The catalogue of Quaternary volcanoes of the Greater Caucasus based on geochronological,volcanological and isotope-geochemical data

A catalogue of Quaternary volcanoes of the Greater Caucasus has been compiled based on recent geological, petrological-geochemical and isotope-geochronological data obtained in the last decades. This catalogue provides insight into the evolution of the youngest magmatism in this part of the Alpine-Himalayan fold belt at the modern level of knowledge. The catalogue is given as a set of tabular data on 74 volcanic edifices that have been found and described in literature in varying detail, including their coordinates, absolute height, type of edifice and the predominant type of eruption, age, as well as main petrographic, isotope-geochemical characteristics, and the chemical composition of the products of magmatic activity. For the sake of convenience, the volcanoes of the Kazbek and Elbrus neovolcanic areas representing two main areals of young magmatism at the Greater Caucasus are described separately. In addition, data on the Kazbek area are grouped by traditionally distinguished volcanic centers. Text presents general information on the Quaternary volcanic activity within the Greater Caucasus, its geochronology, spatiotemporal distribution, and petrogenesis of the youngest volcanic rocks.     

Inverse differentiation pathway by multiple mafic magma refilling in the last magmatic activity of Nisyros Volcano, Greece

Based on detailed field, petrographic, chemical, and isotopic data, this paper shows that the youngest magmas of the active Nisyros volcano (South Aegean Arc, Greece) are an example of transition from rhyolitic to less evolved magmas by multiple refilling with mafic melts, triggering complex magma interaction processes. The final magmatic activity of Nisyros was characterized by sub-Plinian caldera-forming eruption (40?ka), emplacing the Upper Pumice (UP) rhyolitic deposits, followed by the extrusion of rhyodacitic post-caldera domes (about 31–10?ka). The latter are rich in magmatic enclaves with textural and compositional (basaltic–andesite to andesite) characteristics that reveal they are quenched portions of mafic magmas included in a cooler more evolved melt. Dome-lavas have different chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical characteristics from the enclaves. The latter have lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and higher ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values than dome-lavas. Silica contents and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values decrease with time among dome-lavas and enclaves. Micro-scale mingling processes caused by enclave crumbling and by widespread mineral exchanges increase from the oldest to the youngest domes, together with enclave content. We demonstrate that the dome-lavas are multi-component magmas formed by progressive mingling/mixing processes between a rhyolitic component (post-UP) and the enclave-forming mafic magmas refilling the felsic reservoir (from 15?wt.% to 40?wt.% of mafic component with time). We recognize that only the more evolved enclave magmas contribute to this process, in which recycling of cumulate plagioclase crystals is also involved. The post-UP end-member derives by fractional crystallization from the magmas leftover after the previous UP eruptions. The enclave magma differentiation develops mainly by fractional crystallization associated with multiple mixing with mafic melts changing their composition with time. A time-related picture of the relationships between dome-lavas and relative enclaves is proposed, suggesting a delay between a mafic magma input and the relative dome outpouring. We also infer that the magma viscosity reduction by re-heating allows dome extrusion without explosive activity.     

GPS-based crustal deformations in Azerbaijan and their influence on seismicity and mud volcanism

Using Shen’s method (Shen et al., 1996), deformations of the Earth’s crust in Azerbaijan were studied based on GPS measurements. For estimating the rate of deformation, we used the field of velocity vectors for Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia, and Armenia that were derived from GPS measurements during 1998–2012. It is established that compression is observable along the Greater Caucasus, in Gobustan, the Kura depression, Nakhchyvan Autonomous Republic, and adjacent areas of Iran. The axes of compression/contraction of the crust in the Greater Caucasus region are oriented in the S-NE direction. The maximum strain rate (approximately 200 × 10^?9 per annum) is documented in the zone of mud volcanism at the SHIK site (Shykhlar), which is marked by a sharp change in the direction of the compression axes (SW-NE). It is revealed that the deformation field also includes the zones where strain rates are very low approximating 5 × 10^?9 per annum. These zones include the Caspian-Guba and northern Gobustan areas, characterized by extensive development of mud volcanism. The extension zones are confined to the Lesser Caucasus and are revealed in the Gedabek (GEDA) and Shusha (SHOU) areas, as well as in the zone located between the DAMO and PIRM sites (Iran), where the deformation rate amounts to 100 × 10^?9 per annum. It is concluded that the predominant factor responsible for the eruption of mud volcanoes is the intensity of gas-generation processes in the earth’s interior, while deformation processes play the role of a trigger. The zone of the epicenters of strong earthquakes is correlated to the gradient zone in the crustal strain rates.     

Thermal diffusivity of rhyolitic glasses and melts: effects of temperature, crystals and dissolved water

Thermal diffusivity (D) was measured using laser-flash analysis on pristine and remelted obsidian samples from Mono Craters, California. These high-silica rhyolites contain between 0.013 and 1.10?wt% H₂O and 0 to 2?vol% crystallites. At room temperature, D _glass varies from 0.63 to 0.68?mm²?s^?1, with more crystalline samples having higher D. As T increases, D _glass decreases, approaching a constant value of ??0.55?mm²?s^?1 near 700?K. The glass data are fit with a simple model as an exponential function of temperature and a linear function of crystallinity. Dissolved water contents up to 1.1?wt% have no statistically significant effect on the thermal diffusivity of the glass. Upon crossing the glass transition, D decreases rapidly near ??1,000?K for the hydrous melts and ??1,200?K for anhydrous melts. Rhyolitic melts have a D _melt of ??0.51?mm²?s^?1. Thermal conductivity (k?=?D·??·C _P) of rhyolitic glass and melt increases slightly with T because heat capacity (C _P) increases with T more strongly than density (??) and D decrease. The thermal conductivity of rhyolitic melts is ??1.5?W?m^?1?K^?1, and should vary little over the likely range of magmatic temperatures and water contents. These values of D and k are similar to those of major crustal rock types and granitic protoliths at magmatic temperatures, suggesting that changes in thermal properties accompanying partial melting of the crust should be relatively minor. Numerical models of shallow rhyolite intrusions indicate that the key difference in thermal history between bodies that quench to obsidian, and those that crystallize, results from the release of latent heat of crystallization. Latent heat release enables bodies that crystallize to remain at high temperatures for much longer times and cool more slowly than glassy bodies. The time to solidification is similar in both cases, however, because solidification requires cooling through the glass transition in the first case, and cooling only to the solidus in the second.     

Structure and evolution of the Rockeskyllerkopf Volcanic Complex, West Eifel Volcanic Field, Germany

The Rockeskyllerkopf Volcanic Complex (RVC) comprises three overlapping monogenetic volcanic centers: Southeast Lammersdorf (SEL), Mäuseberg (M) and Rockeskyllerkopf (RKK). Each volcanic center comprises proximal wall deposits with a well defined crater wall unconformity and crater fill deposits that partially to completely cover the outer crater wall. The SEL Center is a phreatomagmatic tuff ring composed of lithic rich tephra deposited by pyroclastic falls and surges. The second center, Mäuseberg, with its crater to the northwest of the SEL Center is predominantly magmatic. Topographic and outcrop patterns suggest that this center may have formed a series of overlapping scoria cones along a N–S trending fissure. The youngest center, RKK, which lies on a poorly developed palaeosol within the earlier Mäuseberg deposits, comprises a well developed proximal crater wall sequence. This sequence of magmatic, likely Strombolian, fall and grain avalanche deposits passes upward into a crater fill sequence that comprises variably welded bombs. The final eruptions in the center were massive lava flows that were ponded within the RKK crater. Ar–Ar age dating of reequilibrated fragments of phlogopite megacrysts in the SEL lavas indicates volcanic activity began at 474?±?39 ka. Literature K–Ar dates for the youngest lava flows in the RKK Center give ages of 360?±?60 to 470 ka. Our interpretation of the age data and the presence of the poorly developed palaeosol between the Mäuseberg and RKK centers indicates that volcanism in the RVC began around 470 ka with the eruption of the SEL and Mäuseberg centers followed a few thousand years later by the eruption of the RKK Center.     

Age, geology, geophysics, and geochemistry of Mahukona Volcano, Hawai`i

The size, shape, and magmatic history of the most recently discovered shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, Mahukona, have been controversial. Mahukona corresponds to what was thought to be a gap in the paired sequence (Loa and Kea trends) of younger Hawaiian volcanoes (<4?Ma). Here, we present the results of marine expeditions to Mahukona where new bathymetry, sidescan sonar, gravity data, and lava samples were collected to address these controversies. Modeling of bathymetric and gravity data indicate that Mahukona is one of the smallest Hawaiian volcanoes (～6,000?km³) and that its magmatic system was not focused in a long-lived central reservoir like most other Hawaiian volcanoes. This lack of a long-lived magmatic reservoir is reflected by the absence of a central residual gravity high and the random distribution of cones on Mahukona Volcano. Our reconstructed subsidence history for Mahukona suggests it grew to at least ～270?m below sea level but probably did not form an island. New ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar plateau ages range from 350 to 654?ka providing temporal constraints for Mahukona’s post-shield and shield stages of volcanism, which ended prematurely. Mahukona post-shield lavas have high ³He/⁴He ratios (16–21?Ra), which have not been observed in post-shield lavas from other Hawaiian volcanoes. Lava compositions range widely at Mahukona, including Pb isotopic values that straddle the boundary between Kea and Loa sequences of volcanoes. The compositional diversity of Mahukona lavas may be related to its relatively small size (less extensive melting) and the absence of a central magma reservoir where magmas would have been homogenized.     

The geochemistry and petrogenesis of the volcanic rocks of Carriacou,Grenadine Islands,West Indies

Carriacou is small volcanic island located near the southern end of the Lesser Antillean chain. Field relationships, petrography and geochemistry of the Tertiary lavas, outcropping in the southern half of the island, are used to identify the rocks present and to determine their petrogenesis and assess their significance within the island arc.Six main volcanic units are present. From oldest to youngest, these are the clinopyroxene-phyric basalt (CPB) sequence, the amphibole-phyric andesite (APA) sequence, the clinopyroxene-megaphyric basalt (CMB) sequence, the olivine-microphyric basalt (OMB) sequence, the clinopyroxene phyric andesite (CPA) sequence, and the amphibole-megaphyric andesite (AMA) sequence. Volcaniclastic deposits are associated with the APA, CMB, and AMA sequences. The APA sequence is calcalkaline, whereas the other five sequences are tholeiitic.Sr isotope and rare earth element (REE) data suggest that these volcanic rocks were derived from partial melts of garnet-peridotite generated deep within the mantle. The OMB lavas have the highest temperature assemblages of intratelluric minerals and the least evolved chemical characteristics, and are considered to be closest in composition to a parental melt. Phenocryst assemblages and chemical variation suggest that the andesite sequences have been derived from the mafic melts by low pressure fractional crystallization of approximately 20% clinopyroxene and 20% olivine, plus smaller amounts of plagioclase and amphibole. The high concentrations of incompatible and compatible elements and the high⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios may indicate that subduction is slower in the southern part of the arc, and fluids released during slab dehydration rich in Incompatible trace elements, in Radiogenic strontium, and in Silica (IRS), have modified the parental melts.     

Crustal structure, evolution, and volcanic unrest of the Alban Hills, Central Italy

 The Alban Hills, a Quaternary volcanic center lying west of the central Apennines, 15–25 km southeast of Rome, last erupted 19 ka and has produced approximately 290 km³ of eruptive deposits since the inception of volcanism at 580 ka. Earthquakes of moderate intensity have been generated there at least since the Roman age. Modern observations show that intermittent periods of swarm activity originate primarily beneath the youngest features, the phreatomagmatic craters on the west side of the volcano. Results from seismic tomography allow identification of a low-velocity region, perhaps still hot or partially molten, more than 6 km beneath the youngest craters and a high-velocity region, probably a solidified magma body, beneath the older central volcanic construct. Thirty centimeters of uplift measured by releveling supports the contention that high levels of seismicity during the 1980s and 1990s resulted from accumulation of magma beneath these craters. The volume of magma accumulation and the amount of maximum uplift was probably at least 40×10⁶ m³ and 40 cm, respectively. Comparison of newer levelings with those completed in 1891 and 1927 suggests earlier episodes of uplift. The magma chamber beneath the western Alban Hills is probably responsible for much of the past 200 ka of eruptive activity, is still receiving intermittent batches of magma, and is, therefore, continuing to generate modest levels of volcanic unrest. Bending of overburden is the most likely cause of the persistent earthquakes, which generally have hypocenters above the 6-km-deep top of the magma reservoir. In this view, the most recent uplift and seismicity are probably characteristic and not precursors of more intense activity. Received: 15 April 1997 / Accepted: 9 August 1997     

Eruptive history and petrologic evolution of the Albano multiple maar (Alban Hills, Central Italy)

A comprehensive volcanological study of the Albano multiple maar (Alban Hills, Italy) using (i) ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology of the most complete stratigraphic section and other proximal and distal outcrops and (ii) petrographic observations, phase analyses of major and trace elements, and Sr and O isotopic analyses of the pyroclastic deposits shows that volcanic activity at Albano was strongly discontinuous, with a first eruptive cycle at 69±1 ka producing at least two eruptions, and a second cycle with two peaks at 39±1 and 36±1 ka producing at least four eruptions. Contrary to previous studies, we did not find evidence of magmatic or hydromagmatic eruptions younger than 36±1 ka. The activity of Albano was fed by a new batch of primary magma compositionally different from that of the older activity of the Alban Hills; moreover, the REE and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr data indicate that the Albano magma originated from an enriched metasomatized mantle. According to the modeled liquid line of descent, this magma differentiated under the influence of magma/limestone wall rock interaction. Our detailed eruptive and petrologic reconstruction of the Albano Maar evolution substantiates the dormant state of the Alban Hills Volcanic District. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at Editorial responsibility: J. Donnelly-Nolan An erratum to this article can be found at     

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.     

The eruptive rate and history of Kuju volcano in Japan during the past 15,000 years

The eruptive history of Kuju volcano on Kyushu, Japan, during the past 15,000 years has been determined by tephrochronology and ¹⁴C dating. Kuju volcano comprises isolated lava domes and cones of hornblende andesite together with aprons of pyroclastic-flow deposits on its flanks. Kuju volcano produced tephras at roughly 1000-yr intervals during the past 5000 years and 70% of the domes and cones have formed during the past 15,000 years. The youngest magmatic activity of Kuju volcano was the 1.6 km³ andesite eruption about 1600 years ago which emplaced a lava dome and block-and-ash flow. Kuju volcano shows a nearly constant long-term eruption rate (0.7–0.4 km³ for 1000 years) during the past 15,000 years. This rate is within the range of estimated average eruption rates of late Quaternary volcanoes in the Japanese Arc, but is about one order of magnitude higher than the eruption rate of Unzen volcano. Kuju volcano has been in phreatic eruption since October 1995. The late Quaternary history of Kuju indicates that it poses a significant volcanic hazard, primarily due to block-and-ash flows from collapsing lava domes.     

Effusive history of the Grande Découverte Volcanic Complex, southern Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe, French West Indies) from new K–Ar Cassignol–Gillot ages

The Grande Découverte Volcanic Complex (GDVC), active since at least 0.2 Ma, is the most recent volcanic complex of the Basse-Terre Island (Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles Arc). A detailed geochronological study using the K–Ar Cassignol–Gillot technique has been undertaken in order to reconstruct the history of effusive activity of this long-lived volcanic system. Twenty new ages permit to suggest that the GDVC experienced at least six main effusive stages, from 200 ka to present time. To the north of the GDVC, the GDS (Grande Découverte–Soufrière volcano) has been active since at least 200 ka, and to the south, the TRMF (Trois-Rivières–Madeleine Field), started to be emplaced 100 ka. Morphological investigations suggest that the whole TRMF volcanism was emitted from vents distinct from the GDS, most probably a large E–W fissure network linked to the Marie-Galante rift. The mean age of 62 ± 5 ka, obtained for the E–W Madeleine–Le Palmiste alignment suggests that a fissure-opening event occurred at that time. However, whole-rock major and trace element signatures are similar for both systems, suggesting that a common complex magma-plumbing system has fed the overall GDVC. We report very young ages for lava flows from the TRMF, which implies that < 10 ka volcanic activity is now identified for both massifs. Although hazards associated with such effusive volcanism are much lower than those associated with potential flank-collapse of the Soufrière lava dome or a magmatic dome eruption with explosive phases within the GDS, the emplacement of relatively large Holocene age lava flows (3–1 × 10⁸ m³) suggests that a revised integrated volcanic hazard assessment for Southern Basse-Terre should now consider the potential for renewed future activity from two Holocene volcanic centers including the TRMF.     

40Ar/39Ar constraints on the temporal evolution of Graciosa Island, Azores (Portugal)

Lava flows spanning the eruptive record of Graciosa Island (Azores archipelago) and a gabbro xenolith were dated by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar in order to constrain the Pleistocene and Holocene volcanic evolution of the island. The results range from 1.05 Ma to 3.9 ka, whereas prior published K–Ar and ¹⁴C ages range from 620 to 2 ka. The formation of the Serra das Fontes shield volcano started at minimum 1.05 Ma, and the magmatic system was active for ca. 600 ky, as suggested by the formation of the gabbro xenolith by magmatic differentiation. Evolved magmas making up the Serra das Fontes–Serra Branca composite volcano were generated at ca. 450 ka. After a period of ca. 110 ky of volcanic inactivity and erosion of volcanic edifices, volcanism was reactivated with the formation of the Vitória Unit NW platform. Later, the development of the Vulcão Central Unit started with the formation of monogenetic cones located to the south of the Serra das Fontes–Serra Branca–Vitória Unit. This volcanism became progressively more evolved and was concentrated in a main eruptive center, forming the Vulcão Central stratovolcano with an age older than 50 ka. The caldera related to this stratovolcano is older than 47 ka and was followed by effusion of basaltic magmas into the caldera, resulting in the formation of a lava lake, which ultimately spilled over the caldera rim at ca. 11 ka. The most recent eruptions on Graciosa formed two small pyroclastic cones within the caldera and the Pico do Timão cone within the Vitória Unit at ca 3.9 ka.     

Cosmogenic 3He exposure dating of the Quaternary basalts from Fogo,Cape Verdes: Implications for rift zone and magmatic reorganisation

We have used cosmogenic ³He to date pre- and post-collapse lava flows from southwestern Fogo, Cape Verdes, in order to date rift zone magmatic reorganisation following the lateral collapse of the flank of the Monte Amarelo volcano. The post-collapse flows have exposure ages ranging from 62 to 11 ka. The analysis of multiple flow tops on each lava flows, often at different elevations, provides an internal check for age consistency and the exposures ages conform with stratigraphic level. The exposure ages suggest that volcanic activity along the western branch of the triple-armed rift zone was more or less continuous from before 62 ka to approximately 11 ka. The absence of magmatic activity for the last 11 kyr reflects a structural reconfiguration of the volcano and may be related to renewed flank instability. This volcanic hiatus is similar in duration to that observed in the Canary Islands. Replicate ³He exposure ages of a pre-collapse flow (123.0 ± 5.2 ka) brackets the time of the Monte Amarelo collapse between 62 ka and 123 ka. Reproducible cosmogenic ³He exposure ages of less than 123 ka from flows away from major erosion features demonstrates that the technique is a viable alternative to the radiocarbon, K/Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar chronometers for dating recent volcanism in arid climate zones.     

Amplified hazard of small-volume monogenetic eruptions due to environmental controls, Orakei Basin, Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand

Orakei maar and tuff ring in the Auckland Volcanic Field is an example of a basaltic volcano in which the style and impacts of the eruption of a small volume of magma were modulated by a fine balance between magma flux and groundwater availability. These conditions were optimised by the pre-85?ka eruption being hosted in a zone of fractured and variably permeable Plio-Pleistocene mudstones and sandstones. Orakei maar represents an end-member in the spectrum of short-lived basaltic volcanoes, where substrate conditions rather than the magmatic volatile content was the dominant factor controlling explosivity and eruption styles. The eruption excavated a crater ?80?m deep that was subsequently filled by slumped crater wall material, followed by lacustrine and marine sediments. The explosion crater may have been less than 800?m in diameter, but wall collapse and wave erosion has left a 1,000-m-diameter roughly circular basin. A tuff ring around part of the maar comprises dominantly base surge deposits, along with subordinate fall units. Grain size, texture and shape characteristics indicate a strong influence of magma–water and magma–mud interactions that controlled explosivity throughout the eruption, but also an ongoing secondary role of magmatic gas-driven expansion and fragmentation. The tuff contains >70?% of material recycled from the underlying Plio-Pliestocene sediments, which is strongly predominant in the >2 ? fraction. The magmatic clasts are evolved alkali basalt, consistent with the eruption of a very small batch of magma. The environmental impact of this eruption was disproportionally large, when considering the low volume of magma involved (DRE?<?0.003?km³). Hence, this eruption exemplifies one of the worst-case scenarios for an eruption within the densely populated Auckland City, destroying an area of ~3?km² by crater formation and base surge impact. An equivalent scenario for the same magma conditions without groundwater interaction would yield a scoria/spatter cone with a diameter of 400–550?m, destroying less than a tenth of the area affected by the Orakei event.     

Surface exposure dating of Holocene basalt flows and cinder cones in the Kula volcanic field (Western Turkey) using cosmogenic 3He and 10Be

The Kula volcanic field in Western Turkey comprises about 80 cinder cones and associated basaltic lava flows of Quaternary age. Based on geomorphological criteria and K-Ar dating, three eruption phases, β2–β4, were distinguished in previous studies. Human footprints in ash deposits document that the early inhabitants of Anatolia were affected by the volcanic eruptions, but the age of the footprints has been poorly constrained. Here we use ³He and ¹⁰Be exposure dating of olivine phenocrysts and quartz-bearing xenoliths to determine the age of the youngest lava flows and cinder cones. In the western part of the volcanic field, two basalt samples from a 15-km-long block lava flow yielded ³He ages of 1.5 ± 0.3 ka and 2.5 ± 0.4 ka, respectively, with the latter being in good agreement with a ¹⁰Be age of 2.4 ± 0.3 ka for an augen gneiss xenolith from the same flow. A few kilometers farther north, a metasedimentary xenolith from the top of the cinder cone Çakallar Tepe gave a ¹⁰Be age of 11.2 ± 1.1 ka, which dates the last eruption of this cone and also the human footprints in the related ash deposits. In the center of the volcanic field, a basalt sample and a metasedimentary xenolith from another cinder cone gave consistent ³He and ¹⁰Be ages of 2.6 ± 0.4 ka and 2.6 ± 0.3 ka, respectively. Two β4 lava flows in the central and eastern part of the volcanic province yielded ³He ages of 3.3 ± 0.4 ka and 0.9 ± 0.2 ka, respectively. Finally, a relatively well-preserved β3 flow gave a ³He age of ∼13 ka. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the penultimate eruption phase β3 in the Kula volcanic field continued until ∼11 ka, whereas the youngest phase β4 started less than four thousand years ago and may continue in the future.     

The geological evolution of Merapi volcano, Central Java, Indonesia

Merapi is an almost persistently active basalt to basaltic andesite volcanic complex in Central Java (Indonesia) and often referred to as the type volcano for small-volume pyroclastic flows generated by gravitational lava dome failures (Merapi-type nuées ardentes). Stratigraphic field data, published and new radiocarbon ages in conjunction with a new set of ⁴⁰K–⁴⁰Ar and ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar ages, and whole-rock geochemical data allow a reassessment of the geological and geochemical evolution of the volcanic complex. An adapted version of the published geological map of Merapi [(Wirakusumah et al. 1989), Peta Geologi Gunungapi Merapi, Jawa Tengah (Geologic map of Merapi volcano, Central Java), 1:50,000] is presented, in which eight main volcano stratigraphic units are distinguished, linked to three main evolutionary stages of the volcanic complex—Proto-Merapi, Old Merapi and New Merapi. Construction of the Merapi volcanic complex began after 170?ka. The two earliest (Proto-Merapi) volcanic edifices, Gunung Bibi (109?±?60?ka), a small basaltic andesite volcanic structure on Merapi’s north-east flank, and Gunung Turgo and Gunung Plawangan (138?±?3?ka; 135?±?3?ka), two basaltic hills in the southern sector of the volcano, predate the Merapi cone sensu stricto. Old Merapi started to grow at ~30?ka, building a stratovolcano of basaltic andesite lavas and intercalated pyroclastic rocks. This older Merapi edifice was destroyed by one or, possibly, several flank failures, the latest of which occurred after 4.8?±?1.5?ka and marks the end of the Old Merapi stage. The construction of the recent Merapi cone (New Merapi) began afterwards. Mostly basaltic andesite pyroclastic and epiclastic deposits of both Old and New Merapi (<11,792?±?90 ¹⁴C years BP) cover the lower flanks of the edifice. A shift from medium-K to high-K character of the eruptive products occurred at ~1,900 ¹⁴C years BP, with all younger products having high-K affinity. The radiocarbon record points towards an almost continuous activity of Merapi since this time, with periods of high eruption frequency interrupted by shorter intervals of apparently lower eruption rates, which is reflected in the geochemical composition of the eruptive products. The Holocene stratigraphic record reveals that fountain collapse pyroclastic flows are a common phenomenon at Merapi. The distribution and run-out distances of these flows have frequently exceeded those of the classic Merapi-type nuées ardentes of the recent activity. Widespread pumiceous fallout deposits testify the occurrence of moderate to large (subplinian) eruptions (VEI 3–4) during the mid to late Holocene. VEI 4 eruptions, as identified in the stratigraphic record, are an order of magnitude larger than any recorded historical eruption of Merapi, except for the 1872?AD and, possibly, the October–November 2010 events. Both types of eruptive and volcanic phenomena require careful consideration in long-term hazard assessment at Merapi.     

Magmatic and hydromagmatic conduit development during the 1975 Tolbachik Eruption,Kamchatka, with implications for hazards assessment at Yucca Mountain,NV

Xenoliths in pyroclastic fall deposits from the 1975 Tolbachik eruption constrain the timing and development of subsurface conduits associated with basaltic cinder cone eruptions. The two largest Tolbachik vents contain xenoliths derived from magmatic and hydromagmatic processes, which can be correlated with observed styles of eruption activity. Although many basaltic eruptions progress from early hydromagmatic activity to late magmatic activity, transient hydromagmatic events occurred relatively late in the 1975 eruption sequence. Magmatic fall deposits contain 0.01–0.3 vol.% xenoliths from <3-km-deep rocks, likely derived from 6–15-m-wide and 1.7–2.8-km-deep conduits. Intervals that supported the highest tephra columns (i.e., droplet flow regime) produced few of these xenoliths; most were derived from intervals with relatively lower columns and active lava flows (i.e., annular 2-phase flow). Several periods of decreased eruptive activity resulted in inflow of groundwater from >500 m depth into the dry-out zone around the conduit, disrupting and ejecting 10⁵–10⁶ m³ of wall-rock through hydromagmatic processes with conduits widening to 8–48 m. Hydromagmatic falls contain 60–75 vol.% of highly fragmented xenoliths, with juvenile clasts displaying obvious magma-water interaction features. During the largest hydromagmatic event, unusual breccia-bombs formed containing a wide range of fresh and pyrometamorphic xenoliths suspended in a quenched basaltic matrix. Hydromagmatic activity during the 1975 Tolbachik eruption occurred below likely fragmentation depths for a basalt containing 2.2 wt.% magmatic water. This activity is more likely related to conduit-wall collapse rather than variations in conduit-flow pressure. In contrast, larger volume silicic eruptions may have transient hydromagmatic events in response to conduit flow dynamics above the magma fragmentation depth. The 1975 Tolbachik volcanoes are reasonably analogous to Quaternary basaltic volcanoes in the Yucca Mountain region and can guide interpretations of their poorly preserved deposits. The youngest basaltic volcanoes near Yucca Mountain have cone deposits characterized by elevated xenolith abundances and distinctive xenolith breccia-bombs, remarkably similar to 1975 Tolbachik deposits. Extrapolation of 1975 Tolbachik data suggests conduits for some Yucca Mountain basaltic volcanoes may have widened locally on the order of 50 m in response to late-stage hydromagmatic events.     

The geochronology and origin of mantle sources for late cenozoic intraplate volcanism in the frontal part of the Arabian plate in the Karacadağ neovolcanic area of Turkey. Part 2. The results of geochemical and isotope (Sr-Nd-Pb) studies

A geochemical and isotope-geochemical (Sr-Nd-Pb) study has been carried out for the Karacada? neovolcanic area, which is situated within the frontal part of the Arabian plate. The obtained data and the results of petrological modeling show that the petrogenesis of parental magmas in the Karacada? neovolcanic area involved two compositionally different mantle sources; one consisted of garnet-bearing peridotites of the asthenosphere mantle and the other was spinel-bearing peridotites of the enriched subcontinental lithosphere mantle. During early stages in the evolution of the magmatic system, deep-seated asthenospheric magmas were ascending to the surface while intensively interacting with the melts that had been generated at upper mantle depths. The interaction gradually diminished, so that the later effusive rocks mostly have compositions that are similar to those of the primitive asthenospheric magmas. It is shown that a significant (up to 17–18 wt % of the mantle melt) assimilation of crustal material could take place only during the initial phases of the magmatism. Periodic replenishment of the magma chambers by primitive magmas, which resulted in an observable high degree of homogeneity in the composition of young effusive rocks, was also of importance in the petrogenesis of lavas during the evolution of volcanic activity.     

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.