The Arc Lavas of the Shirahama Group, Japan: Sr and Nd Isotopic Data Indicate Mantle-Derived Bimodal Magmatism

New Sr and Nd isotopic data are presented and integrated withprevious data for the Shirahama Group Mio-Pliocene medium-Kvolcanic are suite of south-central Honshu, Japan. Main resultsare: (1) The Shirahama lavas range in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr from 0.70315to 0.70337 and in ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd from 0.51298 to 0.51306; the Srand Nd isotopic data cluster tightly within the mantle array,and all lie within an overlapping field of mid-ocean ridge basaltand ocean island basalt; (2) small differences exist among theShirahama tholeiitic series, calc-alkaline series and mixedlavas. The present isotopic data are consistent with a previouslypublished model, which proposes that chemical variations inmagmas of coexisting tholeiitic and calc-alkaline series areproduced through crystal fractionation from mantle-derived magmasof basalt and magnesian andesite, respectively. Moreover, thetholeiitic series and the calc-alkaline series are isotopicallyidentical. Thus, both magma series can be derived from a sourcemantle with the same isotopic composition, supporting the hypothesisof simultaneous generation of basalt and magnesian andesitemagmas from a single diapir rising through the mantle wedgeabove the subduction zone. The differences of water contentand temperature within the diapir are again thought to havebeen produced through dehydration and heating of an isotopicallyhomogeneous hydrous diapir. The isotopic data show that thehigh-SiO₂ lavas have the same isotopic compositions as moremafic lavas. These data and liquid lines of descent of the Shirahamamagmas suggest that even rhyolites can be produced by differentiationfrom mantle-derived magmas without crustal contamination. Analysesfrom 38 other arc volcanoes have been compiled to investigatethe intravolcano variability of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr. Twelve of these displayno intravolcano strontium isotopic variability, as is the casewith the Shirahama Group, but others show greater variationof ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr from individual volcanic centers, presumably reflectingcrustal contamination. Most of the latter volcanoes are underlainby thick continental crust. It is noteworthy, however, thatthe greater variations of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr correlate with SiO₂ content;andesites or dacites, not basalts, from the same volcano havethe lowest ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, and these rocks are calc-alkaline in termsof FeO^*/MgO and SiO₂ Theoretically, assimilation of continentalcrust by the isotopically uniform Shirahama magmas could producethese relationships. Given that mantle-derived basalt and magnesianandesite both encounter continental crust on their ascent tothe surface, the hotter basalt magma would assimilate more crustalwallrocks than the cooler andesite, resulting in the basaltbeing more radiogenic. Fractional crystallization, magma mixing,and/or assimilation-fractional crystallization of these magmasin crustal magma chambers could produce large compositionalvariations, but the derivatives of the hotter basaltic magmas(tholeiitic series in the broad sense) would display greatercontamination than those derived from the cooler andesitic magmas(calc-alkaline series). ^*Telephone: 81-858-43-1215. Fax: 81-858-43-2184. e-mail: tamura{at}misasa.okayam-u.ac.jp