Phenocryst Compositions Research Articles

Geochemical “fingerprints” for Olduvai Gorge Bed II tuffs and implications for the Oldowan–Acheulean transition

Bed II is a critical part of early Pleistocene Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Its deposits include transitions from humid to more arid conditions (with associated faunal changes), from Homo habilis to erectus, and from Oldowan to Acheulean technology. Bed II (~1.8–1.2Ma) is stratigraphically and environmentally complex, with facies changes, faulting, and unconformities, making site-to-site correlation over the ~20km of exposure difficult. Bed II tuffs are thinner, less evenly preserved, and more reworked than those of Bed I. Five marker tuffs (Tuffs IIA–IID, Bird Print Tuff (BPT)), plus local tephra, were collected from multiple sites and characterized using stratigraphic position, mineral assemblage, and electron probe microanalysis of phenocryst (feldspar, hornblende, augite, titanomagnetite) and glass (where available) composition. Lowermost Bed II tuffs are dominantly nephelinitic, Middle Bed II tuffs (BPT, Tuff IIC) have basaltic components, and upper Bed II Tuff IID is trachytic. The BPT and Tuff IID are identified widely using phenocryst compositions (high-Ca plagioclase and high-Ti hornblende, respectively), though IID was originally (Hay, 1976) misidentified as Tuff IIC at Loc 91 (SHK Annexe) in the Side Gorge. This work helps establish a high-resolution basin-wide paleolandscape context for the Oldowan–Acheulean transition and helps link hominin, faunal and archaeological records.

Clinopyroxene phenocrysts from the Księginki nephelinite (SW Poland)

Abstract The Eocene nephelinite from Księginki quarry (SW Poland) contains five types of clinopyroxene phenocrysts varying by texture and chemical composition. Type I phenocrysts are formed of Mg-rich (mg# = 0.93–0.88) homogenous cores, patchy mantle and zoned rims. Abundant type II is less magnesian (mg# = 0.65–0.88) and consists of spongy or spongy-patchy core surrounded by zoned rims, whilst in type III (mg# = 0.69–0.84), the cores are massive but patchy. The mg# of cores of type IV phenocrysts is slightly lower than that of type I (0.79–0.89), but its cores are either massive or patchy. Type V is very scarce and consist of relatively Mg-poor (mg# = 0.75–0.77) core enveloped by nonpatchy, sometimes zoned mantle and zoned outer rim. Chemical composition of type I and type IV cores suggests that they are xenocrysts introduced into the nephelinite from disintegrated peridotite and clinopyroxenitic xenoliths, respectively. Type V is also of xenocrystic nature, but its source rock was significantly more evolved than mantlederived ones. Types II and III are possibly cognates from the host nephelinite or a melt related to the nephelinite. All the types of phenocrysts suffered from disequilibrium with the nephelinitic (or proto-nephelinitic) melt or dissolution during adiabatic uplift. Linear variation in chemical composition of phenocrysts of Księginki nephelinite suggests its evolution because of fractional crystallisation, without significant influence of other differentiation processes.

The magma plumbing system of the Emeishan large igneous province and its role in basaltic magma differentiation in a continental setting

Magmatic activity of the Emeishan large igneous province (ELIP) of SW China is one of the most significant geological events of the late Paleozoic. The large volume flood basalts plus rare picrites were erupted in Late Permian. Previous studies indicate that the basalts are the derivatives of primary mantle-derived magma by fractional crystallization, but the depths at which this process took place remain unknown. To answer this question, we use phenocryst compositions and mineral-liquid thermobarometers to determine the P-T conditions of the magma reservoirs where crystallization occurred, then use these data to reconstruct the magma plumbing system of the igneous province. Thermobarometric calculations show that most picrite-hosted clinopyroxene phenocrysts crystallized at ~25 km and 1200–1280 °C, whereas most basalt-hosted clinopyroxene phenocrysts crystallized at depths <20 km and temperatures <1200 °C. Some picrites containing primitive olivine with Fo up to Fo92 likely formed by eruption of the most primitive magma with composition similar to the primary magma from the deepest reservoir possibly at the Moho. Parental magmas yield mantle potential temperatures of 1740–1810 °C, which are the highest such temperatures yet recorded for terrestrial magmas of any age. Less primitive picrites containing both olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts formed by eruption of moderately fractionated magma from a reservoir in the middle crust. Basalts and basaltic andesites formed by eruption of the most fractionated magmas from the reservoirs in the upper crust, coinciding with the depths of coeval sulfide ore-bearing and Fe-Ti-V oxide ore-bearing mafic-ultramafic intrusions. The reason that the Emeishan volcanic sequence is dominated by basalts is because most of the mantle-derived magma was trapped in the middle and upper crusts, undergoing variable degrees of crystal fractionation plus crustal contamination before eruption. Primitive picrites are rare because their eruption requires a trans-lithosphere conduit, which is difficult to create and maintain due to increasing lithospheric pressure with depth. The results from this study reveal that magma reservoirs at the crustal levels play a critical role in magma differentiation in a continental setting.

Chemical and Pb isotope composition of phenocrysts from bentonites constrains the chronostratigraphy around the Cretaceous‐Paleogene boundary in the Hell Creek region, Montana

AbstractAn excellent record of environmental and paleobiological change around the Cretaceous‐Paleogene boundary is preserved in the Hell Creek and Fort Union Formations in the western Williston Basin of northeastern Montana. These records are present in fluvial deposits whose lateral discontinuity hampers long‐distance correlation. Geochronology has been focused on bentonite beds that are often present in lignites. To better identify unique bentonites for correlation across the region, the chemical and Pb isotopic composition of feldspar and titanite has been measured on 46 samples. Many of these samples have been dated by 40Ar/39Ar. The combination of chemical and isotopic compositions of phenocrysts has enabled the identification of several unique bentonite beds. In particular, three horizons located at and above the Cretaceous‐Paleogene boundary can now be traced—based on their unique compositions—across the region, clarifying previously ambiguous stratigraphic relationships. Other bentonites show unusual features, such as Pb isotope variations consistent with magma mixing or assimilation, that will make them easy to recognize in future studies. This technique is limited in some cases by more than one bentonite having compositions that cannot be distinguished, or bentonites with abundant xenocrysts. The Pb isotopes are consistent with a derivation from the Bitterroot Batholith, whose age range overlaps that of the tephra. These data provide an improved stratigraphic framework for the Hell Creek region and provide a basis for more focused tephrostratigraphic work, and more generally demonstrate that the combination of mineral chemistry and Pb isotope compositions is an effective technique for tephra correlation.

Water Content and Oxygen Isotopic Composition of Alkali Basalts from the Taihang Mountains, China: Recycled Oceanic Components in the Mantle Source

The genesis of Cenozoic continental basalts in Eastern China is highly debated. Subducted oceanic crust (most probably the Pacific oceanic slab) has been increasingly suggested to be involved in their mantle source. The Taihang Mountains are located at a surface position corresponding to the western edge of a stagnant subducted Pacific slab revealed by geophysical investigations, and thus provide an opportunity to study the spatial extent of the effect of Pacific subduction on the mantle characteristics of Eastern China. In previous studies, alkali basalts from the Taihang Mountains were considered to be the products of interaction between asthenosphere-derived melts and the old, enriched lithospheric mantle; their magnesium isotope signature suggested the contribution of oceanic carbonate. To explore the possible contribution from recycled oceanic crust in the genesis of the Taihang basalts we estimated the water contents of the magmas by a phenocryst-based approach (⁠Cwatermelt=Cwatermineral/Dwatermineral/melt⁠) and measured the oxygen isotope compositions of clinopyroxene phenocrysts by secondary ion mass spectrometry for the same sample suite as used in previous studies. The calculated water contents (H2O by weight) of the parental magmas range from 0·20 to 1·07 wt %, and the corresponding H2O/Ce ratios correlate well with (Nb/La)n (where n represents primitive mantle normalization), (Ba/Th)n and εNd. The oxygen isotope ratios (δ18OSMOW) range from 5·8 to 7·4‰, and the average value for each sample ranges from 6·6 to 7·0‰. These new data indicate a large contribution from extremely dehydrated recycled oceanic crust together with entrained sediments. The minor element compositions (Ca, Mn and Ni contents) of olivine phenocrysts in the Taihang basalts suggest a pyroxenite source that was probably formed by the interaction between oceanic crust-derived melt and ambient mantle peridotite.

Rates of water exsolution and magma ascent inferred from microstructures and chemical analyses of the Tokachi–Ishizawa obsidian lava, Shirataki, northern Hokkaido, Japan

Very few quantitative textural data exist for viscous obsidian lava eruptions, and it is still unclear from the mechanical behavior of ascending magmas if outgassing is controlled dominantly by brittle or ductile deformation. In order to obtain insights into how degassing and ascent proceed in such highly viscous magmas, we conducted textural and chemical analyses of the Tokachi–Ishizawa (TI) obsidian lava, in the Shirataki rhyolite volcanic area, northern Hokkaido, Japan, and estimated the water exsolution rate and ascent rate. The storage conditions of the TI lava are estimated from the Rhyolite-MELTS program as T=840–860°C and P=50MPa using the mineral assemblages and the chemical compositions of plagioclase phenocrysts and glass. To estimate the magma ascent rate, we measured the length, width, and number of oxide microlites using three-dimensional techniques. Textural analysis indicates that the microlite number densities (Nv [number/m3]) of oxide microlites in TI lava samples are 2.1×1013 to 1.4×1014, which correspond to water exsolution rates of 3.5×10−9 to 1.7×10−8wt.%/s and ascent rates of 1.7×10−6 to 1.1×10−5m/s. Together with an estimate of viscosity, the inferred ascent velocities allow us to examine the mechanical behavior of the magma in the conduit. We conclude that the development of permeability leading to outgassing is controlled by ductile deformation rather than brittle fracturing.

Oxygen-isotope compositions of chondrule phenocrysts and matrix grains in Kakangari K-grouplet chondrite: Implication to a chondrule-matrix genetic relationship

To investigate a possible relationship between chondrules and matrix, we studied mineralogy, mineral chemistry, and in situ O-isotope compositions of chondrules, clastic matrix grains, and amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs) in the Kakangari K-grouplet chondrite. Most olivines and low-Ca pyroxenes in the Kakangari chondrules, matrix, and AOAs have similar magnesium-rich compositions, Fo∼95–97 (∼0.3–0.5wt% MnO) and En∼90–96, respectively. These rather uniform chemical compositions of the different chondritic components are likely due to partial Fe–Mg–Mn equilibration during thermal metamorphism experienced by the host meteorite. Oxygen-isotope compositions of olivine and low-Ca pyroxene grains in chondrules and matrix plot along a slope-1 line on a three O-isotope diagram and show a range from 16O-enriched composition similar to that of the Sun to 16O-depleted composition similar to the terrestrial O-isotope composition. Most olivines and low-Ca pyroxenes in chondrules are 16O-poor and plot on or close to the terrestrial mass-fractionation line (mean Δ17O values ±2 standard deviations: 0.0±0.8‰ and +0.2±0.9‰ for olivine and pyroxene, respectively), consistent with the previously reported compositions of bulk chondrules (Δ17O=−0.16±0.70‰). In addition to these 16O-poor grains, a coarse-grained igneous rim surrounding a porphyritic chondrule contains abundant 16O-rich relict olivines (Δ17O∼−24‰). Oxygen-isotope compositions of olivines and low-Ca pyroxenes in matrix show a bimodal distribution: 12 out of 13 olivine and 4 out of 17 pyroxene grains measured are similarly 16O-rich (Δ17O∼−23.5±2.9‰), others are similarly 16O-poor (Δ17O∼−0.1±1.7‰). Due to slow oxygen self-diffusion, olivines and low-Ca pyroxenes largely retained their original oxygen-isotope compositions. The nearly identical O-isotope compositions between the chondrule phenocrysts and the 16O-poor matrix grains suggest both chondrules and matrix of Kakangari sampled isotopically the same reservoirs. In addition, the presence of abundant 16O-rich grains in matrix and the chondrule igneous rim suggests both components acquired similar precursor inventories. These observations imply that chondrules and matrix in Kakangari are genetically related in the sense that material that formed matrix was one of the precursors of chondrules and chondrules and some fraction of matrix experienced the same thermal processing event. The 16O-enriched bulk matrix value compared to the bulk chondrules reported previously is likely due to presence of abundant 16O-rich grains in the Kakangari matrix.

Tephrochronology and geochemistry of Eocene and Oligocene volcanic ashes of east and central Texas

New single-crystal sanidine 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dates of 12 middle Eocene to Oligocene rhyolitic volcanic ash beds of the Texas coastal plains range from 30.64 ± 0.03 Ma (lower Catahoula Formation) to 41.841 ± 0.016 Ma (lower Crockett Formation). These dates are from Texas coastal plains strata in the Crockett marine transgression and the Yegua and Jackson depositional wedges. Radiometric dating of sanidine and electron microprobe analysis of volcanic apatite phenocrysts validate previous regional correlation of the Upper Alabama Ferry volcanic ash from Brazos County to Houston County, Texas, and provide support for correlation of this bed with the St. Johns bentonite deposit in Louisiana. Middle Eocene ash beds are distinguished by differences in apatite phenocryst composition. The wide distribution of the thick Alabama Ferry volcanic ashes points to an early age (41.841 ± 0.016 Ma) for the start of major explosive rhyolitic volcanism in western North America. Volcanic ash bed samples have subalkaline rhyolite composition with geochemical characteristics consistent with derivation from volcanic arc rocks. Trace-element data show a temporal change in volcanic ashes: Middle Eocene ashes are depleted in heavy rare earth elements compared to late Eocene and Oligocene units. This change in ash composition coincides with the time of transition from subduction compression to arc-rifting on the western margin of Mexico, and compositional data are consistent with the Sierra Madre Occidental being the source for the volcanic ash. Volcanic units of the eastern portion of the Trans-Pecos of Texas and Mogollon-Datil area of New Mexico overlap temporally, but geochemical characteristics and K/Ca ratios in sanidine indicate they are geochemically unlikely to be sources for the Texas coastal plains middle Eocene to Oligocene volcanic ash beds.

Upper Katian (Ordovician) bentonites in the East Baltic, Scandinavia and Scotland: geochemical correlation and volcanic source interpretation

AbstractAltered volcanic ash interbeds (bentonites) in the upper Katian of Baltoscandia indicate significant volcanic activity in neighbouring tectonically active areas. Katian bentonites in the East Baltic can be reliably correlated using sanidine phenocryst composition. Ratios of immobile trace elements TiO2, Nb, Zr and Th to Al2O3enable extension of the correlations to Scandinavia, where late diagenetic alterations could have caused recrystallization of sanidine phenocrysts. At least seven volcanic eruptions were recognized in Baltoscandian sections. Several bentonites found in deep-sea sediments are absent in shallow-sea sediments, indicating extensive breaks in sedimentation and erosion during late Katian and Hirnantian times. The areal distribution pattern of Katian bentonites in Baltoscandia indicates a volcanic source from the north or northwest (present-day orientation) from the margins of the Iapetus Palaeo-Ocean. Signatures of ultra-high-pressure metamorphism in the Seve Nappe (Central Sweden) and intrusions in the Helgeland Nappe Complex in Central Norway have been proposed as potential sources of the magmas that generated the volcanic ashes deposited in the East Baltic in Katian times. Geochemical similarities between Baltoscandian and Dob's Linn bentonites from southern Scotland suggest a common volcanic source in Katian times.

Magmatic storage conditions, decompression rate, and incipient caldera collapse of the 1902 eruption of Santa Maria Volcano, Guatemala

Phase equilibria experiments and analysis of natural pumice and phenocryst compositions indicate the 1902 Santa Maria dacite was stored at ~140–170MPa and 840–850°C prior to eruption. H2O-saturated, cold-seal experiments conducted in vessels with an intrinsic log fO2 of NNO+1±0.5 show that the natural phase assemblage (melt+plagioclase+amphibole+orthopyroxene+Fe–Ti oxides+apatite) is stable from approximately 115–140MPa at temperatures below ~825°C, to ~840–860°C at 150MPa, to >850 and <875°C at 200MPa. Natural plagioclase phenocrysts have rim compositions that range from An40–An45; this range of compositions defines a ~20°C band that intersects the stable phase assemblage at ~150MPa and 850°C. Plagioclase hosted melt inclusions were analyzed using FTIR and commonly contain <5wt.% H2O, which corresponds to a pressure of ~170MPa at 850°C, under pure H2O saturated conditions. Amphibole geothermobarometry (Ridolfi et al., 2010) applied to experimental samples suggest two populations of amphiboles, phenocrysts grown during the experiments and inherited xenocrysts, but the pressure–temperature conditions returned by the geothermobarometer are routinely >50MPa and >50°C greater than experimental run conditions; precise estimates of magmatic conditions based solely upon amphibole composition are likely inaccurate. The experimental results and analysis of natural crystals suggest that although the natural amphiboles likely record a broad range of magmatic conditions, only the lower bounds of that range reflect pre-eruptive storage conditions. Comparison of Santa Maria microlite abundances with decompression experiments examining other silicic systems from the literature suggests that the 1902 dacite decompressed at the rate of ~0.005 to 0.01MPa/s during the eruption. Applying the decompression rate with the previously described eruption rate of approximately 2–3×108kg/s (Williams and Self, 1983; Carey and Sparks, 1986) to the conduit model CONFLOW reveals that the eruption conduit was dike-like with an along-strike length >1km. Despite depositing ~20km3 of dacite tephra (equivalent to ~8.5km3 magma), the 1902 eruption did not form an obvious caldera. This work suggests that collapse of the dike-like conduit terminated the eruption, preventing full caldera collapse.

Amphibole in alkaline basalts from intraplate settings: implications for the petrogenesis of alkaline lavas from the metasomatised lithospheric mantle

Kaersutite to pargasite phenocrysts from Tertiary alkali basalts (Rhon, Central European Province, Germany) yield new high-precision 40Ar/39Ar ages of 24.0–24.1 Ma. Major and trace element compositions demonstrate that these high-TiO2 (4–7 wt%) amphiboles are in equilibrium with their host rock. Chemically, these amphibole phenocrysts resemble amphibole from magmatic veins in upper mantle rocks but differ from disseminated amphibole from peridotite. Most amphiboles have similar isotope characteristics to their alkaline basaltic host rocks (87Sr/86Sr24 = 0.7035–0.736, eNd24 = +3.8–+4.0, 206Pb/204Pb24 = 19.21–19.37, 207Pb/204Pb24 = 15.58–15.62, 208Pb/204Pb24 = 38.95–39.16), but two samples show contrasting isotopic compositions (eNd24 = −4.0 and −2.9; 206Pb/204Pb24 = 17.08 and 18.11; 207Pb/204Pb24 = 15.51 and 15.58; 208Pb/204Pb24 = 37.41 and 37.99), indicating involvement of an ancient crust-derived component during melting. The O isotopic composition of the amphibole phenocrysts ranges from 5.4 to 7.5 ‰, reflecting O isotope heterogeneity of the upper mantle sources. The contrasting isotopic composition of amphibole and host rock pairs furthermore indicates that phenocrysts record the early stages of the volcanic history of the Rhon volcanic field on a regional scale and at a different depth within the lithospheric mantle. Temperature and pressure estimates range from 1,010 and 1,080 °C and 0.7 and 1.0 GPa and are compatible with the experimental results on the stability of amphibole in alkaline rocks derived from the upper mantle. Geochemistry of major and trace elements and isotopic compositions shows that igneous amphibole from alkali basalts may preserve isotope heterogeneities suggesting that they sample heterogeneous upper mantle lithologies on a small scale.

Mesoproterozoic orangeites (Kimberlites II) of West Karelia: Mineralogy, geochemistry, and Sr-Nd isotope composition

Mineralogical and petrological-geochemical features of the Mesoproterozoic (1.23–1.20 Ga) alkaline ultrabasic rocks from the Kostomuksha-Taloveis (Russia) and Lentiira-Kuhmo (Finland) areas, West Karelia, have been studied. In terms of mineralogy and geochemistry, these rocks more resemble group II kimberlites of South Africa (orangeites) than olivine lamproites or ultramafic lamprophyres. On the basis of phenocryst composition, the studied orangeites are divided into three types: Cpx-Phl-Ol, Phl-Ol, and Phl-Carb orangeites. The Cpx-Phl-Ol orangeites from the Kostomuksha cluster clearly differ from analogous rocks from the Lentiira cluster. The composition of Phl-Ol orangeites is indicative of derivation by intense fractional crystallization; Cpx-Phl-Ol orangeites from the Kostomuksha area display evidence of intense lithosphere assimilation. The Phl-Carb orangeites from the Taloveis cluster and Cpx-Ol orangeites from the Lentiira cluster most closely approximate primary melts. The Kostomuksha orangeites are characterized by lowto moderate-radiogenic (87Sr/86Sr)1220 ratio varying from 0.7038 to 0.7067. The Phl-Carb orangeites of Taloveis have less radiogenic Nd isotope composition (ɛNd from −11 to −12) as compared to the Cpx-Phl-Ol and Phl-Ol orangeites of Kostomuksha (ɛNd from −6.9 to −9.4). The Cpx-Phl-Ol orangeites from Lentiira contain fresh olivine. By morphology and composition, there are three olivine generations: (1) large rounded, usually zoned crystals with Fo 92 core, 0.33–0.37 wt % NiO, and 0.03–0.04 wt% CaO, which are interpreted as xenocrysts from depleted peridotites; (2) anhedral rounded zoned olivines of intermediate size with Fo 82–83 cores, 0.03–0.05 wt % CaO, 0.12–0.17 wt % NiO, and up to 0.40 wt % MnO. These olivines were entrapped by orangeite melt and presumably represent a cumulate of basaltic melts or were derived from metasomatized peridotites; (3) fine euhedral olivines and xenocryst rims corresponding to Fo 88–89 with 0.10–0.42 wt % CaO, 0.14–0.35 wt % NiO, and up to 0.07–0.21 wt % MnO; their origin was presumably related to the crystallization from kimberlite melt. The calculation of $$f_{O_2 }$$ of kimberlite melt during crystallization of perovskites using Nb-Fe perovskite oxyba-rometer showed that Cpx-Phl-Ol orangeites of Kostomuksha and orangeites of Lentiira crystallized at similar oxygen fugacities corresponding to ΔNNO from −3.3 to −1.1 and from −3.3 to −0.9, respectively. The Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotope study provided evidence for the contribution from ancient enriched source in the genesis of the orangeites. It was proposed that their mantle source was formed in two stages: (1) metasomatic reworking of previously depleted lithospheric source at the Karelian Craton base during Paleoproterozoic orogenic events 2.1–2.0 Ga ago; (2) extension-related generation of orangeite melts 1.27–1.20 Ga ago.

Pre-eruptive storage conditions and eruption dynamics of a small rhyolite dome: Douglas Knob, Yellowstone volcanic field, USA

The properties and processes that control the size, duration, and style of eruption of rhyolite magma are poorly constrained because of a paucity of direct observations. Here, we investigate the small-volume, nonexplosive end-member. In particular, we determine the pre-eruptive storage conditions and eruption dynamics of Douglas Knob, a 0.011-km3 obsidian dome that erupted from a 500-m-long fissure in the Yellowstone volcanic system. To determine pre-eruptive storage conditions, we analyzed compositions of phenocrysts, matrix glass, and quartz-hosted glass inclusions by electron microprobe and Fourier-transform infrared analyses. The pre-eruptive melt is a high-silica rhyolite (∼75 wt.% SiO2) and was stored at 760 ± 30 °C and 50 ± 25 MPa prior to eruption, assuming vapor saturation at depth. To investigate emplacement dynamics and kinematics, we measured number densities and orientations of microlites at various locations across the lava dome. Microlites in samples closest to the inferred fissure vent are the most aligned. Alignment does not increase with distance traveled away from the vent, suggesting microlites record conduit processes. Strains of <5 accumulated in the conduit during ascent after microlite formation, imparted by a combination of pure and simple shear. Average microlite number density in samples varies from 104.9 to 105.7 mm−3. Using the magma ascent model of Toramaru et al. (J Volcanol Geotherm Res 175:156–157, 2008), microlite number densities imply decompression rates ranging from 0.03 to 0.11 MPa h−1 (∼0.4–1.3 mm s−1 ascent rates). Such slow ascent would allow time for passive degassing at depth in the conduit, thus resulting in an effusive eruption. Using calculated melt viscosity, we infer that the dike that fed the eruption was 4–8 m in width. Magma flux through this dike, assuming fissure dimensions at the surface represent its geometry at depth, implies an eruption duration of 17–210 days. That duration is also consistent with the shape of the dome if produced by gravitational spreading, as well as the ascent time of magma from its storage depth.

Phenocryst He–Ar isotopic and whole-rock geochemical constraints on the origin of crustal components in the mantle source of Cenozoic continental basalt in eastern China

Continental basalts commonly exhibit similar geochemical compositions to oceanic island basalts, but their origin is still enigmatic in chemical geodynamics. This involves a resolution to the nature of crustal components in their mantle sources. For this purpose, we have studied the He and Ar isotopic compositions of mineral phenocrysts from Cenozoic continental basalts in eastern China. The results are combined with existing data for whole-rock geochemistry, yielding two trends between noble gas isotopic and other geochemical indicators. First is high 3He/4He ratios of 6.6 to 7.5RA and low 4He/40Ar* ratios of 0.07 to 1.39 in association with varying (La/Yb)N values from 10.4 to 31.8. Second is low 3He/4He ratios of 0.6 to 2.4RA and variable 4He/40Ar* ratios from 0.68 to 15.47 in association with low (La/Yb)N values of 11.3 to 12.0. Phenocryst 40Ar/36Ar ratios vary from 331.0 to 1677.4, in which the low ratios are associated with the low (La/Yb)N values. In combination with whole-rock Ba/Th and Sr/Y ratios as well as initial Sr and Nd isotopic ratios, we suggest three-component mixing between enriched MORB mantle, altered oceanic basalt and seafloor sediment to generate the mantle sources. The two kinds of crustal components would be incorporated into the mantle sources in the form of felsic melts. One is adakitic melt deriving from the altered oceanic basalt and thus low in Ba/Th ratios but high in Sr/Y, (La/Yb)N and εNd(t) values. The other is sialic melt originating from the seafloor sediment and thus high in Ba/Th ratios but low in Sr/Y, (La/Yb)N and εNd(t) values. The atmospheric Ar and crustal He noble gas components would be carried by the both seawater–hydrothermally altered basalt and seafloor sediment on the oceanic crust. These oceanic crust-derived melts would serve as a metasomatic agent to transfer the supracrustal He and Ar isotopic signatures to the mantle sources. The felsic melts would react with the mantle wedge peridotite during slab–mantle interaction in oceanic subduction channel. Therefore, the noble gas isotopic compositions of mantle sources for intraplate basalts are primarily determined by the budget between the mantle and crustal components during the melt–peridotite in oceanic subduction factory.

Silurian bentonites in Lithuania: correlations based on sanidine phenocryst composition and graptolite biozonation – interpretation of volcanic source regions

Integrated correlation of bentonites (altered volcanic ashes) and graptolite biozonation is presented. Detailed study of two Lithuanian drill core sections extended previous knowledge of the occurrence and composition of bentonites to the south. Identification of graptolite species allowed bentonites to be assigned their proper stratigraphical position. Silurian bentonites in Lithuania are mostly characterized by wide and very wide XRD 20 1 reflections of the main component of sanidine phenocrysts. Only fourteen of the 69 samples studied contained sanidine with a sharp reflection, which gave the best correlation potential. In the Lithuanian sections one bentonite was found in the Rhuddanian, five bentonites were recognized in the Aeronian, 17 bentonites in the Telychian, 26 in the Sheinwoodian, 10 in the Homerian and six in the Ludlow. All bentonites found in Lithuania are characterized by the main component of sanidine. A large number of Lithuanian bentonites are not known in Latvia and Estonia, indicating that volcanic ashes reached the East Baltic area from two source regions - the Central European and Norwegian Caledonides.

The hydrous properties of subcontinental lithospheric mantle: Constraints from water content and hydrogen isotope composition of phenocrysts from Cenozoic continental basalt in North China

To investigate the hydrous properties of subcontinental lithospheric mantle, phenocrysts from Cenozoic continental basalt in North China were analyzed by FTIR for structural hydroxyl content and by TC/EA-MS for total water content and hydrogen isotope composition. The concentration of structural hydroxyl, while not detectable in olivine, ranges from 62 to 913ppm in clinopyroxene phenocrysts. Both olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts exhibit high total water contents, indicating the presence of molecular water as nanoscale inclusions. The majority of clinopyroxene phenocrysts contain less total water than olivine phenocrysts, and all the clinopyroxene phenocrysts exhibit higher δD values than olivine phenocrysts, suggesting that the molecular water in olivine is rather D-poor. The phenocryst minerals exhibit δD values of −145‰ to −94‰ that are negatively correlated with their total water contents.The initial basaltic melt is inferred to contain 0.6wt% total water, which increases to 3.5–6.7wt% due to fractional crystallization, rendering the melt water-saturated in the late stage of its evolution. Also during this process, structural hydroxyl in the melt is partly converted to molecular water, leading to the depletion of D in the phenocrysts and the systematic variation of structural hydroxyl content with the Mg number of clinopyroxene. The mantle source of the basaltic melt is inferred to have a structural hydroxyl content of 290ppm, which is slightly higher than that of MORB-type mantle but similar to that of OIB-type mantle. Thus, we suggest that the subcontinental lithospheric mantle of North China is rather hydrous and D-depleted, probably due to the entrainment of recycling subducted crustal material.

Geochemical evolution of Caledonian volcanism recorded in the sedimentary rocks of the eastern Baltic region

Abstract This article describes the occurrence, bulk geochemistry and phenocryst compositions of Caledonian volcanic ash beds (bentonites) in the sedimentary sections of the Palaeozoic Baltic sedimentary basin. Four periods of volcanism are recognized in the eastern Baltic region: (a) Late Sandbian with sources derived from the convergent margin between Avalonia and Baltica; (b) Late Katian with sources from the margin of the Iapetus Ocean (Norwegian Caledonides); (c) Aeronian (with extension into Telychian and Sheinwoodian) with sources in the Central European Caledonides; and (d) Telychian to Early Ludlow with sources derived from the convergent margin between Laurentia and Baltica (Norwegian Caledonides). Trace element compositions in bentonites indicate mostly evolved source magmas of rhyolitic and dacitic composition. The volcanism in the Aeronian is characterized by less evolved basaltic and trachyandesitic compositions. Sanidine compositions indicate the existence of potassium-dominated (over sodium) source magmas in Late Sandbian and from the late Homerian to Early Ludlow. During other periods both potassium- and sodium-dominated source magmas occur. The presence of sodium-rich sanidine in many bentonites combined with the scarcity of biotite suggests that the source magmas were water-undersaturated. Biotite phenocrysts are mostly Mg-rich, but Fe-rich varieties occur in the Late Sandbian and Early Telychian.

The Bishop Tuff giant magma body: an alternative to the Standard Model

The Bishop Tuff, one of the most extensively studied high-silica rhyolite bodies in the world, is usually considered as the archetypical example of a deposit formed from a magma body characterized by thermal and compositional vertical stratification—what we call the Standard Model for the Bishop magma body. We present here new geothermometry and geobarometry results derived using a large database of previously published quartz-hosted glass inclusion compositions. Assuming equilibrium between melt and an assemblage composed of quartz, ±plagioclase, ±sanidine, +zircon, ±fluid, we use Zr contents in glass inclusions to derive quartz crystallization temperatures, and we use (1) silica contents in glass, (2) projection of glass compositions onto the haplogranitic (quartz-albite-orthoclase) ternary, and (3) phase equilibria calculations using rhyolite-MELTS, to constrain crystallization pressures. We find crystallization temperatures of ~740–750 °C for all inclusions from both early- and late-erupted pumice. Crystallization pressures for both early- and late-erupted inclusions are also very similar to each other, with averages of ~175–200 MPa. We find no evidence of late-erupted inclusions having been entrapped at higher temperatures or pressures than early-erupted inclusions, as would be expected by the Standard Model. We argue that the thermal gradient inferred from Fe–Ti oxides—the backbone of the Standard Model—does not reflect equilibrium pre-eruptive conditions; we also note that H2O–CO2 systematics of glass inclusions yields overlapping pressure ranges for early- and late-erupted inclusions, similar to the results presented here; and we show that glass inclusion and phenocryst compositions show bimodal distributions, suggestive of compositional separation between early- and late-erupted populations. These findings are inconsistent with the Standard Model. The similarity in crystallization conditions and the compositional separation between early- and late-erupted magmas suggest that two laterally juxtaposed independent magma reservoirs existed in the same region at the same time and co-erupted to form the Long Valley Caldera and the Bishop Tuff. This hypothesis would explain the lack of mixing between early- and late-erupted crystal populations in pumice clasts; it could also explain the inferred eruption pattern—which resulted in early-erupted magmas being deposited only to the south of the caldera—if the early-erupted magma body resided to the south and the late-erupted magma body was located to the north. Our alternative model is consistent with the patchy distribution of thermal anomalies and the inference of co-eruption of distinct magma types in active volcanic areas such as the central Taupo Volcanic Zone.

Petrology of peridotite xenolith-bearing basaltic to andesitic lavas from the Shiribeshi Seamount, off northwestern Hokkaido, the Sea of Japan

The Shiribeshi Seamount off northwestern Hokkaido, the Sea of Japan, is a rear-arc volcano in the Northeast Japan arc. This seamount is composed of calc-alkaline and high-K basaltic to andesitic lavas containing magnesian olivine phenocrysts and mantle peridotite xenoliths. Petrographic and geochemical characteristics of the andesite lavas indicate evidence for the reaction with the mantle peridotite xenoliths and magma mixing between mafic and felsic magmas. Geochemical modelling shows that the felsic end-member was possibly derived from melting of an amphibolitic mafic crust. Chemical compositions of the olivine phenocrysts and their chromian spinel inclusions indicate that the Shiribeshi Seamount basalts in this study was derived from a primary magma in equilibrium with relatively fertile mantle peridotites, which possibly represents the mafic end-member of the magma mixing. Trace-element and REE data indicate that the basalts were produced by low degree of partial melting of garnet-bearing lherzolitic source. Preliminary results from the mantle peridotite xenoliths indicate that they were probably originated from the mantle beneath the Sea of Japan rather than beneath the Northeast Japan arc.

The Demir Kapija Ophiolite, Macedonia (FYROM): a Snapshot of Subduction Initiation within a Back-arc

The Demir Kapija ophiolitic complex in southern Macedonia–FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) represents the southernmost exposure of the Tethyan Eastern Vardar ophiolitic unit in the Eastern Mediterranean. It consists of a mafic volcanic sequence (pillow basalts, sheeted dyke diabases and gabbros) that was subsequently intruded by island arc magmas with and without adakitic affinity. The mafic volcanic sequence is characterized by slightly increased ratios of large ion lithophile elements to high field strength elements (LILE/HFSE), flat rare earth element (REE) patterns, radiogenic 143Nd/144Nd (up to 0·51272) and high TiO2 contents (which reflect Pl + Ol + Cpx fractionation). The relationship between TiO2 and MgO contents indicates that Ti saturation was eventually reached and that Ti-magnetite fractionated. The mafic volcanic sequence of the ophiolite complex formed around 166·4 Ma in a short-lived intra-oceanic back-arc basin by slab roll-back of the Western Vardar Ocean. The rocks with and without adakitic affinity are spatially and temporally closely related. Their crystallization age is around 164 Ma. Our data suggest that two subgroups of arc lavas evolved as discrete volcanic lineages that are not related by fractional crystallization of a common parental magma, and that two different parental magmas are required. The arc lavas with adakitic affinity show some of the typical features of adakites; that is, low heavy REE, elevated Sr/Y, high LILE and high light REE. Major and trace element compositions of clinopyroxene phenocrysts resemble those of typical adakite-derived clinopyroxene. The very high Th/La, Th/Yb and Ba/Yb ratios and the reduced 143Nd/144Nd values (around 0·51245) of the rocks with adakitic affinity are considered to reflect contributions of sedimentary material to their mantle source. By analogy with adakites, these rocks are interpreted as the product of slab + sediment melting in an unusually hot subduction zone (subduction of young oceanic crust). In contrast, the arc lavas without adakitic affinity are related to a different parental melt, similar to common arc magmas. The Demir Kapija ophiolite formed in a short-lived intra-oceanic back-arc basin during subduction initiation within a back-arc. The arc intrusions are related to the change from an extensional to a compressional regime.