Origin of Icelandic basalts: A review of their petrology and geochemistry

The petrology and geochemistry of Icelandic basalts have been studied for more than a century. The results reveal that the Holocene basalts belong to three magma series: two sub-alkaline series (tholeiitic and transitional alkaline) and an alkali one. The alkali and the transitional basalts, which occupy the off-rift volcanic zones, are enriched in incompatible trace elements compared to the tholeiites, and have more radiogenic Sr, Pb and He isotope compositions. Compared to the tholeiites, they are most likely formed by partial melting of a lithologically heterogeneous mantle with higher proportions of melts derived from recycled oceanic crust in the form of garnet pyroxenites compared to the tholeiites. The tholeiitic basalts characterise the mid-Atlantic rift zone that transects the island, and their most enriched compositions and highest primordial (least radiogenic) He isotope signature are observed close to the centre of the presumed mantle plume. High-MgO basalts are found scattered along the rift zone and probably represent partial melting of refractory mantle already depleted of initial water-rich melts. Higher mantle temperature in the centre of the Iceland mantle plume explains the combination of higher magma productivity and diluted signatures of garnet pyroxenites in basalts from Central Iceland. A crustal component, derived from altered basalts, is evident in evolved tholeiites and indeed in most basalts; however, distinguishing between contamination by the present hydrothermally altered crust, and melting of recycled oceanic crust, remains non-trivial. Constraints from radiogenic isotope ratios suggest the presence of three principal mantle components beneath Iceland: a depleted upper mantle source, enriched mantle plume, and recycled oceanic crust.The study of glass inclusions in primitive phenocrysts is still in its infancy but already shows results unattainable by other methods. Such studies reveal the existence of mantle melts with highly variable compositions, such as calcium-rich melts and a low-¹⁸O mantle component, probably recycled oceanic crust. Future high-resolution seismic studies may help to identify and reveal the relative proportions of different lithologies in the mantle.     

Large glass inclusions in plagioclase phenocrysts and their bearing on the origin of mixed andesitic lavas at Tolimán volcano,Guatemala

Irregularly shaped, large and clear (LAC) glass inclusions are present in plagioclase phenocrysts in several andesitic lavas erupted from Tolimán volcano, Guatemala. Their morphology is different from densely spaced, fine-grained glass inclusions that form concentric zones in dusty or cellular textured plagioclase phenocrysts. The large size of LAC inclusions make them suitable for microprobe analysis and average bulk compositions are presented for glasses in 30 phenocrysts from eight lava samples. Their compositions are rhyolitic and in disequilibrium, or out-range (Anderson 1976) with respect to whole-rock and groundmass glass compositions. LAC inclusions typically occur in large, tabular plagioclase phenocrysts with relatively uniform, sodic compositions (An 40–54). Compositions of feldspar phenocrysts not containing LAC inclusions range from An 41 to An 81. Petrographic and chemical data support a primary origin for LAC glasses, suggest mixing of mafic and silicic magmas, and also constrain a mechanism for magma mixing. Rapid growth of plagioclase and entrapment of LAC glass occurs during mixing in a vapor-rich silicic liquid under low degrees of undercooling. These conditions are possibly produced in a high-level magma body such as that envisioned by Huppert et al. (1982), where replenishment and subsequent crystallization of a hydrous magma induces density instability and mixing with the resident magma.     

Density variation amongst mid-ocean ridge basalts: Implications for magma mixing and the scarcity of primitive lavas

Densities calculated from glass compositions of observed mid-ocean ridge basalts show that the more primitive melts are likely to be buoyant in more evolved melts. Consideration of this and other physical properties indicates that convective mixing between most basaltic magmas occurs under intermittently turbulent to turbulent conditions (transitional Reynolds Numbers) accounting for the widespread occurrence of hybrid lavas. Hypothetical picritic melts inferred to be parental to mid-ocean ridge basalts are by contrast denser than most basalts erupted on the sea floor. The most primitive basalts observed to erupt occupy a density minimum when compared to more primitive and more fractionated melts. The density minimum occurs approximately at those compositions where plagioclase and/or pyroxene join olivine as major fractionating phases. Picritic basalts are rarely erupted, because they stratify at the base of magma reservoirs.     

Evidence for magma hybridization for the voluminous 29.5 Ma Wah Wah Springs Formation, Utah and Nevada, U.S.A.

The 29.5 Ma Wah Wah Springs Formation which erupted from the Indian Peak Caldera has an estimated volume of > 3900 km³ making it one of the largest ignimbrites on earth. The magma was calc-alkaline, dacitic (68 wt. % SiO₂) and phenocryst-rich (38 vol.%). Phenocrysts include plagioclase (An 47), magnesio-hornblende, Mg-biotite, quartz, Fe-Ti oxides, diopsidic-augite, and rare Ca-poor pyroxene, in order of decreasing abundance. Apatite, zircon and pyrrhotite occurs as inclusions within phenocrysts. Atmospheric glass losses (1040 km³) account for bulk-rock compositions that have SiO₂ contents ranging from 63 to 67 wt.%. Glass compositions are high-silica rhyolite.Phenocrysts equilibrated at temperatures ranging from about 790 to 850°C and oxygen fugacities approximately 2.6 log units above the QFM buffer. Confining pressure estimates using the aluminum-in-hornblende geobarometer calibrated for calc-alkaline volcanic rocks suggest a mean pressure of 230±50 MPa corresponding to 7.5±1.5 km depth. These estimates are consistent with caldera formation accompanying emplacement.Crystal compositions for phenocrysts and mineral inclusions within phenocrysts are remarkably homogeneous throughout the outflow tuff, although minor zoning does occur. Given the dacitic composition of the magma, the weakly zoned phenocryst population cannot be modeled to produce the observed high-silica glass (melt) indicating open-system behavior for the magma. The high-silica rhyolite glass is interpreted to be an artifact of efficient magma mixing accompanying addition of highly evolved magma, or melt to intermediate composition magma. Mixing was followed by magma hybridization. Additional support for this hybridization model includes: (1) physically and chemically distinct populations of augite; (2) minor but unbiquitous resorbed plagioclase, biotite and hornblende phenocrysts; and (3) reverse zoning in some of the plagioclase euhedra within pumice lapilli.     

Preservation of near-solar neon isotopic ratios in Icelandic basalts

Neon isotopic ratios measured in olivine and basaltic glass from Iceland are the most primitive observed so far in terrestrial mantle-derived samples. Ratios were measured in gas released from olivine and basaltic glass from a total of 10 samples from the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, and one sample from central Iceland. The neon isotopic ratios include solar-like, mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like and atmospheric compositions. Neon isotopic ratios near the air–solar mixing line were obtained from the total gas released from glass separates from five samples. MORB-like neon isotopic compositions were measured in the total gas released from olivine and glass separates from four samples. Although there is clear evidence for a solar neon component in some of the Icelandic samples, there is no corresponding evidence for a solar helium ratio (320R_a>³He/⁴He>100R_a). Instead, ³He/⁴He ratios are mainly between 12±2(R_a) and 29±3(R_a), similar to the range observed in ocean island basalts, indicating that the He–Ne isotopic systematics are decoupled. The mantle source of Icelandic basalts is interpreted to be highly heterogeneous on a local scale to explain the range in observed helium and neon isotopic ratios. The identification of solar-like neon isotopic ratios in some Icelandic samples implies that solar neon trapped within the Earth has remained virtually unchanged over the past 4.5 Ga. Such preservation requires a source with a high [Ne_solar]/[U+Th] ratio so that the concentration of solar neon overwhelms the nucleogenic ²¹Ne* produced from the decay of U and Th in the mantle over time. High [Ne_solar]/[U+Th] ratios are unlikely to be preserved in the mantle if it has experienced substantial melting. An essentially undegassed primitive mantle component is postulated to be the host of the solar neon in the Icelandic plume source. Relatively small amounts of this primitive mantle component are likely to mix with more depleted and degassed mantle such that the primitive mantle composition is not evident in other isotopic systems (e.g. strontium and neodymium). The lower mantle plume source is inferred to be relatively heterogeneous owing to being more viscous and less well stirred than the upper mantle. This discovery of near-solar neon isotopic ratios suggests that relatively primitive mantle may be preserved in the Icelandic plume source.     

Bimodal volcanism at the Katla subglacial caldera,Iceland: insight into the geochemistry and petrogenesis of rhyolitic magmas

The Katla subglacial caldera is one of the most active and hazardous volcanic centres in Iceland as revealed by its historical volcanic activity and recent seismic unrest and magma accumulation. A petrologic and geochemical study was carried out on a suite of mid-Pleistocene to Recent lavas and pyroclastic rocks originated from the caldera. The whole series is characterised by a bimodal composition, including Fe-Ti transitional alkali basalts and mildly alkalic rhyolites. Variations in trace-element composition amongst the basalts and rhyolites show that their chemical differentiation was mainly controlled by fractional crystallisation and possible assimilation. The petrology and chemistry of the few intermediate extrusive rocks show that they were derived from magma mingling or hybridisation. The absence of extrusive rocks of true intermediate magmatic composition and the occurrence of amphibole-bearing felsic xenoliths support the hypothesis of partial melting of the hydrated basalt crust as the main process leading to the generation of rhyolites. The ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of Katla volcanic rocks fit the general isotopic array defined by late Quaternary to Recent lavas from Iceland. A few rock specimens are distinguished by low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values suggesting assimilation and mixing of much older crustal material. Despite their similar whole-rock chemical compositions, the postglacial rhyolitic extrusives differ from the felsic xenoliths by their glass composition and the absence of amphibole. This, together with the general chemical trend of volcanic glasses, indicates that the postglacial rhyolitic extrusives were probably derived by a process involving late reheating and partial melting of crustal material by intrusion of basaltic magmas.     

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

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

Porphyry Cu deposits linked to episodic growth of an underlying parental magma chamber

Saindak is one of the typical porphyry Cu deposits (PCDs) in the Chagai magmatic arc in Pakistan. Ore-forming porphyries at Saindak PCD are mainly composed of tonalite. Here, we use geochemistry of apatite enclosed in plagioclase phenocrysts from the ore-forming tonalite to constrain the releasing and recharging processes of S and Cl in the underlying parental magma chamber during PCD mineralization. Although apatite inclusions have homogeneous intra-grain S and Cl compositions, there is significant inter-grain S and Cl variations in apatite inclusions located from core to rim in the hosting plagioclase. Such inter-grain S and Cl variation in apatites are coupled with the core-to-rim trends of An, FeO and Mg contents of the hosting plagioclase phenocryst. It indicates that the Saindak PCD likely formed by episodic injection of primitive magmas during the growth of an underlying magma chamber, rather than by one major injection or by addition of mafic melt derived from different source region. Each primitive melt injection introduced essential ore-forming materials such as S and Cl, which were rapidly and effectively released to the coexisting fluids, causing mineralization. Once primitive melt injection stops, signaling the end of growth of underlying magma chamber, mineralization will cease quickly although the hydrothermal system can still survive for a long time. However, the later released fluids are relatively depleted in ore-forming materials, and thus have lower capability to generate mineralization. Accordingly, predominant porphyry-type mineralizations occurred during the growth rather than waning stage of a magmatic system.

     

Compositional heterogeneity of distal tephra deposits from the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, Alaska

Physical and chemical analyses of distal tephra from the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, Alaska, show considerable variations in glass and mineral compositions. A combination of a 150°C range in temperature deduced from iron-titanium oxide geothermometry, and curved patterns in bivariant element plots of glass compositions indicate that a chamber of compositionally zoned magma existed prior to the eruption. Magma-mixing cannot explain these features. The magma chamber may have resembled the model recently proposed by McBirney (1980). A highly silicic, quartz-phyric magma with mean phenocryst compositions of An₂₅ plagioclase, Fs₄₂ orthopyroxene, at a temperature of 880°C and a water pressure of 1.4 kbar, was located above a more mafic, hotter magma, bearing phenocrysts of An₄₅ plagioclase and Fs₃₅, orthopyroxene.Our results on distal tephras compare favorably with those from a recently completed study at source by Hildreth (1983), suggesting that useful petrologic information about distant volcanoes can be obtained from both types of deposits. Compositionally heterogeneous abyssal tephra layers are common in the Gulf of Alaska. Eruptions from chambers of zoned magma may account for many of these layers.     

Temporal variations in magma composition at Merapi Volcano (Central Java, Indonesia): magmatic cycles during the past 2000 years of explosive activity

Merapi Volcano (Central Java, Indonesia) has been frequently active during Middle to Late Holocene time producing basalts and basaltic andesites of medium-K composition in earlier stages of activity and high-K magmas from 1900 ¹⁴C yr BP to the present. Radiocarbon dating of pyroclastic deposits indicates an almost continuous activity with periods of high eruption rates alternating with shorter time spans of distinctly reduced eruptive frequency since the first appearance of high-K volcanic rocks. Geochemical data of 28 well-dated, prehistoric pyroclastic flows of the Merapi high-K series indicate systematic cyclic variations. These medium-term compositional variations result from a complex interplay of several magmatic processes, which ultimately control the periodicity and frequency of eruptions at Merapi. Low eruption rates and the absence of new influxes of primitive magma from depth allow the generation of basaltic andesite magma (56–57 wt% SiO₂) in a small-volume magma reservoir through fractional crystallisation from parental mafic magma (52–53 wt% SiO₂) in periods of low eruptive frequency. Magmas of intermediate composition erupted during these stages provide evidence for periodic withdrawal of magma from a steadily fractionating magma chamber. Subsequent periods are characterised by high eruption rates that coincide with shifts of whole-rock compositions from basaltic andesite to basalt. This compositional variation is interpreted to originate from influxes of primitive magma into a continuously active magma chamber, triggering the eruption of evolved magma after periods of low eruptive frequency. Batches of primitive magma eventually mix with residual magma in the magmatic reservoir to decrease whole-rock SiO₂ contents. Supply of primitive magma at Merapi appears to be sufficiently frequent that andesites or more differentiated rock types were not generated during the past 2000 years of activity. Cyclic variations also occurred during the recent eruptive period since AD 1883. The most recent eruptive episode of Merapi is characterised by essentially uniform magma compositions that may imply the existence of a continuously active magma reservoir, maintained in a quasi-steady state by magma recharge. The whole-rock compositions at the upper limit of the total SiO₂ range of the Merapi suite could also indicate the beginning of another period of high eruption rates and shifts towards more mafic compositions.     

Hydrothermal alteration of plagioclase and growth of secondary feldspar in the Hengill Volcanic Centre, SW Iceland

Dissolution of igneous feldspar and the formation and occurrence of secondary feldspar in tholeiitic basalts from the Hengill volcanic centre, in SW Iceland was studied by microprobe analysis of cuttings from two ca. 2000 m deep geothermal wells. Well NG-7 in Nesjavellir represents a geothermal system in a rift zone where the intensity of young, insignificantly altered intrusions increases with depth. Well KhG-1 in Kolviðarhóll represents the margin of a rift zone where the intensity of intrusives is lower and the intensity of alteration higher. This marginal well represents altered basaltic crust in an early retrograde state. The secondary plagioclase in both wells is mainly oligoclase, occurring in association with K-feldspar and chlorite±actinolite. The texture of this assemblage depends on the lithology and intensity of alteration. In Nesjavellir (NG-7) the composition of secondary albite-oligoclase is correlated with the host-rock composition. This connection is not apparent in more intensely altered samples from Kolviðarhóll (KhG-1). The influence of temperature on composition of secondary Na-feldspar is unclear in both wells although Ca is expected to increase with temperature. Any temperature dependence may be suppressed by the influence of rock composition in Nesjavellir and by retrograde conditions at Kolviðarhóll. The absence of clear compositional gradients between igneous plagioclase and secondary feldspar and between Na-feldspar and K-feldspar suggests that secondary feldspars formed by dissolution precipitation reactions.     

Olivine basalts at the Karymskii Volcanic Center: Mineralogy, petrogenesis, and magma sources

The olivine basalts of the Karymskii Volcanic Center (KVC) can be traced during the history of the area from the Lower Pleistocene until recently (the 1996 events); they are typical low-and moderate-potassium tholeiite basalts of the geochemical island-arc type. We have investigated the compositions of phenocryst minerals represented by plagioclase, olivine, clinopyroxene, as well as solid-phase inclusions of spinel in olivine, and more rarely in anorthite. The evolutionary trends of the rock-forming minerals provide evidence of the comagmaticity of these basalts, and thus of a long-lived intermediate magma chamber in the interior of the structure. The activity of this chamber is related to periodic transport of high temperature basalt melts to the surface. The geochemistry of the basalts is controlled by their origin at the same depleted magma source close to N-MORB, by successive crystallization of the primary melt, and by restricted mixing with magma components that are crystallizing at different depths. It is hypothesized that the solid-phase inclusions of high alumina spinel (hercynite?) found in olivine (and anorthite) of the basalts in the KVC north sector are of relict origin.     

The petrology, phase relations and tectonic setting of basalts from the taupo volcanic zone, New Zealand and the Kermadec Island arc - havre trough, SW Pacific

Volcanism in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) and the Kermadec arc-Havre Trough (KAHT) is related to westward subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Indo-Australian Plate. The tectonic setting of the TVZ is continental whereas in KAHT it is oceanic and in these two settings the relative volumes of basalt differ markedly. In TVZ, basalts form a minor proportion (< 1%) of a dominant rhyolite (97%)-andesite association while in KAHT, basalts and basaltic andesites are the major rock types. Neither the convergence rate between the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates nor the extension rates in the back-arc region or the dip of the Pacific Plate Wadati-Benioff zone differ appreciably between the oceanic and continental segments. The distance between the volcanic front and the axis of the back-arc basin decreases from the Kermadec arc to TVZ and the distance between trench and volcanic front increases from around 200 km in the Kermadec arc to 280 km in TVZ. These factors may prove significant in determining the extent to which arc and backarc volcanism in subduction settings are coupled.All basalts from the Kermadec arc are porphyritic (up to 60% phenocrysts) with assemblages generally dominated by plagioclase but with olivine, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene. A single dredge sample from the Havre Trough back arc contains olivine and plagioclase microphenocrysts in glassy pillow rind and is mildly alkaline (< 1% normative nepheline) contrasting with the tholeiitic nature of the other basalts. Basalts from the TVZ contain phenocryst assemblages of olivine + plagioclase ± clinopyroxene; orthopyroxene phenocrysts occur only in the most evolved basalts and basaltic andesites from both TVZ and the Kermadec Arc.Sparsely porphyritic primitive compositions (Mg/(Mg+Fe²) > 70) are high in Al₂O₃ (>16.5%), and project in the olivine volume of the basalt tetrahedron. They contain olivine (Fo₈₇) phenocrysts and plagioclase (> An₆₀) microphenocrysts. These magmas have ratios of CaO/Al₂O₃, A1₂O₃/TiO₂ and CaO/TiO₂ in the range of MORB and MORB picrites and can evolve to the low-pressure MORB cotectic by crystallisation of olivine±plagiociase. Such rocks may be the parents of other magmas whose evolutionary pathways are complicated by interaction of crystal fractionation, crystal accumulation and mixing processes and the filtering action of crust of variable density and thickness. The interplay of these processes likely accounts for the scatter of data about the cotectic. More evolved rocks from both TVZ and KAHT contain clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene phenocrysts and their compositions merge with basaltic andesites and andesites. Stepwise least-squares modelling using phenocryst assemblages in proportions observed in the rocks suggest that crystal fractionation and accumulation processes can account for much of the diversity observed in the major-element compositions of all lavas.We conclude that the parental basaltic magmas for volcanism in the TVZ and KAHT segments are similar thereby implying grossly similar source mineralogy. We attribute the diversity to secondary processes influencing liquids as they ascended through complex plumbing systems in the sub arc mantle and cross.     

Anomalous strontium and lead isotope signatures in the off-rift Öræfajökull central volcano in south-east Iceland: Evidence for enriched endmember(s) of the Iceland mantle plume?

The currently active off-rift central volcano Öræfajökull in south-east Iceland sits unconformably on much older (10–12 Ma) and eroded crust. The composition of recent volcanics ranges from basalt to rhyolite, but the series is more sodic alkaline than the common rift zone tholeiitic suites. In this study we present Sr, Nd, Pb and O isotopic data for a suite of Öræfajökull samples. The complete suite shows typical mantle values for oxygen isotopes. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (average of 15 SAMPLES=0.703702) of the modern Öræfajökull rocks (basalts as well as rhyolites) are much higher than observed so far for any other Icelandic rocks. The ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios (average=0.512947; n=15) are lower than for rift rocks, but similar to rocks of the off-rift Snæfellsnes volcanic zone. Furthermore, the Öræfajökull rocks are enriched in the ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb isotope ratios compared to Icelandic rift basalts. The enriched nature of the suite indicates that Öræfajökull samples a source component that has characteristics common with EM2 type mantle. Furthermore, it is concluded that the silicic rocks of Öræfajökull formed by fractional crystallization from mafic melts rather than by partial melting of older crust.     

Geology of the Heimaey volcanic centre, south Iceland: early evolution of a central volcano in a propagating rift?

Heimaey is the southernmost and also the youngest of nine volcanic centres in the southward-propagating Eastern Volcanic Zone, Iceland. The island of Heimaey belongs to the Vestmannaeyjar volcanic system (850 km²) and is situated 10 km off the south coast of Iceland. Although Heimaey probably started to form during the Upper Pleistocene all the exposed subaerial volcanics (10 monogenetic vents covering an area of 13.4 km²) are of Holocene age. Heimaey is composed of roughly equal amounts of tuff/tuff-breccias and lavas as most eruptions involve both a phreatomagmatic and an effusive phase. The compositions of the extrusives are predominantly alkali basalts belonging to the sodic series. Repeated eruptions on Heimaey, and the occurrence of slightly more evolved rocks (i.e. hawaiite approaching mugearite), might indicate that the island is in an early stage of forming a central volcano in the Vestmannaeyjar system. This is further substantiated by the development of a magma chamber at 10–20 km depth during the most recent eruption in 1973 and by the fact that the average volume of material produced in a single eruption on Heimaey is 0.32 km³ (dense rock equivalent), which is twice the value reported for the Vestmannaeyjar system as a whole. We find no support for the previously postulated episodic behaviour of the volcanism in the Vestmannaeyjar system. However, the oldest units exposed above sea level, i.e. the Norðurklettar ridge, probably formed over a 500-year interval during the deglaciation of southern Iceland. The absence of equilibrium phenocryst assemblages in the Heimaey lavas suggests that magma rose quickly from depth, without long-time ponding in shallow-seated crustal magma chambers. Eruptions on Heimaey have occurred along two main lineaments (N45°E and N65°E), which indicate that it is seismic events associated with the southward propagation of the Eastern Volcanic Zone that open pathways for the magma to reach the surface. Continuing southward propagation of the Eastern Volcanic Zone suggests that the frequency of volcanic eruptions in the Vestmannaeyjar system might increase with time, and that Heimaey may develop into a central volcano like the mature volcanic centres situated on the Icelandic mainland.     

Ferrobasalts from the Spiess Ridge segment of the Southwest Indian Ridge

Highly vesicular, microporphyritic basaltic rocks have been dredged from the slow-spreading Spiess Ridge segment of the Southwest Indian Ridge. All the samples recovered are hyalocrystalline with plagioclase, clinopyroxene and olivine as phenocryst and microphenocryst phases. Titanomagnetite occurs as euhedral microphenocrysts in some of the more evolved samples. In terms of bulk rock and quench glass chemistry the lavas are characterised by highly evolved compositions(e.g. FeO*=10.3−14.2%;TiO₂=2.0−3.4%;K₂O=0.50−1.1%;MgO=6.0−3.5%;Zr=160−274ppm;Nb=14−32ppm) and can be classified as ferrobasalts. Isotopic and incompatible element ratios of the lavas(e.g.⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70325−0.70333;Zr/Nb=8.4−11.3;Y/Nb=2.3−1.4) indicate their strongly “enriched” nature (see also Dickey et al. [6]).

Quantitative major and trace element modelling indicates that most of the compositional variations observed can be attributed to low-pressure fractional crystallisation of plagioclase, clinopyroxene and minor olivine and titanomagnetite. The range in composition can be accounted for by up to 65% fractional crystallisation.

We suggest that the extreme differentiation of the Spiess Ridge lavas is related not to spreading rate, but to rate of magma supply. The basaltic melts appear to have evolved in a newly established zone of magmatic activity, associated with the most recent northward jump of the Bouvet triple junction, where they were effectively isolated from significant admixture of primitive magmas.     

Is the Iceland hot spot also wet? Evidence from the water contents of undegassed submarine and subglacial pillow basalts

Water contents have been measured in basaltic glasses from submarine and subglacial eruption sites along the Reykjanes Ridge and Iceland, respectively, in order to evaluate the hypothesis of Schilling et al. [Phil. Trans. R. Soc. London A 56 (1980) 147-178] that hot spots are also wet spots. Having erupted under pressure the water contents measured in these samples are potentially unaffected by degassing. After correcting these water contents for the effects of crystallisation (to give H₂O(8) values) they indicate that the concentration of water in the source regions increases from 165 ppm at the southern end of the Reykjanes Ridge to between 620 and 920 ppm beneath Iceland. This suggests that Iceland is a wet spot and the H₂O(8) values indicate that its influence on basalt compositions increases northwards along the Reykjanes Ridge from ∼61°N (650 km from the plume centre) towards Iceland. The existence of wetter Icelandic source regions have important implications for mantle melting, as enrichments of this magnitude depress the mantle solidus, increasing the degree of melting at a given temperature. Therefore the enhanced rates of volcanism on Iceland may be a result of wetter sources in addition to a thermal anomaly beneath Iceland.     

Fractionation paths of Atka (Aleutians) high-alumina basalts: Constraints from phase relations

An Aleutian high-alumina basalt from the island of Atka at one atmosphere crystallizes plagioclase (1275°C) followed by olivine (1170°C) and clinopyroxene (1115°C). At oxygen fugacities along NNO, magnetite crystallizes below 1070°C, but its liquidus increases to at least 1175°C at an oxygen fugacity two log units above NNO. Phase relations at two kilobars pressure of melts containing small amounts of water are similar, although orthopyroxene and magnetite are observed to follow clinopyroxene. Amphibole crystallizes at near-liquidus temperatures only at water contents of melts approaching 4.5%. Amphibole assumes the liquidus in melts containing 5% water.Anhydrous melts crystallize plagioclase to 19 kbar, where garnet and clinopyroxene assume the liquidus. Olivine yields to clinopyroxene as the highest-temperature subliquidus phase at about 9 kbar.The array of compositions of basaltic Atka rocks, as displayed on appropriate pseudoternary projections, can be interpreted as a crystal fractionation path at moderate pressure (8 kbar) and small melt-water contents. The interpreted fractionating minerals are olivine, clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and (probably) magnetite. (The actual phenocrysts in Atka basalts like AT-1, which lacks phenocrystic clinopyroxene, must have crystallized at pressure less than 8 kbar, however.) The compositions of two-pyroxene andesites from Atka can be interpreted to lie on a lower-pressure fractionation trend at melt water contents of 2–3%. Such water contents are consistent with the complete absence of amphibole in any Atka rocks and are suggestive that water contents of the basaltic magmas, if the basalts are parental to the andesites, were 1–2%.     

A comparison of rift-zone tectonics in Iceland and Hawaii

Observations of eroded volcanic rift zones indicate that dikes in Iceland are typically several times thicker than those in Hawaii. Geodetic and seismic observations of active rifts, however, suggest that dike heights in the two regions are similar. Provided the elastic properties of the rift zones are the same, this implies that dikes are intruded with higher driving pressures (magma pressure minus compressive stress perpendicular to the dike plane) in Iceland than Hawaii. A second major difference between the two regions is the greater prevalence of large normal fault scarps in rift zones in Iceland. From this it can be infered that a lower percentage of dikes breach the surface in Iceland than in Hawaii. Thus, although dikes in Iceland are intruded with higher driving pressures, they possess lower absolute magma pressures than in Hawaii. These differences can be interpreted in terms of the tectonic settings in the two regions. In Iceland, a steady remote extension reduces the horizontal stress perpendicular to the rift zone, allowing dikes to be intruded with low absolute pressures but high driving pressures when magma becomes available. In Hawaii, a more continuous magma supply on the timescale over which the dike-induced stresses are relaxed, and perhaps a greater role for intrusions in driving long-term rift extension, ensure that the rift-compressive stress is not relaxed significantly before the next dike is intruded. Thus the magma pressure must be nearly sufficient for eruption in order for intrusion to occur. If the mechanism for relaxing the rift-compressive stress were less efficient still, then an even higher percentage of dikes would erupt, and at times the rift zone trend could become an unfavorable orientation for dike intrusion. Such might be the case at Mauna Loa, which lacks large rift-zone faults and fissures and possesses numerous radial vents outside its two main rift zones.     

High-silica (>60%) lunar glasses in an Apollo 14 soil sample: Evidence for silicic lunar volcanism?

The major element compositions of 93 low specific gravity (<2.60), high-silica (>60%) glass particles, from a sample of lunar fines (14259,20) were determined by electron microprobe analyses. The size, shape, abundance, mineralogy and major element composition of most (>60%) of the high-silica glasses is consistent with their being fragments of interstitial glass from mare basalts. However, one group of 30 glasses with between 72% and 78% SiO₂ and an average of ～2.6% FeO can be distinguished from other high-silica glasses both chemically and petrographically. Glass particles with this composition do not contain crystalline inclusions and are fairly homogeneous not only within a single particle, but also from particle to particle. The chemistry and petrology of these glasses suggest that they are not fragments of interstitial glass or shock-melted particles from a “granitic” source rock. Rather, the homogeneity and lack of crystalline inclusions suggest that this group of high-silica glasses was the product of lunar acidic volcanism.