Magmatic processes in the Bishop Tuff rhyolitic magma based on trace elements in melt inclusions and pumice matrix glass

To investigate the origin of compositional zonation in the Bishop Tuff magma body, we have analyzed trace elements in the matrix glass of pumice clasts and in quartz-hosted melt inclusions. Our results show contrasting patterns for quartz in different parts of the Bishop Tuff. In all samples from the early part of the eruption, trace element compositions of matrix glasses are similar to but slightly more evolved than quartz-hosted melt inclusions. This indicates a cogenetic relationship between quartz crystals and their surrounding matrix glass, consistent with in situ crystallization. The range of incompatible element concentrations in melt inclusions and matrix glass from single pumice clasts requires 16–20 wt% in situ crystallization. This is greater than the actual crystal content of the pumices (<15 % crystals). In contrast to the pattern for the early pumices, pyroclastic flow samples from the middle part of the eruption show contrasting trends: In some clasts, the matrix is more evolved than the inclusions, whereas in other clasts, the matrix is less evolved. In the late Bishop Tuff, all crystal-rich samples have matrix glasses that are less evolved than the melt inclusions. Trace element abundances indicate that the cores of quartz in the late Bishop Tuff crystallized from more differentiated rhyolitic magma that was similar in many ways, yet distinct from the early-erupted Bishop Tuff. Our results are compatible with a model of secular incremental zoning (Hildreth and Wilson in Compositional zoning of the Bishop Tuff. J Petrol 48(5):951–999, 2007), in which melt batches from underlying crystal mush rise to various levels in a growing magma body according to their buoyancy. Early- and middle-erupted quartz crystallized from highly evolved rhyolitic melt, but then some parts of the middle-erupted magma were invaded by less differentiated rhyolite such that the matrix melt at the time of eruption was less evolved than the melt inclusions. A similar process occurred but to a greater extent in magma that erupted to form the late Bishop Tuff. In addition, there was a final, major magma mixing event in the late magma that formed Ti-rich rims on quartz and Ba-rich rims on sanidine, trapped less evolved rhyolitic melt inclusions, and resulted in dark and swirly crystal-poor pumice that is a rare type throughout much of the Bishop Tuff.     

Melt inclusions and crystal-liquid separation in rhyolitic magma of the Bishop Tuff

Melt inclusions in quartz phenocrysts from a single clast of pumice near the base of the plinian pumice fall of the Bishop Tuff were studied to test ideas concerning separation of melt and crystals in silicic magmas. Ten analyzed inclusions from the pumice clast are of high silica rhyolite composition with very low contents of the highly compatible elements Ba, Sr, and Eu, consistent with extensive fractionation. The concentrations of U, La, Ce, Mg, and Ca of these ten melt inclusions vary considerably as determined by ion microprobe. Petrologic considerations indicate that uranium is an incompatible element with a maximum bulk partition coefficient D of about 0.2 and that the evolution of the uranium content of the melt was controlled by crystallization of the magma. A minimum of 33 wt% perfect fractional crystallization is required to explain the observed range in uranium. However, only 17 wt% crystals occurred in the pumice clast. The greater calculated fraction of crystals requires significant separation of crystals and melt before the eruption of the plinian pumice fall in spite of the fact that crystal mixing (settling, etc.) did not occur in the Bishop magma.     

Initiation of large-volume silicic centers in the Yellowstone hotspot track: insights from H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O- and F-rich quartz-hosted rhyolitic melt inclusions in the Arbon Valley Tuff of the Snake River Plain

During the onset of caldera cluster volcanism at a new location in the Snake River Plain (SRP), there is an increase in basalt fluxing into the crust and diverse silicic volcanic products are generated. The SRP contains abundant and compositionally diverse hot, dry, and often low-δ¹⁸O silicic volcanic rocks produced through time during the formation of individual caldera clusters, but more H₂O-rich eruptive products are rare. We report analyses of quartz-hosted melt inclusions from pumice clasts from the upper and lower Arbon Valley Tuff (AVT) to gain insight into the initiation of caldera cluster volcanism. The AVT, a voluminous, caldera-forming rhyolite, represents the commencement of volcanism (10.44 Ma) at the Picabo volcanic field of the Yellowstone hotspot track. This is a normal δ¹⁸O rhyolite consisting of early and late erupted members (lower and upper AVT, respectively) with extremely radiogenic Sr isotopes and unradiogenic Nd isotopes, requiring that ~50 % of the mass of these elements is derived from melts of Archean upper crust. Our data reveal distinctive features of the early erupted lower AVT melt including: variable F concentrations up to 1.4 wt%, homogenous and low Cl concentrations (~0.08 wt%), H₂O contents ranging from 2.3 to 6.4 wt%, CO₂ contents ranging from 79 to 410 ppm, and enrichment of incompatible elements compared to the late erupted AVT, subsequent Picabo rhyolites, SRP rhyolites, and melt inclusions from other metaluminous rhyolites (e.g., Bishop Tuff, Mesa Falls Tuff). We couple melt inclusion data with Ti measurements and cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging of the host quartz phenocrysts to elucidate the petrogenetic evolution of the AVT rhyolitic magma. We observe complex and multistage CL zoning patterns, the most critical being multiple truncations indicative of several dissolution–reprecipitation episodes with bright CL cores (higher Ti) and occasional bright CL rims (higher Ti). We interpret the high H₂O, F, F/Cl, and incompatible trace element concentrations in the context of a model involving melting of Archean crust and mixing of the crustal melt with basaltic differentiates, followed by multiple stages of fractional crystallization, remelting, and melt extraction. This multistage process, which we refer to as distillation, is further supported by the complex CL zoning patterns in quartz. We interpret new Δ¹⁸O(Qz-Mt) isotope measurements, demonstrating a 0.4 ‰ or ~180 °C temperature difference, and strong Sr isotopic and chemical differences between the upper and lower AVT to represent two separate eruptions. Similarities between the AVT and the first caldera-forming eruptions of other caldera clusters in the SRP (Yellowstone, Heise and Bruneau Jarbidge) suggest that the more evolved, lower-temperature, more H₂O-rich rhyolites of the SRP are important in the initiation of a caldera cluster during the onset of plume impingement.     

Genesis and evolution of subduction-zone andesites: evidence from melt inclusions

Andesite magmatism plays a major role in continental crustal growth, but its subduction-zone origin and evolution is still a hotly debated topic. Compared with whole-rock analyses, melt inclusions (MIs) can provide important direct information on the processes of magma evolution. In this article, we synthesize data for melt inclusions hosted by phenocrysts in andesites, extracted from the GEOROC global compilation. These data show that melt inclusions entrapped by different phenocrysts have distinct compositions: olivine-hosted melt inclusions have basalt and basaltic andesite compositions, whereas melt inclusions in clinopyroxene and othopyroxene are mainly dacitic to rhyolitic. Hornblende-hosted melt inclusions have rhyolite composition. The compositions of melt inclusions entrapped by plagioclase are scattered, spanning from andesite to rhyolite. On the basis of the compositional data, we propose a mixing model for the genesis of the andesite, and a two-chamber mechanism to account for the evolution of the andesite. First, andesite melt is generated in the lower chamber by mixing of a basaltic melt derived from the mantle and emplaced in the lower crust with a felsic melt resulting from partial melting of crustal rocks. Olivine and minor plagioclase likely crystallize in the lower magma chamber. Secondly, the andesite melt ascends into the upper chamber where other phenocrysts crystallize. According to SiO₂-MgO diagrams of the MIs, evolution of the andesite in the upper chamber can be subdivided into two distinct stages. The early stage (I) is characterized by a phenocrystal assemblage of clinopyroxene + othopyroxene + plagioclase, whereas the late stage (II) is dominated by crystallization of plagioclase + hornblende.     

Geochronological and isotopic records of crustal storage and assimilation in the Wolverine Creek–Conant Creek system,Heise eruptive centre,Snake River Plain

Understanding the processes of differentiation of the Yellowstone–Snake River Plain (YSRP) rhyolites is typically impeded by the apparent lack of erupted intermediate compositions as well as the complex nature of their shallow interaction with the surrounding crust responsible for their typically low O isotopic ratios. A pair of normal-δ¹⁸O rhyolitic eruptions from the Heise eruptive centre in eastern Idaho, the Wolverine Creek Tuff and the Conant Creek Tuff, represent unique magmatic products of the Yellowstone hotspot preserving abundant vestiges of the intermediate differentiation steps leading to rhyolite generation. We address both shallow and deep processes of magma generation and storage in the two units by combining high-precision ID–TIMS U–Pb zircon geochronology, trace element, O and Hf isotopic studies of zircon, and Sr isotopic analyses of individual high-Mg# pyroxenes inherited from lower- to mid-crustal differentiation stages. The zircon geochronology confirms the derivation of both tuffs from the same rhyolitic magma reservoir erupted at 5.5941 ± 0.0097 Ma, preceded by at least 92 ± 14 ky of continuous or intermittent zircon saturation approximating the length of pre-eruptive magma accumulation in the upper crust. Some low-Mg# pyroxenes enclosing zircons predate the eruption by at least 45 ± 27 ky, illustrating the co-crystallisation of major and accessory phases in the near-liquidus rhyolitic melts of the YSRP over a significant period of time. Coeval zircon crystals are isotopically heterogeneous (two populations at εHf ~?5 and ?13), requiring the assembly of isotopically distinct melt pockets directly prior to, or during, the eruption. The primitive Mg# 60–90 pyroxenes are out of isotopic equilibrium with the host rhyolitic melt (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i = 0.70889), covering a range of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i = 0.70705–0.70883 corresponding to ratios typical of the most radiogenic YSRP basalts to the least radiogenic YSRP rhyolites. Together with the low εHf in zircon, the Sr isotopic ratios illustrate limited assimilation dominated by radiogenic Archean crustal source materials incorporated into variably evolved YSRP melts as they progress towards rhyolitic compositions by assimilation–fractional crystallisation.     

Enrichment of basalt and mixing of dacite in the rootzone of a large rhyolite chamber: inclusions and pumices from the Rattlesnake Tuff, Oregon

 A variety of cognate basalt to basaltic andesite inclusions and dacite pumices occur in the 7-Ma Rattlesnake Tuff of eastern Oregon. The tuff represents ∼280 km³ of high-silica rhyolite magma zoned from highly differentiated rhyolite near the roof to less evolved rhyolite at deeper levels. The mafic inclusions provide a window into the processes acting beneath a large silicic chamber. Quenched basaltic andesite inclusions are substantially enriched in incompatible trace elements compared to regional primitive high-alumina olivine tholeiite (HAOT) lavas, but continuous chemical and mineralogical trends indicate a genetic relationship between them. Basaltic andesite evolved from primitive basalt mainly through protracted crystal fractionation and multiple cycles (≥10) of mafic recharge, which enriched incompatible elements while maintaining a mafic bulk composition. The crystal fractionation history is partially preserved in the mineralogy of crystal-rich inclusions (olivine, plagioclase ± clinopyroxene) and the recharge history is supported by the presence of mafic inclusions containing olivines of Fo₈₀. Small amounts of assimilation (∼2%) of high-silica rhyolite magma improves the calculated fit between observed and modeled enrichments in basaltic andesite and reduces the number of fractionation and recharge cycles needed. The composition of dacite pumices is consistent with mixing of equal proportions of basaltic andesite and least-evolved, high-silica rhyolite. In support of the mixing model, most dacite pumices have a bimodal mineral assemblage with crystals of rhyolitic and basaltic parentage. Equilibrium dacite phenocrysts are rare. Dacites are mainly the product of mingling of basaltic andesite and rhyolite before or during eruption and to a lesser extent of equilibration between the two. The Rattlesnake magma column illustrates the feedback between mafic and silicic magmas that drives differentiation in both. Low-density rhyolite traps basalts and induces extensive fractionation and recharge that causes incompatible element enrichment relative to the primitive input. The basaltic root zone, in turn, thermally maintains the rhyolitic magma chamber and promotes compositional zonation. Received: 1 June 1998 / Accepted: 5 February 1999     

Petrogenesis of a basalt-rhyolite tephra from the west-central Afar,Ethiopia

The Cindery Tuff is an unusual tephra fall deposit that contains evidence for the mixing of basaltic and rhyolitic liquids prior to eruption. It contains clear rhyolitic glass shards together with brown basaltic glass spheres and a broadly bimodal phenocryst assemblage. Brown glasses are ferrobasaltic in composition and are similar to the voluminous Pliocene tholeiites of the surrounding west-central Afar volcanic field; both are enriched in the light rare earth and incompatible elements and possess higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd than MORB. Rhyolitic glasses are subalkaline and, compared to the basaltic glasses, are strongly depleted in the compatible elements and enriched in the incompatible elements. Both glass types have similar incompatible element and isotopic ratios, and with the rhyolite glass showing a 2-fold parallel enrichment in rare earth element abundances over the basaltic glass. These observations suggest that the two glasses are genetically related.Rare glasses with intermediate compositions occur as phenocryst melt inclusions, as mantles on phenocrysts and as free pumice clasts. Their major element contents do not point to an origin by simple hybrid mixing of the basaltic and rhyolitic melts. Rather, major element mixing calculations indicate formation of the intermediate and rhyolite melts by fractionation of the observed phenocryst assemblage, using a starting composition of the observed basaltic glass. Model calculations from trace element data, though lacking from the intermediate glasses, support fractional crystallization. The bimodal mineral assemblage argues against an immiscible liquid origin for the contrasting glass compositions.     

Magma evolution in the Purico ignimbrite complex, northern Chile: evidence for zoning of a dacitic magma by injection of rhyolitic melts following mafic recharge

The 1.3 Ma Purico complex is part of an extensive Neogene-Pleistocene ignimbrite province in the central Andes. Like most other silicic complexes in the province, Purico is dominated by monotonous intermediate ash-flow sheets and has volumetrically minor lava domes. The Purico ignimbrites (total volume 80-100 km³) are divided into a Lower Purico Ignimbrite (LPI) with two extensive flow units, LPI I and LPI II; and a smaller Upper Purico Ignimbrite (UPI) unit. Crystal-rich dacite is the dominant lithology in all the Purico ignimbrites and in the lava domes. It is essentially the only lithology present in the first LPI flow unit (LPI I) and in the Upper Purico Ignimbrite, but the LPI II flow unit is unusual for its compositional diversity. It constitutes a stratigraphic sequence with a basal fall-out deposit containing rhyolitic pumice (68-74 wt% SiO₂) overlain by ignimbrite with dominant crystal-rich dacitic pumice (64-66 wt% SiO₂). Rare andesitic and banded pumice (60-61 wt% SiO₂) are also present in the uppermost part of the flow unit. The different compositional groups of pumice in LPI II flow unit (rhyolite, andesite, dacite) have initial Nd and Sr isotopic compositions that are indistinguishable from each other and from the dominant dacitic pumice ()Nd=-6.7 to -7.2 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7085-0.7090). However, two lines of evidence show that the andesite, dacite and rhyolite pumices do not represent a simple fractionation series. First, melt inclusions trapped in sequential growth zones of zoned plagioclase grains in the rhyolite record fractionation trends in the melt that diverge from those shown by dacite samples. Second, mineral equilibrium geothermometry reveals that dacites from all ignimbrite flow units and from the domes had relatively uniform and moderate pre-eruptive temperatures (780-800 °C), whereas the rhyolites and andesites yield consistently higher temperatures (850-950 °C). Hornblende geobarometry and pressure constraints from H₂O and CO₂ contents in melt inclusions indicate upper crustal (4-8 km) magma storage conditions. The petrologic evidence from the LPI II system thus indicates an anomalously zoned magma chamber with a rhyolitic cap that was hotter than, and chemically unrelated to, the underlying dacite. We suggest that the hotter rhyolite and andesite magmas are both related to an episode of replenishment in the dacitic Purico magma chamber. Rapid and effective crystal fractionation of the fresh andesite produced a hot rhyolitic melt whose low density and viscosity permitted ascent through the chamber without significant thermal and chemical equilibration with the resident dacite. Isotopic and compositional variations in the Purico system are typical of those seen throughout the Neogene ignimbrite complexes of the Central Andes. These characteristics were generated at moderate crustal depths (<30 km) by crustal melting, mixing and homogenization involving mantle-derived basalts. For the Purico system, assimilation of at least 30% mantle-derived material is required.     

Extraction of crystal-poor rhyolite from a hornblende-bearing intermediate mush: a case study of the caldera-forming Matahina eruption,Okataina volcanic complex

The Matahina Ignimbrite (~160 km³ rhyolite magma, 330 ka) was deposited during a caldera-forming eruption from the Okataina Volcanic Centre, Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), New Zealand. Juvenile clasts are divided into three groups: Group (1) the dominant crystal-poor rhyolite type, Group (2) a minor coarse-grained, mingled/mixed intermediate type, and Group (3) a rare fine-grained basalt. The ignimbrite consists of the Group 1 type and is divided into three members: a lower and middle member, which is high-silica, crystal-poor (<10 vol.%) rhyolite, and the upper member, which is low-silica and slightly more crystal-rich (up to 21 vol.%). Cognate, crystal-rich (up to 50 vol.%) basalt to intermediate pumice occurs on top of lag breccias and within lithic-rich pyroclastic density current deposits along the caldera margin (Groups 2 and 3). Several lines of evidence indicate that the intermediate clasts represent the cumulate complement to the melt-rich rhyolite: (1) continuity in the compositions of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, hornblende, and oxides and normal zoning of individual phenocrysts; (2) the silicic glass from the intermediate magma (interstitial melt) overlaps compositionally with the bulk rock rhyolite and glass; (3) high Zr and a slight positive Eu anomaly in the intermediate magma relative to quenched enclaves from other intermediate TVZ eruptions indicates zircon and plagioclase accumulation, respectively; (4) an increase in the Cl contents in glass from the least evolved to most evolved is consistent with the concentration of volatiles during magma evolution. Most of the compositional variations in the low- to high-silica rhyolites can be accounted for by continued Rayleigh fractionation (up to 15%), following melt extraction from the underlying mush, under varying fO₂–fH₂O conditions to form a slightly compositionally zoned rhyolitic cap. This link to the varying fO₂–fH₂O conditions is evidenced by the strong correlation between key geochemical parameters (e.g. Dy, Y), that qualitatively reflect fH₂O conditions (presence or absence of hornblende/biotite), and fO₂ estimated from Fe–Ti oxide equilibrium. Magma mingling/mixing between the basalt–andesite and the main slightly compositionally zoned rhyolitic magma occurred during caldera-collapse, modifying the least-evolved rhyolite at the lower portion of the reservoir and effectively destroying any pre-eruptive gradients.     

Composition and origin of rhyolite melt intersected by drilling in the Krafla geothermal field, Iceland

The Iceland Deep Drilling Project Well 1 was designed as a 4- to 5-km-deep exploration well with the goal of intercepting supercritical hydrothermal fluids in the Krafla geothermal field, Iceland. The well unexpectedly drilled into a high-silica (76.5 % SiO₂) rhyolite melt at approximately 2.1 km. Some of the melt vesiculated while extruding into the drill hole, but most of the recovered cuttings are quenched sparsely phyric, vesicle-poor glass. The phenocryst assemblage is comprised of titanomagnetite, plagioclase, augite, and pigeonite. Compositional zoning in plagioclase and exsolution lamellae in augite and pigeonite record changing crystallization conditions as the melt migrated to its present depth of emplacement. The in situ temperature of the melt is estimated to be between 850 and 920 °C based on two-pyroxene geothermometry and modeling of the crystallization sequence. Volatile content of the glass indicated partial degassing at an in situ pressure that is above hydrostatic (~16 MPa) and below lithostatic (~55 MPa). The major element and minor element composition of the melt are consistent with an origin by partial melting of hydrothermally altered basaltic crust at depth, similar to rhyolite erupted within the Krafla Caldera. Chondrite-normalized REE concentrations show strong light REE enrichment and relative flat patterns with negative Eu anomaly. Strontium isotope values (0.70328) are consistent with mantle-derived melt, but oxygen and hydrogen isotope values are depleted (3.1 and ?118 ‰, respectively) relative to mantle values. The hydrogen isotope values overlap those of hydrothermal epidote from rocks altered by the meteoric-water-recharged Krafla geothermal system. The rhyolite melt was emplaced into and has reacted with a felsic intrusive suite that has nearly identical composition. The felsite is composed of quartz, alkali feldspar, plagioclase, titanomagnetite, and augite. Emplacement of the rhyolite magma has resulted in partial melting of the felsite, accompanied locally by partial assimilation. The interstitial melt in the felsite has similar normalized SiO₂ content as the rhyolite melt but is distinguished by higher K₂O and lower CaO and plots near the minimum melt composition in the granite system. Augite in the partially melted felsite has re-equilibrated to more calcic metamorphic compositions. Rare quenched glass fragments containing glomeroporphyritic crystals derived from the felsite show textural evidence for resorption of alkali feldspar and quartz. The glass in these fragments is enriched in SiO₂ relative to the rhyolite melt or the interstitial felsite melt, consistent with the textural evidence for quartz dissolution. The quenching of these melts by drilling fluids at in situ conditions preserves details of the melt–wall rock interaction that would not be readily observed in rocks that had completely crystallized. However, these processes may be recognizable by a combination of textural analysis and in situ analytical techniques that document compositional heterogeneity due to partial melting and local assimilation.     

浙江拔茅破火山岩浆作用：开放体系多机制复合演化

拔茅火山杂岩的成分变化范围广泛，包括玄武质，玄武粗安质，粗面安山质，粗面英安质，流纹英安质到流纹质和高硅流纹质岩石都有，它们不是由单一母岩浆演化而来，也不是由单一岩浆房喷发形成的，而是来自多种类型的岩浆房，并经历过复杂的演化过程，为开放体系多机制复合演化，其中早期双峰式基性端元是由上地幔部分熔融形成的，而酸性端无则是地壳物质边熔融边喷发（分离熔融）的结果，作为火山杂岩主体的粗面英安质岩石，其岩浆是在高位主岩浆房内由玄武质岩浆与流纹英安质岩浆混合形成的，发生混合的流纹英安质与玄武质岩浆的比例为57：43，而粗面安山质岩浆则是溶部岩浆房内由玄武质岩浆分离结晶形成的，晚期侵出－侵入的流纹英安质岩穹和高硅流纹斑岩株则分别代表高位次级岩浆房的成分及其硅质帽。     

Pre- and syn-eruptive degassing and crystallisation processes of the 2010 and 2006 eruptions of Merapi volcano,Indonesia

The 2010 eruption of Merapi (VEI 4) was the volcano’s largest since 1872. In contrast to the prolonged and effusive dome-forming eruptions typical of Merapi’s recent activity, the 2010 eruption began explosively, before a new dome was rapidly emplaced. This new dome was subsequently destroyed by explosions, generating pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), predominantly consisting of dark coloured, dense blocks of basaltic andesite dome lava. A shift towards open-vent conditions in the later stages of the eruption culminated in multiple explosions and the generation of PDCs with conspicuous grey scoria and white pumice clasts resulting from sub-plinian convective column collapse. This paper presents geochemical data for melt inclusions and their clinopyroxene hosts extracted from dense dome lava, grey scoria and white pumice generated during the peak of the 2010 eruption. These are compared with clinopyroxene-hosted melt inclusions from scoriaceous dome fragments from the prolonged dome-forming 2006 eruption, to elucidate any relationship between pre-eruptive degassing and crystallisation processes and eruptive style. Secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis of volatiles (H₂O, CO₂) and light lithophile elements (Li, B, Be) is augmented by electron microprobe analysis of major elements and volatiles (Cl, S, F) in melt inclusions and groundmass glass. Geobarometric analysis shows that the clinopyroxene phenocrysts crystallised at depths of up to 20 km, with the greatest calculated depths associated with phenocrysts from the white pumice. Based on their volatile contents, melt inclusions have re-equilibrated during shallower storage and/or ascent, at depths of ~0.6–9.7 km, where the Merapi magma system is interpreted to be highly interconnected and not formed of discrete magma reservoirs. Melt inclusions enriched in Li show uniform “buffered” Cl concentrations, indicating the presence of an exsolved brine phase. Boron-enriched inclusions also support the presence of a brine phase, which helped to stabilise B in the melt. Calculations based on S concentrations in melt inclusions and groundmass glass require a degassing melt volume of 0.36 km³ in order to produce the mass of SO₂ emitted during the 2010 eruption. This volume is approximately an order of magnitude higher than the erupted magma (DRE) volume. The transition between the contrasting eruptive styles in 2010 and 2006 is linked to changes in magmatic flux and changes in degassing style, with the explosive activity in 2010 driven by an influx of deep magma, which overwhelmed the shallower magma system and ascended rapidly, accompanied by closed-system degassing.     

Trace element geochemistry of the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo silicic melts, Philippines: Implications for ore-forming potential of adakitic magmatism

The dacite pumice erupted from Mt. Pinatubo on June 15, 1991 (whole-rock, rhyolitic groundmass glasses and homogenized melt inclusions) has been analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), nanosecond and femtosecond laser ablation ICP-MS and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to evaluate its ore-forming potential. Data suggest that adakite magmas are metal-rich and concentrate ore metals during magmatic differentiation. Sulfides segregate in limited amounts under the hydrous, oxidizing conditions typical of adakitic magmas resulting in incompatible behavior for Au (6-22 ppb), Cu (26-77 ppm), and Pb, Mo, As, and Sb in melts of dacitic to rhyolitic compositions. Metal transfer from this adakite magma to the coexisting aqueous phase was favored by the peraluminous composition of the rhyolitic melt and high aqueous chloride concentrations. Mass balance calculations suggest that the pre-eruptive aqueous phase could have extracted a minimum of 100 t Au and 5 × 10⁵ t Cu from the Mt. Pinatubo magma. Our data suggest that intrusives having adakitic signatures are genetically associated with Au-Cu and Cu-Mo mineralization, auriferous porphyry copper deposits, and epithermal gold veins. High H₂O, Cl, Sr/Y, Pb/Ce, Mo/Ce, As/Ce and Sb/Ce in Mt. Pinatubo melts reflect the contribution of deep fluids derived from subducted sediments and altered MORBs in the dacite genesis. The slab-derived fluids carrying mobile elements are likely responsible for the enrichment of adakite magmas in gold, associated metals and H₂O, and may explain the exceptional ore-forming potential of adakite magmatism.     

Petrology and petrogenesis of a tertiary bimodal dolerite-peralkaline/subalkaline trachyte/rhyolite dyke association from Lundy,Bristol Channel,UK

The island of Lundy forms the southernmost igneous complex of the British Tertiary Volcanic Province (BTVP) and consists of granite (≈ 90%) emplaced into deformed Devonian sedimentary rocks (Pilton Shale) and associated with a swarm of dykes of dolerite/basalt, minor trachyte and rhyolite composition. The dolerites are of varied olivine basalt composition and are associated with peralkaline trachyte and subalkaline/peralkaline rhyolite with alkali feldspar and quartz ± alkali amphibole ± pyroxene mineralogy. The dyke swarm is therefore an anorogenic bimodal dolerite/basalt–trachyte/rhyolite BTVP association. Although the dyke association is bimodal in major element terms between dolerite/basalt and minor trachyte/rhyolite, the mineralogy and trace element geochemistry indicate that the dykes may be regarded as a cogenetic dolerite—peralkaline trachyte/rhyolite association with minor subalkaline rhyolites. Sr and Nd isotope data indicate derivation of these magmas from a similar BTVP mantle source (with or without minor contamination by Pilton Shale, or possibly Lundy granite). The petrogenesis of the Lundy dyke association is therefore interpreted in terms of extensive fractional crystallization of basaltic magma in a magma chamber of complex geometry below the (exposed) Lundy granite. Fractional crystallization of a representative dolerite magma (olivine ± clinopyroxene ± plagioclase) yields trachyte magma from which the crystallization of alkali feldspar (anorthoclase) ± plagioclase (oligoclase) + Fe–Ti oxide + apatite results in peralkaline rhyolite. Rarer subalkaline rhyolites result from fractionation from a similar dolerite source which did not achieve a peralkaline composition so allowing the crystallization and fractionation of zircon. The basalt–(minor trachyte)/rhyolite bimodality reflects rapid crystallization of basalt magma to trachyte (and rhyolite) over a relatively small temperature interval (mass fraction of melt, F = ≈ 0.15). The rapid high level emplacement of basalt, trachyte and rhyolite dyke magmas is likely to have been associated with the development of a substantial composite bimodal basalt–(minor trachytel)/rhyolite volcano above the BTVP Lundy granite in the Bristol Channel.     

An experimental study of bromine behaviour in water-saturated silicic melts

To assess the effect of the melt composition on bromine concentrations in magmas, we have investigated bromide solubility for water-saturated, iron-free silicic melts with variable Na+K/Al and Si/Al molar ratios (albite, haplogranite, rhyolite, and pantellerite). The experiments were performed in rapid quench cold-seal autoclaves over a range of pressure (1, 1.5, and 2 kbar) and temperature (900, 1000, and 1080 °C) with run durations from 5 to 7 days. A series of natural volcanic glasses and melt inclusions hosted in magmatic minerals were analysed together with the synthetic glasses by PIXE (proton-induced X-ray emission). The Br concentrations range from 5360 to 7850 ppm for albite, from 2800 to 3900 ppm for haplogranite, from 4300 to 5900 ppm for rhyolite, and from 9745 to 11,250 ppm for pantellerite. Br concentrations are negatively correlated with pressure in H₂O-saturated silicic melts and vary with (Na+K)/Al molar ratio with a minimum value at the ratio close to unity. Br behaves similarly to chlorine for all of these melt compositions. The bromide solubility is similar in albitic and rhyolitic melts, which implies that D^f/m is nearly the same for both compositions and is applicable for natural rhyolites as suggested in our previous study (Bureau et al., 2000). This means that the volcanic Br contribution to the atmosphere may be significant. In natural obsidian samples and MI hosted in quartz, olivine, and leucite, the Br concentration varies from < 3 to 28 ppm, with the highest concentrations in pantelleritic melts. We attribute the low Br concentrations of natural melts to a low initial abundance of this halogen in the Earth mantle. However, because Br behaves as an incompatible element before water exsolution, our results imply that magmas could contain much more dissolved Br before eruption and water degassing than the few ppm usually measured in volcanic rocks. Br behaviour during magma crystallisation is controlled by its partitioning into the H₂O-rich fluid phase when this occurs. In addition, its potential high solubility in silicate melts makes it a very sensitive chemical tracer of magma contamination by seawater and Br-rich material. This infers that the investigation of Br behaviour in subduction-zone samples may help for a better understanding of volatiles cycling between the Earth reservoirs.     

Shallow-level decompression crystallisation and deep magma supply at Shiveluch Volcano

Recent petrological studies indicate that some crustal magma chambers may be built up slowly by the intermittent ascent and amalgamation of small packets of magma generated in a deep-seated source region. Despite having little effect on whole-rock compositions, this process should be detectable as variable melt trace element composition, preserved as melt inclusions trapped in phenocrysts. We studied trace element and H₂O contents of plagioclase- and hornblende-hosted melt inclusions from andesite lavas and pumices of Shiveluch Volcano, Kamchatka. Melt inclusions are significantly more evolved than the whole rocks, indicating that the whole rocks contain a significant proportion of recycled foreign material. H₂O concentrations indicate trapping at a wide range of pressures, consistent with shallow decompression-driven crystallisation. The variation of trace element concentrations indicates up to ∼30% decompression crystallisation, which accounts for crystallisation of the groundmass and rims on phenocrysts. Trace element scatter could be explained by episodic stalling during shallow magma ascent, allowing incompatible element concentrations to increase during isobaric crystallisation. Enrichment of Li at intermediate pH₂O reflects influx and condensation of metal-rich vapours. A set of “exotic melts”, identified by their anomalous incompatible trace element characteristics, indicate variable source chemistry. This is consistent with evolution of individual magma batches with small differences in trace element chemistry, and intermittent ascent of magma pulses. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Petrological imaging of an active pluton beneath Cerro Uturuncu,Bolivia

Uturuncu is a dormant volcano in the Altiplano of SW Bolivia. A present day ~70 km diameter interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) anomaly roughly centred on Uturuncu’s edifice is believed to be a result of magma intrusion into an active crustal pluton. Past activity at the volcano, spanning 0.89 to 0.27 Ma, is exclusively effusive and almost all lavas and domes are dacitic with phenocrysts of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, biotite, ilmenite and Ti-magnetite plus or minus quartz, and microlites of plagioclase and orthopyroxene set in rhyolitic groundmass glass. Plagioclase-hosted melt inclusions (MI) are rhyolitic with major element compositions that are similar to groundmass glasses. H₂O concentrations plotted versus incompatible elements for individual samples describe a trend typical of near-isobaric, volatile-saturated crystallisation. At 870 °C, the average magma temperature calculated from Fe–Ti oxides, the average H₂O of 3.2 ± 0.7 wt% and CO₂ typically <160 ppm equate to MI trapping pressures of 50–120 MPa, approximately 2–4.5 km below surface. Such shallow storage precludes the role of dacite magma emplacement into pre-eruptive storage regions as being the cause of the observed InSAR anomaly. Storage pressures, whole-rock (WR) chemistry and phase assemblage are remarkably consistent across the eruptive history of the volcano, although magmatic temperatures calculated from Fe–Ti oxide geothermometry, zircon saturation thermometry using MI and orthopyroxene-melt thermometry range from 760 to 925 °C at NNO ± 1 log. This large temperature range is similar to that of saturation temperatures of observed phases in experimental data on Uturuncu dacites. The variation in calculated temperatures is attributed to piecemeal construction of the active pluton by successive inputs of new magma into a growing volume of plutonic mush. Fluctuating temperatures within the mush can account for sieve-textured cores and complex zoning in plagioclase phenocrysts, resorption of quartz and biotite phenocrysts and apatite microlites. That Fe–Ti oxide temperatures vary by ~50–100 °C in a single thin section indicates that magmas were not homogenised effectively prior to eruption. Phenocryst contents do not correlate with calculated magmatic temperatures, consistent with crystal entrainment from the mush during magma ascent and eruption. Microlites grew during ascent from the magma storage region. Variability in the proportion of microlites is attributed to differing ascent and effusion rates with faster rates in general for lavas >0.5 Ma compared to those <0.5 Ma. High microlite contents of domes indicate that effusion rates were probably slowest in dome-forming eruptions. Linear trends in WR major and trace element chemistries, highly variable, bimodal mineral compositions, and the presence of mafic enclaves in lavas demonstrate that intrusion of more mafic magmas into the evolving, shallow plutonic mush also occurred further amplifying local temperature fluctuations. Crystallisation and resorption of accessory phases, particularly ilmenite and apatite, can be detected in MI and groundmass glass trace element covariation trends, which are oblique to WRs. Marked variability of Ba, Sr and La in MI can be attributed to temperature-controlled, localised crystallisation of plagioclase, orthopyroxene and biotite within the evolving mush.     

The origin of shoshonites: new insights from the Tertiary high-potassium intrusions of eastern Tibet

The shoshonitic intrusions of eastern Tibet, which range in age from 33 to 41 Ma and in composition from ultramafic (SiO₂ = 42 %) to felsic (SiO₂ = 74 %), were produced during the collision of India with Eurasia. The mafic and ultramafic members of the suite are characterized by phenocrysts of phlogopite, olivine and clinopyroxene, low SiO₂, high MgO and Mg/Fe ratios, and olivine forsterite contents of Fo₈₇ to Fo₉₃, indicative of equilibrium with mantle olivine and orthopyroxene. Direct melting of the mantle, on the other hand, could not have produced the felsic members. They have a phenocryst assemblage of plagioclase, amphibole and quartz, high SiO₂ and low MgO, with Mg/Fe ratios well below the values expected for a melt in equilibrium with the mantle. Furthermore, the lack of decrease in Cr with increasing SiO₂ and decreasing MgO from ultramafic to felsic rocks precludes the possibility that the felsic members were derived by fractional crystallization from the mafic members. Similarly, magma mixing, crustal contamination and crystal accumulation can be excluded as important processes. Yet all members of the suite share similar incompatible element and radiogenic isotope ratios, which suggests a common origin and source. We propose that melting for all members of the shoshonite suite was initiated in continental crust that was thrust into the upper mantle at various points along the transpressional Red River-Ailao Shan-Batang-Lijiang fault system. The melt formed by high-degree, fluid-absent melting reactions at high-T and high-P and at the expense of biotite and phengite. The melts acquired their high concentrations of incompatible elements as a consequence of the complete dissolution of pre-existing accessory minerals. The melts produced were quartz-saturated and reacted with the overlying mantle to produce garnet and pyroxene during their ascent. The felsic magmas reacted little with the adjacent mantle and preserved the essential features of their original chemistry, including their high SiO₂, low Ni, Cr and MgO contents, and low Mg/Fe ratio, whereas the mafic and ultramafic magmas are the result of extensive reaction with the mantle. Although the mafic magmas preserved the incompatible element and radiogenic isotope ratios of their crustal source, buffering by olivine and orthopyroxene extensively modified their MgO, Ni, Cr, SiO₂ contents and Mg/Fe ratio to values dictated by equilibrium with the mantle.     

Peralkaline magma evolution and the tephra record in the Ethiopian Rift

The 3.119 ± 0.010 Ma Chefe Donsa phreatomagmatic deposits on the shoulder of the Ethiopian Rift mark the northern termination of the Silti-Debre Zeyit Fault Zone, a linear zone of focused extension within the modern Ethiopian Rift. These peralkaline pumice fragments and glass shards span a wide range of glass compositions but have a restricted phenocryst assemblage dominated by unzoned sanidine. Glass shards found within the ash occupy a far more limited compositional range (75–76 wt% SiO₂) in comparison with the pumice (64–75 wt% SiO₂), which is rarely mingled. Thermodynamic modeling shows that liquids broadly similar to the least evolved glass composition can be achieved with 50–60 % fractionation of moderately crustally contaminated basalt. Inconsistencies between modeled solutions and the observed values of CaO and P₂O₅ highlight the important role of fluorine in stabilizing fluor-apatite and the limitations of current thermodynamic models largely resulting from the scarce experimental data available for the role of fluorine in igneous phase stability. On the basis of limited feldspar heterogeneity and crystal content of pumice at Chefe Donsa, and the difficulties of extracting small volumes of Si-rich melt in classical fractional crystallization models, we suggest a two-step polybaric process: (1) basaltic magma ponds at mid-upper-crustal depths and fractionates to form a crystal/magma mush. Once this mush has reached 50–60 % crystallinity, the interstitial liquid may be extracted from the rigid crystal framework. The trachytic magma extracted at this step is equivalent to the most primitive pumice analyzed at Chefe Donsa. (2) The extracted trachytic liquid will rise and continue to crystallize, generating a second mush zone from which rhyolite liquids may be extracted. Some of the compositional range observed in the Chefe Donsa deposits may result from the fresh intrusion of trachyte magma, which may also provide an eruption trigger. This model may have wider application in understanding the origin of the Daly Gap in Ethiopian magmas—intermediate liquids may not be extracted from crystal-liquid mushes due to insufficient crystallization to yield a rigid framework. The wide range of glass compositions characteristic of the proximal Chefe Donsa deposits is not recorded in temporally equivalent tephra deposits located in regional depocenters. Our results show that glass shards, which represent the material most likely transported to distal depocenters, occupy a limited compositional range at high SiO₂ values and overlap some distal tephra deposits. These results suggest that distal tephra deposits may not faithfully record the potentially wide range in magma compositions present in a magmatic system just prior to eruption and that robust distal–proximal tephra correlations must include a careful analysis of the full range of materials in the proximal deposit.     

浙江新昌早白垩世复合岩流中的岩浆混合作用

浙江新昌拔茅地区早白垩世复合岩流中各种火山岩（Ｒｂ－Ｓｒ等时线年龄为９６．３Ｍａ）属高钾钙碱性岩系，在其中发现了中生代火山活动中岩浆混合作用的确凿证据，岩相学及地球化学研究表明，这种复合岩流中的安山质岩浆是由同时代橄榄拉斑玄武岩浆和流纹岩浆相互混合而形成的。