Origin of alkali-rich volcanic and alkali-poor intrusive carbonatites from a common parental magma

The discrepancy between Na-rich compositions of modern carbonatitic lavas (Oldoinyo Lengai volcano) and alkali-poor ancient carbonatites remains a topical problem in petrology. Although both are supposedly considered to originate via fractional crystallization of a “common parent” alkali-bearing Ca-carbonatitic magma, there is a significant compositional gap between the Oldoinyo Lengai carbonatites and all other natural compositions reported (including melt inclusions in carbonatitic minerals). In an attempt to resolve this, we investigate the petrogenesis of Ca-carbonatites from two occurrences (Guli, Northern Siberia and Tagna, Southern Siberia), focusing on mineral textures and alkali-rich multiphase primary inclusions hosted within apatite and magnetite. Apatite-hosted inclusions are interpreted as trapped melts at an early magmatic stage, whereas inclusions in magnetite represent proxies for the intercumulus environment. Melts obtained by heating and quenching the inclusions, show a progressive increase in alkali concentrations transitioning from moderately alkaline Ca-carbonatites through to the “calcite CaCO3 + melt = nyerereite (Na,K)2Ca2(CO3)3” peritectic, and finally towards Oldoinyo Lengai lava compositions. These results give novel empirical evidence supporting the view that Na-carbonatitic melts, similar to those of the Oldoinyo Lengai, may form via fractionation of a moderately alkaline Ca-carbonatitic melt, and therefore provide the “missing piece” in the puzzle of the Na-carbonatite’s origin. In addition, we conclude that the compositions of the Guli and Tagna carbonatites had alkali-rich primary magmatic compositions, but were subsequently altered by replacement of alkaline assemblages by calcite and dolomite.

Volcanic hazards assessment of Oldoinyo Lengai in a data scarcity context (Tanzania)

The objective of our study is to establish an assessment of four volcanic hazards in a country threatened by the eruption of the OlDoinyo Lengai volcano. The last major eruption dates back to 2007-2008 but stronger activity in 2019 has revived the memory of volcanic threats to the Maasai and Bantu communities and human activities (agro-pastoral and tourism). The methods chosen have had to be adapted to the scarce and incomplete data. The volcanic hazards and their probability of occurrence were analysed on the basis of data available in the scientific literature and were supplemented by two field missions combining geography and hydro-geomorphology. Our study enabled us to map the hazards of ash fall, lava flows, lahars and avalanches of debris. Each hazard was spatialised by being ascribed an intensity. They are sometimes synchronous with the eruption sometimes they occur several months or years after a volcanic eruption. The results are the first step towards developing a volcanic risk management strategy, especially for the pastoral communities living around Lengai and for the growing tourist activities in this area.

Chasing the Magma Chamber: MT meets Geodynamics and Seismology – A numerical case study of magmatic plumbing at Oldoinyo Lengai Volcano

<p>How well can geophysical methods image magmatic systems? Geophysical methods are commonly used to image magmatic systems; however, synthetic studies which give insights into the resolution of such methods and their interpretational scope are rare. Gravity anomalies, magnetotelluric, seismological and geodynamical modelling all have a different sensitivity to the rock parameters and are thus likely complementary methods. Our study aims to better understand their interplay by performing joint modelling of a synthetic magmatic system.  Our model setup of a magma chamber is inspired by seismological observations at the Natron plumbing system including active volcano Oldoinyo Lengai within the East African Rift system. The geodynamic modelling is guided by shear-wave velocity anomalies and it is constrained by a large Bouguer gravity anomaly which is modelled by a voxel-based gravity code. It yields the 3D distribution of several geological parameters (pressure, temperature, stress, density, rock type). The parameters are converted into a 3D resistivity distribution. By 3D forward modelling including the topography, synthetic MT transfer functions (phase tensor, induction vectors) are calculated for a rectangular grid of 441 sites covering the area. The variation of geodynamic parameters and/or petrological relations alters the related resistivity distribution and thus yields the sensitivity of MT responses to geodynamic parameters. In turn, MT observations may constrain geodynamic modelling by inverting MT transfer functions. The inversion is performed allowing for the recent seismicity distribution beneath the Natron plumbing system, assuming that active seismic areas are related to enhanced resistivity. The inversion is performed for a realistic distribution (in view of logistic accessibility) of about 40 MT sites.</p><p>By combining multiple forward models, this study yields insights into the sensitivity of different observables and thus provides a valuable base on how MT, gravity and seismological observations can help imaging a complex geological setting.</p>

Synthetic seismic modeling and inversion for the Oldoinyo Lengai volcanic complex.

<p>What is the effect of crustal melt accumulation on the seismic wavefield? Can we reproduce the dispersion, scattering and associated stress-anisotropy with modeling tools? By performing numerical experiments of seismic wave propagation in a synthetic and geodynamically-consistent volcanic system we can test our ability to model the seismic wavefield and to reconstruct the target “magma chamber”.</p><p>We built a synthetic volcano based on recent seismic observations at the Oldoinyo Lengai volcanic complex. The velocity model  is based on a geodynamic model that provides shear modulus, Poisson's ratio, and density. The isotropic P- and S-wave velocities can be computed directly from these parameters. To test a more realistic depth dependence, we introduced a reference 1D velocity model for Northern Tanzania and expanded this to 3D. Then, we inserted variations in the rock parameters mimicking a magma chamber and resolved it using the Fast Marching Travel Time tomography code.</p><p>To further our understanding, we also added  3D anisotropy and random velocity fluctuations to the system, acting both as synthetic input for future applications and testing of seismic techniques (e.g., shear wave splitting analysis) and as noise for the travel time tomography. For the waveform modeling we used the velocity-deviatoric stress-isotropic pressure equations together with perfectly matched layers. Also, we encoded the boundary condition between solid and air in this formulation. The 25 receivers with their real geographic locations were placed for inversion sensitivity analysis. In particular, the ability to reconstruct the magma chamber and the effect of anisotropy and velocity fluctuations at frequencies up to 5 Hz are evaluated. The results are compared with a parallel forward modeling and inversion of synthetic MT data. To confirm our results and as an additional test, we also employ adjoint tomography based on spectral element method to implement a forward waveform modeling and inversion using the tools provided in the SPECFEM3D_Cartesian package.</p><p>The results present a better idea of how to construct a realistic synthetic volcano in the future. By combining multiple seismic forward models and inversion approaches, this study yields insights into the sensitivity of the seismic wavefield to geodynamically-consistent volcanic structures.</p>

The Impact of Complex Volcanic Plumbing on the Nature of Seismicity in the Developing Magmatic Natron Rift, Tanzania

Constraining the architecture of complex 3D volcanic plumbing systems within active rifts, and their impact on rift processes, is critical for examining the interplay between faulting, magmatism and magmatic fluids in developing rift segments. The Natron basin of the East African Rift System provides an ideal location to study these processes, owing to its recent magmatic-tectonic activity and ongoing active carbonatite volcanism at Oldoinyo Lengai. Here, we report seismicity and fault plane solutions from a 10 month-long temporary seismic network spanning Oldoinyo Lengai, Naibor Soito volcanic field and Gelai volcano. We locate 6,827 earthquakes with ML −0.85 to 3.6, which are related to previous and ongoing magmatic and volcanic activity in the region, as well as regional tectonic extension. We observe seismicity down to ∼17 km depth north and south of Oldoinyo Lengai and shallow seismicity (3–10 km) beneath Gelai, including two swarms. The deepest seismicity (∼down to 20 km) occurs above a previously imaged magma body below Naibor Soito. These seismicity patterns reveal a detailed image of a complex volcanic plumbing system, supporting potential lateral and vertical connections between shallow- and deep-seated magmas, where fluid and melt transport to the surface is facilitated by intrusion of dikes and sills. Focal mechanisms vary spatially. T-axis trends reveal dominantly WNW-ESE extension near Gelai, while strike-slip mechanisms and a radial trend in P-axes are observed in the vicinity of Oldoinyo Lengai. These data support local variations in the state of stress, resulting from a combination of volcanic edifice loading and magma-driven stress changes imposed on a regional extensional stress field. Our results indicate that the southern Natron basin is a segmented rift system, in which fluids preferentially percolate vertically and laterally in a region where strain transfers from a border fault to a developing magmatic rift segment.

Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf-Mg isotope geochemistry of volcanic rocks from Oldoinyo Lengai, Tanzania

<p>Oldoinyo Lengai is the only active carbonatite volcano within the East African Rift Valley in northern Tanzania. The volcano is dominated by peralkaline silicate rocks with natrocarbonatites. This study presents new mineralogical and geochemical data, including Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf–Mg isotopic compositions, for volcanic rocks at Oldoinyo Lengai and lavas from the nearby Gregory Rift Valley. The samples analyzed in this study include olivine melilitite, melanephelinite, wollastonite nephelinite, and phonolite. The olivine melilitites and melanephelinites have highly fractionated REE patterns with (La/Yb)<sub>N</sub> values of 26.4–64.9, suggesting that they formed from magmas generated by low-degree (up to ~7%) of partial melting within the garnet stability field. The wollastonite nephelinites have much higher (La/Sm)<sub>N</sub> values but lower (Sm/Yb)<sub>N</sub> values relative to typical OIB, with flat HREE patterns [(La/Yb)<sub>N</sub> = ~22]. The phonolites have elevated REE abundances but with patterns intermediate between the other two sample groups [(La/Yb)<sub>N</sub> = ~41]. All samples have primitive-mantle-normalized incompatible element patterns that are characterized by negative K and Rb anomalies but no significant Eu anomalies. They also have elevated Yb contents relative to the compositions of modeled garnet peridotite-derived melts, suggesting that they were derived from a sublithospheric source containing enriched HIMU-like recycled oceanic crustal material. However, the wollastonite nephelinites have significantly positive Ba, U, Sr, and Pb anomalies similar to those found within the Oldoinyo Lengai natrocarbonatites. The wollastonite nephelinites might have been sourced from a region of sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) that was previously metasomatized by interaction with carbonatite melts. The phonolites in the study area have also weakly positive Pb and Sr anomalies indicative of some interaction with the SCLM. All samples have d<sup>26</sup>Mg values (–0.39‰ ± 0.07‰) lighter than the composition of normal mantle material (–0.25‰ ± 0.04‰). In addition, a negative correlation between d<sup>26</sup>Mg values and MgO concentrations suggests derivation from a source region containing recycled carbonate. The samples from the study area define a mixing array between HIMU- and EM1-type OIB in Sr–Nd and Pb–Pb isotopic correlation diagrams, and have pronounced Nd–Hf isotopic decoupling, plotting below the mantle regression line in Nd–Hf isotopic space. The negative deviation from the Nd–Hf isotopic mantle array and the presence of an EM1-type mantle component in the Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of the Oldoinyo Lengai volcanic rocks can be generated by recycling of E-MORB-type oceanic crustal material with an age of 1.5–1.0 Ga.</p>

Imaging active magmatic systems at Oldoinyo Lengai volcano (Tanzania) via earthquake distribution and seismic scattering and absorption mapping

<p>Oldoinyo Lengai volcano, located in the Natron Basin (Tanzania), is the only active natrocarbonatite volcano world-wide. As such, it presents an important endmember magmatic system, which occurs in a young rift segment (~3 Ma) of the East African Rift System. At this volcano, effusive episodes of long-duration are interrupted by short-duration explosive eruptions. At the end of February 2019, we installed a dense seismic network and four infrasound stations as part of the SEISVOL - Seismic and Infrasound Networks to Study the Volcano Oldoinyo Lengai - project. The seismic network spans an area of 30 x 30 km and encompasses Oldoinyo Lengai volcano, the extinct 1 Ma-old Gelai shield volcano, the active Naibor Soito monogenetic cone field and surrounding fault population. Here, we present temporal earthquake distributions combined with 2D absorption and scattering imaging.</p><p>On average, we report up to 34 earthquakes per day within and in the vicinity of our network. Given the dense station spacing, we are able to lower the detection threshold to -1.0 M<sub>L</sub> with a M<sub>C</sub> of -0.3. During the first months of data acquisition, the seismicity is clustered in distinct areas as background seismicity and in intermittent seismic swarms:</p><ol><li>Most of the events are located beneath the eastern and southern flank of Gelai shield volcano. These events are shallow and close to the dike intrusion that preceded the last explosive eruption of Oldoinyo Lengai in 2007-2008.</li> <li>In April 2019, a seismic swarm of ~262 earthquakes in three days forms a pipe-like structure beneath the north western flank of Gelai.</li> <li>Deeper events cluster beneath the monogenetic cone field located just NE of Oldoinyo Lengai. A distinct gap in seismicity can be traced down to 10 km depth between the monogenetic cone field and Gelai volcano.</li> <li>While there seems to be little seismicity directly beneath Oldoinyo Lengai in the upper 5 km of the crust, we observe a number of different, recurring seismic and infrasound signals at the crater, which are indicative of magmatic activity.</li> </ol><p>To image the magmatic plumbing system, we map scattering and absorption of the seismic dataset using the MuRAT (Multi-Resolution Attenuation Tomography) code. Our preliminary results show two well-resolved high-absorption and high-scattering anomalies below Oldoinyo Lengai and the Gelai intrusion in 2007 at all frequencies. With decreasing frequency (increasing depth) the anomalies converge, suggesting a link of the plumbing systems at depth.</p>