Geochemistry and magmatic properties of eruption episodes from Haroharo linear vent zone, Okataina Volcanic Centre, New Zealand during the last 10 kyr

Post-10 ka rhyolitic eruptions from the Haroharo linear vent zone, Okataina Volcanic Centre, have occurred from several simultaneously active vents spread over 12 km. Two of the three eruption episodes have tapped multiple compositionally distinct homogeneous magma batches. Three magmas totalling ~8 km³ were erupted during the 9.5 ka Rotoma episode. The most evolved Rotoma magma (SiO₂=76.5–77.9 wt%, Sr=96–112 ppm) erupted from a southeastern vent, and is characterised by a cummingtonite-dominant mineralogy, a temperature of 739±14°C, and fO₂ of NNO+0.52±0.11. The least evolved (SiO₂=75.0–76.4 wt%, Sr=128–138 ppm, orthopyroxene+ hornblende-dominant) Rotoma magma erupted from several vents, and was hotter (764±18°C) and more reduced (NNO+0.40±0.13). The ~11 km³ Whakatane episode occurred at 5.6 ka and also erupted three magmas, each from a separate vent. The most evolved (SiO₂=73.3–76.2 wt%, Sr=88–100 ppm) Whakatane magma erupted from the southwestern (Makatiti) vent and is cummingtonite-dominant, cool (745±11°C), and reduced (NNO+0.34±0.08). The least evolved (SiO₂=72.8–74.1 wt%, Sr=132–134 ppm) magma was erupted from the northeastern (Pararoa) vent and is characterised by an orthopyroxene+ hornblende-dominant mineralogy, temperature of 764±18°C, and fO₂ of NNO+0.40±0.13. Compositionally intermediate magmas were erupted during the Rotoma and Whakatane episodes are likely to be hybrids. A single ~13 km³ magma erupted during the intervening 8.1 ka Mamaku episode was relatively homogeneous in composition (SiO₂=76.1–76.8 wt%, Sr=104–112 ppm), temperature (736±18°C), and oxygen fugacity (NNO+0.19±0.12). Some of the vents tapped a single magma while others tapped several. Deposit stratigraphy suggests that the eruptions alternated between magmas, which were often simultaneously erupted from separate vents. Both effusive and explosive activity alternated, but was predominantly effusive (>75% erupted as lava domes and flows). The plumbing systems which fed the vents are inferred to be complex, with magma experiencing different conditions in the conduits. As the eruption of several magmas was essentially concurrent, the episodes were likely triggered by a common event such as magmatic intrusion or seismic disturbance.     

Millennial timescale resolution of rhyolite magma recharge at Tarawera volcano: insights from quartz chemistry and melt inclusions

Most rhyolite eruption episodes of Tarawera volcano have emitted several physiochemically distinct magma batches (∼1–10 km³). These episodes were separated on a millennial timescale. The magma batches were relatively homogeneous in temperature and composition at pumice scale (>4 cm), but experienced isolated crystallisation histories. At the sub-cm scale, matrix glasses have trace element compositions (Sr, Ba, Rb) that vary by factors up to 2.5, indicating incomplete mixing of separate melts. Some quartz-hosted melt inclusions are depleted in compatible trace elements (Sr, Ti, Ba) compared to enclosing matrix glasses. This could reflect re-melting of felsic crystals deeper in the crystal pile. Individual quartz crystals display a variety of cathodoluminescence brightness and Ti zoning patterns including rapid changes in melt chemistry and/or temperature (∼50–100°C), and point to multi-cycle crystallisation histories. The Tarawera magma system consisted of a crystal-rich mass containing waxing and waning melt pockets that were periodically recharged by silicic melts driven by basaltic intrusion. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Variation in rhyolitic magma composition linked with fractionation from a common source: insights from the Rotoiti eruption,Taupo Volcanic Zone,New Zealand

ABSTRACT

The Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), New Zealand, is a well-documented volcanic arc characterized by explosive rhyolitic magmas within a series of caldera complexes that include the Okataina Volcanic Centre (OVC). New quartz melt inclusion and volcanic glass data from the 45 ka caldera-forming Rotoiti eruption within the OVC are compared to published studies. The new data are characterized by low K₂O (~1.5–3.5 wt.%), Rb (~30–70 ppm), Sr (~40–90 ppm), U (~0.5–2.5 ppm), and Ba (~300–1000 ppm) ranges that differ significantly from other OVC systems (~3.0–4.5 wt.% K₂O, ~80–150 ppm Rb, and ~2.5–5.0 ppm U). Most interestingly, the Rotoiti melt inclusion data measured in this study show a decrease in Rb, Sr, and U, although the fractionation trends originate from the same source point as published OVC data. This progressive decreasing trend is interpreted as an interaction with a less enriched rhyolitic melt (represented by the low Rb, Sr, and U of glasses) during fractionation processes from a common TVZ source. The established model for TVZ rhyolites is that they are extracted from a middle or upper crustal source (‘mush’ zone) prior to eruption. Adding to this model, new melt inclusion data suggest that all TVZ rhyolites are fractionated from this common TVZ source and, prior to eruption, the Rotoiti system was rejuvenated by this source (evidenced by the low REE glasses). Exactly what triggers the common TVZ source to fractionate remains unclear, but a proposed mechanism to account for this involves the successive melting of the upper crust by upwelling mantle induced by incremental subduction.     

Silicic recharge of multiple rhyolite magmas by basaltic intrusion during the 22.6 ka Okareka Eruption Episode, New Zealand

Deposits of the 22.6 ka Okareka Eruption Episode from Tarawera Volcanic Complex record the sequential and simultaneous eruption of three discrete rhyolite magmas following a silicic recharge event related to basaltic intrusion. The episode started with basaltic eruption ( 0.01 km³ magma), and rapidly changed to a plinian eruption involving a moderate temperature (750 °C), cummingtonite-bearing rhyolite magma (T1) with a volume of  0.3 km³. Hybrid basalt/rhyolite clasts demonstrate direct basaltic intrusion that helped trigger the eruption. Crystals, shards and lapilli of two other rhyolite magmas then joined the eruption sequence. They comprise a cooler (720 °C) crystal-rich biotite–hornblende rhyolite magma (T2) ( 0.3 km³), and a hotter (780 °C), crystal-poor, pyroxene–hornblende rhyolite magma (T3) ( 4.5 km³). All mid to late-stage ash units contain various mixtures of T1, T2 and T3 components with a general increase in abundance of T3 and rapid decline of T1 with time. About 4 km³ of T3 magma was extruded as lavas at the end of the episode. Contrasts in melt composition, crystal and volatile contents, and temperatures influenced viscosity and miscibility, and thus limited pre-eruption mixing of the rhyolite magmas. The eruption sequence and the restricted direct basaltic intrusion into only one magma (T1) is consistent with the rhyolites occupying separate melt pods within a large crystal-mush zone. Melt–crystal equilibria and volatile contents in melt inclusions indicate temporary magma storage depths of < 8 km. Each of the magmas display quartz crystals containing melt inclusions that are compositionally highly evolved relative to the accompanying matrix glass, and thus point to a stage of more complete crystallisation. The matrix glass, enriched in Sr and Ti, represents a re-melting event of underlying the crystal pile induced by basaltic intrusion, presumably part of the same event that erupted scoria at the start of the eruption. This recharge rhyolite melt percolated upward and hybridised with the resident melts in each of the three magma pods. The Okareka episode rhyolites contrast with other well-documented rhyolites that are either continuously or discontinuously zoned, or have been homogenised during re-activation to a uniform composition. Rapid basalt dike intrusion to shallow levels appears to have (prematurely?) triggered the Okareka rhyolites into eruption, so that their early ponding in separate melt pods has been recorded before it could be masked by mixing or stratification had amalgamation into a larger body occurred.     

The Petrology of the Rotoiti Eruption Sequence, Taupo Volcanic Zone: an Example of Fractionation and Mixing in a Rhyolitic System

The Rotoiti eruption from the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) in northernNew Zealand produced voluminous pyroclastic deposits. The ferromagnesianmineral assemblage in these dominantly consists of cummingtonite+ hornblende + orthopyroxene with uniform magnesium/iron ratios;a second assemblage of biotite + hornblende + orthopyroxene,also with uniform Fe/Mg ratios, appears midway through the eruptionsequence and, thereafter, increases in abundance. These contrastingmineral assemblages, together with pumice clast and groundmassglass compositions, provide evidence for mingling of two discretemagmas. Similarities in the chemical characteristics of thetwo magmas suggest that they developed from a similar source.The eruption initially tapped relatively homogeneous magma thatwas erupted throughout most of this phase of activity. The middlestages of the eruption included some mixed magma. The finalstages of the eruption were dominated by a second magma composition,which was probably injected into the bottom of the main magmabody as the eruption proceeded. The source that fed the eruptionwas complex, and discrete magma bodies existed and evolved separatelyprior to the eruption. We conclude that eruptions in the TVZare fed from a diffuse upper-crustal zone of partially interconnected,and at times physically separate, magma bodies rather than fromcentralized and necessarily large long-lived magma chambers. KEY WORDS: Taupo Volcanic Zone; Okataina Volcanic Centre; Rotoiti eruption; rhyolite system; magma mixing     

Biotite composition as a tool for the identification of Quaternary tephra beds

Stratigraphically important Quaternary rhyolitic tephra deposits that erupted from the Okataina and Taupo volcanic centers in New Zealand can be geochemically identified using the FeO and MgO contents of their biotite phenocrysts. The FeO/MgO ratio in biotite does not correlate with FeO/MgO in the coexisting glass phase so that tephra beds with similar glass compositions can be discriminated by their different biotite compositions. Some individual tephra deposits display sequential changes in biotite composition that allow separate phases of the eruption to be identified, greatly increasing the potential precision for correlation. In addition, devitrified lavas that are unsuitable for glass analysis can be correlated to coeval tephra deposits by their biotite compositions. Biotite is common in high-K₂O (>4 wt%) tephra beds and is widely dispersed in ash plumes because of its platy form, thus making it important in correlation studies.