Crystal Mush Zone Research Articles

Unravelling the pre-eruptive conditions of the rhyolitic Šumovit Greben lava dome from clinopyroxene-dominant glomeroporphyritic clots

Detailed analyses of mineral composition and whole-rock geochemical data helped to unravel the volcanic plumbing system beneath the rhyolitic Šumovit Greben lava dome, the westernmost member of the Kožuf-Voras volcanic system (N. Macedonia). It is characterized by high SiO2 content (> 70 wt%) coupled with low MgO (< 1 wt%) and Sr (< 500 ppm) suggesting fractionation of clinopyroxene and plagioclase at depth forming a crystal mush and a crystal-poor rhyolitic lens by fractional crystallization and melt extraction on top of it. The crystal mush is composed of mainly clinopyroxene, biotite and plagioclase, whereas sanidine and plagioclase are the most abundant phenocrysts of the rhyolitic lens. The main dome forming event occurred at ca. 2.9 Ma, which sampled the crystal-poor rhyolitic lens. After a short quiescence time, an explosive eruption occurred depositing a massive lapilli tuff layer northwest of the lava dome, and an extrusion of a small-volume lava flow on the northern side of the lava dome at ca. 2.8 Ma. This latter sampled also the crystal mush, as it contains abundant glomeroporphyritic clots of clinopyroxene ± plagioclase ± biotite. The clinopyroxene phenocrysts are chemically homogeneous, their crystallization temperature is ca. 900 °C representing the crystal mush, whereas the plagioclase and the sanidine crystallized at a lower temperature (ca. 790 °C) representing the rhyolitic lens. Noble gas isotopic composition of the clinopyroxene indicate no mantle-derived fluids (< 0.5%) having an R/Ra of ca. 0.04 Ra. The rejuvenation of the system probably occurred due to implementation of mafic magma at depth leading to a heat transfer and partial melting of the cumulate. This led to crystallization of Ba-rich rims of the sanidine and An- and Sr-rich rims of the plagioclase. The crystal mush zone beneath Šumovit Greben might be connected to the nearby, more mafic volcanic centers, and the eruption of Šumovit Greben could have been the start of the last cycle in the lifetime of the Kožuf-Voras volcanic system.

Long-lived dacitic magmatic systems and recharge dynamics in the Jemez Mountains volcanic field, western USA

We examine the connected history of dacite-dominant volcanic rocks of the Tschicoma Formation, erupted between 5.5 and 2 Ma from the Jemez Mountains volcanic field, western USA. Zircon samples from two separate eruptions have continuous SHRIMP U–Pb age spectra spanning 0.84–1.08 Myr duration (3.12–3.96 Ma and 3.50–4.58 Ma, respectively), following an episode of zircon crystallization 0.28–0.50 Myr earlier (at 4.46 Ma and 4.86 Ma, respectively). Zircon chemical variations, as well as ubiquitous resorption textures that commonly show large core-rim age differences (up to 720–740 kyr), suggest that they grew in separate melt lenses. Zircons were likely stored at near-solidus or even sub-solidus conditions after crystallization, but may have been reactivated in response to at least four major magma recharge events every 300–400 kyr and smaller events in between. A cycle of zircon dissolution (from heating), recrystallization (during cooling), and storage repeated in different locations in the Tschicoma mush system throughout its lifespan; each recharge-induced heating stage may last for several hundred to more than a thousand years based on calculations of zircon dissolution. We envisage the melt lenses to be distributed in a crystal mush zone, coalescing into a single magma batch as magma recharge occurs shortly before eruption. Once active, increasing magma supply rates may trigger large-scale partial melting of the pre-existing mush and caldera-forming eruptions.

Generation of crystal-rich rhyodacites by fluid-induced crystal-mush rejuvenation: Perspective from the Late Triassic Nageng (sub-)volcanic complex of the East Kunlun Orogen, NW China

Remobilization of upper crustal crystal-rich magma reservoirs (“crystal mush”) following melt extraction has been widely invoked in the formation of crystal-rich erupted products. However, the melt storage duration and conditions, and the pre-eruptive magma chamber processes remain poorly understood. Here, we present new whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope data, and zircon U-Pb-Hf isotope and trace element data of the Nageng (sub-)volcanic complex in the East Kunlun Orogen of NW China. This complex consists of the highly-evolved (high SiO2, Rb/Sr) crystal-poor rhyolite and less-evolved crystal-rich rhyodacite and dacite porphyry. These rock types are genetically linked, based on their similar chondrite-normalized REE patterns and NdHf isotopes, and their linear correlation trends of 208Pb/204Pb and 207Pb/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb. Their depleted whole-rock εNd(t) (−9.74 to −7.37) and zircon εHf(t) (−7.16 to −3.48) values, together with their Proterozoic two-stage Hf model ages (1707–1474 Ma), are indicative of an ancient lower crustal magma source. The overlapping zircon ages but distinct composition (74–80 vs. 60–66 wt% SiO2) and crystallinity (~5 vs. 30–40 vol%) between the crystal-poor rhyolite and dacite porphyry can be explained by melt extraction from the crystal mush zone. The lack of resorption texture and large age interval (~8 Myr) between the zircon core (ca. 228 Ma) and rim (ca. 220 Ma) indicate that the crystal mush remained partially molten for protracted duration. The melt storage condition was constrained by Ti-in-zircon thermometry to be low-temperature, around the granitic solidus (650–700 °C). The crystal-rich nature and slightly negative Eu anomalies suggest that the dacite porphyry was formed in the roof zone (solidification front) of the crystal mush. The occurrence of resorbed zircon core (ca. 220 Ma) overgrown by much younger rim (ca. 213 Ma) for the crystal-rich rhyodacite demonstrates long-term rejuvenation of a semi-solidified crystal mush. The similar zircon core-rim Ti contents and Th/U, Yb/Gd, Zr/Hf ratios preclude that the crystal mush was rejuvenated by hotter, more mafic magmas. However, the widespread fluorite-rich magmatic-hydrothermal veining, combined with the reduced nature (indicated by the zircon Ce4+/Ce3+ drop from core to rim) of the crystal-rich rhyodacite, imply that the volatile-rich fluid influx may have been important in reactivating the crystal-mush for later crystal-rich rhyodacite eruption.

Mineralogy and petrology of lamprophyre and dolerite dykes from the end-Cretaceous (~ 66 Ma) Phenaimata alkaline igneous complex, north-western India: evidence for open magma chamber fractionation, mafic recharge, and disaggregation of crystal mush zone in a large igneous province

Mineralogy and petrology of lamprophyre and dolerite dykes from the end-Cretaceous (~ 66 Ma) Phenaimata alkaline igneous complex, north-western India: evidence for open magma chamber fractionation, mafic recharge, and disaggregation of crystal mush zone in a large igneous province

MORB Melt Transport through Atlantis Bank Oceanic Batholith (SW Indian Ridge)

AbstractThe Atlantis Bank Oceanic Batholith is a 660 km2 gabbro massif representing the plutonic foundation of a major ridge magmatic center. It was continuously accreted, emplaced, and exposed in the rift mountains of the paleo-SW Indian Ridge from 13 to 10·3 Ma. Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 735B, drilled to 1508 m at Atlantis Bank, recovered evolved intercalated olivine and oxide gabbros representing the upper levels of the lower ocean crust. Within this section, ∼5·6 m of primitive chromian-spinel-bearing troctolites (0·1–2 m thick), with sharp modal contacts with the host gabbros, were cored between 410 and 500 m depth. Here we present new mineral (chromian spinel, clinopyroxene, olivine, and plagioclase) major and trace element and petrographic data for the troctolite suites (i.e. troctolites, clinopyroxene-rich troctolites, troctolitic gabbros) from 410 to 528 mbsf (meters below seafloor) and olivine gabbros in the 0–274 mbsf and 410–500 mbsf intervals, and examine the origin of these troctolite layers. Equilibrium melts for the troctolites are primitive to moderately evolved, with Mg# [= 100Mg/(Mg + Fe), 48–68 mol%] comparable with those of Atlantis Bank basalts. By contrast, equilibrium melts for both the 0–274 mbsf and 410–500 mbsf host olivine gabbros are highly to moderately evolved (Mg# 27–63 mol%). The 410–500 mbsf troctolite suites maintain high clinopyroxene Mg# (81–89 mol%) and mineral concentrations of compatible elements (i.e. clinopyroxene Cr2O3 0·1–1·2 wt%, Ni 151–330 μg g–1 and olivine Ni 1055–1559 μg g–1) with the increase in incompatible trace element abundances (i.e. clinopyroxene TiO2 0·3–2·1 wt%, Zr 5·8–112 μg g–1 and olivine Ti up to 293 μg g–1). Combined with abundant dissolution–reprecipitation textures, our results indicate that the troctolites were formed by the reaction between a spinel-bearing, troctolitic mush, from which they inherited the high Mg#, Ni and Cr, and percolating melts adding incompatible trace elements. Moreover, the spinel (NiO versus TiO2) and olivine (Ti versus Y) trace element compositions indicate that the troctolites were affected by low-degree Fe–Ti-rich melt metasomatism. In contrast, both the 0–274 mbsf and 410–500 mbsf olivine gabbros display a prominent decrease in clinopyroxene Mg# (from 88 to 66) and mineral compatible element concentrations (i.e. clinopyroxene Cr2O3 from 1·1 to ∼0 wt%, Ni from 208 to 34 μg g–1 and olivine Ni from 1200 to 136 μg g–1) with increasing incompatible trace element abundances (e.g. clinopyroxene Zr from 4·8 to 157 μg g–1). These features are compatible with the reactive porous flow of slightly to highly evolved melts through the cooling crystal mush zone. Our results, combined with the literature data, indicate that most olivine gabbros between 410 and 500 mbsf were formed prior to the troctolite layers. We document that the troctolites represent conduits for mid-ocean ridge basalt melt transport through the lower oceanic crust, whereas the olivine gabbros represent crystallization of a large crystal mush, recording initial gabbro emplacement, hyper- and sub-solidus deformation, and melt–rock reaction owing to upward penetrative flow of intercumulus melt.

Zircon geochronology suggests a long-living and active magmatic system beneath the Ciomadul volcanic dome field (eastern-central Europe)

Ciomadul is the youngest volcano in eastern-central Europe. Although its last eruption occurred at ca. 30 ka, there are independent indications for a high-crystallinity magma reservoir persisting beneath the volcano until present. In order to further test the hypothesis of long-lived melt presence and to better constrain the nature and timescales associated with the subvolcanic magma storage system, over 500 zircon U-Th and U-Pb spot ages (crystal interiors and outer surfaces) were interpreted from dacitic rocks of the most productive eruptive period (the Young Ciomadul Eruptive Period; YCEP, 160-30 ka). Zircon surface ages from lava dome and pumice samples range from ca. 600 ka up to the youngest eruption event at 30 ka. They form a continuous age distribution and some single crystals reveal significant age zonation (>150 kyr difference from core to rim). The oldest zircon ages of YCEP overlap with the last eruption events of the Old Ciomadul Eruptive Period (1000–330 ka). The zircon age spectra, combined with textural data, point to a prolonged (several 100's kyr) residence in a highly crystalline mush state. The range in zircon crystallization temperature (from ∼750°C to the solidus at ∼680°C) is consistent with the results of thermometry on amphibole and plagioclase from felsic crystal clots, which represent crystal mush fragments. To maintain magma reservoir for such a long time above solidus, continuous magma input by deeper recharge is required. Zircon crystallization model calculations constrained by thermal modelling imply an average rate of magma input of about 1.3 × 10−4 km3/yr over 2 Myr. Such estimate allows us to calculate an extrusive/intrusive ratio of 1:25–1:30. The model calculations suggest that a crystal mush zone of about 35 km3 is still present within the subvolcanic magma reservoir. Importantly, the Ciomadul plumbing system thus remains thermally primed and renewed magma injection could lead to rapid reawakening and eruption of the apparently inactive volcano.

Stacked Magma Lenses Beneath Mid‐Ocean Ridges: Insights From New Seismic Observations and Synthesis With Prior Geophysical and Geologic Findings

AbstractRecent multi‐channel seismic studies of fast spreading and hot‐spot influenced mid‐ocean ridges reveal magma bodies located beneath the mid‐crustal Axial Magma Lens (AML), embedded within the underlying crustal mush zone. We here present new seismic images from the Juan de Fuca Ridge that show reflections interpreted to be from vertically stacked magma lenses in a number of locations beneath this intermediate‐spreading ridge. The brightest reflections are beneath Northern Symmetric segment, from ∼46°42′‐52′N and Split Seamount, where a small magma body at local Moho depths is also detected, inferred to be a source reservoir for the stacked magma lenses in the crust above. The imaged magma bodies are sub‐horizontal, extend continuously for along‐axis lengths of ∼1–8 km, with the shallowest located at depths of ∼100–1,200 m below the AML, and are similar to sub‐AML bodies found at the East Pacific Rise. At both ridges, stacked sill‐like lenses are detected beneath only a small fraction of the ridge length examined and are inferred to mark local sites of higher melt flux and active replenishment from depth. The imaged magma lenses are focused in the upper part of the lower crust, which coincides with the most melt rich part of the crystal mush zone detected in other geophysical studies and where sub‐vertical fabrics are observed in geologic exposures of oceanic crust. We infer that the multi‐level magma accumulations are ephemeral and may result from porous flow and mush compaction, and that they can be tapped and drained during dike intrusion and eruption events.

Element and Sr isotope zoning in plagioclase in the dacites from the southwestern Okinawa Trough: Insights into magma mixing processes and time scales

The processes and time scales of magma mixing in shallow silicic magma chambers prior to eruptions in the Okinawa Trough (OT) are still poorly understood. Here, we employed in situ major-trace elements and Sr isotopic analyses, coupled with textural investigations, on plagioclase phenocrysts in the mafic magmatic enclaves (MMEs) and their host dacites from the southwestern OT to address this issue. The plagioclase phenocrysts in the MMEs have high An% contents (82–88) and Sr/Ba ratios (7.2–17.2) and relatively unradiogenic 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70536–0.70595), suggesting that they crystallized in the chilled basaltic andesitic magma. In contrast, plagioclase phenocrysts in the host dacites show a wide composition range, with An% contents of An47 to An93, Sr/Ba ratios of 3.4–18.0, and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.70535–0.70791. The plagioclase phenocrysts are zoned, with high-An% cores characterized by resorption textures and mantled by euhedral low-An% rims. The transition between cores and rims is very abrupt, with a decrease of 30 to 40 mol% An. This shift coincides with large and abrupt changes in Sr/Ba ratios. The plagioclase phenocryst rims have low Sr/Ba values (3.4–5.1) and 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70632–0.70675) that are similar to those of the whole-rock dacites, suggesting that the plagioclase rims grew from the host dacitic magma. In contrast, Sr isotopes in the plagioclase cores are either radiogenic (0.70724–0.70791) or unradiogenic (0.70535–0.70595) compared with rims, combined with glomerocryst textures, consistent with their derivation from distinct deep mafic crystal mush zones, and were then entrained by ascending melts and transported rapidly to the shallow silicic magma chamber and underwent decompression during ascent, leading to plagioclase core resorption. Mg diffusion calculations indicate that incorporation of the calcic cores into the shallow silicic magma chamber experienced a long pre-eruptive storage (~600 years). The distinct Sr isotopes of the plagioclase, particularly the different compositions of titanomagnetite in the MMEs and host dacites, reflect the mafic magma injection into the silicic magma chamber and formation of the MMEs must have occurred over very short time scales before eruption to inhibit complete re-equilibration, which likely triggered the dacitic magma to finally erupt. Hence, the silicic magma in the southwestern OT contains a crystal cargo with a complex, open-system crystallization history and that magma mixing/mingling is an important process for controlling the chemical and textural diversity of these silicic magmas as well as a likely eruption trigger.

Petrology of the April 2015 Eruption of Calbuco Volcano, Southern Chile

Abstract Understanding the origin of intermediate magmas that commonly erupt from subduction zone volcanoes is important to better constraining the mechanisms of continental crust formation. We performed a detailed mineralogical and petrological study of the eruptive products from the April 2015 eruption of Calbuco volcano, Chile, a three-phase sub-Plinian eruption that produced pyroclastic deposits of andesitic composition. The eruptive products comprise a glass phase and a high but variable proportion of minerals dominated by plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene, with minor olivine, amphibole, and magnetite. Plagioclase is very strongly zoned with highly anorthitic cores surrounded by more albitic rims, and no intermediate compositions between them. Based on thermodynamic calculations and published experimental data, we estimate that the anorthitic cores crystallized from a basaltic andesite melt containing 3·5–4·5 wt% H2O. The bulk-rock major and trace element variability at Calbuco is best explained by the accumulation of a variable amount of minerals (in relative proportion 72 % plagioclase, 28 % pyroxene) in a dacitic melt. These minerals most probably formed in the crystal mush zone of the magma chamber, at 200–300 MPa (8–11 km depth) according to pyroxene and amphibole compositions. A few weeks to months before the eruption, the crystal mush was disaggregated, perhaps owing to magmatic underplating, and a crystal-bearing dacitic melt migrated into a subsurface storage region where the albitic plagioclase rims crystallized. The eruption was probably internally triggered by over-pressurization in the shallow magma chamber.

The prevalence of plagioclase antecrysts and xenocrysts in andesite magma, exemplified by lavas of the Tongariro volcanic complex, New Zealand

Beneath subduction zone volcanoes, the parental magmas are thoroughly blended during temporary storage in the crust via repeated heating and mixing from new inputs of magma. To obtain a clearer picture of magma assembly, we employed a sub-crystal-scale Sr-isotope analysis, coupled with textural and geochemical data, on plagioclase phenocrysts in basaltic andesite and andesite erupted from the Tongariro volcanic complex, New Zealand. Deposits from two neighbouring vents were examined: (1) 0.3–3.4 ka lava flows of the polygenetic Red Crater volcano and (2) 26 ka pyroclastics of the monogenetic Pukeonake scoria cone. Despite the differences in eruptive styles and history of the two volcanoes, the plagioclase growth histories are similar. One common phenocryst type comprises of a resorbed core zone (variously, ~ An50–70) surrounded by a sieve-textured mantle/rim of higher An (~ 80), Fe and Mg contents. Other phenocrysts have resorbed calcic cores (~ An70–90). In situ 87Sr/86Sr analyses reveal a wide isotopic range (~ 0.7044–0.7060 for pre-1.8 ka Red Crater; ~ 0.7044–7057 for post-1.8 ka Red Crater; ~ 0.7047–0.7055 for Pukeonake). Most of the values are higher than that of the host bulk rock (87Sr/86Sr ~ 0.7049–0.7051 for pre-1.8 ka Red Crater; 0.7045–0.7046 for post-1.8 ka Red Crater; 0.7048 for Pukeonake). The variation within some individual phenocrysts is comparable to that of the entire population. The higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios are related relic phenocryst cores, indicating that their parental source was more radiogenic than the host magma. In contrast, their sieve-textured mantle/rim zones have lower 87Sr/86Sr ratios (~ 0.7045–0.7049), similar that of their host rock. These features record magma mixing. Less than 10% of phenocryst interiors are cognate (autocrysts) with the host rock based on their high 87Sr/86Sr ratio. Some phenocrysts are likely to be xenocrysts derived from the disintegration of deep crustal meta-igneous rocks. However, based on textures consistent with growth from a melt, the majority are antecrysts from intrusive forerunners and/or crystal mush zones, entrained during eruption or storage. Overall, the andesites are a product of crystal-poor magmas of mantle or lower crustal origin carrying phenocrysts from mostly crustal sources. The magma system likely comprised of a series of semi-isolated melt pods or crystal mush zones in a larger network of intrusions of various ages and states of solidification, possibly hosted in country rock of various compositions. Resorption of the sieve-textured mantle zones on the phenocrysts and growth of a normally zoned outermost rim represents a final period of fractional crystallization in the newly homogenised melt following the ascent and intrusion of mafic magma. Hence, the final tipping point to eruption may have involved crystallization-induced volatile exsolution and degassing.

Olivine phenocryst origins and mantle magma sources for monogenetic basalt volcanoes in northern New Zealand from textural, geochemical and δ18O isotope data

Olivine phenocrysts in basalts erupted in the Kaikohe-Bay of Islands volcanic field (KBIVF), a cluster of Quaternary monogenetic edifices in northern New Zealand, provide an opportunity to investigate magma source and assembly. The phenocryst population has both cognate and non-cognate origins with respect to the carrier magma. Common large subhedral-euhedral phenocrysts with compositions of Fo80–86 are autocrysts, having nucleated in a melt equivalent of the host whole-rock (~Mg#56–63). A subordinate population of large subhedral-euhedral phenocrysts that are Mg-rich (>Fo86) nucleated in a melt more mafic (>Mg#65). These are antecrystic and are likely to have a deep cumulate origin, perhaps the product of fractionation of a primitive parental magma. Smaller anhedral phenocrysts have compositions (~Fo70–75) that would have crystallised in a more evolved melt (~Mg#42–48). These are xenocrysts from stalled and fractionated crystal mush zones or intrusions in the mid and upper crust. Other small phenocrysts (Fo66–79) are euhedral and reversely zoned with mafic mantle zones (Fo80–85). They also nucleated in a more evolved crustal magma, but subsequently experienced magma-mixing with a more mafic magma. The olivine assemblage requires a vertically extensive magma system through the crust and upper mantle involving deep cognate crystallisation, and recycling of non-cognate crystals from deep and shallow intrusive bodies. This in accord with varied origins for the accompanying plagioclase and clinopyroxene populations in the rocks demonstrated in previous studies. This study presents the first δ18O analyses of olivines from monogenetic volcanoes in New Zealand. SIMS analysis of cognate and cumulate olivine phenocrysts in KBIVF basalts, and those from other volcanoes in northern New Zealand basaltic fields, show that they are non-zoned (δ18O ± 0.4‰). The inter-crystal range at most volcanoes is narrow (0.5‰), although the olivine population at a few volcanoes are more varied (range up to 1.25‰), requiring more than one source. The isotopic data for the more northern fields KBIVF (δ18O mean = 5.60‰; range = 5.12–6.20‰) and Whangarei volcanic field (δ18O mean = 5.50‰; range = 4.98–6.12‰) include values higher than that of olivine from MORB-HIMU sources, and overlap those associated with EMI/EMII sources or subduction zone magmas. Whole-rock trace element and Pb-isotope data from these fields have been interpreted as the result of subduction-induced contamination of the mantle wedge, a relic signal from now extinct Miocene-Pliocene arc volcanism. The magma compositions are also consistent with source depths above the garnet facies zone. This could explain the higher olivine δ18O values. In contrast, olivines from more southern fields do not display this O-isotope signature, consistent with postulated greater source depths.

Formation of fast-spreading lower oceanic crust as revealed by a new Mg–REE coupled geospeedometer

A new geospeedometer is developed based on the differential closures of Mg and rare earth element (REE) bulk-diffusion between coexisting plagioclase and clinopyroxene. By coupling the two elements with distinct bulk closure temperatures, this speedometer can numerically solve the initial temperatures and cooling rates for individual rock samples. As the existing Mg-exchange thermometer was calibrated for a narrow temperature range and strongly relies on model-dependent silica activities, a new thermometer is developed using literature experimental data. When the bulk closure temperatures of Mg and REE are determined, respectively, using this new Mg-exchange thermometer and the existing REE-exchange thermometer, this speedometer can be implemented for a wide range of compositions, mineral modes, and grain sizes.Applications of this new geospeedometer to oceanic gabbros from the fast-spreading East Pacific Rise at Hess Deep reveal that the lower oceanic crust crystallized at temperatures of 998–1353 °C with cooling rates of 0.003–10.2 °C/yr. Stratigraphic variations of the cooling rates and crystallization temperatures support deep hydrothermal circulations and in situ solidification of various replenished magma bodies. Together with existing petrological, geochemical and geophysical evidence, results from this new speedometry suggest that the lower crust formation at fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges involves emplacement of primary mantle melts in the deep section of the crystal mush zone coupled with efficient heat removal by crustal-scale hydrothermal circulations. The replenished melts become chemically and thermally evolved, accumulate as small magma bodies at various depths, feed the shallow axial magma chamber, and may also escape from the mush zone to generate off-axial magma lenses.

Control of early-formed vesicle cylinders on upper crustal prismatic jointing in compound pāhoehoe lavas of Elephanta Island, western Deccan Traps, India

Upper crustal prismatic joints and vesicle cylinders, common in pāhoehoe lava flows, form early and late, respectively, and are therefore independent features. However, small-scale compound pāhoehoe lava lobes on Elephanta Island (western Deccan Traps, India), which resemble S-type (spongy) pāhoehoe in some aspects, contain vesicle cylinders which apparently controlled the locations of upper crustal prismatic joints. The lobes are decimeters thick, did not experience inflation after emplacement, and solidified rapidly. They have meter-scale areas that are exceptionally rich in vesicle cylinders (up to 68 cylinders in 1 m2, with a mean spacing of 12.1 cm), separated by cylinder-free areas, and pervasive upper crustal prismatic jointing with T, curved T, and quadruple joint intersections. A majority (≥76.5%) of the cylinders are located exactly on joints or at joint intersections, and were not simply captured by downward growing joints, as the cylinders show no deflection in vertical section. We suggest that large numbers of cylinders originated in a layer of bubble-rich residual liquid at the top of a basal diktytaxitic crystal mush zone which was formed very early (probably within the first few minutes of the emplacement history). The locations where the rising cylinders breached the crust provided weak points or mechanical flaws towards which any existing joints (formed by thermal contraction) propagated. New joints may also have propagated outwards from the cylinders and linked up laterally. Some cylinders breached the crust between the joints, and thus formed a little later than most others. The Elephanta Island example reveals that, whereas thermal contraction is undoubtedly valid as a standard mechanism for forming upper crustal prismatic joints, abundant mechanical flaws (such as large concentrations of early-formed, crust-breaching vesicle cylinders) can also control the joint formation process.

MORB differentiation: In situ crystallization in replenished-tapped magma chambers

The differentiation of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) is investigated with a focus on intermediate- to fast-spreading ridges and two recently proposed differentiation mechanisms: (i) differentiation in replenished-tapped-crystallizing (RTX) magma chambers, and (ii) chromatographic element separation during melt-rock reaction in the lower crust. There is compelling evidence in the petrology and geochemistry of MORB indicating that magma chambers at mid-ocean ridges behave as open systems, as required on thermal grounds in locations where a steady-state magma chamber exists. It has recently been suggested that the commonly observed over-enrichment of more-to-less incompatible elements during MORB differentiation can be explained by such an RTX model. However, the petrology of samples from the lower oceanic crust suggests an alternative mechanism could produce this over-enrichment. Clinopyroxene crystals in oceanic gabbros are commonly strongly zoned in incompatible elements with crystal rims apparently having grown from melts with very high incompatible element abundances. Elevated Zr/LREE in clinopyroxene rims, which has been interpreted as indicating growth from a melt in which these elements had been fractionated from one another by melt-rock reaction (chromatographic separation), is shown to be more simply explained by post-crystallization diffusive fractionation. However, the high incompatible element abundances in crystal rims demonstrates that the interstitial melt in crystal mush zones becomes highly differentiated. Disaggregation of such mush zones is indicated by the crystal cargo of MORB and must be accompanied by the return of interstitial melt to the eruptible reservoir – a form of in situ crystallization. Both a magma chamber undergoing closed system in situ crystallization, and a RTX magma chamber in which crystallization occurs in situ, are shown to be capable of reproducing the differentiation trends observed in MORB. Simple stochastic models of the latter process suggest that significant variations of incompatible element abundances and ratios, at a constant MgO content, are likely to be generated from a single parental melt compositions. Additionally, parental melt compositions will generally be substantially more depleted than would be suggested if only fractional crystallization is considered. This has important implications for understanding the composition of the upper mantle. For example, the Sm/Nd of MORB are likely to be significantly lower than that of the Moho-crossing melt complicating analysis of the Nd-isotopic evolution of the upper mantle.

Crystallization and saturation front propagation in silicic magma chambers

The cooling and crystallization style of silicic magma bodies in the upper crust falls on a continuum between whole-chamber processes of convection, crystal settling, and cumulate formation and interface-driven processes of conduction and crystallization front migration. In the end-member case of vigorous convection and crystal settling, volatile saturation advances downward from the roof and upward from the floor throughout the chamber. In the end-member case of stagnant magma bodies, volatile saturation occurs along an inward propagating front from all sides of the chamber. Ambient thermal gradient primarily controls the propagation rate; warm (⩾40 °C/km) geothermal gradients lead to thick (1200+ m) crystal mush zones and slow crystallization front propagation. Cold (<40 °C/km) geothermal gradients lead to rapid crystallization front propagation and thin (<1000 m) mush zones. Magma chamber geometry also exerts a first-order control on propagation rates; bodies with high surface to magma volume ratio and large Earth-surface-parallel faces exhibit more rapid propagation and thinner mush zones. Crystallization front propagation occurs at speeds of greater than 10 cm/yr (rhyolitic magma; 1 km thick sill geometry in a 20 °C/km geotherm), far faster than diffusion of volatiles in magma and faster than bubbles can nucleate, grow, and ascend through the chamber. Numerical simulations indicate saturation front propagation is determined primarily by pressure and magma crystallization rate; above certain initial water contents (4.4 wt.% in a dacite) the mobile magma is volatile-rich enough above 10 km depth to always contains a saturation front. Saturation fronts propagate down from the magma chamber roof at lower water contents (3.3 wt.% in a dacite at 5 km depth), creating an upper saturated interface for most common (4–6 wt.%) magma water contents. This upper interface promotes the production of a fluid pocket underneath the apex of the magma chamber. If the fluid pocket grew faster than rates of escape into the wall rock, fluid accumulation and hydro-fracturing could possibly trigger an eruption.

Evolution of the Taupo Volcanic Center, New Zealand: petrological and thermal constraints from the Omega dacite

The 20 ka ~0.1 km3 Omega dacite, which erupted shortly after the 26.5 ka Oruanui super-eruption, compositionally stands out among Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) magmas, which are overwhelmingly characterized by rhyolites (>90 % by volume). The previously reported presence of inherited zircons in this zircon-undersaturated magma has provided unequivocal evidence for the involvement of upper-crustal material in a 1–10 year timescale prior to the Omega eruption. However, whether this crustal involvement is characterized by wholesale, melting of preexisting crust or subordinate bulk assimilation into an already differentiated magma body remains unclear. To disentangle these processes, we describe the mineral chemistry of the major phases present in the Omega dacite and determine intensive parameters describing magma chamber conditions. Dominantly unimodal populations of plagioclase (An50–60), orthopyroxene (Mg# from 58 to 68), and clinopyroxene (Mg# from 65 to 73), along with coexisting equilibrium pairs of Fe–Ti oxides, constrain pre-eruptive temperatures to 850–950 °C, a pressure between ~3 and 7 kbars, and an oxygen fugacity of ~NNO. MELTS thermodynamic modeling suggests that this phase assemblage is in equilibrium with the bulk rock and glass compositions of the Omega dacite at these estimated P–T–fO2 pre-eruptive conditions. Combining these petrological observations with insights into conductive thermal models of magma–crust interactions, we argue that the Omega dacite more likely formed in the mid-to-lower crust via protracted processing through fractional crystallization coupled with some assimilation (AFC). Incorporation of crustal material is likely to have occurred at various stages, with the inherited zircons (and potentially parts of glomerocrysts) representing late and subordinate upper-crustal assimilants. This petrogenetic model is consistent with the presence of a differentiating crustal column, consisting of a polybaric fractional crystallization and assimilation history. On the basis of petrological, thermal, and geophysical considerations, upper-crustal reservoirs, which feed large-scale rhyolitic volcanism in the TVZ, most likely take the form of large, long-lived crystal mush zones. Following large eruptions, such as the Oruanui event, this mush is expected to crystallize significantly (up to 70–80 vol% crystals) due to syn-eruptive decompression. Hence, the Omega dacite, immediately post-dating the Oruanui event, potentially represents incoming deeper recharge of less-evolved magma that was able to penetrate the nearly solidified upper-crustal mush. Over the past 20,000 years, similar intermediate recharge magmas have incrementally reheated, reconstructed, and reactivated the upper-crustal mush zone, allowing a gradual return to rhyolitic volcanism at the Taupo Volcanic Center.

Small volume andesite magmas and melt–mush interactions at Ruapehu, New Zealand: evidence from melt inclusions

Historical eruptions from Mt. Ruapehu (New Zealand) have been small (<0.001 km3 of juvenile magma) and have often occurred without significant warning. Developing better modelling tools requires an improved understanding of the magma storage and transport system beneath the volcano. Towards that end, we have analysed the volatile content and major element chemistry of groundmass glass and phenocryst-hosted melt inclusions in erupted samples from 1945 to 1996. We find that during this time period, magma has been stored at depths of ~2–9 km, consistent with inferences from geophysical data. Our data also show that Ruapehu magmas are relatively H2O-poor (<2 wt%) and CO2-rich (≤1,000 ppm) compared to typical arc andesites. Surprisingly, we find that melt inclusions are often more evolved than their transporting melt (as inferred from groundmass glass compositions). Furthermore, even eruptions that are separated by less than 2 years exhibit distinct major element chemistry, which suggests that each eruption involved magma with a unique ascent history. From these data, we infer that individual melt batches rise through, and interact with, crystal mush zones formed by antecedent magmas. From this perspective, we envision the magmatic system at Ruapehu as frequently recharged by small magma inputs that, in turn, cool and crystallise to varying degrees. Melts that are able to erupt through this network of crystal mush entrain (to a greater or lesser extent) exotic crystals. In the extreme case (such as the 1996 eruption), the resulting scoria contain melt inclusion-bearing crystals that are exotic to the transporting magma. Finally, we suggest that complex interactions between recharge and antecedent magmas are probably common, but that the small volumes and short time scales of recharge at Ruapehu provide a unique window into these processes.

Composition and origin of nodules from the ≈20 ka Pomici di Base (PB)-Sarno eruption of Mt. Somma — Vesuvius, Italy

Abstract Nodules (coarse-grain “plutonic” rocks) were collected from the ca. 20 ka Pomici di Base (PB)-Sarno eruption of Mt. Somma-Vesuvius, Italy. The nodules are classified as monzonite-monzogabbro based on their modal composition. The nodules have porphyrogranular texture, and consist of An-rich plagioclase, K-feldspar, clinopyroxene (ferroan-diopside), mica (phlogopite-biotite) ± olivine and amphibole. Aggregates of irregular intergrowths of mostly alkali feldspar and plagioclase, along with mica, Fe-Ti-oxides and clinopyroxene, in the nodules are interpreted as crystallized melt pockets. Crystallized silicate melt inclusions (MI) are common in the nodules, especially in clinopyroxenes. Two types of MI have been identified. Type I consists of mica, Fe-Ti-oxides and/or dark green spinel, clinopyroxene, feldspar and a vapor bubble. Volatiles (CO2, H2O) could not be detected in the vapor bubbles by Raman spectroscopy. Type II inclusions are generally lighter in color and contain subhedral feldspar and/or glass and several opaque phases, most of which are confirmed to be oxide minerals by SEM analysis. Some of the opaque-appearing phases that are below the surface may be tiny vapor bubbles. The two types of MI have different chemical compositions. Type I MI are classified as phono-tephrite — tephri-phonolite — basaltic trachy-andesite, while Type II MI have basaltic composition. The petrography and MI geochemistry led us to conclude that the nodules represent samples of the crystal mush zone in the active plumbing system of Mt. Somma-Vesuvius that were entrained into the upwelling magma during the PB-Sarno eruption.

Constraints on crystal storage timescales in mixed magmas: Uranium-series disequilibria in plagioclase from Holocene magmas at Mount Hood, Oregon

Uranium-series crystal ages, interpreted within a textural and geochemical framework, can provide insight into crystal storage timescales, especially in cases where crystals may derive from multiple sources. We report here 230Th–226Ra model ages of two distinct populations of plagioclase from low silica dacites from Mount Hood, Oregon, a volcano where previous studies show that the compositions of erupted magmas are controlled by magma recharge, mixing, and incorporation of plagioclase derived from mafic and silicic end-member magmas. We have measured trace element concentrations and 238U–230Th–226Ra disequilibria in four plagioclase size fractions from the Timberline (1500a) and Old Maid (215a) eruptive sequences. After correction for groundmass and apatite contamination, average 230Th–226Ra model ages of large (>500μm) plagioclase are >4.5ka (Timberline) and >5.5ka (Old Maid), with ages of cores that are >10ka in each case, indicating that plagioclase derived from silicic magmas crystallized thousands of years before eruptions. These model ages are longer than timescales of repose between eruptions, indicating that these crystals resided in the sub-surface over multiple eruptions, likely stored in a silicic crystal mush zone that periodically interacts with mafic recharge magmas, remobilizing a fraction of the large plagioclase crystals during each eruptive event. After correction for large plagioclase contamination, small (<500μm) plagioclase, derived from mafic magmas, have high (226Ra)/Ba relative to equilibrium with liquid proxies (groundmass and mafic inclusion), leading to 230Th–226Ra model ages that are <~3ka for Old Maid and undefined for Timberline separates. However, the preservation of significant 230Th–226Ra disequilibria require that the majority of crystals in the separate are young (<<10ka). The high (226Ra)/[Ba] could potentially be explained by rapid crystallization immediately prior to and/or during mixing events, consistent with evidence of rapid crystallization of rims. Rapid crystallization of mafic intrusions may trigger eruption at Mount Hood by producing a partially-crystalline mafic magma capable of mixing with a reheated silicic crystal mush.

Geochemistry of lavas from the 2005–2006 eruption at the East Pacific Rise, 9°46′N–9°56′N: Implications for ridge crest plumbing and decadal changes in magma chamber compositions

Detailed mapping, sampling, and geochemical analyses of lava flows erupted from an ∼18 km long section of the northern East Pacific Rise (EPR) from 9°46′N to 9°56′N during 2005–2006 provide unique data pertaining to the short‐term thermochemical changes in a mid‐ocean ridge magmatic system. The 2005–2006 lavas are typical normal mid‐oceanic ridge basalt with strongly depleted incompatible trace element patterns with marked negative Sr and Eu/Eu* anomalies and are slightly more evolved than lavas erupted in 1991–1992 at the same location on the EPR. Spatial geochemical differences show that lavas from the northern and southern limits of the 2005–2006 eruption are more evolved than those erupted in the central portion of the fissure system. Similar spatial patterns observed in 1991–1992 lavas suggest geochemical gradients are preserved over decadal time scales. Products of northern axial and off‐axis fissure eruptions are consistent with the eruption of cooler, more fractionated lavas that also record a parental melt component not observed in the main suite of 2005–2006 lavas. Radiogenic isotopic ratios for 2005–2006 lavas fall within larger isotopic fields defined for young axial lavas from 9°N to 10°N EPR, including those from the 1991–1992 eruption. Geochemical data from the 2005–2006 eruption are consistent with an invariable mantle source over the spatial extent of the eruption and petrogenetic processes (e.g., fractional crystallization and magma mixing) operating within the crystal mush zone and axial magma chamber (AMC) before and during the 13 year repose period. Geochemical modeling suggests that the 2005–2006 lavas represent differentiated residual liquids from the 1991–1992 eruption that were modified by melts added from deeper within the crust and that the eruption was not initiated by the injection of hotter, more primitive basalt directly into the AMC. Rather, the eruption was driven by AMC pressurization from persistent or episodic addition of more evolved magma from the crystal mush zone into the overlying subridge AMC during the period between the two eruptions. Heat balance calculations of a hydrothermally cooled AMC support this model and show that continual addition of melt from the mush zone was required to maintain a sizable AMC over this time interval.