Provenance of basaltic tephra from Vatnajökull subglacial volcanoes, Iceland, as determined by major- and trace-element analyses

The Holocene ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1037-1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bergrún Arna Óladóttir ◽  
Olgeir Sigmarsson ◽  
Gudrún Larsen ◽  
Jean-Luc Devidal

The Holocene eruption history of subglacial volcanoes in Iceland is largely recorded by their tephra deposits. The numerous basaltic tephra offer the possibility to make the tephrochronology in the North Atlantic area more detailed and, therefore, more useful as a tool not only in volcanology but also in environmental and archaeological studies. The source of a tephra is established by mapping its distribution or inferred via compositional fingerprinting, mainly based on major-element analyses. In order to improve the provenance determinations for basaltic tephra produced at Grímsvötn, Bárdarbunga and Kverkfjöll volcanic systems in Iceland, 921 samples from soil profiles around the Vatnajökull ice-cap were analysed for major-element concentrations by electron probe microanalysis. These samples are shown to represent 747 primary tephra units. The tephra erupted within each of these volcanic system has similar chemical characteristics. The major-element results fall into three distinctive compositional groups, all of which show regular decrease of MgO with increasing K2O concentrations. The new analyses presented here considerably improve the compositional distinction between products of the three volcanic systems. Nevertheless, slight overlap of the compositional groups for each system still remains. In situ trace-element analyses by laser-ablation-inductively-coupled-plasma-mass-spectrometry were applied for better provenance identification for those tephra having similar major-element composition. Three trace-element ratios, Rb/Y, La/Yb and Sr/Th, proved particularly useful. Significantly higher La/Yb distinguishes the Grímsvötn basalts from those of Bárdarbunga and Rb/Y values differentiate the basalts of Grímsvötn and Kverkfjöll. Additionally, the products of Bárdarbunga, Grímsvötn and Kverkfjöll form distinct compositional fields on a Sr/Th versus Th plot. Taken together, the combined use of major- and trace-element analyses in delineating the provenance of basaltic tephra having similar major-element composition significantly improves the Holocene tephra record as well as the potential for correlations with tephra from outside Iceland.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. A. Osipova ◽  
G. A. Kallistov ◽  
M. V. Zaitseva

The article is focused on the morphology, trace element composition, U‐Pb and Lu‐Hf systems in zircon in high‐Mg diorite of the Chelyabinsk granitoid massif. Our analytical studies of the U‐Pb and Lu‐Hf isotope systems and the trace element composition were performed using mass spectrometry (MS) with inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and laser ablation (LA) of samples. It is established that the zircon formed at the last stages of crystallization of the basic melt under subsolidus conditions at low (600–700 °C) temperatures, which distinguishes it from the zircon of most other high‐Mg rocks of the intermediate composition. The internal structure of the zircon and the concentration of trace elements are locally altered under the influence of a fluid, which led to a partial disruption of the U‐Pb and Lu‐Hf isotopic systems. For the least altered areas in the zircon crystals, the age of crystallization of the parent high‐Mg melt is 362±2 Ma, which coincides with the age estimated from the geological data. Considering the isotope composition of Hf in the zircon and the trace element concentrations, there are grounds to relate the formation of high‐Mg diorite in the Chelyabinsk granitoid massif with a mixed mantle‐crustal source.


2016 ◽  
Vol 154 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
PRANJIT HAZARIKA ◽  
DEWASHISH UPADHYAY ◽  
KAMAL LOCHAN PRUSETH

AbstractMica pegmatites from the Bihar Mica Belt contain three distinct generations of tourmaline. The major-element composition, substitution vectors and trajectories within each group are different, which indicates that the three types of tourmalines are not a part of one evolutionary series. Rather, the differences in their chemistries as well their mutual microtextural relations, can be best explained by growth of tourmaline from pegmatitic melts followed by episodic re-equilibration during discrete geological events. The euhedral, coarse-grained brown type I tourmaline cores have relatively high Ca, Mg (XMgc. 0.37) and Al with correlated variation in Sr, Sc, Ti, Zr, Y, Cr, Pb and Rare Earth elements (REEs). They are inferred to have crystallized from pegmatitic melts. Monazites included within these tourmalines give chemical ages of 1290−1242 Ma interpreted to date the crystallization of the pegmatitic tourmaline. The bluish type II and greyish type III tourmalines with low Ca and Mg contents (XMg = 0.16−0.27) and high Zn, Sn, Nb, Ta and Na, formed by pseudomorphic partial replacement of the pegmatitic tourmaline via fluid-mediated coupled dissolution–reprecipitation, are ascribed to a hydrothermal origin. The ages obtained from monazites included in these tourmalines indicate two alteration events at c. 1100 Ma and c. 950 Ma. The correlated variation of Ca, Mg and Fe and the trace elements Sr, Sn, Sc, Zn and REE within the tourmalines indicates that the trace-element concentrations of tourmaline are controlled not only by the fluid chemistry but also by coupled substitutions with major-element ions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 415-430
Author(s):  
V.V. Gordeev ◽  
◽  
L.L. Demina ◽  
T.N. Alekseeva ◽  
◽  
...  

The results of determination of the major element composition of 34 surface bottom sediment samples of the Barents sea are presented in this chapter. The main sources of sedimentary material supply to the sea – river discharge, aeolian input and other – were considered. It was shown that the available own and literature data did not allow to obtain an adequate estimation of entering sedimentary material balance in the sea. The comparison of the compositions of bottom sediments (sands, aleurites, pelites) and of predominated in the sea basin rocks has demonstrated the prevailed terrigenous material input. The interdependences between all major elements in bottom sediments and their grain-size composition were considered in details. It was established that the well-known interrelationships with the politic sediment fraction took place for all elements except Mn – increasing their contents along with growth of pelitic fraction. The exception is SiO2 and CaO, they demonstrated the highest content in the coarse fractions. The Mn behavior is unusual one. Mn concentrations in the sediments of the south-western part of the sea is almost independent on the share of the pelitic fraction that is very unexpected. At the same time the sediments from the north-eastern part of the sea are very enriched by Mn – up to 1.0−1.5%. The probable reasons of such type of this metal distribution in the sediments are discussed. On a base of the results available the fragmental maps of Al, Fe and Mn oxides distribution in the bottom sediments were constructed. The conclusion was made that our new data supported the classical type of the prevailed terrigenous sediment formation in the Barents Sea.


2009 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen C. Kuehn ◽  
Duane G. Froese ◽  
Paul E. Carrara ◽  
Franklin F. Foit ◽  
Nicholas J.G. Pearce ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Glacier Peak tephra beds are among the most widespread and arguably some of the most important late Pleistocene chronostratigraphic markers in western North America. These beds represent a series of closely-spaced Plinian and sub-Plinian eruptions from Glacier Peak, Washington. The two most widespread beds, Glacier Peak ‘G’ and ‘B’, are reliably distinguished by their glass major and trace element abundances. These beds are also more broadly distributed than previously considered, covering at least 550,000 and 260,000 km2, respectively. A third bed, the Irvine bed, known only from southern Alberta, is similar in its major-element composition to the Glacier Peak G bed, but it shows considerable differences in trace element concentrations. The Irvine bed is likely considerably older than the G and B tephras and probably records an additional Plinian eruption, perhaps also from Glacier Peak but from a different magma than G through B. A review of the published radiocarbon ages, new ages in this study, and consideration in a Bayesian framework suggest that the widespread G and B beds are several hundred years older than widely assumed. Our revised age is about 11,600 14C yr BP or a calibrated age (at 2 sigma) of 13,710–13,410 cal yr BP.


1995 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 1478-1484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Soudier ◽  
Jean-Michel Mermet

A procedure is described to conduct qualitative analysis in inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry even in the presence of spectral interferences. This procedure is based on the use of both line correlation and normalized relative line intensities of given elements. When spectral interferences due to a major element are observed for an analyte, use of multiple linear regression of the normalized relative line intensities of both the analyte and the major element provides information about the certainty of the presence of the analyte and the relative concentration between the major element and the analyte. Direct peaking and automatic background correction are required for this procedure. In this instance, no information is necessary about the shape of the line profile. This procedure has been tested with an echelle grating-based dispersive system equipped with a custom segmented-array charge-coupled device detector.


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