Geochemistry of the volcanics of central Mexico

The Tertiary and Recent volcanics of Mexico occur in two provinces. The Cordillera Province is made up of about 1700 m of ignimbrite sheets overlain and intercalated in the upper part by olivine basalt and basaltic andesite. The Rio Lerma Province extends transversely across Mexico and in the Valley of Mexico the lavas consist mainly of andesite and dacite, 68 % of those analysed having 62 | 4.7 % SiO₂. A total of 108 chemical analyses were made for the major elements, 90 of these including determinations of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Ba, Th and Pb for two areas, the Valley of Mexico in the Rio Lerma Province and the Guadalajara region which lies at the intersection of the two provinces. Computer constructions of normative components in the basalt tetrahedron and other projections support an origin of partial melting of tholeiitic to pyrolitic material for the production of andesite. The Guadalajara lavas have consistently higher K/SiO₂ and K/Rb ratios and lower Mg/SiO₂ ratio than the Valley of Mexico rocks suggesting generation at greater depth.     

Volcan ceboruco: A major composite volcano of the mexican volcanic belt

Ceboruco is a major composite volcano at the western end of the Mexican Volcanic Belt, near the junction between the North American and Pacific plates. The volcano is built from successive eruptions of andesite lavas and pyroclastic rocks, and major eruptions during its history have resulted in the formation of two concentric calderas. The youngest volcanic activity has included the extrusion of dacites within the inner caldera and a voluminous flank eruption of andesite during 1870–72. Fumarolic activity persists to the present day. Chemical analyses show that the lavas are of cale-alkaline type and rangs from andesite (SiO₂=58–61%) to acid dacite (SiO₂=68%) in composition. The rate of increase of K₂O relative to SiO is greater than that in volcanic rocks from the Mexican Volcanic Belt as a whole. This indicates that simple models based on the application of such relationships may not be adequate to explain the petrogenesis of calc-alkaline lavas.     

Petrochemical affinities of volcanic rocks from the tonga — Kermadec island arc,Southwest Pacific

Eruptive suites from Tonga (tholeiitic), Raoul Island (tholeiitic) and Macauley Island (high-alumina) are characterised by low alkalis, an absence of andesites in the range 56–65% silica, and restricted acidity for minor glassy differentiates (SiO₂=65–68 %). These volcanics form a chain of islands overlying a seismic zone which extends from Tonga to the central volcanic region of North Island, New Zealand where a calc-alkaline series contains basaltic, andesitic and rhyolitic members in that order of increasing abundance. Within this continental suite, tholeiitic and high-alumina phases are recognised as closely similar to the intra-oceanic Tonga-Kermadec magma types and show petrochemical gradation into the medium-silica andesites, apparently by sialic assimilation.     

Nomenclature and petrochemistry of the peralkaline oversaturated extrusive rocks

Four-hundred and twenty-one analyses of quartz-normative, peralkaline, extrusive rocks have been collected from the literature and from unpublished sources and are used to examine chemical variation in this group of rocks. Comparisons are particularly made between the full body of data and the variations recorded in the non-hydrated obsidians alone byMacdonald andBailey (1973). It is argued that the compositions of the magmas which formed these obsidians and those which subsequently crystallised were similar as regards the major oxides SiO₂, Al₂O₃, FeO + Fe₂O₃, Na₂O and K₂O. Marked variations in the abundances of the minor oxides CaO and TiO₂ are shown to be a result of geographical location. Small but significant differences in the distribution of Al and Fe as a function of normative quartz can be recognised between various pantelleritic suites. A new classificatory scheme is proposed, based on the iron (as FeO) and Al₂O₃ contents. This is simpler than previously employed normative classifications, is more applicable to crystalline rocks, and, happily, in 95 % of cases gives the same rock name as the normative system.     

Major-element petrochemistry of some extrusive rocks from the volcanically active Mariana Islands

Volcanic rocks from six of the currently or recently active volcances of the Mariana Island are show little variation in major element abundances. SiO₂ content averages 51.5 wt.%. The flows are high in Al₂O (mean 17.7 wt.%) and Fe oxides (mean 10.1 wt.% calculated as FeO only), and moderate in MgO content (mean 4.7 wt.%), Na₂O (mean 2.7 wt.%), and K₂O (mean 0.7 wt.%). Only the rocks from Farallon de Pajaros, the northernmost of the Mariana Islands, deviate slightly from the average of the analyses. Three analyses from this island are slightly higher in SiO₂ (about 54 wt.%) and Al₂O₃, and are lower in total Fe oxides and MgO. According to preferred classification, the lavas of the Mariana Islands can be termed mela-andesites, high-alumina basalts, or calc-alkaline (orogenic) basalts. The K₂O values (mean 0.7 wt.%) obtained from lavas of the Mariana Islands are significantly higher than the K₂O values (about 0.33 wt.%) from volcanics of the Izu chain to the north. Inasmuch as the substantial scatter in location of earthquake foci beneath both arcs prevents accurate delineation of the upper boundary of the Benioff zone, it presently cannot be determined whether this discrepancy in K₂O values reflects a difference in depth from the volcanic are to the dipping seismic zone or relates to other phenomena. The older volcanic islands within the Mariana-Bonin island chain apparently defined an island arc system during Eocene to Miocene time. This indicates that the present plane of convergence between the Pacific plate and the Philippine Sea plate has defined the convergence between these plates since Eocene time.     

Calc-alkaline volcanic rocks from NW Sardinia: Evaluation of a fractional crystallization model

The volcanic centre of Monte Seda Oro, N. W. Sardinia, representative of a Cenozoic calc-alkaline andesitic suite of rocks is composed of a variety of rocks ranging from high alumina basalts to dacites. The minerals of basaltic, andesitic and dacitic rocks show only limited variation in chemical composition. The geochemical data suggest that the various rock-types are related by a crystal-liquid fractionation. Least-squate numerical calculations, using major element data, support the derivation of andesites with SiO₃ content ranging from 53.8 to 59.0% from basalts having about 48.7% of SiO₂ by low pressure crystal fractionation of the phenocryst phases present in these rocks. However, the origin of dacites cannot be readily explained by this mechanism.     

Geochemistry of upper cretaceous volcanic rocks from the pontic chain,northern turkey

Preliminary data on major elements, Cs, Ba, Rb, Pb, Sr, REE, Y, Th, U, Zr, Ht, Sn, Nb, W, Mo, Cr, V, Sc, Ni, Co and Cu contents for eight samples coming from the Upper Cretaceous volcanic belt of the Pontic Chain (Northern Turkey) are reported. SiO, versus K₂O relationship shows that the analyzed samples belong to the calc-alkaline and shoshonite series. The calc-alkaline rocks appear to represent two distinct magma types one close in composition to typical island are calc-alkaline magmas and one with high incompatible elements concentration and tractionated heavy REE patterns which suggest a genesis by partial melting at high pressure with a garnet bearing residue. Shoshonitic rocks show Na₂O/K₂O close to one, high incompatible elements concentration, and TiO₂%. Al₂O₃%, Ni and Co contents, Ni/Co and V/Ni ratios and REE patterns similar to typical island are andesites which suggest for these rocks similar genetical processes as the island are calc-alkaline magmas.     

Capping volcanic rocks: West central Nevada

Cenozoic capping volcanic rocks in the Nevada portion of the Basin and Range Province of the western United States belong to the high alumina calcalkaline igneous series. Varying proportions of plagioclase (An=85 to 45 percent), pyroxene (augite, pigeonite, and hypersthene), olivine, magnetite, biotite, and oxyhornblende indicate a modal range from olivine basalt to andesite. Major element analyses made on randomly collected samples, as well as on samples from systematically measured stratigraphic sections in localities of minimum erosion show ranges in Al₂O₃ (from 17.5 to 22.5 percent); SiO₂ (from 44.0 to 54.0 percent); MgO (from 3.47 to 8.20 percent) and CaO (from 7.19 to 11.90 percent). Na₂O/K₂O is always greater than 1.0. Ba⁺⁺ and Sr⁺⁺ abundances for some of the rocks are in agreement with those suggested, by workers in the field, for average basalt and andesite derived by melting of mantle or lower crust, but for many of the samples the values found are considerably higher. Although the presence of biotite in the earlier flows and oxyhornblende in the later ones along with the presence of much magnetite in all the rocks examined suggests that in part these rocks were derived by crystallization of a melt under conditions of high partial pressure of oxygen, the available trace element data indicates that contamination of the magma with crustal material was also a factor in their developmental history. The case for a parent magma, subsequently fractionally crystallized and contaminated in part, is strengthened by the occurrence of crystal cumulates and highly altered xenoliths in some of the flows.     

Petrology of the volcanic rocks of martinique,West Indies

Volcanological differences between the old and the recent lavas from Martinique, Lesser Antilles, are presented, showing that two volcanic series exist in this island:

Dash

a high-alumina basalt series generally mafic, line-grained, partly pillowed, with clinopyroxene-rich lavas which show iron enrichment tendancies en an A.F.M. plot;

a calc-alkaline (slightly potassic) series much more siliceous as a group, porphyric, predominantly sub-aerially erupted with orthopyroxene-rich lavas which show no iron enrichment.

The high-alumina basalt series is considered as having originated from a differentiation trend by fractionation of olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase. Lavas range from olivine basalt to tridymite-rich dacite. The calc-alkaline series probably derives from the contamination of the first suite but the occurence of hornblende-rich cumulates indicates the process of fractionation takes place too. Lavas range from orthopyroxene andesite and hornblende andesite to quartz-hornblende dacite and quartz-biotite dacite.     

Fractionation trends of basalt magmas in lava flows

Chemical compositions of schlieren in basalt flows are compared with those of the host rocks for tracing the fractionation trends of basalt magmas under extrusive conditions. In the Warner high-alumina basalt of California and in the tholeiite of Hawaii and Japan, total iron increases markedly from the host rock to the schlieren whileSiO ₂ is nearly constant. In the high-alumina basalt of Huzi Volcano and in the tholeiite near Catania, Italy, total iron is nearly constant during fractionation whileSiO ₂ increases. In basalts of the hypersthenic rock series or calc-alkali rock series from California, total iron is also nearly constant whileSiO ₂ increases. The difference in fractionation trend in these flows is attributable to the difference of the state of oxidation of iron in the original magmas. Oxygen partial pressure of the magmas would not be maintained constant during the fractionation of extrusive bodies.     

Petrology of tholeiitic lavas from Tanna Island (New Hebrides): Importance of cumulative processes in Island arc magmatism

Tanna, one of the southernmost islands of the New Hebrides volcanic arc, is made of Late Pliocene to Recent island arc tholeiitic basalts and andesites, with SiO₂ contents ranging from 45 to 57%. These lavas are highly porphyritic (30–50% in volume): phenocrysts of plagioclase are the most abundant, together with olivine and clinopyroxene. The groundmass contain plagioclase, augite, olivine, magnetite and glass; pigeonite, tridymite, sanidine and, rarely, biotite may also occur. The olivines and clinopyroxenes show an iron enrichment from the cores of phenocrysts to their rims and the groundmass crystals, but their compositional variations are not correlated with the Mg/Fe ratio of bulk host rocks, the most Fe-rich compositions being found in Mg-rich lavas. Plagioclase compositions range from An₉₅ to An₆₀ in the basalts and An₆₀ to An₅₀ in the andesites, but, within each group, they are not correlated with SiO₂ or Na₂O contents of host lavas. Consequently, the bulk major element compositions of Tanna volcanic rocks cannot be considered as primarily controlled by crystal separation from successive liquids. The oxyde-SiO₂ variations diagrams, and the modal compositions and mineral chemistry show that crystal accumulation is the predominant mechanism accounting for bulk rock compositions. However, this does not exclude fractional crystallization: the variation of the calculated groundmass mineralogy strongly suggest the occurrence of crystal removal mainly clinopyroxene and magnetite.     

Electrical conductivity of igneous rocks: Composition and temperature relations

The conductivity of four igneous rocks with, 49, 65, 77, and 84% SiO₂ was measured as a function of temperature in the interval from 20° to 1280°C; measurements were made in a vacuum of 10^?3 torr. No simple relationships were found between conductivity and SiO₂ content or versus major element groupings such as Na₂O=K₂O=CaO and TiO₂=Cr₂O₃=Al₂O₃=Fe₂O₃=FeO. An analytical expression was obtained between conductivity and the albite-quartz ratio, valid for temperatures between 300° and 1200°C. It was necessary to compute the CIPW norm in order to obtain the albite and quartz percentages. The onset of melting apparently occurred between 600° and 700°C. Petrography performed on two samples after cooling showed 70 and 85% partial melting. Three conduction regions were identified: 1) below 300°C, 2) between 300°C and 600°C, and 3) above 600°C. Different activation energies obtained for the heating and cooling intervals confirm that the sample undergoes textural changes in the heating-cooling cycle. Activation energy increments of 0.1 and 0.2 eV per decade of albite-quartz ratio were obtained.     

Geology and geochemistry of the mansion pyroclast fall succession,St. Kitts

Some 4000 years ago Mt. Misery volcano was in a particularly active state, emitting a sequence of pyroclastic deposit that are widely distributed over the island and show a compositional range from basalt (SiO₂ 48%) to andesite (SiO₂ 62%). The type section at Mansion, on the east coast, has been the subject of a study byBaker andHolland (1973). Of special interest in this succession is the intimate association of basic and relatively salic products. It constitutes a detailed record of a short period (a few centuries?) in the volcano’s history, which properly interpreted may tell us something of the processes of magmatic differentiation and replenishment. The compositional patterns may also provide some guide to the course likely to be followed in future eruptions. Some degree of caution is necessary in considering the chemistry of pyroclastic rocks, which between eruption and deposition may have been influenced by aerial fractionation or winnowing processes. There may also be problems of partial redistribution, weathering and also the inclusion of accessory or accidental lithic fragments. Isopach maps show that deposition of the Mansion succession was partly governed by the prevailing ENE wind. The total thickness varied from about 45 m at a distance of 4 km west of the crater compared with about half that thickness an equal distance east of the crater. The more complete sections occur on the eastern, windward side, whereas on the west much of the upper part has been removed, presumably by mudflows and floods. The marked unconformity over the basic cinder zone in western sections makes correlation with eastern sections more difficult. Sharp changes in composition and eruptive pattern tend to be heralded by particularly coarse horizons which usually contain fragments of coarse grained cumulates: these were presumably dislodged by the influx of new magma from depth. The coarsest horizon of all precedes the most basic phase in the middle of the sequence, when basalt flows were also discharged. It is not possible to identify individual basaltic horizons over any distance in the field but correlation does become possible when chemical profiles are integrated with stratigraphic data. It is generally sufficient to correlate by means of one elemente.g. Mg. The basaltic units are both thicker and coarser to the west of Mt. Misery. The most mafic beds have been found at Mansion in the east, probably because of the westward winnowing of the least dense fractions. Units of coarse greenish angular andesitic lapilli which occur near the top of the succession are the most amenable to wider correlation. There are three major units of these lapilli though often only one is exposed. Though indistinguishable in the field chemical analysis reveals that the middle unit is decidedly more basic and this becomes a useful criterion in correlation. It has been demonstrated that there are slight but significant variations in the chemistry of the upper unit over St. Kitts. Samples from the west are relatively enriched in SiO₂ (61.5%) compared with those to the east of the crater (59.0%). The pattern of variation can be matched closely to the isopachs, pointing to an influence of the wind on the ultimate composition of the deposits: presumably the less dense fractions were enhanced downwind. As a test of consistency, four samples were analysed from different heights in a single unit of andesitic lapilli but there was no significant difference. The results suggest that when conventional stratigraphic methods fail, chemical profiles may play a useful role. The pattern of variation in these profiles also suggests that basaltic andesites and perhaps some andesites are derived by fractional crystallization of basaltic magma. However, other andesites which break the pattern and appear suddenly in large volume may have a quite independent origin.     

Petrology of the hilina formation,Kilauea volcano,Hawaii

The Hilina Formation comprises the oldest sequence of lava flows and tuffs exposed on Kilauea Volcano. These rocks are only exposed in kipukas in younger Puna Formation lavas along cliffs on the south flank of Kilauea Volcano. Locally, tuffs and flows of the Pahala Formation separate the underlying Hilina Formation rocks rom the overlying Puna Formation rocks. Charcoal collected from the base of the Pahala Formation yielded a C¹⁴ age of 22.800±340 years B.P. which defines a minimum age for the Hilina Formation. Hilina Formation lavas crop out over a wide region and probably originated from the summit area and from both rift zones. The Hilina Formation contains both olivine-controlled and differentiated lavas (using the terminology ofWright, 1971). The olivine-controlled lavas of the Hilina Formation are distinguishable mineralogically and geochemically from younger olivine-controlled Kilauea lavas. The younger lavas generally contain discrete low-calcium pyroxene grains. greater glass contents, higher K₂O/P₂O₅ ratios and lower total iron contents. Similar geochemical trends prevail for Manuna Loa lavas, and may typify the early lavas of Hawaiian shield volcanoes. Despite these similarities, the Hilina Formation (and all Kilauea) lavas have higher TiO₂ and CaO, and lower SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ contents than Mauna Loa Lavas. These differences have existed for over 30,000 years. Therefore, it is unlikely that the older lavas of Kilauea are compositionally similar to recent Mauna Loa lavas as was previously suggested. K₂O, TiO₂, Na₂ and Zr contents of lavas from a stratigraphic sequence of Hilina Formation lavas are variable. These variations may be utilized to subdivide the sequence into geochemical groups. These groups are not magma batches. Rather, they represent lavas from batches whose compositions may have been modified by crystal fractionation and magma mixing.     

Geochemistry of the volcanoes of basse terre,Guadeloupe — An example of intra-island variation

Seventy-one samples from seven volcanic centers of Basse Terre, Guadeloupe have been analysed. Low-K pyroxene andesite, associated with minor basaltic andesite and basalt is the dominant rock type, in all but two of the centers. Of these two exceptions, one. Mts. Caraibes, is composed mainly of high-alumina (plagioclase) basalt, while Les Deux Mamelles, are two prominent domes of sodic rhyolite, being one of the three known occurrences of this rock in the active are of the Lesser Antilles. On the basis of differences in such elements as K.O. Rb, and Ba, the various centers may be distinguished one from another, with the maximum differences being as large as the reported chemical differences between different islands in the are. This fact, together with the occurrence of both basalte and andesitic dominated volcanoes on the same island seem to argue against any systematic variation in chemistry of magma type along the arc.     

Lateral variation of basalt magma type across continental margins and Island Arcs

Quaternary basalt magmas in the Circum-Pacific belt and island arcs and also in Indonesia change continuously from less alkalic and more siliceous type (tholeiite) on the oceanic side to more alkalic and less siliceous type (alkali olivine basalt) on the continental side. In the northeastern part of the Japanese Islands and in Kamchatka, zones of tholeiite, high-alumina basalt, and alkali olivine basalt are arranged parallel to the Pacific coast in the order just named, whereas in the southwestern part of the Japanese Islands, the Aleutian Islands, northwestern United States, New Zealand, and Indonesia, zones of high-alumina basalt and alkali olivine basalt are arranged parallel to the coast. In the Izu-Mariana, Kurile, South Sandwich and Tonga Islands, where deep oceans are present on both sides of the island arcs, only a zone of tholeiite is represented. Thus the lateral variation of magma type is characteristic of the transitional zone between the oceanic and continental structures. Because the variation is continuous, the physico-chemical process attending basalt magma production should also change continuously from the oceanic to continental mantle. Suggested explanations for the lateral variation assuming a homogeneous mantle are: 1) Close correspondence between the variations of depth of earthquake foci in the mantle and of basalt magma type in the Japanese Islands indicates that different magmas are produced at different depths where the earthquakes are generated by stress release: tholeiite at depths around 100 km, high-alumina basalt at depths around 200 km, and alkali olivine basalt at depths greater than 250 km. 2) Primary olivine tholeiite magma is produced at a uniform level of the mantle (100–150 km), and on the oceanic side of the continental margin, it leaves the source region immediately after its production and forms magma reservoirs at shallow depths, perhaps in the crust, where it undergoes fractionation to produce SiO₂-oversaturated tholeiite magma, whereas on the continental side, the primary magma forms reservoirs near the source region and stays there long enough to be fractionated to produce alkali olivine basalt magma, and in the intermediate zone, the primary magma forms reservoirs at intermediate depths where it is fractionated to produce high-alumina basalt magma.     

The lesser antilles — A discussion of the Island arc magmatism

The active island arc of Lesser Antilles marks the junction between the Atlantic and Carribbean lithospheric plates. With the exception of the alkali basalts of Grenada, the volcanics of the arc can be regarded as belonging to the low-K, island arc, calc-alkaline suite. Although compositions ranging from basalt to rhyolite have been described, porphyritic andesite appears to be the dominant rock type on most volcanoes (intermediate centers). Variable amounts of basalt and basaltic andesite occur and rarely predominate over andesite (latter are basic centers), whereas the more silicic members are only occasionally found. The calc-alkaline suite is characterized by relatively high Al₂O₃ and CaO and low K₂O, Rb and Ni. Variations, especially in the alkali elements, occur both with space and time. A characteristic feature of many of the volcanoes is the occurrence in the basalt and basaltic andesite volcanics of plutonic blocks, often showing cumulate textures. The blocks which ware composed of plagioclase — amphibole — olivine — clinopyroxene — magnetite are thought to be the products of fractionation. The differences between basic and intermediate centers is probably due to the frequency that the magma ascended to the surface or remained in high level chambers where fractionation occurred.     

Crystallization of tholeiitic basalt in Alae Lava Lake,Hawaii

The eruption of Kilauea Volcano August 21–23, 1963, left 600,000 cubic meters of basaltic lava in a lava lake as much as 15 meters deep in Alae pit crater. Field studies of the lake began August 27 and include repeated core drilling, measurements of temperature in the crust and melt, and precise level surveys of the lake surface. The last interstitial melt in the lake solidified late in September 1964; by mid August 1965 the maximum temperature was 690°C at a depth of 11.5 meters. Pumice air-quenched from about 1140°C contains only 5 percent crystals — clinopyroxene, cuhedral olivine (Fo ₈₀), and a trace of plagioclase, (An ₇₀). Drill cores taken from the zone of crystallization in the lake show that olivine continued crystallizing to about 1070°C; below that it reacts with the melt, becoming corroded and mantled by pyroxene and plagioclase. Below 1070°C, pyroxene and plagioclase crystallized at a constant ratio. Ilmenite first appeared at about 1070°C and was joined by magnetite at about 1050°C; both increased rapidly in abundance to 1000°C. Apatite first appeared as minute needles in interstitial glass at 1000°C. Both the abundance and index of refraction of glass quenched from melt decreased nearly linearly with falling temperature. At 1070°C the quenched lava contains about 65 percent dark-brown glass with an index of 1.61; at 980°C it contains about 8 percent colorless glass with an index of 1.49. Below 980°C, the percentage of glass remained constant. Progressive crystallization forced exsolution of gases from the melt fraction; these formed vesicles and angular pores, causing expansion of the crystallizing lava and lifting the surface of the central part of the lake an average of 19.5 cm. The solidified basalt underwent pneumatolitic alteration, including deposition of cristobalite at 800°C, reddish alteration of olivine at 700°C, tarnishing of ilmenite at 550°C, deposition of anhydrite at 250°C, and deposition of native sulfur at 100°C. Ferric-ferrous ratios suggest that oxidation with maximum intensity between 550°C and 610°C moved downward in the crust as it cooled; this was followed by reduction at a temperature of about 100°C. The crystallized basalt is a homogeneous fine-grained rock containing on the average 48.3 percent by volume intergranular pyroxene (augite > pigeonite), 34.2 percent plagioclase laths (An_{60 70}), 7.9 percent interstitial glass, 6.9 percent opaques (ilmenite > magnetite), 2.7 percent olivine (Fo_{70 80}), and a trace of apatite. Chemical analyses of 18 samples, ranging from initially quenched pumice to lava cored more than a year after the eruption from the center and from near the base of the lake, show little variation from silica-saturated tholeiitic basalt containing 50.4 percent SiO₂, 2.4 percent Na₂O, and 0.54 percent K₂O. Apparently there was no significant crystal settling and no appreciable vapor-phase transport of these components during the year of crystallization. However, seven samples of interstitial liquid that had been filter-pressed into gash fractures and drill holes from partly crystalline mush near the base of the crust show large differences from the bulk composition of the solidified crust—lower MgO, CaO, and Al₂O₃; and higher total iron, TiO₂, Na₂O, K₂O, P₂O₅, and F, and, in most samples, SiO₂. The minor elements Ba, Ga, Li, Y, and Yb and possibly Cu tend to be enriched in the filter-pressed liquids, and Cr and possibly Ni tend to be depleted.     

The probable origin of high-alumina basalts

By the aid of a new petrochemical diagram, introduced by V.Gottini, it is shown that the high-alumina basalts have no relation to other basalt types. That they are intimately linked to true andesites in orogenic regions and are better said to be mela-andesites. Their probable origin is discussed with the conclusion that the high-alumina basaltic and andesitic magmas are due to anatexis of the lower parts of the sialic earth crust. A systematics is proposed which reflects the bimodality of vulcanism supposed to be due to the contrast between upper mantle and crustal material.     

Petrogenesis and tectonic setting of the Queershan composite granitic pluton,eastern Tibetan Plateau: Constraints from geochronology,geochemistry and Hf isotope data

The Queershan composite granitic pluton is located in the north of the late Paleozoic Yidun arc collision-orogenic belt, eastern Tibetan Plateau. The main rock types are coarse-grained porphyritic alkalic-monzonite granite with minor fine-grained porphyritic monzogranite and granodiorite distributed in the eastern and southwestern regions. Here we report their zircon U-Pb ages and geo- chemical data. The intrusive contact relations indicate that granodiorite was formed earlier than the alkalic-monzonite granite(105.9±1.3 Ma) and monzogranite(102.6±1.1 Ma). These suggest that the Queershan composite granitic pluton was formed through three-stage magmatic events. The alkalic-monzonite granite(105.9±1.3 Ma) and monzogranite(102.6±1.1 Ma) are characterized by high SiO2(73.5%–77.7%), K2O+Na2O(6.9%–8.5%), Ga/Al ratios(2.6–3.4) and low Al2O3(11.8%–14.5%), CaO(0.25%–1.5%), MgO(0.18%–0.69%), negative Ba, Sr and Eu anomalies, showing A-type granite affinities. The granodiorite exhibits lower SiO2, P2O5 and K2O+Na2O contents, but higher Al2O3, CaO and MgO contents than alkalic-monzonite granite and monzogranite, showing I-type granite affinity. 176Hf/177 Hf ratios of the alkalic-monzonite granite and the monzogranite are 0.282692–0.282749 and 0.282685–0.282765, respectively, and with similar ?Hf(t) values(?0.56 to 1.43 and ?0.87 to 1.90 respectively). They also present similar TDM2 model ages(1.04–1.22 and 1.07–1.2 Ga respectively), indicating they may be sourced from a similar rock source, mostly like Kangding Complex. The homogeneity of the Hf isotopic compositions and the absence of the MMEs demonstrate that little depleted mantle materials have contributed to the source. We propose that the Mesoproterozoic crust materials of the Yangtze Craton exist beneath the Yidun arc terrane and support it was a dismembered part of the Yangtze Craton. The A-type granites of Queershan composite granitic pluton are most probably related to the closure of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethys ocean.