Lava tubes from the Paraná-Etendeka Continental Flood Basalt Province: Morphology and importance to emplacement models

Abstract

Lava tubes are a common feature in active volcanic areas around the world. They are related to pahoehoe and 'a'ā lava flow fields, that are predominantly basaltic, and form as the most efficient mechanism to transport lava in insulated fedder pathways. Continental Flood Basalt Provinces (CFBs) are thick volcanic sequences of predominantly basaltic lava flows and flow fields, which cover huge areas and are often related to continental breakup. The proposed emplacement model for CFB's is synonymous with the inflation processes observed in modern active flows. Although pahoehoe and 'a'ā lava flows are recognized in CFB's provinces, good examples of lava tubes, pipes or tube systems are rarely reported. Lava feeder systems (tube/pipes) are a common feature of modern pahoehoe flow systems so it would be expected to find good examples in CFB's provinces formed by the same emplacement processes. Here we describe the morphology of two lava tube systems discovered in the Paraná CFB Province in Southern Brazil. Comparisons are made with active systems and the importance of CFB lava tube systems, and their recognition in the rock record, are discussed in the context of the current emplacement model.