Petrologic evolution of the San Juan volcanic field, southwestern Colorado: Pb and Sr isotope evidence

Abstract

Research Article| January 01, 1978 Petrologic evolution of the San Juan volcanic field, southwestern Colorado: Pb and Sr isotope evidence PETER W. LIPMAN; PETER W. LIPMAN 1U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii 967182Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar BRUCE R. DOE; BRUCE R. DOE 1U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii 967182Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar CARL E. HEDGE; CARL E. HEDGE 1U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii 967182Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar THOMAS A. STEVEN THOMAS A. STEVEN 1U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii 967182Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information PETER W. LIPMAN 1U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii 967182Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 BRUCE R. DOE 1U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii 967182Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 CARL E. HEDGE 1U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii 967182Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 THOMAS A. STEVEN 1U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii 967182Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1978) 89 (1): 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1978)89<59:PEOTSJ>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation PETER W. LIPMAN, BRUCE R. DOE, CARL E. HEDGE, THOMAS A. STEVEN; Petrologic evolution of the San Juan volcanic field, southwestern Colorado: Pb and Sr isotope evidence. GSA Bulletin 1978;; 89 (1): 59–82. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1978)89<59:PEOTSJ>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Two distinct suites of igneous rocks occur within the San Juan volcanic field: an Oligocene suite of predominantly intermediate-composition lavas and breccias, with associated silicic differentiates erupted mainly as ash-flow tuffs, and a Miocene-Pliocene bimodal suite of silicic rhyolites and mafic alkalic lavas.The Oligocene volcanism, probably related to subduction along the western margin of the American plate, has chemical and isotopic characteristics indicative of complex interactions with Precambrian cratonic lithosphere. It also appears to record the rise, differentiation, and crystallization of a large composite batholith beneath the San Juan field. The earliest intermediate-composition lavas and breccias have major- and minor-element compositional patterns indicative of high-pressure fractionation and are relatively nonradiogenic in both Pb and Sr, suggesting significant interaction with lower crust of the American plate. The more silicic ash-flow tuffs show compositional evidence of low-pressure fractional crystallization and are more radiogenic in Pb and Sr — features thought to indicate significant shallow residency for the magmas and interaction with upper crust. Especially radiogenic Pb-isotope compositions of some of these rocks may reflect interactions between the magmas and convecting meteoric water rich in leached Pb, a process thought to have been even more important in forming associated hydrothermal ore deposits. Ore leads tend to be more radiogenic than associated rock leads.Many of the Miocene-Pliocene basaltic lavas seem to be mantle-derived lavas, similar to those of oceanic islands, but some anomalous xenocrystic basaltic andesites, containing relatively nonradiogenic lead, may have been slightly contaminated by lower crustal components. Rhyolitic lavas and intrusions of the bimodal suite are also nonradiogenic in Pb and Sr, in comparison with the Oligocene rhyolites, and do not appear to have interacted with Precambrian upper crust, probably because they erupted largely through the subvolcanic batholith. The Miocene-Pliocene rhyolites are best interpreted as partial melts of lower crust, with the thermal energy to initiate magma generation provided by concurrent basaltic volcanism. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. 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