Trace element abundances and mineral/melt distribution coefficients in phonolites from the Laacher See volcano (Germany)

Twenty six whole rocks, seven matrix and fifty three mineral separates from the compositionally zoned late Quaternary Laacher See tephra sequence (East Eifel, W Germany) were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation. These data document the chemical variation within the Laacher See magma chamber prior to eruption with a highly fractionated phonolite at the top and a more mafic phonolite at its base as derived from other data. Incompatible elements such as Zn, Zr, Nb, Hf, U, light and heavy rare earths are extremely enriched towards the top whereas compatible elements (e.g. Sr, Sc, Co, Eu) are strongly depleted. Semicompatible elements (Ta and some middle REE) are depleted at intermediate levels. This chemical variation is shown by whole rock and matrix data indicating the phonolite liquid was compositionally zoned regardless of phenocryst content. Hybrid rocks (phonolite-basanite) show the largest concentrations for compatible elements. All elements (except Rb) display continuous compositional variations with regard to the stratigraphic position of pumice samples. From these data we are able to distinguish three main units: An early erupted highly fractionated magma, the main volume of evolved phonolite and a mafic phonolite as the final products. The extreme variation of trace element distribution coef ficients (K) for 9 mineral phases with respect to stratigraphic position (resp. matrix composition) cannot be explained by conventional mechanisms. We postulate a significant modification of the trace element content of the phonolite melt by liquid-liquid controlled differentiation processes subsequent to and/or contemporaneous with (fractional) crystallization which caused disequilibrium between phenocrysts and host matrix. Therefore, our “distribution coefficients” deviate from equilibrium partition coefficients equivalent to the amount of this post crystallization modification of the matrix composition. The relationship between varying K and matrix composition is demonstrated by a ΔK-ΔM-diagram (variation of K versus variation of matrix, M). Different parts of this diagram relate to different parameters (T, P, polymerization, complex-building, equilibrium crystallization in a zoned magma column and post crystallization disequilibrium effects) which are responsible for the variation of distribution coefficients in general. The ΔK-ΔM-diagram may allow to distinguish between different processes affecting the distribution coefficients measured in natural volcanic rocks from a differentiating magma system.     

Nucleation on perthite-perthite boundaries and exsolution mechanisms in alkali feldspars

A transmission electron microscope study of intracrystalline boundaries between two perthites of markedly different composition in composite crystals, one a tenary mesoperthite (Or₂₆Ab₅₂An₂₂, initially a homogeneous potassian monalbite) the other a more potassic cryptoperthite (Or₆₁Ab₃₃An₆, initially a homogeneous sodian sanidine), shows that the two perthites are in nearly parallel intergrowth. Most boundaries examined were of (hkO) type; (010) boundaries are straight, whereas other (hkO) boundaries are curved or stepped. Exsolution occurred first in the potassian monalbite (mesoperthite) and was unaffected by the boundary. Subsequent exsolution in the sodian sanidine (cryptoperthite) was affected by the boundary, but for up to only a few micrometers. Exsolution occurred by heterogeneous nucleation and growth of oligoclase on and from the intracrystalline boundary. At almost the same time the rest of the volume of sanidine exsolved by spinodal decomposition. 1–2 μm from the boundary in the intervening K-rich matrix of the sodian sanidine, further exsolution occurred by homogeneous nucleation. Time — temperature — transition curves for continuous cooling have been devised to account for the unusual complexity of the exsolution texture. Except in such exceptional circumstances as the example studied, the initial exsolution in high-temperature alkali feldspars of intermediate composition, unlike other minerals, probably does not occur by nucleation, but only by spinodal decomposition.     

Experimental constraints on storage conditions in the chemically zoned phonolitic magma chamber of the Laacher See volcano

Phase relations of three samples of the Laacher See Tephra (LST) have been determined experimentally as a function of temperature (760 to 880 °C), pressure (200, 300 and 400 MPa), water content of the melt and oxygen fugacity (ƒO₂). The crystallization experiments were carried out at ƒO₂=NNO buffer and at NNO=+ 2.3 log units. The melt water contents varied between 6 and more than 8 wt% H₂O, corresponding to water-undersaturated and water saturated conditions respectively. The synthetic products are compared to the natural phases to constrain pre-eruptive conditions in the Laacher See magma chamber. The major phases occurring in the LST have been reproduced. The stability of hauyne is favoured at high ƒO₂ (≈NNO + 2.3). The CaO contents in melt and plagioclase synthesized under water-saturated conditions are significantly higher than in the natural phases, implying that most of the differentiation of the phonolites took place under water-undersaturated conditions. However, this does not exclude the presence of a S-, Cl- and CO₂-rich fluid phase in the upper parts of the magma chamber. The phase relationships and the TiO₂ contents of melts show that the temperature was lower than 760 °C in the upper part of the magma column (probably down to 720 °C in the most differentiated levels) and that temperatures above 840–860 °C prevailed in the lower part. The variation of the X _Mg of ferromagnesian minerals observed in both natural and experimental phases reflects the strong variations in ƒO₂ in the lower magma chamber just prior to eruption (probably variation of about 2 log units). The most probable explanation for these ƒO₂ variations is the injection of an oxidized alkali-rich magma, containing Mg-rich phenocrysts, at the base of a chemically zoned and more reduced magma column prior to eruption. Although the amount of injected magma may not have been very important, it was sufficient to change the ƒO₂ conditions locally, explaining the heterogeneous X _Mg of ferromagnesian minerals and the formation of hauyne at the base of the chamber. Received: 30 May 2000 / Accepted: 12 August 2000     

Mineralogical and Chemical Zonation of the Laacher See Tephra Sequence (East Eifel, W. Germany)

The late Quaternary Laacher See Tephra (LLST, MLST, ULST: Lower,Middle, Upper Laacher See Tephra) of the East Eifel volcanicfield (W. Germany) is zoned from highly evolved, volatile-richand crystal-poor phonolite at its base towards a mafic, crystal-richphonolite at the top of the deposit. This is shown by phenocrystabundances, major and trace element chemistry of whole rocks,matrix-glass and some mineral compositions. MgO content in wholerocks ranges from 0.07 wt. per cent in lower LLST to 0.85 wt.per cent in ULST phonolite. Late mafic hybrid pyroclasts containup to 7.0 wt. per cent MgO. Na₂O shows a reverse trend from11.7 wt. per cent in LLST to 5.1 per cent in ULST. Trace elementsare divided into depleted (compatible) elements (e.g. Sr, Sc,Co), and enriched (incompatible) elements (e.g. Zn, Zr, Nb).‘Semi-compatible’ elements (Ta, Y) show minimumconcentrations at an intermediate stratigraphic level (MLST).All compositional gradients are smooth showing a major compositionalinterface between LLST/MLST and ULST. Twelve phenocryst phasesoccur: sanidine, plagioclase, hauyne, amphibole, clinopyroxene,sphene, apatite, Ti-magnetite, biotite, nepheline, cancriniteand zircon. The latter three are restricted to LLST phonolite.There is a steep gradient in mineral abundances from the LLSTand MLST to the mafic ULST phonolite. Microprobe analyses definetwo phenocryst populations: (a) Fe, Na and Mn-rich evolved phenocrysts(hastingsite, aegirine-augite, Ab-rich plagioclase) which predominatewithin highly differentiated (LLST) phonolite; (b) Mg and Ti-richand Fe, Na, Mn-poor phenocrysts, which are most abundant inULST. This compositional zonation is interpreted as the resultof continuous eruption from a zoned magma column; highly evolvedearly magma representing the upper part and mafic late phonoliticmagma representing the lower part of a stratified magma chamberemplaced at shallow, crustal levels.     

Ordering and exsolution processes in Or-rich alkali feldspar megacrysts from the Eldzhurtinskiy granite (Caucasus)

 The extremely young (2.5 Ma) I-type Eldzhurtinskiy granite complex (Central Caucasus) is uniform with respect to modal composition, major and trace element chemistries of bulk rocks and mineral phases. In contrast, it reveals two types of alkali feldspar megacrysts differing in tetrahedral Al-content (2t₁) and exsolution microtextures: 1. Alkali feldspar megacrysts (Or₇₀An₂Ab₂₈) from the top of the body consist of ideally coherent intergrowths of fine-scale regular Or- and Ab-rich lamellae. The exsolved K-feldspar host is monoclinic (2t₁=0.7), the exsolved Na-rich phase consists of Albite- and/or Pericline-twinned albite. 2. Megacrysts from greater depths have the same bulk composition, but the exsolved Ab-rich phase occurs in the form of optically visible, broad lamellae and patches of low albite. In addition, the K-rich host yields a higher degree of (Al, Si) ordering (2t₁=0.8). The evolution of the distinct types of megacrysts reflects differences in the cooling history within the upper and lower part of the granite body. The occurrence of the coherent lamellae in the megacrysts from the top of the body is attributed to exsolution under dry conditions during fast cooling, whereas coarsening of lamellae and formation of albite patches in the megacrysts from the lower part are caused by fluid-feldspar interaction. The transition zone in the body between the two types of megacrysts is sharp (in a depth interval of 100–200 m) and not related to shear zones. Received: 12 June 1995 / Accepted: 29 January 1996     

Seismological constraints on the 2018 Mt. Etna (Italy) flank eruption and implications for the flank dynamics of the volcano

3D earthquake locations, focal mechanisms and stress tensor distribution in a 16‐month interval covering the 2018 Mt. Etna flank eruption, enabled us to investigate the relationship between magma intrusion and structural response of the volcano and shed light on the dynamic processes affecting the instability of Mt. Etna. The magma intrusion likely caused tension in the flanks of the volcano, leading to significant ground deformation and redistribution of stress on the neighbouring faults at the edge of Mt. Etna's unstable sector, encouraging the ESE sliding of the eastern flank of the volcano. Accordingly, FPSs of the post‐eruptive events show strike slip faulting mechanisms, under a stress regime characterized by a maximum compressive σ₁, NE‐SW oriented. In this perspective, any flank eruption could temporarily enhance the sliding process of both the southern and eastern flanks of the volcano.     

Multiple timescale constraints for high-flux magma chamber assembly prior to the Late Bronze Age eruption of Santorini (Greece)

The rhyodacitic magma discharged during the 30–80 km³ DRE (dense rock equivalent) Late Bronze Age (LBA; also called ‘Minoan’) eruption of Santorini caldera is known from previous studies to have had a complex history of polybaric ascent and storage prior to eruption. We refine the timescales of these processes by modelling Mg–Fe diffusion profiles in orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene crystals. The data are integrated with previously published information on the LBA eruption (phase equilibria studies, melt inclusion volatile barometry, Mg-in-plagioclase diffusion chronometry), as well as new plagioclase crystal size distributions and the established pre-LBA history of the volcano, to reconstruct the events that led up to the assembly and discharge of the LBA magma chamber. Orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and plagioclase crystals in the rhyodacite have compositionally distinct rims, overgrowing relict, probably source-derived, more magnesian (or calcic) cores, and record one or more crystallization (plag???opx?>?cpx) events during the few centuries to years prior to eruption. The crystallization event(s) can be explained by the rapid transfer of rhyodacitic melt from a dioritic/gabbroic region of the subcaldera pluton (mostly in the 8–12 km depth range), followed by injection, cooling and mixing in a large melt lens at 4–6 km depth (the pre-eruptive magma chamber). Since crystals from all eruptive phases yield similar timescales, the melt transfer event(s), the last of which took place less than 2 years before the eruption, must have involved most of the magma that subsequently erupted. The data are consistent with a model in which prolonged generation, storage and segregation of silicic melts were followed by gravitational instability in the subcaldera pluton, causing the rapid interconnection and amalgamation of melt-rich domains. The melts then drained to the top of the pluton, at fluxes of up to 0.1–1 km³ year^??1, where steep vertical gradients of density and rheology probably caused them to inject laterally, forming a short-lived holding chamber prior to eruption. This interpretation is consistent with growing evidence that some large silicic magma chambers are transient features on geological timescales. A similar process preceded at least one earlier caldera-forming eruption on Santorini, suggesting that it may be a general feature of this rift-hosted magmatic system.     

Some aspect of seismicity prior to the 27 November 2006 eruption of Nyamuragira volcano and its implication for volcano monitoring and risk mitigation in the Virunga area,Western Rift Valley of Africa

The temporal variation in the seismicity in the Nyamuragira area was investigated for the period 1 July 2004–27 November 2006, prior to the 27 November 2006 eruptions of Nyamuragira. It is found that this eruption was preceded by 11 months by progressive increase in number of long-period earthquakes. This pattern of seismicity, integrated with other geophysical, geological and geochemistry data, is useful for volcano monitoring and risk mitigation.     

Aragonite stromatolitic buildups from Santorini (Aegean Sea,Greece): Geochemical and palaeontological constraints of the caldera palaeoenvironment prior to the Minoan eruption (ca 3600 yr bp)

The pyroclastic deposits of the Minoan eruption (ca 3600 yr bp ) in Santorini contain abundant xenoliths. Most of these deposits are calcareous blocks of laminated‐botryoidal, stromatolite‐like buildups that formed in the shallow waters of the flooded pre‐Minoan caldera; they consist of (i) light laminae, of fibrous aragonite arranged perpendicular to layering, and (ii) dark laminae, with calcified filaments of probable biological origin. These microstructures are absent in the light laminae, suggesting a predominant inorganic precipitation of aragonite on substrates probably colonized by microbes. Internal cavities contain loose skeletal grains (molluscs, ostracods, foraminifera and diatoms) that comprise taxa typical of shallow marine and/or lagoon environments. Most of these forms are typical of warm water environments, although no typical taxa from hydrothermal vents have been observed. Past gasohydrothermal venting is recorded by the occurrence of barite, pyrolusite and pyrite traces. The most striking features of the stable isotopic data set are: (i) an overall wide range in δ¹³C_PDB (0·16 to 12·97‰) with a narrower variation for δ¹⁸O_PDB (?0·23 to 4·33‰); and (ii) a relatively uniform isotopic composition for the fibrous aragonite (δ¹³C = 12·40 ± 0·43‰ and δ¹⁸O = 2·42 ± 0·77‰, n = 21). The δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values from molluscs and ostracods display a covariant trend, which reflects a mixing between sea water and a fluid influenced by volcano‐hydrothermal activity. Accordingly, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr from the studied carbonates (0·708758 to 0·709011 in fibrous aragonite and 0·708920 to 0·708991 in molluscs) suggests that the aragonite buildups developed in sea water under the influence of a hydrothermal/volcanic source. Significant differences in trace elements have been detected between the fibrous aragonite and modern marine aragonite cements. The caldera water from which the fibrous aragonite crusts formed received an input from a volcano‐hydrothermal system, probably producing diffuse venting of volcanogenic CO₂ gas and of a fluid enriched in Ca, Mn and Ba, and depleted in Mg and probably in Sr.     

Intracrystalline microstructures in alkali feldspars from fluid-deficient felsic granulites: a mineral chemical and TEM study

Samples of essentially “dry” high-pressure felsic granulites from the Bohemian Massif (Variscan belt of Central Europe) contain up to 2-mm-large perthitic alkali feldspars with several generations of plagioclase precipitates in an orthoclase-rich host. The first generation takes the form of lenses homogeneous in size, whereas the size of a second generation of very thin albite-rich precipitates is more variable with comparatively high aspect ratios. In the vicinity of large kyanite, garnet or quartz inclusions, the first generation of plagioclase precipitates is significantly less abundant, the microstructure is coarser than in the remainder of the perthitic grain and the host is a tweed orthoclase. The first generation of precipitates formed at around 850 °C during the high-pressure stage (16–18 kbar) of metamorphism. Primary exsolution was followed by primary coarsening of the plagioclase precipitates, which still took place at high temperatures (850–700 °C). The coarsening was pronounced due to the access of fluids in the outer portions of the perthitic alkali feldspar and in more internal regions around large inclusions. The second generation of albite-rich precipitates was formed at around 570 °C. TEM investigations revealed that the interfaces between the second-generation plagioclase lamellae and the orthoclase-rich host are coherent or semi-coherent. During late evolutionary stages of the perthite, albite linings were formed at phase boundaries, and the perthitic microstructure was partially replaced by irregularly shaped precipitates of pure albite with incoherent interfaces. The albitization occurred below 400 °C and was linked to fluid infiltration in the course of deuteric alteration. Based on size-distribution analysis, it is inferred that the precipitates of the first generation were most probably formed by spinodal decomposition, whereas the precipitates of the second generation rather were formed by nucleation and growth.     

Lateglacial to Holocene rapid crater infilling of a MIS 2 maar volcano (West‐Eifel Volcanic Field,Germany): environmental history and geomorphological feedback mechanisms

We document the Lateglacial to Holocene sedimentation and vegetation history of a small, infilled crater landform in the West‐Eifel Volcanic Field (WEVF; western Germany). We analysed geomorphological landform change, sedimentological and geochronological data, pollen, and plant macrofossils of a 16‐m‐long sediment core from the Eichholz Maar (EHM). The EHM erupted between ～20 and 15 ka ago (MIS 2). Lacustrine siliclastic infilling was completed about 7500 years ago. Lateglacial rates of sedimentation are generally 2 to 5 times higher than in other maar lakes of the WEVF. Local factors, therefore, overprint the relative efficacy of the climate‐controlled variance of sedimentation rates at the Lateglacial/Holocene transition. The predominance of local factors relates to inherent geomorphological process–response mechanisms that were triggered by the EHM eruption. Rapid crater infilling and its completion by the mid‐Holocene are attributed to a combination of small storage capacity and geomorphological activity. A late Boreal interval of significant lake‐level fall can, however, be attributed to a period of continental‐scale climate change as recorded in other European lacustrine settings. Our findings highlight the importance of utilizing geomorphological information to reveal the relative significance of local controls as opposed to climate control when investigating small‐sized lake settings with active sediment supply systems.     

Analysis of the institutional and social responses to the eruption and the lahars of Mount Pinatubo volcano from 1991 to 1998 (Central Luzon, Philippines)

Mount Pinatubo volcano erupted in June 1991 in the main island of Luzon belonging to the Philippines archipelago. Huge economic losses and population exodus have followed. This major crisis has been relayed with other crises due to rain-fed lahars which have been supplied with eruption deposits. These lahars have occurred every year since 1991 during the rainy season. They will probably last until 2005. After a brief presentation of the Philippine official response system to disasters, this paper draws up a critical analysis of the different kinds of institutional and social responses deployed to manage the different crisis and post-crisis phases of this event. Based on three viewpoints: from population, media and other actors, this analysis attempts to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the official management system, especially by studying the efficiency and the range of the solutions taken. So, it appears that the management of the June 1991 main crisis (eruption) was a success. On the other hand, difficulties have occurred with lahars risk management. Indeed, these lahars have obliged the authorities to protect and relocate thousands of people. In spite of persistent problems, the management system (monitoring/warning/evacuation) of lahar crises improves year after year. Failures appear especially within the rehabilitation program (protection/rehousing). Many direct (lack of means, preparedness, coordination, dialog, etc.) and indirect (politico-administrative, socio-economic, cultural contexts) factors come together to lock the wheels of the institutional response system. They defer the socio-economic start of this vital northern Philippines area. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Rb-Sr and U-Pb isotope studies on migmatites from the Schwarzwald (Germany): constraints on isotopic resetting during Variscan high-temperature metamorphism

Mineral and isotope studies were undertaken on migmatites from the Schwarzwald, Moldanubian zone of the Variscan belt. The aims of the study were to date the migmatite formation and to determine the processes involved in migmatization in order to evaluate their influence on isotopic resetting. Textural evidence and the comparison of mineral compositions from leucosomes and mesosomes of two centimetre-scale migmatite profiles, respectively, suggest that migmatitic textures and mineral assemblages were formed by metamorphic segregation (deformation-enhanced mass transport) rather than by partial melting (anatexis). The results of Rb-Sr thin-slab dating on these profiles indicate that Sr isotopes were not completely reset during migmatization. No true isochron ages, but ages of approximate isotopic homogenization were obtained on the thin slabs by calculating ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios back to various stages in their evolution. The coincidence of these Rb-Sr data with U-Pb ages of monazites from migmatites and non-migmatitic gneisses shows that gneisses and migmatites were formed during the same high-temperature event in the Carboniferous (330-335 Ma). The observation that high-temperature metamorphism failed to equilibrate Sr isotopes on the centimetre-scale imposes limitations on the use of conventional whole-rock isochron techniques in dating migmatites.     

Os isotopes in mantle xenoliths from the Eifel volcanic field and the Vogelsberg (Germany): age constraints on the lithospheric mantle

The effects of mantle metasomatism on the sulfide phase in mantle xenoliths in general, and on the Os isotopic system in particular, have received increased attention in recent years. Here, we report on Os isotopic systematics of metasomatized mantle xenoliths from the late Quaternary Eifel (Dreiser Weiher and Meerfelder Maar) and neighboring Vogelsberg volcanic fields, which provide insight into the effects of melt extraction and metasomatism on Os isotopes and place constraints on the evolution of the lithospheric mantle component beneath central Europe. Sixteen harzburgite, lherzolite, and pyroxenite xenoliths from the Eifel and two lherzolite xenoliths from the Vogelsberg were analyzed for Os isotopes. Samples from the anhydrous peridotite suite (Ib) are highly variable in their Os isotopes, ranging from subchondritic values (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os=0.1236) to suprachondritic values (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os=0.1420), indicating that some of these samples have been overprinted by the addition of radiogenic Os and have lost the primary mantle Os that was presumably present. The suprachondritic values suggest a source for this Os in a reservoir with a time-integrated Re/Os ratio greater than that of the bulk Earth. Eifel samples with Os contents >1.5 ng/g from the hydrous suite (Ia) have relatively unradiogenic Os isotope compositions (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os=0.1208-0.1237) and Al₂O₃-Os isotopic systematics consistent with ancient melt depletion and isolation from the convecting asthenospheric mantle for time periods similar to the age of the overlying crust (~1.5 Ga) as well with results from peridotite massifs in the European region. The LREE-metasomatism and the enrichment of Os (up to 6.47 ng/g) and As (sulfide metasomatism?) in the hydrous suite is strongly inversely correlated with the Os isotope ratios, demonstrating that mantle processes such as metasomatism can significantly modify the Os isotope chemistry of mantle xenoliths.     

Plutonism in the Variscan Odenwald (Germany): from subduction to collision

 Latest Devonian to early Carboniferous plutonic rocks from the Odenwald accretionary complex reflect the transition from a subduction to a collisional setting. For ∼362 Ma old gabbroic rocks from the northern tectonometamorphic unit I, initial isotopic compositions (ε_Nd=+3.4 to +3.8;⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr =0.7035–0.7053;δ¹⁸O=6.8–8.0‰) and chemical signatures (e.g., low Nb/Th, Nb/U, Ce/Pb, Th/U, Rb/Cs) indicate a subduction-related origin by partial melting of a shallow depleted mantle source metasomatized by water-rich, large ion lithophile element-loaded fluids. In the central (unit II) and southern (unit III) Odenwald, syncollisional mafic to felsic granitoids were emplaced in a transtensional setting at approximately 340–335 Ma B.P. Unit II comprises a mafic and a felsic suite that are genetically unrelated. Both suites are intermediate between the medium-K and high-K series and have similar initial Nd and Sr signatures (ε_Nd=0.0 to –2.5;⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7044–0.7056) but different oxygen isotopic compositions (δ¹⁸O=7.3–8.7‰ in mafic vs 9.3–9.5‰ in felsic rocks). These characteristics, in conjunction with the chemical signatures, suggest an enriched mantle source for the mafic magmas and a shallow metaluminous crustal source for the felsic magmas. Younger intrusives of unit II have higher Sr/Y, Zr/Y, and Tb/Yb ratios suggesting magma segregation at greater depths. Mafic high-K to shoshonitic intrusives of the southern unit III have initial isotopic compositions (ε_Nd=–1.1 to –1.8;⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr =0.7054–0.7062;δ¹⁸O=7.2–7.6‰) and chemical characteristics (e.g., high Sr/Y, Zr/Y, Tb/Yb) that are strongly indicative of a deep-seated enriched mantle source. Spatially associated felsic high-K to shoshonitic rocks of unit III may be derived by dehydration melting of garnet-rich metaluminous crustal source rocks or may represent hybrid magmas. Received: 7 December 1998 / Accepted: 27 April 1999     

The 2015 eruption of Gamalama volcano (Ternate Island–Indonesia): precursor,crisis management,and community response

GeoJournal - Gamalama is an active stratovolcano on Ternate, a small volcanic island in Maluku Utara, Indonesia. Since 1510, a total of 77 eruptions have been recorded, with various impacts on the...     

The Cretaceous and younger thermal history of the KTB site (Germany): apatite fission-track data from the Vorbohrung

A detailed fission-track analysis was carried out on 41 apatite samples from the 4001-m-deep pilot hole of the German Continental Deep Drilling Program (KTB). The investigations include dating by the population method and length measurements of horizontal confined tracks. Age and length information indicate that all samples above the present-day partial annealing zone cooled from temperatures above 120?°C in the Cretaceous. The top two kilometres of the profile show less variation of age with depth than was expected. Modelling of the profile indicates that the distribution of fission track ages with depth requires that the profile was disturbed during or after cooling through the partial annealing zone. Modelling of individual samples reveals that at least the upper 2?km experienced reverse faulting, effectively thickening the upper part of the rock column by up to 1000?m in the Tertiary. A present-day partial annealing zone for apatite was observed between 2000 and 4000?m (～60–110?°C). This confirms earlier in situ observations of the position of the partial annealing zone.