Volcanic Record Research Articles

Martin Vaz island geochronology: Constraint on the Trindade Mantle Plume track from the youngest and easternmost volcanic episodes

The oceanic basins are dotted by seamounts, guyots and islands formed by the mantle plumes and oceanic lithosphere interaction. These plumes are responsible for several intraplate volcanisms such as the Emperor-Hawaii Chain in the Pacific Ocean with a remarkable bend at ca. 47 Ma. Comparatively, the Vitória-Trindade Ridge (VTR) in the South Atlantic Ocean was also generated by a mantle plume and in response to the lithosphere interaction and tectonic settings it shows three remarkable bends through time. One occurred after 85 Ma associated with the Trindade plume tail movement under the Archean São Francisco Craton, and another one ca. 52 Ma after the formation of the Abrolhos Bank in the Brazilian platform (Mohriak, 1989; Thompson et al., 1998) when the Trindade Plume encountered a thinner lithosphere in the Brazilian coast and formed a chain of seamounts and islands of W-E direction. The last bend marked in the Trindade plume trajectory is ca. 20°00′lat, around Davis Bank, marking a Miocene (21.07 Ma - 40Ar/39Ar whole-rock method) subtle clockwise rotation in the South American Plate. The easternmost part of this ridge is composed of Trindade-Martin Vaz Archipelago subject of this study. Located ca. 1200 km away from the Brazilian coastline at the Vitória (ES) parallel, its geology is an important preserved record of an alkaline Pliocene-Pleistocene volcanism, the youngest one recorded in the Brazilian territory. Martin Vaz and the nearby islets are located on the easternmost part of the VTR. Its geological features include phono-tephritic to tephri-phonolitic domes; nosean-phonolitic dykes and sub-horizontal layers formed by pyroclastic rocks and subordinate lava flows (melanephelinites) of Volcanian-style magmatism (mostly). 40Ar/39Ar ages yielded values ranging from 336 to 721 ka representing a young and short period of intraplate magmatic activity in the South American Plate offshore. These new ages associated with compiled radioisotopic ages from onshore and offshore volcanic rocks represent a strong decreasing age correlation related to Trindade Mantle Plume. Moreover, Trindade-Martin Vaz Archipelago is a contemporaneous product of a terminal plume expression in the offshore portion of a long-lived track (ca. 90 Ma) with a slow shear velocity (VS) placing its origin at the Upper Mantle suggesting a shallow mantle plume rising from the asthenosphere.

Sedimentary and volcanic record of the nascent Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc from IODP Site U1438

Abstract The oldest known, intact sedimentary record of a nascent intraoceanic arc was recovered in a ∼100-m-thick unit (IV) above ca. 49 Ma basaltic basement at International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1438 in the Amami Sankaku Basin. During deposition of Unit IV the site was located ∼250 km from the plate edge, where Izu-Bonin-Mariana subduction initiated at 52 Ma. Basement basalts are overlain by a mudstone-dominated subunit (IVC) with a thin basal layer of dark brown metalliferous mudstone followed by mudstone with sparse, graded laminae of amphibole- and biotite-bearing tuffaceous sandstone and siltstone. Amphibole and zircon ages from these laminae suggest that the intermediate subduction-related magmatism that sourced them initiated at ca. 47 Ma soon after basement formation. Overlying volcaniclastic, sandy, gravity-flow deposits (subunit IVB) have a different provenance; shallow water fauna and tachylitic glass fragments indicate a source volcanic edifice that rose above the carbonate compensation depth and may have been emergent. Basaltic andesite intervals in upper subunit IVB have textures suggesting emplacement as intrusions into unconsolidated sediment on a volcanic center with geochemical and petrological characteristics of mafic, differentiated island arc magmatism. Distinctive Hf-Nd isotope characteristics similar to the least-radiogenic Izu-Bonin-Mariana boninites support a relatively old age for the basaltic andesites similar to detrital amphibole dated at 47 Ma. The absence of boninites at that time may have resulted from the position of Site U1438 at a greater distance from the plate edge. The upper interval of mudstone with tuffaceous beds (subunit IVA) progresses upsection into Unit III, part of a wedge of sediment fed by growing arc-axis volcanoes to the east. At Site U1438, in what was to become a reararc position, the succession of early extensional basaltic magmatism associated with spontaneous subduction initiation is followed by a rapid transition into potentially widespread subduction-related magmatism and sedimentation prior to the onset of focused magmatism and major arc building.

Southward Drift of Eastern Australian Hotspots in the Paleomagnetic Reference Frame Is Consistent With Global True Polar Wander Estimates

Eastern Australian hotspots produce the longest continental tracks on Earth (>2000 km). These hotspots are generally assumed to be stationary with respect to one another, an observation reinforced by our analysis. If any motion between them occurred, it is within our 95% uncertainties of 370km of accumulated motion between hotspots. In contrast, motion between eastern Australian hotspots and the spin axis is indicated by changing paleolatitudes of hotspots through time. Reconstructing Australian hotspot paleolatitudes makes use of the global reference frame established by the geocentric axial dipole hypothesis. The classic paleomagnetic approach to establishing paleolatitude typically uses studies of discrete formations of known age, but the nearly continuous record of volcanism over ~34 Ma permit using paleomagnetic data from multiple, different studies that overlap in magnetization age in conjunction. This improves the robustness and precision of our paleolatitude estimates for Eastern Australian hotspot volcanoes. A northward shift of hotspot paleolatitudes between 15-24 Ma of ~300-1010 km (95% confidence limits) is observed for volcanoes along the Comboyne, Canobolas and Tasmantid tracks, and for interpolated positions along the Cosgrove and Lord Howe tracks but is significantly resolved only for volcanoes along Comboyne and Canobolas tracks, as well as for two ages from the Stradbroke and Britannia seamounts on the Tasmantid track. Before 24 Ma most data plot to the North of a fixed present day hotspot location in the paleomagnetic reference but 95% confidence limits overlap with it. Notable exceptions are an age from Hillsborough Volcano (Cosgrove Hotspot), and an age from Horse Head (Lord Howe Hotspot) that lie a small distance to the North 22-743km, and 167-988km North respectively. Importantly, paleolatitude changes observed along eastern Australian tracks are all explainable by the net rotation of the solid Earth, or true polar wander, with hotspots embedded in the global moving hotspot reference frame.

Evolution of Subduction Dynamics beneath West Avalonia in Middle to Late Ordovician Times

Abstract Middle to Upper Ordovician volcanic rocks in the Arisaig area of Nova Scotia, Canada, constitute the only known record of volcanism in West Avalonia during that interval. Hence, they have been extensively studied to test paleocontinental reconstructions that consistently show Avalonia as a drifting microcontinent during that period. Identification of volcanic rocks with an intermediate composition (the new Seaspray Cove Formation) between upper Darriwilian bimodal volcanic rocks of the Dunn Point Formation and Sandbian felsic pyroclastic rocks of the McGillivray Brook Formation has led to a reevaluation of magmatic relationships in the Ordovician volcanic suite at Arisaig. Although part of the same volcanic construction, the three formations are separated by significant time-gaps and are shown to belong to three distinct magmatic subsystems. The tectonostratigraphic context and trace element contents of the Dunn Point Formation basalts suggest that they were produced by the high-degree partial melting of an E-MORB type source in a back-arc extensional setting, whereas trace element contents in intermediate rocks of the Seaspray Cove Formation suggest that they were produced by the low-degree partial melting of a subduction-enriched source in an arc setting. The two formations are separated by a long interval of volcanic quiescence and deep weathering, during which time the back-arc region evolved from extension to shortening and was eventually onlapped by arc volcanic rocks. Based on limited field constraints, paleomagnetic and paleontological data, this progradation of arc onto back-arc volcanic rocks occurred from the north, where an increasingly young Iapetan oceanic plate was being subducted at an increasingly shallow angle. Partial subduction of the Iapetan oceanic ridge is thought to have subsequently generated slab window magmatism, thus marking the last pulse of subduction-related volcanism in both East and West Avalonia.

Implementasi Wavelet pada Data Seismik Gunungapi

Noise decomposition on seismic volcanic data with wavelet using Daubechies wavelet decomposition on X and Y direction record data. Seismic volcanic data is in the form of broadband data, which broadband data has a wide frequency range so that it has a high enough noise level. So that when the noise decomposition process is carried out in selecting the decomposition of the noise it must be appropriate so that the information contained in it does not decompose, this is because the volcanic broadband seismic record data contains volcanic earthquake event information that has an amplitude at the same value as the amplitude of the noise. Therefore noise decomposition is done by implementing wavelet, that is by using Daubechies wavelet decomposition. The results show that Daubechies wavelet decomposition can break down noise properly without losing the information contained in the signal. The decomposition of noise uses Daubechies db 5 level 5 wavelet decomposition in detail. The results of the wavelet using wavelet decomposition obtained vulcanic earthquake events whose signal results showed conformity with volcanic earthquakes with T. Minakmi and wasserman's forms.

Volcanic Record of the Last Geomagnetic Reversal in a Lava Flow Sequence From the Azores

We present paleomagnetic and geochronological data of twenty-five stacked lava flows from São Miguel Island (Azores) that were emplaced during the last geomagnetic reversal (Matuyama-Brunhes, M-B). The characteristic direction of natural remanent magnetization was isolated through alternating field and/or thermal demagnetization. From bottom to top, the directional changes display a first phase with reverse, transitional and normal directions which is followed by a second phase with transitional and normal directions. Dating by Potassium-Argon (K-Ar) of fresh separated groundmass provide ages of 768 ± 5 ka and 765 ± 5 ka (1σ) for the first and second transitional episodes, respectively. We infer that this sequence recorded the last reversal and reveal the presence of a rebound that occurred soon after the transition. The age of the transition is 5-15 kyr younger than at other volcanic localities, but in agreement with astronomical ages that were recently proposed for the transitional interval. The reversal is characterized by weak field intensity during the transition, a recovery phase and a subsequent decrease during the rebound. The two transitional virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs) that characterize the transition are found above the South Atlantic and the North Pacific. When compared to other M-B records, no VGP is found above preferred locations.

Volcanic record of the arc-to-rift transition onshore of the Guaymas basin in the Santa Rosalía area, Gulf of California, Baja California

AbstractThe Gulf of California is an archetype of continental rupture through transtensional rifting, and exploitation of a thermally weakened arc to produce a rift. Volcanic rocks of central Baja California record the transition from calcalkaline arc magmatism, due to subduction of the Farallon plate (ca. 24–12 Ma), to rift magmatism, related to the opening of the Gulf of California (<12 Ma). In addition, a suite of postsubduction rocks (<12 Ma), referred to as “bajaites,” are enriched in light rare-earth and other incompatible elements (e.g., Ba and Sr). These are further subdivided into high-magnesian andesite (with 50%–58% SiO2 and MgO >4%) and adakite (>56% SiO2 and MgO <3%). The bajaites correlate spatially with a fossil slab imaged under central Baja and are inferred to record postsubduction melting of the slab and subduction-modified mantle by asthenospheric upwelling associated with rifting or slab breakoff. We report on volcanic rocks of all three suites, which surround and underlie the Santa Rosalía sedimentary rift basin. This area represents the western margin of the Guaymas basin, the most magmatically robust segment of the Gulf of California rift, where seafloor spreading occurred in isolation for 3–4 m.y. (starting at 6 Ma) before transtensional pull-apart basins to the north and south ruptured the continental crust. Outcrops of the Santa Rosalía area thus offer the opportunity to understand the magmatic evolution of the Guaymas rift, which has been the focus of numerous oceanographic expeditions.We describe 21 distinct volcanic and hypabyssal map units in the Santa Rosalía area, using field characteristics, petrographic data, and major- and trace-element geochemical data, as well as zircon isotopic data and ten new 40Ar-39Ar ages. Lithofacies include lavas and lava domes, block-and-ash-flow tuffs, ignimbrites, and hypabyssal intrusions (plugs, dikes, and peperites). Calcalkaline volcanic rocks (13.81–10.11 Ma) pass conformably upsection, with no time gap, into volcanic rocks with rift transitional chemistry (9.69–8.84 Ma). The onset of rifting was marked by explosive eruption of silicic ignimbrite (tuff of El Morro), possibly from a caldera, similar to the onset of rifting or accelerated rifting in other parts of the Gulf of California. Epsilon Hf zircon data are consistent with a rift transitional setting for the tuff of El Morro. Arc and rift volcanic rocks were then juxtaposed by normal faults and tilted eastward toward a north-south fault that lay offshore, likely related to the north-south normal faults documented for the early history of the Guaymas basin, prior to the onset of northwest-southeast transtenional faulting. Magmatism in the Santa Rosalía area resumed with emplacement of high-magnesian andesite lavas and intrusions, at 6.06 Ma ± 0.27 Ma, coeval with the onset of seafloor spreading in the Guaymas basin at ca. 6 Ma.The 9.69–8.84 Ma rift transitional volcanic rocks underlying the Santa Rosalía sedimentary basin provide a maximum age on its basal fill. Evaporites in the Santa Rosalía sedimentary basin formed on the margin of the Guaymas basin, where thicker evaporites formed. Overlying coarse-grained clastic sedimentary fill of the Santa Rosalía basin and its stratiform Cu-Co-Zn-Mn sulfides may have accumulated rapidly, coeval with emplacement of 6.06 Ma high-magnesian andesite intrusions and the ca. 6 Ma onset of seafloor spreading in the Guaymas basin.

Erupted zircon record of continental crust formation during mantle driven arc flare-ups

Abstract Coupled zircon U-Pb age, trace-element, and Lu-Hf isotope analyses from central Sierra Nevada (eastern California, USA) metavolcanic strata reveal the expression of three Mesozoic arc flare-ups in the volcanic record over ∼150 m.y. of magmatic activity. Zircon εHf(i) values vary up to 20 epsilon units within individual samples and coeval sample populations but show no clear links with other geochemical indices, requiring both mixing and fractionation for arc magma genesis. Zircon compositions show repeated temporal trends across flare-ups: Hf isotopes spanning evolved to juvenile values converge to more juvenile compositions, middle rare earth element (MREE) depletion and heavy REE slopes increase during flare-up main phases, and highly variable U/Yb values converge to low values as flare-ups conclude. Despite pervasive contamination, juvenile source magmas dominate magmas erupted throughout the entirety of high-magma-addition episodes. Arc flare-ups thus represent ∼30 m.y. of increased mantle magma input that represents significant continental crust formation in Cordilleran arcs.

Tectono‐magmatic division of the Late Ordovician (Sandbian) volcanism at the south‐western margin of Baltica using immobile trace elements: Relations to the plate movements in the Iapetus Palaeo‐Ocean

Immobile trace elements in K‐bentonites indicate three volcanic stages during the Sandbian Stage of the Late Ordovician: Early Grefsen is characterised by high‐Ti source magmas alternating with a few high‐Zr layers. Middle Grefsen is characterised by overall low‐Ti source magmas with multiple high‐Zr layers alternating with less frequent low‐Zr layers. Late Grefsen to Early Katian is characterised by a low content of all studied immobile trace elements (Ti, Zr, Nb, and Th). In all K‐bentonites, the Nb/Al2O3 ratio indicates subalkaline volcanism dominated by rhyolites. In the Early Grefsen stage, andesites and dacites occur. The TiO2/Al2O3 versus Zr/Al2O3 discrimination diagram suggests low‐ and high‐temperature magmatism. Low‐temperature magmatism may have occurred during subduction of water‐rich oceanic sediments in the frontal arc of Avalonia and high‐temperature magmatism during the overriding of a mid‐ocean ridge or hot spot. The coeval end of the volcanic record in Avalonia and Baltica may indicate the collision of Avalonia with a hypothetical continental crust within the Iapetus Ocean.

Detrital record of late-stage silicic volcanism in the Emeishan large igneous province

Silicic volcanic rocks generally constitute a minor, but key product to track the magmatic evolution in mafic rock dominated large igneous provinces (LIPs). However, for their generally late-stage nature of the silicic volcanic rocks they have a poor preservation potential due to extensive post-eruption erosion. We track the eroded volcanic rocks from the ∼260 Ma Emeishan LIP by analyzing the provenance of the LIP-derived sedimentary rocks. Sandstones from a cored succession of the Late Permian Longtan Formation in the northern Youjiang Basin are rich in volcanic rock fragments, and associated mudstones have low Al2O3/TiO2 ratios. Detrital zircon grains from the Longtan Formation display typical unimodal U–Pb age spectra with a prominent peak at ca. 260 Ma. These detrital zircons show an overall geochemical affinity akin to those crystallized from within-plate/anorogenic magmas. Such petrological and geochemical characteristics are consistent with a dominant source from the Emeishan volcanic rocks. Through the sampled succession, zircon grains of ∼260 Ma from the lower Longtan Formation generally display lower U/Yb (most < 0.5) and Th/Nb (most < 10) ratios and higher εHf(t) values (mostly in the range of +3 to +8) than those from the upper part. A similar sequential variation has also been observed in the Shaiwa Formation, which is an offshore time-equivalent unit to the Longtan Formation. These consistent temporal variations through the sedimentary successions in the Youjiang Basin are interpreted to reflect erosional unroofing of the Emeishan LIP during the Late Permian. These results, integrated with previous studies on the rhyolites and trachytes in Emeishan LIP, reveal a fractional crystallization dominated petrogenetic process with diminishing crustal assimilation for the late-stage silicic volcanism.

Noble gases confirm plume-related mantle degassing beneath Southern Africa

Southern Africa is characterised by unusually elevated topography and abnormal heat flow. This can be explained by thermal perturbation of the mantle, but the origin of this is unclear. Geophysics has not detected a thermal anomaly in the upper mantle and there is no geochemical evidence of an asthenosphere mantle contribution to the Cenozoic volcanic record of the region. Here we show that natural CO2 seeps along the Ntlakwe-Bongwan fault within KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, have C-He isotope systematics that support an origin from degassing mantle melts. Neon isotopes indicate that the melts originate from a deep mantle source that is similar to the mantle plume beneath Réunion, rather than the convecting upper mantle or sub-continental lithosphere. This confirms the existence of the Quathlamba mantle plume and importantly provides the first evidence in support of upwelling deep mantle beneath Southern Africa, helping to explain the regions elevation and abnormal heat flow.

In situ cosmogenic 3He and 36Cl and radiocarbon dating of volcanic deposits refine the Pleistocene and Holocene eruption chronology of SW Peru

Constraining the age of young lavas, which generally fall outside the effective range of traditional geochronology methods, remains a key challenge in volcanology, limiting the development of high-resolution eruption chronologies. We present an in situ cosmogenic 3He and 36Cl surface-exposure chronology, alongside new minimum-limiting 14C ages, documenting young eruptions at five sites in the Western Cordillera, southern Peru. Four 3He-dated lavas on the Nevado Coropuna volcanic complex (hitherto thought to be dormant) indicate that the central dome cluster is young and potentially active; two Holocene lavas on the easternmost dome are the youngest directly dated lavas in Peru to date. East of Coropuna, lava domes and block-lava flows represent the most extensive output to date of Nevado Sabancaya, one of Peru’s most active volcanoes. Two 3He measurements confirm the Holocene age of these deposits and expand the chronology for one of the youngest major lava fields in Peru. 36Cl surface-exposure ages from the Purupurini dome cluster and Nevado Casiri document middle-late-Holocene episodes of effusive activity, while basal 14C ages from a lava-dammed wetland constrain an effusive eruption at Mina Arcata, north of Coropuna, to the late-glacial period. These new data advance the recent Western Cordillera volcanic record whilst demonstrating both the considerable potential and fundamental limitations of cosmogenic surface-exposure methods for such applications.

The Warnie volcanic province: Jurassic intraplate volcanism in Central Australia

The Cooper and Eromanga Basins of South Australia and Queensland are the largest onshore hydrocarbon producing region in Australia. Igneous rocks have been documented infrequently within end of well reports over the past 34years, with a late Triassic to Jurassic age determined from well data. However, the areal extent and nature of these basaltic rocks were largely unclear. Here, we integrate seismic, well, gravity, and magnetic data to clarify the extent and character of igneous rocks preserved within Eromanga Basin stratigraphy overlying the Nappamerri Trough of the Cooper Basin. We recognise mafic monogenetic volcanoes that extend into tabular basalt lava flows, igneous intrusions and, more locally, hydrothermally altered compound lava flows. The volcanic province covers ∼7500km2 and is proposed to have been active between ∼180–160Ma. We term this Jurassic volcanic province the Warnie Volcanic Province (WVP) after the Warnie East 1 exploration well, drilled in 1985. The distribution of extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks is primarily controlled by basement structure, with extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks elongate in a NW-SE direction. Finally, we detail how the WVP fits into the record of Jurassic volcanism in eastern Australia. The WVP is interpreted as a product of extension and intraplate convective upwelling above the subducting Pacific Slab. The discovery of the WVP raises the possibility of other, yet unidentified, volcanic provinces worldwide.

Refining the Late Quaternary tephrochronology for southern South America using the Laguna Potrok Aike sedimentary record

This paper presents a detailed record of volcanism extending back to ∼80 kyr BP for southern South America using the sediments of Laguna Potrok Aike (ICDP expedition 5022; Potrok Aike Maar Lake Sediment Archive Drilling Project - PASADO). Our analysis of tephra includes the morphology of glass, the mineral componentry, the abundance of glass-shards, lithics and minerals, and the composition of glass-shards in relation to the stratigraphy. Firstly, a reference database of glass compositions of known eruptions in the region was created to enable robust tephra correlations. This includes data published elsewhere, in addition to new glass-shard analyses of proximal tephra deposits from Hudson (eruption units H1 and H2), Aguilera (A1), Reclus (R1, R2-3), Mt Burney (MB1, MB2, MBx, MB1910) and historical Lautaro/Viedma deposits. The analysis of the ninety-four tephra layers observed in the Laguna Potrok Aike sedimentary sequence reveals that twenty-five tephra deposits in the record are the result of primary fallout and are sourced from at least three different volcanoes in the Austral Andean Volcanic Zone (Mt Burney, Reclus, Lautaro/Viedma) and one in the southernmost Southern Volcanic Zone (Hudson). One new correlation to the widespread H1 eruption from Hudson volcano at 8.7 (8.6–9.0) cal ka BP during the Quaternary is identified. The identification of sixty-five discrete deposits that were predominantly volcanic ashes (glass and minerals) with subtle characteristics of reworking (in addition to three likely reworked tephra, and one unknown layer) indicates that care must be taken in the analysis of both visible and invisible tephra layers to decipher their emplacement mechanisms.

Stratospheric eruptions from tropical and extra-tropical volcanoes constrained using high-resolution sulfur isotopes in ice cores

The record of volcanic forcing of climate over the past 2500 years is based primarily on sulfate concentrations in ice cores. Of particular interest are large volcanic eruptions with plumes that reached high altitudes in the stratosphere, as these afford sulfate aerosols the longest residence time in the atmosphere, and thus have the greatest impact on radiative forcing. Sulfur isotopes measured in ice cores can be used to identify these large eruptions because stratospheric sulfur is exposed to UV radiation, which imparts a time-evolving mass independent fractionation (MIF) that is preserved in the ice. However, sample size requirements of traditional measurement techniques mean that the MIF signal may be obscured, leading to an inconclusive result. Here we present a new method of measuring sulfur isotopes in ice cores by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, which reduces sample size requirements by three orders of magnitude. Our method allows us to measure samples containing as little as 10 nmol of sulfur, with a precision of 0.11‰ for δ34S and 0.10‰ for Δ33S, enabling a high-temporal resolution over ice core sulfate peaks. We tested this method on known tropical (Tambora 1815 and Samalas 1257) and extra-tropical (Katmai/Novarupta 1912) stratospheric eruptions from the Tunu2013 ice core in Greenland and the B40 ice core from Antarctica. These high-resolution sulfur isotope records suggest a distinct difference between the signatures of tropical versus extra-tropical eruptions. Furthermore, isotope mass balance on sulfate from extra-tropical eruptions provides a means to estimate the fraction of sulfate deposited that was derived from the stratosphere. This technique applied to unidentified eruptions in ice cores may thus improve the record of explosive volcanism and its forcing of climate.

Volcanism of the South Aegean Volcanic Arc

Volcanism along the South Aegean volcanic arc began about 4.7 Ma and has lasted until the present day, with eruptions at Methana, Milos, Santorini, Kolumbo and Nisyros volcanoes in historical times. These volcanoes can be grouped into five volcanic fields: three western fields of small, mostly monogenetic edifices, and two central/eastern fields with composite cones and calderas that have produced large explosive eruptions. Crustal tectonics exerts a strong control over the locations of edifices and vents at all five volcanic fields. Tephra and cryptotephra layers in deep-marine sediments preserve a continuous record of arc volcanism in the Aegean as far back as 200,000 years. Hazards from the volcanoes include high ash plumes, pyroclastic flows and tsunamis. Monitoring networks should be improved and expanded.

Geology of La Reforma caldera complex, Baja California, Mexico

ABSTRACT A new geological map at 1:50,000 scale of La Reforma Caldera Complex has been produced applying modern survey methodologies to volcanic areas. This map aims to represent a reliable and objective tool to understand the geological evolution of the region. La Reforma Caldera Complex is a Pleistocene nested caldera located in the central part of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. The twelve formations defined within the Quaternary volcanic record were grouped into three phases (pre-caldera, caldera, and post-caldera). The pre-caldera phase (>1.35 Ma) is characterized by scattered eruptions, mostly occurred in submarine environment. The caldera phase (1.35–0.96 Ma) groups several distinct explosive and effusive eruptions that formed the present-day caldera depression. The post caldera phase includes scattered effusive eruptions (ended at 0.28 Ma) and resurgence, characterized by several hundred meters of uplift of the central block within the caldera depression.

Volcanic record of continental thinning in Baffin Bay margins: Insights from Svartenhuk Halvø Peninsula basalts, West Greenland

We report major, trace elements and Pb, Hf, Nd and Sr isotopes in 61–54 Ma old basalts from Svartenhuk Halvø Peninsula (Greenland). This area corresponds to the northernmost exposure of the West Greenland volcanic province, of which the emplacement marks the continental thinning and breakup process leading to the opening of Baffin Bay during the Eocene. Its wedge structure displays typical characteristics of inner seaward-dipping-reflectors (SDR) with an exposed volcanic sequence thicker than 7 km. Our results cover the entire volcanic sequence starting with an earliest V1 unit reflecting rather low degree partial melts (transitional basalts), which are geochemically imprinted by continental crust contamination. This unit is followed by much thicker and mainly tholeiitic V2 and V3 basaltic lava piles, and ends with a rather thin V4 unit, consisting of alkali basalts and associated trachytes. Pressures and temperatures of melt extraction were estimated based on major element concentrations and rare earth elements patterns. Our results suggest that melts were extracted from the garnet-spinel transition zone at greater depths for the initial V1 and the final V4 lavas (alkali to transitional basaltic compositions) than for the main V2 and V3 mostly tholeiitic lava piles (at 2 ± 0.5 GPa and 1350 ± 100 °C). Isotope signatures suggest that mantle sources of the melts were controlled by the mixing of ambient upper mantle and Icelandic plume-type materials. The proportion of ambient upper mantle involved in the lava source appears to increase together with melting rates and the upward propagation of melting zone during V3 emplacement, suggesting that melting in this area progessed as follows: 1. Initiation of partial melting (low degrees) of deep-seated Icelandic plume-type material (V1 and V2); 2. Upward propagation of the melting area within the shallower mixed upper mantle (V3); 3. Progressive decrease of “ambient upper mantle” involvement, deepening of magma extraction and decrease of partial melting associated with the emplacement of V4 lavas. We show that these changes are consistent with the tectonic stages of continental thinning that preceded the Eocene breakup in Baffin Bay.

Late Carboniferous seismic and volcanic record in the northwestern margin of the Junggar Basin: Implication for the tectonic setting of the West Junggar

The northwestern margin of the Junggar Basin is a transition zone between the Zaire-Hala'alate mountains and the Junggar Basin in West Junggar, which developed a large amount of volcanic rocks in the late Carboniferous. An investigation of the tectonic evolution of this area will be helpful for understanding the accretionary process of West Junggar. Here, we selected well-preserved drill core samples of andesite and andesitic tuff for detailed petrogenesis and geochemical studies, while high-quality seismic and resistivity prospecting cross-sections were also used to reveal the tectonic setting. Zircon U-Pb dating results of three andesite and andesitic tuff samples show that these rocks were erupted at ca. 312 Ma. The results of the geochemical and isotopic analyses of seven samples are characterized by relatively high MgO (1.84–5.52 wt%), Cr (26.19–246.61 ppm), Ni (16.53–82.85 ppm) contents, Ba/La (14.19–218.48) ratios, and high positive ɛHf(t) (+4.8 to +14.2) values, but low TiO2 (0.68–1.25 wt%) contents, FeOT/MgO (1.18–2.81), Sr/Y (5.63–27.40), and Th/Yb (0.19–2.18) ratios, which are similar to the Bieluagaxi sanukitoids of West Junggar. LREEs are enriched in all samples, while Nb and Ta are significantly depleted. All the evidence suggests the volcanics were most likely derived from partial melting of oceanic slab that was contaminated by the overlying mantle wedge during the magma ascent. The seismic and resistivity cross-sections show apparent southeastward-vergent imbricate thrust fault systems, implying northwestward subduction in the late Carboniferous. Together with previous studies and our geochemical and geophysical data, we suggest that the formation of these late Carboniferous volcanic rocks is probably related to a northwestward ridge subduction process.

Identifying the ingredients of hydrous arc magmas: insights from Mt Lamington, Papua New Guinea.

Volcanism is the surface expression of magma intrusion, crystallization, assimilation and hybridization processes operating throughout the crust over a range of time periods. Many magmas, including those erupted at subduction zones, have complex textures that reflect these processes. Here, we use textural and geochemical characteristics of calcic amphiboles to help identify multiple ingredients of subduction zone magmatism at Mt Lamington volcano, Papua New Guinea. Our approach uses existing trace element partitioning schemes to calculate the compositions of amphibole equilibrium melts (AEMs). The AEM compositions show that Mt Lamington andesites and plutonic enclaves are dominated by fractionation of amphibole + plagioclase + biotite, with assimilation of plagioclase and zircon. Magnesiohastingsite crystals in the andesite and diktytaxitic mafic enclaves reflect multiple episodes of recharge by more primitive, geochemically variable melts. The andesite also contains clots with rounded grains and melt on grain boundaries. These features indicate slow crystallization, and the retention of melt films could significantly enhance the potential for remobilization of crystals by infiltrating melts or during magma mixing. Variations in crystallization conditions could thus significantly affect the mush microstructure. We suggest that this could result in a significant bias of the volcanic record towards the preferential incorporation of more slowly cooled plutonic material from the lower crust or from more thermally mature plumbing systems. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Magma reservoir architecture and dynamics'.