Characterization and facies analysis of the hydrovolcanic deposits of Montaña Pelada tuff ring: Tenerife, Canary Islands

Abstract

Montaña Pelada is a basaltic Pleistocene tuff ring located in the SE of Tenerife and it is composed of two edifices each with its distinct internal depositional distribution. A detailed stratigraphic analysis was carried out and ten facies were recognized. Deposits interpretation has revealed that water/magma ratio changes controlled the eruptive evolution, distinguishing three main stages of the eruption. Pyroclastic density currents were formed during the initial phreatomagmatic stages depositing the proximal facies, and transformed into turbulent dry surges during the second stage, indicating a reduction in the water/magma ratio. After deposition of these surges, the opening of an N–S fracture drove the eruption northwards creating a new edifice. The new hydrological conditions allowed the input of phreatic water, which resulted in high proportion of accidental lithics within characteristic of the deposits, increasing the water/magma ratio and reducing the fragmentation degree as can be recognized in the third stage. The evolution of the second tuff was similar, starting with radial-diluted pyroclastic surges and finishing with base surges deposits, suggesting lower water/magma ratio and higher fragmentation degree. Whereas the south cone originates dry pyroclastic surges and many tuff facies, northern one does not go beyond the deposition of a laminated tuff.