Lithic Breccia Research Articles

Thermal and Structural History of Impact Ejecta Deposits, Ries Impact Structure, Germany

AbstractThe Ries impact structure (Germany) contains well‐preserved ejecta deposits consisting of melt‐free lithic breccia (Bunte Breccia) overlain by suevite. To test their emplacement conditions, we investigated the magnetic properties and microstructures of 26 polymict breccia clasts and a stratigraphic profile from the clasts into the suevite at the Aumühle quarry. Remanent magnetization directions of the Bunte Breccia clasts fall into two groups: those whose directions mostly lie parallel to the reversed field during impact carried mostly by magnetite, and those whose directions vary widely among each clast carried by titanohematite. Basement clasts containing titanohematite acquired a chemical remanent magnetization (CRM) during the ejection process and then rotated during turbulent deposition. Clasts of sedimentary rocks grew magnetite after turbulent deposition, with CRM directions lying parallel to the paleofield. Suevite holds a thermal remanent magnetization carried by magnetite, except for ∼12 cm from the contact with the Bunte Breccia, where hematite concentrations increase due to hydrothermal alteration. These observations lead us to propose a three‐stage model of (a) turbulent deposition of the melt‐free breccia with clast rotation <580°C, (b) deposition of the overlying suevite, which acted as a semi‐permeable barrier that confined hot (<300°C) oxidizing fluids to the permeable breccia zone, and (c) prolonged hydrothermal activity producing further alteration which ended before the next geomagnetic reversal. Basement outcrops have significantly different magnetic properties than the Bunte Breccia basement clasts with similar lithology. Two basement blocks situated near the inner ring may have been thermally overprinted up to 550°C.

Plio-Pleistocene rear-arc volcanism in the Southern Volcanic Zone: Eruptive styles of the Varvarco Volcanic Field

The Varvarco Volcanic Field (VVF) is located in the southern part of the Las Loicas Trough, as part of the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene rear-arc volcanic belt in the Transitional Southern Volcanic Zone (34.5–37°S). Its volcanic products show an elliptical distribution, elongated parallel to NW-SE main structures that regionally controlled the Las Loicas Trough. A detailed field and petrographic study was carried out to identify main lithofacies and establish its eruptive styles.The VVF magmatic evolution is initially characterized by a voluminous explosive stage represented in the area by dense and dilute pyroclastic density currents (PDC) deposits (massive lapilli tuffs, cross-stratified lapilli tuffs and diffuse-stratified tuffs). Afterwards, it evolved into an effusive stage represented by basaltic lava flows (coherent basalts), associated with Hawaiian to Strombolian eruptive style, which constitutes most of the VVF volume. The final stage of the VVF history was linked to a stratovolcano-type activity where both effusive (coherent basalts and andesites, and rhyolitic coulees) and explosive lithofacies (such as massive lithic breccias and massive lapilli tuffs) are described. Within this stage, the uppermost effusive levels were intruded by dacitic and rhyolitic domes and basaltic dykes. Available ages allow to conclude that the VVF emplacement was developed during Plio-Pleistocene times, linked to the re-steepening of the Nazca plate, after the Late Miocene Payenia shallow subduction regime.

Chronology of alkali anorthosite 14304 clast “b” records basin forming impact at ∼3.95 Ga

Alkali-suite rocks constitute one of three major suites of lunar crustal rocks. As such, constraining their formation timescales and petrogenesis is important for understanding the earliest magmatic history of the Moon. However, the magmatic history of alkali-suite rocks is partly obscured by superimposed effects of major basin-forming impact events on the lunar nearside. Consequently, unambiguous crystallization ages of samples from this suite of rocks have not been determined. The aim of this study is to better understand the petrogenetic history of the alkali-suite and the potential superimposed effects of impact metamorphism by determining Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, and 40Ar/39Ar ages for an alkali anorthosite clast from Apollo 14 lithic breccia 14304 termed clast “b”. The new chronologic measurements of clast “b” yield concordant Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, and 40Ar/39Ar ages of 3947 ± 13 Ma, 3975 ± 34 Ma, and 3937 ± 37 Ma respectively, resulting in a weighted mean age of 3949 ± 11 Ma. This age is not interpreted to date an igneous event related to production of the lunar highlands crust and instead the chronology and petrography of clast “b” are most readily explained by an impact event at ∼3.95 Ga that caused near-complete isotopic re-equilibration of the Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, and 40Ar/39Ar chronometers. The weighted mean age of 3949 ± 11 Ma of clast “b” is several hundred Ma younger than 4.3–4.4 Ga ages typically determined for samples of other crustal rock suites but in very good agreement with independent estimates for the formation of Imbrium basin ejecta and other marginally older impact events which are thought to have been sampled at the Apollo 14 landing site. Thus, although petrologic and geochemical examination suggest that clast “b” is a pristine igneous clast, its age likely records an impact event at the Apollo 14 landing site. Whereas the various determined ages of clast “b” do not reflect the timescales of alkali-suite magmatism, the relatively low initial Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of clast “b” indicate that its protolith evolved with very low 147Sm/144Nd and 87Rb/86Sr that are distinct from estimates for urKREEP but similar to that of lunar plagioclase. This implies that the igneous protolith of clast “b” derived from a plagioclase-dominated KREEP-rich source that must have formed after the formation of the urKREEP source at ∼4.35 Ga but well before the impact event recorded by clast “b” at ∼3.95 Ga.

Composition and Petrology of a Mush-Bearing Magma Reservoir beneath Tenerife

AbstractDeciphering the dynamics of sub-volcanic magmatic processes requires a detailed understanding of the compositional and textural relationships between melt and crystals. To examine these relationships, we investigated material from one of the largest caldera-forming explosive eruptions on the ocean island of Tenerife, the 312-ka Fasnia event. This eruption ejected juvenile pyroclasts of melt-bearing, partially crystalline cumulate nodules alongside phonolitic pumice and accidental lithic clasts. Nodules contain an average of 26% melt that is preserved as vesiculated and microcrystalline basanite in segregations, pathways and interstitial domains. Both the microcrystalline groundmass and crystal framework are generally unaltered as this crystal ‘mush’ remained supra-solidus until the eruption. We find no surficial or intrinsic evidence that the nodules were transported from their reservoir in a ‘carrier’ magma, and it is most likely that the mush was in situ when it was explosively fragmented and ejected during eruption. As such, the nodules preserve a record of the proportions and relationships between the crystal framework and pre-eruptive melt in an active magma mush reservoir, importantly, capturing a snapshot of the sub-volcanic system at a single point in time. We have analysed >100 of the mush nodules from the massive lithic breccia facies within the Fasnia Member of the Diego Hernández Formation. These cumulates span a diverse range of alkaline plutonic lithologies, from wehrlite and pyroxenite, through hornblende gabbros, to monzodiorite and syenite. Their textures record a range of crystallization environments, including both crystal- and melt-rich groundmass domains, and invasion of near-solidus domains by ascending reactive melts. In addition, the cumulus phases record complex interactions between felsic and mafic magmas throughout their development, providing evidence for mush remobilization and disequilibrium. Relative homogeneity of melt compositions through the mafic and felsic lithologies testifies to melt mobility through the cumulates. Nevertheless, all melts are of different basanite-intermediate composition to the juvenile phonolitic pumice ejected during the same eruption. This observation implies that the mafic–felsic cumulate mush and the phonolite did not experience significant two-way mixing and existed as separate crustal reservoirs. However, the Fasnia eruption simultaneously fragmented and removed material from both reservoirs, implying the mafic system was subjacent to the felsic, but they did not form a contiguous body.

Paleomagnetic study of impactites from the Karla impact structure suggests protracted postimpact hydrothermalism

AbstractWe present a paleomagnetic study of the ~10 km diameter Karla impact structure in Russia. We sampled the target carbonate rocks, and a yet undocumented fragmental melt‐bearing lithic breccia layer. This impact breccia, which contains carbonate melt, is enriched in stoichiometric magnetite by a factor of ~15 compared to the target lithologies, and carries a stable natural remanent magnetization. The weak remanent magnetization and the presence of both normal and reverse polarities down to the centimeter scale indicate that the breccia does not carry a thermoremanent magnetization (TRM), but rather a chemical remanent magnetization (CRM). The presence of stoichiometric magnetite and the absence of TRM suggest that the magnetite was formed during relatively low‐temperature postimpact hydrothermalism that affected the porous impact breccia layer. During this process, the breccia acquired a CRM. The paleomagnetic direction is compatible with a Cenozoic age for the impact event, but cannot bring more precise constraint on the age because of the stable position of the Eurasian plate over the last 60 Myr. However, the presence of both polarities indicates that mild hydrothermalism took place over a period of time long enough to span at least one reversal of the geomagnetic field, that is, over a time scale of the order of 100 kyr. This confirms that protracted hydrothermal systems associated with impact craters are long lived, even in relatively small craters such as Karla, and are key features of the geologic and environmental effects of impacts on Earth.

Stratigraphy and paleoenvironment of the Upper Jurassic Río Damas formation in the Alto Atuel depocenter (Malargüe fold and thrust belt)

The Río Damas Formation is an Upper Jurassic volcano-sedimentary succession, whose outcrops are largely distributed between 33°S and 35.30°S in Chile and Argentina, as part of the retroarc Neuquén Basin fill. This unit was deposited during an important marine regressive phase of the basin. We studied the Río Damas Formation exposures at the Los Gateados creek valley, in the Alto Atuel depocenter (34°40′S; westernmost Malargüe fold and thrust belt), next to the Argentinean-Chilean border. This area represents a key location where the formation interdigitates with the nonmarine red beds of the time equivalent Tordillo Formation, representing a continentalization episode of the Neuquén Basin. This paper presents a lithofacial characterization of the Río Damas Formation, a new U–Pb igneous crystallization age, and a paleographic reconstruction for this period. The Río Damas Formation in the Alto Atuel depocenter consists of porphyritic basaltic and andesitic lavas, interbedded with fine-grained sandstones, conglomerates, volcanic lithic breccias, and pyroclastic deposits. Based on field and petrographic analyses, we associate the Río Damas Formation with a piedmont environment where sedimentary fluvial and alluvial setting coexisted with volcanic effusive and pyroclastic activity. A regional comparison of the Río Damas and Tordillo Formations along the Argentinian-Chilean border shows that the composition and thickness of these units present important latitudinal and longitudinal variations. The increase in thickness and the volcanic component of the Río Damas Formation towards the west could be associated with the proximity to the Jurassic magmatic arc.

Emplacement and eruptive style of high-grade ignimbrites from fissure vents: The Las Mellizas Ignimbrite, Caviahue-Copahue volcanic complex, southern Andes

The Pliocene to Recent Caviahue – Copahue volcanic complex is located in the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes. The Las Mellizas Ignimbrite is widely distributed in the intra-caldera region of the previously formed Caviahue caldera. Detailed field work led us to identify four facies associations for Las Mellizas Ignimbrite and to characterize the pyroclastic facies as dominantly vitrophyric, eutaxitic and rheomorphic, with limited occurrences of welded agglomerates and lithic breccias. Pyroclastic dykes with subvertical eutaxitic fabric were found and interpreted as fissure vents of this ignimbrite. Their orientations follow either the southern Caviahue caldera rim, or approximately the current extension direction as determined by previous neotectonic studies. Thermobarometry and hygrometry estimations were carried out based on compositional analyses of minerals (plagioclase, ortho- and clinopyroxenes, FeTi oxides) and glass. We interpret that Las Mellizas Ignimbrite was deposited from high-temperature and concentrated pyroclastic density currents, formed by almost fully collapsed low eruptive columns (pyroclastic fountaining). Low pre-eruptive pressures (0.04–0.06 GPa) and moderate water content (2.0–3.4 wt%) plus the low crystallinity of the magma (<10 vol% of phenocrysts) points to a shallow magma chamber and shallow fragmentation level, which is also supported by lithic clast composition. The eruption trigger is interpreted as mainly due to magmatic processes, and aided by tectonic activity. The presence of topographic scarps, outcrops distribution and stratigraphic discontinuities north of the Copahue volcano, in addition to co-ignimbritic lithic breccias, suggest that a small collapse may have occurred, nested on the western Caviahue caldera rim. In this context, the fissure vents represent peripheral extra-caldera pyroclastic conduits.

Petrography and shock-metamorphic features of impact breccias from the Xiuyan impact crater

撞击角砾岩是陨石撞击过程形成的特有岩石种类，是研究撞击成坑过程、陨石坑定年、矿物岩石冲击变质的理想对象。岫岩陨石坑是一个直径1800m的简单陨石坑，坑内有大量松散堆积的撞击角砾岩。本研究通过光学显微镜、费氏台、电子探针、X射线荧光光谱仪、电感耦合等离子质谱仪等分析测试手段，主要研究了岫岩陨石坑撞击角砾岩的岩相学和冲击变质特征，并在此基础上讨论了撞击角砾岩的形成过程和陨石坑的形貌特征。岫岩陨石坑内产出有三种撞击角砾岩，分别是来自上部的玄武质角砾岩和复成分岩屑角砾岩，以及底部的含熔体角砾岩。组成玄武质角砾岩和复成分岩屑角砾岩的碎屑受到的冲击程度较低，仅有少量石英发育面状变形页理，指示不超过20GPa的冲击压力。而组成含熔体角砾岩的碎屑受到了很强的冲击，发育了熔融硅酸盐玻璃、石英面状变形页理、柯石英、二氧化硅玻璃、击变长石玻璃、莱氏石等冲击变质特征，指示的峰值压力超过50GPa。本研究证实了含熔体角砾岩通常产出在简单陨石坑底部，由瞬间坑的坑缘和坑壁垮塌的岩石碎屑与坑底的冲击熔体混合形成。岫岩坑的真实深度是495m，真实深度与直径的比值为0.275，符合简单陨石坑的尺寸特征。陨石坑内的撞击角砾岩中心厚度为188m，与直径之比为0.104，略低于其它简单坑，可能是受丘陵地貌影响导致改造阶段垮塌到坑内的岩石角砾偏少。;Impact breccia is a unique rock type that formed during the meteorite impact process and it is an ideal sample for the studies on the formation process of impact crater, dating impact craters, and shock effects in minerals and rocks. The Xiuyan impact crater is a simple crater with a diameter of 1800m and large amount of impact breccia in it. Here we mainly document the petrology and shock metamorphism of impact breccias from the Xiuyan impact crater through optical microscope, universal-stage microscope, electron probe microanalysis, X-ray fluorescence, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and then discuss their formation process and the morphology of impact crater. There are three types of impact breccia in the Xiuyan impact crater, which are the basaltic breccia and the polymict lithic breccia from the upper part of impact breccia lens, and the melt-bearing breccia at the bottom. The clasts in the basaltic breccia and the polymict lithic breccia are weakly shocked and only some quartz grains display planar deformation features which indicate shock pressures less than 20GPa. In contrast, the clasts in the melt-bearing breccia are strongly shocked, in which silicate glass, quartz planar deformation features, coesite, silica glass, diaplectic feldspar glass, reidite are observed, which indicate a shock pressure >50GPa. This study confirms that the melt-bearing breccia is usually produced at the bottom of simple impact craters and is formed by mixing rock clasts collapsed from the transient crater rim and wall with shock melt at the bottom. The true depth of Xiuyan impact crater is 495m, and the true depth/diameter ration is 0.275, which is consist with other simple impact craters. The central thickness of impact breccia lens is 188m and the thickness/diameter ration is 0.104, slightly lower than that of other simple impact craters, which may be due to less rock clasts collapsed into the crater in the modification stage that caused by hilly terrain.

Petrology and geochemistry of ignimbrites and associated enclaves from Mount Bambouto, West-Cameroon, Cameroon Volcanic Line

Geochemical and mineralogical analyses data are presented for ignimbritic deposits from the Bambouto volcano. These deposits are characterized by their welded and non-welded massive lapilli tuff and massive lithic breccias facies. The ignimbrites generally display vitroclastic and/or eutaxitic texture characterized by whole or broken minerals, subangular fragments of trachytes, rhyolites, ignimbrites, as well as fiammes, and fragments of glass. The geochemistry of the ignimbrites of Mount Bambouto indicates that they are alkaline and peralkaline with rhyolitic and trachytic composition. The behaviour of the major and trace elements suggest that ignimbrites, as well as felsic and mafic lavas of the Bambouto volcano have an evolution dominated by fractional crystallization (FC). The La/Yb, Ce/Zr and Th/Nb ratios for Mt Bambouto ignimbrites (19.92–52.66; 0–0.48; 0.10–0.12, respectively) and the whole Western Cameroon Highlands (WCH) and Mt Manengouba lavas (15.58–34.29; 0–0.61; 0–0.27, respectively) also reflect the dominant role of FC. This suggests a relatively constant degree of partial melting during the petrogenesis of the lavas and deposits. The high Rb/Sr (0.52–28.98) and the low ratios of LILE/HFSE (Rb/Nb: 0.08–0.95; Rb/Zr: 0.01–0.18; Th/Ta: 1.38–2.1; Ba/Nb: 0.06–8.27) in Mt. Bambouto ignimbrites, compared with the very high value of these ratios in the granitic basement rocks of the area, preclude the petrogenesis of the ignimbrites from the melting of the Pan-African basement. The weak values of Th/La and La/Nb in the studied ignimbrites and other WCH lavas suggest that crustal contamination was insignificant during ascent and storage of the magma in shallow magma chambers prior to their release to the surface. The similarities in Nb/Ta, Zr/Hf and Nb/U ratios in the Mt Bambouto ignimbrites (Nb/Ta: 13.54–20.93; Zr/Hf: 37.39–49.95; Nb/U: 26.04–55.70) and the lavas of the WCH (Nb/Ta: 11.3–19.57; Zr/Hf: 33.16–55.01; Nb/U: 19.83–75.35) corroborated with their similar source origin. The enrichment of light REE relative to heavy REE or their Dy/Yb > 2 (2.03–2.97), (La/Yb)N > 5 (14.29–46.69) and (Tb/Yb)N > 1.9 (1.91–2.9) suggest melting in a garnet-bearing mantle.

Characteristics and emplacement mechanisms of the Coranzulí ignimbrites (Central Andes)

We present a detailed stratigraphy of the Coranzulí caldera-forming deposits. This caldera, located in the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex (Central Andes), generated four ignimbrite deposits with similar field characteristics and facies that differ from each other in, above all, the nature of the lithic fragments they contain. Three different lithofacies (fine-grained cross-stratified facies, massive lithic breccia facies and massive ignimbrite facies) are found in all the ignimbrite deposits, which occasionally also contain a lenticular lithic-rich facies and/or a pumice-rich facies. These field characteristics and, in particular, local deposit thicknesses were used to develop a theoretical model of the dynamics and emplacement mode of the Coranzulí pyroclastic flows. Our results show that these ignimbrites were emplaced by dense pyroclastic density currents subjected to high accumulation rates and velocities, thereby indicating rapid en masse emplacement that was also influenced by local paleotopography as deduced from facies analysis.

A Study of Shock-Metamorphic Features of Feldspars from the Xiuyan Impact Crater

Feldspar is the most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust and is widely distributed in rocks. It is also one of the most common minerals in meteorites. Shock-metamorphic features in feldspar are widely used to calibrate the temperature and pressure of shock events and can also provide clues for searching for impact craters on Earth. In this study, shocked alkali feldspars in the lithic breccia and suevite from Xiuyan Impact Crater were investigated using polarizing optical microscopes, Raman spectroscopy and electron microprobes to better constrain the shock history of this crater. For this study, feldspar grains occurring in gneiss clasts in the impact breccia and four shock stages were identified, e.g., weakly shocked feldspar, moderately shocked feldspar, strongly shocked feldspar, and whole rock melting. According to the shock classification system for alkali feldspar and felsic rocks, we estimated the shock pressure (SP) and post-shock temperature (PST) histories of these gneiss clasts. Weakly shocked feldspars display irregular fractures and undulatory extinction, and their shock stage is F-S2, which indicates that SP and PST are from ~5 to ~14 GPa and ~100 °C, respectively. Moderately shocked feldspars show planar deformation features and are partially transformed into diaplectic glass, which indicates that the F-S5 shock stage of SP and PST is from ~32 to ~45 GPa and 300–900 °C. Strongly shocked feldspars that occur as vesicular glass indicate a shock stage of F-S6, and the SP and PST are 45–60 GPa and 900–1500 °C, respectively. The whole felsic rock melting occurs as mixed melt glass clast and belongs to the F-S7 stage, and SP and PST are &gt;60 GPa and &gt;1500 °C, respectively.

Emplacement of unusual rhyolitic to basaltic ignimbrites during collapse of a basalt-dominated caldera: The Halarauður eruption, Krafla (Iceland)

AbstractDeposits of the ca. 110 ka Halarauður eruption of Krafla caldera (reconstructed volume = 7 ± 6 km3 dense rock equivalent) include the only spatter-rich ignimbrite known in Iceland, and an exceptionally rare lava-like basaltic ignimbrite. We present a revised stratigraphy and new whole-rock major-element data set for products of this unusual event, one of only three Quaternary ignimbrite eruptions identified in Iceland. Compositions of Halarauður products span a broad range (50.0–74.6 wt% SiO2), reflecting mixing of rhyolite with underplating basalt. Small-volume, valley-ponded, basal pumice- and spatter-bearing lithic breccias and ignimbrite (rhyolite to andesite) reflect rapid column collapse during early opening of ring-fault vents. A transition to voluminous, regionally dispersed spatter agglomerates (dacite to basaltic andesite) marks an abrupt eruptive intensification, as gas-poor magma was squeezed into a developing ring-fault system by the subsiding chamber roof. Spatial heterogeneities in ascent rates and outgassing through this variably dilated fault system caused coeval formation of collapsing plumes and spatter fountains at separate vents. Spatter was entrained into flows from the more explosive vents, which deposited proximal spatter agglomerates and more distal spatter-bearing ignimbrite. Overlying lava-like ignimbrite deposits (basaltic andesite to basalt) reflect a final opening of vents, as mafic magma from deep levels of the chamber was squeezed through a dilated ring-fault system by the subsiding roof block and erupted at uncharacteristically high mass flux. Development of a mature ring-fault conduit system during early tapping of silicic magma appears to be a prerequisite for the emplacement of welded basaltic ignimbrites, and it should be considered as a possible eruption scenario in basalt-dominated systems where silicic magma has been known to also accumulate. Poor preservation of the Halarauður deposits exemplifies the challenges of studying ignimbrite eruptions in frequently glaciated regions like Iceland, where they may be more common than the geological record suggests.

Eruptive chronology of the Acoculco caldera complex – A resurgent caldera in the eastern Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (México)

The Acoculco caldera complex (ACC) is located in the eastern part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in the northern part of the State of Puebla. The complex sits at the intersection of two regional fault systems with NE-SW and NW-SE orientations. The ACC was built atop Cretaceous limestones, the Zacatán basaltic plateau of unknown age, early Miocene domes (~12.7–10.98 Ma), and Pliocene lava domes (~3.9–3 Ma). Detailed field mapping and stratigraphy studies complemented by 40Ar/39Ar and 14C dating allowed the division of the ACC volcanic succession into 30 volcanic units. Based on the new results and previous studies, the ACC eruptive chronology was grouped in four eruptive phases: syn-caldera, early post-caldera, late post-caldera, and extra-caldera. Inception of the ACC volcanism began around 2.7 Ma with the dispersion of an andesitic ignimbrite followed by the collapse of the magma chamber roof as attested by the presence of a lithic breccia in isolated parts of the caldera rim. The collapse produced a 18 × 16 km caldera depression which was partly filled by the ignimbrite (total volume of ~127 km3) followed by the establishment of an intracaldera lake of unknown total extension. Early post-caldera collapse activity (2.6–2.1 Ma) was restricted within the caldera producing 27 km3 of lava flows and domes dominantly of basaltic trachyandesite to basaltic composition. Late post-caldera collapse activity (2.0-<0.016 Ma) migrated dominantly to the caldera rim and periphery emplacing 90 km3 of magma as rhyolitic domes, lava flows, scoria cones, and two younger ignimbrites. The 1.2 Ma Encimadas ignimbrite (26 km3) was vented through the eastern margin of the caldera and dispersed to the northeast, and the 0.6–0.8 Ma Tecoloquillo ignimbrite and dome (11 km3) erupted from the southwestern margin of the caldera. The most recent eruption of this phase was vented close to the southeastern caldera rim producing the Cuatzitzingo (<16,710 ± 50 years BP) scoria cone. Extra-caldera activity (2.4–0.19 Ma) of the Apan–Tezontepec volcanic field produced scoria cones and lava flows of basaltic trachyandesite to basaltic andesite composition that are interbedded with the products of the caldera complex.Aeromagnetic data further constrains the edge of the caldera rim and is consistent with the presence of at least four intrusive bodies at depths of >1 km hosted in the Cretaceous limestones. These bodies might represent a series of horizontal mafic intrusions located at different depths that provide the energy that maintains the Acoculco geothermal system active.

Geochronology of an Apollo 16 Clast Provides Evidence for a Basin-Forming Impact 4.3 Billion Years Ago.

We examined lithic breccias from the Apollo sample collection in order to identify ferroan anorthosite samples suitable for geochronology, and better define the age relationships between rocks of the lunar highlands. Clast 3A is a previously unstudied noritic anorthosite from Apollo 16 lithic breccia 60016 with textural evidence of slow subsolidus recrystallization. We estimate a cooling rate of ~10 °C/Myr and calculate a pyroxene solvus temperature of 1,100–1,000 °C. Pyroxene exsolution lamellae (1–3 μm) indicate that the last stage of cooling was rapid at ~0.2 °C/year, typical of rates observed in thick ejecta blankets. We calculate concordant ages from the 147Sm‐143Nd, 146Sm‐142Nd, Rb‐Sr, and Ar‐Ar isotopic systems of 4,302 ± 28, 4,296 + 39/−53, 4,275 ± 38, and 4,311 ± 31 Ma, respectively, with a weighted average of 4,304 ± 12 Ma. The closure temperature of the Sm‐Nd system is ~855 ± 14 °C, whereas the closure temperature of the Ar‐Ar system is 275 ± 25 °C. Cooling from 855 to 275 °C at 10 °C/Myr should result in an age difference between the two isotopic systems of ~60 Myr. The concordant Sm‐Nd, Rb‐Sr, and Ar‐Ar ages imply that they record the time the rock was excavated by a large impact from the midcrust. The ages clearly predate various late accretion scenarios in which an uptick in impacts at 3.8 Ga is preceded by a period of relative quiescence between 4.4 and ~4.1 Ga, and instead are consistent with decreasing accretion rates following the formation of the Moon.

The caldera-forming eruption of the quaternary Payún Matrú volcano, Andean back-arc of the southern volcanic zone

The Payún Matrú caldera is a Quaternary Andean back-arc caldera (36° 25′ S, 69° 12′ 30” W), and represents the main volcanic edifice of the homonym Payún Matrú volcanic field, located within the Payenia Basaltic province. The Payún Matrú volcanic field is also characterized by the Payún Liso volcano, and 220 monogenetic basaltic cones and associated lava flows. The Pleistocene – Holocene Payún Matrú caldera presents a long lived pre-caldera stage, which built a multi-vent and shield-like volcanic edifice, mainly trachytic in composition. The syn-caldera stage is represented by the trachytic Portezuelo Ignimbrite (the caldera-forming eruption deposits) constrained between 148 and 82 ka, and the resulting caldera depression of 8.5 km in diameter. Afterwards the caldera event, volcanism continued mostly along the caldera rim.Stratigraphic sections of the Portezuelo Ignimbrite and its correlations are presented, in addition to mineral compositions and previous whole-rock chemical analyses. Only the extra-caldera deposits can be observed, while the intra-caldera ignimbrite is hidden by post-caldera volcanic products and unconsolidated modern sediments. Different facies within the ignimbrite were recognized, being most of them massive or eutaxitic and massive lapilli tuff facies, deposited by dense pyroclastic density currents. Fall deposits are found only proximally and restrained to the caldera margin. The absence of a widespread fall deposit suggests the lack of a sustained eruptive column at the onset of eruption. Massive tuff facies at the topmost deposits indicates the development of a co-ignimbritic plume as the pyroclastic density currents wanned.On the basis of color, size and shape, vesicularity and crystallinity, four distinct juvenile clasts types were defined: gray fiamme, black juvenile, dark gray and light gray pumice. Available chemical analysis of gray fiamme and black juvenile clasts indicate a similar trachytic composition, although their mineralogical composition presents some differences.Several eruptive units for the northern and southern outer slopes of the caldera were defined, on the basis of the juvenile types present and discontinuity surfaces. The onset of caldera collapse is not marked by the presence of a lithic breccia, but it is suggested by the appearance of dark gray and light gray pumice along with black juveniles in the topmost eruptive units, together with an increase in lithic content relative to previous units. The sequential appearance of different juvenile clasts types suggests a zoned magma chamber, in terms of crystal content and composition.

The Erbisberg drilling 2011: Implications for the structure and postimpact evolution of the inner ring of the Ries impact crater

AbstractThe 26 km diameter Nördlinger Ries is a complex impact structure with a ring structure that resembles a peak ring. A first research drilling through this “inner crystalline ring” of the Ries was performed at the Erbisberg hill (SW Ries) to better understand the internal structure and lithology of this feature, and possibly reveal impact‐induced hydrothermal alteration. The drill core intersected the slope of a 22 m thick postimpact travertine mound, before entering 42 m of blocks and breccias of crystalline rocks excavated from the Variscan basement at &gt;500 m depth. Weakly shocked gneiss blocks that show that shock pressure did not exceed 5 GPa occur above polymict lithic breccias of shock stage Ia (10–20 GPa), with planar fractures and planar deformation features (PDFs) in quartz. Only a narrow zone at 49.20–50.00 m core depth exhibits strong mosaicism in feldspar and {102} PDFs in quartz, which are indicative of shock stage Ib (20–35 GPa). Finally, 2 m of brecciated Keuper sediments at the base of the section point to an inverse layering of strata. While reverse grading of clast sizes in lithic breccias and gneiss blocks is consistent with lateral transport, the absence of diaplectic glass and melt products argues against dynamic overthrusting of material from a collapsing central peak, as seen in the much larger Chicxulub structure. Indeed, weakly shocked gneiss blocks are rather of local provenance (i.e., the transient crater wall), whereas moderately shocked polymict lithic breccias with geochemical composition and 87Sr/86Sr signature similar to Ries suevite were derived from a position closer to the impact center. Thus, the inner ring of the Ries is formed by moderately shocked polymict lithic breccias likely injected into the transient crater wall during the excavation stage and weakly shocked gneiss blocks of the collapsing transient crater wall that were emplaced during the modification stage. While the presence of an overturned flap is not evident from the Erbisberg drilling, a survey of all drillings at or near the inner ring point to inverted strata throughout its outer limb. Whether the central ring of the Ries represents remains of a collapsed central peak remains to be shown. Postimpact hydrothermal alteration along the Erbisberg section comprises chloritization, sulfide veinlets, and strong carbonatization. In addition, a narrow zone in the lower parts of the polymict lithic breccia sequence shows a positive Eu anomaly in its carbonate phase. The surface expression of this hydrothermal activity, i.e., the travertine mound, comprises subaerial as well as subaquatic growth phases. Intercalated lake sediments equivalent to the early parts of the evolution of the central crater basin succession confirm a persistent impact‐generated hydrothermal activity, although for less time than previously suggested.

The Ilopango caldera complex, El Salvador: Origin and early ignimbrite-forming eruptions of a graben/pull-apart caldera structure

The Ilopango caldera is located in the central part of El Salvador, within the right-lateral El Salvador Fault System (ESFZ) and adjacent to the capital city of San Salvador. The caldera has a polygonal shape of 17 × 13 km and hosts an intra-caldera lake. Ilopango caldera had multiple collapse eruptions that formed widespread and voluminous silicic ignimbrites. Volcanic activity of the caldera has been controlled by strike-slip faults of the ESFZ. In this work we present the geological characteristics of the first three ignimbrite-forming eruptions of Ilopango caldera, providing an interpretation of the origin and initial stages of the volcanic evolution of this caldera complex. An initial extensional regime of the ESFZ possibly developed a graben at or near the actual Ilopango caldera, where the graben's master faults worked as fissure vents during the first caldera collapse. The Olocuilta Ignimbrite was emplaced at 1.785 ± 0.01 Ma BP, with a Dense Rock Equivalent (DRE) volume > 50 km3 (probably ~300 km3). The ESFZ stress gradually changed from extensive to transtensive, inducing the second collapse associated with a pull-apart caldera, producing the Colima Ignimbrite at 1.56 ± 0.01 Ma BP, with a DRE volume of >11 km3. The transtensive regime increased along the ESFZ, producing the third collapse in the pull-apart graben caldera apparently affected by the newly formed strike-slip San Vicente Fault. This phase corresponds to the explosive eruption that formed the Apopa Ignimbrite at ~1.34 Ma BP, with >9 km3 DRE volume. The latter ignimbrite marks a change in the eruptive style producing hydromagmatic pyroclastic flows followed by a dense ignimbrite with coignimbrite lithic breccias. These features suggest the involvement of water that could come from a paleoIlopango lake within the caldera depression associated with the second caldera collapse at 1.56 Ma BP. Ilopango is thus a multistage caldera system associated with the largest explosive events registered in El Salvador so far.

Geology of the late Pliocene – Pleistocene Acoculco caldera complex, eastern Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (México)

ABSTRACT We present a new 1:80,000-scale geologic map of the Acoculco caldera (Ac) located between the states of Puebla and Hidalgo in eastern México. The map, encompassing an area of 856 km2, is grounded on an ArcMap data set and is supported by nine new 40Ar/39Ar dates. The caldera lies upon Cretaceous limestones and Miocene to Pliocene volcanic rocks (13–3 Ma). The caldera consists of 31 lithostatrigraphic units formed between 2.7 and 0.06 Ma that include a wide variety of volcanic landforms (cinder cones, lava domes). The caldera has a semi-circular shape (18–16 km) bounded by the Atotonilco scarp to the north, the NW–SE Manzanito fault to the west, and scattered vents to the east and southern parts. The distribution of the Acoculco ignimbrite, the lithic breccia, and lacustrine sediments define the caldera ring fault. Late Pleistocene activity and pervasive hydrothermal alteration suggest a high geothermal potential in the area.

The origin of a coarse lithic breccia in the 34 ka caldera-forming Sounkyo eruption, Taisetsu volcano group, central Hokkaido, Japan

The 34 ka Sounkyo eruption produced 7.6 km3 of tephra (~5 km3 DRE) as fallout, ignimbrite, and lithic breccia units, forming a small, 2-km-diameter summit caldera in the Taisetsu volcano group, Japan. The Sounkyo eruption products are made up of five eruptive units (SK-A to -E) in proximal regions, corresponding to the distal deposits, a 1- to 2-m-thick pumice fallout and the Px-type ignimbrite up to 220 m thick. The eruption began with a fallout phase, producing unstable low eruption columns during the earlier phase to form a <7-m-thick succession of well-stratified fallouts (SK-A1 and the lower part of the distal fallout). The eruption column reached up to 25 km high (subplinian to plinian) and became more stable at the late of the phase, producing a < 60-m-thick, pumice-dominated fallout (SK-A2 and the upper part of the distal fallout). The second phase, the climax of the Sounkyo eruption, produced a widespread, valley-filling ignimbrite in both proximal and distal regions (SK-B and the Px-type ignimbrite). At the end of the climactic phase, the waning of the eruption led to extensive failure of the walls of the shallow conduit, generating a dense, lithic-rich, low-mobile pyroclastic density current (PDC) to form a >27-m-thick, unstratified and ungraded, coarse lithic breccia (SK-C). The failure in turn choked the conduit, and then the eruption stopped. After a short eruptive hiatus, the eruption resumed with a short-lived fall phase, establishing an eruption column up to 16 km high and producing a <6-m-thick scoria fallout (SK-D). Finally, the eruption ended with the generation of PDCs by eruption column collapse to form a 5- to 15-m-thick ignimbrite in the proximal area (SK-E). Volume relationships between the caldera, ejected magma, and ejected lithic fragments suggest that the caldera was not essentially formed by caldera collapse but, instead, by vent widening as a consequence of explosive erosion and failure of the shallow conduit. The dominance of shallow-origin volcanic rocks in the lithic fraction throughout the Sounkyo eruption products implies the development of a flaring funnel-shaped vent. Hence, the occurrence of lithic breccias within small caldera-forming eruption products does not necessarily reflect either the existence or the timing of caldera collapse, as commonly assumed in literature. Lithic breccias commonly overlie climactic ignimbrite/fallout deposits in small caldera-forming eruptions, and an alternative explanation is that this reflects the collapse of the shallow conduit after an eruption climax, whose walls had been highly fractured and had become unstable owing to progressive erosion.

THE KAMENETSK IMPACT STRUKTURE – A NEW METEORITE-IMPACT CRATER IN THE UKRAINIAN SHIELD

The Kamenetsk impact structure is a deeply eroded simple bowl-shaped crater located on the southern slope of the Ukrainian Shield in the basin of the Ingul River. Determination of characteristic features of shock metamorphism in the rocks of the Kamenetsk structure proves its impact origin and refutes the idea of its endogenous nature. Kamenetsk impact structure is an isometric depression in the surface of the crystalline basement 1.0-1.2 km in diameter and 130 m deep. The structure is eroded, and only the lower part of lithic breccias up to 60 m thick was preserved to the recent time. The upper part of crater-fill rocks and post-crater sediments are completely cut. Erosion of the crater and surrounding area to the depth more 200 m was preceded to the deposition of the overlying sediments. The time of the Kamenetsk structure formation is determined within a wide interval from the age of its crystalline target, 2000-2100 Ma, to the Late Miocene age of overlying sediments. A deep erosion of the crater bear witness about its ancient, probably, Paleozoic age. The Kamenetsk crater is the eighth impact structure in the Ukrainian Shield.