Rhyolitic Magma Research Articles

Inter- and intra-crystal quartz δ18O homogeneity at Okataina volcano, Aotearoa New Zealand: Implications for rhyolite genesis

The sources and processes involved in the genesis of the voluminous rhyolitic magmas of cataclysmic caldera-forming eruptions, and the intervening lower-volume intra-caldera extrusions, have been subject to much debate. To better understand generation of high-volume and low-volume silicic eruptions within a single volcanic centre, and how they may differ, we examined ten volumetrically varied high-SiO2 rhyolite eruptions from the Okataina Volcanic Centre (OVC) in Aotearoa New Zealand. The OVC is one of the world's most recurrently active silicic volcanoes. In the last ~600 ky, the OVC was the focus of three known caldera-forming events and numerous intermittent dome-building and fissure eruption episodes, with rhyolitic eruption activity as recent as 1314 CE. To elucidate how mass contributions from the mantle and crust may have fluctuated over the lifespan of the OVC magmatic system, oxygen isotopic ratios (δ18O) of quartz in rhyolites were investigated for the first time at inter-crystal and intra-crystal scales. Quartz crystals from four eruption episodes (two caldera-forming events, Utu, ~557 ka, Rotoiti, ~45 ka, and two intra-caldera dome-building events, Rotoma, ~9.5 ka, and Kaharoa, ~0.7 ka) yielded intra-crystal δ18O isotopic homogeneity (±0.23‰, 2sd) based on secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). These samples also display inter-crystal and inter-unit homogeneity within slightly lower precision (7.6 ± 0.5‰, 2sd). Whole-crystal quartz from the same four units, as well as six other units (two intra-caldera dome-building episodes, Okareka, ~21.8 ka, Whakatane, ~5.5 ka, three pre-Rotoiti extra-caldera domes, Round Hill, Haparangi, Kakapiko, and one immediately post-Rotoiti eruption, Earthquake Flat), were then examined using high-precision laser fluorination. Single crystals also yielded mostly homogenous ratios with average δ18O = 7.6 ± 0.5‰ (2sd), which is consistent with intra-crystal SIMS analyses, albeit for a larger set of samples. Stable and radiogenic isotope mixing models using the newly obtained δ18O ratios demonstrate that OVC rhyolites can be produced by ≥25% assimilation of a regional (Torlesse-like) metasedimentary endmember by a depleted mantle source with slightly variable amounts of subduction flux, and that any incorporation of hydrothermally altered material to the system is limited to <5% in caldera and intra-caldera eruptions. The δ18O records of the OVC are among the most homogenous currently known and indicate stable and consistent mantle and crustal contributions across the lifespan of the magmatic system, with assimilation largely occurring prior to segregation of rhyolitic melts within the silicic reservoir. This isotopic homogeneity may be due to a relatively high-volume and constant magma flux at the OVC, which contrasts to other rhyolitic caldera volcanoes with greater isotopic variability.

A Crystal Mush Perspective Explains Magma Variability at La Fossa Volcano (Vulcano, Italy)

The eruptive products of the last 1000 years at La Fossa volcano on the island of Vulcano (Italy) are characterized by abrupt changes of chemical composition that span from latite to rhyolite. The wide variety of textural features of these products has given rise to several petrological models dealing with the mingling/mixing processes involving mafic-intermediate and rhyolitic magmas. In this paper, we use published whole-rock data for the erupted products of La Fossa and combine them in geochemical and thermodynamic modelling in order to provide new constrains for the interpretations of the dynamics of the active magmatic system. The obtained results allow us to picture a polybaric plumbing system characterized by multiple magma reservoirs and related crystal mushes, formed from time to time during the differentiation of shoshonitic magmas, to produce latites, trachytes and rhyolites. The residing crystal mushes are periodically perturbated by new, fresh magma injections that, on one hand, induce the partial melting of the mush and, on the other hand, favor the extraction of highly differentiated interstitial melts. The subsequent mixing and mingling of mush-derived melts ultimately determine the formation of magmas erupted at La Fossa, whose textural and chemical features are otherwise not explained by simple assimilation and fractional crystallization models. In such a system, the compositional variability of the erupted products reflects the complexity of the physical and chemical interactions among recharging magmas and the crystal mushes.

Petrological characteristics and K-Ar age of Sakiura welded tuff from the Komegawaki Formation, Fukui prefecture, central Japan

Major and trace element compositions and a K-Ar age are reported for the Sakiura welded tuff of the Miocene Komegawaki Formation in the Mikuni coastal area, Fukui prefecture, central Japan. The rock samples are densely welded, generally show eutaxitic texture, and contain 9-17 vol.% plagioclase, minor (<1 vol.%) hornblende, and 1-14 vol.% lithic fragments. Plagioclase in the Sakiura welded tuff yields a K-Ar age of 13 Ma, which is within the 12-14 Ma age range of Komegawaki volcanic rocks. Sakiura welded tuff samples are rhyolitic (SiO2 = 73.3-74.5 wt.%) and are near the SiO2-rich end of the compositional trend of Komegawaki volcanic rocks on major element versus SiO2 cross-plots. The MORB-normalized trace element patterns of Sakiura welded tuff samples are similar to those of the Komegawaki volcanic rocks. These observations indicate that the origin of the rhyolite magma that produced the Sakiura welded tuff is associated with the Komegawaki volcanic rocks. Evidently, multiple rhyolitic eruptions occurred concurrently with the formation of the Miocene volcanic rocks after the opening of the Japan Sea.

Chemical and isotopic characterization of the thermal fluids emerging along the North\u2013Northeastern Greece

Hydrochemical and isotopic characteristics of fluids from major geothermal fields of middle/low temperature in N/NE Greece are examined [basins: Strymon River (SR), Nestos River Delta (ND), Xanthi–Komotini (XK), Loutros–Feres–Soufli (LFS) and Rhodope Massif]. The geodynamic context is reflected to isotopic/chemical composition of fluids, heat flow values and elevated CO2 concentrations in emitted fluids. B and Li are derived from leaching of the geothermal systems hosting rocks. δ18OH2O, δ18OSO4, δ13CCO2 values and chemical compositions of Cl, B and Li of geothermal discharges suggest two distinct source fluids. Fluids in SR exhibit high B/Cl and Li/Cl ratios, suggesting these constituents are derived from associated magmas of intermediate composition (andesitic rocks). Geothermal discharges in LFS exhibit low B/Cl and Li/Cl ratios, implying acid (rhyolitic) magmatism. δ13CCO2 and CO2/(CO2 + 105He) ratios in the west part, suggest fluids affected by addition of volatiles released from subducted marine sediments. For the eastern systems, these ratios suggest gas encountered in systems issued from mixing of crustal and mantle-derived volatiles. Isotopic geothermometers reflect, for the same direction, equilibrium processes more (LFS, XK) or less (SR) pronounced and discriminate the geothermal field from low to middle [SR, ND (Erasmio)] and middle to high enthalpy [ND (Eratino), LFS, XK].

The Origin of Rhyolitic Magmas at Krafla Central Volcano (Iceland)

AbstractWe present a detailed petrologic study of rhyolites from seven eruptions spanning the full (∼190 ky) history of rhyolitic volcanism at Krafla volcano, northeast Iceland. The eruptions vary widely in size and style, but all rhyolites are crystal-poor (&amp;lt;6 modal%: plagioclase + augite ± pigeonite ± orthopyroxene ± titanomagnetite ± fayalite) and have similar evolved compositions (73.7–75.8 wt% normalized whole-rock SiO2) and trace element patterns. Macrocryst rim compositions from each eruption cluster within a narrow range and are appropriate for equilibrium with their carrier melt. Crystal cores and interiors display complex growth patterns and commonly host resorption surfaces, but compositional variations are slight (e.g. typically &amp;lt;10 mol% An for plagioclase, Mg# &amp;lt;10 for pyroxene), and consistent with an overall trend of cooling and differentiation by crystal fractionation. Although most crystal core and interior compositions are broadly appropriate for equilibrium with melts similar to their host whole-rock, variable growth histories, juxtaposition of grains with distinct trace element compositions, and scatter in melt inclusion compositions indicate mixing of antecrysts from compositionally similar evolved melts and/or assimilated felsic mush or intrusions before final rim growth. Evidence for mafic recharge (e.g. coupled increases in An and Fe in plagioclase) is absent in most crystals; rhyolite storage and fractionation thus occurred largely in isolation from the underlying mafic system. Comparison of observed matrix glass compositions with published experimental work on melting of altered (meta)basalts casts doubt on previous models favouring rhyolite generation by partial melting of hydrothermally altered basalts, instead supporting recent isotopic and modelling arguments for a crystallization-driven process [Hampton, R. L. et al. (2021). Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 414, 107229]. MELTS fractional crystallization and assimilation-fractional crystallization (AFC) models at 1 kbar predict liquid major and trace element compositions similar to Krafla rhyolites after ∼60–70 vol% crystallization of a quartz tholeiite melt representative of the evolved crystal-poor basalts commonly erupted within Krafla caldera. We thus suggest that stalling and crystallization of these evolved basalts at shallow depth forms crystal mushes from which evolved (broadly dacitic to rhyolitic) melts are extracted. These melts ascend and mix with other compositionally similar melt bodies and/or assimilate felsic intrusive material in the uppermost crust. The Daly gap between ∼57 and 71 wt% SiO2 at Krafla is consistent with preferential extraction of evolved melts from quartz tholeiite mushes in the ∼50–70% crystallinity window. Residual solid (cumulate) compositions predicted by MELTS are exclusively mafic, hence efficient silicic melt extraction from quartz tholeiite mushes may also explain the apparent compositional bimodality in some Icelandic plutonic suites.

Relationships between magmatic properties and eruption magnitude of explosive eruptions at Japanese arc volcanoes during the last one hundred thousand years

Several global databases of eruption properties have been developed in recent years, which contain eruption age, eruption magnitude, eruption style, and volcanic explosivity index. However, their examinations of the relationships between eruption and magmatic properties remain qualitative. To explore such relationships, we sampled and petrologically analyzed the eruptive products and have constructed a database of magmatic properties of erupted magmas at Japanese arc volcanoes during the last one hundred thousand years. The 43 erupted magmas were characterized not only by bulk SiO2 content, but also by preeruptive melt SiO2 (inferred from groundmass SiO2 content) and phenocryst contents, which are the second most straightforward proxies of physical and thermodynamic properties of preeruptive magmas. Sample data were collected through a unified procedure using chemical and image analyses and mass balance calculations to obtain groundmass compositions and phenocryst contents. We examined the relationships between magmatic properties and eruption magnitude, M, as the most representative eruption property. Our database includes explosive eruptions of M 3 to 8. By incorporating available literature data for 17 eruptions, we examined 60 eruptions in total. This study distinguished magmas from the bulk composition (e.g., basaltic, andesitic, dacitic and rhyolitic magmas) or melt composition (e.g., basaltic, andesitic, dacitic and rhyolitic melt-bearing magmas). Our results show that the maximum eruption magnitude gradually increases with increasing bulk SiO2 content. The maximum eruption magnitude shows a sharp increase around the compositional boundary between dacitic and rhyolitic melt-bearing magmas. For the eruptions of rhyolitic melt-bearing magmas, the maximum eruption magnitude decreases with increasing phenocryst content. The largest magnitude eruptions (M 8) were of rhyolitic melt-bearing, phenocryst-poor magmas. We compared our data for Japanese arc volcanoes with data for global volcanoes. Despite their different tectonic settings, most eruptions globally are consistent with the pattern observed for eruptions at Japanese arc volcanoes. Notable deviations are supereruptions (M > 7) of monotonous intermediate magmas that occurred more than a million years ago. Although more examination is needed, especially for smaller and effusive eruptions, the observed relationships suggest that melt SiO2 and phenocryst contents are related to maximum eruption magnitude, and should be fundamental components to characterize volcanoes and eruptions in future databases studies.

Origin and evolution of the Oligocene rhyolitic magmas in the Mesa Central of Mexico: geochemical, petrological and geochronological evidence from the Guanamé Ignimbrite

Origin and evolution of the Oligocene rhyolitic magmas in the Mesa Central of Mexico: geochemical, petrological and geochronological evidence from the Guanamé Ignimbrite

Physicochemical constraints on indium-, tin-, germanium-, gallium-, gold-, and tellurium-bearing mineralizations in the Pefka and St Philippos polymetallic vein- and breccia-type deposits, Greece

The Pefka Cu-Au-Te-In-Se and nearby St Philippos Pb-Zn-Bi-Sn-Ge-Ga-In vein- and breccia-type deposits in western Thrace, Greece, display strong similarities, but also differences in terms of mineralization style, ore mineralogy, and chemistry, and host rock compositions. The Pefka mineralization consists of two crosscutting vein systems with high sulfidation (HS)- and intermediate-sulfidation (IS) assemblages hosted by andesitic lavas and is unusually enriched in In (up to 700 ppm), Te (>1000 ppm), Se (>100 ppm), and Cu (>1 wt%). The main In-carriers are roquesite (CuInS2) and In-bearing “tennantite-(Cu)” and Cu-rich “tennantite-(In)” which contains up to 6.5 wt% In, substituting into the C site. Roquesite is associated with enargite and arsenosulvanite/colusite, as part of the HS assemblage at Pefka. Selenium-bearing galena and a large suite of tellurides including calaverite, sylvanite, petzite, hessite, kostovite, empressite, tellurantimony, and coloradoite, in addition to native tellurium, account for the marked tellurium and selenium enrichment in the ores from Pefka. Tellurides and native gold at Pefka accompany the precipitation of Te-bearing minerals of the tetrahedrite group, such as “stibiogoldfieldite” and “arsenogoldfieldite”, and Cu-excess varieties of tetrahedrite and tennantite. However, the bulk of telluride deposition is associated with normal, fully substituted tetrahedrite-tennantite varieties.The St Philippos deposit is associated with a brecciated fault zone hosted by Eocene sandstones and Oligocene quartz-feldspar porphyry dikes. It is enriched in a large suite of incompatible elements, including Bi (>2000 ppm), Sn (>100 ppm), U (up to 200 ppm), Pb (>1 wt%), Zn (>1 wt%), Mo (up to 62 ppm), Ge (>100 ppm), Ga (up to 466 ppm) and In (up to 222 ppm), contrasting with the element suite defining the nearby Pefka deposit. The main carrier of In, Ga, and Ge is sphalerite (and wurtzite) with In-rich zones in sphalerite containing up to 6.1. wt% In. Germanium and Ga in sphalerite reach concentrations of up to 0.27 and 0.32 wt%, respectively. Sphalerite from the St Philippos deposit is extremely Fe-poor (<0.04 wt%), and is associated with an unusual suite of Sn-bearing sulfosalts (kësterite-stannite, Mn-bearing kësterite, unnamed Cu2MnSnS4), and enargite, marking an early HS event. Kësterite also hosts indium (up to 0.6 wt% In). Mn-bearing varieties of tennantite host inclusions of minor tellurides (e.g., hessite, altaite, and tsumoite) and formed later in the paragenetic sequence under transitional HS-IS and IS conditions.Both deposits are characterized by early high-temperature (>300 °C) and HS fluid conditions, followed by IS assemblages as temperatures waned. Rhyolitic oxidized magmas are considered to be the sources of metals in the St Philippos deposit; however, their anomalous W, Sn, U, and Bi contents suggest a contamination by crustal rocks. The Cu-Au-Te signature of the Pefka deposit is compatible with a genetic relationship to less fractionated andesitic magmas, although a possible contribution of In from rhyolitic magmas could explain the high In contents of the ore. However, other factors, as for example different metal-deposition mechanisms resulting in metal zonation around causative porphyry centers at depth, may also account for the observed metal endowment in these two deposits. The Sn-Te-In-(Ge-Ga) element association at Pefka and St Philippos is unusual in that it has been previously reported from only a few other places in the world (e.g., Capillitas deposit, Argentina, and the Kawazu deposit, Japan). We conclude based on this exotic mineralization-style that the northeastern part of Greece represents an area of great potential for the exploitation of critical metals and metalloids.

Graben type calderas: The Bolaños case, Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico

Graben calderas are volcano-tectonic structures that use the faults of a graben as main vents from which magma is massively erupted from a shallow magma chamber during collapse of intra-graben blocks. These eruptions are generally silicic and explosive and form large volume ignimbrite sheets without a previous Plinian major depressurization event. Graben calderas can be associated to tectonic settings ranging from pure extension to strike-slip transtension, including complete grabens, half-grabens or pull-apart grabens. The Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) in western Mexico includes several of these graben type calderas with the corresponding large volume ignimbrite sheets that result from fissure type eruptions along the graben's border and interior faults. The Bolaños graben constitutes one of the best examples of these tectonically controlled collapse calderas and is the second largest caldera of the world after Toba caldera. It is a 90 × 25 km rectangular caldera and the vent of the 25.37 ± 0.36 Ma silicic Alacrán ignimbrite, with a minimum Dense Rock Equivalent volume of 2650 km3 (3800 km3 rock volume). Post-collapse silicic domes were emplaced just after the Alacrán ignimbrite from 25.02 ± 0.33 Ma to 23.94 ± 0.33 Ma, with a total minimum lava volume of 171 km3. Both ignimbrite and domes account for at least 2800 km3 rhyolitic magma output from Bolaños graben caldera, without considering the distal deposits, and in particular the co-ignimbrite ash-cloud deposit. We describe the characteristics of the Bolaños graben caldera focusing on its major products, the Alacrán ignimbrite and the post-collapse dome volcanism, providing the geological frame of the Bolaños graben area documented with 40Ar-39Ar ages. We finally propose a conceptual model to explain the dynamics of the Bolaños graben that can be applied to other similar volcano-tectonic depressions of the Sierra Madre Occidental and elsewhere in the world with similar geological settings.

Using Volatile Element Concentration Profiles in Crystal‐Hosted Melt Embayments to Estimate Magma Decompression Rate: Assumptions and Inherited Errors

AbstractMagma decompression rate has profound impacts on volcanic eruption style as it determines the time available for most kinetic processes (e.g., volatile exsolution, crystal nucleation and growth) that influence the explosive‐effusive eruption transition. Thus, accurately quantifying decompression rate is a critical goal for understanding volcanic eruption dynamics. A recently developed technique uses crystal‐hosted pockets of melt that remain open to the host magma (melt embayments) to calculate an average decompression rate. Diffusion of volatile elements (e.g., H2O, CO2) out of the embayment during decompression creates “frozen” concentration gradients upon quenching that can be modeled to calculate the time needed to create the gradients. This geospeedometer is increasingly used, but inherent assumptions associated with the modeling and their impact on calculated decompression rates are poorly quantified. Therefore, we have conducted a numerical investigation to assess the impact of three common model simplifications pertaining to rhyolitic magmas: 1D diffusion models, equilibrium degassing, and isothermal decompression. We find that the greatest deviation between imposed and calculated decompression rates occur when 1D models are applied to “necked” embayments that have a constriction where the embayment joins with the far field melt. Simplifying to equilibrium degassing can also introduce modeling errors when disequilibrium conditions exist, though the prevalence of one or the other condition in nature is currently under debate. Assuming isothermal conditions introduces little error into modeled timescales. All of our modeling results are summarized into a list of best practices to minimize error in modeled timescales due to modeling assumptions.

The possible source of uranium mineralization in felsic volcanic rocks, Eastern Desert, Egypt of the Arabian-Nubian Shield: Constraints from whole-rock geochemistry and spectrometric prospection

The present work deals with the detailed geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, and spectrometric prospection of the felsic volcanic rocks at the Eastern Desert, Egypt of the Arabian-Nubian Shield. Felsic volcanic rocks are an essential source for rare earth elements (REEs) and uranium occurrences in this area. They are compositionally uniform with tholeiitic to calc-alkaline affinities, peraluminous and belong to the series of rhyolite with high-K melt. They exhibit more enrichment in high field strength elements (HFSE, e.g. Zr, Ta, Nd, Th, and U) and large-ion lithophile elements (LILE, e.g. Pb and Rb) compared to the country rocks of the studied area, with REE ranging from 188.20 to 442.70 ppm and strong depletion in Ti, Sr, P with deep negative Eu oddities. The felsic volcanic rocks were mostly generated from the partial melting of quartz-amphibolite facies accreted during the Neoproterozoic. Positive oddities of Zr- U- Th for the felsic volcanic rocks determine the involvement of crustal materials. Felsic volcanic rocks are found in A-type suites of magma and represent highly fractionated rocks derived from rhyolitic magma, with insignificant interaction with continental crust in the low-pressure environment and during fractional crystallization. Felsic volcanic rocks have higher values of radioactivity in which eU range from 0.5 to 121 ppm and eTh from 1.0 to 415.10 ppm. The high values of eU and eTh can be ascribed to the mineralization of uranium and the presence of accessory minerals of radiogenic nature such as uranophane, uranothorite, zircon, and monazite. Uranophane is considered as the mineral with most enriched uranium contents in the studied felsic volcanic rocks in which (UO2 = 87.30 wt %). Also, they are enriched with REE-bearing accessory minerals comprising allanite, titanite, and apatite. The geological investigations of the felsic volcanic rocks in the studied areas are inappropriate to clear the feasible economic potentialities of rare earth elements and U occurrences; itemized and invaluable explorational work is as yet needed. Whilst, the environmental impact of mineralization, owing to U and Th and their radiogenic daughter products, is observed and must be elaborated minutely.

Voluminous Paleogene volcanism in the southern Mesa Central, Mexico: Unravelling the fissure-fed origin of rhyolitic ignimbrites of the Villa Garcia-Loreto Volcanic Complex

The southern portion of the Mesa Central (MC) physiographic province is covered by numerous Oligocene to Miocene volcanic successions that are part of the Sierra Madre Occidental silicic large igneous province. The MC merges with the Sierra Madre Occidental and the southern Basin and Range extensional province. The voluminous Villa Garcia-Loreto Volcanic Complex (VGLVC) is located in the southern portion of the MC and consists of predominantly rhyolitic lava flows, and voluminous products of explosive rhyolitic volcanism, mainly as lava-like to rheomorphic ignimbrite sheets. The volcanism in the area appears in two events, first, at 60.4 ± 0.3 Ma (K–Ar whole-rock age) with the fissure-fed eruption of an andesitic lava and second, with the fissure-fed eruption of two densely-welded, crystal-poor ignimbrites at 31.59 ± 0.14 Ma and 28.66 ± 0.07 Ma (40Ar–39Ar sanidine ages). Chondrite-normalized rare earth element patterns and primitive mantle normalized multi-element patterns show enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREE) and high field strength elements (HFSE). Geochemical analysis and mineral chemistry show that the andesitic magmas were generated by partial melting of the uppermost mantle in a subduction-related setting and ascended directly through the brittle crust and erupted along N-S trending faults. Rhyolitic magmas were generated by partial melting of the lower crust in an intra-plate and extensional setting, associated with an intense phase of the southern Basin and Range extension. During the ascent and storage in a shallow magma chamber fractional crystallization of mainly feldspars and pyroxene was the major process taking place in the evolution of the magma. Geophysical results suggest that the volcanic rocks of the VGLVC were originated by fissure-fed eruptions associated with the Loreto Graben fault. The major Basin and Range faults locally reach a depth of 7 km and trending in NNW-SSE direction. The combined results show that the Basin and Range extension favored the formation, ascent, and eruption of rhyolitic and andesitic magmas in the southern MC.

The Late Carboniferous deeply eroded Tharandt Forest caldera\u2013Niederbobritzsch granite complex: a post-Variscan long-lived magmatic system in central Europe

Samples and documentation of outcrops and drillings, facies analysis, whole rock geochemistry and radiometric ages have been employed to re-evaluate the Late Carboniferous Tharandt Forest caldera (TFC) and the co-genetic Niederbobritzsch granite (NBG) in the eastern Erzgebirge near Dresden, Germany. The c. 52 km2 TFC harbours strongly welded ignimbrites with a preserved minimum thickness of 550 m. Composition of initial fallout tephra at the base of the TFC fill, comprising lithics of rhyolitic and basic lava, and of silica-rich pyroclastic rocks, suggests a bimodal volcanic activity in the area prior to the climactic TFC eruption. The lower part of the TFC fill comprises quartz-poor ignimbrites, overlain by quartz-rich ignimbrites, apparently without a depositional break. Landslides originating from the collapse collar of the caldera plunged into the still hot TFC fill producing monolithic gneiss mesobreccia with clasts ≤ 1 m in a pyroclastic matrix. Aphanitic and porphyritic rhyolitic magma formed ring- and radial dykes, and subvolcanic bodies in the centre of TFC. Whole rock geochemical data indicate a high silica (most samples have > 73 wt% SiO2) rhyolitic composition of the TFC magma, and a similar granodiorite–granitic composition for the NBG. Based on drillings and caldera extent, a minimum volume of 22 km3 of TFC fill is preserved, the original fill is assumed at about 33 km3. This estimate translates into a denudation of at least c. 210 m during Late Paleozoic to pre-Cenomanian. Telescopic subsidence of the TFC took place in two, perhaps three stages. A possible TFC outflow facies has been completely eroded and distal TFC tuff has not been recognized in neighboring basins. New CA-ID-TIMS measurements on two TFC samples gave mean zircon ages of 313.4 ± 0.4 Ma and 311.9 ± 0.4 Ma; two samples from NBG resulted in 318.2 ± 0.5 Ma and 319.5 ± 0.4 Ma. In addition, for one sample of the ring dyke an age of ca. 314.5 ± 0.5 Ma has been obtained. These ages, together with field relations, allow for a model of a long-standing evolution of an upper crustal magmatic system (~ 5 Ma?), where pulses of magmatic injection and crustal doming alternate with magmatic quietness and erosion. Together with the Altenberg–Teplice Volcanic Complex, located some 10 km to the southeast, the TFC–NBG Complex represents an early post-Variscan magmatic activity in central Europe.

Neoarchaean Felsic Volcanic Rocks in Tracing Evolution of Arcs: An Insight from Geochemical Data of the Gadag Schist Belt, Western Dharwar Craton

Abstract Quartz porphyry of rhyolitic composition though a volumetrically minor is an important component of metavolcanic successions in the Gadag schist belt in the western Dharwar craton. The quartz porphyries are calc-alkaline, enriched in light rare earth elements (Lan/Ybn ~ 10-20) and with a strong negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu*N = 0.45-0.58). These features, coupled with high K2O/Na2O (0.8 to 1.46), low Nb/Th (&amp;lt;1), and Lan/Smn ratios of 4.2 to 6.0, suggest that rhyolitic magma formed from melt generated by partial melting of basaltic crust, subsequently modified by crustal assimilation and crystal fractionation. The geological setting of the quartz porphyries and the geochemical relationships suggest magmatism at a convergent plate tectonic setting. The zircon U-Pb age of 2588.0 ± 2.4 Ma for the quartz porphyry, together with an age of 2732 Ma for similar volcanic rocks in the Chitradurga schist belt further south, and 2614 Ma for felsic volcanics from the Shimoga schist belt, point to an extended period with episodic arc magmatism in the western Dharwar craton of at least ~144myr.

Multiple, Coeval Silicic Magma Storage Domains Beneath the Laguna Del Maule Volcanic Field Inferred From Gravity Investigations

AbstractThe rhyolite‐producing Laguna del Maule volcanic field (LdMVF), Chile, has had numerous post‐glacial eruptions that produced large explosions and voluminous lava flows. During the Holocene ∼60 m of surface uplift is recorded by paleo‐shorelines of the fresh‐water Laguna del Maule, with an inflation source near the Barrancas volcanic complex. Rhyolites from the Barrancas complex erupted over ∼14 ka including some of the youngest (1.4 ± 0.6 ka) lava flows in the field. New gravity data collected on the Barrancas complex reveals a residual gravity low (−6 mGal, “Barrancas anomaly”) that is distinct from the pronounced gravity low (−19 mGal; “Lake anomaly”) associated with present‐day ground uplift to the northwest. Three‐dimensional inversion of the Barrancas anomaly indicates the presence of a magma body with a maximum density contrast with the host rock of −250 kg/m3 centered at a depth of ∼3 km below surface. Nearby Miocene high‐silica granites represent frozen remnants of highly evolved rhyolitic magma. Comparison of the densities measured from samples of these plutons with the geophysical model densities, and integration of thermodynamic modeling of silicic melt evolution, provide constraints on our interpretation. We propose a magma body, containing &lt;30% melt phase and low volatile content, exists beneath Barrancas. The Barrancas and Lake gravity lows represent magma in different physical states, associated with past and present‐day storage beneath LdMVF. The gravity model mirrors geochemical observations which independently indicate that at least two distinct rhyolites were generated and stored as discrete magma bodies within the broader LdMVF.

A microanalytical oxygen isotopic and U-Th geochronologic investigation and modeling of rhyolite petrogenesis at the Krafla Central Volcano, Iceland

Understanding the petrogenesis of silicic magmas is critical for understanding the volcanic hazards they pose, their geothermal energy potential, and the creation of continental crust. In this study we explore the origin of rhyolitic magmas in basaltic crust at the Krafla Central Volcano in Iceland. We present laser fluorination oxygen isotope analyses of plagioclase, pyroxene, and groundmass from eight rhyolites and six selected basalts, as well as in situ oxygen isotope analyses and U-Th geochronology of zircons from three rhyolitic domes erupted around the caldera margins. Zircon U-Th geochronology for the rhyolite domes yields ages of 88.7 ± 9.9 ka for Jörundur, 83.3 ± 9.2 ka for Hlíðarfjall, and 85.5 ± 9.4 ka for Gæsafjallarani, some 20–30 ka after the eruption of the zoned rhyolite to basalt Halarauður ignimbrite during a major collapse of the Krafla caldera. We suggest that the domes represent a renewed episode of silicic magma production in the pre-heated crust. Oxygen isotope analyses of single and bulk plagioclase and pyroxene identify some instances of isotopic disequilibrium with groundmass (~3.5‰) reflecting assimilation of diverse low δ18O crustal material. However, zircon is largely in equilibrium with groundmass analyses, suggesting it crystallized directly from low δ18O magma. Zircon trace elements (Hf, Yb, Th, U) for all three domes show trends indicative of fractional crystallization. Pairing these observations with two-dimensional thermal modeling using the Heat2D model, and chemical modeling using the Magma Chamber Simulator, we suggest that petrogenesis of rhyolitic magma at Krafla requires at least two-steps: the δ18O of basaltic parental magmas are first lowered through assimilation of hydrothermally altered material (generated in the high temperature region in the crust surrounding the magma chamber) to produce low δ18O mafic to intermediate magmas, which then ascend from magma generation zones into colder crust where they undergo further fractional crystallization at shallower depths. Our models suggest that prior hydrothermal alteration of the mafic crust greatly increases the volume of partial melt that can be produced and assimilated, and we thus suggest that long-lived hydrothermal systems may play an important role in further encouraging the production of larger volumes of rhyolitic magmas in basalt-dominated environments.

Constraints of magmatic differentiation on epithermal mineralization at Dongan, NE China: Insights from zircon geochronology, elements and Sr–Hf–Nd isotope geochemistry

Low-sulfidation (LS) epithermal deposits formed under relatively low temperature and pressure conditions are generally associated with volcanic activity. To better understand magmatic processes prior to epithermal mineralization, field geology, petrology, UPb zircon geochronology, whole-rock major, and trace element geochemistry along with HfNd isotopic geochemistry of the cogenetic volcanic rocks at Dongan were assessed. The Early Cretaceous (109.8 to 107.0 Ma) volcanic suite consists of high-K calc-alkaline andesitic-rhyolitic tuff and granite porphyry dikes or/and stocks. Arc magma affinity characterizes the suite with enrichments in large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare earth elements (LREEs) and depletions in high field intensity elements (HFSEs) and heavy REEs (HREEs). The extrusive andesitic rocks showing enriched mantle features (εNd(t) = + 0.76 to +1.83, εHf = − 3.4 to +3.7, TDM2 = 933 to 1124 Ma) are the result of the hybridization between the mantle and lower crust melts with the contamination of upper crustal materials during eruption or ascending of melts. The intrusive granite porphyry (εNd(t) = +3.81 to +3.9, εHf = −0.3 to +3.7, TDM2 = 901 to 1187 Ma) is geochemically comparable with andesitic rocks and was likely formed by the fractional crystallization of plagioclase and amphibole minerals from cooling andesitic melts at middle–upper crustal levels. Note that the rhyolitic magmas show distinct features of lower εNd(t) (−3.05 to – 2.78), εHf (−0.6 to +1.6) and total REE values (54.78 to 70.09 ppm), older TDM2 (1464 to 1662 Ma) and obvious negative europium anomalies (0.34 to 0.37), suggesting an origin of upper crustal remelting (compositionally equivalent to water-poor felsic granulite or tonalite) that results from the heating of the underlying andesitic magmas. In summary, the sequential emplacement of the ore-related andesitic and granitic melts is attributed to the magmatic processes of the active magma chamber in a continental extensional setting, and the metal-rich bubbles focused at the tops of this chamber due to prolonged differentiation are released to produce epithermal veins at shallower levels (< 1.5 km).

The magmatic evolution of the Neotethyan rift: Geochronologic, isotopic, and geochemical evidence from A-type felsic magmatism, NW Iran

The Ajabshir rhyolitic magma in the northwest (NW) of Iran is an Early Carboniferous (332.5 ± 2.2 Ma), approximately 50m-thick succession, consisting of quartz, alkali feldspar, and biotite phenocryst with a porphyritic texture. This magmatic unit occurred as lava flows and sills intruded into the early Cambrian Lalun Formation. The Ajabshir magma has a calc-alkaline to high potassic calc-alkaline affinity and peraluminous character and displays many of the classic features of A-type magmas, enrichment in HFSEs (Zr + Nb + Ce + Y = 664–808 ppm), Nb (120−218 ppm), Zr (298−362 ppm), Ga (34−38 ppm), Ce (100−132 ppm), high Ga/Al and FeO*/(FeO*+MgO), zircon saturation temperature, and low contents of CaO, Sr, and Eu. The LREE enrichment, non-depletion in HREE, and negative Eu anomalies in the chondrite normalized diagrams exhibit similarities to the REE patterns of “hot-dry-reduced rhyolites”, further pointing to the evolution of Ajabshir rhyolitic magma from an OIB-type parental melt via a fractional crystallization process. The zircon yield εHf(t) values of +1.4 to +5.5 correspond to two-stage zircon Hf model ages of 0.9–1.2 Ga. The δ18O values of the zircon range from +5.8‰ to +7.37‰. The zircon isotopic data together with whole-rock geochemical signatures suggest that the mantle-derived magma was modified by crustal components during its ascent to the surface. The Ajabshir A-type rhyolitic magma provides more evidence for an extensional tectonic setting during the Early Carboniferous in NW Iran, contemporaneous with the rifting of the Neotethyan Ocean at the northern margin of Gondwana.

No ring fracture in Mono Basin, California

AbstractIn Mono Basin, California, USA, a near-circular ring fracture 12 km in diameter was proposed by R.W. Kistler in 1966 to have originated as the protoclastic margin of the Cretaceous Aeolian Buttes pluton, to have been reactivated in the middle Pleistocene, and to have influenced the arcuate trend of the chain of 30 young (62–0.7 ka) rhyolite domes called the Mono Craters. In view of the frequency and recency of explosive eruptions along the Mono chain, and because many geophysicists accepted the ring fracture model, we assembled evidence to test its plausibility. The shear zone interpreted as the margin of the Aeolian Buttes pluton by Kistler is 50–400 m wide but is exposed only along a 7-km-long set of four southwesterly outcrops that subtend only a 70° sector of the proposed ring. The southeast end of the exposed shear zone is largely within the older June Lake pluton, and at its northwest end, the contact of the Aeolian Buttes pluton with a much older one crosses the shear zone obliquely. Conflicting attitudes of shear structures are hard to reconcile with intrusive protoclasis. Also inconsistent with the margin of the ovoid intrusion proposed by Kistler, unsheared salients of the pluton extend ∼1 km north of its postulated circular outline at Williams Butte, where there is no fault or other structure to define the northern half of the hypothetical ring. The shear zone may represent regional Cretaceous transpression rather than the margin of a single intrusion. There is no evidence for the Aeolian Buttes pluton along the aqueduct tunnel beneath the Mono chain, nor is there evidence for a fault that could have influenced its vent pattern. The apparently arcuate chain actually consists of three linear segments that reflect Quaternary tectonic influence and not Cretaceous inheritance. A rhyolitic magma reservoir under the central segment of the Mono chain has erupted many times in the late Holocene and as recently as 700 years ago. The ring fracture idea, however, prompted several geophysical investigations that sought a much broader magma body, but none identified a low-density or low-velocity anomaly beneath the purported 12-km-wide ring, which we conclude does not exist.

A tale of five enclaves: Mineral perspectives on origins of mafic enclaves in the Tuolumne Intrusive Complex

AbstractThe widespread occurrence of mafic magmatic enclaves (mme) in arc volcanic rocks attests to hybridization of mafic-intermediate magmas with felsic ones. Typically, mme and their hosts differ in mineral assemblage and the compositions of phenocrysts and matrix glass. In contrast, in many arc plutons, the mineral assemblages in mme are the same as in their host granitic rocks, and major-element mineral compositions are similar or identical. These similarities lead to difficulties in identifying mixing end members except through the use of bulk-rock compositions, which themselves may reflect various degrees of hybridization and potentially melt loss. This work describes the variety of enclave types and occurrences in the equigranular Half Dome unit (eHD) of the Tuolumne Intrusive Complex and then focuses on textural and mineral composition data on five porphyritic mme from the eHD. Specifically, major- and trace-element compositions and zoning patterns of plagioclase and hornblende were measured in the mme and their adjacent host granitic rocks. In each case, the majority of plagioclase phenocrysts in the mme (i.e., large crystals) were derived from a rhyolitic end member. The trace-element compositions and zoning patterns in these plagioclase phenocrysts indicate that each mme formed by hybridization with a distinct rhyolitic magma. In some cases, hybridization involved a single mixing event, whereas in others, evidence for at least two mixing events is preserved. In contrast, some hornblende phenocrysts grew from the enclave magma, and others were derived from the rhyolitic end member. Moreover, the composition of hornblende in the immediately adjacent host rock is distinct from hornblende typically observed in the eHD. Although primary basaltic magmas are thought to be parental to the mme, little or no evidence of such parents is preserved in the enclaves. Instead, the data indicate that hybridization of already hybrid andesitic enclave magmas with rhyolitic magmas in the eHD involved multiple andesitic and rhyolitic end members, which in turn is consistent with the eHD representing an amalgamation of numerous, compositionally distinct magma reservoirs. This conclusion applies to enclaves sampled &amp;lt;30 m from one another. Moreover, during amalgamation of various rhyolitic reservoirs, some mme were evidently disrupted from a surrounding mush and thus carried remnants of that mush as their immediately adjacent host. We suggest that detailed study of mineral compositions and zoning in plutonic mme provides a means to identify magmatic processes that cannot be deciphered from bulk-rock analysis.