Petrology of Tara-dake volcano, north western Kyushu.

Abstract

Tara-dake volcano is located in Omura Peninsula, Northwestern Kyushu. This volcano forms the western end of Daisen Volcanic Zone. The basement of this volcano is consisted of early Tertiary sediments and Pliocene volcanics. The volcanic activity of Tara-dake can be devided into four stages. In the first stage, this volcano extruded alkali basalt flows principally with a little of calc-alkali andesite flows. The second stage is represented by numerous andesitic pyroclastic rocks, which directly cover the extrusives of the first stage. Most of the pyroclastic rocks are fit for the pyroclastic flow of the intermediate type (Armakai, 1957). They were formed by several eruptions of many volcanoes, constructing Tara-dake volcano. After this stage, andesitic lava flows were erupted and lava domes were formed finally. In reference to the genesis of calc-alkali rocks, it is the important fact that the alkali basalts and clac-alkali andesites were erupted successively. The successive eruption of calc-alkali rocks and tholeiite (or high-alumina basalt) is known in various volcanoes of Japan. But similar relation between alkali and calc-alkali rocks has not been found out up to this time. In this area, both series of rocks include many xenoliths and xenocrysts, and both were comparatively affected the contaimination effect. So the Tara-dake andesite might be derived from the alkali basalt which assimilated the crustal material.