Fluorine,chlorine and lithium distribution in igneous rocks of lipari and vulcano (Aeolian Islands,Italy)

Fluorine and chlorine have been determined in samples of lavas and pyroclastic products from the islands of Lipari and Vulcano, which form the southernmost portion of the Aeolian arc, because their present distribution may provide additional information for a better understanding of the differentiation and eruptive mechanisms affecting these volcanoes. On the basis of previous data which did not reveal a significant presence of Cl- and F-bearing minerals, these two elements are expected to concentrate in the residual melt during differentiation, following a distribution pattern similar to that of lithium that is a typical residual constituent. The analytical results are in good agreement with the hypothesis which attributes a positive role to potassium in the solubility of volatiles in the melt phase, while silica would favour their escaping in a gaseous form. For rocks representing the last stages of differentiation a sharp increase in litium concentration is observed, and the relative loss of fluorine and chlorine is attributed to their releasing as constituents of fumarolic fumes. If the system is to a certain extent sealed, a « normal » passive enrichment for all the considered elements may occur.