Abstract
The Middle Latin Valley volcanic field forms part of the Roman Magmatic Province and includes Pleistocene monogenetic volcanism characterized by the emplacement of small lava flows and minor pyroclastic ejecta and flows.The absence of a main volcanic edifice and of a large, shallow-level magma reservoir allows the eruption of primitive magmas. Geochemical and petrological data suggest that at least four types of mafic parental magmas are present within the volcanic field: (1) melilite-bearing ultrapotassic (kamafugitic); (2) plagioclase-bearing and -free leucititic (HKS); (3) shoshonitic; (4) sub-alkaline. Ar^Ar dating reveals diachronous emplacement of mafic magmas with different levels of K enrichment; the kamafugitic lavas are the oldest and the sub-alkaline lavas the youngest. Incompatible trace element contents strictly follow K2O, but overall the groups of rocks show similar trace element fractionation, with high field strength elements less enriched than large ion lithophile elements. Despite a restricted range in MgO and SiO2 contents, the Middle LatinValley volcanic rocks have highly variable Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions. The sub-alkaline rocks have the lowest Sr/Sr and the highest Nd/Nd, whereas the kamafugitic rocks have the highest Sr/Sr and the lowest Nd/Nd. Intermediate isotopic compositions between these two end-members are shown by leucitites^plagio-leucitites and shoshonites. A clear, time-dependent trend of isotopic variation is observed. This also holds true for Pb isotope compositions, with shoshonitic and subalkaline rocks showing the most radiogenic signatures and the kamafugitic rocks the least radiogenic signatures.The overall geochemical characteristics of the magmas can be reconciled in terms of a model involving recycling of marly shales within the upper mantle; this overprinted earlier pervasive metasomatism related to melts (supercritical fluids) derived from altered oceanic basalts. The crustal derived (marl) end-member is considered to have been concentrated within a metasomatic vein network within the lithosphere, whereas the supercritical fluid-metasomatized end-member occurs within the surrounding mantle. Early partial melting of veins produced strongly undersaturated melilite-bearing ultrapotassic magma (kamafugitic).The progressive exhaustion of the veined mantle increased the
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