Trace Element and Sr, Nd, Pb and O Isotope Variations in Medium-K and High-K Volcanic Rocks from Merapi Volcano, Central Java, Indonesia: Evidence for the Involvement of Subducted Sediments in Sunda Arc Magma Genesis

Abstract

Merapi volcano (Central Java), located within the Quaternary volcanic front of the Sunda arc, is one of the most active volcanoes of the Indonesian archipelago. During the Holocene, Merapi erupted basalts and basaltic andesites of medium-K affinity during its earlier stages of activity and high-K compositions over the past ∼1900 years. Merapi lavas and pyroclastic rocks are characterized by enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE) relative to high field strength elements (HFSE) and higher 87Sr/86Sr, 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb ratios and lower 143Nd/144Nd ratios compared with Indian Ocean mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB). Merapi high-K series rocks are enriched in LILE and LREE and slightly depleted in heavy REE (HREE) and HFSE compared with rocks from the medium-K series. The increase in K2O is accompanied by a marked increase in 87Sr/86Sr and a general decrease in 143Nd/144Nd, but not by systematic variations in δ18O values. The low δ18O nature of the Merapi magmas, and the lack of any major shift in isotopic compositions along the evolutionary trend of the two individual series, precludes extensive crustal assimilation during magma ascent and differentiation, emphasizing the importance of subducted continental material in the genesis of Merapi magmas. The compositional contrast between medium-K and high-K series volcanics largely reflects variable contributions from subducted sediment to the mantle wedge, which was similar to a MORB-source mantle before any subduction-related modification. The temporal change in the K2O content of the magmas reflects compositional variation in the mantle wedge rather than intracrustal processes occurring within the shallow volcanic system.