Magma Plumbing Research Articles

Pre-eruption magmatic processes and magma plumbing system at Hachijo-Nishiyama volcano, Izu–Bonin arc, Japan

Nishiyama volcano on Hachijojima Island is an active basaltic volcano located in the Izu–Bonin arc. In this study, petrological and geochemical analyses were conducted on mafic lavas and pyroclastics to understand the magma plumbing system and pre-eruption magmatic processes. Whole-rock major element compositions show significant variations (49.4–54.9 wt.% SiO2), and the samples contain variable amounts of plagioclase phenocrysts (1–40 vol.%). The whole-rock Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions of samples from the youngest volcanic stage (< 0.7 ka) are homogeneous, whereas some samples from the older stage (3–1 ka) have relatively low Pb isotopic ratios. This observation suggests that the younger magmas were derived from a single parental magma, but another parental magma with distinct geochemical features was involved in the magmatic system before 1 ka. The temporal variation in the FeO*/MgO ratios of the volcanic products is complex and is considered to reflect the intermittent injection of primitive magmas into the main magma chamber in which fractional crystallization occurred. Two-pyroxene geobarometry suggests that the main magma chamber was located at a depth of 9–12 km. The core region of some plagioclase phenocrysts consists of a glass inclusion-free inner core and an inclusion-rich outer mantle, suggesting that some plagioclase crystallized in the main magma chamber, which was followed by overgrowth during magma ascent because of increasing liquidus temperatures due to decompression-induced water exsolution from the melt. The whole-rock compositions of some eruption units with different Al2O3/MgO ratios exhibit distinct plagioclase-controlled trends, which negates the possibility that plagioclase accumulation occurred in a stable magma chamber. In addition, the density of plagioclase was higher than that of the melt during the magma ascent to the surface. From these observations, it is suggested that the accumulation of plagioclase phenocrysts occurred in ascending magmas as the plagioclase settled relative to the surrounding melt. The estimated depth of 9–12 km for the main magma chamber coincides with the depth range over which earthquake swarms occurred in 2002, suggesting that the magma chamber is still active, and that the earthquake swarms may reflect the injection of primitive magma into the magma chamber.Graphical

Geochemical and Geochronological Signature of Magma Plumbing Systems in the Parnaíba Basin and Their Correlations with Mesozoic Large Igneous Provinces in NE South America

Geochemical and Geochronological Signature of Magma Plumbing Systems in the Parnaíba Basin and Their Correlations with Mesozoic Large Igneous Provinces in NE South America

Timescales of Dike Growth and Chamber Deflation Constrain Magma Storage and Transport Pathways During Kīlauea's 2018 Lower East Rift Zone Intrusion

AbstractThe intrusion of magma into Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone in May 2018 led to the largest eruption along this segment of the volcano in over 200 years. As magma drained from the rift zone, leading to the collapse of Pu'u ‘Ō‘ō, pressure at the summit initially remained elevated and dropped at a slower rate compared to historical intrusion events. The anomalously long timescale of summit deflation suggests that the dike was fed from multiple sources. Here we show that dikes can serve as “dipsticks” of magma reservoirs and that the co‐evolution of dike growth and reservoir deflation constrains key magma transport parameters. Using coupled dike‐chamber models constrained by ground deformation and seismicity, we test four configurations of magma plumbing in order to illuminate which reservoirs and transport pathways were activated during the intrusion phase (30 April to 3 May) of the 2018 event. Slow summit deflation relative to the rate of dike propagation is best explained by a model in which the dike initiates from a compressible magma reservoir in the East Rift Zone, which then drains magma upstream from the Halema'uma'u reservoir through a shallow transport system. We use a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to estimate storage parameters for both reservoirs as well as the effective conductivity of the shallow magma transport system in the East Rift Zone, finding good agreement with independent estimates. Our results suggest that the rupture of reservoirs from within the East Rift Zone presents a unique hazard at Kīlauea.

Correlated petrology and seismicity indicate rapid magma accumulation prior to eruption of Kizimen volcano, Kamchatka

The increase in number and intensity of earthquakes during a pre-eruptive crisis is the main basis of seismic volcano monitoring. However, a strong understanding of how these seismic signals relate to magmatic processes in the magma plumbing systems prior to volcanic eruptions is crucial for these efforts. Here we compare the characteristics of a seismo-volcanic crisis prior to the 2010–2013 explosive-extrusive eruption of Kizimen volcano, Kamchatka with the timescales of processes in the magma plumbing system. These timescales are inferred from the numerical modelling of iron-magnesium intracrystalline interdiffusion in 88 zoned orthopyroxene crystals from dacites and silica-rich andesites collected after the eruption. We find that the eruptible magmas were assembled rapidly during a magma mixing process beginning around 1.5 years before the eruption, which is well correlated with the onset of the seismic crisis. We conclude that the observed seismic re-activation marked the onset of magma mixing and led to destabilization of the reservoir, followed by the eruption.

The Influence of Magma Storage and Ascent Conditions on Laguna del Maule Rhyolite Eruptions

AbstractThe scarcity of historical rhyolite eruptions means that volcanological and petrological studies of past eruptions are a key tool for assessing the potential for future hazardous activity and improving interpretations of unrest signals. For the last 18 ky, the Laguna del Maule (LdM) volcanic complex in Chile has erupted primarily rhyolites but with differing magma compositions, eruption styles and eruptive volumes. Rapid surface uplift and episodic seismic activity at LdM over the last two decades has emphasized the need to understand both the recent evolution of the magmatic system and the most likely future eruption scenarios. Using mineral composition, geothermobarometry and MELTS modeling, we assess the influence of the magma storage and ascent conditions on the magnitude and styles of three LdM rhyolites. Magmas of the first and largest Plinian-ignimbrite eruption (LdM: rdm; &amp;gt;17 km3 DRE) form a distinct mineral assemblage with An28–60 plagioclase, amphibole and quartz derived from a magma plumbing system over a large pressure range (90–350 MPa). We suggest that the rdm eruption was triggered by magma recharge and overpressure within a ~ 90 MPa magma chamber of high-silica (&amp;gt;76.5 wt.% SiO2) rhyolitic melt. The rdm eruption appears to have reset the LdM storage conditions, such that subsequent rhyolite eruptions have been smaller (&amp;lt;4 km3 DRE), involved less evolved melt (&amp;lt;75.8 wt.% SiO2) and produced (sub)Plinian-effusive eruption sequences. Of these, we have studied the earliest (Los Espejos: rle) and the most recent (Las Nieblas: rln). Both have mineral assemblages with An20–34 plagioclase and biotite formed in water-saturated crystal-poor rhyolite batches over limited pressure ranges (ΔP ~ 50 MPa) within a rhyodacitic mush reservoir. We suggest that rle and rln were triggered by injection of water-rich magma and volatile exsolution; the transition to effusive behavior occurred because of changes in magma temperature (rle) or magma decompression rate (rln). Similarities in the limited pressure range and high volatile content inferred for the current low-density magma body with the petrologically determined source conditions of magmas that fed past subplinian-effusive eruptions suggest that the next LdM eruption will be similar.

Deep long period seismicity preceding and during the 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption, Iceland

We use a dense seismic network on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, to image a group of earthquakes at 10–12 km depth, 2 km north-east of 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption site. These deep earthquakes have a lower frequency content compared to earthquakes located in the upper, brittle crust and are similar to deep long period (DLP) seismicity observed at other volcanoes in Iceland and around the world. We observed several swarms of DLP earthquakes between the start of the study period (June 2020) and the initiation of the 3-week-long dyke intrusion that preceded the eruption in March 2021. During the eruption, DLP earthquake swarms returned 1 km SW of their original location during periods when the discharge rate or fountaining style of the eruption changed. The DLP seismicity is therefore likely to be linked to the magma plumbing system beneath Fagradalsfjall. However, the DLP seismicity occurred ~ 5 km shallower than where petrological modelling places the near-Moho magma storage region in which the Fagradalsfjall lava was stored. We suggest that the DLP seismicity was triggered by the exsolution of CO2-rich fluids or the movement of magma at a barrier to the transport of melt in the lower crust. Increased flux through the magma plumbing system during the eruption likely adds to the complexity of the melt migration process, thus causing further DLP seismicity, despite a contemporaneous magma channel to the surface.

Concurrent magma mixing and crystallization processes revealed by clinopyroxene macrocrysts from Lamont guyot lavas in NW Pacific

Minerals in volcanic rocks have been commonly used to reconstruct the physicochemical conditions of crystallization and magma chamber processes (magma mixing and recharge) prior to eruption which are fundamental to deduce the petrogenesis of volcanic rocks. Here we present mineral chemistry including in situ major-trace element and Sr isotopic data for clinopyroxene (Cpx) and plagioclase macrocrysts from lavas collected from Lamont guyot in the Wake seamount group, NW Pacific. The Cpx macrocrysts display normal and reverse zoning or complex zoning (e.g., combination of reverse, normal, sector and/or patchy zoning). The normally-zoned Cpx macrocrysts are euhedral and in Fe Mg equilibrium with the host rock compositions. In contrast, the cores of reversely- and complexly-zoned Cpx macrocrysts are in textural (e.g., resorption texture) and chemical (very low Mg#) disequilibrium with their host rock compositions. These reversed cores, however, form coherent compositional trends with and display parallel trace element patterns to the normally zoned Cpx crystals, suggesting that these resorbed cores are most likely antecrysts which crystallized from progenitor melts. The continuously changing major-trace element contents with Cpx Mg# values can be explained by crystallization of these Cpx crystals from melts that progressively fractionate Cpx, plagioclase and Fe Ti oxides. Together with those of the complexly-zoned plagioclase, the complex zoning patterns and large ranges of La/Yb and Sm/Yb ratios at a restricted Cpx Mg# range record magmatic processes of fractional crystallization and mixing in the magma plumbing system. The Cpx crystals from a single lava sample have various 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios (0.7025–0.7042) extending from HIMU (high μ = 238 U/ 204 Pb) to FOZO (focal zone) mantle components suggesting that the large 87 Sr/ 86 Sr variation in Cpx could be explained by mixing between HIMU and FOZO components. Our data suggest that frequent recharging of melts derived from different mantle sources and concurrent mixing and crystallization are important processes that shape the currently observed compositional variation of Lamont guyot lavas. • Textural and compositional zoning of Cpx from Lamont seamount lavas, NW Pacific • Cpx shows large trace element and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr variations at a restricted Mg# range. • Reverse and complex zoning textures of Cpx record magma recharge and mixing. • Mixing of multiple batches of HIMU- and FOZO-derived melts. • Concurrent mixing and crystallization played a key role in forming the Cpx crystals.

Imaging the Volcanic Structures Beneath Gran Canaria Island Using New Gravity Data

AbstractFrom a new gravity data set that covers homogeneously the whole surface of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) and marine gravity data in the nearest offshore, we have obtained a Bouguer anomaly gravity map of the island which improves the previous ones. Using these gravity anomalies, we have applied a gravity inversion approach to investigate the structures beneath the surface of Gran Canaria Island and derive a 3D gravity sources model. The geometry of structures with anomalous density values is constrained up to a depth of approximately 20,000 m below the sea level. The interpretation of the density model identified structures related to the different volcanic stages of Gran Canaria. Several deep‐rooted high‐density structures represent the intrusive bodies emplaced in the early formation of Gran Canaria and the magma plumbing system of the Miocene volcanic edifices. A low‐density body in the center of the island may be associated with the syenitic core of the felsic central volcanic edifice (Tejeda Caldera). Shallow low‐density structures identified fractures which acted as feeder dikes of monogenetic volcanoes during the rejuvenated stage. Finally, the NW‐SE rift, which is the most important volcano‐tectonic structure of Gran Canaria, has a characteristic gravimetric signature and represents a long‐lived extensional fracture zone that has controlled the volcanic activity at least since the Miocene.

Geochemistry of dolerite intrusions of the southeastern Main Karoo Basin, South Africa: Magma evolution, evidence for thermogenic gas sequestration, and potential implications for the early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event

The igneous intrusions of the Karoo Large Igneous Province (LIP) provide critical information on the magma plumbing system, which served as source rock maturation agent for organic-rich sedimentary rocks of the Main Karoo Basin as well as pathway and barrier to subsurface fluid flow. Here, we present results from the research borehole KWV-01 drilled in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The intersected succession, spanning the Dwyka to the lower Beaufort Group, provides representative samples of the Karoo LIP magma plumbing system.Using whole-rock and Sr-Nd isotope analyses, our data suggest that primary melts were derived from a sub-lithospheric mantle source and acquired a subduction signature through interaction with a metasomatised lithospheric mantle. Three magma types identified within this study show a geochemical overlap with previously reported data from the Golden Valley Sill Complex, ca. 220 km to the NW of the analysed borehole. The results of MELTS and EC-RAFC modelling on the three magma types reveal that their compositional differences are related to variable degrees of fractional crystallisation and contamination by lower crustal rocks and/or the sedimentary host rocks of the Main Karoo Basin.Our results indicate that at least one of the sills acted as fractured reservoir, thereby providing evidence that igneous intrusions are important for CO2 sequestration. We quantified the implications of this process for the Karoo LIP-related Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event using the thermogenic gas budget produced by state-of-the-art computer simulations and tested various end-member scenarios for partial thermogenic gas sequestration. In agreement with recent studies, we show that all the flat parts of the Karoo sills acted as sequestration reservoirs. Our results have general implications for LIP volcanism in organic-rich basins, suggesting that a good first-order approximation of thermogenic gas emission is half the amount mobilised in the contact aureoles of LIP plumbing systems.

A snapshot of the transition from monogenetic volcanoes to composite volcanoes: case study on the Wulanhada Volcanic Field (northern China)

Abstract. The transition processes from monogenetic volcanoes to composite volcanoes are poorly understood. The Late Pleistocene to Holocene intraplate monogenetic Wulanhada Volcanic Field (WVF) in northern China provides a snapshot of such a transition. Here we present petrographic observations, mineral chemistry, bulk rock major and trace element data, thermobarometry, and a partial melting model for the WVF to evaluate the lithology and partial melting degree of the mantle source, the crystallization conditions, and pre-eruptive magmatic processes occurring within the magma plumbing system. The far-field effect of India–Eurasia collision resulted in a relatively high degree (10 %–20 %) of partial melting of a carbonate-bearing eclogite (∼ 3 wt % carbonate; Gt/Cpx ≈ 2 : 8, where Gt denotes garnet and Cpx denotes clinopyroxene) followed by interaction with ambient peridotite. The primary melts ascended to the depth of the Moho (∼ 33–36 km depth), crystallized olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase at the temperature of 1100–1160 ∘C with the melt water contents of 1.1 wt %–2.3 wt %. Part of the primary melt interacted with the lithospheric mantle during ascent, resulting in an increase in the MgO contents and a decrease in the alkaline contents. The modified magma was subsequently directly emplaced into the middle crust (∼ 23–26 km depth) and crystallized olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase at the temperature of 1100–1160 ∘C. The primary melts from the same mantle sources migrated upward to the two-level magma reservoirs to form minerals with complex textures (including reverse and oscillatory zoning and sieve texture). Magma erupted along the NE–SW-striking basement fault and the NW–SE-striking Wulanhada–Gaowusu fault in response to the combined effects of regional tectonic stress and magma replenishment. The crustal magma reservoir in the WVF may represent a snapshot of the transition from monogenetic volcanoes to composite volcanoes. It is possible to form a composite volcano with large magma volumes and complex compositions if the magma is continuously supplied from the source and experiences assimilation and fractional crystallization processes in the magma plumbing system at crustal depth.

Magma–Shale Interaction in Large Igneous Provinces: Implications for Climate Warming and Sulfide Genesis

Abstract Large igneous provinces (LIPs) whose magma plumbing systems intersect sedimentary basins are linked to upheavals of Earth’s carbon and sulfur cycles and thus climate and life history. However, the underlying mechanistic links between these phenomena are elusive. We address this knowledge gap through short time-scale petrological experiments (1200°C and 150 MPa) that explore interaction between basaltic melt and carbonaceous shale (mudstone) using starting materials from the Canadian High Arctic LIP and the Sverdrup Basin in which it intrudes. Here we show that entrainment of shale xenoliths in basaltic melt causes shale to shatter due to incipient thermal stress and devolatilization, which accelerates assimilation by increasing reactive surface area. Shale assimilation therefore facilitates transfer of sediment-derived volatile elements to LIP magma plumbing systems, whereupon carbon dominates the vapor phase while sulfur is partitioned into sulfide melt droplets. This study reveals that although carbon and sulfur are efficiently mobilized as a consequence of shale assimilation, sulfides can sequester sulfur—an important climate cooling agent—thus enhancing net emissions of climate warming greenhouse gases by shale-intersecting LIPs.

Transition to magma-driven rifting in the South Turkana Basin, Kenya: Part 1

Characterization of the role of magma in driving rift basin evolution is fundamental to our understanding of how extensional plate boundaries develop. Here, we examine patterns of normal faulting, volcanism and magmatism in the South Turkana Basin, Kenya, to test how magmatism has impacted the Quaternary evolution of this system. Utilizing high-resolution, single-channel reflection seismic data and radiocarbon-dated cores, we estimate that shallow Holocene normal faulting accounts for 3.5–5.8 mm a −1 of extension, consistent with estimates farther south in the Suguta Basin. Spatial fault patterns show that extension in the Holocene is concentrated along a c. 20 km wide intra-rift fault network, aligning with the axial volcano, South Island. We suggest that up to 85% of Late Quaternary regional extension is accommodated within an axial magmatic segment rather than on the border fault system responsible for the original basin architecture. Axial extension increases towards South Island, highlighting magmatism as crucial in driving recent shallow upper crustal faulting in the South Turkana Basin. Below this zone of extensional faulting, geochemical evidence supports a developed magma plumbing system that broadly parallels equivalent axial magmatic systems within the Main Ethiopian Rift. Overall, our data support a recent (Mid- to Late Pleistocene) transition to magma-driven axial extension in the Lake Turkana rift. Supplementary material: Supplementary text and the fault, volcanic cone and radiocarbon age data utilized in this study are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6026624

Temporal Changes of Magmas That Caused Lava-Dome Eruptions of Haruna Volcano in the Past 45,000 Years

We have studied four lava dome eruptions which occurred in 45–10 ka in Haruna volcano. Enclave parts (SiO2 50.9–55.1 wt%) and host parts (SiO2 59.5–64.5 wt%) in lava samples are all products of magma mixing. Characteristics of felsic endmember magmas are the same among four eruptions, while those of mafic endmember magmas vary slightly in terms of bulk composition. The felsic magma had SiO2 ≥ 63 wt% and a temperature of 760°C–860°C, and contained ≥60 vol% of orthopyroxene, amphibole, plagioclase, quartz, and Fe-Ti oxides. The mafic magma had SiO2 48–51 wt% and contained 0–10 vol% of olivine. The enclave magmas resulted from higher contribution of mafic magma and thus had higher temperature than the host magmas, which led to formation of enclave upon their interaction. Similarities of endmember magmas between the four eruptions and the Futatsudake-Ikaho eruption (late 6th–beginning of 7th century) suggest structure of magma plumbing system and eruption triggering process have been basically unchanged in past 45,000 years. The felsic magmas were commonly mush-like and had high viscosity. Therefore, generation of low-viscosity magma through magma mixing, and vent-opening by the low-viscosity magma are mandatory for eruption to initiate. Unlike the Futatsudake-Ikaho eruption, the older four eruptions did not proceed to eruptive phase where felsic magma erupts without mixing and explosively. The absence of quartz only in felsic magma of Futatsudake-Ikaho eruption is consistent with its less-evolved bulk composition and slightly higher temperature than those of older four eruptions.

Conduit Flow Dynamics During the 1986 Sub-Plinian Eruption at Izu-Oshima Volcano

We investigated conduit flow dynamics during the 1986 sub-Plinian eruption of Izu-Oshima volcano, Japan, using a 1-D steady conduit flow model. Following observations that the magma plumbing system beneath Izu-Oshima, characterized by the feeding of a dyke, generated a fissure-type sub-Plinian eruption, we considered a dyke-like conduit geometry by applying a pseudo-dyke conduit with an ellipsoidal horizontal cross-section. Under appropriate parameter settings constrained by geological, petrological, and geophysical observations, we identified a conduit geometry that enables steady solutions of a conduit flow that generates the sub-Plinian eruption. A dyke-like conduit geometry allows us to widen the range of geometric parameters of the solution. We found that the distribution of magma overpressure in the conduit strongly depends on conduit geometry. When the conduit geometry is composed of deeper and shallower dykes with large and small aspect ratios, respectively, localized overpressurization occurs in the region before magma fragmentation. This overpressurization in the dyke-like conduit may induce a characteristic crustal deformation similar to that caused by a vertical tensile fault. It is crucial to consider the effects of conduit flow with a dyke-like geometry on deformation for precise monitoring of eruption sequences based on geodetic signals in future eruptions at Izu-Oshima volcano.

The Bazman and Taftan volcanoes of southern Iran: Implications for along-arc geochemical variation and magma storage conditions above the Makran low-angle subduction zone

Bazman and Taftan are two Late Miocene-Quaternary volcanoes of the Makran continental arc formed by the subduction of Arabian oceanic lithosphere beneath southern Eurasia. This study compares their bulk rock compositions as well as major and trace element contents of major mineral phases. Bazman is composed of a geochemically heterogeneous suite of low to medium-K basic to acidic compositions, while Taftan exposes more homogenous mainly andesitic rocks of medium to high-K affinity. Both volcanoes are characterized by the enrichment of LILE compared to HFSE and depletion of Nb, Ta, and Ti, reminiscent of subduction zone magmatism. At a given SiO2 content, the Taftan volcanics have higher concentrations of incompatible elements and, La/Yb, Th/Yb, and Sr/Y ratios (adakitic signature), here interpreted as being related to the more enriched mantle source, higher contribution of subducted sediments in magma genesis and thicker continental crust beneath Taftan. Thermobarometric calculations based on mineral chemistry (amphibole, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and plagioclase) indicate pre-eruptive T = ∼1050–800 °C, P = 250–100 MPa and H2Omelt > 3.5 wt%. Bazman lavas record slightly lower P and T, and higher H2Omelt, suggesting a shallower magma reservoir and thus a more developed magma plumbing system. Trace element abundances in minerals show consistent distinctions between the two volcanoes, e.g., amphibole is REE-enriched in Taftan over Bazman samples. The features of trace element compositions and zoning patterns of minerals (amphibole, plagioclase and, pyroxene) along with available major element data are suggestive of both recharged magmatic systems and convective self-mixing magma chambers.

Structure of the magma plumbing system beneath Semisopochnoi Island (Aleutian Arc) inferred from seismic tomography

Semisopochnoi Island is a remote and little-studied volcanic island in the western part of the Aleutian Arc. The existence of several active volcanic centers and a 5000–7000-year-old large caldera makes this island an important site for volcanic hazard assessment in the Northern Pacific. Based on local seismicity data recorded by six permanent seismic stations, we created the seismic tomography model, including the 3D distributions of Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs ratios to a depth of 10 km. This model provides the first geophysical insight into the interior structure of Semisopochnoi Island and sheds light on the processes in the magma plumbing system beneath all volcanic centers on the island. At depths of 5–10 km, we observed a columnar-shaped high Vp/Vs-ratio anomaly below the caldera in the central part of the island, which likely represents the steady magma conduit. This conduit is headed by a prominent high Vp/Vs-ratio anomaly located 3–5 km directly below the caldera, which represents the magma reservoir feeding Cerberus and other Holocene-aged volcanic centers on Semisopochnoi Island.

Crust and Uppermost Mantle Magma Plumbing System Beneath Changbaishan Intraplate Volcano, China/North Korea, Revealed by Ambient Noise Adjoint Tomography

AbstractChangbaishan volcano (CBV), straddling the border between China and North Korea, is one of the most intriguing and explosive volcanoes on Earth owing to its voluminous Holocene eruptions and unusual magma composition within a continental intraplate setting. Despite the enormous size and destructive past, its underlying magma plumbing system remains debated and poorly understood. We present a refined high‐resolution 3D crust and uppermost mantle S‐wave velocity (Vs) model of CBV by applying advanced 3D full‐waveform adjoint tomography on seismic ambient noise data recorded in both China and North Korea. The newly obtained seismic images detail a 3D architecture of magma plumbing systems beneath CBV, characterized by the presence of a prominent lower‐crustal mush zone with an estimated melt fraction of ∼1.5%–3.6%, which is sourced from upwelling asthenosphere through a vertical narrow conduit in the uppermost mantle region that contains an estimated melt fraction of ∼6%.

Elongated Magma Plumbing System Beneath the Coso Volcanic Field, California, Constrained by Seismic Reflection Tomography

AbstractThe magma plumbing in the lower crust beneath the Coso volcanic field (CVF) remains controversial, largely because of the absence of high‐resolution lower crustal velocity models. For the first time, we develop a high‐resolution crustal P‐wave velocity model for the Coso‐Ridgecrest region by jointly inverting 137,992 first P and 8,636 PmP travel‐time data using an eikonal equation‐based seismic reflection tomography method. More than half of the PmP travel times are picked from earthquakes after the 2019 Mw 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake. Such abundant PmP travel times significantly improve the resolution of the lower crust. Our final velocity model reveals a prominent low‐velocity body sitting right beneath the CVF at 5–20 km depths, which we interpret as a rhyolite magma reservoir that supplies heat flux to the hot springs and also feeds the volcanic activities at Coso. We find that the upper‐middle crustal low‐velocity body dips southwards into the lower crust, extending to regions beneath the Indian Wells Valley and the Garlock Fault at depth greater than 20 km. We ascribe the lower crustal low‐velocity body (more than 4% Vp reduction) to a basaltic magma reservoir that connects the melts in the uppermost mantle with the eruptible rhyolitic reservoir at shallower depths. The basaltic magma reservoir constitutes an important part of a continuous N‐S elongated crustal magma plumbing system beneath the CVF, formed as a combined result of local extension, faulting, and stress distribution.

Early Miocene magmatism in the Baiyun Sag (South China Sea): A view to the origin of intense post-rift magmatism

Post-rift magmatism associated with seafloor spreading (∼32 Ma to ∼15 Ma) and post-spreading tectonics (from ∼15 Ma to the present day) is widely recorded in the South China Sea (SCS). However, the phenomena originating this magmatism are still under debate, hindering a full understanding of the SCS’ evolution. In this study, extensive and voluminous magmatic bodies in the northern SCS are investigated based on the integration of 3D/2D seismic and borehole data. Magmatism occurred from ∼19.0 Ma to ∼17.5 Ma, a period of time marking the cessation of seafloor spreading above listric boundary faults formed on the southern shoulder of the Baiyun Sag. Magmatism close to the main basin depocenter (Magmatic Zone 1) is documented in the form of oblique/saucer sills that step upwards. They have fed volcanoes and lava flows to a paleo-seabed via igneous dikes. In contrast, magmatism in the shoulders of the Baiyun Sag (Magmatic zones 2 and 3) occurred above listric boundary faults that formed large magma pathways. The phase of magmatism documented in this work was probably triggered by the retreat of the Hainan Plume and associated mantle readjustments during jumps in spreading-ridge location. These events rejuvenated mantle upwelling underneath the highly stretched Baiyun Sag to generate partial melting. Mantle upwelling also reactivated the listric boundary faults flanking this basin, generating migration pathways for deep-seated magma. This work addresses the syn-spreading magma plumbing system of the Baiyun Sag in detail, and provides evidence for the origin of intense post-rift magmatism in the northern SCS. It also highlights that mantle readjustments triggered by changes in seafloor spreading (ridge jump or cessation of spreading) can generate significant post-rift magmatism.

The critical role of magma degassing in sulphide melt mobility and metal enrichment

Much of the world’s supply of battery metals and platinum group elements (PGE) comes from sulphide ore bodies formed in ancient sub-volcanic magma plumbing systems. Research on magmatic sulphide ore genesis mainly focuses on sulphide melt-silicate melt equilibria. However, over the past few years, increasing evidence of the role of volatiles in magmatic sulphide ore systems has come to light. High temperature-high pressure experiments presented here reveal how the association between sulphide melt and a fluid phase may facilitate the coalescence of sulphide droplets and upgrade the metal content of the sulphide melt. We propose that the occurrence of a fluid phase in the magma can favour both accumulation and metal enrichment of a sulphide melt segregated from this magma, independent of the process producing the fluid phase. Here we show how sulphide-fluid associations preserved in the world-class Noril’sk-Talnakh ore deposits, in Polar Siberia, record the processes demonstrated experimentally.