Abstract

Three contemporaneous yet mineralogically and chemically distinct lava series which range in composition from olivine basalt through basaltic andesite through two-pyroxene andesite, have been analyzed for their strontium isotopic composition. The Mammoth-Modoc lavas produce a mantle isochron which suggests derivation from a source approximately 243 m.y. old. The Medicine Lake shield-forming extrusives produce a minimum mantle isochron; the age of this source is likely greater than 760 m.y. old. Encompassing the entire time span of eruption for the two basalt-andesite series are a number of low potassium high alumina olivine tholeiite lavas which, when analyzed as a coherent group, produce a zero age. Lavas related to these three magma series have been extruded during the last 105 years and cover a limited geographic area. The isotope data suggest a model with substantial heterogeneity in the subcontinental lithosphere and asthenosphere, at least beneath the Medicine Lake Highland portion of the southern Cascade petrographic province.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.