Geochemical and Isotopic Evidence for Crustal Assimilation Beneath Krafla, Iceland

The Krafla volcanic system consists of a central volcano andassociated fissure swarm in the NE axial rift zone of Iceland.Lavas spanning the whole of Krafla's exposed volcanic history(estimated to be 0-> 300 ka) have been analysed and rangein composition from olivine tholeiite to rhyolite. Major-elementcompositions suggest that fractional crystallization exertsthe main control over the differentiation process. However,K₂O and the very incompatible trace elements, Rb, Th, and U,are all enriched beyond the extent expected by closed-systemfractional crystallization. Fractionation coupled with periodicreplenishment and tapping of the reservoir is unlikely to beresponsible for this enrichment, despite the geophysical evidencesuggesting a large number of inflations and deflations of ashallow magma reservoir (Tryggvason, 1986). Th- and O-isotope results confirm the work of previous authorsthat crustal assimilation is operating on a local scale beneathKrafla. A model is suggested, fitting both the Th- and O-isotopicdata, which involves the partial melting and incorporation ofa hydrothermally altered wall-rock contaminant during fractionalcrystallization (i. e., AFC processes). This process of partialmelting is likely to enhance the most highly incompatible elementconcentrations (e. g., increasing Rb/Zr) more than expectedby closed-system fractional crystallization.     

Experimental Crystallization of a High-K Arc Basalt: the Golden Pumice, Stromboli Volcano (Italy)

The near-liquidus crystallization of a high-K basalt (PST-9golden pumice, 49·4 wt % SiO₂, 1·85 wt % K₂O,7·96 wt % MgO) from the present-day activity of Stromboli(Aeolian Islands, Italy) has been experimentally investigatedbetween 1050 and 1175°C, at pressures from 50 to 400 MPa,for melt H₂O concentrations between 1·2 and 5·5wt % and NNO ranging from –0·07 to +2·32.A drop-quench device was systematically used. AuPd alloys wereused as containers in most cases, resulting in an average Feloss of 13% for the 34 charges studied. Major crystallizingphases include clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase. Fe–Tioxide was encountered in a few charges. Clinopyroxene is theliquidus phase at 400 MPa down to at least 200 MPa, followedby olivine and plagioclase. The compositions of all major phasesand glass vary systematically with the proportion of crystals.Ca in clinopyroxene sensitively depends on the H₂O concentrationof the coexisting melt, and clinopyroxene Mg-number shows aweak negative correlation with NNO. The experimental data allowthe liquidus surface of PST-9 to be defined. When used in combinationwith melt inclusion data, a consistent set of pre-eruptive pressures(100–270 MPa), temperatures (1140–1160°C) andmelt H₂O concentrations is obtained. Near-liquidus phase equilibriaand clinopyroxene Ca contents require melt H₂O concentrations<2·7–3·6 and 3 ± 1 wt %, respectively,overlapping with the maximum frequency of glass inclusion data(2·5–2·7 wt % H₂O). For olivine to crystallizeclose to the liquidus, pressures close to 200 MPa are needed.Redox conditions around NNO = +0·5 are inferred fromclinopyroxene compositions. The determined pre-eruptive parametersrefer to the storage region of golden pumice melts, which islocated at a depth of around 7·5 km, within the metamorphicarc crust. Golden pumice melts ascending from their storagezone along an adiabat will not experience crystallization ontheir way to the surface. KEY WORDS: basalt; pumice; experiment; phase equilibria; Stromboli     

Adakite-like Lavas from Antisana Volcano (Ecuador): Evidence for Slab Melt Metasomatism Beneath Andean Northern Volcanic Zone

Extensive sampling of the Antisana volcano in Ecuador (NorthernVolcanic Zone of the Andes) has revealed the presence of adakite-likerocks throughout the edifice, i.e. rocks with geochemical characteristicsclose, but not identical, to those of slab melts. Two main volcanicgroups have been distinguished, characterized by two distinctevolutionary trends. The AND group, mostly composed of andesites,shows the clearest adakitic characteristics such as high La/Yband Sr/Y ratios and low heavy rare earth element (HREE) contents.The CAK group, composed of high-K andesites and dacites, displaysless pronounced adakitic-like characteristics. Although themore basic rocks of each group are difficult to distinguishon many geochemical diagrams, a geochemical study shows thatthe evolution of the AND and CAK groups is dominated by differentpetrogenetic processes. The isotopic characteristics of theCAK rocks suggest that evolution of this group is dominatedby a limited assimilation–fractional crystallization processwithin the granitic continental basement of the cordillera.In the AND group, the abundances of incompatible elements, suchas Nb or HREE, suggest that the series was produced by a partialmelting process in a mantle rich in garnet, amphibole and/orclinopyroxene. Such a mantle source has been demonstrated (experimentallyand by exhumed mantle xenoliths) to be produced in subductionzones where slab melts react with and metasomatize the mantlewedge. In Ecuador, magmas erupted in the Western Cordillera(trenchward relative to Antisana volcano) are true adakites,suggesting that slab melts can be responsible for the metasomatismof the mantle wedge beneath the NVZ in Ecuador. If mantle convectioncan drag down this modified mantle beneath Antisana volcano,destabilization of metasomatic amphibole at appropriate pressuresin this modified garnetiferous mantle can adequately explainthe formation and the geochemical features of Antisana lavas. KEY WORDS: subduction; adakite; metasomatism; Ecuador; AFC; Sr and Nd isotopes     

Petrological and Experimental Constraints on the Pre-eruption Conditions of Holocene Dacite from Volcan San Pedro (36{degrees}S, Chilean Andes) and the Importance of Sulphur in Silicic Subduction-related Magmas

We present an experimental and petrological study aimed at estimatingthe pre-eruptive conditions of a Holocene dacitic lava fromVolcán San Pedro (36°S, Chilean Andes). Phase-equilibriumexperiments were performed at temperatures (T) from 800 to 950°C,and mainly at 200 MPa, but also at 55, 150, and 406 MPa. Oxygenfugacity (fO₂) ranged from the Ni–NiO buffer (NNO) to3·5 log units above (NNO + 3·5), and water contentsfrom     

Position of the palaeontological site Aven I des Abîmes de La Fage, at Noailles (Corrèze, France), in the European Pleistocene chronology

Mourer-Chauviré, C., Philippe, M., Quinif, Y., Chaline, J., Debard, E., Guérin, C. & Hugueney, M. 2003 (September): Position of the palaeontological site Aven I des Abîmes de La Fage, at Noailles (Corrèze, France), in the European Pleistocene chronology. Boreas , Vol. 32, pp. 521–531. Oslo. ISSN 0300–9483.
The palaeontological locality of Aven I des Abîmes de La Fage, at Noailles, Corrèze, France, is a limestone swallow hole filling which includes a rich fauna of micro- and macromammals, and one of the most complete Pleistocene avifaunas in the Palearctic. According to the mammal fauna and to the sedimentological study, the filling was previously assigned to the penultimate, Saalian, glaciation. U/Th datings made on a stalagmitic floor deposited in a lateral gallery on top of the filling confirm this previous attribution. Revised lists of the mammal and bird faunas are provided. The comparison of the La Fage fauna with that of other European localities, radiochronologically or biostratigraphically dated, leads to the conclusion that most of the fossiliferous layers were deposited during the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 8 (242 to 301 ka).     

Reversal of Fe-Mg Partitioning Between Garnet and Staurolite in Eclogite-facies Metapelites from the Champtoceaux Nappe (Brittany, France)

This paper concentrates on the petrology of eclogite-faciesmetapelites and, particularly, the significance of staurolitein these rocks. A natural example of staurolite-bearing eclogitic micaschistsfrom the Champtoceaux nappe (Brittany, France) is first described.The Champtoceaux metapelites present, in addition to quartz,phengite, and rutile, two successive parageneses: (1) chloritoid+staurolite+garnetcores, and (2) garnet rims+kyanite?chloritoid. Detailed microprobe analyses show that garnet and chloritoidevolve towards more magnesian compositions and that stauroliteis more Fe-rich than coexisting garnet. A comparison of thestudied rocks with other known occurrences of eclogitic metapelitesshows that whereas staurolite is always more Fe-rich than garnetin high-pressure eclogites, the reverse is true in low- to medium-pressuremicaschists. Phase relations between garnet, staurolite, chloritoid, biotite,and chlorite are analysed in the KFMASH system (with excessquartz, phengite, rutile, and H₂O). The topology of univariantreactions is depicted for a normal and a reverse Fe-Mg partitioningbetween garnet and staurolite. Mineral compositional changesare also predicted for varying bulk-rock chemistries. In the studied micaschists, the zonal arrangement of garnetinclusions and the progressive compositional changes of ferromagnesianphases record part of the prograde P–T path, before theattainment of ‘peak’ metamorphic conditions (atabout 65O–7OO?C, 18–20 kb). The retrograde path,which records the uplift of the Champtoceaux nappe, occurs underdecreasing temperatures.     

MIGRATION TO ZERO OFFSET (DMO) FOR A CONSTANT VELOCITY GRADIENT: AN ANALYTICAL FORMULATION1

Migration to zero offset (MZO) is a prestack partial migration process that transforms finite-offset seismic data into a close approximation to zero-offset data, regardless of the reflector dips that are present in the data. MZO is an important step in the standard processing sequence of seismic data, but is usually restricted to constant velocity media. Thus, most MZO algorithms are unable to correct for the reflection point dispersal caused by ray bending in inhomogeneous media. We present an analytical formulation of the MZO operator for the simple possible variation of velocity within the earth, i.e. a constant gradient in the vertical direction. The derivation of the MZO operator is carried out in two steps. We first derive the equation of the constant traveltime surface for linear V(z) velocity functions and show that the isochron can be represented by a fourth-degree polynomial in x, y and z. This surface reduces to the well-known ellipsoid in the constant-velocity case, and to the spherical wavefront obtained by Slotnick in the coincident source-receiver case. We then derive the kinematic and dynamic zero-offset corrections in parametric form by using the equation of the isochron. The weighting factors are obtained in the high-frequency limit by means of a simple geometric spreading correction. Our analytical results show that the MZO operator is a multivalued, saddle-shaped operator with marked dip moveout effects in the cross-line direction. However, the amplitude analysis and the distribution of dips along the MZO impulse response show that the most important contributions of the MZO operator are concentrated in a narrow zone along the in-line direction. In practice, MZO processing requires approximately the same trace spacing in the in-line and cross-line directions to avoid spatial aliasing effects.     

The significance of pollen-rich inorganic lake sediments in the Cratére du Nouveau-Quèbec area, Ungava, Canada

Unexpectedly high pollen concentrations characterize the basal, silty part of the postglacial sediments accumulated in two lakes from the Cratère du Nouveau-Quebéc area, Ungava. These lacustrine silts and their pollen content result from early postglacial washing of a pollen bearing till. The till must therefore ahve incorporated pollen that relates to events prior to the last glacial event. The matrix of the till deposits surrounding the lakes shows outstandingly high pollen concentrations. It is hypothesized that because of the proximity of the ice divide during the last (and earlier) ice advance(s) in Ungava, the previously depoisited till and the pollen that haad accumulated in its matrix during the interglacial interval(s) were preserved in relict till plains or recycled into the till of teh last glaciation. The crater's age has been established at 1.4 Ma and holds a minimum thickness of 95 m of sediments. It is very likely filled with successive tills or related glacigenic deposits perhaps representing the whole length of time since the crater was formed. Alike the most recent till, these deposits should pollen. there is thus the prospect ofr a 1.4 Ma old pollen record for Ungava.     

Fluctuations glaciaires de la fin du Würm dans les Alpes françaises, établies par des analyses polliniques

Sediments from the peat-bog La Muzelle (Massif des Ecrins, Iserc, France, alt. 2,150 m) were analyzed. The site was reached by a Pinus forest and an Abies forest during the Allerød and the Atlantic, and during the Bølling a shrubland was noted. Forests have been degrading into lawns without intermediary heath long before the appearance of the first signs of human action. The glacier has been receding ever since the Late Würm, except during the Younger Dryas when big frontal moraines were formed close to the peat-bog. The nature of the sediments allowed a determination of several frontal positions of the glacier. No notable re-advance could be evidenced during the Older or Oldest Dryas nor during the Holocene; only a minor oscillation may have occurred at the beginning of the Allerød.