Style Of Volcanism Research Articles

Contrasting styles of post-caldera volcanism along the Main Ethiopian Rift: Implications for contemporary volcanic hazards

The Main Ethiopian Rift (MER, ~7–9°N) is the type example of a magma-assisted continental rift. The rift axis is populated with regularly spaced silicic caldera complexes and central stratovolcanoes, interspersed with large fields of small mafic scoria cones. The recent (latest Pleistocene to Holocene) history of volcanism in the MER is poorly known, and no eruptions have occurred in the living memory of the local population. Assessment of contemporary volcanic hazards and associated risk is primarily based on the study of the most recent eruptive products, typically those emplaced within the last 10–20ky. We integrate new and published field observations and geochemical data on tephra deposits from the main Late Quaternary volcanic centres in the central MER to assess contemporary volcanic hazards.Most central volcanoes in the MER host large mid-Pleistocene calderas, with typical diameters of 5–15km, and associated ignimbrites of trachyte and peralkaline rhyolite composition. In contrast, post-caldera activity at most centres comprises eruptions of peralkaline rhyolitic magmas as obsidian flows, domes and pumice cones. The frequency and magnitude of events varies between individual volcanoes. Some volcanoes have predominantly erupted obsidian lava flows in their most recent post-caldera stage (Fentale), whereas other have had up to 3 moderate-scale (VEI 3–4) explosive eruptions per millennium (Aluto). At some volcanoes we find evidence for multiple large explosive eruptions (Corbetti, Bora-Baricha, Boset-Bericha) which have deposited several centimetres to metres of pumice and ash in currently densely populated regions. This new overview has important implications when assessing the present-day volcanic hazard in this rapidly developing region.

Why No Porphyry Copper Deposits in Japan and South Korea?

AbstractThis analysis concludes that there is little realistic likelihood of discovering large, high‐grade porphyry Cu deposits in Japan and South Korea because of an unusual combination of geological factors. First, weak inter‐plate coupling, trench retreat, and extension – a tectonic regime unfavorable for porphyry Cu formation – appears to have characterized the convergent margin during much of Cretaceous through Neogene time. Second, Cretaceous through Quaternary magmatism involved widespread ash‐flow caldera development, a volcanic style that suppresses porphyry Cu formation because the all‐important Cu‐bearing magmatic fluids – if present – would be explosively discharged during silicic ignimbrite eruption and lost to the atmosphere. Third, due to the trench retreat, crustal profiles beneath Japan are dominated by accretionary complexes containing chemically reduced lithologies, which decrease the redox state of subduction‐related magmas during their ascent. The most reduced intrusions belong to the ilmenite‐series, which may lock up chalcophile elements at depth and produce magmatic fluids that are incapable of transporting the Cu required for significant porphyry deposit formation. Fourth, many of the caldera‐related magmatic rocks, including the principal intrusions, are not only derived by partial melting of reduced crust but are commonly also highly fractionated; hence, any associated mineralization tends to be Mo ± W‐rich rather than Cu dominated. Fifth, intrusive rocks with high Sr/Y, typical of hydrous magmas responsible for porphyry Cu belts worldwide, appear to be present only locally. Sixth, two important magmatic and metallogenic tracts in Japan, the Kuroko‐bearing Green Tuff belt and Kitami low‐sulfidation epithermal Au region, are characterized by bimodal magmatism, which worldwide is compositionally unsuited to porphyry Cu generation. Seventh, the Pliocene‐Quaternary andesitic–dacitic volcanoes that could be the surface expressions of porphyry Cu systems are mostly too shallowly eroded to reveal underlying deposits should they exist. Consequently, few magmatic suites in Japan and South Korea provide propitious environments for porphyry Cu exploration, with the last hope believed to lie at depth below late Miocene–Pliocene advanced argillic lithocaps, several of which contain relatively minor high‐sulfidation epithermal Au mineralization. However, even there, the reduced crust may have militated against effective Cu transport into the porphyry environment. The magmatic and metallogenic factors that downgrade the porphyry Cu potential of Japan and South Korea are believed to be equally applicable to other subduction‐related magmatic arc segments worldwide.

The Generation of Barriers to Melt Ascent in the Martian Lithosphere

AbstractPlanetary mantles can be regarded as an aggregate of two phases: a solid, porous matrix and a liquid melt. Melt travels rapidly upward through the matrix due to its buoyancy. When this melt enters the colder lithosphere, it begins to crystallize. If crystallization happens at a high rate, the newly formed crystals can clog the pore space, reducing its permeability to essentially zero. This zone of zero permeability is the permeability barrier. We use the MELTS family of thermodynamic calculators to determine melt compositions and the crystallization sequence of ascending melt throughout Martian history and simulate the formation of permeability barriers. At lower strain rates (10−17–10−15 s−1) permeability barriers form deep in the lithosphere, possibly contributing to the formation of localized volcanic edifices on the Martian surface once fracturing or thermal erosion enables melt to traverse the lithosphere. Higher strain rates (10−13 s−1) yield shallower permeability barriers, perhaps producing extensive lava flows. Permeability barrier formation is investigated using an anhydrous mantle source or mantle sources that include up to 1,000 ppm H2O. Introducing even small amounts of water (25 ppm H2O) reduces mantle viscosity in a manner similar to increasing the strain rate and results in a shallower barrier than in the anhydrous case. Large amounts of water (1,000 ppm H2O) yield very shallow weak barriers or no barriers at all. The depth of the permeability barrier has evolved through time, likely resulting in a progression in the style of surface volcanism from widespread flows to massive, singular volcanoes.

The glaciovolcanic evolution of an andesitic edifice, South Crater, Tongariro volcano, New Zealand

Unusual deposits, mapped and logged in detail, around the summit area of Tongariro volcano, Tongariro Volcanic Centre, New Zealand indicate that the construction and evolution of a substantial portion of this andesitic stratovolcano was beneath a significant ice cap or summit glacier. As the edifice was built under and through the overlying ice, the style of volcanism evolved in a complex history of growth. Initially, a ≥100m thick, widespread hyaloclastite deposit was emplaced within a subglacial, eruption-formed meltwater lake. This was followed by several phases of effusive and explosive eruptions, producing lava flows and primary volcaniclastic deposits emplaced along channels carved into the ice by heated meltwater. The clastic deposits contain quenched bombs and structural features that indicate waterlain transport and emplacement, and soft sediment deformation. Such accumulation of water on a steep-sided edifice without evidence for a subaerial crater lake, along with lava flow features indicating confinement, suggest that a substantial summit glacier was responsible for the production and retention of water, and the architecture of these deposits. Recent studies at nearby Ruapehu volcano have provided good evidence for glaciovolcanic interactions during the last glacial period. However, until now, little was known of the physical lava-ice interactions in the Centre during the last interglacial period and the earlier part of the last glacial period (110–64ka). These new data support a reinterpretation for the volcanic evolution of the older Tongariro edifice and the emplacement mechanisms of primary volcaniclastic deposits. They also help to constrain local ice thicknesses and extents at the times of eruption. In addition, this study contributes to a sparse global catalogue of glaciovolcanic deposits of andesitic composition, particularly of primary volcaniclastics preserved at mid-latitude stratovolcanoes. The variety of deposit types indicates a volcano building and evolving with glaciation and is an outstanding example of the types of glaciovolcanic interaction that can occur at one volcano.

Evidence for a spike in mantle carbon outgassing during the Ediacaran period

Long-term cycles in Earth’s climate are thought to be primarily controlled by changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Changes in carbon emissions from volcanic activity can create an imbalance in the carbon cycle. Large-scale changes in volcanic activity have been inferred from proxies such as the age abundance of detrital zircons, but the magnitude of carbon emissions depends on the style of volcanism as well as the amount. Here we analyse U–Pb age and trace element data of detrital zircons from Antarctica and compare the results with the global rock record. We identify a spike in CO2-rich carbonatite and alkaline magmatism during the Ediacaran period. Before the Ediacaran, secular cooling of the mantle and the advent of cooler subduction regimes promoted the sequestration of carbon derived from decarbonation of subducting oceanic slabs in the mantle. We infer that subsequent magmatism led to the extensive release of carbon that may at least in part be recorded in the Shuram–Wonoka carbon isotope excursion. We therefore suggest that this pulse of alkaline volcanism reflects a profound reorganization of the Neoproterozoic deep and surface carbon cycles and promoted planetary warming before the Cambrian radiation. A spike of carbon-rich volcanism during the Ediacaran period identified in detrital zircon data may reflect a reorganization of the Neoproterozoic deep carbon cycle.

NW-SE Pliocene-Quaternary extension in the Apan-Acoculco region, eastern Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

The Apan-Acoculco area is located in the eastern portion of the Mexico basin and the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The area is transected by right-stepping variably dipping NE-SW normal faults. The Apan-Tlaloc Fault System is a major discontinuity that divides the region into two contrasting areas with different structural and volcanic styles. a) The western area is characterized by a horst-graben geometry with widespread Quaternary monogenetic volcanism and scattered outcrops of Miocene and Pliocene rocks. b) The eastern area is dominated by tilted horsts with a domino-like geometry with widespread Miocene and Pliocene rocks, scattered Quaternary monogenetic volcanoes and the Acoculco Caldera. Gravity data suggest that this structural geometry continues into the Mesozoic limestones. Normal faulting was active since the Pliocene with three stages of extension. One of them, an intense dilatational event began during late Pliocene and continues nowadays, contemporaneously with the emplacement of the Apan-Tezontepec Volcanic Field and the Acoculco caldera. Statistical analysis of cone elongation, cone instability, and the kinematic analysis of faults attest for a NW50°SE±7° extensional regime in the Apan-Acoculco area. The activity in some portions of the Apan-Tlaloc Fault System continues today as indicated by earthquake swarms recorded in 1992 and 1996, that disrupted late Holocene paleosols, and Holocene volcanism.

The effect of giant lateral collapses on magma pathways and the location of volcanism

Flank instability and lateral collapse are recurrent processes during the structural evolution of volcanic edifices, and they affect and are affected by magmatic activity. It is known that dyke intrusions have the potential to destabilise the flanks of a volcano, and that lateral collapses may change the style of volcanism and the arrangement of shallow dykes. However, the effect of a large lateral collapse on the location of a new eruptive centre remains unclear. Here, we use a numerical approach to simulate the pathways of magmatic intrusions underneath the volcanic edifice, after the stress redistribution resulting from a large lateral collapse. Our simulations are quantitatively validated against the observations at Fogo volcano, Cabo Verde. The results reveal that a lateral collapse can trigger a significant deflection of deep magma pathways in the crust, favouring the formation of a new eruptive centre within the collapse embayment. Our results have implications for the long-term evolution of intraplate volcanic ocean islands.

Miocene volcanism in the Oaş–Gutâi Volcanic Zone, Eastern Carpathians, Romania: Relationship to geodynamic processes in the Transcarpathian Basin

We present the first comprehensive study of Miocene volcanic rocks of the Oaş–Gutâi Volcanic Zone (OGVZ), Romania, which are exposed in the eastern Transcarpathian Basin (TB), within the Eastern Alpine–Western Carpathian–Northern Pannonian (ALCAPA) block. Collision between the ALCAPA block and Europe at ~18–16Ma produced the Carpathian fold-and-thrust belt. This was followed by clockwise rotation and an extensional regime forming core complexes of the separated TB fragment. Based on petrographic and geochemical data, including SrNd isotopic compositions and KAr ages, we distinguish three types of volcanic activity in the OGVZ: (1) early Miocene felsic volcanism that produced caldera-related ignimbrites in the Gutâi Mountains (15.4–14.8Ma); (2) widespread middle–late Miocene intermediate/andesitic volcanism (13.4–7.0Ma); and (3) minor late Miocene andesitic/rhyolitic volcanism comprising the Oraşu Nou rhyolitic volcano and several andesitic–dacitic domes in the Oaş Mountains (11.3–9.5Ma). We show that magma evolution in the OGVZ was controlled by assimilation–fractional crystallization and magma-mixing processes within an interconnected multi-level crustal magmatic reservoir. The evolution of volcanic activity within the OGVZ was controlled by the geodynamics of the Transcarpathian Basin. The early felsic and late intermediate Miocene magmas were emplaced in a post-collisional setting and were derived from a mantle source region that was modified by subduction components (dominantly sediment melts) and lower crust. The style of volcanism within the eastern TB system exhibits spatial variations, with andesitic composite volcanoes (Gutâi Mountains) observed at the margins, and isolated andesitic–rhyolitic monogenetic volcanoes (Oaş Mountains) in the center of the basin.

Recurrence rate and magma effusion rate for the latest volcanism on Arsia Mons, Mars

Magmatism and volcanism have evolved the Martian lithosphere, surface, and climate throughout the history of Mars. Constraining the rates of magma generation and timing of volcanism on the surface clarifies the ways in which magma and volcanic activity have shaped these Martian systems. The ages of lava flows on other planets are often estimated using impact crater counts, assuming that the number and size-distribution of impact craters per unit area reflect the time the lava flow has been on the surface and exposed to potential impacts. Here we show that impact crater age model uncertainty is reduced by adding stratigraphic information observed at locations where neighboring lavas abut each other, and demonstrate the significance of this reduction in age uncertainty for understanding the history of a volcanic field comprising 29 vents in the 110-km-diameter caldera of Arsia Mons, Mars. Each vent within this caldera produced lava flows several to tens of kilometers in length; these vents are likely among the youngest on Mars, since no impact craters in their lava flows are larger than 1 km in diameter. First, we modeled the age of each vent with impact crater counts performed on their corresponding lava flows and found very large age uncertainties for the ages of individual vents, often spanning the estimated age for the entire volcanic field. The age model derived from impact crater counts alone is broad and unimodal, with estimated peak activity in the field around 130 Ma. Next we applied our volcano event age model (VEAM), which uses a directed graph of stratigraphic relationships and random sampling of the impact crater age determinations to create alternative age models. Monte Carlo simulation was used to create 10,000 possible vent age sets. The recurrence rate of volcanism is calculated for each possible age set, and these rates are combined to calculate the median recurrence rate of all simulations. Applying this approach to the 29 volcanic vents, volcanism likely began around 200–300 Ma then first peaked around 150 Ma, with an average production rate of 0.4 vents per Myr. The recurrence rate estimated including stratigraphic data is distinctly bimodal, with a second, lower peak in activity around 100 Ma. Volcanism then waned until the final vents were produced 10–90 Ma. Based on this model, volume flux is also bimodal, reached a peak rate of 1–8 km3 Myr−1 by 150 Ma and remained above half this rate until about 90 Ma, after which the volume flux diminished greatly. The onset of effusive volcanism from 200–150 Ma might be due to a transition of volcanic style away from explosive volcanism that emplaced tephra on the western flank of Arsia Mons, while the waning of volcanism after the 150 Ma peak might represent a larger-scale diminishing of volcanic activity at Arsia Mons related to the emplacement of flank apron lavas.

Geomorphology of the central Red Sea Rift: Determining spreading processes

Continental rifting and ocean basin formation is occurring today in the Red Sea, providing a possible modern analogue for the creation of mid-ocean ridges. Yet many of the seafloor features observed along the axis of the Red Sea appear anomalous compared to ancient and modern examples of mid-ocean ridges in other parts of the world, making it unclear, until recently, whether the Red Sea is truly analogous. Recent work suggests that the main morphological differences between the Red Sea Rift (RSR) and other mid-ocean ridges are due to the presence and movement of giant, submarine salt flows, which blanket large portions of the rift valley and thereby the oceanic crust. Using ship-based, high-resolution multibeam bathymetry of the central RSR between 16.5°N and 23°N we focus here on the RSR volcanic terrains not covered by salt and sediments and compare their morphologies to those observed along slow and ultra-slow spreading ridges elsewhere. Regional variations in style and intensity of volcanism can be related to variations in volcanic activity and mantle heat flow. The Red Sea oceanic seafloor shows typical features of mature (ultra)slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges, such as 2nd order discontinuities (overlapping spreading centres) and magma focussing in the segment centres (forming spreading-perpendicular volcanic ridges of thick oceanic crust). The occurrence of melt-salt interaction at locations where salt glaciers blanket the neovolcanic zone, and the absence of large detachment faults are unique features of the central RSR. These features can be related to the young character of the Red Sea and may be applicable to all young oceanic rifts, associated with plumes and/or evaporites. Thus, the RSR falls in line with (ultra)slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges globally, which makes the Red Sea a unique but highly important type example for initiation of slow rifting and seafloor spreading and one of the most interesting targets for future ocean research.

Hansteen Mons: An LROC geological perspective

Mons Hansteen is a relatively high-albedo, well-known lunar ``red spot'' located on the southern margin of Oceanus Procellarum (2.3°S, 50.2°W). It is an arrowhead-shaped (∼ 25km on a side), two-layer mesa with a small cone-shaped massif on its north edge formed by three morphologically and compositionally distinct geologic units. These units were emplaced in three phases over nearly 200 million years. The oldest (∼3.74Ga), Hilly–Dissected unit, composed of high-silica, and low-FeO content materials formed a low, steep sided mesa. The materials of this unit erupted mainly from vents along northeast- and northwest-trending sets of fractures. The Pitted unit, which comprises the upper-tier mesa, is composed of high-silica and even lower-FeO content materials. This material was erupted at ∼ 3.5Ga from numerous closely spaced vents (i.e., pits) formed along closely spaced northeast-southwest-trending sets of fractures. At nearly the same time, eruptions of lower silica and higher FeO materials occurred on the north flank of Mons Hansteen at the intersection of two major fractures to produce the North Massif unit. The eruptions that created the North Massif units also produced materials that thinly blanketed small areas of the Hilly-Dissected and Pitted units on the north flank of Mons Hansteen. Also at nearly the same time (i.e., ∼ 3.5Ga), basalt flows formed the surrounding mare. Each unit of Mons Hansteen appears to be mantled by locally derived ash, which only modestly contaminated the other units. The morphology of Mons Hansteen (especially the Pitted unit) suggests a style of volcanism where only a relatively small amount of material is explosively erupted from numerous, closely spaced vents.

The nephelinitic–phonolitic volcanism of the Trindade Island (South Atlantic Ocean): Review of the stratigraphy, and inferences on the volcanic styles and sources of nephelinites

Trindade Island is located in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1170 km from the Brazilian coast, and represents the eastern end of the E–W Vitória–Trindade Chain. It shows the youngest plume-induced (ca. 3.7 to <0.17 Ma) subaerial volcanism on the South American plate, associated with the Trindade plume activity. Almeida (1961) recognized five volcanogenic successions at Trindade (in decreasing age): the Trindade Complex (TC, >2.4 Ma) and the Desejado (DF, ∼2.4 to 1.5 Ma), Morro Vermelho (MV, <0.17 Ma), Valado (VF, no age) and Paredão (PF, no age) formations, composed of effusive–pyroclastic deposits and subvolcanic intrusions associated with nephelinite–phonolite volcanic episodes. We revised the original Almeida's (1961) stratigraphy with additional field work and petrography to recognize eruptive styles and processes within the nephelinite–phonolite volcanism. Also, available geochemical databases were used to improve the stratigraphic correlation between nephelinites from different units and to characterize their mantle sources.The nephelinitic volcanism may represent Strombolian and Hawaiian–type activity of low viscosity and volatile–rich lavas interlayered with pyroclastic successions (fall–out deposits). Phonolitic deposits record explosive Vulcanian–style episodes of volatile–rich and higher–viscosity lavas interlayered with pyroclastic deposits (mostly pyroclastic flows). Geochemical data allowed the individualization of nephelinites as follows: (1) MV olivine–rich nephelinites and all olivine–free varieties are low K2O/Na2O, K2O/TiO2 and intermediate CaO/Al2O3 that may be derived from N–MORB and HIMU mantle components; (2) the VF olivine–rich nephelinites have high K2O/Na2O, K2O/TiO2 and CaO/Al2O3 that indicates both EM and HIMU mantle sources and; (3) the PF olivine–rich nephelinites show high K2O/TiO2 similar to those from VF, and intermediate CaO/Al2O3 as nephelinites from MV rocks, suggesting a mixed source with EM + HIMU > N–MORB components.We suggest that the HIMU and EM mantle types resulted from metasomatic episode(s) in the peridotitic mantle beneath the Trindade Island during the Brasiliano Orogeny and later, as previously pointed out by Marques et al. (1999). Thus, the major HIMU component would relate to recycled oceanic crust or lithospheric mantle (mostly CO2–eclogites) whereas the less important EM component to recycled marine or continental sediments.

Slab-rollback ignimbrite flareups in the southern Great Basin and other Cenozoic American arcs: A distinct style of arc volcanism

In continental-margin subduction zones, basalt magmas spawned in the mantle interact with the crust to produce a broad spectrum of volcanic arc associations. A distinct style of very voluminous arc volcanism develops far inland on thick crust over periods of 10–20 m.y. and involves relatively infrequent caldera-forming explosive eruptions of dominantly calc-alkaline rhyolite, dacite, and trachydacite with repose times of 104–106 yr. Volumes of individual eruptions are large (102–103 km3), and nested super-eruptions of thousands of cubic kilometers are common. Calderas are as much as 60–75 km in diameter, and surrounding individual ignimbrite outflow sheets extend outward as much as 150 km, blanketing upwards of 105 km2. Little or no basalt is extruded, whereas andesitic differentiates coeval with silicic ignimbrites range from ­minor to dominant in relative volume. A common feature in these flareups is essentially nonextending, thick, inland crust overlying a subducting oceanic plate with transverse tears that rolled back to a steeper dip from a previously flat configuration. Lithospheric delamination is locally possible. Large volumes of basalt that provide heat and mass for silicic magma generation in the crust form by fluid fluxing of the growing mantle wedge overlying the steepening dehydrating slab and from asthenospheric decompression. Variations in the mantle input, together with variations in crustal thickness, temperature, and composition, modulate the expression of the flareups. As a consequence of the high flux of mantle-derived magma into the thick crust, geotherms become elevated, and the brittle-ductile transition can rise to depths as shallow as 7 km. At this transition, diapirically rising magmas from a melting, assimilation, storage, and homogenization (MASH) zone are blocked and spread laterally into discoid chambers that grow until a thermomechanical threshold is attained, triggering climactic eruption and caldera collapse. This ignimbrite flareup style of continental arc volcanism is exemplified by the mid-Cenozoic southern Great Basin ignimbrite province; other examples include the contemporaneous Southern Rocky Mountain, Mogollon-Datil, vast Sierra Madre Occidental volcanic fields, and the late Cenozoic Altiplano-­Puna volcanic complex in the Central Andes. Rhyolitic and trachydacitic ignimbrites typically have erupted, but where the crust was predominantly felsic, prewarmed, and orogenically thickened, well-developed MASH zones have spawned multiple super-eruptions of phenocryst-rich dacite, or monotonous intermediates, and smaller volumes of calc-alkaline rhyolite ignimbrite. In the Great Basin, eruptions of dry, hot trachydacite magma followed the monotonous intermediates. Partial melting in thinner crust with a major mafic component yielded more alkalic rhyolite and related trachydacite.

Generation, ascent and eruption of magma on the Moon: New insights into source depths, magma supply, intrusions and effusive/explosive eruptions (Part 2: Predicted emplacement processes and observations)

Generation, ascent and eruption of magma on the Moon: New insights into source depths, magma supply, intrusions and effusive/explosive eruptions (Part 2: Predicted emplacement processes and observations)

Tectonic focusing of voluminous basaltic eruptions in magma-deficient backarc rifts

The Coriolis Troughs of the New Hebrides subduction zone are among the youngest backarc rifts in the world. They reach depths of >3 km, despite their small size (<100 km in length and only 25–45 km wide) and their proximity to the arc front (∼50 km). The narrow, deep graben morphology is characteristic of magma-deficient arc rifts in the early stages of backarc extension, where the rate of extension and subsidence exceeds the magmatic input. Unexpectedly, the youngest graben, the Vate Trough, contains a centrally-located 1000-m tall and 14-km wide shield volcano with a large, 5×8 km breached summit caldera. The Nifonea axial volcano has a volume of ∼126 km3, reflecting unusually high extrusion rates, given its young age (<3 Ma), and the summit caldera hosts the remnants of a large lava lake, the first described from a submarine backarc setting. Extensive diffuse hydrothermal venting and several clusters of black smoker chimneys, with the highest recorded fluid temperatures (368 °C) in the SW Pacific, occur on the youngest lava flows. Comparison with similar axial volcanoes on the mid-ocean ridges suggests that the 46×106 m3 of sheet flows in the caldera could have been erupted in <30 hours. The focusing of voluminous basaltic eruptions into an otherwise magma-deficient backarc has been linked to strong left-lateral transtension caused by clockwise rotation and segmentation of the southern portion of the arc after collision with d'Entrecasteaux ridge. This study shows that the upper plate stresses can result in dramatic variability in magma supply and hydrothermal activity at the earliest stages of arc rifting and could explain the wide range of melt compositions, volcanic styles and mineral deposit types found in nascent backarc rifts.

The Carrán–Los Venados volcanic field and its relationship with coeval and nearby polygenetic volcanism in an intra-arc setting

Understanding the relationship between monogenetic and polygenetic volcanism has been a long-standing goal in volcanology, especially in cases where these two styles of volcanism are coeval and geographically adjacent. We studied the Carrán–Los Venados (CLV) volcanic field and made comparisons with published data on CLV's polygenetic neighbor Puyehue–Cordón Caulle (PCC) in the Southern Andean arc, using quantitative tools and recent numerical simulations of magma reservoir formation. CLV is a basaltic to basaltic andesitic volcanic field composed of 65 post-glacial scoria cones and maars and a 1-km-high Pleistocene stratovolcano, whereas PCC is a basaltic to rhyolitic composite volcano. Our results point to three main differences between CLV and PCC: (1) the CLV magmas differentiate at low-crustal reservoirs, followed by rapid ascent to the surface, while the PCC magmas stagnate and differentiate in lower- and upper-crustal reservoirs; (2) CLV is elongated in the NE direction while PCC is elongated in the NW direction. Under the current stress field (N60°E σHmax), these two volcanic alignments correspond, respectively, to local extensional and compressive deformation zones within the arc; and (3), the post-glacial CLV magma flux was estimated to be 3.1±1.0km3/ky, which is similar to the average magma flux estimated for PCC; however, the PCC magma flux is estimated at approximately twice this value during peak eruptive periods (5.5±1.1km3/ky). Based on numerical simulations, CLV is in a limit situation to create and sustain a mush-type upper-crustal reservoir containing highly crystalline magma, which is however not eruptible. The PCC volcanic system would have been able to create a stable reservoir containing eruptible silicic magma during periods of peak magma flux. We postulate that monogenetic volcanism occurs at CLV due to both low magma flux and an extensional/transtensional regime that favors rapid magma rise without storage and differentiation in stable upper-crustal reservoirs. However, the CLV system seems to be at an inflection point, and could become polygenetic if magma flux increases. For PCC, high magma flux during some periods together with compressive deformation would have led to the construction of one or several stable upper-crustal magma reservoirs, with subsequent silicic volcanism and construction of central conduits for magma extrusion, resulting in polygenetic volcanism with evolved compositions. In this model, monogenetic volcanic systems can become polygenetic despite extensional regime if magma flux increases sufficiently to create and sustain a stable upper-crustal magma reservoir.

From mantle roots to surface eruptions: Cenozoic and Mesozoic continental basaltic magmatism

Basaltic volcanism is an important process in shaping large areas of the Earth’s surface, not only in continental extensional environments and at the ocean floor. This special issue contains a collection of fifteen papers that are dedicated to recent researches on various aspects of continental basaltic magmatism from its mantle roots via the ascent paths of the melt to the surface where different styles of volcanism take place erupting lavas or through explosive volcanism depositing various types of pyroclasts. Two of the fifteen were published earlier (Downes et al. 2015; Herrero-Hernandez et al. 2015). Continental basaltic volcanism also contributes to the total terrestrial sedimentary budget not only by its primary pyroclastic deposits but also their reworked varieties. Most of the papers result from presentations at the BASALT 2013 conference, which took place from April 18–24, 2013, in Gorlitz, Germany (Buchner et al. 2013). The conference was organized by the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Gorlitz and co-organized by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth´s Interior (IAVCEI)—particularly its Commission on Monogenetic Volcanism—and the “Sachsische Landesstiftung Natur und Umwelt” LaNU Academy). Since the conference was held in the heart of Europe in Germany with accompanied field excursions to Poland and the Czech Republic, many contributions are related to the Cenozoic Central European Volcanic Province (Fig. 1). However, there was also a variety of contributions about Mesozoic and Cenozoic basaltic rocks worldwide. This variety is reflected in this issue. The issue brings together studies on different aspects of basaltic magmatism. Thus, this volume contains petrological and geochemical studies spanning from studies of mantle peridotites to those on volcanic rocks as well as papers presenting geophysical data and interdisciplinary interpretation.

Venus: Interpreting the spatial distribution of volcanically modified craters

AbstractTo understand the impact cratering record on Venus, we investigate two distinct resurfacing styles: localized, thin flows and large shield volcanoes. We statistically analyze the size‐frequency distribution of volcanically modified craters and, using Monte Carlo simulations, their spatial distribution. Lava flows partially fill most craters, darkening their floors in radar images. We find that a model featuring localized, thin flows occurring throughout geologic time predicts their observed distribution. Individual flows may be morphologically indistinguishable, but, combined, they cover large provinces. Recent mantle plumes may drive a small amount of hot spot magmatism that produces the observed clusters of large shield volcanoes and obviously embayed craters. Ultimately, our analysis demonstrates that two styles of volcanism are needed to explain the observed properties of impact craters and that catastrophic resurfacing is not required.

Determining volcanic eruption styles on Earth and Mars from crystallinity measurements

Both Earth and Mars possess different styles of explosive basaltic volcanism. Distinguishing phreatomagmatic eruptions, driven by magma-water interaction, from 'magmatic' explosive eruptions (that is, strombolian and plinian eruptions) is important for determining the presence of near-surface water or ice at the time of volcanism. Here we show that eruption styles can be broadly identified by relative variations in groundmass or bulk crystallinity determined by X-ray diffraction. Terrestrial analogue results indicate that rapidly quenched phreatomagmatic ejecta display lower groundmass crystallinity (<35%) than slower cooling ejecta from strombolian or plinian eruptions (>40%). Numerical modelling suggests Martian plinian eruptive plumes moderate cooling, allowing 20-30% syn-eruptive crystallization, and thus reduce the distinction between eruption styles on Mars. Analysis of Mars Curiosity rover CheMin X-ray diffraction results from Gale crater indicate that the crystallinity of Martian sediment (52-54%) is similar to pyroclastic rocks from Gusev crater, Mars, and consistent with widespread distribution of basaltic strombolian or plinian volcanic ejecta.

Trachyandesitic volcanism in the early Solar System

Volcanism is a substantial process during crustal growth on planetary bodies and well documented to have occurred in the early Solar System from the recognition of numerous basaltic meteorites. Considering the ureilite parent body (UPB), the compositions of magmas that formed a potential UPB crust and were complementary to the ultramafic ureilite mantle rocks are poorly constrained. Among the Almahata Sitta meteorites, a unique trachyandesite lava (with an oxygen isotope composition identical to that of common ureilites) documents the presence of volatile- and SiO2-rich magmas on the UPB. The magma was extracted at low degrees of disequilibrium partial melting of the UPB mantle. This trachyandesite extends the range of known ancient volcanic, crust-forming rocks and documents that volcanic rocks, similar in composition to trachyandesites on Earth, also formed on small planetary bodies ∼ 4.56 billion years ago. It also extends the volcanic activity on the UPB by ∼ 1 million years (Ma) and thus constrains the time of disruption of the body to later than 6.5 Ma after the formation of Ca-Al-rich inclusions.