Shallow Magma Reservoir Research Articles

Evolution of the Magma Conduit Beneath the Galeras Volcano Inferred From Repeated Seismic Tomography

AbstractThe Colombian volcano Galeras is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and it has an andesitic composition and high explosive potential. We consider the period of 1989–2015, in which the volcano manifested frequent eruptions and high seismic activity. To study the temporal variations in the seismic structure beneath Galeras, we implemented an algorithm of repeated tomography using selected data sets with similar geometries. We obtained the variations in the seismic velocity structures beneath Galeras during the three time episodes of 1989–2000, 2001–2007, and 2008–2015. In the second episode, we observe a columnar anomaly with a high Vp/Vs ratio that possibly represents a conduit transporting a new portion of magma material from below. This result may indicate that in this period, which culminated with dome emplacement and collapse, the volcano was directly fed from deeper magma sources. In other episodes, the conduit is less visible in the tomography models, and we propose that the volcanic activity was merely controlled by shallow magma reservoirs at 2–4 km below the surface.

A New Workflow to Assess Emplacement Duration and Melt Residence Time of Compositionally Diverse Magmas Emplaced in a Sub-volcanic Reservoir

Construction durations of magma reservoirs are commonly inferred from U–Pb zircon geochronology using various statistical methods to interpret zircon U–Pb age spectra (e.g. weighted mean ages of concordant zircon populations). However, in compositionally different magmas, zircon saturation and crystallization are predicted to occur at different times relative to other mineral phases and the geological event of interest; for instance, magma emplacement. The timescales of these processes can be predicted by numerical modeling and measured using U–Pb zircon thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) geochronology, therefore creating an opportunity to quantify magma emplacement in space and time to constrain the size and longevity of magma reservoirs during pluton construction. The Jurassic tilted, bimodal (gabbroic and granitic) Guadalupe igneous complex (GIC) in the Sierra Nevada arc presents an exceptional opportunity to study the construction duration of a shallow (1–10 km) magma reservoir comprising multiple magma batches. We present a new workflow to constrain emplacement ages from zircon geochronology of compositionally different magma batches and evaluate melt-present timescales. High-precision U–Pb chemical ablation isotope dilution (CA-ID)-TIMS zircon ages are combined with MELTS modeling to calculate zircon saturation ages for each dated sample. Bayesian statistics are then used to compare calculated zircon saturation distributions with zircon age distributions from TIMS data to predict time, temperature, and melt fraction at zircon saturation and solidus. In addition, we use mineral thermometry and cooling rate calculations to relate zircon saturation ages to emplacement ages for felsic and mafic rocks, resulting in a best estimate for the total construction duration of 295 ± 110 kyr for the GIC. Rhyolites exposed at the top of the GIC are ∼2–3 Myr older and thus not part of the same magmatic system. The good agreement between Ti-in-zircon crystallization temperatures and calculated zircon saturation temperatures by MELTS implies that bulk-rock compositions of both mafic and felsic rocks are close to liquid compositions. Mafic and felsic magmas experienced extensive mingling at the emplacement level in a magma chamber (which, as defined here, has temperatures above the solidus of the respective rock composition) encompassing ∼60% of the exposed map area of the complex shortly after construction. Melt was present within the system for a total duration of ∼550 kyr as constrained by two-dimensional thermal finite-difference modeling using an incremental growth and sill emplacement model. The construction and melt-present timescales calculated in this study for the shallow GIC have implications for the potential of in situ differentiation, mixing and mingling timescales and eruption in shallow magmatic systems.

Timescales of pre-eruptive magmatic processes at Vulcano (Aeolian Islands, Italy) during the last 1000 years

An integrated petrological and geochemical study on plagioclase crystals erupted at Vulcano Island (Aeolian Islands, Southern Italy) over the past 1000 years allowed us to draw a detailed model of the internal structure of the volcanic system, in which modes of magma interaction and timescales of storage at crustal depth are shown. The integration of compositional, textural and temporal record preserved in plagioclase crystals provides evidence for an articulated plumbing system constituted by several reservoirs connected at the crust-mantle boundary. Here, a basaltic-shoshonitic magma resides and is thought to feed the shallow magma reservoir of both La Fossa and Vulcanello centers, finally triggering eruptions throughout injections from depth. Textural and micro-compositional data on plagioclase crystals suggest the presence of three main magma levels located between ca. 17 and 2 km of depth beneath La Fossa Cone, which were intermittently reactivated over the whole period of activity considered. Plagioclase textures and compositional zoning indicate that the shallow (<11 km bsl) portions of the La Fossa plumbing system were particularly active over the last 1000 years, as crystals record the ascent and continuous episodes of magma recharge and mixing that affect the shallower reservoirs. The first stage of activity at Vulcanello (i.e. Vulcanello I eruption) was fed by slightly differentiated melts that directly rose from the deep basaltic-shoshonitic reservoir, residing for a short period of time into the crust before the eruption. Indeed, diffusion modeling calculations on Sr zoning in plagioclase indicate shorter timescales of residence (<2 years) for crystals erupted at Vulcanello compared to those of the La Fossa Cone eruptions (ca. 2–10 years). If compared with the time span between eruptions occurred at La Fossa, our time estimations may suggest that magma feeding the activity at La Fossa resides most of the time in reservoirs located below the plagioclase nucleation depth (~11 km of depth), finally rising up only few years before the eruption onset. According to our model, magmatic eruptions at Vulcano Island are related to the ascent of deep basic (basaltic/shoshonitic) magmas that trigger a sort of “reaction chain” through subsequent episodes of recharge and mixing toward the upper magmatic reservoirs.

The role of melt composition on aqueous fluid vs. silicate melt partitioning of bromine in magmas

Volcanogenic halogens, in particular bromine, potentially play an important role in the ozone depletion of the atmosphere. Understanding bromine behaviour in magmas is therefore crucial to properly evaluate the contribution of volcanic eruptions to atmospheric chemistry and their environmental impact. To date, bromine partitioning between silicate melts and the gas phase is very poorly constrained, with the only relevant experimental studies limited to investigation of synthetic melt with silicic compositions. In this study, fluid/melt partitioning experiments were performed using natural silicate glasses with mafic, intermediate and silicic compositions. For each composition, experiments were run with various Br contents in the initial fluid (H2O–NaBr), at T–P conditions representative of shallow magmatic reservoirs in volcanic arc contexts (100–200 MPa, 900–1200 °C). The resulting fluid/melt partition coefficients (DBrf/m) are: 5.0 ± 0.3 at 1200 °C–100 MPa for the basalt, 9.1 ± 0.6 at 1060 °C–200 MPa for the andesite and 20.2 ± 1.2 at 900 °C–200 MPa for the rhyodacite. Our experiments show that DBrf/m increases with increasing SiO2 content of the melt (as for chlorine) and suggest that it is also sensitive to melt temperature (increase of DBrf/m with decreasing temperature). We develop a simple model to predict the S–Cl–Br degassing behaviour in mafic systems, which accounts for the variability of S–Cl–Br compositions of volcanic gases from Etna and other mafic systems, and shows that coexisting magmatic gas and melt evolve from S-rich to Cl–Br enriched (relative to S) upon increasing degree of degassing. We also report first Br contents for melt inclusions from Etna, Stromboli, Merapi and Santorini eruptions and calculate the mass of bromine available in the magma reservoir prior to the eruptions under consideration. The discrepancy that we highlight between the mass of Br in the co-existing melt and fluid prior to the Merapi 2010 eruption (433 and 73 tons, respectively) and the lack of observed BrO (from space) hints at the need to investigate further Br speciation in ‘ash-rich’ volcanic plumes. Overall, our results suggest that the Br yield into the atmosphere of cold and silicic magmas will be much larger than that from hotter and more mafic magmas.

Overview and plumbing system implications of monogenetic volcanism in the northernmost Andes' volcanic province

Monogenetic volcanic fields are commonly related to rifts and/or intraplate tectonic settings. However, they are also less commonly recognised in subduction zones, including both front and back-arc volcanoes (e.g. monogenetic volcanoes associated with the Llaima volcano in Chile or the San Agustín Volcanic Field in Colombia). Here, we describe monogenetic volcanic fields associated with subduction-related polygenetic volcanism in the northernmost part of the Andes Northern Volcanic Zone (NVZ) (2° S to 4°30′N). These fields are associated with the main axis of the Quaternary volcanoes. They are linked to the polygenetic San Diego – Cerro Machín Volcano Tectonic Province (~140 km long; SCVTP) in Colombia, the chain that hosts the iconic Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Presently, three monogenetic volcanic fields, with a typical calc-alkaline signature, have been identified on both sides of this province. From south to north, they are: 1) Pijaos Monogenetic Volcanic Field (PMVF), 2) Villamaría – Termales Monogenetic Volcanic Field (VTMVF), and 3) Samaná Monogenetic Volcanic Field (SMVF). PMVF is located ~25 km south of Cerro Machín volcano, the southernmost active volcano of the SCVTP. This field was formed by at least two eruptions with both effusive and explosive eruptive styles. Three cones and a maar are recognised. Previous work has defined the volcanoes as basaltic andesitic in composition, which we recognised as the most mafic expression (MgO 10–11 wt%) in the whole SCVTP. Its source is related to the same, but deeper magma that feeds the volcanoes in the SCVTP. Stratigraphic relationships show that the volcanoes are younger than the underlying alluvial and volcaniclastic Ibagué fan (<2.58 Ma). VTMVF is located in the northwestern region of the SCVTP (>5 km of the axis of the province). This field is made up of at least 14 volcanoes aligned with the active Villamaría – Termales fault system, as previous work has recognised. The volcanism has been mainly effusive, represented by lava domes and some lava flows. Since the 1980s, studies have framed these andesitic to dacitic volcanoes in the context of the history of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. It is inferred that the magmatic source is a shallow magma reservoir underneath the SCVTP. Stratigraphic and field relationships have shown that the last eruption occurred <38 ka. SMVF is located ~50 km north of Romeral composite volcano, the northernmost active volcano from the SCVTP. Previous studies have revealed that this field comprises at least two volcanoes: A maar (~20 ka years old) and a pyroclastic cone (~33 ka years old). These studies defined the volcanic products as andesitic and dacitic in composition. It is inferred that this field is a result of the same magmatism as that of the SCVTP. Overall, it is clear that monogenetic volcanism is not atypical in the area. We thus propose a SCVTP magmatic plumbing system joining both the monogenetic and polygenetic volcanoes related to the subduction arc.

Understanding Fast and Slow Unrest at Volcanoes and Implications for Eruption Forecasting

This paper examines the behaviour of fast volcanoes that erupt quickly with paroxysmal explosive eruptions, and slow volcanoes that erupt over extended periods without such paroxysmal activity. I review activity at four fast and four slow volcanoes, highlighting the main events and commonalities in behaviour among the different systems. In terms of forecasting, fast volcanoes typically have short 1-3 month precursory periods prior to the climactic eruption, while slow volcanoes commonly have an extended period of considerable uncertainty regarding the presence or absence of new magma, as well as unanticipated accelerations in activity. Fast volcanoes are associated with magmas having elevated volatile contents (up to ~7 wt. % H2O), rapid magma ascent rates, and rapid declines in activity after the climactic eruption. Fast volcanoes also exhibit well defined magma plumbing systems with mobile volatile-rich magma, with the plumbing system sealed between the top of the shallow magma reservoir and the surface prior to the climactic eruption. Slow volcanoes have complex plumbing systems comprising cracks, fractures, dykes, and sills and magmas that are crystal-rich, partly degassed, and rheologically sluggish. Slow volcanoes experience a progressive opening of their systems as magma intrudes and fractures country rock, allowing degassing to occur. The degree to which a system is opened is determined by the rate at which new magma is emplaced at shallow levels. Slower rates of emplacement enhance the opening process due to a cumulatively high number of fractures and increased fracture density which develop during the extended period of unrest. Many systems both fast and slow receive inputs of mafic magma which can drive activity seen at the surface. A series of recently developed tools is examined and discussed in order to provide an improved means of forecasting activity at both types of volcanoes. These include assessment of early phreatic activity and associated gases, Vp /Vs ratios of magma by seismic tomography, and estimates of magma volume from precursory seismicity. What is required now are protocols which integrate these approaches in a manner which is useful for accurate forecasting.

Deep Structure of the Zone of Tolbachik Fissure Eruptions (Kamchatka, Klyuchevskoy Volcano Group): Evidence from a Complex of Geological and Geophysical Data

With the use of the method of low-frequency microseismic sounding, the configuration of the magmatic feeding system of the Tolbachinsky Dol—a regional zone of areal basaltic volcanism in the southern part of the Klyuchevskoy volcano group in Kamchatka—is studied. The initial data are obtained by a stepby-step recording of the background microseismic noise in 2010–2015 within a thoroughly marked-out survey area covering the zones of fissure eruptions in 1975–1976 and 2012–2013 and, partly, the edifice of the Ploskii (flat) Tolbachik volcano. The depth sections reflecting the distributions of the relative velocities of seismic waves in the Earth’s crust are constructed. For a more reliable interpretation of the revealed deep anomalies, the results of independent geological and geophysical studies are used. The ascertained low-velocity structures are closely correlated to the manifestations of present-day volcanism. It is shown that the feeding structure of the Tolbachinsky Dol is spatially heterogeneous, incorporating subvertical and lateral pipeshaped magma conduits, closely spaced magma feeding channels, and shallow magma reservoirs. A longlived local transcrustal magma conducting zone is revealed, and regularities in the deep structure of the feeding systems of fissure eruptions are identified. The configuration of the established subvertical magma conduits permits basalts moving to rise to the surface by different paths, which, inter alia, explains the contrasting magma compositions observed during a single eruption. Thus, based on the instrumental data, it is shown that the magmatic feeding structure of the Tolbachinsky Dol has a number of specific peculiarities and is significantly more complicated than has been previously thought about the areal volcanic fields.

Shallow factors controlling the explosivity of basaltic magmas: The 17–25 May 2016 eruption of Etna Volcano (Italy)

We present a detailed physical and geochemical analysis of a small-scale eruption at the type basaltic volcano, Mount Etna, Italy, that spanned 9 days in May 2016. A complexity rarely seen within the short timeframe was present with the style of activity manifesting as outgassing, strombolian explosions to weak fountaining, and lava flows, while the eruption migrated between most of the summit craters. Through microprobe analysis of phenocrysts, groundmass glasses and melt inclusions we define geochemical trends by differentiating the eruptive products into two groups – the explosive tephra produced by lava fountaining, and lava and scoria emitted during Strombolian explosions. We highlight plagioclase and olivine compositions and variations in glass compositions as evidence for the eruption of multiple magma bodies. The eruptive sequence was triggered and fed by a batch of magma reaching the surface after limited degassing and crystallisation. Despite its small mass (about 0.01% of the total erupted magma), it generated three lava fountains occurring within a four-day timespan, producing ash-rich plumes which reached heights of a few km above the vent. The same batch destabilised a much larger mass (the remaining 99.99%) of crystal-richer magma stored at shallow depth that then erupted as lava from the same vent system in temporal continuity with the initial batch. The eruption was concluded by minor spattering and final Strombolian activity. The compositions of the magma batches suggest that the shallow magma reservoir likely exists as a network of interconnected dykes, probably fed by the same that partly erupted in the years/months preceding the May 2016 eruption. Variation in explosivity of the eruption was directly controlled by pre-eruptive degassing histories of each magma batch.

Rapid mixing and short storage timescale in the magma dynamics of a steady-state volcano

Steady-state volcanic activity implies equilibrium between the rate of magma replenishment and eruption of compositionally homogeneous magmas, lasting for tens to thousands of years in an open conduit system. The Present-day activity of Stromboli volcano (Aeolian Islands, Southern Italy) has long been recognised as typical of a steady-state volcano, with a shallow magmatic reservoir (highly porphyritic or hp-magma) continuously refilled by more mafic magma (with low phenocryst content or lp-magma) at a constant rate and accompanied by mixing, crystallisation and eruption. Our aim is to clarify the timescale and dynamics of the plumbing system at the establishment of the Present-day steady-state activity (<1.2 ka) to pinpoint the onset of the steady-state regime. We investigated the Post-Pizzo (PP) pyroclastic sequence (∼1.7–1.5 ka) and one of the Early Paroxysms (EP) of the Present-day activity, focusing on the clinopyroxene population.Whole rock and clinopyroxene compositional variation among the PP and EP magmas is consistent with the time progression of the Stromboli system towards more mafic and lower 87Sr/86Sr compositions, pointing to the chemical and isotopic signature of the Present-day activity. Clinopyroxenes from both PP and EP record a complex history with compositional zoning that reflects growth in three different melt domains: a high-Mg# proto-lp recharging magma, a low-Mg# proto-hp resident magma, and a transient intermediate-Mg# magma. These are the result of complex turbulent flow fields and mixing regimes produced by repeated injections of the proto-lp magma in the shallow proto-hp magma reservoir. During the PP period the magmatic system was already able to regain the pre-input proto-hp composition, gradually changing toward a less evolved signature after the injection(s) of the more mafic proto-lp magma, owing to efficient (days to a few years) stirring and melt homogenisation (i.e., homogenisation time < residence time).Based upon Fe–Mg diffusion in clinopyroxene the total residence time during PP and EP periods, from the arrival of the mafic magma in the shallow system until the eruption, ranges from 1 to ∼50 years. Longer residence times (up to 150 years) have been recorded in the initial phase of the PP sequence, possibly testifying to the transition from a closed- to the open-conduit, steady-state regime of the Present-day activity.Some clinopyroxenes from the PP recorded the mafic triggering event of the feeding proto-lp magma occurring within few months to a few days before eruption. Remarkably, other clinopyroxene portions crystallised and captured the rapid timescales (a few days) of the on-going mixing and homogenisation process between the proto-lp and the proto-hp magmas leading to the eruption.The modelling of clinopyroxene zoning events at Stromboli provides evidence for growth and storage in three different melt domains, and sets robust constraints on their residence time from lp-magma recharge(s) to eruption, along with the timescales of melt homogenisation and triggering events. The lifetime history captured by Fe–Mg zoning of Stromboli clinopyroxenes suggests that the interplay between rapid mixing and short storage timescales can be a key parameter controlling the dynamics of the plumbing system of steady-state volcanoes.

Imaging the Laguna del Maule Volcanic Field, central Chile using magnetotellurics: Evidence for crustal melt regions laterally-offset from surface vents and lava flows

Magnetotelluric (MT) data were collected at the Laguna del Maule volcanic field (LdMVF), located in central Chile (36°S, 70.5°W), which has been experiencing unprecedented upward ground deformation since 2007. These data were used to create the first detailed three-dimensional electrical resistivity model of the LdMVF and surrounding area. The resulting model was spatially complex with several major conductive features imaged at different depths and locations around Laguna del Maule (LdM). A near-surface conductor (C1; 0.5 Ωm) approximately 100 m beneath the lake is interpreted as a conductive smectite clay cap related to a shallow hydrothermal reservoir. At 4 km depth, a strong conductor (C3; 0.3 Ωm) is located beneath the western edge of LdM. The proximity of C3 to the recent Pleistocene-to-Holocene vents in the northwest LdMVF and nearby hot springs suggests that C3 is a hydrous (>5 wt% H2O), rhyolitic partial melt with melt fraction >35% and a free-water hydrothermal component. C3 dips towards, and is connected to, a deeper conductor (C4; 1 Ωm). C4 is located to the north of LdM at >8 km depth below surface and is interpreted as a long-lived, rhyolitic-to-andesitic magma reservoir with melt fractions less than 35%. It is hypothesized that the deeper magma reservoir (C4) is providing melt and hydrothermal fluids to the shallower magma reservoir (C3). A large conductor directly beneath the LdMVF is not imaged with MT suggesting that any mush volume beneath LdM must be anhydrous (<2 wt% H2O), low temperature and low melt fraction (<25%) in order to go undetected. The presence of large conductors to the north has important implications for magma dynamics as it suggests that material may have a significant lateral component (>10 km) as it moves from the deep magma reservoir (C4) to create small, ephemeral volumes of eruptible melt (C3). It is hypothesized that there may be a north–south contrast in physical processes affecting the growth of melt-rich zones since major conductors are imaged in the northern LdMVF while no major conductors are detected beneath the southern vents. The analysis and interpretation of features directly beneath the lake is complicated by the surface conductor C1 which attenuates low-frequency signals. The attenuation from C1 does not affect C3 or C4. At 1 km depth directly beneath LdM, a weak conductor (C2; <10 Ωm) is imaged but is not required by the data. Forward modeling tests show that a relatively large (30 km3), high melt fraction (>50%), silicic reservoir with 5 wt% H2O at 2 to 5 km depth beneath the inflation center is not supported by the MT data. However, a smaller (10 km3) eruptible volume could go undetected even with relatively high melt fraction (>50%). The location of large melt regions to the north has important implications for long-term volcanic hazards at LdMVF as well as other volcanoes as it raises the possibility that the vent distribution is not always indicative of the location of deeper source regions of melt.

Insights into eruption dynamics from the 2014 pyroclastic deposits of Kelut volcano, Java, Indonesia, and implications for future hazards

On 13 to 14 February 2014 a ~4h long, VEI 4 eruption occurred at Kelut volcano (Java, Indonesia). Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) and extensive ash fall led to 7 fatalities and disruption to flights across the Asia-Pacific region. New sedimentological descriptions of the pyroclastic deposits from the 2014 eruption were compared with eyewitness and satellite reports to elucidate temporal variations in eruptive dynamics. The stratigraphy of the deposits is presented in 3 stages, associated with two eruptions that occurred approximately ~15–30min apart. Stage 1 PDC deposits originate from the smaller onset eruption. The PDC deposits from Stage 2, and tephra fall deposits from Stage 3 originate from the second, plinian eruption. During the onset eruption (Stage 1), low energy PDCs were produced that ran out to <2.6km. Basal layers show characteristics of deposits similar to ash-cloud surges that carried dominantly fine ash and crystal fragments. These are capped by deposits typical of high-particle concentrated pyroclastic flows. All Stage 1 deposits have high contents of dense lithic fragments (up to 44% by vol.), sourced from the 2007–2008 lava dome and conduit walls, indicating that the eruption onset was driven by an explosive release of gas-overpressure below the vent-capping dome. Increases in the magma flux and transition to a more constant eruption led to a growing eruption column during the ~2-hour long Stage 2 plinian eruption. Pumice rich (>70% by vol.) PDC deposits ran out to 4.7km from the vent. The deposits reflect an increased output of fresh fragmented magma, and some conduit widening evidenced by dense lithic fragments. Vent instabilities and incorporation of dense material into basal margins of the plume led to the marginal collapse and formation of these PDCs. Stage 3 occurred in the final hour at the peak of the plinian eruption, around 01:00 to 02:00, and produced reversely graded lapilli fall deposits with ≤90vol% pumice from a 26km-high plume. This indicates that there was a sustained flux of juvenile magma to the now open vent system, and expansion and fragmentation of the gas-rich magma was at its most efficient. Our study of the eruptive sequence of Kelut provides some constraints on predicted patterns for future explosive activity, critical for further hazard assessment of the volcano. Since 1901 Kelut has erupted on intervals of 1 to 23years, and the 2014 event characterises a typical “explosive” style of eruption that alternates regularly with effusive dome-formation and collapse events. This pattern depends on the dynamics of magma renewal to the system, and degassing conditions in the shallow magma reservoir and upper conduit. If this pattern holds, and the next eruption occurs within the next two decades, a return of prolonged dome growth could be anticipated.

Sequential Assimilation of Volcanic Monitoring Data to Quantify Eruption Potential: Application to Kerinci Volcano, Sumatra

Quantifying the eruption potential of a restless volcano requires the ability to model parameters such as overpressure and calculate the host rock stress state as the system evolves. A critical challenge is developing a model-data fusion framework to take advantage of observational data and provide updates of the volcanic system through time. The Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) uses a Monte Carlo approach to assimilate volcanic monitoring data and update models of volcanic unrest, providing time-varying estimates of overpressure and stress. Although the EnKF has been proven effective to forecast volcanic deformation using synthetic InSAR and GPS data, until now, it has not been applied to assimilate data from an active volcanic system. In this investigation, the EnKF is used to provide a “hindcast” of the 2009 explosive eruption of Kerinci volcano, Indonesia. A two-sources analytical model is used to simulate the surface deformation of Kerinci volcano observed by InSAR time-series data and to predict the system evolution. A deep, deflating dike-like source reproduces the subsiding signal on the flanks of the volcano, and a shallow spherical McTigue source reproduces the central uplift. EnKF predicted parameters are used in finite element models to calculate the host-rock stress state prior to the 2009 eruption. Mohr-Coulomb failure models reveal that the shallow magma reservoir is trending towards tensile failure prior to 2009, which may be the catalyst for the 2009 eruption. Our results illustrate that the EnKF shows significant promise for future applications to forecasting the eruption potential of restless volcanoes and hind-cast the triggering mechanisms of observed eruptions.

Resonance oscillations of the Soufrière Hills Volcano (Montserrat, W.I.) magmatic system induced by forced magma flow from the reservoir into the upper plumbing dike

Short-period deformation cycles are a common phenomenon at active volcanoes and are often attributed to the instability of magma flow in the upper plumbing system caused by fluctuations in magma viscosity related to cooling, degassing, and crystallization. Here we present 20-min periodic oscillations in ground deformation based on high-precision continuous borehole strain data that were associated with the 2003 massive dome-collapse at the Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat (West Indies). These high-frequency oscillations lasted ~80min and were preceded by a 4-hour episode of rapid expansion of the shallow magma reservoir. Strain amplitude ratios indicate that the deformational changes were generated by pressure variations in the shallow magma reservoir and – with reversed polarity – the adjacent plumbing dike. The unusually short period of the oscillations cannot be explained with thermally induced variations in magma properties. We investigate the underlying mechanism of the oscillations via a numerical model of forced magma flow through a reservoir-dike system accounting for time-dependent dilation/contraction of the dike due to a viscous response in the surrounding host rock. Our results suggest that the cyclic pressure variations are modulated by the dynamical interplay between rapid expansion of the magma chamber and the incapacity of the narrow dike to take up fast enough the magma volumes supplied by the reservoir. Our results allow us to place first order constraints on the viscosity of crustal host rocks and consequently its fractional melt content. Hence, we present for the first time crustal-scale in situ measurements of rheological properties of mush zones surrounding magmatic systems.

Mantle derived crystal-poor rhyolitic ignimbrites: Eruptive mechanism from geochemical and geochronological data of the Piedra Parada caldera, Southern Argentina

Trace elements, isotopic modeling and U-Th-Pb SHRIMP zircon age constraints are used to reconstruct the eruption history and magmatic processes of the Piedra Parada Caldera. In the early Eocene, the crystal-poor Barda Colorada ignimbrite (BCI), having >>15% micro-porphyritic crystals with respect to magmatic components, erupted a volume estimated in more than 300 km3. The Piedra Parada caldera is located in the Patagonian Andes foreland, at the southern end of the calderas field of the Pilcaniyeu Volcanic Belt (PVB). This belt is related to an extensional tectonic setting as a result of the collision of the Farallon-Aluk ridge with South America, which enabled the development of a transform ocean/continental plate margin followed by the detachment of the Aluk plate and the opening of a slab window. The BCI extra-caldera Plateau is a >100 m thick deposit, having a lower unit with high silica (SiO2 > 76 wt.%), potassium poor rhyolitic composition (trondhjemitic like magma), and an upper unit with normal to high potassium rhyolitic composition (granitic like magma). A trace elements modeling of the BCI units shows that the BCI lower and upper units did not evolve from fractionation or immiscibility in the shallow magma reservoir. The BCI also have a primitive isotopic signature (initial 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7031–0.7049 and εNd = +3.4 to +3.65). Thus, tectonic, compositional and isotopic constraints suggest the fast ascent of high silica magmas to a shallow reservoir, and point to an upper mantle origin for these rhyolitic magmas in a transitional (Orogenic-Anorogenic) tectono-magmatic setting. U-Th-Pb SHRIMP zircon crystallization ages of the Syn-caldera stage BCI units (56–51.5 Ma) show a protracted life of 5 Ma for this caldera reservoir. The age of 52.9 ± 0.3 Ma is considered the best fit for the possible maximum age for the caldera collapse. The Late-caldera magmatism has trachyandesitic and rhyolitic compositions. The trace element modeling suggests that these rhyolites evolve from the trachyandesites and do not evolve from the BCI residual magma. The trachyandesites have U-Th-Pb SHRIMP zircon crystallization ages of 52 ± 1 Ma, suggesting that the caldera eruption was triggered by the arrival of the trachyandesitic magma.

Experimental and petrological constraints on long-term magma dynamics and post-climactic eruptions at the Cerro Galán caldera system, NW Argentina

Cerro Galán in NW Argentina records >3.5Myr of magmatic evolution of a major resurgent caldera complex. Beginning at 5.72Ma, nine rhyodacitic ignimbrites (68–71wt% SiO2) with a combined minimum volume of >1200km3 (Dense Rock Equivalent; DRE) have been erupted. The youngest of those ignimbrites is the eponymous, geochemically homogenous, caldera-forming 2.08±0.02Ma Cerro Galán Ignimbrite (CGI; >630km3 DRE). Following this climactic supereruption, structural and magmatic resurgence led to the formation of a resurgent dome and post-climactic lava domes and their associated pyroclastic deposits. A clear transition from amphibole to sanidine-bearing magmas occurred during the evolution of Cerro Galán and is inferred to represent a shallowing of the magma system. We test this hypothesis here using experimental phase equilibria.We conducted a series of phase equilibria experiments on the post-climactic dome lithologies under H2O-saturated conditions using cold seal Waspaloy pressure vessels with an intrinsic log fO2 of NNO+1±0.5 across a temperature-pressure range of 750–900°C and 50–200MPa (PH2O=Ptotal), respectively. Petrologic and geochemical analysis of the post-climactic lithologies shows that the natural phase assemblage (plagioclase+quartz+biotite+sanidine+Fe-Ti oxides±apatite±zircon) is stable at <50MPa (PH2O) and 805–815°C. Applying experimental results to the CGI pumice, which has the same phenocryst phase assemblage and modal abundance, whole rock and phenocryst chemistry, and overlapping temperature and fO2 as the post-climactic deposits, suggests that these pre-eruptive conditions (PH2O<50MPa) are relevant for the magmas that sourced the climactic CGI supereruption as well.Amphibole in the early Cerro Galán ignimbrites (Toconquis Group; 5.72–4.51Ma, and the Cueva Negra Ignimbrite, 3.77±0.08Ma) records crystallization across a range of pressures (500 to 200±60MPa). In the interval between the eruption of the Cueva Negra ignimbrite and the CGI (2.08±0.02Ma) the complex magma system shallowed and stalled at low pressures (<100MPa), resulting in a more simple magma reservoir configuration represented by a large-volume, geochemically homogenous magma body. The shallowing of the Cerro Galán magma system during this time explains the marked transition from amphibole to sanidine-bearing magmas and seems to characterize many large silicic caldera-forming magma systems that erupt over million year timescales to generate long-lived volcanic complexes.The post-climactic history of Cerro Galán is informed through a detailed investigation of the textural differences among the post-climactic dome lithologies, and a comparison of those textures with previously published decompression experiments. These suggest that the highly vesiculated, pumiceous clasts with rare microlites represent magma stored within the core of the lava dome that decompressed relatively rapidly (0.003–0.0003MPas−1) and evolved via closed system degassing. Resulting over-pressure of the dome may have triggered superficial explosion. In contrast, dense clasts with abundant crystalline silica precipitates represent more typical dome-forming magmas that decompressed more slowly (<0.00005MPas−1), evolved via open system degassing, and form the outer carapace of a lava dome. Integrating decompression histories with results from new phase equilibria experiments suggests that during post-climactic volcanic activity at Cerro Galán, remnant CGI dome-forming magmas ascended from the shallow magma reservoir (<4km) to motivate resurgent uplift and erupt as lava domes either explosively as vesiculated clasts or effusively as dense clasts that make up the outer structure of lava domes.

The volcanic succession of Baoligaomiao, central Inner Mongolia: Evidence for Carboniferous continental arc in the central Asian orogenic belt

The Baoligaomiao Formation, within the Hegenshan ophiolite-arc-accretion complex is an important segment to understand the tectonic evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), world's largest Phanerozoic orogenic belt. In this study, we present an integrated study of zircon U-Pb isotopic ages, whole rock major-trace elements, and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data from the volcanic succession in the Baoligaomiao Formation. The volcanic succession can be divided into the lower sequence with zircon U-Pb ages in the range of 326.3Ma–307.4Ma and the upper sequence of 305.3Ma. The succession belongs to two suites: calc-alkaline volcanics and high-Si rhyolites. The calc-alkaline volcanic rocks include basaltic andesite through andesite and dacite to rhyolite and their pyroclastic equivalents. These rocks exhibit a well-defined compositional trend from basaltic to rhyolitic magma, reflecting continuous fractional crystallization. These rocks show obvious enrichment in LILEs and LREEs and relative depletion of HFSEs, typical of subduction-related magma. The calc-alkaline rocks have low initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7023–0.7052), positive ɛNd(t) values (2.75–4.80), and their initial Pb isotopic compositions are 17.875–18.485 of 206Pb/204Pb, 15.481–15.520 of 207Pb/204Pb and 37.467–37.764 of 208Pb/204Pb, respectively. Geochemical and isotopic results suggest that the volcanic succession represents Carboniferous subduction-related, mature, continental arc volcanism. The outcrops of high-Si rhyolites are restricted to the northern edge of the continental arc, marking a transition zone between volcanic arc and back-arc basin, where they are interbedded with the calc-alkaline rocks in the lower sequence, and the upper sequence is composed only of high-Si rhyolites. The high-Si rhyolites have high SiO2 (71.12–81.76wt%) and varied total alkali contents (K2O+Na2O=5.46–10.58wt%), low TiO2 (0.06–0.27wt%), MgO (0.09–0.89wt%) and CaO (0.08–0.72wt%). Based on the presence of mafic alkali phenocrysts, such as arfvedsonite and siderophyllite, high Zr/Nb ratios (>10) and peralkalinity index (PI) near unity, the high-Si rhyolites can be classified as peralkaline comendites. The high-Si rhyolites are characterized by unusually low Sr and Ba, and high abundance of Zr, Th, Nb, HREEs and Y. They show geochemical characteristics similar to those of typical A2-type granites including their high K2O+Na2O, Nb, Zr and Y, and high ratios of FeOT/MgO, Ga/Al and Y/Nb. Our study suggests that the high-Si rhyolites were derived from discrete trachytic parent magma with fractional crystallization within shallow magma reservoirs. Their Nd-Pb isotopic characteristics are similar to those of the calc-alkaline arc rocks and are compatible with partial melting of pre-existing juvenile continental arc crust. We observe that the widespread eruptions of A2-rhyolitic magmas (305.3Ma–303.4Ma) following a short period of magmatic quiescence was temporally and spatially associated with voluminous intrusion of the bimodal magmas (304.3Ma–299.3Ma) in the pre-existing arc volcanic-plutonic belt (329Ma–307Ma). We envisage northward subduction and slab breakoff process resulting in an obvious change of the regional stress field to extensional setting within the Carboniferous continental arc running E-W for thousands of kilometers. Therefore, we propose the existence of an east-west-trending Carboniferous continental arc in the Hegenshan ophiolite-arc-accretion complex, with the slab breakoff event suggesting that the age of the upper sequence (305.3±5.5Ma) likely indicates the maximum age for the cessation of the northward subduction of the Hegenshan oceanic lithosphere.

Seismic evidence for a possible deep crustal hot zone beneath Southwest Washington

Crustal pathways connecting deep sources of melt and the active volcanoes they supply are poorly understood. Beneath Mounts St. Helens, Adams, and Rainier these pathways connect subduction-induced ascending melts to shallow magma reservoirs. Petrogenetic modeling predicts that when these melts are emplaced as a succession of sills into the lower crust they generate deep crustal hot zones. While these zones are increasingly recognized as a primary site for silicic differentiation at a range of volcanic settings globally, imaging them remains challenging. Near Mount Rainier, ascending melt has previously been imaged ~28 km northwest of the volcano, while to the south, the volcano lies on the margin of a broad conductive region in the deep crust. Using 3D full-waveform tomography, we reveal an expansive low-velocity zone, which we interpret as a possible hot zone, linking ascending melts and shallow reservoirs. This hot zone may supply evolved magmas to Mounts St. Helens and Adams, and possibly Rainier, and could contain approximately twice the melt volume as the total eruptive products of all three volcanoes combined. Hot zones like this may be the primary reservoirs for arc volcanism, influencing compositional variations and spatial-segmentation along the entire 1100 km-long Cascades Arc.

The mechanics of shallow magma reservoir outgassing

AbstractMagma degassing fundamentally controls the Earth's volatile cycles. The large amount of gas expelled into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions (i.e., volcanic outgassing) is the most obvious display of magmatic volatile release. However, owing to the large intrusive:extrusive ratio, and considering the paucity of volatiles left in intrusive rocks after final solidification, volcanic outgassing likely constitutes only a small fraction of the overall mass of magmatic volatiles released to the Earth's surface. Therefore, as most magmas stall on their way to the surface, outgassing of uneruptible, crystal‐rich magma storage regions will play a dominant role in closing the balance of volatile element cycling between the mantle and the surface. We use a numerical approach to study the migration of a magmatic volatile phase (MVP) in crystal‐rich magma bodies (“mush zones”) at the pore scale. Our results suggest that buoyancy‐driven outgassing is efficient over crystal volume fractions between 0.4 and 0.7 (for mm‐sized crystals). We parameterize our pore‐scale results for MVP migration in a thermomechanical magma reservoir model to study outgassing under dynamical conditions where cooling controls the evolution of the proportion of crystal, gas, and melt phases and to investigate the role of the reservoir size and the temperature‐dependent viscoelastic response of the crust on outgassing efficiency. We find that buoyancy‐driven outgassing allows for a maximum of 40–50% volatiles to leave the reservoir over the 0.4–0.7 crystal volume fractions, implying that a significant amount of outgassing must occur at high crystal content (&gt;0.7) through veining and/or capillary fracturing.

Contrasting P-T paths of shield and rejuvenated volcanism at Robinson Crusoe Island, Juan Fernández Ridge, SE Pacific

A remarkable expression of intraplate volcanism is the occurrence of evolutionary stages with important variations of magmatic processes and products. Plumbing systems and storage conditions seem to be different for shield and rejuvenated volcanism, two classical stages notably preserved in Robinson Crusoe Island, Juan Fernández Ridge in the SE Pacific Ocean. We here present first order geochemical features for rocks from both shield and rejuvenated stages and through geothermobarometry and textural analysis we unravel their contrasting ascent and storage history. The shield stage (~3.8Ma) is represented by a ~900m thick sequence of basalt, picrobasalt and picrite lava flows forming subsets according their chemistry and mineralogy: ‘differentiated’, ‘near-primitive’ and ‘olivine-rich’ lavas. Pressure estimates for in equilibrium assemblages are <3.2kbar, and temperature ranges around 1321°C for the ‘near-primitive’ and 1156–1181°C for the ‘differentiated’ groups. Volcanic rocks from the rejuvenated stage (~0.9Ma) fill the eroded morphology of the shield pile with basanite and picrite lava flows with two compositional varieties: the primitive ‘high-Mg’ group that crystallized clinopyroxene at pressures <3.7kbar and olivine at temperatures in the range 1316–1354°C; and the ‘low-Mg’ group that carries notably zoned crystals formed at a wide range of pressures (0–10.8kbar) and temperatures (1256–1295°C). This allows us to infer contrasting patterns of ascent and storage during these archetypical stages in Robinson Crusoe Island, which also controlled volcanic processes on surface and finally shaped the island. We propose the existence of shallow magmatic reservoirs in the shield stage, where the ascending magmas would have been stored and differentiated. On the other hand, rejuvenated magmas experimented rapid ascent with polybaric crystallization and sometimes short-time storage in low-volume reservoirs. Similar conditions have been proposed in other oceanic islands suggesting that shallow reservoirs in the shield stage and deeper crystallization of more alkaline magmas in the rejuvenated stage seems to describe a global pattern.

Maar-diatreme volcanism relating to the pyroclastic sequence of a newly discovered high-alumina basalt in the Maroa Volcanic Centre, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

Diatreme sequences have previously been described from drill holes within the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The newly discovered Te Hukui Basalt exhibits deep excavation of country rocks that do not appear elsewhere at the surface. The basalt is characterized by proximal deposition of pyroclastic deposits relating to phreatomagmatism. The geochemical composition classifies these rocks as high-alumina basalts. They erupted along the Orakeikorako Fault at the same location where rhyolitic activity of Puketerata occurred at a later point in time. The petrological characteristics of the basalts indicate the mixing of mafic melt with crystalline mush relating to more evolved magmas. The new basaltic occurrence supports frequent mafic recharge of shallow magma reservoirs, inducing basaltic eruptions, in this case the mafic magma intruding into highly crystallized mush zones. This may explain why basaltic eruptions mostly occur on the edge of the central extensional part of the Taupo Volcanic Zone.