Evolution of Bishop Tuff Rhyolitic Magma Based on Melt and Magnetite Inclusions and Zoned Phenocrysts

The evolution of large bodies of silicic magma is an importantaspect of planetary differentiation. Melt and mineral inclusionsin phenocrysts and zoned phenocrysts can help reveal the processesof differentiation such as magma mixing and crystal settling,because they record a history of changing environmental conditions.Similar major element compositions and unusually low concentrationsof compatible elements (e.g. 0·45–4·6 ppmBa) in early-erupted melt inclusions, matrix glasses and bulkpumice from the Bishop Tuff, California, USA, suggest eutectoidfractional crystallization. On the other hand, late-eruptedsanidine phenocrysts have rims rich in Ba, and late-eruptedquartz phenocrysts have CO₂-rich melt inclusions closest tocrystal rims. Both features are the reverse of in situ crystallizationdifferentiation, and they might be explained by magma mixingor crystal sinking. Log(Ba/Rb) correlates linearly with log(Sr/Rb)in melt inclusions, and this is inconsistent with magma mixing.Melt inclusion gas-saturation pressure increases with CO₂ fromphenocryst core to rim and suggests crystal sinking. Some inclusionsof magnetite in late-erupted quartz are similar to early-eruptedmagnetite phenocrysts, and this too is consistent with crystalsinking. We argue that some large phenocrysts of late-eruptedquartz and sanidine continued to crystallize as they sank severalkilometers through progressively less differentiated melts.Probable diffusive modification of Sr in sanidine phenocrystsand the duration of crystal sinking are consistent with an evolutionaryinterval of some 100 ky or more. Crystal sinking enhanced thedegree of differentiation of the early-erupted magma and pointsto the importance of H₂O (to diminish viscosity and enhancethe rate of crystal sinking) in the evolution of silicic magmas. KEY WORDS: crystal settling; differentiation; melt inclusions; rhyolite; trace elements     

On Convective Style and Vigor in Sheet-like Magma Chambers

The well known absence of magrnatic superheat is held here tobe a direct reflection of the ease and efficiency of large Rayleighnumber (Ra) convection in evacuating all convectable heat fromthe magma. Magmatic temperature is thus continually bufferedat or below the convective liquidus where the temperature differencedriving convection is vanishingly small and the governing Rais also always small regardless of body size. It is furtherheld here that for bodies where side wall cooling is of lesserimportance, the more common perception of magma chambers isof cooling from above and below where both the initial, isothermal(i.e. isodensity), and final (solid) states are dynamicallystable and that convection is necessarily a transient processconnecting these states. Extensive theoretical and experimentalstudies of cooling from above show that regardless of boundaryconditions transient, small Ra convection is independent oflayer thickness. Instead, convection is driven by formationof a thin, cool, and dense sublayer along the top boundary,and the characteristic length scale of the governing Rayleighnumber, which is time-dependent, is the sublayer thickness (d<<L).All dynamic features of the flow, including heat transfer relyon this length scale and not body thickness; virtually any sheet-likemagmatic body appears infinitely thick to such convection. BecauseRa is small, this transient stage persists for most, if notall, of the period of solidification to mush, whence the bodyis dynamically dead. Under conditions of strongly variable viscosity, only the leadingpart of d (i.e. d'), forward of a critical rheological front,is unstable. Convection itself is restricted to a region whereviscosity changes by no more than a factor of about 3 to 10.Most of the cool, dense sublayer is rigid, immobile crust, unableto participate in convection and cool the body. Rapid advanceof this crust due to cooling inhibits convection by consuminginstabilities before maturation to finite amplitude. Inclusionof solidification in the stability analysis changes the lengthscale in the governing Rayleigh number (Ra_v) to K/V (thermaldiffusivity/advance velocity). Ra is subcritical for large V₀(early times) and only with time becomes supcrcritical. Thisis in striking contrast to the usual Ra_L, which is initiallythe largest it will ever be. Because of continual collapse ofthe unstable sublayer, convection may remain near the criticalRa_v. Convection is thus initially weak and, because the heatflux from the system monotonically decreases with time due tothe thickening conductive crust and cooling, it is preventedfrom becoming indefinitely strong and instead slowly diminisheswith time. Conduction through the advancing crust is balanced by latentheat of crystallization at the crystallization front and convectionoccurs in response to this cooling. Because convection is confinedto the nearly isoviscous, nonsuperheated magma, crust growthis unaffected by convection, even when it is artificially forcedat unnatural rates. The crusts of Hawaiian lava lakes reflectthis in growing at the same rate regardless of lake thicknessand, in numerical convective modeling, imposed Rayleigh number.Overall cooling is well approximated by that of a stagnant,purely conducting layer whose central temperature is constantuntil arrival of the slowly moving cooling front In fact, therate of change of a body's central temperature is a direct measureof the total rate of heat transfer (i.e. Nusselt number, Nu)from that region. This is shown to be very nearly zero for Hawaiianlava lakes, precluding all but the weakest of convective heattransfer within the magma itself. The maximum heat transfer in terms of Nusselt number of anyunheated body within a conductive medium and always kept perfectlywell mixed thermally, relative to the same stagnant body, isshown to be Nu=2 regardless of shape and size. This thermalevolution is closely followed by previous calculations thatassume a large Rayleigh number based on layer thickness. Thermal convection in unheated, sheetlike magma chambers isa transient, sluggish process governed by solidification andsmall scale, small Rayleigh number instabilities; thermallydriven convective turbulence, in the usual sense, is out ofthe question.     

Granitoid Compositional Zoning by Side-wall Boundary Layer Differentiation: Evidence from the Palisade Crest Intrusive Suite, Central Sierra Nevada, California

Compositionally zoned plutons are an important feature of theSierra Nevada batholith, California. Two such plutons have beenexamined to determine the mechanism by which crystals separatefrom a magma. The Tinemaha pluton shows continuous compositionalvariation from 58 to 67% SiO₂, whereas the McMurry Meadows plutonis bimodal, with an outer margin of mafic granodiorite (59–60%SiO₂) and an inner core of granite (66–69% SiO₂). Extremedifferentiates also occur as small isolated masses within thesuite and may contain up to 76% SiO₂. Both plutons are uniformin strontium isotopic composition but are different from eachother, with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of 0?70719 and 0?70651respectively. The Tinemaha pluton is both horizontally and vertically( 1000 m) zoned, with fractionation occurring both inward fromthe contacts and upward. The vertical trends in relative mineralproportions are not consistent with crystal settling. Both thevertical and horizontal variations in the chemical compositionof 50 elements, in mineralogy, and in accessory mineral lightrare-earth element zoning, are all directly relatable to side-wallcrystallization which created a less-dense melt that buoyantlymoved upward along the wall towards the top of the magma chamber.The different rates for diffusive heat exchange and compositionaldiffusion within the magma initiated the double-diffusive gradientin the magma chamber. Compositional variations in the side-wallcrystal accumulation zone occur as boundary layer melts evolve,reflecting changes in the bulk convecting magma. The compositionalgap in the McMurry Meadows pluton is the result of a similarbut more efficient side-wall fractionation process, relatedto a higher proportion of melt to crystals in the initial magmaand a slower rate of side-wall solidification as a result ofthe thermal blanket created by the enclosing Tinemaha pluton.     

Convective crystal dissolution

The effect of free and forced convection on crystal dissolution is examined both theoretically and experimentally. Well-established relationships for heat and mass transfer are applied to obtain approximate expressions for the dissolution velocity and the associated thickness of the compositional boundary layer. These expressions are found to be in good agreement with experimental observations of the dissolution of quartz crystals in basalt and NaCl crystal in water. When applied to light felsic crystals in basaltic magmas, the expressions predict that forced convection will produce a boundary layer thickness of about 100 μm and a dissolution velocity of order 10⁻⁶ cm s⁻¹. These velocities are too slow for xenocrysts to be dissolved significantly during magma ascent in dykes, but are sufficient for cm-size crystals to dissolve in the interior of a convecting magma chamber. Larger crystals are likely to accumulate at the chamber's roof, where free convection is predicted to dissolve them at velocities of order 10⁻⁷ cm s⁻¹. In an Appendix, the dissolution of the chamber's walls is also considered, and a velocity of order 10⁻⁸cm s⁻¹ is predicted. Editorial responsibility: T.L. Grove     

Fountains in Magma Chambers

Cyclic layering is a common feature of the ultramafic zone oflayered intrusions and is usually attributed to the entry ofnew pulses of dense magma into the chamber. Since the crystallizationof olivine and bronzite lowers the density of the magma, a newpulse of the parent magma will be denser than the fractionatedmagma in the chamber. If the new pulse enters with excess momentumit will initially rise up into the host magma to form a fountain,then fall back around the feeder when negative buoyancy forcesovercome the initial momentum of the pulse. Laboratory experimentsusing aqueous solutions with both point and line sources havebeen conducted to obtain a quantitative understanding of thefluid-dynamical processes that are important in fountains. Itis observed that convection within the fountain is highly turbulent,resulting in appreciable entrainment of the host magma. A gravity-stratifiedhybrid layer develops at the floor and this breaks up into aseries of double-diffusive convecting layers if the new pulseis hotter than the host magma. The number of layers that formdepends on a number of factors, especially R, the ratio of thecontributions of composition and heat to the total density differencebetween the host magma and the new pulse. Raising the valueof R, results in the formation of more, thinner layers. The thickness of the hybrid layer at any time t is given byH = h₀+(V₀/A)t where V₀ is the volume flux through the feederand A is the horizontal area of the chamber. h₀ is related tothe initial steady-state height of the fountain and, for a linesource, is given by h₀=CU₀^4/3 d^–1(g/)^–2/3 whereU₀ is the volume flux per unit length, g is the accelerationdue to gravity, d is the width of the feeder, is the densityof the host magma, is the density difference between the magmasand C is a constant. Calculations based on these results and the consideration ofthe flow in the feeder dykes below the chamber indicate thata fountain will rise at least 350 m in a continental magma chamberif the feeder width is greater than 10 m. This will lead toextensive mixing between the new pulse and the fractionatedmagma in the chamber, producing a zoned hybrid layer at thefloor that is commonly over 1000 m thick. If the chamber receivesmany pulses of dense magma, the resulting zoning may persistthroughout much of the life of the chamber, especially if thefirst pulse to enter becomes contaminated by light magma releasedby melting at the margins. The highest Mg/Fe ratio for olivineand pyroxenes from cyclic units from the ultramafic zones oflayered intrusions is often well below the value expected forminerals crystallizing from a melt derived directly from themantle, supporting the hypothesis that new pulses of dense magmacan mix extensively with the fractionated magma in the chamber. The feeder dykes to some oceanic magma chambers, such as theBay of Islands Ophiolite, are believed to be narrower, so thatfountains do not rise more than a few metres above the floorof the chamber. This restricts mixing between the input magmaand the host magma and can result in the formation of a hybridzone that is only a few metres thick.     

Magmatic Evolution of the La Pacana Caldera System, Central Andes, Chile: Compositional Variation of Two Cogenetic, Large-Volume Felsic Ignimbrites

La Pacana is one of the largest known calderas on Earth, andis the source of at least two major ignimbrite eruptions witha combined volume of some 2700 km³. These ignimbrites have stronglycontrasting compositions, raising the question of whether theyare genetically related. The Toconao ignimbrite is crystal poor,and contains rhyolitic (76–77 wt % SiO₂) tube pumices.The overlying Atana ignimbrite is a homogeneous tuff whose pumiceis dacitic (66–70 wt % SiO₂), dense (40–60% vesicularity)and crystal rich (30–40 % crystals). Phase equilibriaindicate that the Atana magma equilibrated at temperatures of770–790°C with melt water contents of 3·1–4·4wt %. The pre-eruptive Toconao magma was cooler (730–750°C)and its melt more water rich (6·3–6·8 wt% H₂O). A pressure of 200 MPa is inferred from mineral barometryfor the Atana magma chamber. Isotope compositions are variablebut overlapping for both units (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i 0·7094–0·7131;¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd 0·51222–0·51230) and are consistentwith a dominantly crustal origin. Glass analyses from Atanapumices are similar in composition to those in Toconao tubepumices, demonstrating that the Toconao magma could representa differentiated melt of the Atana magma. Fractional crystallizationmodelling suggests that the Toconao magma can be produced by30% crystallization of the observed Atana mineral phases. Toconaomelt characteristics and intensive parameters are consistentwith a volatile oversaturation-driven eruption. However, thelow H₂O content, high viscosity and high crystal content ofthe Atana magma imply an external eruption trigger. KEY WORDS: Central Andes; crystal-rich dacite; eruption trigger; high-silica rhyolite; zoned magma chamber     

Erratum to: Crystal growth during dike injection of MOR basaltic melts: evidence from preservation of local Sr disequilibria in plagioclase

Profiles of a total of 23 plagioclase crystals erupted within the 1982–1991 and 1993 flows of the Coaxial segment of the Juan de Fuca ridge, the 1996 flow of the North Gorda ridge, and from the Western Volcanic Zone of the ultra-slow spreading Gakkel Ridge, have been studied for variations in major and trace element concentrations. We derive equilibration times for the relatively rapidly diffusing Sr in mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) plagioclase crystals of the order of months to a few years in each case. All crystals preserve diffusive disequilibria of strontium and barium. Crystal residence times at MORB magmatic temperatures are thus significantly shorter, of the order of days to a few months at most, precluding prolonged crystal storage in axial magma chambers and instead pointing to rapid crystal growth (up to ~10⁻⁸ cm s⁻¹) and cooling (up to ~1°C h⁻¹) shortly prior to eruption of these samples. Growth of these crystals is therefore inferred to occur almost entirely within oceanic layer 2 during dike injection. Crystals that grew at lower crustal levels or earlier in the differentiation sequence appear to have been excluded from the erupted magmas, as might occur if most of the gabbroic rocks in oceanic layer 3 formed an interlocking crystal framework, with viscosities that are too high to carry earlier formed crystals with the melt. The vertical extent of eruptible, crystal-poor melt lenses within the gabbroic zone is constrained to ~1 m or less by considering the width of local equilibrium growth zones, equilibration times, and crystal settling velocities. This lengthscale is consistent with field evidence from ophiolites. Finally, crystal aggregates within the Gakkel ridge sample studied here are the result of synneusis within the propagating dike during melt ascent.     

The Influence of Viscosity on Fountains in Magma Chambers

Geological observations suggest that basaltic magmas mix readilybut that rhyolites and basalts can erupt through the same volcanicvent without mixing. The implication is that viscosity may havean important influence on the mixing of magmas. This paper examines the influence of viscosity on magma mixingwhen a magma of low viscosity is injected as a turbulent fountaininto a chamber containing a magma of higher viscosity. Threeseries of experiments were carried out. In the first, the lowviscosity fluid was injected into the tank at a Reynolds number(Re₁) of about 1000 to ensure that flow within the fountainwas fully turbulent. Both fluids were maintained at the sametemperature and the viscosity of the host fluid was varied systematically.If the viscosities of the two fluids are similar, turbulencein the fountain leads to extensive mixing and to formation ofa density-stratified layer which collects at the bottom of thetank. However, if the viscosity ratio of the fluids used isgreater than 400, no detectable mixing occurs. Motion withinthe fountain is again fully turbulent but the high momentumof the input fluid is not transmitted to the more viscous hostfluid. Experiments carried out at intermediate viscosity ratiosresulted in intermediate amounts of mixing. Theoretical considerations suggest that the criterion for mixingin turbulent fountains, when a fluid of low viscosity v₁ isinjected into a fluid of much higher viscosity v₂ is wd>kv₂ where w is the flow velocity through an input pipe of diameterd and k is a constant. This relationship is believed to be ageneral one, applying equally to jets and plumes, although thevalues of k may vary with the nature of the flow. The secondseries of experiments was designed to test this relationshipand determine values of k for fountains. The results show that,if wd/v₂ > 70, the inflowing fluid mixes with the host fluidas there was no viscosity difference between them. However,if wd/v₂ < 7, little or no mixing occurs even if motion withinthe fountain is fully turbulent. In the third series of experiments the temperature of the inputfluid was 70?C above that of the host fluid. This led to heatingofa thin boundary layer of the host fluid, lowering the viscosityof the host fluid adjacent to the fountain and thus allowingadditional mixing between the fluids. This effect was most obviousin the experiment with the highest viscosity ratio (1229) wherea small amount of mixing was detected, compared with no mixingin the equivalent experiment in the first series. The criterion for mixing, wd> kv₂ can be applied to naturalmagmas. The results show that if a primitive basaltic magmais injected, as a turbulent fountain or plume, into a chambercontaining fractionated basaltic magma, the two magmas willmix readily. However, if basaltic magma is injected into a chambercontaining granitic melt, little or no mixing occurs.     

Minor- and trace-element zoning in plagioclase: implications for magma chamber processes at Parinacota volcano, northern Chile

Textural and compositional zoning in plagioclase phenocrysts in a sample from Parinacota volcano (Chile) was investigated using backscattered electron images and electron microprobe analysis of major and trace elements. Large (2 mm) oscillatory zoned crystals (type I) with resorption surfaces of moderate An discontinuities (Ⲓ% An) and decreasing trace-element contents (Sr, Mg, Ti) towards the rim reflect melt differentiation and turbulent convection in the main magma body. Early recharge with a low-Sr mafic magma is seen in the core. Small-scale Sr variations in the core indicate limited diffusion and thus residence and differentiation times of the magma shorter than a few thousand years. Smaller crystals (type II) with low trace-element/An ratio reflect the influence of an H₂O-rich melt probably from a differentiated boundary layer. Closed-system in-situ crystallisation, mafic magma recharge and the role of a water-rich differentiated boundary layer can be distinguished from the An-trace element relationships. Crystals apparently move relatively freely between different parts and regimes in the magma chamber, evidence for "convective crystal dispersion". High-Sr type II crystals indicate an earlier input of Sr-rich mafic magma. Recharge of two distinct mafic magma types is thus identified (high-Sr and low-Sr), which must have been present - at increasing recharge rates with time - in the plumbing system throughout the volcano's history.     

Petrology of Calc-Alkaline Lavas at Volcn Ollage and the Origin of Compositional Diversity at Central Andean Stratovolcanoes

Volcn Ollage (2117'S) is a large stratovolcano that liesslightly east of the main axis of Quaternary Volcanoes in theAndean Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ). Euptive products range frombasaltic andesite to dacite and define a high-K, calc-alkalinesuite. This compositional range is similar to the collectivecompositional range of the other stratovolcanoes in the CVZ,and it provides a record of both early and late-stage differentiationprocesses operating at the stratovolcanoes. The volumetrically dominant andesitic and dacitic lavas aredivided into four eruptive series on the basis of vent locationsand petrography. In ascending stratigraphic order they are:the Vinta Loma, Chasca Orkho, post-collapse, and La Celosa series.Whole-rock compositions of the lavas are remarkably similarregardless of eruptive series. Variations in phenocryst assemblagesand magmatic f_o2 however, suggest differences in subliquidusvolatile contents for magma chambers developed beneath the summitof the volcano versus those developed beneath the flanks. Basalticandesite magmas are principally preserved as quenched inclusionswithin the andesitic and dacitie lava flows. Large ranges inisotopic ratios over a narrow compositional range indicate thatthe basaltic andesites were derived by crystal fractionationcoupled with large amounts of crustal assimilation. IncreasingCe/Yb ratios with decreasing Yb contents further suggest thatthis initial stage of differentiation occurred at deep crustallevels where garnet was stable. Additional supporting evidencefor differentiation in the deep crust includes isotopic andtrace element compositions that indicate assimilation by thebasaltic andesite magmas of a crust different from upper-crustalrocks exposed at present in the region. Whole-rock major and trace element trends of the dacitic lavascan be simulated largely by fractional crystallization of parentalandesitic magma. The fractionating assemblages for the differenteruptive series are consistent with the observed modes of theparent magmas. Small increases in Sr isotope ratios with increasingRb contents indicate that the fractionating magmas also assimilatedsmall amounts of wall rocks similar in composition to the upper-crustalbasement to the volcano. Consideration of the chemical trends, mineral compositions,and eruptive history of Ollage rocks permits construction ofa model for the evolution of shallow crustal magma chambersbeneath the stratovolcanoes in the CVZ. At a relatively maturestage, the magma chambers may be compositionally, thermally,and density stratified. Temperatures estimated from Fe-Ti oxideand pyroxene thermometry for the chambers beneath Ollage rangefrom 1000 to 790C with increasing SiO₂ from 59 to 67 wt.% inthe upper reaches, and from 1150 to 1020C with increasing SiO₂from 53 to 59 wt.% in the lower reaches. The occurrence of basalticandesite magmatic inclusions within the intermediate lavas andthe repeated eruption of monotonous composition andesitic magmasindicate that the shallow chambers are periodically replenishedwith parental basaltic andesite magmas. Ubiquitous, reversely zoned plagioclase and pyroxene phenocrystsin the lavas at Ollage suggest that convective cooling of thebasaltic andesite releases buoyant derivative liquid that mixeswith the overlying intermediate-composition body of the chambers.Further crystallization and differentiation of the intermediatemagmas may take place in solidification zones at the boundariesof the magma chambers. If so, the return of residual liquidfrom the crystallizing margins and mixing with the interiorare highly efficient such that magma differentiation can bemodeled as a simple, homogeneous, fractional crystallizationprocess.     

Open-System Magma Chamber Evolution: an Energy-constrained Geochemical Model Incorporating the Effects of Concurrent Eruption, Recharge, Variable Assimilation and Fractional Crystallization (EC-E'RA{chi}FC)

Significant petrogenetic processes governing the geochemicalevolution of magma bodies include magma Recharge (includingformation of ‘quenched inclusions’ or enclaves),heating and concomitant partial melting of country rock withpossible ‘contamination’ of the evolving magma body(Assimilation), and formation and separation of cumulates byFractional Crystallization (RAFC). Although the importance ofmodeling such open-system magma chambers subject to energy conservationhas been demonstrated, the effects of concurrent removal ofmagma by eruption and/or variable assimilation (involving imperfectextraction of anatectic melt from wall rock) have not been considered.In this study, we extend the EC-RAFC model to include the effectsof Eruption and variable amounts of assimilation, A. This model,called EC-E'RAFC, tracks the compositions (trace elements andisotopes), temperatures, and masses of magma body liquid (melt),eruptive magma, cumulates and enclaves within a composite magmaticsystem undergoing simultaneous eruption, recharge, assimilationand fractional crystallization. The model is formulated as aset of 4 + t + i + s coupled nonlinear differential equations,where the number of trace elements, radiogenic and stable isotoperatios modeled are t, i and s, respectively. Solution of theEC-E'RAFC equations provides values for the average temperatureof wall rock (T_a), mass of melt within the magma body (M_m),masses of cumulates (M_ct), enclaves (M_en) and wall rock () and the masses of anatectic melt generated () and assimilated (). In addition, t trace element concentrations and i + s isotopic ratios inmelt and eruptive magma (C_m, _m, _m), cumulates (C_ct, _m, _m), enclaves(C_en, , ) and anatectic melt (C_a, , ) as a function of magma temperature (T_m) are also computed. Input parametersinclude the (user-defined) equilibration temperature (T_eq),a factor describing the efficiency of addition of anatecticmelt () from country rock to host magma, the initial temperatureand composition of pristine host melt (, , , ), recharge melt (, , , ) and wall rock (, , , ), distribution coefficients (D_m, D_r, D_a) and their temperaturedependences (H_m, H_r, H_a), latent heats of transition (meltingor crystallization) for wall rock (h_a), pristine magma (h_m)and recharge magma (h_r) as well as the isobaric specific heatcapacity of assimilant (C_p,a), pristine (C_p,m) and recharge(C_p,r) melts. The magma recharge mass and eruptive magma massfunctions, M_r(T_m) and M_e(T_m), respectively, are specified apriori. M_r(T_m) and M_e(T_m) are modeled as either continuous orepisodic (step-like) processes. Melt productivity functions,which prescribe the relationship between melt mass fractionand temperature, are defined for end-member bulk compositionscharacterizing the local geologic site. EC-E'RAFC has potentialfor addressing fundamental questions in igneous petrology suchas: What are intrusive to extrusive ratios (I/E) for particularmagmatic systems, and how does this factor relate to rates ofcrustal growth? How does I/E vary temporally at single, long-livedmagmatic centers? What system characteristics are most profoundlyinfluenced by eruption? What is the quantitative relationshipbetween recharge and assimilation? In cases where the extractionefficiency can be shown to be less than unity, what geologiccriteria are important and can these criteria be linked to fieldobservations? A critical aspect of the energy-constrained approachis that it requires integration of field, geochronological,petrologic, and geochemical data, and, thus, the EC-ERAFC ‘systems’approach provides a means for answering broad questions whileunifying observations from a number of disciplines relevantto the study of igneous rocks. KEY WORDS: assimilation; energy conservation; eruption; open system; recharge     

The Trachybasaltic Suite of Jan Mayen

The alkalic suite of Jan Mayen is of the trachybasaltic typewith a K₂O/Na₂O ratio of about 1·64. The suite includesall intermediate types of lavas between ankaramite and trachyte,with ankaramites being particularly prevalent. The major andtrace element trends are well defined. A new method allows distinctionbetween fractionated and accumulative ankaramites, and it isshown that the most primitive ankaramite contains 13–14per cent MgO. Experimentally determined P-T phase relationsof this composition suggest that it might be a primary composition,formed by partial melting of a spinel lherzolitic source at19·5kb and 1415°C. The fractionation from ankaramiteto trachybasalt occurred at low pressure, and was controlledby delayed gravitative settling of phenocrysts, while the fractionationfrom trachybasalt to trachyte is explained by crystallizationon the walls of the magma chambers.     

Composition gaps,critical crystallinity,and fractional crystallization in orogenic (calc-alkaline) magmatic systems

The recognition of a three-way correlation between magmatic SiO₂ content, critical crystallinity, and the size (magnitude) of crystal fractionation-generated composition gaps in calc-alkaline magmatic systems suggests an important control of magmatic critical crystallinity on the formation of such composition gaps. To explain this correlation, it is proposed that fractionation-generated composition gaps are caused by: (1) simultaneous interior (i.e. non-substrate) crystallization and vigorous chamberwide convection which leads to progessive crystal suspension; (2) cessation of convection when the percentage of suspended crystals reaches the critical crystallinity of the magma, and; (3) eventual buoyancy-driven crystal-liquid segregation producing a discrete body of fractionated magma which is separated from the initial magma by a composition gap. This mechanism implies that many, if not most magma bodies are characterized by interior crystallization and vigorous convection, conditions which are not universally agreed upon at present. Given that such conditions characterize natural magma bodies, fractional crystallization through crystal settling in low-velocity boundary layers should be an important mechanism of fractional crystallization. In a crystallizing and convecting body of magma, composition gap formation should represent one endmember of a complete spectrum of possible evolutionary paths governed by the relative rates of crystal settling and crystal retention. As a given volcanic plumbing system matures with time, average settling/retention ratios within individual magma bodies should increase due to higher average wall-rock temperatures. It follows that, within a given volcanic center, early-stage volcanism should be more likely to display fractionation-generated composition gaps than later-stage volcanism. Such a temporal evolution has been documented at at least two Aleutian calc-alkaline volcanic centers.     

Mechanism of Crystal Redistribution in a Sheet-like Magma Body: Constraints from the Nosappumisaki and Other Shoshonite Intrusions in the Nemuro Peninsula, Northern Japan

Processes of crystal separation in a magma heavily laden withcrystals without phase change are investigated from observationson frozen magma systems: Nosappumisaki and other shoshoniteintrusions in the Nemuro peninsula, Japan, for which the originof the crystals and the initial conditions are well constrained.The Nosappumisaki intrusion is 120 m in thickness and extendsfor more than 1·5 km. It exhibits a wide range of lithologicalvariation, principally as a result of crystal redistributionafter intrusion. Crystals in each lithology can be clearly dividedinto two kinds according to their composition and texture: thosepresent before the intrusion of the magma (‘phenocrysts’)and those that crystallized in situ after intrusion. From thevertical change in mode and size of ‘phenocrysts’,it is shown that (1) augite ‘phenocrysts’ were rapidlydeposited, with little overgrowth after intrusion, by significantcoagulation or clustering on a time-scale of more than a fewyears, and (2) plagioclase ‘phenocrysts’, definitelydenser than the melt but concentrated in the upper level, floatedby counter flow of massive deposition of augite ‘phenocrysts’.These results indicate that in a magma heavily laden with crystalsof a few millimeters in size (>20 vol. %), crystal–crystaland crystal–melt interaction play an important role inthe separation of crystals from the host melt. KEY WORDS: magma chamber; sill; crystal settling; plagioclase flotation; Nosappumisaki     

Microchemical and Sr Isotopic Investigation of Zoned K-feldspar Megacrysts: Insights into the Petrogenesis of a Granitic System and Disequilibrium Crystal Growth

K-feldspar megacrysts (Kfm) are used to investigate the magmaticevolution of the 7 Ma Monte Capanne (MC) monzogranite (Elba,Italy). Dissolution and regrowth of Kfm during magma mixingor mingling events produce indented resorption surfaces associatedwith high Ba contents. Diffusion calculations demonstrate thatKfm chemical zoning is primary. Core-to-rim variations in Ba,Rb, Sr, Li and P support magma mixing (i.e. high Ba and P andlow Rb/Sr at rims), but more complex variations require othermechanisms. In particular, we show that disequilibrium growth(related to variations in diffusion rates in the melt) may haveoccurred as a result of thermal disturbance following influxof mafic magma in the magma chamber. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios(I_Sr) (obtained by microdrilling) decrease from core to rim.Inner core analyses define a mixing trend extending towardsa high I_Sr–Rb/Sr melt component, whereas the outer coresand rims display a more restricted range of I_Sr, but a largerrange of Rb/Sr. Lower I_Sr at the rim of one megacryst suggestsmixing with high-K calc-alkaline mantle-derived volcanics ofsimilar age on Capraia. Trace element and isotopic profilessuggest (1) early megacryst growth in magmas contaminated bycrust and refreshed by high I_Sr silicic melts (as seen in theinner cores) and (2) later recharge with mafic magmas (as seenin the outer cores) followed by (3) crystal fractionation, withpossible interaction with hydrothermal fluids (as seen in therim). The model is compatible with the field occurrence of maficenclaves and xenoliths. KEY WORDS: Elba; monzogranite; K-feldspar megacrysts; zoning; magma mixing; trace element; Sr isotopes; petrogenesis     

Experimental Interaction of Granitic and Basaltic Magmas and Implications for Mafic Enclaves

We have performed time series experiments for periods rangingfrom 3 min to 44 h on the interaction of granite melt and partiallymolten basalt at 920C and 10 kbar, in the presence of 5 wt.%water. With time, the assemblage of the basalt domain changesfrom predominantly amphibole+plagioclase to clinopyroxene+garnet;the melt fraction increases from {small tilde}2•5 to 40%;and between the two domains, the melt compositions progressivelyequilibrate. Initially in each run, melts of the basalt domainhave uniform plateau concentrations for SiO₂, Al₂O₃, CaO, MgO,and FeO because the activities of these components are regulatedby the mineral assemblage, but at advanced stages of reaction,no such control is evident. We have derived analytical expressionsto describe and simulate the diffusion profiles. The concentrationprofiles for SiO₂, Al₂O₃, CaO, and Na₂O in the granite, emanatingfrom the basalt–granite interface, have been used to estimateeffective diffusivities. The values from the shorter runs arecompared with those of the experiment of longest duration forwhich we assumed finite couples in our calculations. In thediffusion calculations for K₂O the difference in melt fractionbetween the two domains is accounted for. The resulting values(in cm²/s) are: D_Na2O=6 10^–7, D_K2O=3 10^–7, D_MgO=9 10^–8, D_CaO=(4–6) 10^–8, and D_SiO2 and D_Al2O3=(3–0•6) 10^–8. They are in reasonable agreement with values fromother studies. On the basis of our experiments we calculatethat mafic enclaves of magmatic origin should equilibrate toa large degree with their host magma in slowly cooling non-convectinggranitic plutons. Enclaves approaching complete re-equilibrationretain distinctly higher modal amounts of mafic minerals. Theydo not compositionally resemble binary magma mixtures, but aremore like host magma with accumulated crystals. We show thatthe modal differences between enclave and host are indicativeof the temperature of homogenization and that, in principle,this temperature can be deduced from equilibrium phase diagrams. ^* Present address: Mineralogisch-Petrologisches Institut, Universitt Gttingen, Goldschmidtstrasse 1, 3400 Gttingen, Germany     

Experimentally Determined Conditions in the Fish Canyon Tuff, Colorado, Magma Chamber

The Fish Canyon Tuff, Colorado, forms one of the largest (3000km³ known silicic eruptions in Earth history. The tuff is ahomogeneous quartz latite consisting of 40% phenocrysts (plagioclase,sanidine, biotite, hornblende, quartz, magnetite, apatite, sphene,and ilmenite) in equilibrium with a highly evolved rhyoliticmelt now represented by the matrix glass. Melt inclusions trappedin hornblende and quartz phenocrysts are identical to the newlyanalyzed matrix glass composition indicating that hornblendeand quartz crystallized from a highly evolved magma that subsequentlyexperienced little change. This study presents experimentalphase equilibrium data which are used to deduce the conditions(P, T, f_O2, f_H2O, etc.) in the Fish Canyon magma chamber priorto eruption. These new data indicate that sanidine and quartzare not liquidus phases until 780?C temperatures are achieved,consistent with Fe-Ti oxide geothermometry which implies thatthe magmatic temperature prior to eruption was 760?30?C. NaturalFe-Ti oxide pairs also suggest that log f_O2 was -12.4 (intermediatebetween the Ni-NiO and MnO-Mn₃O₄ oxygen buffers) in the magmachamber. This f_O2.102 is supported by the experimentally determinedvariations in hornblende and melt Mg-numbers as functions off_O2 A new geobarometer based on the aluminum content of hornblendesin equilibrium with the magmatic assemblage hornblende, biotite,plagioclase, quartz, sanidine, sphene, ilmenite or magnetite,and melt is calibrated experimentally, and yields pressuresaccurate to ?0.5 kb. Total pressure in the Fish Canyon magmachamber is inferred to have been 2.4 kb (equivalent to a depthof 7.9 km) based on the Al-content of natural Fish Canyon hornblendesand this new calibration. This depth is much shallower thanhas been proposed previously for the Fish Canyon Tuff. Variationsin experimental glass (melt) composition indicate that the magmawas water-undersaturated prior to eruption. X_H2O in the fluidphase that may have coexisted with the Fish Canyon magma isestimated to have been 0.5 by comparing the An-content of naturalplagioclases to experimental plagioclases synthesized at differentX_H2O and P_totals. This ratio corresponds to about 5 wt.% waterin the melt at depth. The matrix glass chemistry is reproducedexperimentally under these conditions: 760?C, 2.4 kb, X_H2O=0.5,and log f_o2=NNO+2 log units. The fugacity of SO₂ (91 b) is calculatedfrom the coexistence of pyrrhotite and magnetite. Maximum CO₂fugacity (2520 b) is inferred assuming the magma was volatilesaturated at 2.4 kb.     

Pyroxenes of the Dufek Intrusion, Antarctica

The Dufek intrusion is a stratiform mafic body, 24,000 to 34,000km² in area and 8 to 9 km thick, in the Pensacola Mountainsof Antarctica. Textures, structures, magmatic stratigraphy,and chemical variation indicate that layered gabbros and relatedrocks of this body developed by accumulation of crystals thatsettled on the floor of a magma chamber. The major cumulus phasesin the exposed part of the intrusion are plagioclase, pyroxene,and iron-titanium oxides. The base of the Dufek intrusion is not exposed, and both Ca-richand Ca-poor pyroxene coexist as cumulus phases in the lowerexposed rocks. The Ca-rich pyroxenes belong to an augite-ferroaugiteseries (Ca_36.4Mg_48.7Fe_14.9-Ca_30.0Mg_23.5Fe_46.5) that extendsup through the 300 m thick capping granophyre. The Ca-poor pyroxenesbelong to a bronzite-inverted pigeonite series (Ca_3.5Mg_69.1Fe_27.4-Ca_11.4Mg_34.0Fe_54.6)that extends only to about 200 m below the granophyre layer.In addition to the cumulus pyroxenes some rocks contain post-cumulusgreen calcic augite and ferrohypersthene. The compositional change of the cumulus pyroxenes with stratigraphicheight is one of general iron enrichment. Superimposed on thistrend are (1) a 1 km thick section in the lower part of thebody that shows slight to no iron enrichment and (2) a markedreversal in the Fe/(Fe+Mg) ratio about 1 km below the top ofthe body. The variations from the general trend are associatedwith cyclic units and are best explained by convective overturnof the magma. In general, the pyroxene compositional trends are similar tothose of the Skaergaard and Bushveld intrusions. One significantdifference in the Dufek intrusion is the limited iron enrichmentof its Ca-rich pyroxenes, that may relate to a slower decreaseof P_O2 during crystallization of the Dufek magma.     

Petrology of the Younger Andesites and Dacites of Iztacc?huatl Volcano, Mexico: I. Disequilibrium Phenocryst Assemblages as Indicators of Magma Chamber Processes

Disequilibrium phenocryst assemblages in the Younger Andesitesand Dacites of Iztacc?huatl, a major Quaternary volcano in theTrans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, provide an excellent record ofepisodic replenishment, magma mixing, and crystallization processesin calc-alkaline magma chambers. Phenocryst compositions andtextures in ‘mixed’ lavas, produced by binary mixingof primitive olivine-phyric basalt and evolved hornblende dacitemagmas, are used to evaluate the mineralogical and thermal characteristicsof end-members and the physical and chemical interactions thatattend mixing. Basaltic end-members crystallized olivine (FO_90–88) andminor chrome spinel during ascent into crustal magma chambers.Resident dacite magma contained phenocrysts of andesine (An_45–35),hypersthene (En67–61), edenitic-pargasitic hornblende,biotite, quartz, .titanomagnetite, and ilmenite. On reachinghigh-level reservoirs, basaltic magmas were near their liquidiat temperatures of about 1250–1200?C according to theolivine-liquid geothermometer. Application of the Fe-Ti-oxidegeothermometer-oxygen barometer indicates that hornblende dacitemagma, comprising phenocrysts (<30 vol. per cent) and coexistingrhyolitic liquid, had an ambient temperature between 940 and820?C at f_O2s approximately 0?3 log units above the nickel-nickeloxide buffer assemblage. Mixing induced undercooling of hybridliquids and rapid crystallization of skeletal olivine (Fo_88–73),strongly-zoned clinopyroxene (endiopside-augite), calcic plagioclase(An_65–60); and orthopyroxene (bronzite), whereas low-temperaturephenocrysts derived from hornblende dacite were resorbed ordecomposed by hybrid melts. Quartz reacted to form coronas ofacicular augite and hydroxylated silicates were heated to temperaturesabove their thermal stability limit ({small tilde}940?C foramphibole, according to clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene geothermometry,and {small tilde}880?C for biotite). Calculations of phenocrystresidence times in hybrid liquids based on reaction rates suggestthat the time lapse between magma chamber recharge and eruptionwas extremely short (hours to days). It is inferred that mixing of magmas of diverse compositionis driven by convective turbulence generated by large differencesin temperature between end-members. The mixing mechanism involves:(1)rapid homogenization of contrasting residual liquid compositionsby thermal erosion and diffusive transfer (liquid blending);(2) assimilation of phenocrysts derived from the low-temperatureend-member; and (3) dynamic fractional crystallization of rapidlyevolving hybrid liquids in a turbulent boundary layer separatingbasaltic and dacitic magmas. The mixed lavas of lztacc?huatlrepresent samples of this boundary layer quenched by eruption.     

Polybaric Evolution of Calc-alkaline Magmas from Nisyros, Southeastern Hellenic Arc, Greece

The lavas of Nisyros were erupted between about 0?2 m.y B.P.and 1422 A.D., and range in composition from basaltic andesiteto rhyodacite. Most were erupted prior to caldera collapse (exactdate unknown), and the post-caldera lavas are petrographically(presence of strongly resorbed phenocrysts) and chemically (lowerTiO₂ K₂O, P₂O₅, and LIL elements) distinct from the pre-calderalavas. The pre-caldera lavas do not form a continuous seriessince lavas with SiO₂ contents between 60 and 66 wt.% are absent.Nevertheless, major element variations demonstrate that fractionalcrystalliz ation (involving removal of olivine, dinopyroxene,plagioclase, and Fe-Ti oxide from the basaltic andesites andandesites and plagioclase, clinopyroxene, hypersthene, Ti-magnetite,ilmenite, apatite, and zircon from the dacites and rhyodacites)played a major role in the evolution of the pre-caldera lavas.Several lines of evidence indicate that other processes werealso important in magma evolution: (1) Quantitative modelingof major element data shows that phenocryst phases of unlikelycomposi tion or unrealistic assemblages of phenocryst phasesare required to relate the dacites and rhyodacites to the basalticandesites and andesites; (2) The proportions of olivine andclinopyroxene required in quantitative models for the initialstages of evolution differ from those observed petrographicallyand this is not likely to reflect either differential ratesof crystal settling or the curvature of cotectics along whichliquids of basaltic andesite to andesite composition lie; (3)The concentrations of Rb, Cs, Ba, La, Sm, Eu, and Th in therhyod.acites are too high for these lavas to be related to thedacites by fractional crystallization alone; and (4) ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Srratios for the andesites and rhyodacites are higher than thosefor the basaltic andesites and dacites, respectively. It isshown that fractional crystallization was accompanied by assimilation,and that magma mixing played a minor role (if any) in the evolutionof the pre-caldera lavas. Trace element and isotopic data indicatethat the andesites evolved from the basaltic andesites by AFCinvolving average crust or upper crust, whereas the rhyodacitesevolved from the dacites by AFC involving lower crust. Additionalevidence for polybaric evolution is provided by the occurrenceof distinct Ab-rich cores of plagioclase phenocrysts in thedacites and rhyodacites, which record a period of high pressurecrystallization, and by the occurrence of both normal and reverse-zonedphenocrysts in the basaltic andesites and andesites. Furthermore,calculated pressures of crystallization are {small tilde}8 kbfor the dacites and rhyodacites and 3?5–4 kb for the basalticandesites and andesites. It is concluded that the dacites andrhyodacites evolved via AFC from basaltic andesites and andesiteslargely in chambers sited near the base of the crust whereasthe basaltic andesites and andesites mostly evolved in chamberssited at mid-crustal levels. Eruption from different chambersexplains the compositional gap in the chemistry of the pre-calderalavas since eruptive products represent a more or less randomsampling of residual liquids which separate (via filter pressing)from bodies of crystallizing magma at various depths. Magmamixing was important in the evolution of the post-caldera lavas,but geochemical data require that these magmas evolved fromparental magmas which were derived from a more refractory sourcethan the parental magmas to the pre-caldera lavas. ^*Present address: Netherlands Energy Research Foundation (ECN), P.O. Box 1, 1755 ZG Petten, The Netherlands