Ar Age Determinations Research Articles

Short-lived alkaline magmatism related to the Réunion plume in the Deccan Large Igneous Province: inferences from petrology, 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology and palaeomagnetism of lamprophyre from the Sarnu-Dandali Alkaline Igneous Complex

Abstract Available geochronological information on Deccan indicates prolonged (started at 68.5 Ma) alkaline magmatism related to the Réunion mantle plume based on the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages from Sarnu-Dandali and Mundwara alkaline complexes. We studied in detail an alkaline lamprophyre, from the Sarnu-Dandali Complex, rich in groundmass (magmatic) as well as xenocrystic phlogopites and clinopyroxenes. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determinations of the phlogopites from this lamprophyre reveal two distinct ages of 65.44 ± 1.5 Ma and 68.17 ± 1 Ma. However, palaeomagnetic results show a VGP at 32.31° N and 298.52° E concordant with that of the Deccan Super Pole at 65.5 Ma and support the younger eruption age at c. 65.44 ± 1.5 Ma. Analysed phlogopites lack any signs of retention of excess radiogenic Ar and yield similar inverse isochron ages, which suggests that the older age of c. 68.17 ± 1 Ma belongs to the crystallization of xenocrystic phlogopite during mantle metasomatism. Trace element compositions support derivation of lamprophyre magma from an OIB-type enriched (metasomatized) mantle source with an involvement of phlogopite. This finding suggests that the pre-Deccan ages of c. 68–69 Ma reported previously may reflect the timing of metasomatism of the subcratonic lithospheric mantle during the separation of Greater-Seychelles from India at c. 68.5 Ma. The absence of pre-Deccan alkaline rocks therefore indicates the short duration (between 67–65 Ma) of alkaline as well as small-volume, volatile-rich magmatism directly related to the Réunion (Deccan) plume.

K–Ar age determinations on the fine fractions of clay mineral ‘Crystallinity Index Standards’ from the Palaeozoic mudrocks of southwest England

AbstractClay mineral ‘Crystallinity Index Standards’ (CIS) composed of Palaeozoic mudrocks from southwest England were investigated systematically in five sub-fractions per sample for the first time. X-ray diffraction was used to determine mineral assemblages, calibrated 001 illite full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) values and illite polytype compositions, in addition to K–Ar isotopic analyses of all fine fractions. The FWHM results of the <2 µm fraction are consistent with previous studies and reflect the range of diagenetic to epizonal grades covered by the sample set SW1 to SW7 (~0.61–0.26°2θ). Diagenetic and lower anchizone samples also show significant broadening of 001 illite reflections in the finer fractions and contain mixtures of authigenic 1M+ 1Mdillite and detrital 2M1white mica polytypes suitable for illite age analysis. The estimated end-member ages of the Bude (SW1-1992) and younger Crackington (SW3-2000) mudstones yield detrital ages of Late Cambrian to Middle Ordovician (493–457 Ma) and a broad range of 1M+ 1Mdillite ages between Middle Permian and Early Jurassic (271–190 Ma). The detrital age of the stratigraphically older Crackington Formation mudrock (SW2-1992) is Late Devonian (384–364 Ma) with 1M+ 1Mdillite ages between Late Triassic and Early Jurassic (219–176 Ma). The origin of Mesozoic 1M+ 1Mdillite ages may represent neocrystallized illite associated with Mesozoic hydrothermal events or similar events that thermally reset older authigenic illite with partial loss of radiogenic argon and no renewed crystal growth. In contrast, upper anchizonal and epizonal Devonian slates (SW3-2012, SW4-1992, SW6-1992 and SW7-2012) contain only the 2M1polytype, with K–Ar ages younger than the stratigraphic age. The three finest fractions of SW4-1992 yield consistent Late Carboniferous ages (331–304 ± 7 Ma) that are considered to date the neocrystallized 2M1mica. Most fractions of epizonal slate (SW6-1992, SW7-2012) yield Early Permian ages (293.6–273 Ma) corresponding to published cooling ages of the Tintagel High-Strain Zone and the intrusion of the Bodmin granite (291.4 ± 0.8 Ma). These first K–Ar age constraints for the fine fractions of the CIS should provide useful reference values for testing analytical procedures of illite age analysis.

History of Azuma Volcano based on K–Ar age determinations.

History of Azuma Volcano based on K–Ar age determinations.

Late Neogene–Quaternary tephrochronology, stratigraphy, and paleoclimate of Death Valley, California, USA

Sedimentary deposits in midlatitude continental basins often preserve a paleoclimate record complementary to marine-based records. However, deriving that paleoclimate record depends on having well-exposed deposits and establishing a sufficiently robust geochronology. After decades of research, we have been able to correlate 77 tephra beds exposed in multiple stratigraphic sections in the Death Valley area, California, United States. These correlations identify 25 different tephra beds that erupted from at least five different volcanic centers from older than 3.58 Ma to ca. 32 ka. We have informally named and determined the ages for seven previously unrecognized beds: ca. 3.54 Ma tuff of Curry canyon, ca. 3.45 Ma tuff of Furnace Creek, ca. 3.1 Ma tuff of Kit Fox Hills, ca. 3.1 Ma tuff of Mesquite Flat, ca. 3.15 Ma tuff of Texas Spring, 3.117 ± 0.011 Ma tuff of Echo Canyon, and the ca. 1.3 Ma Amargosa ash bed. Several of these tephra beds are found as far northeast as central Utah and could be important marker beds in western North America. Our tephrochronologic data, combined with magnetic polarity data and ^(40)Ar/^(39)Ar age determinations, redefine Neogene sedimentary deposits exposed across 175 km^2 of the Death Valley area. The alluvial/lacustrine Furnace Creek Formation is a time-transgressive sedimentary sequence ranging from ca. 6.0 to 2.5 Ma in age. The ca. 2.5−1.7 Ma Funeral Formation is typically exposed as a proximal alluvial-fan facies overlying the Furnace Creek Formation. We have correlated deposits in the Kit Fox Hills, Salt Creek, Nova Basin, and southern Death Valley with the informally named ca. 1.3−0.5 Ma Mormon Point formation. In addition, our correlation of the late Pleistocene Wilson Creek ash bed 15 in the Lake Rogers deposits represents the first unambiguous sequences deposited during the Last Glacial Maximum (marine isotope stage [MIS] 2) in Death Valley. Based on this new stratigraphic framework, we show that the Pliocene and Pleistocene climate in Death Valley is consistent with the well-established marine tropical/subtropical record. Pluvial lakes in Death Valley and Searles Valley began to form ca. 3.5−3.4 Ma in the late Pliocene during MIS MG5. Initiation of lakes in these two hydrologically separated valleys at the same time at the beginning of a cooling trend in the marine climate record suggests a link to a cooler, wetter (glacial) regional climate in North America. The Death Valley lake persisted until ca. 3.30 Ma, at the peak of the M2 glaciation, after which there is no evidence of Pliocene lacustrine deposition, even at the peak of the Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (ca. 2.75 Ma). If pluvial lakes in the Pliocene are an indirect record of glacial climate conditions, as they are for the Pleistocene, then a glacial climate was present in western North America for ∼200,000 yr during the Pliocene, encompassing MIS MG5−M2. Pleistocene pluvial lakes in Death Valley that formed ca. 1.98−1.78 Ma, 1.3−1.0 Ma, and ca. 0.6 Ma (MIS 16) are consistent with other regional climate records that indicate a regional glacial climate; however, Death Valley was relatively dry at ca. 0.77 Ma (MIS 19), when large lakes existed in other basins. The limited extent of the MIS 2 marsh/shallow lake in the Lake Rogers basin of northern Death Valley reflects the well-known regional glacial climate at that time; however, Death Valley received relatively lower inflow and rainfall in comparison.

Using palaeomagnetic and isotopic data to investigate late to post-Caledonian tectonothermal processes within the Western Terrane of Svalbard

The analytical results of a total of 205 metabasic specimens from 10 palaeomagnetic sites collected from Oscar II Land in Western Spitsbergen are presented. Petrographic, structural and palaeomagnetic data all demonstrate that the pre-Caledonian ferromagnetic fabric of the metabasic rocks has been extensively reoriented and intensively remineralized. New in situ laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determinations suggest that the host rocks have been subject to three resetting events during the 426 – 380 Ma (Caledonian sensu lato ), 377 – 326 Ma and c. 300 Ma intervals. The latter two resetting events coincide in time with the Barents Shelf-wide rift-controlled subsidence events. The derived palaeomagnetic data do not fall on the expected apparent polar wander path of Laurussia for syn- to post-Caledonian time. Consequently, four models invoking palaeogeographical great and small circle rotations, regional tectonism involving thrusting and normal listric faulting have been investigated to account for this lack of correspondence. The palaeomagnetic data do not lend support to reconstructions linking Western Svalbard with Pearya but point instead to the importance of listric faulting related to the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean that modified the geometry of the West Spitsbergen Fold and Thrust Belt. Supplementary material: (1) Field characteristics of metabasic sites, (2) detailed description of applied rock magnetic and palaeomagnetic procedures, (3) microscopic images of investigated geochronological samples, (4) in situ LA-ICP-MS 40 Ar/ 39 Ar isotopic age determination results, (5) microscopic, SEM and BSE images of investigated metabasites, and (6) anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3673924 .

Geochemistry and40Ar/39Ar geochronology of lavas from Tunupa volcano, Bolivia: Implications for plateau volcanism in the central Andean Plateau

Tunupa volcano is a composite cone in the central Andean arc of South America located ∼115 km behind the arc front. We present new geochemical data and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determinations from Tunupa volcano and the nearby Huayrana lavas, and we discuss their petrogenesis within the context of the lithospheric dynamics and orogenic volcanism of the southern Altiplano region (∼18.5°S–21°S). The Tunupa edifice was constructed between 1.55 ± 0.01 and 1.40 ± 0.04 Ma, and the lavas exhibit typical subduction signatures with positive large ion lithophile element (LILE) and negative high field strength element (HFSE) anomalies. Relative to composite centers of the frontal arc, the Tunupa lavas are enriched in HFSEs, particularly Nb, Ta, and Ti. Nb-Ta-Ti enrichments are also observed in Pliocene and younger monogenetic lavas in the Altiplano Basin to the east of Tunupa, as well as in rear arc lavas elsewhere on the central Andean Plateau. Nb concentrations show very little variation with silica content or other indices of differentiation at Tunupa and most other central Andean composite centers. We propose that this distinct compositional domain reflects an amphibole- and/or phlogopite-rich mantle lithospheric source. Breakdown of these minerals during lithospheric delamination may provide a melting trigger for Tunupa, as has been suggested for other rear arc plateau lavas of the central Andes, and for plateau regions globally. The ca. 11 Ma Huayrana lavas indicate that this process had begun in the central Altiplano Basin by this time. The enriched Nb-Ta-Ti signature of plateau lavas may be an important indicator of hydrous mineral breakdown within the mantle lithosphere, and it can be detected in lavas that that have likely experienced crustal contamination.

Stratigraphy, 40Ar–39Ar dating and erosional history of Svínafell, SE-Iceland

The interplay of volcanism and erosion in the Svínafell massif, on the western slope of the Öræfajökull volcanic center, SE-Iceland, is traced with geological mapping, magnetostratigraphy and $^{40}$Ar–$^{39}$Ar age determinations. The volcanic strata are mainly of Quaternary age, i.e., geomagnetic chrons of lower Matuyama to upper Brunhes. The 1832 m thick sequence in Svínafell is composed of 37 discrete lithologic formations, assigned to seven volcano-stratigraphic groups beginning with the onset of volcanism in the Öræfajökull stratovolcano during lower Brunhes magnetic chron (C1n < 781 ka). A regional basin formed shortly before the initiation of volcanism, generating a depocenter for the plant-fossil bearing Svínafell sediments between 0.70 and 1.78 Ma. The Svínafell volcanic strata accumulated during a minimum of eight glacial and inter-glacial stages. We document the Svínafell erosion history and landscape evolution, including 12 erosion surfaces. Erosion has led to extended stratigraphic hiatuses and removal of thick volcanic sequences.

Scoria cone formation through a violent Strombolian eruption: Irao Volcano, SW Japan

Scoria cones are common volcanic features and are thought to most commonly develop through the deposition of ballistics produced by gentle Strombolian eruptions and the outward sliding of talus. However, some historic scoria cones have been observed to form with phases of more energetic violent Strombolian eruptions (e.g., the 1943–1952 eruption of Paricutin, central Mexico; the 1975 eruption of Tolbachik, Kamchatka), maintaining volcanic plumes several kilometers in height, sometimes simultaneous with active effusive lava flows. Geologic evidence shows that violent Strombolian eruptions during cone formation may be more common than is generally perceived, and therefore it is important to obtain additional insights about such eruptions to better assess volcanic hazards. We studied Irao Volcano, the largest basaltic monogenetic volcano in the Abu Monogenetic Volcano Group, SW Japan. The geologic features of this volcano are consistent with a violent Strombolian eruption, including voluminous ash and fine lapilli beds (on order of 10−1 km3 DRE) with simultaneous scoria cone formation and lava effusion from the base of the cone. The characteristics of the volcanic products suggest that the rate of magma ascent decreased gradually throughout the eruption and that less explosive Strombolian eruptions increased in frequency during the later stages of activity. During the eruption sequence, the chemical composition of the magma became more differentiated. A new K–Ar age determination for phlogopite crystallized within basalt dates the formation of Irao Volcano at 0.4 ± 0.05 Ma.

Modelling effect of sericitization of plagioclase on the 40 K/ 40 Ar and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar chronometers: implication for dating basaltic rocks and mineral deposits

Abstract The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar technique is the most commonly used technique to date basaltic rocks. For basaltic rocks older than about 30 Ma, the dating of plagioclase separates is preferred over groundmass as the latter is susceptible to containing cryptic alteration due to fluid circulations, difficult if not impossible to remove during sample preparation. Alteration under such metamorphic conditions progressively forms K-rich sericite after plagioclase. Owing to its transparency, plagioclase allows a distinction to be made optically between partially–completely altered grains and fresh grains. However, practice shows that grains that contain less than about 1% of sericite are hard to identify under the stereomicroscope. Owing to the high K 2 O content ( c. 10 wt%) of sericite, such compromised grains can have dramatic effects on the age determination of plagioclase. Here, we investigate and quantify the effect of sericite on the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determination of plagioclase using a numerical model with multiple variable parameters. We show that the most influential parameter is the time difference between the crystallization of plagioclase and the sericitization event. We also show that for some continental flood basalts, even 0.1 wt% of sericite can bias the apparent age of a plagioclase separate by several hundred thousand years. The presence of sericite can be identified using a combination of Ca/K ratios, age spectra, and 39 Ar and 37 Ar degassing curves obtained during a conventional 40 Ar/ 39 Ar step-heating procedure. When the age of the fresh plagioclase and its Ca/K ratio are known, the percentage of sericitization and the age of the alteration event can be estimated. Ultimately, above approximately 65% of sericitization, the apparent age measured on the altered plagioclase is within ±1% of the age of the alteration event, with implications for accurately dating low-temperature metamorphism and mineral deposit formations. Supplementary material: Further details of calculation are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18609 .

Lateral magma intrusion from a caldera-forming magma chamber: Constraints from geochronology and geochemistry of volcanic products from lateral cones around the Aso caldera, SW Japan

We investigated the K–Ar ages and the petrological and geochemical features of lava units from lateral cones and lava distributed around the Aso caldera in central Kyushu, Japan, in order to constrain the spatial range of lateral magma intrusion during the caldera-forming stage. The results of the K–Ar age determination showed that most of the analyzed lava units erupted almost simultaneously with the Aso caldera-forming pyroclastic eruptions (266 to 89ka). In addition, the petrography, major and trace element compositions, and Sr isotope ratios of these lava units are indistinguishable from the caldera-forming pyroclastic products. The contemporaneous activities of compositionally similar magmas inside and outside of the caldera presumably indicate the occurrence of a lateral intrusion of caldera-forming magma, which had accumulated in a huge magma chamber beneath the caldera system. Our results suggest that a total of 6.3vol.% of caldera-forming magma in the Aso volcano migrated more than 20km along the faults from the center of the caldera.

U–Pb and Re–Os geochronology of the Haolibao porphyry Mo–Cu deposit, NE China: implications for a Late Permian tectonic setting

AbstractNew geochronological data for the Haolibao porphyry Mo–Cu deposit, NE China, yield Permian crystallization zircon U–Pb ages of 278 ± 5 Ma for granite and 267 ± 10 Ma for the granite porphyry that hosts the Mo–Cu mineralization, and four Re–Os molybdenite ages yield an isochron age of 265 ± 3 Ma. These ages disagree with the previous K–Ar age determinations that suggest a correlation of intrusive rocks of the Haolibao area with the Yanshanian intrusive rocks of Cretaceous age. The mineralizations at the Haolibao area may be related to the tectonic–magmatic activity caused by collisional events between the North China Plate and Mongolian terranes during the Permian. The occurrence of the Haolibao plutonic rocks indicates that the Palaeo-Asian-Mongolian Ocean closed during the Permian along the Xilamulun River suture.

Re–Os and U–Pb geochronology of the Duobaoshan porphyry Cu–Mo–(Au) deposit, northeast China, and its geological significance

The large-scale Duobaoshan porphyry Cu–Mo–(Au) deposit is located at the north segment of the Da Hinggan Mountains, northeast China. Six molybdenite samples from the Duobaoshan deposit were selected for Re–Os isotope measurement to define the mineralization age of the deposit, yieldings a Re–Os isochron age of 475.9±7.9Ma (2σ), which is accordant with the Re–Os model ages of 476.6±6.9–480.2±6.9Ma. This age is consistent with the age of the related granodiorite porphyry, which was dated as 477.2±4Ma by zircon U–Pb analysis using LA-ICP-MS. These ages disagree with the previous K–Ar age determinations that suggest a correlation of intrusive rocks of the Duobaoshan area with the Hercynian intrusive rocks of Carboniferous–Permian age. These ages demonstrate that the Duobaoshan granodiorite porphyry and related Cu–Mo deposit occurred in the Early Ordovician. The rhenium content of molybdenite varies from 290.9 to 728.2μg/g, with an average content of 634.8μg/g. The high rhenium content in molybdenite of the Duobaoshan deposit suggests that the ore-forming materials may be mainly of mantle source.

The volcanic evolution of Martinique Island: Insights from K–Ar dating into the Lesser Antilles arc migration since the Oligocene

The Lesser Antilles island arc bifurcates into two lines in its northern part, with an old branch to the east and a recent active branch to the west. Martinique is located at the southern tip of the separation. The two arcs diverge northward, and at maximum divergence are separated by a 50 km wide depression. Despite this separation, which suggests a jump in volcanism, activity has been almost continuous in Martinique Island with a slow displacement of the eruptive centers to the west. Considering timing of emplacement, previous authors defined three cycles of activity, the old, intermediate and recent arcs, of Late Oligocene–Early Miocene, Mid Miocene and Late Miocene to present ages, respectively. The present study investigates the timing of emplacement of the volcanic units in Martinique Island in order to constrain the activity of the old and intermediate Lesser Antilles arcs, as recorded on this island. Unspiked K–Ar age determinations on groundmass and plagioclase separates (Cassignol–Gillot technique) were conducted on 20 samples from the old and intermediate volcanic chains. Martinique has evolved as eight distinct volcanic centers: (1) Basal Complex and Sainte Anne Series (24.8 ± 0.4–20.8 ± 0.4 Ma) for the old arc; (2) Vauclin–Pitault Chain (16.1 ± 0.2–8.44 ± 0.12 Ma) and (3) South-western Volcanism (9.18 ± 0.16–7.10 ± 0.10 Ma) for the intermediate arc; and (4) Morne Jacob volcano (5.14 ± 0.07–1.54 ± 0.03 Ma), (5) Trois Ilets Volcanism (2.358 ± 0.034 Ma and 346 ± 27 ka), (6) Carbet Complex (998 ± 14 to 322 ± 6 ka), (7) Mount Conil (543 ± 8 to 127 ± 2 ka) and (8) Mount Pelée (126 ± 2 ka to present) for the recent arc ( Germa et al., 2010, 2011a).We propose migration rates of 1.1–1.4 km/Myr westward, toward the back arc region throughout the whole volcanic history of Martinique Island. These rates, together with geochemical evidence for a more enriched signature in the youngest magmas, are consistent with a geodynamic evolution involving the migration of the northern volcanic front away from the trench in response to the subduction of an aseismic ridge, possibly influenced by convergence between North-American and South-American plates.

Lifetime of an ocean island volcano feeder zone: constraints from U–Pb dating on coexisting zircon and baddeleyite, and 40Ar/39Ar age determinations, Fuerteventura, Canary IslandsThis article is one of a series of papers published in this Special Issue on the theme of Geochronology in honour of Tom Krogh.

High-precision isotope dilution – thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID–TIMS) U–Pb zircon and baddeleyite ages from the PX1 vertically layered mafic intrusion Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, indicate initiation of magma crystallization at 22.10 ± 0.07 Ma. The magmatic activity lasted a minimum of 0.52 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar amphibole dating yielded ages from 21.9 ± 0.6 to 21.8 ± 0.3, identical within errors to the U–Pb ages, despite the expected 1% theoretical bias between 40Ar/39Ar and U–Pb dates. This overlap could result from (i) rapid cooling of the intrusion (i.e., less than the 0.3 to 0.6 Ma 40Ar/39Ar age uncertainties) from closure temperatures (Tc) of zircon (699–988 °C) to amphibole (500–600 °C); (ii) lead loss affecting the youngest zircons; or (iii) excess argon shifting the plateau ages towards older values. The combination of the 40Ar/39Ar and U/Pb datasets implies that the maximum amount of time PX1 intrusion took to cool below amphibole Tc is 0.8 Ma, suggesting PX1 lifetime of 520 000 to 800 000 Ma. Age disparities among coexisting baddeleyite and zircon (22.10 ± 0.07/0.08/0.15 Ma and 21.58 ± 0.15/0.16/0.31 Ma) in a gabbro sample from the pluton margin suggest complex genetic relationships between phases. Baddeleyite is found preserved in plagioclase cores and crystallized early from low silica activity magma. Zircon crystallized later in a higher silica activity environment and is found in secondary scapolite and is found close to calcite veins, in secondary scapolite that recrystallised from plagioclase. close to calcite veins. Oxygen isotope δ18O values of altered plagioclase are high (+7.7), indicating interaction with fluids derived from host-rock carbonatites. The coexistence of baddeleyite and zircon is ascribed to interaction of the PX1 gabbro with CO2-rich carbonatite-derived fluids released during contact metamorphism.

40Ar/39Ar chronostratigraphy of Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex ignimbrites reveals the development of a major magmatic province

The Lipez region of southwest Bolivia is the locus of a major Neogene ignimbrite flare-up, and yet it is the least studied portion of the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex of the Central Andes. Recent mapping and laser-fusion 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating of sanidine and biotite from 56 locations, coupled with paleomagnetic data, refine the timing and volumes of ignimbrite emplacement in Bolivia and northern Chile to reveal that monotonous intermediate volcanism was prodigious and episodic throughout the complex. The new results unravel the eruptive history of the Pastos Grandes and Guacha calderas, two large multicyclic caldera complexes located in Bolivia. These two calderas, together with the Vilama and La Pacana caldera complexes and smaller ignimbrite shields, were the dominant sources of the ignimbrite-producing eruptions during the ∼10 m.y. history of the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex. The oldest ignimbrites erupted between 11 and 10 Ma represent relatively small volumes (approximately hundreds of km 3 ) of magma from sources distributed throughout the volcanic complex. The first major pulse was manifest at 8.41 Ma and 8.33 Ma as the Vilama and Sifon ignimbrites, respectively. During pulse 1, at least 2400 km 3 of dacitic magma was erupted over 0.08 m.y. Pulse 2 involved near-coincident eruptions from three of the major calderas resulting in the 5.60 Ma Pujsa, 5.65 Ma Guacha, and 5.45 Ma Chuhuilla ignimbrites, for a total minimum volume of 3000 km 3 of magma. Pulse 3, the largest, produced at least 3100 km 3 of magma during a 0.1 m.y. period centered at 4 Ma, with the eruption of the 4.09 Ma Puripicar, 4.00 Ma Chaxas, and 3.96 Ma Atana ignimbrites. This third pulse was followed by two more volcanic explosivity index (VEI) 8 eruptions, producing the 3.49 Ma Tara (800 km 3 DRE) and 2.89 Ma Pastos Grandes (1500 km 3 DRE) ignimbrites. In addition to these large caldera-related eruptions, new age determinations refine the timing of two little-known ignimbrite shields, the 5.23 Ma Alota and 1.98 Ma Laguna Colorada centers. Moreover, 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determinations of 13 ignimbrites from northern Chile previously dated by the K-Ar method improve the overall temporal resolution of Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex development. Together with the updated volume estimates, the new age determinations demonstrate a distinct onset of Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex ignimbrite volcanism with modest output rates, an episodic middle phase with the highest eruption rates, followed by a decline in volcanic output. The cyclic nature of individual caldera complexes and the spatiotemporal pattern of the volcanic field as a whole are consistent with both incremental construction of plutons as well as a composite Cordilleran batholith.

Circum-Pacific arc flare-ups and global cooling near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary

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^{207}Pb-^{206}Pb, ^{40}Ar-^{39}Ar and Apatite Fission-Track Geothermochronology Revealing the Emplacement, Cooling and Exhumation History of the Karaçayır Syenite (N Sivas), East-Central Anatolia, Turkey

The Karaçayır syenite, intruding the Palaeozoic crustal metamorphics and unconformably overlain by Upper Paleocene to Eocene Tokuş formation in the north of Sivas (east-central Anatolia), has been studied with respect to ^{207}Pb-^{206}Pb single zircon evaporation, biotite ^{40}Ar-^{39}Ar, and apatite fission-track geothermochronology. ^{207}Pb-^{206}Pb single zircon evaporation dating yields an age of 99.0±11.0 Ma (Cenomanian-Turonian) which is considered to be the intrusion age. Biotite ^{40}Ar-^{39}Ar age determination gives a cooling age of ca. 65 Ma. Apatite fission-track dating, combined with T-t modeling based on track-length distribution data, determines a fast tectonic exhumation with an uplift rate of > 1 mm/a which occurred 58-61 Ma ago. This Middle Paleocene fast tectonic uplift is considered to have resulted from a compressional regime induced by the collision between the Tauride-Anatolide platform (TAP) and the Eurasian plate (EP) along the İzmir-Ankara-Erzincan (İAE) suture zone following the closure of the north-dipping subducted İAE ocean which belongs to northern Neo-Tethyan realm. This compressional regime has also formed the peripheral foreland basins in central Anatolia.

Paleomagnetic directions from mid-latitude sites in the southern hemisphere (Argentina): Contribution to time averaged field models

Back-arc volcanism located to the east of the Andean Cordillera was sampled in the Argentina provinces of Mendoza and Neuquen for paleomagnetic time average field and paleosecular investigations. The activity ranges from 2 Ma to very recent time, with a large variety of products, from basalts to highly differentiated lavas. After removal of sites affected by lightning, those with α 95 higher than 10°, and combining of nearby sites displaying close directions, we present new paleomagnetic results from 31 flows units belonging to two volcanic massifs: the Payun Matru and the Cerro Nevado. Previous and new K–Ar age determinations constrain the volcanic activity of these massifs from 300 to 0 ka, and from 1.9 to 0.9 Ma, respectively. Most paleomagnetic samples have NRM intensities between about 1 and 20 A/m and depict progressive removal of magnetization components in a consistent fashion during stepwise AF or thermal demagnetization. Nineteen flows yielded a normal direction (declination = 354.8°, inclination = −53.0°, α 95 = 6.8°) and 12 flows a reverse direction (declination = 181.0°, inclination = 52.3°, α 95 = 5.9°). The combined data yielded a mean direction (declination = 357.3°, inclination = −52.8°, α 95 = 4.6°), which is not statistically different from the axial dipole field ( g 1 0 ) expected at this latitude (36°S). The angular dispersion of virtual geomagnetic poles calculated from flows with normal directions (ASD = 16.5°) compares well with the observed value from global datasets for this site latitude, but flows with reverse directions display a surprisingly low dispersion (ASD = 12.5°). Since most reverse directions were sampled from flows ranging between 1.9 and 0.9 Ma, this can be interpreted as an interval of low paleomagnetic secular variation. Additional data, also with accurate time constraints, are obviously needed to better support this observation. Finally, no convincing evidence for a complex time average field significantly different from the axial dipole can be supported by this study for the last 2 Myr.

Multiple Brunhes Chron excursions recorded in the West Eifel (Germany) volcanics: Support for long-held mantle control over the non-axial dipole field

Volcanic records of excursional geomagnetic field behavior, in particular paleointensity estimates, are fragmentary for the Pleistocene. The West Eifel volcanic field is unique in that 12 of 66 measured lava flow sites record Virtual Geomagnetic Poles (VGPs) clustered between 34–45°N latitude and 30–50°E longitude over the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Paleointensity determinations reveal that 13 of 37 lavas erupted during times when the ambient field was weak. Specifically, results on nine transitionally magnetized and four normally magnetized lavas indicate paleofield intensities less than 30 μT associated with virtual dipole moments (VDMs) <4 × 10 22 Am 2 [Schnepp, E., Hradetzky, H., 1994. Combined paleointensity and 40Ar/ 39Ar age spectrum data from volcanic rocks of the West Eifel field (Germany): evidence for an early Brunhes geomagnetic excursion. J. Geophys. Res 99, 9061–9076]. Until now, the age of these lava flows has been known only from imprecise 40Ar/ 39Ar dating that implied acquisition of magnetic remanence between about 570 and 450 ka. Thus, they have been interpreted to record a single, but poorly defined, excursion in the lower Brunhes Chron. To incorporate these paleofield data into the global high-resolution Geomagnetic Instability Time Scale (GITS), we have determined precise ages of groundmass from 12 excursional and 7 normally magnetized lava flows using the 40Ar/ 39Ar incremental heating method. Unspiked K–Ar age determinations from two excursional samples are indistinguishable from their 40Ar/ 39Ar results. Ages of the excursional lava flows fall into five groups at 722 ± 38, 626 ± 24, 578 ± 8, 555 ± 4, and 528 ± 16 ka (±2 σ analytical uncertainties, relative to 1.194 Ma Alder Creek sanidine). The group of three excursional flows with an age of 578 ± 8 ka correspond temporally with lava flow sequences on Tahiti and La Palma that record the Big Lost excursion at 579 ± 6 ka. Eight other excursional lavas erupted from 722 to 528 ka correlate with less well-defined excursions or paleointensity minima differentially expressed in marine sediment records. Our findings that at least four, and perhaps five, temporally distinct excursions are recorded between 722 and 528 ka further suggest that each weakening of the dynamo during this period was associated with demise of the axial dipole. The VGPs produced during these excursions are found to be dispersed longitudinally across Eurasia and are remarkably similar to those associated with the calculated south VGPs at West Eifel for the non-axial dipole (NAD) field during the 20th century. A simple model in which the axial dipole repeatedly collapses leaving behind a residual NAD field that is largely held by stationary sources, probably in the lowermost mantle, provides an explanation for the recurrent excursional behavior during this ∼200 kyr period.

Eruptive history, geochronology, and magmatic evolution of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic complex, Chile

Forty-three 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determinations of lava flows, domes, ignimbrites, and dikes, plus 14 C dates from seven distal tephra layers, combined with stratigraphy, geochemistry, and Sr and Th isotope data, establish an eruptive chronology for the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic complex at 40.5° S in the Andean southern volcanic zone (SVZ). The complex preserves ~131 km 3 of lava and tephra that erupted from numerous vents widely separated in time and space. Approximately 80% of the total volume consists of basaltic to andesitic lava that formed two broad shield volcanoes between 314 and 70 ka. The modern Puyehue stratovolcano was built on the southerly shield during the past 69 k.y. following a hiatus of 25 k.y. Puyehue has erupted ~15 km 3 of basaltic to rhyolitic magma that spans the entire compositional range found in the southern SVZ and evolved via at least six phases including: (1) basaltic andesitic to dacitic lavas between 69 and 32 ka, (2) a shift to bimodal magma compositions that is first expressed by a rhyodacite mingled with inclusions of MgO-rich basaltic andesite at 34 ka, (3) dacitic to rhyolitic flows and domes from 19 to 12 ka, (4) basaltic to basaltic andesitic flows between 15 and 12 ka, (5) subsequent rhyolitic dome growth in several effusive and explosive stages between 7 and 5 ka, followed by (6) a powerful series of phreatomagmatic and sub-Plinian eruptions at ca. 1.1 ka that obliterated the preceding rhyolite domes and formed the present 2.5-km-diameter, 280-m-deep summit crater. Along the Cordon Caulle fissure zone, ~5 km 3 of rhyodacitic to rhyolitic lavas, domes, and cones have formed during the past ~16.5 k.y., including explosive and effusive eruptions in 1921–1922 and 1960. Eruptive rates were nonuniform over time, with background growth at 0.04 km 3 /k.y. or less, punctuated by spurts at up to 0.90 km 3 /k.y. The time-averaged rate, 0.42 km 3 /k.y., is nearly double that at the Tatara-San Pedro complex 500 km to the north during the past 300 k.y. These findings indicate that within a single arc the magmatic and eruptive fluxes at individual frontal volcanoes can be highly variable. The last three stratocone-building events on Puyehue began during periods of deglaciation, suggesting a relationship between unloading of ice and ease of magma ascent. Puyehue basalt exhibits subtle changes in 238 U- 230 Th, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, and trace element composition over time that signal shifts in the composition and degree of melting of the mantle wedge, or the extent to which basalt was modified by assimilation of heterogeneous crustal melts. The complex has become exceptionally bimodal and more explosive over time with recent rhyolites evolving by extreme crystal fractionation of mafic magma and lesser volumes of andesite and dacite created via mixing of rhyolite and basalt. Despite the high flux of basalt during the past 300 k.y., no large silicic magma reservoir formed in the upper crust. Instead, 238 U- 230 Th data favor rapid ascent of several small bodies of basaltic and silicic magma from the lower crust, promoted perhaps by conduits that reflect strike-slip faulting beneath the complex.