Petrogenesis of mafic enclaves from the north Taihang Yanshanian intermediate to felsic plutons: Evidence from petrological,geochemical, and zircon Hf-O isotopic data

We report the zircon Hf-O isotopic data for mafic enclaves from the Taihang Yanshanian intermediate to felsic plutons, and use them, along with the petrological, whole-rock chemical and Nd-Sr isotopic data, to reveal the petrogenesis of mafic enclaves. Mafic enclaves show magmatic textures and are finer-grained than host rocks. In places they are highly elongated due to stretching within the partially crystallized, convective felsic magma, but show no solid-state deformation. These data suggest that mafic e...     

Petrological study of Nasu-Chausudake Volcano (ca. 16 ka to Present), northeastern Japan

Chausudake Volcano is representative of the active volcanoes in northeastern Japan, and has a record of many historical eruptions. Because its 16-ky eruptive history is well documented, Chausudake is well-suited for examining the temporal change of magma chamber processes and for assessing potential hazards. The activity of the Chausudake Volcano can be divided into six magmatic units (CH1-CH6). Most of its products have similar characteristics, but those from unit CH1 show wider variation. Most rocks are andesite and have plagioclase, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and Fe-Ti oxides as phenocrysts, with or without olivine or quartz. Mafic inclusions, which are observed in most products, are basaltic andesites that have various combinations of the same phenocryst species. Petrographic features observed in host rocks and mafic inclusions, such as disequilibrium phenocrysts and resorbed textures, suggest magma mixing/co-mingling. Whole rock compositions of both host rocks and mafic inclusions show linear trends in variation diagrams, which suggest that the rocks are derived from the mixing/co-mingling between mafic and felsic end members. Bulk silica content of the mafic end-member magma is estimated to be ca. 52%, and contains Mg-rich olivine and An-rich plagioclase. The temperature of this end member is estimated to have been higher than 1,100 °C. Bulk silica content of the felsic end-member magma is estimated to be ~66%, and contains Mg-poor pyroxenes, An-poor plagioclase, and quartz phenocrysts, with a temperature of between 800 and 900 °C. Trace element compositions show that the end members have different origins, but have changed little over the entire 16-ky of activity. The mafic end-member magmas might come from a lower-crustal homogeneous, large magma chamber, whereas the felsic end-member magmas may be partial melts of crustal materials produced by the heat of the mafic end member. Felsic end-member magma may have accumulated in the middle crust before CH1 activity. The mixing ratio of the felsic to mafic end members was 0.5:0.5 to 0.4:0.6 for the CH1 unit, and ca. 0.4:0.6 for the other units. Considering that ca. 75% of the total volume of the eruptive products form the first unit, its wider compositional variation is attributed to more heterogeneous mixing ratios.     

Magma mingling in the Tungho area,Coastal Range of eastern Taiwan

Complex rocks, consisting of different lithologic breccias and sediments in the Tungho area of the southern Coastal Range, eastern Taiwan, were formed by magmas and magma–sediment mingling. Based on field occurrences, petrography, and mineral and rock compositions, three components including mafic magma, felsic magma, and sediments can be identified. The black breccias and white breccias were consolidated from mafic and felsic magma, respectively. Isotopic composition shows these two magmas may be from the same source. Compared to the white breccias, the black breccias show clast-supported structures, higher An values in plagioclase, higher contents of MgO, CaO, and Fe₂O₃ and lower SiO₂, greater enrichment in the light rare earth elements (LREE), and depletion in the heavy rare earth elements (HREE). The white breccias show matrix-supported blocks and mingling with tuffaceous sediments to form peperite. Physical and chemical evidence shows that the characteristics of these two components (mafic and felsic magmas) are still apparent in the mingled zone. According to their petrography, mafic and felsic magmas did not have much time for mingling. White intrusive structures and black flow structures show that mingling occurred before they solidified. Finally, the occurrence of mingling between magmas and sediments suggests that the mingling has taken place at the surface and not in the magma chamber.     

Evolution of Icelandic central volcanoes: evidence from the Austurhorn intrusion,southeastern Iceland

The Austurhorn intrusive complex in southeastern Iceland represents an exhumed Tertiary central volcano. The geometry of the intrusion and geochemistry of the mafic and felsic rocks indicate Austurhorn was a volcanic center analogous to Eyjafjallajökull and Torfajökull in Iceland's eastern neovolcanic zone (EVZ). Early transitional tholeiitic basalt magmatism at Austurhorn formed a shallow crustal chamber 5 km in diameter. Apparent rhythmic modal layering of, and intrusive contacts within, the gabbro indicate the mafic chamber was replenished frequently as it cooled and crystallized. Felsic activity postdated near-solidification of the gabbro; numerous granitic magmas intruded along gabbro margins and within the adjacent crust. Field relations indicate that infrequent felsic replenishment prevented convective mixing of the Austurhorn chamber during this time, although commingled mafic and felsic magmas are observed in an extensive net veined complex. Late stage mafic dikes intrude the entire complex, suggesting that magmatic heat was abundantly available throughout the evolution of the Austurhorn system. Plagioclase and clinopyroxene compositions in mafic through felsic rocks, including gabbros, support a model of progressive differentiation. Field relations constrain the felsic magmas to originate at P1 kbar, presumably by fractional crystallization. The structure and geochemistry of the Austurhorn intrusive complex suggest formation in an immature rift environment similar to the modern EVZ. The proposed rift segment was parallel to the western and eastern neovolcanic zones, and probably resulted from a reorganization of plate boundaries 7 Ma (Saemundsson 1979; Helgason 1985; Jancin et al. 1985) triggered by activity of the Iceland mantle plume.     

Cauldrons of the Permian Oslo rift

In the 200 km by 45 km area of exposed Permian rocks of the Oslo rift of southern Norway, 15 and possibly 18, cauldrons occur within a rift length of 180 km. These cauldrons range in size from 5 to 16 km in diameter and average around 10–12 km. They exhibit ring dikes, central intrusions, caldera depression deposits (ignimbrites, breccias, lake sediments), and cannibalism of the subsided block by younger, stoping plutons. Only six cauldrons retain most of their periphery, three have lost half their original area to younger plutons, and nine show up as segments or crescents.Ring dikes are mostly syenitic, and central intrusions range from monzonitic to syenitic, with some granitic plugs. The caldera blocks seem to have subsided into monzonitic magma chambers with a differentiated top layer of syenitic magma. Subsidence is assumed to have been started by large-scale crustal movements with a slight tensional component that produced subsidence in the uppermost parts of the magmatic plumbing system. Blocks having thicknesses of 2–5 km above these uppermost magma chambers dropped along sharp ring faults. Absence of resurgent domes is due to composition (and viscosity) of the underlying magmas: these intermediate magmas stoped their way up, without doming. Cauldrons with magmas of intermediate composition make up a major group, between the basaltic shield cauldrons and the resurgent type that produced ignimbrites.     

Magma mixing recorded in intermediate rocks associated with high-Mg andesites from the Setouchi volcanic belt, Japan: implications for Archean TTG formation

Calc-alkaline intermediate rocks are spatially and temporally associated with high-Mg andesites (HMAs, Mg#>60) in Middle Miocene Setouchi volcanic belt. The calc-alkaline rocks are characterized by higher Mg# (strongly calc-alkaline trend) than ordinary calc-alkaline rocks at equivalent silica contents. Phenocrysts in the intermediate rocks have petrographical features such as: (1) coexisting reversely and normally zoned orthopyroxene phenocrysts in single rock; (2) sieve type plagioclase in which cores are mantled by higher An%, melt inclusion-rich zone; and (3) reversely zoned amphibole phenocrysts with opacite cores. In addition, mingling textures and magmatic inclusions were observed in some rocks. These petrographic features and the mineral chemistry indicate that magma mixing was the most important process in producing the strongly calc-alkaline rocks. The core composition of normally zoned orthopyroxene phenocrysts and the mantle composition of reversely zoned orthopyroxene phenocrysts have relatively high Mg# (85–90) in maximum. Although basaltic and high-Mg andesitic magmas are candidate as possible mafic end-member magmas, basaltic magma is excluded in terms of phenocryst assemblage and bulk composition. HMA magmas are suitable mafic end-member magmas that precipitated high Mg# (90) orthopyroxene, whereas andesitic to dacitic magma are suitable felsic end-members. In contrast, it is difficult to produce the strongly calc-alkaline trend through fractional crystallization from a HMA magma, because it would require removal of plagioclase together with mafic minerals from the early stage of crystallization, whereas the precipitation of plagiolase is suppressed due to the high water content of HMA magmas. These results imply that Archean Mg#-rich TTGs (>45–55), which are an analog of the strongly calc-alkaline rocks in terms of chemistry and magma genesis, can be derived from magma mixing in which a HMA magma is the mafic end-member magma, rather than by fractional crystallization from a HMA magma.     

The Zealandia Volcanic Complex: Further evidence of a lower crustal “hot zone” beneath the Mariana Intra‐oceanic Arc,Western Pacific

This paper addresses formation of felsic magmas in an intra‐oceanic magmatic arc. New bathymetric, petrologic, geochemical, and isotopic data for Zealandia Bank and two related volcanoes in the south‐central Mariana arc is presented and interpreted. These three volcanoes are remnants of an older andesitic volcano that evolved for some time and became dormant long enough for a carbonate platform to grow on its summit before reawakening as a rhyodacitic volcano. Zealandia lavas are transitional between low‐ and medium‐K and tholeiitic and calc‐alkaline suites. They define a bimodal suite with a gap of 56–58 wt% SiO₂; this suggests that mafic and felsic magmas have different origins. The magmatic system is powered by mantle‐derived basalts having low Zr/Y and flat rare earth element patterns. Two‐pyroxene thermometry yields equilibration temperatures of 1000–1100 °C for andesites and 900–1000 °C for dacites. Porphyritic basalts and andesites show textures expected for fractionating magmas but mostly fine‐grained felsic lavas do not. All lavas show trace element signatures expected for mantle and crustal sources that were strongly melt‐depleted and enriched by subduction‐related fluids and sediment melts. Sr and Nd isotopic compositions fall in the normal range of Mariana arc lavas. Felsic lavas show petrographic evidence of mixing with mafic magma. Zealandia Bank felsic magmatism supports the idea that a large mid‐ to lower‐crustal felsic magma body exists beneath the south‐central Mariana arc, indicating that MASH (mixing, assimilation, storage, and homogenization) zones can form beneath intra‐oceanic as well as continental arcs.     

Inverse differentiation pathway by multiple mafic magma refilling in the last magmatic activity of Nisyros Volcano, Greece

Based on detailed field, petrographic, chemical, and isotopic data, this paper shows that the youngest magmas of the active Nisyros volcano (South Aegean Arc, Greece) are an example of transition from rhyolitic to less evolved magmas by multiple refilling with mafic melts, triggering complex magma interaction processes. The final magmatic activity of Nisyros was characterized by sub-Plinian caldera-forming eruption (40?ka), emplacing the Upper Pumice (UP) rhyolitic deposits, followed by the extrusion of rhyodacitic post-caldera domes (about 31–10?ka). The latter are rich in magmatic enclaves with textural and compositional (basaltic–andesite to andesite) characteristics that reveal they are quenched portions of mafic magmas included in a cooler more evolved melt. Dome-lavas have different chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical characteristics from the enclaves. The latter have lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and higher ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values than dome-lavas. Silica contents and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values decrease with time among dome-lavas and enclaves. Micro-scale mingling processes caused by enclave crumbling and by widespread mineral exchanges increase from the oldest to the youngest domes, together with enclave content. We demonstrate that the dome-lavas are multi-component magmas formed by progressive mingling/mixing processes between a rhyolitic component (post-UP) and the enclave-forming mafic magmas refilling the felsic reservoir (from 15?wt.% to 40?wt.% of mafic component with time). We recognize that only the more evolved enclave magmas contribute to this process, in which recycling of cumulate plagioclase crystals is also involved. The post-UP end-member derives by fractional crystallization from the magmas leftover after the previous UP eruptions. The enclave magma differentiation develops mainly by fractional crystallization associated with multiple mixing with mafic melts changing their composition with time. A time-related picture of the relationships between dome-lavas and relative enclaves is proposed, suggesting a delay between a mafic magma input and the relative dome outpouring. We also infer that the magma viscosity reduction by re-heating allows dome extrusion without explosive activity.     

The fate of basaltic enclaves during pyroclastic eruptions: An origin of andesitic ignimbrites

Igneous enclaves, chilled bodies of magma with compositions contrasting with those of their hosts, have long been recognized in felsic plutonic rocks. Similar enclaves occur in felsic pyroclastic rocks despite the apparent difficulty of their survival of the explosive eruption process without fragmentation. The occurrence of andesitic ignimbrites with textural evidence of generation by mechanical mixing of felsic and mafic ash indicates that in some instances basaltic enclaves in felsic magmas that erupted explosively do indeed undergo fragmentation and homogenization with their host. Two exposures of rhyolitic ignimbrite that hosts basaltic enclaves, and of andesitic ignimbrite, in coastal Maine demonstrate the set of conditions necessary for survival of basaltic enclaves during catastrophic explosive eruptions. Relatively lower viscosity of basaltic enclaves compared to the rhyolitic host magma permits vesicle networks to develop as volatiles exsolve from the melt and form bubbles. The vesicle networks provide sufficient permeability for exsolving gases to escape the basaltic magma bodies, hence sparing the basaltic enclaves from fragmentation. If adequate permeability for volatile escape does not develop, the expanding bubbles are trapped within the basaltic enclave and ultimately, with depressurization during rise of the magma to the surface, cause fragmentation of the basaltic magma. In this case, the basaltic ash and the host rhyolitic ash homogenize, producing a hybrid ignimbrite, while the surrounding viscous rhyolitic magma behaves typically, with a small volume of the rhyolitic magma retaining its coherence as pumice bodies while most of the magma fragments shortly after vesiculation to become ash. These observations suggest a distinction between the voluminous andesites associated with subduction zones, for which attainment of intermediate composition occurred as a result of petrologic processes unique to subduction zones, and hybrid andesitic ignimbrites, which are spatially associated with bimodal magmatic systems in a variety of tectonic settings and are the result of mechanical mixing of ash during pyroclastic flow.     

LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating and phenocryst EPMA of dikes,Guocheng, Jiaodong Peninsula: Implications for North China Craton lithosphere evolution

Widespread dike swarm, including diorite-, monzonite-porphyry and lamprophyre, intruded in the al- tered breccia gold deposits along basin marginal faults, Guocheng, Jiaodong Peninsula. Petrography exhibits biotite enclaves in amphibole phenocrysts and the presence of acicular apatites in these dikes. Electron probe microanalyses (EPMA) show that the amphibole and clinopyroxene phenocryst’s mantle in diorite porphyry and lamprophyre respectively has sharply higher MgO (Mg#) and Cr2O3 contents in contrast to their cores. The plagioclase phenocryst in monzonite porphyry has reverse zoning. These results indicate that the magma mixing between mantle-derived mafic and crust-derived felsic magmas occurred in the original process of the dikes. Zircon cathodoluminescence (CL) images show well-developed magmatic oscillatory zones and the acquired LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages are 114±2 Ma (MSDW=1.5) for monzonite porphyry (GS1) and 116±1 Ma (MSDW=0.8) for diorite porphyry (GS2), respectively. Earlier magmatic events in the northwest Jiaodong Peninsula represented by some inherited or captured zircons also occur in these dikes. Magmatic zircons from GS1 and GS2 display consistent chondrite-normalized REE patterns and Nb/Ta values, implying that they may share a similar or same source. HREE enrichment and obvious negative Eu anomalies of these zircons preclude garnet presented in their source. Our results, combined with preciously pub- lished data, indicate that dike intrusion and gold mineralization among quartz vein, altered tectonite and altered breccia gold deposits are broadly contemporaneous throughout the Jiaodong Peninsula. These also imply that the intensive crust-mantle interaction and asthenospheric underplating had oc- curred in the Early Cretaceous in the Peninsula, together with foundering of lower crust in the early Mesozoic, representing the different stages of lithosphere thinning in the North China Craton (NNC).     

Hf–Nd isotope constraints on the origin of Dehshir Ophiolite,Central Iran

The peri‐Arabian ophiolite belt, from Cyprus in the west, eastward through Northwest Syria, Southeast Turkey, Northeast Iraq, Southwest Iran, and into Oman, marks a 3000 km‐long convergent margin that formed during a Late Cretaceous (ca 100 Ma) episode of subduction initiation on the north side of Neotethys. The Zagros ophiolites of Iran are part of this belt and are divided into Outer (OB) and Inner (IB) Ophiolitic Belts. We here report the first Nd–Hf isotopic study of this ophiolite belt, focusing on the Dehshir ophiolite (a part of IB). Our results confirm the Indian mid‐oceanic ridge basalt (MORB) mantle domain origin for the Dehshir mafic and felsic igneous rocks. All lavas have similar Hf isotopic compositions, but felsic dikes have significantly less‐radiogenic Nd isotopic compositions compared to mafic lavas. Elevated Th/Nb and Th/Yb in felsic samples accompany nonradiogenic Nd, suggesting the involvement of sediments or continental crust.     

Time-scales of hybridisation of magmatic enclaves in regular and chaotic flow fields: petrologic and volcanologic implications

This paper describes numerical models of advection/diffusion between enclaves and host magmas, applied with the aim of estimating time-scales during which enclaves can be homogenised. In particular, advection was simulated using a numerical system consisting of regular and chaotic regions. Results indicate that the homogenisation time of enclaves in chaotic regions is several orders of magnitude faster than in regular regions. For instance, an enclave with a diameter of 100 cm may be homogenised in the chaotic region in ∼ 380 years, assuming an advection velocity of 10 cm/year, whereas in the regular region it would require 6.5×10⁵ years for complete homogenisation. This implies that, in the same magmatic system, large differences in the degree of homogenisation may co-exist, generating magmatic masses with large spatial and temporal inhomogeneities. The results of this study may have significant petrological and volcanological implications. From a petrological point of view, mafic enclaves dispersed in felsic host rocks are regarded as portions of mafic magma which, trapped inside regular regions, survived the hybridisation process. Instead, host rocks are regarded as regions where efficient mixing dynamics generated hybrid magmas. The fact that a single magmatic mass may display large compositional differences at the same time undermines the assumption of most geochemical models, which assume the temporal and spatial homogeneity of the magma body. From the volcanological perspective, the presence of magmatic enclaves in volcanic rocks allows us to estimate the mixing times of magmas by analysing chemical diffusion patterns between host rocks and enclaves. Editorial responsibility: D. Dingwell     

The influence of crustal structure on compositions of subduction-related magmas

A survey of Sr isotopic ratios and other compositional features of subduction-related magma suites reveals significant correlations between these averaged parameters and characteristics of the underlying crust (i.e., thickness, composition, and age). These observations lead to the conclusion that crust and(or) mantle rocks in the hanging walls of subduction zones are involved in modification of primary mafic magmas (typically basalt or basaltic andesite). It is proposed that mafic magmas will stagnate within the crust or uppermost mantle where they may differentiate and react with wall rocks. The extent to which such processes manifest themselves will depend upon details of the local crustal structure. In particular, the composition and age of the crust will strongly influence such parameters as Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions. Such data strongly indicate the involvement of crustal rocks in locales underlain by old sialic crust (e.g., central Andes). Depending upon the level of magma stagnation and evolution within the crust, different trends in isotopic composition may result. These isotopic trends may be enhanced by partial melting of the wall rocks to produce relatively silicic anatectic magmas, and locally they may reflect subduction of continental sediments. Interpretation of the isotopic data may be more ambiguous in locales underlain by younger and more mafic continental crust (Cascades, E Eleutians) and those underlain by oceanic crust owing to the similarity in isotopic composition of primary magmas and the latter crustal materials. Yet some degree of crustal involvement in magmatic evolution seems highly probable even in these more primitive terranes. Consequently, most island arc magmas, and especially those more evolved than basalt, are probably not primary in the sense that they do not represent direct melts of the upper mantle. Studies of arc volcanic rocks may yield misleading conclusions concerning processes of magma generation related to subduction unless evolutionary processes are defined and their effects considered. It appears that modern volcanic arcs provide a poor analog for models of early crustal development because the modern mantle-derived magmatic components are more mafic in composition than average continental crust.     

Mineral chemistry of a Cenozoic igneous complex,the Urumieh–Dokhtar magmatic belt,Iran: Petrological implications for the plutonic rocks

The Niyasar plutonic complex, one of the Cenozoic magmatic assemblages in the Urumieh‐Dokhtar magmatic belt, was the subject of detailed petrographic and mineralogical investigations. The Niyasar magmatic complex is composed of Eocene to Oligocene mafic rocks and Miocene granitoids. Eleven samples, representing the major rock units in the Niyasar magmatic complex and contact aureole were chosen for mineral chemical studies and for estimation of the pressure, temperature, and oxygen fugacity conditions of mineral crystallization during emplacement of various magmatic bodies. The analyzed samples are composed of varying proportions of quartz, plagioclase, K‐feldspar, hornblende, biotite, titanite, magnetite, apatite, zircon, garnet, and clinopyroxene. Application of the Al‐in‐hornblende barometer indicates pressures of around 0.2 to 0.4 kbar for the Eocene–Oligocene mafic bodies and around 0.5 to 1.7 kbar for the Miocene granitoids. Hornblende‐plagioclase thermometry yields relatively low temperatures (661–780 °C), which probably reflect late stage re‐equilibration of these minerals. The assemblage titanite–magnetite–quartz as well as hornblende composition were used to constrain the oxygen fugacity and H₂O content during the crystallization of the parent magmas in the Miocene plutons. The results show that the Miocene granitoids crystallized from magmas with relatively high oxygen fugacity and high H₂O content (~5 wt% H₂O). The Miocene granitoids show similar range of oxygen fugacity, H₂O contents and mineral chemical compositions, which indicate a common source for their magmas. Although the crystallization pressures of the Miocene plutons discriminate various categories of plutonic bodies emplaced at depths of about 5.7–6.5 km (Marfioun pluton), about 4.2 km (Ghalhar pluton) and 1.9–2.3 km (Poudalg pluton), they were later uplifted to the same level by vertical displacement of faults. The emplacement depths of the Niyasar plutons suggest that the central part of the Urumieh‐Dokhtar magmatic belt has experienced an uplift rate of ca. 0.25–0.4 mm/yr from the Miocene onwards.     

Syn-extensional intra-plate trachydacite-rhyolitic dome volcanism of the Mesa Central, southern Sierra Madre Occidental volcanic province, Mexico

Oligocene dome complexes of trachydacitic to rhyolitic composition are common in the southern portion of the Mesa Central physiographic province, which forms part of the southern Basin and Range extensional province as well as of the southern Sierra Madre Occidental volcanic province. Generally, dome complexes occur aligned with regional fault systems, mostly associated with the southern Basin and Range province, and thus suggesting that faults controlled the felsic magmas that formed these domes. Two distribution patterns are evident, one aligned NE–SW and another aligned NNE. The set of domes were emplaced at 33–28 Ma. Emplacement of domes occurred in three continuous phases starting with those of trachydacite affinity at 33–32 Ma, to trachydacite–rhyolitic at 32–31 Ma, and finally to those with rhyolitic composition at 31–28 Ma. Felsic magmas that originated the domes were apparently generated by partial melting at the base of the continental crust. Contrary to previous hypothesis, our evidence suggest that these magmas in these particular areas of the Mesa Central were not accumulated in large magma reservoirs emplaced at shallow levels in the crust, but crossed the continental crust directly. Since continental crust in this region is relatively thin (30–33 km), we propose that an intense extensional episode favored the direct ascension of these magmas through the brittle crust, with little interaction with the country rock during ascent to the surface, to end up forming aligned dome chains or complexes. Geochemical data favors this model, as the felsic rocks show no depletions in Nb and Th but instead relatively enrichment in these elements. REE show flat or concave up patterns, suggesting that the magmas involved enriched (fertile), metasomatized lithospheric fluids that generated partial melting at the base of the continental crust. Based upon these data, we infer an intra-plate tectonic setting for these rocks.     

Dating the lower crust by ion microprobe

Ion microprobe UThPb ages of zircons from granulite facies lower crustal xenoliths from north Queensland, Australia, correlate well with the ages of major orogenic episodes manifest at the earth's surface. About half of the xenoliths contain Proterozoic zircons which are similar in age to the episodes of high-grade metamorphism of the older surface rocks. All the xenoliths contain late Paleozoic zircons which show a real 100 Ma range in²⁰⁶Pb²³⁸/U ages (from 320 to 220 Ma), which is attributed to granulite facies metamorphism followed by slow cooling in the deep crust. The Paleozoic zircon ages coincide in time with the prolonged episode of eruption of voluminous felsic ash-flows and intrusion of high-level granites in this region (320-270 Ma). Mineral and melt inclusions in the zircons provide clues to the origin of some of the xenoliths, and coupled with the age information, can be used to infer the geological processes operating in the lower crust. The zircons from two mafic xenoliths contain felsic and intermediate melt inclusions implying at least a two-stage history for these rocks, involving either partial melting of a more felsic protolith or crystal accumulation from an evolved melt. Some of the zircons from the felsic xenoliths contain CO₂-rich fluid inclusions, indicating that those zircons grew during high-grade metamorphism. The isotopic and chemical data for the whole rock xenoliths show that they originate from a segment of the lower crust which is a heterogeneous mixture of supracrustal and mafic, mantle-derived, lithologies. The major orogenic event responsible for the formation of that crust occurred in the late Paleozoic, when Proterozoic supracrustal rocks were emplaced into the lower crust, possibly along thin-skinned thrust slices. This was accompanied by intrusion of high-temperature, mantle-derived melts which caused partial melting of pre-existing crust. The most likely setting for such tectonism is a continental margin subduction zone.     

Petrological variation of large-volume felsic magmas from Hakkoda-Towada caldera cluster: Implications for the origin of high-K felsic magmas in the Northeast Japan Arc

Abstract The Hakkoda‐Towada caldera cluster (HTCC) is a typical Late Cenozoic caldera cluster located in the northern part of the Northeast Japan Arc. The HTCC consists of five caldera volcanoes, active between 3.5 Ma and present time. The felsic magmas can be classified into high‐K (HK‐) type and medium‐ to low‐K (MLK‐) type based on their whole‐rock chemistry. The HK‐type magmas are characterized by higher K₂O and Rb contents and higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios than MLK‐type magmas. Both magmas cannot be derived from fractional crystallization of any basaltic magma in the HTCC. Assimilation‐fractional crystallization model calculations show that crustal assimilation is necessary for producing the felsic magmas, and HK‐type magmas are produced by higher degree of crustal assimilation with fractional crystallization than MLK‐type magmas. Although MLK‐type magmas were erupted throughout HTCC activity, HK‐type magmas were erupted only during the initial stage. The temporal variations of magma types suggest the large contribution of crustal components in the initial stage. A major volcanic hiatus of 3 my before the HTCC activity suggests a relatively cold crust in the initial stage. The cold crust probably promoted crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization, and caused the initial generation of HK‐type magmas. Subsequently, the repeated supply of mantle‐derived magmas raised temperature in the crust and formed relatively stable magma pathways. Such a later system produced MLK‐type magmas with lesser crustal components. The MLK‐type magmas are common and HK‐type magmas are exceptional during the Pliocene–Quaternary volcanism in the Northeast Japan Arc. This fact suggests that exceptional conditions are necessary for the production of HK‐type magmas. A relatively cold crust caused by a long volcanic hiatus (several million years) is considered as one of the probable conditions. Intensive crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization promoted by the cold crust may be necessary for the generation of highly evolved HK‐type felsic magmas.     

Evidence for crustal assimilation by turbulently convecting,mafic alkaline magmas: Geochemistry of mantle xenolith-bearing lavas from northern Sardinia

Alkali basalt, trachybasalt and basanite magmas, containing abundant xenoliths of upper mantle origin, were erupted during the Plio-Pleistocene (2.4-0.14 Ma) in northern Sardinia. The magmas are enriched in K, Rb, Th and Ba relative to mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and most ocean island basalts (OIB), resulting in high K/Nb, Th/Nb, Ba/Nb and Rb/Nb ratios. The large number of spinel peridotite inclusions in these lavas suggests that these chemical features cannot be explained by combined assimilation and fractional crystallization within the continental crust. However, volcanic rock chemistry can be explained by the assimilation of sialic rocks by turbulently convecting, mafic magmas during their ascent to the surface. Fractionation of Ba and K from the light rare earth elements (LREE) is required to explain the positive correlation of K/La and Ba/La with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_(i). Consequently, bulk assimilation of crystalline basement rocks by rising, hot basaltic magmas cannot explain the observed chemical trends, and preferential melting of a low melting quartzo-feldspathic crustal component probably occurred, leaving the REE in residual phases such as apatite, zircon, sphene and amphibole. Alternatively, large ion lithophile element (LILE) enrichment may have been related to interaction of rising mafic lavas with metasomatized lithospheric mantle or enriched asthenosphere.     

Assessing the potential for future explosive activity from Teide–Pico Viejo stratovolcanoes (Tenerife,Canary Islands)

Since the onset of their eruptive activity within the Cañadas caldera, about 180 ka ago, Teide–Pico Viejo stratovolcanoes have mainly produced lava flow eruptions of basaltic to phonoltic magmas. The products from these eruptions partially fill the caldera, and the adjacent Icod and La Orotava valleys, to the north. Although less frequent, explosive eruptions have also occurred at these composite volcanoes. In order to assess the possible evolution Teide–Pico Viejo stratovolcanoes and their potential for future explosive activity, we have analysed their recent volcanic history, assuming that similar episodes have the highest probability of occurrence in the near future. Explosive activity during the last 35000 years has been associated with the eruption of both, mafic (basalts, tephro–phonolites) and felsic (phono–tephrites and phonolites) magmas and has included strombolian, violent strombolian and sub-plinian magmatic eruptions, as well as phreatomagmatic eruptions of mafic magmas. Explosive eruptions have occurred both from central and flank vents, ranging in size from 0.001 to 0.1 km³ for the mafic eruptions and from 0.01 to < 1 km³ for the phonolitic ones. Comparison of the Teide–Pico Viejo stratovolcanoes with the previous cycles of activity from the central complex reveals that all them follow a similar pattern in the petrological evolution but that there is a significant difference in the eruptive behaviour of these different periods of central volcanism on Tenerife. Pre-Teide central activity is mostly characterised by large-volume (1–> 20 km³, DRE) eruptions of phonolitic magmas while Teide–Pico Viejo is dominated by effusive eruptions. These differences can be explained in terms of the different degree of evolution of Teide–Pico Viejo compared to the preceding cycles and, consequently, in the different pre-eruptive conditions of the corresponding phonolitic magmas. A clear interaction between the basaltic and phonolitic systems is observed from the products of phonolitic eruptions, indicating that basaltic magmatism is the driving force of the phonolitic eruptive activity. The magmatic evolution of Teide–Pico Viejo stratovolcanoes will continue in the future with a probably tendency to produce a major volume of phonolitic magmas, with an increasing explosive potential. Therefore, the explosive potential of Teide–Pico Viejo cannot be neglected and should be considered in hazard assessment on Tenerife.     

Storage and interaction of compositionally heterogeneous magmas from the 1986 eruption of Augustine Volcano, Alaska

Compositional heterogeneity (56–64 wt% SiO₂ whole-rock) in samples of tephra and lava from the 1986 eruption of Augustine Volcano, Alaska, raises questions about the physical nature of magma storage and interaction beneath this young and frequently active volcano. To determine conditions of magma storage and evolutionary histories of compositionally distinct magmas, we investigate physical and chemical characteristics of andesitic and dacitic magmas feeding the 1986 eruption. We calculate equilibrium temperatures and oxygen fugacities from Fe-Ti oxide compositions and find a continuous range in temperature from 877 to 947°C and high oxygen fugacities (ΔNNO=1–2) for all magmas. Melt inclusions in pyroxene phenocrysts analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and electron probe microanalysis are dacitic to rhyolitic and have water contents ranging from <1 to ∼7 wt%. Matrix glass compositions are rhyolitic and remarkably similar (∼75.9–76.6 wt% SiO₂) in all samples. All samples have ∼25% phenocrysts, but lower-silica samples have much higher microlite contents than higher-silica samples. Continuous ranges in temperature and whole-rock composition, as well as linear trends in Harker diagrams and disequilibrium mineral textures, indicate that the 1986 magmas are the product of mixing between dacitic magma and a hotter, more mafic magma. The dacitic endmember is probably residual magma from the previous (1976) eruption of Augustine, and we interpret the mafic endmember to have been intruded from depth. Mixing appears to have continued as magmas ascended towards the vent. We suggest that the physical structure of the magma storage system beneath Augustine contributed to the sustained compositional heterogeneity of this eruption, which is best explained by magma storage and interaction in a vertically extensive system of interconnected dikes rather than a single coherent magma chamber and/or conduit. The typically short repose period (∼10 years) between Augustine's recent eruptive pulses may also inhibit homogenization, as short repose periods and chemically heterogeneous magmas are observed at several volcanoes in the Cook Inlet region of Alaska.