Magma Body Research Articles

Contact metamorphism and dolomitization overprint on Cambrian carbonates from the Ossa-Morena Zone (SW Iberian Massif): implications to Sr-chronology of carbonate rocks

AbstractThe Cambrian Series 2 Carbonate Formation from the Alter do Chão Elvas-Cumbres Mayores unit (Ossa-Morena Zone, SW Iberian Massif) is composed of regionally metamorphosed marbles and marlstones that underwent chlorite zone metamorphism and preserve the primaeval limestone 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7083–0.7088). These are consistent with the established Lower Cambrian seawater curve, and therefore used for age constraints in formations lacking fossil contents. The regional mineralogical and Sr-isotopic features of the carbonate rocks are frequently overprinted by the effects of contact metamorphism induced by magmatic bodies emplaced during rift-related and synorogenic events of the Palaeozoic, as well as by post-metamorphic dolomitization processes. The development of calc-silicate minerals due to contact metamorphism is common in the rocks of the Carbonate Formation and apparently results from the interaction of the protolith with fluids of different origin: (i) internally produced fluids released by conductive heating (observed in external contact aureoles) and (ii) external intrusion-expelled fluids that, besides leading to the appearance of distinctive assemblages, also promote an influx of strontium content (observed in roof pendants). Calc-silicate mineralogy varies substantially throughout the region, likely due to the heterogeneous distribution of silicate minerals of the protolith, progression of intrusion-driven fluids, and the irregular effect of thermal gradients. Results suggest that high-grade contact metamorphism (hornblende facies or higher) and dolomitization processes imposed on the Carbonate Formation significantly influence the isotopic signatures of the carbonates, providing limitations in applying Sr-isotopic chronology. Graphical abstract

On the coexistence of rift-related silica-undersaturated and silica-saturated alkaline rocks – The cretaceous Messum alkaline complex (Namibia) revisited

The ~132 Ma-old Messum igneous complex, a circular structure of ~18 km diameter, belongs to the Damaraland intrusive complexes that intruded into the Pan-African Damara basement of Namibia. The plutonic rocks of the core of the complex comprise olivine-gabbro, biotite-gabbro, nepheline-syenite and quartz-syenite as well as minor alkali gabbro and coexist with the Etendeka volcanic sequences of the Goboboseb Mountains, comprising basalts (Tafelkop and Tafelberg types) that are overlain by deposits of several quartz latite eruptions. New major and trace element and Sr, Nd and Pb isotope data are reported for nepheline-syenite and quartz-syenite. Major and trace element data are consistent with the development of nepheline-syenites through fractional crystallization processes. The nepheline-syenite samples have initial 87Sr/86Sr of 0.7046–0.7049 and initial εNd ranging from +0.53 to +1.47, indicating a mantle source with time-integrated lithophile element depletion. Initial Pb isotopes are rather uniform (206Pb/204Pb:17.89–18.14, 207Pb/204Pb: 15.56–15.58, 208Pb/204Pb: 37.78–38.00). Uniform initial Sr and Pb isotope ratios for nepheline-syenites suggest that the syenite magmas evolved through fractional crystallization from an inferred mafic alkaline magma without crustal contamination. However, the range in Nd isotope composition is too large to be related to crystal fractionation alone and imply a heterogeneous source with respect to the Nd isotope composition. The quartz-syenites show a large range in initial εNd (+1.0 to −4.4) and initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7047–0.7115). Initial Pb isotope ratios are also heterogeneous (206Pb/204Pb: 18.29–18.74, 207Pb/204Pb: 15.60–15.65, 208Pb/204Pb: 37.43–38.49). These data, together with major and trace element constraints and results from AFC modeling substantiate the production of the quartz-syenites by fractional crystallization of clinopyroxene, amphibole and K-feldspar accompanied by assimilation of up to about 30 % pre-Pan African lower crust. Isotope and chemical data do not support derivation from a single batch of magma undergoing contamination, but suggest that a large magma body at depth evolved largely by fractionation with batches of melt extracted from this chamber being variably contaminated at lower crustal levels.

Characterization of Earthquake Clustering and Swarms in Central New Mexico from 2002–2009 Associated with the Socorro Magma Body

Characterization of Earthquake Clustering and Swarms in Central New Mexico from 2002–2009 Associated with the Socorro Magma Body

Upper mantle flow and crustal deformation patterns beneath the Dangerous Grounds and Borneo where multiple plates converge in South China Sea revealed by 3-D anisotropic magnetotelluric imaging

SUMMARY A large-scale magnetotelluric (MT) study was carried out in offshore Borneo to understand the lithospheric structure in this geologically complex region where three tectonic plates converge and past crustal studies generated long-standing debates. Marine MT data were acquired at 1416 stations with 3 km spacing along 13 regional lines (covering 4677 line-km) with periodicities of 0.1 to 10 000 s. These were inverted in 3-D incorporating electrical anisotropy with cross-gradients constraints between vertical and horizontal resistivities and the results were validated with resistivity well-logs from several exploration wells. The models reveal widespread presence of electrically resistive upper crustal and uppermost mantle layers, each underlain by a laterally varying conductive and anisotropic layer. The geometries of the anisotropic layers suggest large-scale ductile flow, thrusting and folding forming belts of alternating deep roots and thin lithosphere, consistent with multiple underthrusting/subduction. Our results are in agreement with the seismologically detected lithospheric variations in northern Borneo suggesting onshore–offshore continuity and a common lithospheric–asthenospheric origin for the deformation patterns. Over thinned lithosphere, we found consistent low resistivity and high anisotropy anomalies in the mantle above the spatial locations of fast shear-wave bodies imaged by recent seismological workers which we interpret to indicate post-subduction lithospheric–asthenospheric ductile flow in response to multidirectional regional compression. We demonstrate that these zones are spatially correlated with the distribution of mainly Cretaceous ophiolitic rocks and melanges exposed onshore and suggest that serpentinization of mantle peridotite can explain some of the anisotropic conductivity anomalies. The taper zones of these deep anisotropic conductors are also associated with Neogene sub-basins, high thermal gradients, and intrasedimentary magmatic bodies indicating a link between lithospheric thinning and magmatism. We propose that such anomalies could be important pathfinders for geothermal and natural hydrogen systems in the ongoing global drive for carbon-free energy resources.

Heterogeneous pumice populations of the 52 ± 3 ka Maninjau caldera-forming eruption, West Sumatra, Indonesia: Evidence of multiple magma reservoirs feeding a large silicic eruption

Three color variations of grey members (including grey and banded juvenile clasts) were observed in the 52 ka ignimbrite deposits of Maninjau caldera, Indonesia; namely dark grey (DGM), pale grey (PGM), and light grey (LGM). All grey members were phenocryst-rich ( 24, 20, and 31 % for DGM, PGM, and LGM, respectively) and comprise plagioclase, pyroxene, amphibole, biotite, and oxides as the main phenocryst phases; however, apatite is exclusively present in DGM. Plagioclase with unzoned and coarsely sieved texture was observed in all grey members, while finely sieved and oscillatory zoned textures were exclusive in LGM. Notably, DGM is characterized by the highest MgO value among all grey members, followed by PGM and LGM (∼0.72, 0.46, and 0.34 wt% MgO under ∼74.0 wt% SiO2, respectively). Based on the amphibole geothermobarometer and plagioclase hygrometer, we found that all grey magmas were stored at a relatively similar range of pressure and water content, but DGM yields a higher apparent temperature than those of PGM and LGM. Such distinctive petrography and chemical characteristics, coupled with different temperature conditions strongly suggest that each grey member originated from different magma bodies, which were stored below the most voluminous white magma (the source of white pumice). The sudden decompression of the white magma via overpressure causes destabilization to the smaller grey magmatic bodies, allowing them to rise and erupt as grey and banded pumices during the final eruption stage. Our results enrich the evidence of the formation of multiple magma reservoirs in large-silicic magmatic systems, which might be a common behavior before large eruptions. Moreover, our detailed glass compositions for each juvenile type may be useful for further regional tephrochronology studies.

Kinematics of rift linkage between the Eastern and Ethiopian rifts in the Turkana Depression, Africa

AbstractRift initiation within cold, thick, strong lithosphere and the evolving linkage to form a contiguous plate boundary remains debated in part owing to the lack of time–space constraints on kinematics of basement‐involved faults. Different rift sectors initiate diachronously and may eventually link to produce a jigsaw spatial pattern, as in the East African rift, and along the Atlantic Ocean margins. The space–time distribution of earthquakes illuminates the geometry and kinematics of fault zones within the crystalline crust, as well as areas with pressurized magma bodies. We use seismicity and Global Navigation System Satellites (GNSS) data from the Turkana Rift Array Investigating Lithospheric Structure (TRAILS) project in East Africa and a new digital compilation of faults and eruptive centres to evaluate models for the kinematic linkage of two initially separate rift sectors: the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) and the Eastern rift (ER). The ca. 300 km wide zone of linkage includes failed basins and linkage zones; seismicity outlines active structures. Models of GNSS data indicate that the ca. 250 km‐wide zone of seismically active en echelon basins north of the Turkana Depression is a zone, or block, of distributed strain with small counterclockwise rotation that serves to connect the Main Ethiopian and Eastern rifts. Its western boundary is poorly defined owing to data gaps in South Sudan. Strain across the northern and southern boundaries of this block, and an ca. 50 km‐wide kink in the southern Turkana rift is accommodated by en echelon normal faults linked by short strike‐slip faults in crystalline basement, and relay ramps at the surface. Short segments of obliquely oriented basement structures facilitate across‐rift linkage of faults, but basement shear zones and Mesozoic rift faults are not actively straining. This configuration has existed for at least 2–5 My without the development of localized shear zones or transform faults, documenting the importance of distributed deformation in continental rift tectonics.

Time‐Resolved Trigger Processes Leading to the Plinian Eruptions at Sakurajima Volcano, Japan

AbstractMafic magma recharge of crustal reservoirs and subsequent magma mixing has been considered a direct trigger of volcanic eruptions. However, although recharge frequently occurs in many active volcanoes, it rarely leads to an eruption immediately, making its role as a trigger ambiguous. Sakurajima volcano, Japan, has vigorously erupted three times since the 15th century following a common process; mixed magmas after recharge were once stored in a shallow, thick conduit before each eruption (conduit pre‐charge). We reconstructed the magma migration with a high time resolution by diffusion modeling on orthopyroxene and magnetite. Orthopyroxene phenocrysts recorded prolonged diffusive re‐equilibration timescales of years or more after recharge‐and‐mixing. Magnetite, which has the fastest elemental diffusivity among the phenocrysts examined, predominantly lacks zoning. This demonstrates that the mineral phase was re‐equilibrated with surrounding magma and homogenized via elemental diffusion after the final magmatic perturbation, implying the final repose of the shallow pre‐charged magma body for more than several tens of days. After this shallow stagnation period, the Plinian magmas began to ascend and reached the surface within 55 hr. Mass balance calculations show that crystallization‐driven vesiculation upon pre‐charge can produce overpressure sufficient to cause an eruption. The Sakurajima cases demonstrate the hierarchical timescales of trigger processes leading to the explosive eruptions.

Helium and carbon isotope compositions of thermal fluids in the northeastern Anatolia: Implications for the heat source and volatile flux

In this study, we make a quantitative assessment on the volatile flux of mantle-derived fluids and source of volatiles to explain the geologic controls on the transport of volatiles within thermal fluids of northeastern Anatolia. In line with this objective, we collected 22 samples (gas and water phase) from 16 geothermal fields in NE Turkey covering an area of nearly 100,000 km2 that extends from the eastern termination of North Anatolian Fault towards the Georgian and Armenian borders. The 3He/4He ratios of the samples (R) normalized to the atmospheric 3He/4He ratio (Ra = 1.4 × 10−6) vary from 0.31 to 7.15, and are considerably higher than the crustal value of 0.02Ra. Regarding spatial distribution of helium isotope composition, samples collected from areas of tectonic unrest around the Erzincan and Erzurum pull-apart basins in the southern part are represented by a higher range of 3He/4He ratios (>5 Ra) than those in volcanic areas to the east and northeast of the region. δ13CCO2 values of the gas samples varying from −20.76 to 5.43 ‰ are about 4–5 ‰ lower than δ13CDIC values of the water samples that range from −16.90 to 8.85 ‰, indicating CO2 removal from waters by degassing. CO2/3He ratios of gas samples falling in the range of 3.81 × 109 to 2.83 × 1012 imply that carbon is derived from the mixing between the crustal lithologies and mantle, the latter having a contribution up to 40 %. The maximum flux of mantle-derived fluids is found 88 mm/a at Erzincan (eastern part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone). This value is higher by a factor of about 10 than the western part of the fault zone. Calculations show that degassing from magmatic bodies is the sole mechanism to explain the high helium isotope compositions in the region. Therefore, we suggest that mantle-derived He contents might be due to extensive melting associated with active tectonism. The 3He/Heat ratios of thermal waters in northeastern Turkey were calculated in range of 0.25 to 29.7 × 10−15 cm3(STP)/J, consistent with the data reported for waters along the North Anatolian Fault, indicating a crustal heat source for the geothermal systems in northeastern Turkey.

Deep Low‐Frequency Earthquake Reveals Unsteady Fluid Flow Beneath Tengchong Volcano Field in Southeast Tibet

AbstractDeep low‐frequency earthquakes (DLFE) are observed beneath volcanoes worldwide but are limited to island arc volcanoes, hotspot volcanoes, and rift zones. Here we show DLFEs in the Tengchong Volcano Field, southeast Tibet, located ∼300 km from the Indo‐Burma volcanic arc, by analyzing a 12‐year continuous seismic data set. The earthquakes were at a depth of ∼12 km, near the sidewall of the magma body detected by the magnetotelluric survey. The features of isotropic focal mechanism, episodic occurrence, and possible non‐power‐law scaling, with no detectable geodetic deformation, as well as the petrological signatures of the Holocene eruption product, suggest that the earthquakes were likely associated with the weak intermittent magma flows near the magma body. This finding may demonstrate the existence of unsteady magmatic processes in the margin of the Indo‐Eurasia collision zone, which could indicate unneglectable volcanic hazards, underestimated geothermal resources, and mineralization processes in similar regions.

Development of permeable networks by viscous-brittle deformation in a shallow rhyolite intrusion. Part 1: Field evidence

Efficient outgassing of shallow magma bodies reduces the risk of explosive eruption. Silica-rich magmas are too viscous for exsolved gas bubbles to escape the system through buoyant forces alone, and so volatile overpressure is often released through deformation-related processes. Here we present a case study on magma emplacement-related deformation in a shallow (∼500 m depth) rhyolite intrusion (the Sandfell laccolith, Eastern Iceland) to investigate the establishment of degassing (volatile exsolution) and outgassing (gas escape) networks in silicic sub-volcanic intrusions. We observe viscous and brittle deformation features: from vesiculated flow bands that organized into ‘pore channels’ in the ductile regime, to uniform bands of tensile fractures (‘fracture bands’) that grade into breccia and gouge in the brittle regime. Through field mapping, structural analysis, and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements, we show that areas with higher degrees of brittle deformation are proximal to abruptly changing AMS fabrics, and flow band orientations and point to laccolith-wide strain partitioning in the magma. We associate the changes in flow fabrics and the intensity of brittle deformation to the transition from dominantly horizontally flowing magma during initial sill-stacking to up to the NE magma flow linked to the propagation of a trap-door fault from the N to the SE. The establishment of intrusion-scale brittle permeable networks linked to changes in strain partitioning that facilitated magma flow during different stages of laccolith growth would have profoundly assisted the outgassing of the entire laccolith. Magmatic fracturing captures viscous and brittle processes working in tandem as an efficient outgassing mechanism, and should be considered in sub-volcanic intrusions elsewhere.

Case study of a cluster of simple and complex monogenetic volcanoes in the north‐east part of the Michoacan–Guanajuato Volcanic Field, Central Mexico: Nomenclature implications

With the advent of new terminologies to categorize and characterize the simple and complex monogenetic volcanoes, also came the semantic issues, which caused a predicament for the usage of terms like simple, complex, polycyclic, polymagmatic, complex monogenetic volcanoes with polygenetic inheritance. To analyse and validate this nomenclature, we studied an overlapping volcanic structure located south of the present‐day town of Irapuato, Central Mexico, that appears to be a monogenetic complex at first sight. Field observations, tephra stratigraphy, petrography and geochemistry of the tephra deposits confirms that the structure is in fact a cluster of three simple (San Joaquin tuff ring and two scoria mounds) and one complex, polycyclic, polymagmatic (La Sanabria‐San Roque tuff ring) monogenetic volcanoes formed by independent events, governed by distinct conduits and magma bodies of different origin (subduction‐related, OIB and E‐MORB origin) and separated by different tephra sequences of dissimilar components and depositional characteristics. We estimate the magma volumes (using the juvenile content and their vesicularity percentage) to be at 0.40–1.31 × 108, 0.25 × 108 and 0.42–0.90 × 108 m3 for San Joaquin, La Sanabria and San Roque, reckoning an eruption duration of 77 and 48 and 81 days, respectively (considering an average eruption rate of 6 m3/s from the well‐documented shallow crater (<30 m), Ukinrek maars in Alaska) occurring within the age range of 40–70 k years (crater diameter and depth ratio). This study not only aided to validate the above‐mentioned terms for monogenetic volcanoes, but also reconsider a few of them and avoid confusion with the polygenetic counterparts.

Subsurface interconnection beneath the Mio-Plio-Quaternary volcanoes of the Ain Leuh causse (Middle Atlas, Morocco): Structural framework and emplacement mechanisms

In the Ain Leuh causse, located southwest of the Middle Atlas Volcanic Province (MAVP), a combined study using aeromagnetic data, fieldwork, and remote sensing is carried out to improve our understanding of the subsurface structure and its correlation with surface structural and volcanic features. The tectonically controlled emplacement mechanisms of the MAVP, which continue to hold undisclosed aspects, were investigated as well. Numerous techniques and mathematical filters for edge detection and 2D modelling were used. The main observations show that the positive magnetic anomalies in the study area are mainly related to the magmatic activity, which was organized into two main episodes: i) Triassic, with a tholeiitic affinity, well recorded along the NE-SW inherited Variscan faults; and ii) Mio-Plio-Quaternary, with an alkaline affinity, forming scoria cones, maars, and lava flows. They are also expressed as hidden domes, laccoliths, and interconnected magma bodies revealed by 2D modelling of the aeromagnetic data. Uncommon coarse-grained undersaturated alkaline rocks crop out in Talzast dome (Talzastite, Fasinites, and Ankaratrite). They are unique in the MAVP and restricted to this part of the Middle Atlas. 2D aeromagnetic modelling has revealed the presence of shallow magmatic rocks bodies beneath Talzast dome. The extracted structural lineaments using aeromagnetic data and remote sensing reveal that the structural framework of the study area is controlled by NE-trending faults reaching depths of up to 3000 m, which is the depth of the magnetic signature of the faults. Additionally, NNE, NNW and N-trending short-length lineaments are defined and rooted at depths up to 3000 m. The predominant NE-SW structural trend may be linked to the reactivation of Hercynian faults during Alpine tectonics. These faults likely controlled the emplacement of the Mio-Plio-Quaternary volcanism in the area. The magma reservoirs that would have fed the various volcanic edifices are located at a shallow depth of less than 500–2000 m.

The 2019 pumice raft forming eruption of Volcano-F (Volcano 0403–091) and implications for hazards posed by submerged calderas

Low volcanic explosivity index (VEI) eruptions are common occurrences in the Southwest Pacific but, as demonstrated by the 2021/2022 eruption of Hunga Volcano, submerged calderas in the region are also capable of producing much larger and more hazardous eruptions. As such, characterising smaller events from potentially hazardous systems is essential. The 2019 eruption of Volcano-F, a submerged caldera, would likely have gone totally undetected had it not produced a pumice raft that inundated beaches in Fiji and eventually washed up in Australia. New data, acquired 5 months after the eruption, reveal the development of a new vent and the accumulation of at least 3.1*107 m3 bulk volume (dense rock equivalent of 5.6*106 m3) of material on the seafloor. Between 30 and 70% of erupted material entered the raft, while the rest remained near to or was dispersed down-current of the vent. This previously unaccounted for material increases the volume estimate for the eruption, confirming it as a VEI 3 event and highlights the importance of considering not just the floating component of a pumice raft forming eruption for VEI estimation. Geochemical analysis reveals the eruption comprised a homogenous batch of dacitic magma, with compositional characteristics similar to that erupted from the same volcano in 2001, and an until-now-unidentified pumice raft in the Coral Sea in 1964. Volcano-F therefore appears to have had at least three explosive eruptions in the last 60 years, indicating it is significantly at unrest. Repeated eruptions of similar composition and low crystal content magma over decadal to centennial scales indicate the existence of a melt-dominant magma body beneath the volcano. Submerged calderas, like Volcano-F, are common in the wider Southwest Pacific region, with many such calderas producing regular eruptions, implicating active magmatic recharge. Our findings motivate a need to carefully monitor and characterise even apparently small eruptions at this volcano, and others along the Tonga-Kermadec Arc. This is because such eruptions have the potential to subsequently prime or trigger more explosive eruptions and provide critical geochemical evidence about the plumbing system and evolution of the volcano, essential for understanding the diverse hazards they pose.

Shallow storage of the explosive Earthquake Flat Pyroclastics magma body, Okataina Volcanic Center, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand: evidence from phase-equilibria experiments

Rhyolitic tuffs range widely in their crystal contents from nearly aphyric to crystal-rich, and their crystal cargoes inform concepts of upper crustal magma reservoirs. The Earthquake Flat pyroclastics (Okataina Volcanic Center, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand) are 10 km3 of rhyolitic tuffs with abundant (~ 40 vol.%) plagioclase and quartz, minor biotite, hornblende, and orthopyroxene, and accessory Fe-Ti oxides, apatite, and zircon, set in high-silica rhyolitic glass. Major minerals form large, euhedral phenocrysts and abundant glomerocrysts with few disequilibrium textures excepting some faintly resorbed quartz. Plagioclase phenocrysts have thick rims of nearly constant composition near An30, and hornblende is weakly zoned or unzoned. The abundant and texturally complex mineral assemblage contrasts with the nearby (~ 25 km), nearly synchronous, but more voluminous and crystal-moderate rhyolite tuffs from Rotoiti caldera. New H2O-saturated phase-equilibria results on the erupted Earthquake Flat melt (glass) determine its co-saturation with the partial phenocryst assemblage of plagioclase, quartz, biotite, and Fe-Ti oxides at: 140 MPa, 755 ºC. These closely approximate the conditions of the pre-eruptive magma body assuming it was saturated with nearly pure H2O and at an fO2 of ~ Ni–NiO. Absence of hornblende and orthopyroxene from the synthesized assemblages may result from those minerals being in a peritectic reaction relation with melt to produce biotite, so they would not grow from the liquid used as starting material. Experimental results on Rotoiti rhyolite (Nicholls et al. 1992) show that the two bodies resided at similar pressures, temperatures, and fO2s. Lower crystal abundance of the Rotoiti tuffs may result from slight compositional differences. We interpret that the Earthquake Flat pyroclastics were sourced from the crystal-rich periphery of a mushy reservoir system with the Rotoiti occupying a more melt-rich central location. Uncertain is whether this was a single intrusion zoned continuously in crystallinity, or discrete adjacent intrusions, but our results illustrate and quantify complexities of magma storage across relatively short distances.

Paleostress constraints on the tectonic evolution of the Central High Atlas orogen

The Central High Atlas is distinguished by map-scale, sigmoid, and narrow magmatic-cored ridges, which separate wide and open synclines. The origin of these structures has been debated for years. This study addresses this issue from a paleostress perspective, using mesostructural analysis in the Imilchil region and incorporating insights from previous research.Our analysis reveals that the Central High Atlas ridges developed through two main structural stages from the Jurassic to the Cenozoic. The first stage involved an extensional event characterized by NW-SE-oriented σ3, coeval with the Early Jurassic Tethyan extension. This was followed by wrench tectonics driven by oblique left-lateral motion of Africa with respect to Europe. This events is marked within the Central High Atlas by ENE-WSW-oriented σ1 and NNW-SSE-oriented σ3. The basin-scale left-lateral motion likely drove the formation of sigmoid stepovers, facilitating the emplacement of magmatic bodies from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. The second deformation stage is likely associated with the convergence between Africa and Europe and the consecutive Alpine orogeny. In the study area, this stage consists of three events: a pre-folding strike-slip event with NNE-SSW to N–S-oriented σ1, and a pre-folding strike-slip event with NW-SE-oriented σ1. Near the diapirs, the analyzed mesostructures display syn-to post-folding patterns in some locations, indicating pre-Alpine layer tilting driven by salt tectonics. The final event is marked by significant post-folding NW-SE compression, associated with the Central High Atlas basin inversion and the compaction of pre-existing magmatic-cored salt diapirs.This study highlights the complex deformation history that has influenced the evolution of the Central High Atlas ridges and provides evidence of the significant role of strike-slip tectonics during the post-rift period and magmatic emplacement, as well as in the early phases of basin inversion.

The Role of Latent Heat Buffering in the Generation of High-Silica Rhyolites

Abstract The physical process of crystal-melt separation is responsible for the accumulation of small to very large volumes (>100 km3) of eruptible rhyolitic melt in the shallow crust. Granitic intrusions, although providing a terminal, time-integrated image of melt segregation processes, host an unmatched record of the physical properties controlling mechanisms and rates of interstitial melt extraction from a crystal-rich source. We applied mass balance calculations and thermodynamic modeling simulations to an extensive bulk rock geochemistry dataset (>150 samples) collected in a Permian upper-crustal granitoid intrusion of the Italian Southern Alps. Textural and geochemical evidence indicate that this intrusion constituted a single, zoned magma body, with a crystal-rich base and a thick (~2 km), high-silica cap (75–77 wt% SiO₂). The large compositional variability of the crystal-rich materials suggests variable degrees of melt extraction efficiency and corresponding terminal porosities. Specifically, the loosely bimodal distribution of porosity values (φ) indicates that at least two distinct melt segregation mechanisms were operating in this system, which produced both high (0.65–0.45) and low terminal porosities (0.45–0.25) in the crystal-rich, cumulate materials. Modeling of latent heat budget shows that coexistence of cumulate products with differing terminal porosity signature can be explained by melt segregation processes taking place at different depths across a thick, interconnected magmatic reservoir with an initial homogenous water content (~4 wt% H2O). Deep in the mush column, low water activities (aH₂O < 0.5) promoted thermal buffering of cooling magma at high crystallinities, enabling residual melt extraction by percolation through a crystalline framework accompanied by compaction. Instead, at shallower depths, high water activities (aH₂O > 0.5) ensured prolonged magma residence at porosities that promoted crystal melt separation via hindered settling. Distinct melt extraction processes, acting synchronously but at different depths in vertically extensive silicic mush columns, can account for the large volumes of residual, haplogranitic melt mobilized during the relatively short lifespan of upper crustal magma reservoirs (~105 years).

On the Budget and Atmospheric Fate of Sulfur Emissions From Large Volcanic Eruptions

AbstractToday, volcanic sulfur emissions into the atmosphere are measured spectroscopically from the ground, air and space. For eruptions prior to the satellite era, two main sulfur proxies are used, the rock and ice core records, as illustrated by Peccia et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023gl103334). The first approach is based on calculations of the sulfur content of the magma, while the second uses traces of sulfur deposited in ice. Both approaches have their limitations. For glaciochemistry, the volcano responsible for a sulfur anomaly is often unknown and the atmospheric pathway by which the sulfur reached the ice uncertain. The petrologic method relies, too, on uncertain estimates of eruption size and a number of geochemical assumptions that are hard to verify. A deeper knowledge of processes occurring both within magma bodies prior to eruption, and within volcanic plumes in the atmosphere is needed to further our understanding of the impacts of volcanism on climate.

Granitic mush compaction by impingement of a large felsic enclave: Evidence from the Aztec Wash pluton (Nevada, USA)

Abstract Compaction and melt extraction are key processes in the generation of melt-dominated magma bodies. We analyze magmatic fabrics in the Aztec Wash pluton (15.7 Ma; Nevada, USA) to understand magma dynamics during emplacement of a large (2 m diameter) felsic enclave (LFE) in a silicic magma body. We hypothesize that the LFE moved through crystal-poor magma, settling into crystal-rich magma. We analyze four granite samples collected near the enclave: two 0.25 m below the enclave (E-5 and E-2); one 0.5 m below (E-6); and one 2.5 m to the side (E-3, far field). We use the scanning electron microscope (SEM) to gather data using backscattered electron (BSE) microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) imaging. BSE maps show large (up to 10 mm) euhedral alkali feldspar grains in E-5 and E-2, while E-6 and E-3 have large (up to 6 mm) alkali feldspar with distinct irregular and wavy rims. Dark BSE alkali feldspar rims correlate with Ba depletion in EDS maps. Broken feldspars in E-5 and E-2 have mismatched zones in BSE and orientation differences in EBSD. Grain orientation spread (GOS) maps show that alkali feldspar has the highest degree of intragrain deformation, followed by plagioclase, then quartz. Histograms of the angle between the vertical plane and the pole to the (010) plane demonstrate clustering in E-5, suggesting an enhanced fabric. Differences in rim texture suggest melt extraction beneath the enclave and melt retained in the far field. EBSD data reveal an enhanced foliation beneath the LFE. We conclude that mush under the LFE was deformed during emplacement of the LFE, expelling melt and reorienting grains.

A Geodetically Constrained Petrogenetic Model for Evolved Lavas from the January 1997 Fissure Eruption of Kīlauea Volcano

Abstract Magmatic systems below volcanoes are often dominated by partially crystalline magma over the long term. Rejuvenation of these systems during eruptive events can impact lava composition and eruption style—sometimes resulting in more violent or explosive activity than would be expected, as was the case at Fissure 17 during Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption. Here, we explore how the crystallinity of unerupted intrusion magmas affect hybrid magma compositions and petrological signatures by constructing phase-equilibria models to evaluate mineral and melt compositions of low-MgO lavas erupted along the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano on 30 to 31 January 1997 (Episode 54, Fissures A-F). We then compare calculated mixing proportions and petrologically derived magma volumes to GPS-based geodetic inversions of ground deformation and intrusion growth in an attempt to reconcile geodetic and petrologically estimated magma volumes. Open-system phase-equilibria thermodynamic models were used to constrain the composition, degree of differentiation, and thermodynamic state of a rift-stored, two pyroxene + plagioclase saturated low-MgO magma body immediately preceding its mixing with high-MgO recharge and degassed drainback (lava lake) magma from Pu‘u‘ō‘ō‘, shortly before fissure activity within Nāpau Crater began on 29 January 1997. Mixing models constructed using the Magma Chamber Simulator reproduce the mineralogy and compositions of Episode 54 lavas within uncertainties and suggest that the identity of the low-MgO magma body may be either variably differentiated remnants of un-erupted magmas intruded into Nāpau Crater in October 1968, or another spatially and compositionally similar magma body. We find that magmas derived from a single, compositionally stratified magma emplaced beneath Nāpau Crater in 1968 can mix with mafic Kīlauea magmas to reproduce average Episode 54 bulk lava, mineralogy and mineral compositions without necessitating the interaction of multiple, low-MgO rift-stored magma bodies to produce Episode 54 lava compositions. Further, by constructing phase equilibria-based mixing models of Episode 54, we can better define the pre-eruptive state of the magmatic system. The resultant mineral assemblages and compositions are consistent with the possibility that the now-fractionated, rift-stored magma body was compositionally stratified and ~ 40% to 50% crystalline at the time of mixing. Finally, we estimate the volume of the low-MgO magma body to be ~7.51 Mm3. Phase-equilibria model results corroborate field and geochemical relationships demonstrating how shallow intrusions at intraplate shield volcanoes can crystallize, evolve, and then be remobilized by new, later batches of mafic magma. Most notably, our MCS models demonstrate that the pre-eruptive conditions of an intrusive body may be recovered by examining mineral compositions within mixed lavas. Discrepancies between the geodetic constraints on volumes of stored rift versus newly intruded (recharge) magma and our best-fit results produced by MCS mixing models (which respectively are mmafic:mlow-MgO ≈ 2 vs. mmafic:mlow-MgO ≈ 0.75) are interpreted to highlight the complex nature of incomplete mixing on more localized scales as reflected in erupted lavas, compared to geodetically constrained volumes that likely reflect large spatial scale contributions to a magmatic system. These dissimilar volume relationships may also help to constrain eruptive versus unerupted volumes in magmatic systems undergoing mixing. By demonstrating the usefulness of MCS in modeling past eruptions, we highlight the potential to use it as a tool to aid in petrologic monitoring of ongoing activity.

Fracturing around magma reservoirs can explain variations in surface uplift rates even at constant volumetric flux

Many volcanoes show continuous but variable deformation over timescales of years to decades. Variations in uplift rate are typically interpreted as changes in magma supply rate and/or a viscoelastic response of the host rock. Here we conduct analogue experiments in the laboratory to represent the inflation of a silicic magma body at a constant volumetric flux, and measure the chamber pressure and resulting surface displacement field. We observe that dyke intrusions radiating from the magma body cause a decrease in the peak uplift rate, but do not significantly affect the spatial pattern of deformation or spatially averaged uplift rate. We identify 4 distinct phases: 1) elastic inflation of the chamber, 2) a gradual decrease in the rate of uplift and pressurisation, associated with the formation of visible cracks 3) propagation of a dyke by mode 1 failure at the crack tip and 4) a pressure decrease within the chamber. Phase 2 can be explained by either a) crack damage, which reduces the elastic moduli of the surrounding rock or b) magma filling pre-existing cracks. Thus these experiments provide alternative mechanisms to explain observed variations in uplift rate, with important implications for the interpretation of deformation patterns at volcanoes around the world.