Multiple levels of magma storage during the 1980 summer eruptions of Mount St. Helens, WA

Transitions in eruptive style—explosive to effusive, sustained to pulsatory—are a common aspect of volcanic activity and present a major challenge to volcano monitoring efforts. A classic example of such transitions is provided by the activity of Mount St. Helens, WA, during 1980, where a climactic Plinian event on May 18 was followed by subplinian and vulcanian eruptions that became increasing pulsatory with time throughout the summer, finally progressing to episodic growth of a lava dome. Here we use variations in the textures, glass compositions and volatile contents of melt inclusions preserved in pyroclasts produced by the summer 1980 eruptions to determine conditions of magma ascent and storage that may have led to observed changes in eruptive activity. Five different pyroclast types identified in pyroclastic flow and fall deposits produced by eruptions in June 12, July 22 and August 7, 1980, provide evidence for multiple levels of magma storage prior to each event. Highly vesicular clasts have H₂O-rich (4.5–5.5 wt%) melt inclusions and lack groundmass microlites or hornblende reaction rims, characteristics that require magma storage at P≥160 MPa until shortly prior to eruption. All other clast types have groundmass microlites; P_H20 estimated from both H₂O-bearing melt inclusions and textural constraints provided by decompression experiments suggest pre-eruptive storage pressures of ∼75, 40, and 10 MPa. The distribution of pyroclast types within and between eruptive deposits can be used to place important constraints on eruption mechanisms. Fall and flow deposits from June 12, 1980, lack highly vesicular, microlite-free pyroclasts. This eruption was also preceded by a shallow intrusion on June 3, as evidenced by a seismic crisis and enhanced SO₂ emissions. Our constraints suggest that magma intruded to a depth of ≤4 km beneath the crater floor fed the June eruption. In contrast, eruptions of July and August, although shorter in duration and smaller in volume, erupted deep volatile-rich magma. If modeled as a simple cylinder, these data require a step-wise decrease in effective conduit diameter from 40–50 m in May and June to 8–12 m in July and August. The abundance of vesicular (intermediate to deep) clast types in July and August further suggests that this change was effected by narrowing the shallower part of the conduit, perhaps in response to solidification of intruded magma remaining in the shallow system after the June eruption. Eruptions from July to October were distinctly pulsatory, transitioning between subplinian and vulcanian in character. As originally suggested by Scandone and Malone (1985), a growing mismatch between the rate of magma ascent and magma disruption explains the increasingly pulsatory nature of the eruptions through time. Recent fragmentation experiments Spieler et al. (2004) suggest this mismatch may have been aided by the multiple levels at which magma was stored (and degassed) prior to these events.Editorial responsibility: J Stix     

Geology of the summit limestone of Mount Qomolangma (Everest) and cooling history of the Yellow Band under the Qomolangma detachment

Abstract   Newly discovered peloidal limestone from the summit of Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest) contains skeletal fragments of trilobites, ostracods and crinoids. They are small pebble-sized debris interbedded in micritic bedded limestone of the Qomolangma Formation, and are interpreted to have been derived from a bank margin and redeposited in peri-platform environments. An exposure of the Qomolangma detachment at the base of the first step (8520 m), on the northern slope of Mount Qomolangma was also found. Non-metamorphosed, strongly fractured Ordovician limestone is separated from underlying metamorphosed Yellow Band by a sharp fault with a breccia zone. The ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar ages of muscovite from the Yellow Band show two-phase metamorphic events of approximately 33.3 and 24.5 Ma. The older age represents the peak of a Barrovian-type Eo-Himalayan metamorphic event and the younger age records a decompressional high-temperature Neo-Himalayan metamorphic event. A muscovite whole-rock ⁸⁷Rb–⁸⁶Sr isochron of the Yellow Band yielded 40.06 ± 0.81 Ma, which suggests a Pre-Himalayan metamorphism, probably caused by tectonic stacking of the Tibetan Tethys sediments in the leading margin of the Indian subcontinent. Zircon and apatite grains, separated from the Yellow Band, gave pooled fission-track ages of 14.4 ± 0.9 and 14.4 ± 1.4 Ma, respectively. These new chronologic data indicate rapid cooling of the hanging wall of the Qomolangma detachment from approximately 350°C to 130°C during a short period (15.5–14.4 Ma).     

Elemental composition of PM2.5 and PM10 at Mount Gongga in China during 2006

In order to investigate the chemical characteristics of atmospheric aerosols in a regional background site, PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were collected at Mount Gongga Station once a week in 2006. The concentrations of fifteen elements including Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, V, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Ag, Ba, Tl, and Pb were detected by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). The results showed that Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Fe were the major components of elements detected in PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, occupied 89.5% and 91.3% of all the elements. Crustal enrichment factor (EF) calculation indicated that several anthropogenic heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Ag, Tl, Pb) were transported long distances atmospherically. The concentrations of all elements (except Na) measured in PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ in spring and winter were higher than those in summer and autumn. The backward air mass trajectory analysis suggests that northeast India may be the source region of those pollutants.     

Temporal Variability of Major and Trace Element Concentrations in the Groundwaters of Mt. Etna (Italy): Effects of Transient Input of Magmatic Fluids Highlighted by Means of Cluster Analysis

Data for major, minor and trace elements in groundwaters from Mt. Etna volcano collected in 1994, 1995 and 1997 were analyzed using Cluster Analysis (CA). Two groups of sampling sites were identified (named clusters A and B), mainly on the basis of their different salinity and content of dissolved CO₂. The highest levels of both of these parameters were observed in the sites of cluster A, located in the lower south-western and central eastern flanks of the volcano. For both of the statistical groups CA was repeated, taking into account the mean values of each parameter in time, and the results allowed us to recognize four distinct groups of parameters for each group of sites on the basis of their temporal patterns. Four different types of temporal patterns were recognized: concave, convex, increasing, decreasing. The observed changes were basically interpreted as a result of the different response of dissolved chemical elements to changes in the aqueous environment and/or in their solubility/mobility in water due to different rates of input of magmatic gases to Etna’s aquifers. The main changes occurred in 1995, when Etna’s volcanic activity resumed after a two-year period of rest. The temporal changes of the majority of the studied parameters (water temperature, water conductivity, Eh, pH, Al, Mg, B, Ca, Cl⁻, Hg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Se, Si, Sr, Cr Zn and pCO₂) were not cluster-dependent, therefore they were not apparently affected by differences in water salinity between the two groups of sampling sites. A limited number of parameters (Ti, K, Li, HCO₃⁻, As, Fe, SO₄²⁻, Cu and V), however, manifested different behaviors, depending on the cluster of sites to which they belonged, thus suggesting their apparent dependency on water salinity.     

Numerical Modeling of the Coupled Mechanical and Hydrological Processes during Deformation and Mineralization in the Mount Isa Block, Australia

Mount Isa is a major Australian and world Pb‐Zn‐Ag mineral province. The wide varieties of mineralization in the province are believed to be closely related to the geodynamic processes of Isan Orogeny, which occurred between ca 1500 and 1620 Ma. In order to understand the geodynamic processes associated with the Isan Orogeny and the giant mineralization systems in the Mount Isa district, a series of numerical models has been constructed to simulate coupled mechanical–hydrological processes, using Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua (FLAC), a finite difference computer code. The numerical modeling results have demonstrated that the most probable far‐field stress orientation during the Isan Orogeny is the asymmetrical E–W shortening, which led to greater easternward tectonic movement at the west boundary of the district in comparison with westward movement at the east boundary. During the initial and early stage of the Isan Orogeny, the mechanical and hydrological conditions in the Leichardt Fault Trough of the West Fold Belt are much more favorable for fluid accumulation and mineralization than in the East Fold Belt. The Mount Isan fault zone developed as a high dilation shear zone where the fluids were focused. As the asymmetrical shortening progressed, shortening deformation and shear strain localization became intensified in the eastern part of the orogenic district. The eastern region therefore became a more favorable locality for hydrothermal mineralization. This structural development feature seems to explain why mineralization in the East Fold Belt is generally later than in the West Fold Belt. Fluid production from the Williams–Naraku granites could result in fluid over‐pressuring, and this probably contributed to the extensive brecciation and related mineralization in the East Fold Belt.     

泰山南坡第四纪沉积物石英砂表面特征及沉积环境指示

为考察泰山地区第四纪沉积环境,采用石英砂表面特征分析法,采集泰山南坡第四纪沉积物样品,经观察研究后,随机挑选W₁～W₆共6颗石英砂颗粒进行扫描电镜观察。除W₄外,其余颗粒表面均表现出形态不规则、边缘棱角清晰、具有多样的贝壳状断口和解理片特征,该特征所指示的沉积环境为冰川沉积环境条件。沉积物样品热释光测得年龄为30.54±2.59 ka B．P．与末次冰期主冰期时段具有时间上的吻合性。     

Bulk chemical control on metamorphic monazite growth in pelitic schists and implications for U–Pb age data

Several petrographic studies have linked accessory monazite growth in pelitic schist to metamorphic reactions involving major rock‐forming minerals, but little attention has been paid to the control that bulk composition might have on these reactions. In this study we use chemographic projections and pseudosections to argue that discrepant monazite ages from the Mount Barren Group of the Albany–Fraser Orogen, Western Australia, reflect differing bulk compositions. A new Sensitive High‐mass Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb monazite age of 1027 ± 8 Ma for pelitic schist from the Mount Barren Group contrasts markedly with previously published SHRIMP U–Pb monazite and xenotime ages of c. 1200 Ma for the same area. All dated samples experienced identical metamorphic conditions, but preserve different mineral assemblages due to variable bulk composition. Monazite grains dated at c. 1200 Ma are from relatively magnesian rocks dominated by biotite, kyanite and/or staurolite, whilst c. 1027 Ma grains are from a ferroan rock dominated by garnet and staurolite. The latter monazite population is likely to have grown when staurolite was produced at the expense of garnet and chlorite, but this reaction was not intersected by more magnesian compositions, which are instead dominated by monazite that grew during an earlier, greenschist facies metamorphic event. These results imply that monazite ages from pelitic schist can vary depending on the bulk composition of the host rock. Samples containing both garnet and staurolite are the most likely to yield monazite ages that approximate the timing of peak metamorphism in amphibolite facies terranes. Samples too magnesian to ever grow garnet, or too iron‐rich to undergo garnet breakdown, are likely to yield older monazite, and the age difference can be significant in terranes with a polymetamorphic history.     

First discovery of Holocene Alaskan and Icelandic tephra in Polish peatlands

Despite the discovery of cryptotephra layers in over 100 peatlands across northern Europe, Holocene cryptotephra layers have not previously been reported from Polish peatlands. Here we present the first Holocene tephra findings from two peatlands in northern Poland. At Bagno Kusowo peatland we identify the most easterly occurrence of the AD 860 B tephra, recently correlated to the White River Ash (WRAe) derived from Mount Churchill, Alaska. A shorter core from Linje peatland contains tephra from the Askja 1875 eruption, extending the spatial distribution and regional importance of this Icelandic tephra in Eastern Europe. Our research indicates the potential of cryptotephra layers to date and correlate the growing number of palaeoenvironmental studies being conducted on Polish peatlands and contributes towards the development of a regional Holocene tephrostratigraphy for Poland. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

Coupled Process Models as a Tool for Analysing Hydrothermal Systems

Hydrothermal systems are characterised by complex interactions between heat transfer, fluid flow, deformation, species transport and chemical reactions. Numerical models can provide quantitatively constrained information in regions where acquisition of new data is difficult or expensive thus providing a means for reducing risks, costs, and effort during targeting, production, and management of resources linked to hydrothermal systems. Here we show how numerical simulations of hydrothermal processes can be used to better understand coupled reactive transport in modern geothermal systems and in ancient hydrothermal ore deposits. We give examples based on the Enhanced Geothermal System at Soultz-sous-Forêts in France, hydrothermal mineralisation at Mount Isa in Australia, and the geothermal resource at Hamburg-Allermöhe in Germany.     

Cordierite-anthophyllite rocks from north-west Queensland, Australia: metamorphosed magnesian pelites

Abstract Cordierite-anthophyllite rocks and related cordierite-rich, talc-rich and chlorite-rich rocks occur in the Rosebud Syncline, north-west Queensland, Australia, as part of a Proterozoic metasedimentary sequence. Field relations and rock compositions attest the sedimentary origin of these rather unusual metamorphic rocks. Their chemical composition is comparable to that of unmetamorphosed, alkali- and Ca-poor pelites, which are associated with some evaporite deposits. Other occurrences of cordierite-anthophyllite rocks have commonly been interpreted as metamorphosed chloritic alteration products derived from mafic or felsic volcanics. A comparative chemical study, using analyses of cordierite-anthophyllite rocks from such alteration zones and analyses of unmetamorphosed magnesian pelites, demonstrates the general chemical similarity between these two rock groups of entirely different origin. However, distinct differences in major element relations help to distinguish these two genetic groups. Particularly useful are Al₂O₃–FeO–MgO plots, in which evaporitic pelites occupy the Fe-poor side. The highly magnesian metamorphic rocks from the Rosebud Syncline fall entirely into the compositional field of evaporitic clays and shales. Furthermore, analyses of relatively immobile trace elements give supporting evidence for the sedimentary origin of these cordierite-anthophyllite rocks. The correlation with trace element ranges of clays and shales is very good. However, the correlation with trace element ranges of mafic and felsic volcanics is poor, and major discrepancies occur with Cr, Ni, Co, Nb, Sc, Th and Ti. Thus, the magnesian metamorphics of the Rosebud Syncline appear to be derived from evaporitic clays rich in magnesian clay minerals, such as palygorskite, sepiolite, chlorite or corrensite. The complete metamorphic rock assemblage of interlayered calcareous, aluminous and magnesian rocks is interpreted as a metamorphosed carbonate-evaporite-pelite sequence.