Deciphering petrogenic processes using Pb isotope ratios from time-series samples at Bezymianny and Klyuchevskoy volcanoes,Central Kamchatka Depression

The Klyuchevskoy group of volcanoes in the Kamchatka arc erupts compositionally diverse magmas (high-Mg basalts to dacites) over small spatial scales. New high-precision Pb isotope data from modern juvenile (1956–present) erupted products and hosted enclaves and xenoliths from Bezymianny volcano reveal that Bezymianny and Klyuchevskoy volcanoes, separated by only 9 km, undergo varying degrees of crustal processing through independent crustal columns. Lead isotope compositions of Klyuchevskoy basalts–basaltic andesites are more radiogenic than Bezymianny andesites (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 37.850–37.903, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.468–15.480, and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.249–18.278 at Bezymianny; ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 37.907–37.949, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.478–15.487, and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.289–18.305 at Klyuchevskoy). A mid-crustal xenolith with a crystallization pressure of 5.2 ± 0.6 kbars inferred from two-pyroxene geobarometry and basaltic andesite enclaves from Bezymianny record less radiogenic Pb isotope compositions than their host magmas. Hence, assimilation of such lithologies in the middle or lower crust can explain the Pb isotope data in Bezymianny andesites, although a component of magma mixing with less radiogenic mafic recharge magmas and possible mantle heterogeneity cannot be excluded. Lead isotope compositions for the Klyuchevskoy Group are less radiogenic than other arc segments (Karymsky—Eastern Volcanic Zone; Shiveluch—Northern Central Kamchatka Depression), which indicate increased lower-crustal assimilation beneath the Klyuchevskoy Group. Decadal timescale Pb isotope variations at Klyuchevskoy demonstrate rapid changes in the magnitude of assimilation at a volcanic center. Lead isotope data coupled with trace element data reflect the influence of crustal processes on magma compositions even in thin mafic volcanic arcs.     

A petrological and geochemical study on time-series samples from Klyuchevskoy volcano,Kamchatka arc

To understand the generation and evolution of mafic magmas from Klyuchevskoy volcano in the Kamchatka arc, which is one of the most active arc volcanoes on Earth, a petrological and geochemical study was carried out on time-series samples from the volcano. The eruptive products show significant variations in their whole-rock compositions (52.0–55.5 wt.% SiO₂), and they have been divided into high-Mg basalts and high-Al andesites. In the high-Mg basalts, lower-K and higher-K primitive samples (>9 wt.% MgO) are present, and their petrological features indicate that they may represent primary or near-primary magmas. Slab-derived fluids that induced generation of the lower-K basaltic magmas were less enriched in melt component than those associated with the higher-K basaltic magmas, and the fluids are likely to have been released from the subducting slab at shallower levels for the lower-K basaltic magmas than for higher-K basaltic magmas. Analyses using multicomponent thermodynamics indicates that the lower-K primary magma was generated by ~13% melting of a source mantle with ~0.7 wt.% H₂O at 1245–1260?°C and ~1.9 GPa. During most of the evolution of the volcano, the lower-K basaltic magmas were dominant; the higher-K primitive magma first appeared in AD 1932. In AD 1937–1938, both the lower-K and higher-K primitive magmas erupted, which implies that the two types of primary magmas were present simultaneously and independently beneath the volcano. The higher-K basaltic magmas evolved progressively into high-Al andesite magmas in a magma chamber in the middle crust from AD 1932 to ~AD 1960. Since then, relatively primitive magma has been injected continuously into the magma chamber, which has resulted in the systematic increase of the MgO contents of erupted materials with ages from ~AD 1960 to present.     

Dynamics of melting beneath a small-scale basaltic system: a U-Th–Ra study from Rangitoto volcano,Auckland volcanic field,New Zealand

The Auckland volcanic field is a Quaternary monogenetic basaltic field of 50 volcanoes. Rangitoto is the most recent of these at ~500 year BP and may mark a change in the behaviour of the field as it is the largest by an order of magnitude and is unusual in that it erupted magmas of alkalic then subalkalic basaltic composition in discrete events separated by ≤50 years. Major and trace element geochemistry together with Sr–Nd and U-Th–Ra isotopes provides the basis for modelling the melting conditions that brought about the eruption of two chemically different lavas with very little spatial or temporal change. Sr–Nd isotopes suggest that the source for both eruptions is similar with a slight degree of heterogeneity. The basalts show high ²³⁰Th-excess compared with comparable continental volcanic fields. We show that the alkalic basalts give evidence for lower degrees of partial melting, higher amounts of residual garnet, a longer melting column and lower melting and upwelling rates compared with the subalkalic basalts. The low upwelling rates (0.1–1.5 cm/year) modelled for both magmas do not suggest a plume or major upwelling in the mantle region beneath Auckland; therefore, we suggest localised convection due to relict movement from the active subduction system situated 400 km to the southeast. A higher porosity for the initial alkalic basalt is based on ²²⁶Ra-excesses, suggesting movement of melt by two different porosities: the initial melt travelling in fast high porosity channels from greater depths preserving a high ²³⁰Th-excess and the subsequent subalkalic magma travelling from a shallower depth through lower porosity diffuse channels preserving a high ²²⁶Ra-excess; this creates a negative array in (²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th) versus (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) space previously only seen in mid ocean ridge Basalt data. This mechanism suggests the Auckland volcanic field may operate by the presence of discrete melt batches that are able to move at different depths and speeds giving the field its erratic spatial and temporal pattern of eruptions, a type of behaviour that may have implications for the evolution of other continental volcanic fields worldwide.     

A detailed Th,Sr and O isotope study of Hekla: differentiation processes in an Icelandic Volcano

²³⁸U–²³⁰Th disequilibria and Sr and O isotope ratios have been measured in a suite of samples from most of the known prehistoric and historic eruptions of Hekla volcano, Iceland. They cover the compositional range from basaltic andesite to rhyolite. Recent basalts erupted in the vicinity of the volcano and a few Pleistocene basalts have also been studied. Geochemical data indicate that the best tracers of magmatic processes in Hekla are the (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) and Th/U ratios. Whereas most geochemical parameters, including Sr, Nd and O isotopes, could be compatible with crystal fractionation, (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) and Th/U ratios differ in the basalts and basaltic andesites (1.05 and 3.2, respectively) and in the silicic rocks, dacites and rhyolites (0.98 and 3.4–3.7, respectively). This observation precludes fractional crystallization as the main differentiation process in Hekla. On the basis of these results, the following model is proposed: basaltic magmas rise in the Icelandic crust and cause partial melting of metabasic rocks, leading to the formation of a dacitic melt. The basaltic magma itself evolves by crystal fractionation and produces a basaltic andesite magma. The latter can mix with the dacitic liquid to form andesites. At higher levels in the magma chamber, the dacitic melt sometimes undergoes further differentiation by crystal fractionation and produces subordinate volumes of rhyolites. Together all these processes lead to a zoned magma chamber. However, complete zoning is achieved only when the repose time between eruptions is long enough to allow the production of significant volumes of dacitic magma by crustal melting. This situation corresponds to the large plinian eruptions. Between these eruptions, the so-called intra-cyclic activity is characterized by the eruption of andesites and basaltic andesites, with little crustal melting. The magmatic system beneath Hekla most probably was established during the Holocene. The shape and the size of the magma chamber may be inferred from the relationships between the composition of the lavas and the location of the eruption sites. In a cross-section perpendicular to Hekla's ridge, a bell-shaped reservoir 5 km wide and 7 km deep appears the most likely; its top could be at depth of 8 km according to geophysical data.     

Melt generation and trace element fractionation of intermediate arc magma from Andaman subduction zone

The submarine volcanoes, located in the southern part of Andaman Sea, north eastern Indian Ocean, result from the subduction of the Indo-Australian Plate beneath the Southeast Asian Plate and represent one of the less studied submarine volcanism among the global arc systems. The present study provides new petrological and geochemical data for the recovered rocks from the submarine volcanoes and documents the petrogenetic evolution of Andaman arc system. Geochemical attributes classify the studied samples as basaltic andesite, andesite, dacite to rhyodacite reflecting sub-alkaline, intermediate to acidic composition of the magma. Petrographic studies of the basaltic andesites and andesites show plagioclase [An₃₈-An₅₇ in basaltic andesites; An₂₇-An₂₈ in andesites] and clinopyroxene as dominant phenocrystal phase in a cryptocrystalline groundmass. Plagioclase (An₂₅-An₄₅) marks the principal phenocrystal phase in dacite with sub-ordinate proportion of biotite and amphibole of both primary and secondary origin along with minor amount of K-feldspar. The submarine volcanic rocks from Andaman arc system exhibit pronounced LILE, LREE enrichments and HFSE (negative Nb, Ta and Ti anomalies), MREE and HREE depletion thereby endorsing the influence of subduction zone processes in their genesis. Elevated abundances of Th with relatively higher LREE/HFSE than LILE/HFSE, LILE/LREE suggest significant contribution of sediments from the subducting slab over slab-dehydrated aqueous fluids towards mantle wedge metasomatism thereby modifying the sub-arc mantle. Partial melting curves calculated using the non-modal batch melting equation suggest primary magma generated due to ~31–35 % degree of partial melting of spinel lherzolite mantle beneath the arc system. Fractional crystallization model suggests fractionation of 45 % plagioclase, 40 % clinopyroxene, 5–10 % amphibole and 5–10 % biotite which is consistent with the petrographic observations. Further, the assimilation-fractional-crystallization (AFC) model for the studied rocks indicates nominal crustal contamination. Therefore, this study infers that the melt evolution history for the Andaman arc volcanic rocks can be translated in terms of (i) generation of precursor magma by ~31–35 % partial melting of a spinel lherzolite mantle wedge, metasomatized predominantly by subducted slab sediments and (ii) the parent magma generation was ensued by fractionation dominated melt differentiation with nominal input from arc crust.     

The Aurora volcanic field,California-Nevada: oxygen fugacity constraints on the development of andesitic magma

 The Aurora volcanic field, located along the northeastern margin of Mono Lake in the Western Great Basin, has erupted a diverse suite of high-K and shoshonitic lava types, with 48 to 76 wt% SiO₂, over the last 3.6 million years. There is no correlation between the age and composition of the lavas. Three-quarters of the volcanic field consists of evolved (<4 wt% MgO) basaltic andesite and andesite lava cones and flows, the majority of which contain sparse, euhedral phenocrysts that are normally zoned; there is no evidence of mixed, hybrid magmas. The average eruption rate over this time period was ∼200 m³/km²/year, which is typical of continental arcs and an order of magnitude lower than that for the slow-spreading mid-Atlantic ridge. All of the Aurora lavas display a trace-element signature common to subduction-related magmas, as exemplified by Ba/Nb ratios between 52 and 151. Pre-eruptive water contents ranged from 1.5 wt% in plagioclase-rich two-pyroxene andesites to ∼6 wt% in a single hornblende lamprophyre and several biotite-hornblende andesites. Calculated oxygen fugacities fall within –0.4 and +2.4 log units of the Ni-NiO buffer. The Aurora potassic suite follows a classic, calc-alkaline trend in a plot of FeO^T/MgO vs SiO₂ and displays linear decreasing trends in FeO^T and TiO₂ with SiO₂ content, suggesting a prominent role for Fe-Ti oxides during differentiation. However, development of the calc-alkaline trend through fractional crystallization of titanomagnetite would have caused the residual liquid to become so depleted in ferric iron that its oxygen fugacity would have fallen several log units below that of the Ni-NiO buffer. Nor can fractionation of hornblende be invoked, since it has the same effect as titanomagnetite in depleting the residual liquid in ferric iron, together with a thermal stability limit that is lower than the eruption temperatures of several andesites (∼1040–1080°C; derived from two-pyroxene thermometry). Unless some progressive oxidation process occurs, fractionation of titanomagnetite or hornblende cannot explain a calc-alkaline trend in which all erupted lavas have oxygen fugacites ≥ the Ni-NiO buffer. In contrast to fractional crystallization, closed-system equilibrium crystallization will produce residual liquids with an oxygen fugacity that is similar to that of the initial melt. However, the eruption of nearly aphryic lavas argues against tapping from a magma chamber during equilibrium crystallization, a process that requires crystals to remain in contact with the liquid. A preferred model involves the accumulation of basaltic magmas at the mantle-crust interface, which solidify and are later remelted during repeated intrusion of basalt. As an end-member case, closed-system equilibrium crystallization of a basalt, followed by equilibrium partial melting of the gabbro will produce a calc-alkaline evolved liquid (namely, high SiO₂ and low FeO^T/MgO) with a relative f _{O 2} (corrected for the effect of changing temperature) that is similar to that of the initial basalt. Differentiation of the Aurora magmas by repeated partial melting of previous underplates in the lower crust rather than by crystal fractionation in large, stable magma chambers is consistent with the low eruption rate at the Aurora volcanic field. Received: 7 July 1995 / Accepted: 19 April 1996     

Diffusive fractionation of U-series radionuclides during mantle melting and shallow-level melt-cumulate interaction

U-series radioactive disequilibria in basaltic lavas have been used to infer many important aspects of melt generation and extraction processes in Earth’s mantle and crust, including the porosity of the melting zone, the solid mantle upwelling rate, and the melt transport rate. Most of these inferences have been based on simplified theoretical treatments of the fractionation process, which assume equilibrium partitioning of U-series nuclides among minerals and melt. We have developed a numerical model in which solid-state diffusion controls the exchange of U-series nuclides among multiple minerals and melt. First the initial steady-state distribution of nuclides among the phases, which represents a balance between diffusive fluxes and radioactive production and decay, is calculated. Next, partial melting begins, or a foreign melt is introduced into the system, and nuclides are again redistributed among the phases via diffusion. U-series nuclides can be separated during this stage due to differences in their diffusivity; radium in particular, and possibly protactinium as well, can be strongly fractionated from slower-diffusing thorium and uranium. We show that two distinct processes are not required for the generation of ²²⁶Ra and ²³⁰Th excesses in mid-ocean ridge basalts, as has been argued previously; instead the observed negative correlations of the (²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th) activity ratio with (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) and with the extent of trace element enrichment may result from diffusive fractionation of Ra from Th during partial melting of the mantle. Alternatively, the (²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th) disequilibrium in mid-ocean ridge basalts may result from diffusive fractionation during shallow-level interaction of mantle melts with gabbroic cumulates, and we show that the results of the interaction have a weak dependence on the age of the cumulate if both plagioclase and clinopyroxene are present.     

U-TH-PA-RA study of the Kamchatka arc: new constraints on the genesis of arc lavas

The ²³⁸U-²³⁰Th-²²⁶Ra and ²³⁵U-²³¹Pa disequilibria have been measured by mass spectrometry in historic lavas from the Kamchatka arc. The samples come from three closely located volcanoes in the Central Kamchatka Depression (CKD), the most active region of subducted-related volcanism in the world. The large excesses of ²²⁶Ra over ²³⁰Th found in the CKD lavas are believed to be linked to slab dehydration. Moreover, the samples show the uncommon feature of (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) activity ratios both lower and higher than 1. The U-series disequilibria are characterized by binary trends between activity ratios, with (²³¹Pa/²³⁵U) ratios all >1. It is shown that these correlations cannot be explained by a simple process involving a combination of slab dehydration and melting. We suggest that they are more likely to reflect mixing between two end-members: a high-magnesia basalt (HMB) end-member with a clear slab fluid signature and a high-alumina andesite (HAA) end-member reflecting the contribution of a slab-derived melt. The U-Th-Ra characteristics of the HMB end-member can be explained either by a two-step fluid addition with a time lag of 150 ka between each event or by continuous dehydration. The inferred composition for the dehydrating slab is a phengite-bearing eclogite. Equilibrium transport or dynamic melting can both account for ²³¹Pa excess over ²³⁵U in HMB end-member. Nevertheless, dynamic melting is preferred as equilibrium transport melting requires unrealistically high upwelling velocities to preserve fluid-derived ²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th. A continuous flux melting model is also tested. In this model, ²³¹Pa-²³⁵U is quickly dominated by fluid addition and, for realistic extents of melting, this process cannot account for (²³¹Pa/²³⁵U) ratios as high as 1.6, as observed in the HMB end-member.The involvement of a melt derived from the subducted oceanic crust is more likely for explaining the HAA end-member compositions than crustal assimilation. Melting of the oceanic crust is believed to occur in presence of residual phengite and rutile, resulting in no ²²⁶Ra-²³⁰Th disequilibrium and low ²³¹Pa excess over ²³⁵U in the high-alumina andesites. Consequently, it appears that high-alumina andesites and high-magnesia basalts have distinct origins: the former being derived from melting of the subducted oceanic crust and the latter from hydrated mantle. It seems that there is no genetic link between these two magma types, in contrast with what was previously believed.     

Mantle dynamics and mantle melting beneath Niuafo’ou Island and the northern Lau back-arc basin

A suite of young volcanic basaltic lavas erupted on the intra-plate island of Niuafo’ou and at active rifts and spreading centres (the King’s Triple Junction and the Northeastern Lau Spreading Centre) in the northern Lau Basin is used to examine the pattern of mantle flow and the dynamics of melting beneath this complex back-arc system. All lavas contain variable amounts of a subduction related component inherited from the Tonga subduction zone to the east. All lavas have higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and more radiogenic Pb isotope compositions than basalts erupted at the Central Lau Spreading Centre in the central Lau Basin, and are interpreted as variable mixtures of subduction-modified, depleted upper mantle, and mantle residues derived from melting beneath the Samoan Islands which has leaked through a tear in the subducting Pacific Plate beneath the Vitiaz Lineament at the northern edge of the Lau Basin. Our data can be used to map out the present-day distribution of Samoan mantle in this region, and show that it influences the compositions of lavas erupted as far as 400 km from the Samoan Islands. The distribution of Samoan-influenced lavas implies south- and southwest-wards mantle flow rates of >4 cm/year. U-series disequilibria in historic Niuafo’ou lavas have average (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) = 1.13, (²³¹Pa/²³⁵U) = 2.17, (²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th) = 2.11, and together with major and trace element data require ∼5% partial melting of mantle at between 2 and 3 GPa, with a residual porosity of 0.002 and an upwelling rate of 1 cm year⁻¹. We suggest that intraplate magmatism in the northern Lau Basin results from decompression melting during southward flow of mantle from beneath old (110–120 Ma), relatively thick Pacific oceanic lithosphere to beneath young (<5 Ma), thinner oceanic lithosphere beneath the northern Lau Basin.     

Consequences of diffuse and channelled porous melt migration on uranium series disequilibria

Magmas erupted at mid-ocean ridges (MORB) result from decompression melting of upwelling mantle. However, the mechanism of melt transport from the source region to the surface is poorly understood. It is debated whether melt is transported through melt-filled conduits or cracks on short time scales (<∼ 10³ yrs), or whether there is a significant component of slow, equilibrium porous flow on much longer time scales (>∼ 10³-10⁴ yrs). Radiogenic excess ²²⁶Ra in MORB indicates that melt is transported from the melting region on time scales less than the half life of ²²⁶Ra (∼1600 yrs), and has been used to argue for fast melt transport from the base of the melting column. However, excess ²²⁶Ra can be generated at the bottom of the melt column, during the onset of melting, and at the top of the melt column by reactive porous flow. Determining the depth at which ²²⁶Ra is generated is critical to interpreting the rate and mechanism of magma migration. A recent compilation of high quality U-series isotope data show that in many young basalts, ²²⁶Ra excess in MORB is negatively correlated with ²³⁰Th excess. The data suggest that ²²⁶Ra excess is generated independently of ²³⁰Th excess, and cannot be explained by “dynamic” or fractional melting, where observed radiogenic excesses are all generated at the base of the melt column. One explanation is that the negative correlation of activity ratios is a result of mixing of slow moving melt that has travelled through reactive, low-porosity pathways and relatively fast moving melt that has been transported in unreactive high-porosity channels. We investigate this possibility by calculating U-series disequilibria in a melting column in which high-porosity, unreactive channels form within a low-porosity matrix that is undergoing melting. The results show that the negative correlation of ²²⁶Ra and ²³⁰Th excesses observed in MORB can be produced if ∼60% of the total melt flux travels through the low-porosity matrix. This melt maintains ²²⁶Ra excesses via chromatographic fractionation of Ra and Th during equilibrium transport. Melt that travels through the unreactive, high-porosity channels is not able to maintain significant ²²⁶Ra excesses because Ra and Th are not fractionated from each other during transport and the transport time for melt in the channels to reach the top of the melt column is longer than the time scale for ²²⁶Ra excesses to decay. Mixing of melt from the high porosity channels with melt from the low-porosity matrix at the top of the melting column can produce a negative correlation of ²²⁶Ra and ²³⁰Th excesses with the slope and magnitude observed in MORB. This transport process can also account for other aspects of the geochemistry of MORB, such as correlations between La/Yb, α_Sm/Nd, and Th/U and ²²⁶Ra and ²³⁰Th excess.     

U-series disequilibria in Kick’em Jenny submarine volcano lavas: A new view of time-scales of magmatism in convergent margins

We present data for U and its decay series nuclides ²³⁰Th, ²²⁶Ra, ²³¹Pa, and ²¹⁰Po for 14 lavas from Kick’em Jenny (KEJ) submarine volcano to constrain the time-scales and processes of magmatism in the Southern Lesser Antilles, the arc having the globally lowest plate convergence rate. Although these samples are thought to have been erupted in the last century, most have (²²⁶Ra)/(²¹⁰Po) within ±15% of unity. Ten out of 14 samples have significant ²²⁶Ra excesses over ²³⁰Th, with (²²⁶Ra)/(²³⁰Th) up to 2.97, while four samples are in ²²⁶Ra-²³⁰Th equilibrium within error. All KEJ samples have high (²³¹Pa)/(²³⁵U), ranging from 1.56 to 2.64 and high ²³⁸U excesses (up to 43%), providing a global end-member of high ²³⁸U and high ²³¹Pa excesses. Negative correlations between Sr, sensitive to plagioclase fractionation, and Ho/Sm, sensitive to amphibole fractionation, or K/Rb, sensitive to open system behavior, indicate that differentiation at KEJ lavas was dominated by amphibole fractionation and open-system assimilation. While (²³¹Pa)/(²³⁵U) does not correlate with differentiation indices such as Ho/Sm, (²³⁰Th)/(²³⁸U) shows a slight negative correlation, likely due to assimilation of materials with slightly higher (²³⁰Th)/(²³⁸U). Samples with ²²⁶Ra excess have higher Sr/Th and Ba/Th than those in ²²⁶Ra-²³⁰Th equilibrium, forming rough positive correlations of (²²⁶Ra)/(²³⁰Th) with Sr/Th and Ba/Th similar to those observed in many arc settings. We interpret these correlations to reflect a time-dependent magma differentiation process at shallow crustal levels and not the process of recent fluid addition at the slab-wedge interface.The high ²³¹Pa excesses require an in-growth melting process operating at low melting rates and small residual porosity; such a model will also produce significant ²³⁸U-²³⁰Th and ²²⁶Ra-²³⁰Th disequilibrium in erupted lavas, meaning that signatures of recent fluid addition from the slab are unlikely to be preserved in KEJ lavas. We instead propose that most of the ²³⁸U-²³⁰Th, ²²⁶Ra-²³⁰Th, and ²³⁵U-²³¹Pa disequilibria in erupted KEJ lavas reflect the in-growth melting process in the mantle wedge (reflecting variations in U/Th, daughter-parent ratios, fO₂, and thermal structure), followed by modification by magma differentiation at crustal depths. Such a conclusion reconciles the different temporal implications from different U-series parent-daughter pairs and relaxes the time constraint on mass transfer from slab to eruption occurring in less than a few thousand years imposed by models whereby ²²⁶Ra excess is derived from the slab.     

The extent of U-series disequilibria produced during partial melting of the lower crust with implications for the formation of the Mount St. Helens dacites

The extent to which U-series disequilibria can be produced during partial melting of mafic lower crust is quantified using a simple batch melting model and both experimental and theoretical partition coefficients for U, Th and Ra. We show that partial melting of mafic lower crust can only produce small disequilibria between ²³⁸U, ²³⁰Th and ²²⁶Ra. Crystallisation of basalt and mixing between young basalt and crustal derived melts will have a similar or smaller effect. Consequently, U-series disequilibrium in arc andesites and dacites can generally only be an inherited feature derived from a mantle parent, unless the timescales of silicic magma production within the crust are short compared to the half-life of ²²⁶Ra. Our results have profound implications for several recent models of silicic magma production by thermal incubation and partial melting of the lower crust. We show that the ²²⁶Ra excess observed in most arc andesites and dacites requires extremely rapid differentiation and/or the involvement of mantle derived basalts less than a few thousand years old. Application to Mount St. Helens suggests that crystallisation of young mantle-derived magma is likely to be the dominant process in the formation of these dacites.     

Migration paths of magma and fluids and lava compositions in Kamchatka

Geophysical and geochemical data have been analyzed jointly in order to gain better understanding of subduction-related active volcanism in Kamchatka. The velocity structure of lithosphere beneath volcanic arcs has been imaged on three scales. Regional tomography to distances of thousands of kilometers has allowed constraints on slab geometry, which changes markedly in dip angle and thickness beneath the Kuriles-Kamchatka arc, possibly, because of a change in the interplay of the subduction driving forces. Intermediate-scale regional tomography (hundreds of kilometers) has been applied to the cases of Toba caldera in Sumatra, Mount Merapi in Java, and volcanoes in the Central Andes and provided evidence of magma conduits marked by low-velocity zones that link the suprasubduction volcanic arcs with clusters of earthquake hypocenters on the slab top. Local tomography resolves the shallow structure immediately under volcanoes and the geometry of respective melting zones. An example time-lapse (4D) seismic model of the crust beneath the Klyuchevskoy group of volcanoes has imaged a decade-long history of anomalous velocity zones and their relation with the activity cycles of Bezymyanny and Klyuchevskoy volcanoes. As modeling shows, andesitic Bezymyanny and basaltic Klyuchevskoy volcanoes have different feeding patterns during their eruption cycles: the former feeds directly from the mantle while the material coming to the latter passes through a complicated system of intermediate chambers.The local tomography model has been applied as reference to interpret the available major- and trace-element data from the Klyuchevskoy and Bezymyanny volcanoes. The lava compositions of the two volcanoes have becoming ever more proximal since 1945 in many major and trace elements while some parameters remain different. Paroxysmal eruptions of Bezymyanny for several recent decades correlate with the time when Klyuchevskoy erupted lavas with high percentages of high-Mg basalts. The difference in the evolution trends of the Kamchatka volcanic rocks may be due either to fractional crystallization or to the presence of concentrator minerals in the source, titanomagnetite, orthopyroxene, rutile, garnet, and plagioclase being especially active as to uptake of some elements. The natural compositions of rocks have been compared in this context with published experimental data.According to the seismic velocity structure and lava compositions analyzed jointly, there are five levels of crystallization beneath the studied volcanoes, while the number and spatial patterns of magma sources are different for two types of andesitic volcanoes.     

Evolution of the East Philippine Arc: experimental constraints on magmatic phase relations and adakitic melt formation

Piston-cylinder experiments on a Pleistocene adakite from Mindanao in the Philippines have been used to establish near-liquidus and sub-liquidus phase relationships relevant to conditions in the East Philippines subduction zone. The experimental starting material belongs to a consanguineous suite of adakitic andesites. Experiments were conducted at pressures from 0.5 to 2 GPa and temperatures from 950 to 1,150°C. With 5 wt. % of dissolved H₂O in the starting mix, garnet, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene are liquidus phases at pressures above 1.5 GPa, whereas clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene are liquidus (or near-liquidus) phases at pressures <1.5 GPa. Although amphibole is not a liquidus phase under any of the conditions examined, it is stable under sub-liquidus conditions at temperature ≤1,050°C and pressures up to 1.5 GPa. When combined with petrographic observations and bulk rock chemical data for the Mindanao adakites, these findings are consistent with polybaric fractionation that initially involved garnet (at pressures >1.5 GPa) and subsequently involved the lower pressure fractionation of amphibole, plagioclase and subordinate clinopyroxene. Thus, the distinctive Y and HREE depletions of the andesitic adakites (which distinguish them from associated non-adakitic andesites) must be established relatively early in the fractionation process. Our experiments show that this early fractionation must have occurred at pressures >1.5 GPa and, thus, deeper than the Mindanao Moho. Published thermal models of the Philippine Sea Plate preclude a direct origin by melting of the subducting ocean crust. Thus, our results favour a model whereby basaltic arc melt underwent high-pressure crystal fractionation while stalled beneath immature arc lithosphere. This produced residual magma of adakitic character which underwent further fractionation at relatively low (i.e. crustal) pressures before being erupted.     

Plume-lithosphere interaction beneath Mt. Cameroon volcano, West Africa: Constraints from U-Th-Ra and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope systematics

Precise measurements of ²³⁸U-²³⁰Th-²²⁶Ra disequilibria in lavas erupted within the last 100 yr on Mt. Cameroon are presented, together with major and trace elements, and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope ratios, to unravel the source and processes of basaltic magmatism at intraplate tectonic settings. All samples possess ²³⁸U-²³⁰Th-²²⁶Ra disequilibria with ²³⁰Th (18-24%) and ²²⁶Ra (9-21%) excesses, and there exists a positive correlation in a (²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th)-(²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) diagram. The extent of ²³⁸U-²³⁰Th-²²⁶Ra disequilibria is markedly different in lavas of individual eruption ages, although the (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) ratio is constant irrespective of eruption age. When U-series results are combined with Pb isotope ratios, negative correlations are observed in the (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U)-(²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) and (²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th)-(²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) diagrams. Shallow magma chamber processes like magma mixing, fractional crystallization and wall rock assimilation do not account for the correlations. Crustal contamination is not the cause of the observed isotopic variations because continental crust is considered to have extremely different Pb isotope compositions and U/Th ratios. Melting of a chemically heterogeneous mantle might explain the Mt. Cameroon data, but dynamic melting under conditions of high D_U and D_U/D_Th, long magma ascent time, or disequilibrium mineral/melt partitioning, is required. The most plausible scenario to produce the geochemical characteristics of Mt. Cameroon samples is the interaction of melt derived from the asthenospheric mantle with overlying sub-continental lithospheric mantle which has elevated U/Pb (>0.75) and Pb isotope ratios (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb > 20.47) due to late Mesozoic metasomatism.     

Timescales of magma differentiation from basalt to andesite beneath Hekla Volcano, Iceland: Constraints from U-series disequilibria in lavas from the last quarter-millennium flows

Measurements of ²³⁸U-²³⁰Th-²²⁶Ra disequilibria, Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopes and major-trace elements have been conducted for lavas erupted in the last quarter-millennium at Hekla volcano, Iceland. The volcanic rocks range from basalt to dacite. Most of the lavas (excluding dacitic samples) display limited compositional variations in radiogenic Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopes (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.70319-0.70322; ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.51302-0.51305; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 19.04-19.06; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.53-15.54; ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.61-38.65; ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf = 0.28311-0.28312). All the samples possess (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) disequilibrium with ²³⁰Th excesses, and they show systematic variations in (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) and (²³⁸U/²³²Th) ratios. The highest ²²⁶Ra excesses occur in the basalt and most differentiated andesite lavas, while some basaltic-andesite lavas have (²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th) ratio that are close to equilibrium. The ²³⁸U-²³⁰Th-²²⁶Ra disequilibria variations cannot be produced by simple closed-system fractional crystallization with radioactive decay of ²³⁰Th and ²²⁶Ra in a magma chamber. A closed-system fractional crystallization model and assimilation and fractional crystallization (AFC) model indicate that the least differentiated basaltic andesites were derived from basalt by fractional crystallization with a differentiation age of ∼24 ± 11 kyr, whereas the andesites were formed by assimilation of crustal material and fractionation of the basaltic-andesites within 2 kyr. Apatite is inferred to play a key role in fractionating the parent-daughter nuclides in ²³⁰Th-²³⁸U and ²²⁶Ra-²³⁰Th to make the observed variations. Our proposed model is that several batches of basaltic-andesite magmas that formed by fractional crystallization of a basaltic melt from a deeper reservoir, were periodically injected into the shallow crust to form individual magma pockets, and subsequently modifying the original magma compositions via simultaneous assimilation and fractional crystallization. The assimilant is the dacitic melt, which formed by partial melting of the crust.     

High-Mg# andesitic lavas of the Shisheisky Complex,Northern Kamchatka: implications for primitive calc-alkaline magmatism

Primitive arc magmatism and mantle wedge processes are investigated through a petrologic and geochemical study of high-Mg# (Mg/Mg + Fe > 0.65) basalts, basaltic andesites and andesites from the Kurile-Kamchatka subduction system. Primitive andesitic samples are from the Shisheisky Complex, a field of Quaternary-age, monogenetic cones located in the Aleutian–Kamchatka junction, north of Shiveluch Volcano, the northernmost active composite volcano in Kamchatka. The Shisheisky lavas have Mg# of 0.66–0.73 at intermediate SiO₂ (54–58 wt%) with low CaO (<8.8%), CaO/Al₂O₃ (<0.54), and relatively high Na₂O (>3.0 wt%) and K₂O (>1.0 wt%). Olivine phenocryst core compositions of Fo90 appear to be in equilibrium with whole-rock ‘melts’, consistent with the sparsely phyric nature of the lavas. Compared to the Shisheisky andesites, primitive basalts from the region (Kuriles, Tolbachik, Kharchinsky) have higher CaO (>9.9 wt%) and CaO/Al₂O₃ (>0.60), and lower whole-rock Na₂O (<2.7 wt%) and K₂O (<1.1 wt%) at similar Mg# (0.66–0.70). Olivine phenocrysts in basalts have in general, higher CaO and Mn/Fe and lower Ni and Ni/Mg at Fo88 compared to the andesites. The absence of plagioclase phenocrysts from the primitive andesitic lavas contrasts the plagioclase-phyric basalts, indicating relatively high pre-eruptive water contents for the primitive andesitic magmas compared to basalts. Estimated temperature and water contents for primitive basaltic andesites and andesites are 984–1,143°C and 4–7 wt% H₂O. For primitive basalts they are 1,149–1,227°C and 2 wt% H₂O. Petrographic and mineral compositions suggest that the primitive andesitic lavas were liquids in equilibrium with mantle peridotite and were not produced by mixing between basalts and felsic crustal melts, contamination by xenocrystic olivine, or crystal fractionation of basalt. Key geochemical features of the Shisheisky primitive lavas (high Ni/MgO, Na₂O, Ni/Yb and Mg# at intermediate SiO₂) combined with the location of the volcanic field above the edge of the subducting Pacific Plate support a genetic model that involves melting of eclogite or pyroxenite at or near the surface of the subducting plate, followed by interaction of that melt with hotter peridotite in the over-lying mantle wedge. The strongly calc-alkaline igneous series at Shiveluch Volcano is interpreted to result from the emplacement and evolution of primitive andesitic magmas similar to those that are present in nearby monogenetic cones of the Shisheisky Complex.     

西准噶尔早泥盆世马拉苏组火山岩岩石成因研究

新疆西准噶尔北部地区的早泥盆世马拉苏组出露有少量富钠低钾的拉斑质中基性熔岩,这些分布于谢米斯台断裂北侧的玄武安山岩和玄武岩多呈夹层状断续产出于火山碎屑岩之中。马拉苏中基性熔岩的Mg#与主、微量元素协变关系及Th-Th/Nd图反映了其并非同源岩浆演化的结果。马拉苏火山岩中的玄武安山岩富集LILE、亏损HFSE,具有较高的Th含量及较低的Hf/Th和(Nb/Th)PM比值,显示出弧火山岩的地球化学特征。其中的玄武岩则具有略为平坦的稀土元素分配样式,较低的Th含量及较高的Hf/Th和(Nb/Th)PM比值,此同MORB地球化学特征极为相似;虽然其也显示有轻微的LILE富集、HFSE亏损,但是较高的La/Nb比值则暗示这同地壳或俯冲物质组分的卷入有关,且一系列构造环境判别图解也进一步印证了马拉苏组内的玄武岩应属似MORB基性熔岩。此外,两类岩石的高场强元素比值Zr/Nb、Hf/Ta同全球平均大洋中脊玄武岩的相应比值极为接近,反映了马拉苏组中基性火山岩的物质源区主体均为MORB地幔物质源区。La/Yb-Gd/Yb原始地幔标准化比值的模拟计算进一步显示了马拉苏组玄武安山岩与受改造(俯冲沉积物或地壳物质的混染)的石榴子石或尖晶石-石榴子石地幔橄榄岩物质源区的部分熔融作用有关,而似MORB型玄武岩则源自尖晶石地幔橄榄岩源区的部分熔融。结合区内同期的蛇绿岩、火山岩和碱性花岗岩的地球化学研究,我们可以进一步推断此类兼具有似MORB和弧火山岩地球化学特征的早泥盆世马拉苏火山岩应当是西准噶尔地块北部在早古生代受后期俯冲作用影响下经历弧后扩张形成的火山-岩浆地质记录。     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of volcanic rocks of the Neoarchaean Sukumaland Greenstone Belt, northwestern Tanzania

The late Archaean volcanic rocks of the Rwamagaza area in the Sukumaland Greenstone Belt consists of basalts and basaltic andesites associated with volumetrically minor rhyodacites and rhyolites. Most basalts and basaltic andesites yield nearly flat patterns (La/Sm_CN = 0.89–1.34) indicating derivation by partial melting of the mantle at relatively low pressure outside the garnet stability field. On primitive mantle normalized trace element diagrams, the basalts and basaltic andesites can be subdivided into two groups. The first group is characterised by moderately negative Nb anomalies (Nb/La_pm = 0.51–0.73, mean = 0.61 ± 0.08) with slight enrichment of LREE relative to both Th and HREE. The second group is characterised by nearly flat patterns with no Nb anomalies (Nb/La_pm = 0.77 ± 0.39). The observed Nb and Th anomalies in the Rwamagaza basalts and basaltic andesites, cannot be explained by alteration, crustal contamination or melt–solid equilibria. Rather, the anomalies are interpreted, on the basis of Nb–Th–La–Ce systematics, as having formed by partial melting of a heterogeneous mantle consisting of variable mixtures of components derived from two distinct sources. These sources are depleted mantle similar to that generating modern MORB and an LREE-enriched and HFSE-depleted source similar to that feeding volcanism along modern convergent margins.The rhyolites are characterised by high Na₂O/K₂O ratios (>1) and Al₂O₃ (>15 wt.%), low HREE contents (Yb = 0.24–0.68 ppm) leading to highly fractionated REE patterns (La/Yb_CN = 18.4–54.7) and large negative Nb anomalies (Nb/La_pm = 0.11–0.20), characteristics that are typical of Cenozoic adakites and Archaean TTG which form by partial melting of the hydrated basaltic crust at pressures high enough to stabilize garnet ± amphibole. The Rwamagaza basalts and basaltic andesites are geochemically analogous to the Phanerozoic Mariana Trough Back Arc Basin Basalts and the overall geochemical diversity of Rwamagaza volcanic rocks is interpreted in terms of a geodynamic model involving the interaction of a depleted mantle, a melting subducting oceanic slab in a back arc setting.     

Temporal magmatic variation at Boqueron volcano,El Salvador

The relative ages of 21 lavas from Boqueron volcano in El Salvador were determined by superposition. The lavas are grey to black, porphyritic basalts, basaltic andesites and andesites with phenocrysts of plagioclase, augite, olivine, and magnetite. The andesitic lavas appear to have evolved from basaltic magma by fractionation of the observed phenocryst phases.The temporal variation in the chemical composition of the lavas at Boqueron is composed of three components. First, there is a crudely cyclical alternation of basalts and andesites. Second, these cycles are progressively shifted toward higher SiO₂ contents. Third, approximately in the middle of the stratigraphic section sampled, there is an abrupt change in chemical variation trends from an Al-rich and Fe-poor trend to an Fe-rich and Al-poor trend. This change is interpreted to have been caused by an increased proportion of plagioclase fractionation and a decreased porportion of augite fractionation. The crudely cyclical change in SiO₂ content with time is interpreted as a combination of crystal fractionation that increases SiO₂ content, followed by influxes of basaltic magma that mix with residual magma to decrease SiO₂ content. Successive cycles are shifted toward higher SiO₂ content because there is a significant volume of fractionated magma remaining in the chamber before each influx of basalt.