A West-East Traverse along the magmatism of the south Aegean volcanic arc in the light of volcanological, chemical and isotope data

Abstract

The volcanic rocks of the South Aegean arc (SAAVA) form a chain from the Gulf of Saronikos (Susaki, Egina, Poros, Methana) at West, to an area close to the Anatolian coast at East (Kos, Nisyros and minor islands), through the central part (Milos and Santorini island groups). The volcanic activity began in the Lower Pliocene at Egina (4.7 Ma) and lasted until present days, with the still active Methana, Milos, Santorini and Nisyros volcanoes. The beginning of volcanism is younger in the central sector of the arc. Volcanic center location was controlled by large tectonic lineaments, most of them still active, trending E-W to NW-SE for the western part and mainly NE-SW for the central and eastern parts of the arc. Volcanic fields developed along ellipse shaped areas with the longest axis oriented perpendicular to the subduction front. In the western volcanic fields (Susaki, Egina-Poros-Methana and Milos), volcanic centers are mostly monogenetic and no composite volcanic structures are present. In the eastern sector of the arc, Santorini and Nisyros are important composite volcanoes with caldera structures. Volcanic rocks belong to the calc-alkaline and high-K calc-alkaline (mainly Pliocenic in age) series. Basalts are mainly present in Santorini island group. Magmas underwent to complex differentiation processes, dominated by crystal fractionation, often associated to crustal contamination and mixing-mingling. Large compositionally zoned magma chambers often fed highly explosive eruptions, especially in the central and eastern sectors of the arc. In the western and eastern parts, potassium content of erupted magmas decreased with time, probably due to the increase of partial melting degree of the mantle source. Trends of evolution tend to pass from calc-alkaline to tholeiitic from West to the Santorini volcanic field, back again to calc-alkaline toward the Nisyros volcanic field. Incompatible trace element contents are lower in Santorini mafic magmas. From West to East, Sr and Pb isotope ratios decrease, whereas Nd isotope ratios increase. Partial melting of a MORB-like astenospheric mantle, metasomatised by prevailing subducted sediments, is thought to produce the entire spectrum of parental magmas of SAAVA. Slab-derived fluids are generally reduced. Low Ba/La values suggest the occurrence of even lower fluid contents during magma genesis at Santorini. Total amount of subducted sediments involved in the magma genesis decreases from West to East. Alternatively, the West-East 87Sr/86Sr and 144Nd/143Nd variation of the Mediterranean sediments leads to suggest a similar variation in the subducted sediment composition. Most of the geochemical characteristics of the Santorini magmas can be explained by higher partial melting degrees of the mantle source, probably triggered by the greater lithosphere extension, inducing adiabatic upwelling of the mantle. The higher lithosphere extension also caused Santorini magmas to stop at shallower levels, thus preventing amphibole crystallisation and allowing a higher amount of mafic magmas to reach the surface. From the beginning of SAAVA magmatism, occurred in the external parts of the arc, the partial melting degrees of the magma mantle source seem to have increased with decreasing time and going towards the central sector of the arc.