Highly magmatic breakup LIP centers – a revisit to the East Greenland VRM

Decompressional release of magma at continental triple rift breakup LIP centers, above mantle plume stems, result in highly magmatic settings. As a particularly well exposed example, it is proposed that the East Greenland coastal dyke swarm preserves a structural record of how dyke dilations versus tectonic extension increased upon approaching its Kangerlussuaq triple rift center. Such more magmatic breakup is reflected by how abruptly its volcanic rifted margin transitions into 100% dykes, and in this case up to 100 km farther inland than its geophysically determined continent-ocean boundary. Correspondingly high magma flux through an igneous Kap Edward Holm center sustained the lateral injection of up to 150 km-long dykes, evidenced by increased cut-off dyke thicknesses - below which there is an anomalously low abundance of thinner dykes - that conform to the cube root of their thermal arrest distance. Only the thickest and thereby longest dyke injections linked up with a more southerly located igneous Imilik center of an en echelon offset dyke swarm, the complex transition into which is also addressed. This highly magmatic central plumbing system is further compared to similar volcanic zones across Iceland and other post-Paleozoic breakup LIPs, in order to contextualize its importance.

Magma flux of silicic supereruptions from the Afro-Arabian large igneous province

The Main Silicics phase of the Afro-Arabian large igneous province preserves some of the largest volcanic eruptions on Earth, with six units totaling >8,600 km3 dense rock equivalent (DRE). The large volumes of rapidly emplaced individual eruptions present a case study for examining the tempo of generation and emplacement of voluminous silicic magmas. We use high-precision 206Pb/238U zircon dating to differentiate individual eruption ages and show that the largest sequentially dated eruptions occurred within a timeframe of 48 ± 34 kyr (29.755 ± 0.023 Ma to 29.707 ± 0.025 Ma), yielding a maximum magma flux of 3.09 x 10-1 km3/yr for 4,339 km3 DRE and making this sequence the highest known flux of silicic volcanism on Earth. The Main Silicics phase of volcanism occurred within a timeframe of 130 ± 150 kyr (29.80 ± 0.80 Ma to 29.67 ± 0.13 Ma), yielding a maximum magma flux of 3.05 x 10-2 km3/yr. We also provide a robust tie-point for calibration of the geomagnetic polarity timescale by integrating recalculated 40Ar/39Ar data with our high-precision 206Pb/238U ages to yield new constraints on the duration of the C11n.1r Subchron.

Paroxysms at Stromboli Volcano (Italy): Source, Genesis and Dynamics

Deciphering the triggering mechanisms of violent explosive activity is of broad interest for understanding the dynamics of basaltic open-vent volcanic systems. For nearly 1300 years Stromboli has been renowned not only for its continuous degassing activity and mild explosions at the summit craters, but also for short-lived, violent explosive events of variable scale, known as major explosions and paroxysms. Here, we focus on the 1456 and 1930 paroxysms and on the most recent events, in July and August 2019 at Stromboli. We show that shallow phenomena such as flank collapse, lava outpouring through fractures opening, or partial emptying of the shallow conduit, only speed up volatile-rich magma ascent by increasing the decompression rate, whereas pressurization of the crustal system and the deep refilling by magma and its CO2-rich gas phase play a major role in triggering paroxysms. Moreover, we present new data on the geochemistry of the 2019 bulk pumice, along with a compilation of data from the literature, chemical profiles in olivine crystals, and the physical parameters of explosive eruptions of wide ranging magnitude and intensity. For small and large paroxysms, timescales were derived from Fe–Mg diffusion profiles in olivine. In both types of explosion, the last phases of crystallization-diffusion indicate rapid magma ascent rates of two to ten days prior to eruption. Trace element concentrations (Nb, La and Ba) and ratios (Rb/Th) indicate that the 2019 pumice samples plot in the domain of magma batches erupted within the last 20 years at Stromboli. As a whole, there is no correlation between magma geochemistry and magnitude or intensity of explosive eruptions, which span a range of ∼3 orders of magnitude (from major explosions to large paroxysms) based on estimates of erupted tephra volumes. In contrast, olivine compositions are a good proxy for erupted tephra volumes and magma flux. The correlation among physical and chemical parameters, which is valid for the overall spectrum of eruptions, implies that the magmatic source ultimately controls eruptive dynamics.

Longest continuously erupting large igneous province driven by plume-ridge interaction

Large igneous provinces (LIPs) typically form in one short pulse of ~1–5 Ma or several punctuated ~1–5 Ma pulses. Here, our 25 new 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages for the main construct of the Kerguelen LIP—the Cretaceous Southern and Central Kerguelen Plateau, Elan Bank, and Broken Ridge—show continuous volcanic activity from ca. 122 to 90 Ma, a long lifespan of >32 Ma. This suggests that the Kerguelen LIP records the longest, continuous high-magma-flux emplacement interval of any LIP. Distinct from both short-lived and multiple-pulsed LIPs, we propose that Kerguelen is a different type of LIP that formed through long-term interactions between a mantle plume and mid-ocean ridge, which is enabled by multiple ridge jumps, slow spreading, and migration of the ridge. Such processes allow the transport of magma products away from the eruption center and result in long-lived, continuous magmatic activity.

Compositionally diverse magmas erupted close together in space and time within a Karoo flood basalt crater complex. Sterkspruit dataset.xlsx

Geochemical data and mapping from a Karoo flood basalt crater complex reveals new information about the ascent and eruption of magma batches during the earliest phases of flood basalt volcanism. Flood basalt eruptions at Sterkspruit, South Africa began with emplacement of thin lava flows before abruptly switching to explosive phreatomagmatic and magmatic activity that formed a nest of craters, spatter and tuff rings and cones that collectively comprise a crater complex >40 km2 filled by 9–18 km3 of volcaniclastic debris. Rising magma flux rates combined with reduced access of magma to external water led to effusion of thick Karoo flood basalts, burying the crater-complex beneath the >1.5 km-thick Lesotho lava pile.<div>Sterkspruit dataset</div>

Compositionally diverse magmas erupted close together in space and time within a Karoo flood basalt crater complex. Sterkspruit dataset.xlsx

Geochemical data and mapping from a Karoo flood basalt crater complex reveals new information about the ascent and eruption of magma batches during the earliest phases of flood basalt volcanism. Flood basalt eruptions at Sterkspruit, South Africa began with emplacement of thin lava flows before abruptly switching to explosive phreatomagmatic and magmatic activity that formed a nest of craters, spatter and tuff rings and cones that collectively comprise a crater complex >40 km2 filled by 9–18 km3 of volcaniclastic debris. Rising magma flux rates combined with reduced access of magma to external water led to effusion of thick Karoo flood basalts, burying the crater-complex beneath the >1.5 km-thick Lesotho lava pile.<div>Sterkspruit dataset</div>

Simultaneous Magmatic and Hydrothermal Regimes in Alta–Little Cottonwood Stocks, Utah, USA, Recorded Using Multiphase U-Pb Petrochronology

Magmatic and hydrothermal systems are intimately linked, significantly overlapping through time but persisting in different parts of a system. New preliminary U-Pb and trace element petrochronology from zircon and titanite demonstrate the protracted and episodic record of magmatic and hydrothermal processes in the Alta stock–Little Cottonwood stock plutonic and volcanic system. This system spans the upper ~11.5 km of the crust and includes a large composite pluton (e.g., Little Cottonwood stock), dike-like conduit (e.g., Alta stock), and surficial volcanic edifices (East Traverse and Park City volcanic units). A temperature–time path for the system was constructed using U-Pb and tetravalent cation thermometry to establish a record of >10 Myr of pluton emplacement, magma transport, volcanic eruption, and coeval hydrothermal circulation. Zircons from the Alta and Little Cottonwood stocks recorded a single population of apparent temperatures of ~625 ± 35 °C, while titanite apparent temperatures formed two distinct populations interpreted as magmatic (~725 ± 50 °C) and hydrothermal (~575 ± 50 °C). The spatial and temporal variations required episodic magma input, which overlapped in time with hydrothermal fluid flow in the structurally higher portions of the system. The hydrothermal system was itself episodic and migrated within the margin of the Alta stock and its aureole through time, and eventually focused at the contact of the Alta stock. First-order estimates of magma flux in this system suggest that the volcanic flux was 2–5× higher than the intrusive magma accumulation rate throughout its lifespan, consistent with intrusive volcanic systems around the world.

Hafnium isotopic record of crustal maturation during Middle Triassic magmatism in the Southern Alps (Italy)

&lt;p&gt;Tracing the origin and evolution of magmas on their pathway through the lithosphere is key to understanding the magmatic processes that eventually produce eruptions. For ancient magmatic provinces, isotope-geochemical tracers are powerful tools to probe the source regions and magma-crust interaction during ascent and storage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We present new hafnium isotopic compositions of ID-TIMS dated zircons to trace the evolution of the Middle Triassic magmatic province in the Southern Alps (northern Italy) at high temporal resolution [1]. Systematic changes in hafnium isotopic composition with time reveal a coherent temporal evolution from depleted mantle signatures towards crust-dominated signatures within less than four million years. This trend can be ascribed to progressive influence of a crustal source, incorporated into the reservoir from which these zircons crystallized. Towards the end of the magmatic episode, the &amp;#949;Hf compositions abruptly revert within one-million-years back towards more juvenile compositions mainly recorded by the mafic to intermediate intrusive pulses (e.g. Monzoni and Predazzo), the effusive climax of basaltic lavas and the post-intrusive ash beds (e.g. Punta Grohmann) in the Dolomite region. We interpret the variation of Hf-isotopic signatures over time as a protracted contamination signal induced by interaction of the mantle-derived magmas with the lower crust.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The dataset obtained in this study is further implemented into a two-component mixing model employing a range of potential crust and mantle endmember Hf isotope signatures and Hf concentrations which is directly translated into crustal melt/total melt (=sum of crustal and mantle-derived melt) ratios over time. Based on these observations we explored the thermal evolution and crustal melting as a function of time, lithology, water content and magma flux for a lower crustal magmatic system by numerical modelling. Dykes and sills of basaltic composition are incrementally emplaced at the mantle-crust boundary, which leads to changes in crustal over mantle melt ratios over time. Initial intrusions of basaltic dykes into the relatively cold lower crust cause only limited crustal melting and assimilation but ensuing magma injections into progressively hotter crust results in more extensive partial melting and assimilation of crustal material. Subsequent intrusions into the magmatic lower-crustal roots cannibalize previous intrusions with progressively less isotopic contrast due to dilution with mantle-derived magmas. This is potentially accompanied by an increase in magma flux, e.g. by delamination of dense lower crustal cumulates into the subcontinental lithospheric mantle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The observed trends in hafnium isotopic composition therefore do not necessarily require tectonic re-organizations or changes in mantle sources. Instead these trends may trace variations in mantle-crust interaction during thermally induced chemical maturation of the lower crustal magmatic roots progressively replacing ancient pelitic to mafic lower crustal lithologies by juvenile cumulates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[1] Storck, J.-C., Wotzlaw, J.-F., Karakas, O., Brack, P., Gerdes, A., Ulmer, P. Hafnium isotopic record of mantle-crust interaction in an evolving continental magmatic system, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, &lt;em&gt;(in press)&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

High magma flux beneath Corbetti caldera (Ethiopia) accommodated by a ductile and compressible reservoir

&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;Large silicic magma reservoirs preferentially form in the upper crust of&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;extensional continental environments. However, our quantitative understanding of the link between mantle magmatism, silicic reservoirs and surface deformation during rifting is very limited. Here, we focus on Corbetti, a peralkaline caldera in the densely-populated Main Ethiopian Rift, which lies above a focused zone of upper mantle partial melt and has been steadily uplifting at &amp;#8804;6.6&amp;#177;1.2 cm yr&amp;#8722;1 for more than ten years. We show that a concomitant residual gravity increase of &amp;#8804;9&amp;#177;3 &amp;#956;Gal yr&amp;#8722;1 by the intrusion of mafic magma at &amp;#8764;7 km depth into a compressible and inelastic crystal mush best explains the uplift. The derived magma mass flux of &amp;#8764;10^11 kg yr&amp;#8722;1 is anomalously high&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;and at least one order of magnitude greater than the mean long-term mass&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;eruption rate. We demonstrate that periodic and high-rate magmatic rejuvenation of upper-crustal mush is a significant and rapid contributor to mature continental rifting.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;