Eaton 1964) or magma mixing (Wright and Fiske 1971) as models to explain the wide compositional variation in the lavas. To further evaluate these models detailed petrographic, mineralogical, and whole-rock, major, and trace element XRF analyses were made of the 1955 lavas. Plagioclase and clinopyroxene in the early and late lavas show no petrographic evidence for magma mixing. Olivines from both the early and late lavas show minor resorption, which is typical of tholeiitic lavas with low MgO contents. Core-to-rim microprobe analyses across olivine, augite, and plagioclase mineral grains give no evidence of disequilibrium features related to mixing. Instead, plots of An/Ab vs distance from the core (D) and %Fo vs (D)^4.5 generated essentially linear trends indicative of simple crystal fractionation. Least-squares, mass-balance calculations for major- and trace-element data using observed mineral compositions yield excellent results for crystal fractionation (sum of residuals squared <0.01 for major elements, and <5% for trace elements); magma mixing produced less satisfactory results especially for Cr. Furthermore, trace-element plots of Zr vs Sr, Cr, and A1₂O₃ generate curved trends indicative of crystal fractionation processes. There is no evidence that mixing occurred in the 1955 lavas. Instead, the data are best explained by crystal fractionation involving a reservoir that extends at least 15 km along Kilauea's east rift zone. A dike was intruded into the rift zone from the summit reservoir eight days after the eruption started. Instead of causing magma mixing, the dike probably acted as a hydraulic plunger forcing more of the stored magma to be erupted.     

Petrology of lavas from episodes 2–47 of the Puu Oo eruption of Kilauea Volcano,Hawaii: Evaluation of magmatic processes

The Puu Oo eruption of Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii is one of its largest and most compositionally varied historical eruptions. The mineral and whole-rock compositions of the Puu Oo lavas indicate that there were three compositionally distinct magmas involved in the eruption. Two of these magmas were differentiated (<6.8 wt% MgO) and were apparently stored in the rift zone prior to the eruption. A third, more mafic magma (9–10 wt% MgO) was probably intruded as a dike from Kilauea's summit reservoir just before the start of the eruption. Its intrusion forced the other two magmas to mix, forming a hybrid that erupted during the first three eruptive episodes from a fissure system of vents. A new hybrid was erupted during episode 3 from the vent where Puu Oo later formed. The composition of the lava erupted from this vent became progressively more mafic over the next 21 months, although significant compositional variation occurred within some eruptive episodes. The intra-episode compositional variation was probably due to crystal fractionation in the shallow (0.0–2.9 km), dike-shaped (i.e. high surface area/volume ratio) and open-topped Puu Oo magma reservoir. The long-term compositional variation was controlled largely by mixing the early hybrid with the later, more mafic magma. The percentage of mafic magma in the erupted lava increased progressively to 100% by episode 30 (about two years after the eruption started). Three separate magma reservoirs were involved in the Puu Oo eruption. The two deeper reservoirs (3–4 km) recharged the shallow (0.4–2.9 km) Puu Oo reservoir. Recharge of the shallow reservoir occurred rapidly during an eruption indicating that these reservoirs were well connected. The connection with the early hybrid magma body was cut off before episode 30. Subsequently, only mafic magma from the summit reservoir has recharged the Puu Oo reservoir.     

Petrology of gabbroic xenoliths in 1960 Kilauea basalt: crystalline remnants of prior (1955) magmatism

The 1960 Kapoho lavas of Kilauea’s east rift zone contain 1–10 cm xenoliths of olivine gabbro, olivine gabbro-norite, and gabbro norite. Textures are poikilitic (ol+sp+cpx in pl) and intergranular (cpx+pl±ol±opx). Poikilitic xenoliths, which we interpret as cumulates, have the most primitive mineral compositions, Fo_82.5, cpx Mg# 86.5, and An_80.5. Many granular xenoliths (ol and noritic gabbro) contain abundant vesicular glass that gives them intersertal, hyaloophitic, and overall ‘open’ textures to suggest that they represent ‘mush’ and ‘crust’ of a magma crystallization environment. Their phase compositions are more evolved (Fo_80–70, cpx Mg# 82–75, and An_73–63) than those of the poikilitic xenoliths. Associated glass is basaltic, but evolved (MgO 5 wt%; TiO₂ 3.7–5.8 wt%). The gabbroic xenolith mineral compositions fit existing fractional crystallization models that relate the origins of various Kilauea lavas to one another. FeO/MgO crystal–liquid partitioning is consistent with the poikilitic ol-gabbro assemblage forming as a crystallization product from Kilauea summit magma with ∼8 wt% MgO that was parental to evolved lavas on the east rift zone. For example, least squares calculations link summit magmas to early 1955 rift-zone lavas (∼5 wt% MgO) through ∼28–34% crystallization of the ol+sp+cpx+pl that comprise the poikilitic ol-gabbros. The other ol-gabbro assemblages and the olivine gabbro-norite assemblages crystallized from evolved liquids, such as represented by the early 1955 and late 1955 lavas (∼6.5 wt% MgO) of the east rift zone. The eruption of 1960 Kapoho magmas, then, scoured the rift-zone reservoir system to entrain portions of cumulate and solidification zones that had coated reservoir margins during crystallization of prior east rift-zone magmas. Received: January 7, 1993/Accepted: November 23, 1993     

Petrologic constraints on rift-zone processes

The Puu Oo eruption in the middle of Kilauea volcano's east rift zone provides an excellent opportunity to utilize petrologic constraints to interpret rift-zone processes. Emplacement of a dike began 24 hours before the start of the eruption on 3 January 1983. Seismic and geodetic evidence indicates that the dike collided with a magma body in the rift zone. Most of the lava produced during the initial episode of the Puu Oo eruption is of hybrid composition, with petrographic and geochemical evidence of mixing magmas of highly evllved and more mafic compositions. Some olivine and plagioclase grains in the hybrid lavas show reverse zoning. Whole-rock compositional variations are linear even for normally compatible elements like Ni and Cr. Leastsquares mixing calculations yield good residuals for major and trace element analyses for magma mixing. Crystal fractionation calculations yield unsatisfactory residuals. The highly evolved magma is similar in composition to the lava from the 1977 eruption and, at one point, vents for these two eruptions are only 200 m apart. Possibly both the 1977 lava and the highly evolved component of the episode 1 Puu Oo lava were derived from a common body of rift-zone-stored magma. The more mafic mixing component may be represented by the most mafic lava from the January 1983 eruption; it shows no evidence of magma mixing. The dike that was intruded just prior to the start of the Puu Oo eruption may have acted as a hydraulic plunger causing mixing of the two rift-zone-stored magmas.     

Petrology of lavas from the Puu Oo eruption of Kilauea Volcano: III. The Kupaianaha episode (1986–1992)

 The Puu Oo eruption has been remarkable in the historical record of Kilauea Volcano for its duration (over 13 years), volume (>1 km³) and compositional variation (5.7–10 wt.% MgO). During the summer of 1986, the main vent for lava production moved 3 km down the east rift zone and the eruption style changed from episodic geyser-like fountaining at Puu Oo to virtually continuous, relatively quiescent effusion at the Kupaianaha vent. This paper examines this next chapter in the Puu Oo eruption, episodes 48 and 49, and presents new ICP-MS trace element and Pb-, Sr-, and Nd-isotope data for the entire eruption (1983–1994). Nearly aphyric to weakly olivine-phyric lavas were erupted during episodes 48 and 49. The variation in MgO content of Kupaianaha lavas erupted before 1990 correlates with changes in tilt at the summit of Kilauea, both of which probably were controlled by variations in Kilauea's magma supply rate. These lavas contain euhedral olivines which generally are in equilibrium with whole-rock compositions, although some of the more mafic lavas which erupted during 1990, a period of frequent pauses in the eruption, accumulated 2–4 vol.% olivine. The highest forsterite content of olivines (∼85%) in Kupaianaha lavas indicates that the parental magmas for these lavas had MgO contents of ∼10 wt.%, which equals the highest observed value for lavas during this eruption. The composition of the Puu Oo lavas has progressively changed during the eruption. Since early 1985 (episode 30), when mixing between an evolved rift zone magma and a more mafic summit reservoir-derived magma ended, the normalized (to 10 wt.% MgO) abundances of highly incompatible elements and CaO have systematically decreased with time, whereas ratios of these trace elements and Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopes, and the abundances of Y and Yb, have remained relatively unchanged. These results indicate that the Hawaiian plume source for Puu Oo magmas must be relatively homogeneous on a scale of 10–20 km³ (assuming 5–10% partial melting), and that localized melting within the plume has apparently progressively depleted its incompatible elements and clinopyroxene component as the eruption continued. The rate of variation of highly incompatible elements in Puu Oo lavas is much greater than that observed for Kilauea historical summit lavas (e.g., Ba/Y 0.09 a^–1 vs ∼0.03 a^–1). This rapid change indicates that Puu Oo magmas did not mix thoroughly with magma in the summit reservoir. Thus, except for variable amounts of olivine fractionation, the geochemical variation in these lavas is predominantly controlled by mantle processes. Received: 8 March 1996 / Accepted: 30 April 1996     

Magma plumbing system of the 2000 eruption of Miyakejima Volcano, Japan

During the 2000 eruption at Miyakejima Volcano, two magmas with different compositions erupted successively from different craters. Magma erupted as spatter from the submarine craters on 27 June is aphyric basaltic andesite (<5 vol% phenocrysts, 51.4–52.2 wt% SiO₂), whereas magma issued as volcanic bombs from the summit caldera on 18 August is plagioclase-phyric basalt (20 vol% phenocrysts, 50.8–51.3 wt% SiO₂). The submarine spatter contains two types of crystal-clots, A-type and A-type (andesitic type). The phenocryst assemblages (plagioclase, pyroxenes and magnetite) and compositions of clinopyroxene in these clots are nearly the same, but only A-type clots contain Ca-poor plagioclase (An < 70). We consider that the A-type clots could have crystallized from a more differentiated andesitic magma than the A-type clots, because FeO*/MgO is not strongly influenced during shallow andesitic differentiation. The summit bombs contain only B-type (basaltic type) crystal-clots of Ca-rich plagioclase, olivine and clinopyroxene. The A-type and B-type clots have often coexisted in Miyakejima lavas of the period 1469–1983, suggesting that the magma storage system consists of independent batches of andesitic and basaltic magmas. According to the temporal variations of mineral compositions in crystal-clots, the andesitic magma became less evolved, and the basaltic magma more evolved, over the past 500 years. We conclude that gradually differentiating basaltic magma has been repeatedly injected into the shallower andesitic magma over this period, causing the andesitic magma to become less evolved with time. The mineral chemistries in crystal-clots of the submarine spatter and 18 August summit bombs of the 2000 eruption fall on the evolution trends of the A-type and B-type clots respectively, suggesting that the shallow andesitic and deeper basaltic magmas existing since 1469 had successively erupted from different craters. The 2000 summit collapse occurred due to drainage of the andesitic magma from the shallower chamber; as the collapse occurred, it may have caused disruption of crustal cumulates which then contaminated the ascending, deeper basalt. Thus, porphyritic basaltic magma could erupt alone without mixing with the andesitic magma from the summit caldera. The historical magma plumbing system of Miyakejima was probably destroyed during the 2000 eruption, and a new one may now form.Editorial responsibility: S Nakada, T Druitt     

1998 Eruption at Volcán Cerro Azul, Galápagos Islands: I. Syn-Eruptive Petrogenesis

The 1998 eruption of Volcán Cerro Azul in the Galápagos Islands produced two intra-caldera vents and a flank vent that erupted more than 1.0×10⁸ m³ of lava. Lava compositions changed notably during the 5-week eruption, and contemporaneous eruptions in the caldera and on the flank produced different compositions. Lavas erupted from the flank vent range from 6.3 to 14.1% MgO, nearly the entire range of MgO contents previously reported from the volcano. On-site monitoring of eruptive activity is linked with petrogenetic processes such that geochemical variations are evaluated in a temporal context. Lavas from the 1998 eruption record two petrogenetic stages characterized by progressively more mafic lavas as the eruption proceeded. Crystal compositions, whole rock major and trace element compositions, and isotope ratios indicate that early lavas are the product of mixing between 1998 magma and remnant magma of the 1979 eruption. Intra-caldera lavas and later lavas have no 1979 signature, but were produced by the 1998 magma incorporating olivine and clinopyroxene xenocrysts. Thus, early magma petrogenesis is characterized by mixing with the 1979 magma, followed by the magma progressively entraining wehrlite cumulate mush.Editorial Responsibility: M.R. Carroll     

Volcanological and petrological evolution of Nyiragongo volcano,Virunga volcanic field,Zaire

Three major phases are distinguished during the growth of Nyiragongo, an active volcano at the western limit of the Virunga Range, Zaire. Lavas erupted during phase 1 are strongly undersaturated melilitites characterized by the presence of kalsilite phenocrysts, perovskite, and the abundance of calcite in the matrix. Such lavas crop out mainly on the inner crater wall and progressively evolve toward more aphyric melilite nephelinites well represented on the flanks of the volcano. Adventive vents lying at the base of the cone developed along radial fracture systems and erupted olivine and/or clinopyroxene – rich melilitites or nephelinites. Stage 2 lavas are melilite-free nephelinites. Clinopyroxene is the main phenocryst and feldspathoids are abundant in the lavas exposed on the crater wall. These flows result from periodic overflowing of a magma column from an open crater. Extensive fissure flows which erupted from the base of the cone at the end of this stage are related to widespread draining out of magma which in turn induces the formation of the summit pit crater. Magmas erupted during stage 3 are relatively aphyric melilite nephelinites and the main volcanological characteristic is the permanent lava lake observed into the pit crater until the 1977 eruption. Fluctuations of the level of the lava lake was responsible for the development of the inner terraces. Periodic overflowing of the lava lake from the central pit formed the nepheline aggregate lava flows. Petrography and major element geochemistry allow the determination of the principal petrogenetic processes. Melilitites and nephelinites erupted from the summit crater are lavas derived, via clinopyroxene fractionation, from a more primitive melt. The abundance of feldspathoids in these lavas is in keeping with nepheline flotation. Aphyric melilite nephelinites covering the flanks and the extensive fissure flows have a homogeneous chemical composition; rocks from the historical lava lake are slightly more evolved. All these lavas differentiated in a shallow reservoir. Lavas erupted from the parasitic vents are mainly olivine and/or clinopyroxene-phyric rocks. Rushayite and picrites from Muja cone are peculiar high-magnesium lavas resulting from the addition of olivine xenocrysts to melilitic or nephelinitic melts. Fluid and melt inclusions in olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts indicate a crystallization depth of 10–14 km. A model involving two reservoirs located at different depths and periodically connected is proposed to explain the petrography of the lavas; this hypothesis is in accordance with geophysical data. Received: July 8, 1993/Accepted: September 10, 1993     

Petrology and geochronology of basalt breccia from the 1996 earthquake swarm of Loihi seamount, Hawaii: magmatic history of its 1996 eruption

 Samples of basalt were collected during the Rapid Response cruise to Loihi seamount from a breccia that was probably created by the July to August 1996 Loihi earthquake swarm, the largest swarm ever recorded from a Hawaiian volcano. ²¹⁰Po–²¹⁰Pb dating of two fresh lava blocks from this breccia indicates that they were erupted during the first half of 1996, making this the first documented historical eruption of Loihi. Sonobuoys deployed during the August 1996 cruise recorded popping noises north of the breccia site, indicating that the eruption may have been continuing during the swarm. All of the breccia lava fragments are tholeiitic, like the vast majority of Loihi's most recent lavas. Reverse zoning at the rim of clinopyroxene phenocrysts, and the presence of two chemically distinct olivine phenocryst populations, indicate that the magma for the lavas was mixed just prior to eruption. The trace element geochemistry of these lavas indicates there has been a reversal in Loihi's temporal geochemical trend. Although the new Loihi lavas are similar isotopically and geochemically to recent Kilauea lavas and the mantle conduits for these two volcanoes appear to converge at depth, distinct trace element ratios for their recent lavas preclude common parental magmas for these two active volcanoes. The mineralogy of Loihi's recent tholeiitic lavas signify that they crystallized at moderate depths (∼8–9 km) within the volcano, which is approximately 1 km below the hypocenters for earthquakes from the 1996 swarm. Taken together, the petrological and seismic evidence indicates that Loihi's current magma chamber is considerably deeper than the shallow magma chamber (∼3–4 km) in the adjoining active shield volcanoes. Received: 21 August 1997 / Accepted: 15 February 1998     

Role of olivine cumulates in destabilizing the flanks of Hawaiian volcanoes

The south flank of Kilauea Volcano is unstable and has the structure of a huge landslide; it is one of at least 17 enormous catastrophic landslides shed from the Hawaiian Islands. Mechanisms previously proposed for movement of the south flank invoke slip of the volcanic pile over seafloor sediments. Slip on a low friction décollement alone cannot explain why the thickest and widest sector of the flank moves more rapidly than the rest, or why this section contains a 300 km³ aseismic volume above the seismically defined décollement. It is proposed that this aseismic volume, adjacent to the caldera in the direction of flank slip, consists of olivine cumulates that creep outward, pushing the south flank seawards. Average primary Kilauea tholeiitic magma contains about 16.5 wt.% MgO compared with an average 10 wt.% MgO for erupted subaerial and submarine basalts. This difference requires fractionation of 17 wt.% (14 vol.%) olivine phenocrysts that accumulate near the base of the magma reservoir where they form cumulates. Submarine-erupted Kilauea lavas contain abundant deformed olivine xenocrysts derived from these cumulates. Deformed dunite formed during the tholeiitic shield stage is also erupted as xenoliths in subsequent alkalic lavas. The deformation structures in olivine xenocrysts suggest that the cumulus olivine was densely packed, probably with as little as 5–10 vol.% intercumulus liquid, before entrainment of the xenocrysts. The olivine cumulates were at magmatic temperatures (>1100°C) when the xenocrysts were entrained. Olivine at 1100°C has a rheology similar to ice, and the olivine cumulates should flow down and away from the summit of the volcano. Flow of the olivine cumulates places constant pressure on the unbuttressed seaward flank, leading to an extensional region that localizes deep intrusions behind the flank; these intrusions add to the seaward push. This mechanism ties the source of gravitational instability to the caldera complex and deep rift systems and, therefore, limits catastrophic sector failure of Hawaiian volcanoes to their active growth phase, when the core of olivine cumulates is still hot enough to flow.     

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

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

Mechanism of explosive eruptions of Kilauea Volcano,Hawaii

A small explosive eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, occurred in May 1924. The eruption was preceded by rapid draining of a lava lake and transfer of a large volume of magma from the summit reservoir to the east rift zone. This lowered the magma column, which reduced hydrostatic pressure beneath Halemaumau and allowed groundwater to flow rapidly into areas of hot rock, producing a phreatic eruption. A comparison with other events at Kilauea shows that the transfer of a large volume of magma out of the summit reservoir is not sufficient to produce a phreatic eruption. For example, the volume transferred at the beginning of explosive activity in May 1924 was less than the volumes transferred in March 1955 and January–February 1960, when no explosive activity occurred. Likewise, draining of a lava lake and deepening of the floor of Halemaumau, which occurred in May 1922 and August 1923, were not sufficient to produce explosive activity. A phreatic eruption of Kilauea requires both the transfer of a large volume of magma from the summit reservoir and the rapid removal of magma from near the surface, where the surrounding rocks have been heated to a sufficient temperature to produce steam explosions when suddenly contacted by groundwater.     

Koolau shield basalt as xenoliths entrained during rejuvenated-stage eruptions: perspectives on magma mixing

Rejuvenated-stage tuff cones (Honolulu Volcanics) on Koolau volcano, Oahu, Hawaii, contain xenoliths of Koolau shield basalt. Because Koolau subaerial shield lavas represent a Hawaiian geochemical 'end member', and submarine shield lavas have compositions with some affinities to Mauna Loa and Kilauea, we analyzed 28 xenolithic basalts from Salt Lake and Koko Head cones to determine how these seemingly random samplings of the Koolau profile compare to established Koolau geochemistry. Analyses reveal that 24 are shield tholeiitic basalt—the focus of this study—and 4 are rejuvenated-stage basaltic rocks. The tholeiitic xenoliths represent largely upper Koolau shield lavas, as these samples (8.3 to 5.8 wt% MgO) have, with one exception, overall major- and trace-element compositions that overlap those of Koolau subaerial shield lavas. Secondary processes, however, created some distinctions—namely, enrichments/depletions in K, Ba, Sr, SiO₂, and FeO, and, due to zeolitization (chabazite with attending okenite and apophyllite), elevated CaO. One xenolithic basalt with 8.2 wt% MgO has higher Ti, Zr, Nb, and Sc, and lower Zr/Nb than subaerial lavas, and appears to represent relatively early, deeper shield—thereby reinforcing that the Koolau shield source varied temporally. Olivine, orthopyroxene, and plagioclase are the phenocrysts (clinopyroxene is rare), and their core compositions range widely across the suite—Fo_87.8–72, orthopyroxene Mg#s 85–72, and An_74–60. Several xenolithic basalts have both normally and reversely zoned orthopyroxene and plagioclase with a variety of core compositions (e.g., orthopyroxene-core Mg#s 82, 77, and 72, all in one sample). These compositions and zonations record evidence for wide compositional ranges of replenishment (MgO ~13–8 wt%) and reservoir (MgO ~7 to <5 wt%) magmas mixing in varying proportions; however, extreme MgO lavas (~13 and <5 wt%) are not observed as either subaerial or xenolithic basalt, but are indicated by phenocryst cores of Fo_87.8 and orthopyroxene-Mg# 72. The Koolau magma-mixing history resembles that of Kilauea, and is unlike the 'steady-state' mixing known for Mauna Loa. Finally, these basalt samples show that any xenolithic occurrence of Koolau lava is subject to the zeolitization prevalent in the tuff-cone hosts.Editorial handling: M. Carroll     

Petrology of ultramafic and mafic xenoliths in picrite of Kahoolawe Island,Hawaii

A picrite lava (22 wt% MgO; 35 vol.% ol) along the western shore of the1.3–1.4 Ma Kahoolawe tholeiitic shield, Hawaii, contains small xenoliths of harzburgite, lherzolite, norite, and wehrlite. The various rock types have textures where either orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, or plagioclase is in a poikilitic relationship with olivine. The Mg#s of the olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene in this xenolith suite range between 86 and 82; spinel Mg#s range from 60 to 49, and plagioclase is An_75–80. A ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio for one ol-norite xenolith is 0.70444. In comparison, the host picrite has olivine phenocrysts with an average Mg# of 86.2 (range 87.5–84.5), and a whole-rock ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70426. Textural and isotopic information together with mineral compositions indicate that the xenoliths are related to Kahoolawe tholeiitic magmatism, but are not crystallization products of the magma represented by their host picrite. Rather, the xenoliths are crystalline products of earlier primitive liquids (FeO/MgO ranging 1 to 1.3) at 5–9 kbar in the cumulate environment of a magma reservoir or conduit system. The presence of ultramafic xenoliths in picrite but not in typical Kahoolawe tholeiitic lava (6–9 wt% MgO) is consistent with replenishment of reservoirs by dense Mg-rich magma emplaced beneath resident, less dense tholeiitic magma. Mg-rich magmas have proximity to reservoir cumulate zones and are therefore more likely than fractionated residual liquids to entrain fragments of cumulate rock.     

Role of magma mixing during the recent activity of La Fossa di vulcano (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Relatively homogeneous trachytes have been erupted for approximately 3800 years at la Fossa di Vulcano. From the Punte Nere eruptive cycle up to the Palizzi cycle the products varied little, while after the Palizzi cycle (1600 + 1000 a B.P.) to the latest eruption, 1888–1890 AD, a spectrum of compositions, with rhyolite dominating, characterized the erupted products.A stratigraphic sequence, starting with the Palizzi lava flow, has been studied, focussing the attention on lavas and volcanic bombs, to define the role that magma mixing processes have played in the recent history of La Fossa di Vulcano. Textural and chemical analyses of whole rocks, glass, groundmass, and mineral phases indicate that only the breadcrust bombs, erupted during the 1888–1890, show evidence of mixing between trachytic and rhyolitic end-members. Interestingly, in the deposits of the same eruption, trachytic bombs also occur.The lava flows erupted before 1888–1890 display general features suggesting that they entrained crystals and lava fragments during magma ascent. During the 1888–1890 eruption the trachytic bombs were erupted before the breadcrust bombs, which have a more evolved and hybrid composition. These characteristics, together with the change of the nature of the products after the Palizzi cycle, require a complex volcanological model for the recent history of la Fossa di Vulcano.     

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

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

The 1999 and 2000 eruptions of Mount Cameroon: eruption behaviour and petrochemistry of lava

Mount Cameroon (4,095 m high and with a volume of ~1,200 km³) is one of the most active volcanoes in Africa, having erupted seven times in the last 100 years. This stratovolcano of basanite and hawaiite lavas has an elliptical shape, with over a hundred cones around its flanks and summit region aligned parallel to its NE--SW-trending long axis. The 1999 (28 March–22 April) eruption was restricted to two sites: ~2,650 m (site 1) and ~1,500 m (site 2). Similarly, in the eruption in 2000 (28 May–19 June), activity occurred at two sites: ~4,095 m (site 1) and ~3,300 m (site 2). During both eruptions, the higher vents were more explosive, with strombolian activity, while the lower vents were more effusive. Accordingly, most of the lava (~8×10⁷ m³ in 1999 and ~6×10⁶ m³ in 2000) was emitted from the lower sites. The 1999–2000 lavas are predominantly basanites with low Ni (5–79 ppm), Cr (40–161 ppm) and mg numbers (34–40). Olivine (Fo_77–85, phenocrysts and Fo_68–72, microlites), clinopyroxene (Wo₄₇En₄₁Fs₁₀ to Wo₅₁En₃₄Fs₁₅), plagioclase (An_49–67) and titanomagnetite are the principal phenocryst and groundmass phases. The lavas contain xenocrysts of olivine and clinopyroxene, which are interpreted as fragments of intrusive rocks disrupted by magma ascent. Major and trace element characteristics point to early fractionation of olivine. The clinopyroxenes (Al₂O₃ 1.36–7.83 wt%) have high Al^iv/Al^vi ratios (1.3–1.8) and are rich in TiO₂, characteristics typical of low pressure clinopyroxenes. Geochemical differences between the 1999–2000 lavas and those from previous eruptions, such as higher Nb/Zr of the former, suggest that different eruptions discharged magmas that evolved differently in space and time. Geophysical and petrological data indicate that these fractionated magmas originated just below the geophysical Moho (at 20–22 km) in the lithospheric mantle. During ascent, the magmas disrupted intrusions and earlier magma pockets. The main ascent path is below the summit, where newly arrived magma degasses. Degassed magma simultaneously intrudes the flank rift zones where most lava is extruded.An erratum to this article can be found at     

The Madinah eruption,Saudi Arabia: Magma mixing and simultaneous extrusion of three basaltic chemical types

During a 52-day eruption in 1256 A.D., 0.5 km³ of alkali-olivine basalt was extruded from a 2.25-km-long fissure at the north end of the Harrat Rahat lava field, Saudi Arabia. The eruption produced 6 scoria cones and a lava flow 23 km long that approached the ancient and holy city of Madinah to within 8 km. Three chemical types of basalt are defined by data point clusters on variation diagrams, i.e. the low-K, high-K, and hybrid types. All three erupted simultaneously. Their distribution is delineated in both scoria cones and lava flow units from detailed mapping and a petrochemical study of 135 samples. Six flow units, defined by distinct flow fronts, represent extrusive pulses. The high-K type erupted during all six pulses, the low-K type during the first three, and the hybrid type during the first two.Three mineral assemblages occur out of equilibrium in all three chemical types.Assemblage 1 contains resorbed olivine and clinopyroxene megacrysts and ultramafic microxenoliths (Fo₉₀ + Cr spinel + Cr endiopside) which fractionated within the spinel zone of the mantle.Assemblage 2 contains resorbed plagioclase megacrysts (An₆₀) with olivine inclusions (Fo₇₈) which fractionated in the crust.Assemblage 3 contains microphenocrysts of plagioclase and olivine in a groundmass of the same minerals with late-crystallizing titansalite and titanomagnetite; assemblage 3 crystallized at the surface and/or in the upper crust. Each assemblage represents a distinct range in PTX environment, suggesting that their coexistence in each chemical type may be a function of magma mixing. Such a process is confirmed by variable ratios of incompatible element pairs in a range of analyses.All three chemical types are products of mixing. Some of the hybrid types may have developed from surface mixing of the low-K and high-K lavas; however, the occurrence of all three types at the vent system suggests that subsurface mixing was the dominant process. We suggest that the Madinah flow was extruded from a heterogeneous magma chamber containing vertically stacked sections equivalent to the six eruptive pulses. This chamber may have developed contemporaneously with magma mixing when a crustal reservoir containing a magma in equilibrium with assemblage 2 was invaded by a more primitive magma containing cognate microxenoliths and megacrysts of assemblage 1.     

Sur l'éruption du Nyamulagira de décembre 1981 à janvier 1982: cône et coulée du Rugarambiro (Kivu,Zaïre)

The December 1981 — January 1982 eruption which started in the Christmas night on the SE side of Nyamulagira, gave the longest historical flow (26 km) representing the highest production rate of this volcano in this century (280×10⁶m³ of erupted magmas in 19 days). This eruption built Rugarambiro, a composite spatter cinder-cone. The ejected lava is a K-hawaiite (kivite) whose basicity decreased during the eruption (first emission: D.I. = 40; last products: D.I. = 35). This chemical evolution is reflected by:

--the modal composition of lavas. The first emissions are poor in ferromagnesian phenocrysts (olivine + clinopyroxene: 3%) and rich in plagioclase (12%); the contrary is observed in the last ejected lavas (livine + Cpx: 16%; plagioclase: 1%);

--the nature of the crystallizing minerals in the groundmass. In fact, only the first ejections include alkaline feldspars, nepheline and Tiphlogopite;

--the glassy phase composition which is more differentiated in the first lavas (D.I. 68–84) than in the last ones (D.I. 42–61).

A stratification of the Nyamulagira magmatic chamber is proposed where magmatic differentiation has probably occurred for fractional crystallization. Mineralogical thermobarometers lead to locate this magmatic reservoir at the depth of 6–7 km that we had already hypothesized. The presence of phenocrysts of bytownite, basic chrysolite, diopside and salite indicates a basaltic paragenesis which marks a hawaiitic magma chamber feeding.     

The petrology and geochemistry of the Handkerchief Mesa mixed magma complex, San Juan Mountains, Colorado

The Handkerchief Mesa mixed magma complex is one of several late Cenozoic volcanic complexes in the southeastern San Juan Mountains characterized by mingling and limited mixing of basalt and rhyodacite. Stratigraphy in the dissected vent complex at Handkerchief Mesa records three phases of volcanism, the first and third displaying evidence for coeruption of mafic and silicic magmas. Phases 1 and 2 erupted silicic pyroclastics and basaltic lava flows, respectively. Phase-3 eruptions were dominated by rhyodacite lava flows, rhyodacite dikes, and abundant mingled and mixed hybrid lavas.Pre- and syneruptive basalt-rhyodacite mixing of phase-3 eruptions is shown by: (1) inclusions of quenched basalt in rhyodacite; (2) partially disaggregated basalt inclusions in mixed hybrids and rhyodacites; (3) interfingering lenses of mixed hybrid lavas and rhyodacite. Whole-rock major- and trace-element analyses support a two-component mixing model whereby intermediate hybrids are produced by mixing of basalt and rhyodacite (up to 30% basalt: 70% rhyodacite). Disequilibrium phenocryst textures and mineral compositions are consistent with multistage mixing culminating in an eruptive mixing event. Protracted mixing along a boundary zone at the base of a rhyodacite magma chamber may be responsible for stabilizing Fe-rich olivine phenocrysts in some hybrids.Basalt-rhyodacite mixing is inhibited by rapid crystallization in the basalt shortly after inclusion within the lower temperature melt. The degree to which mechanical dispersion and blending ensues is a critical function of the initial temperature contrast (ΔT_i) between the two magmas. Thermal models, simulating the conductive cooling histories for basalt spheres in rhyodacite reservoirs, suggest that at large ΔT_i's (> 200°) rapid cooling of the inclusion leads to disequilibrium crystallization with concomitant depression of equilibrium solidi, grain boundary wetting by residual liquids, and limited disaggregation of the inclusion imposed by movement of the host. For small ΔT_i's (< 100°) temperatures within the inclusion can be maintained above the solidus for prolonged time periods, enhancing the possibility of producing homogeneous mixed hybrids through mechanical blending and diffusion. Both mechanisms operated at Handkerchief Mesa and contributed to the range of observed textures and compositions.