Basaltic volcanism in the Bering Sea: geochronology and volcanic evolution of St. Paul Island, Pribilof Islands, Alaska

Abstract

The evolution of a Pleistocene to Holocene basaltic volcanic field in the back-arc region of the Aleutian subduction system is investigated at St. Paul Island, Alaska, one of the youngest eruptive centers in the Bering Sea basalt province. New 40Ar/ 39Ar and 14C age determinations indicate that subaerial volcanic activity forming the island began as early as 540 ka and has continued nearly to the present; the youngest eruption occurred approximately 3230 years BP. Magmas erupted on St. Paul are basaltic with MgO contents ranging from 14 to 4 wt.% and phenocryst assemblages of olivine+clinopyroxene±plagioclase; all are alkalic. The surface of St. Paul is composed mainly of numerous tephra cones surrounded by coalescing, low-viscosity pahoehoe lava flows. A central highland spans the island from east to west and is constructed of relatively young eruptive centers where rocks show a minimum of weathering and little deformation by faulting. In contrast, older lava flows forming the wave-eroded base of the island are gently to moderately tilted and faulted. Geochronologic, stratigraphic, and geochemical data indicate that eruptive styles on St. Paul evolved from early, mostly effusive eruptions of chemically little evolved lavas that form the base of the island, to more explosive monogenetic scoria cones, to polygenetic centers forming shields by repeated effusive eruptions of evolved low-viscosity lavas. Localization of the monogenetic and polygenetic centers appears to be related to east–west and northeast–southwest trending fault and fissure systems, with polygenetic centers located at intersections of major structures. The combined volcanic and compositional changes on St. Paul Island suggest that the magmatic system as a whole may be trending toward eruption of more evolved magmas related to the progressive development of crustal magma chambers in which crystal fractionation and magmatic differentiation are occurring.