0000000000627649
AUTHOR
Silvio G. Rotolo
Obsidians of Pantelleria (Strait of Sicily): A Petrographic, Geochemical and Magnetic Study of Known and New Geological Sources
Abstract This paper provides new petrochemical and paleomagnetic data from obsidian sub-sources on the island of Pantelleria, exploited since the Neolithic. Data has been obtained from 14 obsidian samples from 4 locations: Fossa della Pernice (2 sites), Salto la Vecchia and Balata dei Turchi. Here, we aim to better characterize these obsidians using a cross-disciplinary and multi-analytical approach, to further understand their archaeological significance. Major element analyses (EMP) have enabled two compositional super-groups to be distinguished: (i) Fossa della Pernice, less peralkaline and (ii) Balata dei Turchi–Salto la Vecchia, distinctly more peralkaline and having almost identical c…
Experimental and thermodynamic constraints on mineral equilibrium inpantelleritic magmas
Abstract Crystallization experiments on two pantellerites from Pantelleria, Italy, provide new evidence for the relationships between mineral phases in pantelleritic rocks as well as the influence of temperature and redox conditions on mineral assemblages. Experiments were performed at 1 kbar with temperature ranging between 750–900°C, and fluid saturation conditions with XH2O (=H2O/H2O+CO2) between 0 and 1. Redox conditions were fixed at, or slightly below, the FMQ buffer. Results show that at temperature of 900 °C pantelleritic magmas are well above the liquidus regardless their water content; we also observed a decrease in liquidus temperature (800°C) with increasingly reducing condition…
Origin of primitive ultra-calcic arc melts at crustal conditions — Experimental evidence on the La Sommata basalt, Vulcano, Aeolian Islands
International audience; To interpret primitive magma compositions in the Aeolian arc and contribute to a better experimental characterization of ultra-calcic arc melts, equilibrium phase relations have been determined experimentally for the La Sommata basalt (Som-1, Vulcano, Aeolian arc). Som-1 (Na2O + K2O = 4.46 wt.%, CaO = 12.97 wt.%, MgO = 8.78 wt.%, CaO/Al2O3 = 1.03) is a reference primitive ne-normative arc basalt with a strong ultra-calcic affinity. The experiments have been performed between 44 and 154 MPa, 1050 and 1150 °C and from NNO + 0.2 to NNO + 1.9. Fluid-present conditions were imposed with H2O–CO2 mixtures yielding melt H2O concentrations from 0.7 to 3.5 wt.%. Phases encount…
Millennial-scale phase relationships between ice-core and Mediterranean marine records: insights from high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Green Tuff of Pantelleria, Sicily Strait
International audience; With the advent of annually-resolved polar ice records extending back to 70 ka, marine and continental paleoclimate studies have now matured into a discipline where high-quality age control is essential for putting on an equal pace layer-counted timescale models and Late Quaternary sedimentary records. High-resolution U-Th dating of speleothem records and 40Ar/39Ar dating of globally recorded geomagnetic excursions have recently improved the time calibration of Quaternary archives, reflecting the cross-disciplinary effort made to synchronize the geologic record at the millennial scale. Yet, tie-points with such an absolute age control remain scarce for paleoclimatic …
Geochemical constraints on basalt petrogenesis in the Strait of Sicily Rift Zone (Italy): Insights into the importance of short lengthscale mantle heterogeneity
Igneous activity from the late Miocene to historic time (most recently 1891 CE) in the Strait of Sicily has created two volcanic islands (Pantelleria and Linosa) and several seamounts. These volcanoes are dominated by transitional (ol + hy-normative) to alkaline (ne-normative) basaltic lavas and scoriae; volcanic felsic rocks (peralkaline trachyte-rhyolite) crop out only on Pantelleria. Although most likely erupted through continental crust, basalts demonstrate no evidence of crustal contamination and are geochemically similar to oceanic island basalts (OIB). Despite their isotopic similarities, there are considerable compositional differences with respect to major and trace element geochem…
Evolution of the magma system of Pantelleria (Italy) from 190 ka to present
The eruptive history of Pantelleria has been marked by the eruption of nine peralkaline ignimbrites, with inter-ignimbrite episodes from small, local volcanic centres. New whole-rock geochemical data are presented for seven ignimbrites and used with published data for younger units to track compositional changes with time. From»190 ka, silicicmagmatismwas dominated by comenditic trachyte to comendite compositions, evolving along generally similar liquid lines of descent (LLOD). The final ignimbrite, the Green Tuff (»46 ka), was tapped from a compositionally zoned pantelleritic upper reservoir to a trachytic mush zone. Younger (20–7 ka) silicic magmatism has been relatively small scale, with…
Cognate xenoliths in Mt. Etna lavas: witnesses of the high-velocity body beneath the volcano
Various xenoliths have been found in lavas of the 1763 (“La Montagnola”), 2001, and 2002–03 eruptions at Mt. Etna whose petrographic evidence and mineral chemistry exclude a mantle origin and clearly point to a cognate nature. Consequently, cognate xenoliths might represent a proxy to infer the nature of the high-velocity body (HVB) imaged beneath the volcano by seismic tomography. Petrography allows us to group the cognate xenoliths as follows: i) gabbros with amphibole and amphibole-bearing mela-gabbros, ii) olivine-bearing leuco-gabbros, iii) leuco-gabbros with amphibole, and iv) Plg-rich leuco gabbros. Geobarometry estimates the crystallization pressure of the cognate xenoliths between …
Volatiles in pantellerite magmas: A case study of the Green Tuff Plinian eruption (Island of Pantelleria, Italy)
Abstract The Green Tuff (GT) Plinian eruption, the largest in magnitude at Pantelleria, erupted 3 to 7 km3 DRE of pantellerite magma and a small volume of trachyte. Fifty-nine anorthoclase-hosted melt inclusions from the two basal pumice members were analyzed by FT-IR spectroscopy in order to assess the pre-eruptive H2O content in the pantellerite melt. Microanalytical methods were used to determine major element, Cl, F and S contents. Melt inclusions and glassy groundmasses have a nearly homogeneous pantelleritic composition (peralkaline index = 1.9-2.2) and variable water contents ranging from 1.4 to as high as 4.2 wt %, i.e. much higher than the 1.4 wt % of earlier published studies. The…
Petrographic and spectroscopic (FT-IR) study of Western Mediterranean obsidians geological sources and of a lithic collection from Ustica Island (Sicily)
I n this study we applied petrochemical methods (SEM-EDS; FT-IR) in order to characterize a group of obsidian flakes collected at Ustica island (Sicily). Despite the absence of obsidian geological outcrops, a lot of obsidian fragments still emerging from the lands of Ustica testify that the island was a major import center of obsidian during the prehistory. On this island, there are some prehistoric settlements, dated from the Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age (6000- 1200 BC), in which the use of obsidian continued until the beginning of metals age. Our study includes: i) Macroscopic and microscopic optical observations, which allowed selecting 18 obsidian flakes (starting from 50 obsidian…
Mafic and ultramafic enclaves in Ustica Island lavas: Inferences on composition of lower crust and deep magmatic processes
Abstract Ustica Island, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, is constituted of Quaternary alkaline volcanics. A variety of enclaves representative of deep to supra-crustal settings were recently found in a hawaiitic lava flow. Enclaves consist of: (i) Ultramafic meta-cumulates, i.e. clinopyroxenites and wherlites characterized by variably deformed porphyroclastic to granoblastic textures. (ii) Mafic cumulates, i.e. gabbros (± amphibole) and troctolites, the first often characterized by frequent amphibole breakdown coronas (olivine + Ti-augite + plagioclase + magnetite + ilmenite + rhonite) in response to an H 2 O decrease during the ascent, while the troctolites interpreted as meta-cumulates. (iii) Mic…
Temporal evolution of the Fogo Volcano magma storage system (Cape Verde Archipelago): a fluid inclusions perspective
The architecture of the magma storage system underneath Fogo Volcano (Cape Verde Archipelago) is characterised using novel fluid inclusion results from fifteen basanites, spanning the last 120 thousand years of volcanic activity, and encompassing a major flank collapse event at -73 ka. Fluid inclusions, hosted in olivine and clinopyroxene, are made of pure CO2, and based on their textural characteristics, are distinguished in early (Type I) and late (Type II) stage. Inclusions homogenize to a liquid phase in the 2.8 to 30.8 degrees C temperature range. Densities values, recalculated assuming an original 10% H2O content at the time of trapping, range from 543 to 952 kg center dot m(-3), and …
Melt inclusions track melt evolution and degassing of Etnean magmas in the last 15 ka
We present major elements compositions and volatiles contents of olivine-hosted melt inclusions from Etna volcano (Italy), which extend the existing database with the aim of interpreting the chemical variability of Etnean magmas over the last 15 ka. Olivine phenocrysts were selected from the most primitive Fall Stratified (FS) eruptive products of picritic composition (Mg# = 67–70, Fo 89–91 ), the Mt. Spagnolo eccentric lavas (Mg# = 52–64, Fo 82–88 ) and among the more recent 2002–2013 eruptive products (Mg# = 33–53, Fo 68–83 ). Crystal fractionation and degassing processes were modeled at temperatures of 1050–1300 °C, pressures <500 MPa, and oxygen fugacity between 1 and 2 log units abo…
Phase equilibrium constraints on the production and storage of peralkaline silicic magmas: insights from Kenya and Pantelleria.
The origin of peralkaline silicic rocks is still obscure and stands perhaps as one of the last major unsettled issues in classic igneous petrology. The debate goes back to the end of the 18th century and despite intensive petrological, geochemical and laboratory efforts the consensus has yet to emerge as to which mechanisms produce peralkaline derivatives. Bowen (1937) first proposed that the shift from metaluminous to peralkaline field was due to extensive fractionation of calcic plagioclase. Perhaps the best illustration of such an hypothesis is provided by the Boina rock series in the Ethiopian rift studied by Barberi et al. (1975). However, such an hypothesis still awaits experimental c…
Volcanological evolution of Pantelleria Island (Strait of Sicily) peralkaline volcano: a review
International audience; Pantelleria volcano has a particularly intriguing evolutionary history intimately related to the peralkaline composition of its explosively erupted magmas. Due to the stratigraphic complexity, studies over the last two decades have explored either only the pre-Green Tuff ignimbrite volcanism or the post-Green Tuff activity. We here focus on the whole evolutionary history, detailing the achievements since the first pioneering studies, in order to illustrate how the adoption and integration of progressively more accurate methods (40 Ar/ 39 Ar, paleomagnetism, petrography, and detailed field study) have provided many important independent answers to unresolved questions…
Geochronology of the medium to high-grade metamorphic units of the Peloritani Mts., Sicily
The Peloritani Mountains are a fragment of an orogen variably attributed to the Alpine or Hercynian orogeny. On the basis of 39 Ar- 40 Ar, U-Pb and Rb-Sr dating, the main metamorphism of the two medium-high grade metamorphic units, the Mela and Aspromonte Units, and most of the thrusting responsible for stacking the orogenic edifice are seen to be Hercynian. The main thrusting of the Aspromonte Unit over the lower grade units took place at 301€2 Ma. Brittle deformation during Tertiary reactivation of Hercynian thrust planes did not generate any rejuvenation of white micas in the studied sector. Our dataset shows a great complexity and we propose to unravel it by considering different levels…
Phase equilibrium constraints on pre-eruptive conditions of recent felsic explosive volcanism at Pantelleria Island, Italy.
International audience; We present experimental phase equilibria carried out on a pantelleritic bulk-rock composition with a peralkalinity index [PI = molar (Na2O + K2O)/Al2O3] = 1*4, which is representative of the most energetic pumice fall eruption of the resurgent post-caldera volcanism on Pantelleria island. For the explored conditions (P = 25-150 MPa; T = 680-800°C; H2Omelt up to 6 wt %; fO2 ≤ NNO, where NNO is nickel-nickel oxide buffer) clinopyroxene is the liquidus phase followed by alkali feldspar and then quartz. The crystallization of amphibole is limited to temperatures below 700°C. Aenigmatite crystallizes near the liquidus for P ≥ 100 MPa. When clinopyroxene is the sole liquid…
Pantelleria island (Strait of Sicily): volcanic history and geomorphological landscape
Pantelleria is a volcanic island located in the Strait of Sicily, 95 km far from the Sicilian coastline and 67 km from Cape Bon (Tunisia). The volcanological history of the island begins approximately 324 ka BP and the last eruptive event was a submarine eruption that occurred on 1891 A.D. Eruptive activity was characterized by seven very intense explosive events, the latest being the Green Tuff (44 ka). They have all produced ignimbrite sheets that covered large sectors of the island. The landscape of the island mirrors the variety of the eruptive styles and their interplay with volcano-tectonics. The most evident geomorphological features are represented by: (i) the mantle-like distributi…
Explosive eruptive history of Pantelleria, Italy: Repeated caldera collapse and ignimbrite emplacement at a peralkaline volcano
A new, pre-Green Tuff (46 ka) volcanic stratigraphy is presented for the peralkaline Pantelleria Volcano, Italy. New 40Ar/39Ar and paleomagnetic data are combined with detailed field studies to develop a comprehensive stratigraphic reconstruction of the island.We find that the pre-46 ka succession is characterised by eight silicarich peralkaline (trachyte to pantellerite) ignimbrites,many ofwhich blanketed the entire island. The ignimbrites are typically welded to rheomorphic, and are commonly associated with lithic breccias and/or pumice deposits. They record sustained radial pyroclastic density currents fed by lowpyroclastic fountains. The onset of ignimbrite emplacement is typically prec…
Geochemistry and volatile content of magmas feeding explosive eruptions at Telica volcano (Nicaragua)
Telica volcano, in north-west Nicaragua, is a young stratovolcano of intermediate magma composition producing frequent Vulcanian to phreatic explosive eruptions. The Telica stratigraphic record also includes examples of (pre)historic sub-Plinian activity. To refine our knowledge of this very active volcano, weanalyzedmajor element composition and volatile content of melt inclusions fromsomestratigraphically significant Telica tephra deposits. These include: (1) the Scoria Telica Superior (STS) deposit (2000 to 200 years Before Present; Volcanic Explosive Index, VEI, of 2–3) and (2) pyroclasts from the post-1970s eruptive cycle (1982; 2011). Based on measurements with nanoscale secondary ion…
Local Earthquake Tomography in the Southern Tyrrhenian Region of Italy: Geophysical and Petrological Inferences on the Subducting Lithosphere
We obtained a high-resolution seismic tomography of the Ionian lithosphere subduction using a new approach based on: (a) the Double-Difference technique for inversions and (b) the statistical post-processing of a great number of preliminary models (Weighted Average Model, WAM method); the latter was used to increase reliability and resolution. In the tomographic model, the high-velocity portion of the steeply dipping Ionian slab is well imaged, as is an underlying low-Vp (≈7.0 km/s) aseismic region. We propose that the low-velocity region can be assigned to a partially hydrated (serpentinized) mantle of the subducting Ionian slab, which progressively dehydrates with depth in dense high-pres…
A revision of the structure and stratigraphy of pre-Green Tuff ignimbrites at Pantelleria (Strait of Sicily)
International audience; At Pantelleria, peralkaline silicic magmas were erupted across a range of eruptive typologies and magnitudes: pyroclastic flows, Plinian to strombolian pumice fallout and lava flows. In this paper we focus on the intermediate cycle of eruptive activity which is bracketed by ignimbrite units slightly older than the two caldera collapses which marked the volcanological activity of the island. This age interval (180-85 ka) was punctuated by six ignimbrite-forming eruptions (silicic and variably peralkaline) for a cumulative erupted magma volume of approximately 6 km3 dense rock equivalent. Based on new 40Ar/39Ar (Na,K)-feldspar ages and petrographic data, we propose an …
Melt inclusions constrain S behaviour and redox conditions in Etnean magmas
Mount Etna is a complex magmatic system characterized by a continuous variability both in terms of eruptive style and composition of erupted products. Currently, its volcanic activity is marked by high gas fluxes (of above all SO2), both during eruptive and non-eruptive periods. In this study, we have studied the volatile contents and Fe speciation of olivine-hosted melt inclusions from 6 eruptions of the last 15 ky, mainly to investigate the behaviour of S during ascent and differentiation of Etnean magmas. Samples selected come from the FS eruption which is the oldest and most primitive (picritic composition, Fo91), the Mt Spagnolo and from more recent eruptions: 2002/3, 2006, 2008, and 2…
Petrology and geochemistry of submarine volcanism in the Sicily Channel Rift
Submarine magmatism in the Sicily Channel Rift began in the early Pliocene and lasted until almost 200 yr ago. We present here petrological and geochemical data on volcanic rocks dredged from Graham and Nameless banks and Pantelleria seamounts in the Pelagian sector of the Sicily Channel Rift. Petrological evidence suggests that the ascent of magmas to the surface was relatively rapid, probably through channels superimposed over the major tectonic discontinuities of the Rift. Major and trace element data indicate an ocean island basalt affinity for Graham and Nameless bank alkaline lavas and a depleted tholeiitic signature for one Pantelleria seamount, which had a shallower mantle source. S…
Correlation of welded ignimbrites on Pantelleria (Strait of Sicily) using paleomagnetism
Although the oldest volcanic rocks exposed at Pantelleria (Strait of Sicily) are older than 300 ka, most of the island is covered by the 45–50 ka Green Tuff ignimbrite, thought to be related to the Cinque Denti caldera, and younger lavas and scoria cones. Pre-50 ka rocks (predominantly rheomorphic ignimbrites) are exposed at isolated sea cliffs, and their stratigraphy and chronology are not completely resolved. Based on volcanic stratigraphy and K/Ar dating, it has been proposed that the older La Vecchia caldera is related to ignimbrite Q (114 ka), and that ignimbrites F, D, and Z (106, 94, and 79 ka, respectively) were erupted after caldera formation. We report here the paleomagnetic direc…
Experimental Crystallization of a High-K Arc Basalt: the Golden Pumice, Stromboli Volcano (Italy)
International audience; The near-liquidus crystallization of a high-K basalt (PST-9 golden pumice, 49·4 wt % SiO2, 1·85 wt % K2O, 7·96 wt % MgO) from the present-day activity of Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy) has been experimentally investigated between 1050 and 1175°C, at pressures from 50 to 400 MPa, for melt H2O concentrations between 1·2 and 5·5 wt % and {Delta}NNO ranging from –0·07 to +2·32. A drop-quench device was systematically used. AuPd alloys were used as containers in most cases, resulting in an average Fe loss of 13% for the 34 charges studied. Major crystallizing phases include clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase. Fe–Ti oxide was encountered in a few charges. Clinopyro…
High-resolution 40Ar/39Ar chronostratigraphy of the post-caldera (<20 ka) volcanic activity at Pantelleria, Sicily Strait
Abstract The island of Pantelleria (Sicily Strait), the type locality for pantellerite, has been the locus of major caldera-forming eruptions that culminated, ca. 50 ka ago, in the formation of the Cinque Denti caldera produced by the Green Tuff eruption. The post-caldera silicic activity since that time has been mostly confined inside the caldera and consists of smaller-energy eruptions represented by more than twenty coalescing pantelleritic centers structurally controlled by resurgence and trapdoor faulting of the caldera floor. A high-resolution 40Ar/39Ar study was conducted on key units spanning the recent (post-20 ka) intracaldera activity to better characterize the present-day status…
Chlorine as a Discriminant Element to Establish the Provenance of Central Mediterranean Obsidians
Abstract Chlorine is a minor element present in obsidians in quantities greater than in average igneous rocks. The chlorine concentration in obsidians is generally low, of the order of tenths of wt %, but it exhibits an appreciable differentiation among geological sources. Despite these characteristics, chlorine has rarely been taken into consideration as a possible indicator of obsidian provenance and it does not appear in the chemical analytical tables accompanying the geochemical characterisation of obsidian samples. In this work, after an overview of chlorine geochemistry and cycle, we present thirty-one new electron microprobe (EPMA) analyses, including Cl, of geologic obsidians sample…
Transition from mildly-tholeiitic to calc-alkaline suite: the case of Chichontepec volcanic centre, El Salvador, Central America
Abstract The Chichontepec volcano is a Plio-Pleistocene composite volcano that erupted lavas ranging from high-alumina basalts to dacites. It experienced a caldera-forming paroxysmal eruption during the early Pleistocene. Pre-caldera lavas are mildly tholeiitic and they evolved mainly by low pressure crystal fractionation, notwithstanding the fact that most mafic lavas (low-MgO high-alumina basalts) retain traces of polybaric evolution. Conversely, post-caldera lavas, which are mainly pyroxene andesites, are clearly calc-alkaline, having evolved by open-system crystal fractionation. Sr–Nd isotopic data and trace elements characteristics indicate that the same mantle source was involved in t…
Stratigraphy, geochemistry and geochronology of a Quaternary pyroclastic sequence of the Chichontepec volcano, El Salvador
In this paper we present sedimentological, chemical and geochronological data on a pyroclasticsequence deposited at Chichontepeque Volcano (El Salvador) during a caldera-forming Plinian phase.Granulometric analyses and width distribution patterns of airfall pyroclastics showed that these are the result ofat least two eruptions, the oldest being the more complete. The Basal Fall, which marks the beginning of thePlinian eruption, shows the typical features of Plinian air-fall deposits.Chemical trends mirror roughly a downward tapping from a zoned magma chamber; inside each fall unit crys-tal fractionation trends can be recognized. 39Ar/40Ar dating of lavas underlying and overlying the pyrocla…
New Insights into the Provenance of the Obsidian Fragments of the Island of Ustica (Palermo, Sicily)
In this study we applied a multidisciplinary approach, coupling geophysical and geochemical measurements, to unveil the provenance of 170 obsidian flakes, collected on the volcanic island of Ustica (Sicily). On this island there are some prehistoric settlements dated from the Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age. Despite not having geological outcrops of obsidian rocks, the countryside of Ustica is rich in fragments of this volcanic glass, imported from other source areas. The study of obsidian findings was carried out first through visual observations and density measurements. At least two different obsidian families have been distinguished, probably imported from Lipari and Pantelleria isla…
An overview of the geochemical characteristics of oceanic carbonatites: New insights from Fuerteventura carbonatites (Canary islands)
The occurrence of carbonatites in oceanic settings is very rare if compared with their continental counterpart, having been reported only in Cape Verde and Canary Islands. This paper provides an overview of the main geochemical characteristics of oceanic carbonatites, around which many debates still exist regarding their petrogenesis. We present new data on trace elements in minerals and whole-rock, together with the first noble gases isotopic study (He, Ne, Ar) in apatite, calcite, and clinopyroxene from Fuerteventura carbonatites (Canary Islands). Trace elements show a similar trend as Cape Verde carbonatites, almost tracing the same patterns on multi-element and REE abundance diagrams. 3…
Water solubility in trachytic and pantelleritic melts: an experimental study
International audience; Solubility experiments were performed on a trachyte and a pantellerite from Pantelleria. The trachyte has SiO 2 = 65.2 wt%, Al 2 O 3 = 15.2 wt% and a peralkaline index (P.I. = molar[(Na 2 O + K 2 O)/Al 2 O 3 ]) ∼ 1 while the pantellerite has SiO 2 = 72.2 wt%, Al 2 O 3 = 11 wt% and a P.I. = 1.3. Solubility experiments were performed in the pressure range of 50-300 MPa at T = 950°C for the trachyte and 50-200 MPa at T = 850°C for the pantellerite. The water content of experimental glasses was determined by Karl Fischer titration, elemental analyser and FT-IR spectroscopy. Water content appears similar in both compositions for analogous pressure conditions, varying from…
OH-related Infrared Absorption Bands in Oxide Glasses
We report the infrared activity, in the spectral region of the OH stretching modes, of different composite silicate glasses whose chemical composition is established by X-ray fluorescence measurements. The analysis of the absorption line profiles is made in terms of different spectral contributions, Gaussian in shape. The comparison with analogous spectra obtained in vitreous silica samples with impurity concentrations < 100 part per million moles is evidence of the effects of the different oxides on the vibrational properties of the OH groups. In particular, for oxide glasses a red shift of the composite band at about 3670 cm(-1), assigned to the OH stretching modes of free Si-OH groups an…
Diffuse and focused carbon dioxide and methane emissions from the Sousaki geothermal system, Greece
[1] We report first data on chemical composition of the gas emitted by the geothermal system of Sousaki, Greece. Gas manifestations display typical geothermal gas composition with CO2 as the main component and CH4 and H2S as minor species. Soil gas composition derives from the mixing of two end-members (atmospheric air and geothermal gas). Soil CO2 fluxes range from<2 to 33,400 g m−2 d−1. The estimated diffuse output of hydrothermal CO2, estimated for an area of 0.015 km2, is about 630 g s−1, while a tentative estimation of CH4 diffuse output gave a value of about 1.15 g s−1. Point sources accounted for lower flux values of ∼26 g s−1 of CO2, ∼0.1 g s−1 of CH4 and ∼0.02 g s−1 of H2S.
Volatile contents of mafic-to-intermediate magmas at San Cristóbal volcano in Nicaragua
San Cristóbal volcano in northwest Nicaragua is one of the most active basaltic–andesitic stratovolcanoes of the Central American Volcanic Arc (CAVA). Here we provide novel constraints on the volcano's magmatic plumbing system, by presenting the first direct measurements of major volatile contents in mafic-to-intermediate glass inclusions from Holocene and historic-present volcanic activity. Olivine-hosted (forsterite [Fo] < 80; Fo< 80) glass inclusions from Holocene tephra layers contain moderate amounts of H2O (0.1–3.3 wt%) and S and Cl up to 2500 μg/g, and define the mafic (basaltic) endmember component. Historic-present scoriae and tephra layers exhibit more-evolved olivines (Fo69…
Volatiles and trace elements content in melt inclusions from the zoned Green Tuff ignimbrite (Pantelleria, Sicily): petrological inferences
International audience; The island of Pantelleria is one of the best known localities of bimodal mafic-felsic magmatism (alkali basalt and trachyte-pantellerite). Among the felsic rocks, the coexistence in a single eruption of products of both trachyte and pantellerite compositions is limited to few occurrences, the Green Tuff (GT) ignimbrite being one of these. The GT is compositionally zoned from pantellerite (70.1 wt% SiO2, mol Na+K/Al = 1.86, 1871 ppm Zr) at the base to crystal-rich (>30 vol%) comenditic trachyte (63.4 wt% SiO2, mol Na+K/Al = 1.10, 265 ppm Zr) at the top, although the pantellertic compositions dominate the erupted volume. We present here new data on melt inclusions (MIs…
Experimental Constraints on the Deep Magma Feeding System at StromboliVolcano, Italy
International audience; New experiments have been performed on a high-K basalt (PST-9) from Stromboli volcano, Italy, to constrain the physical conditions of golden pumice magmas at their storage level and discuss their petrogenesis. Fluid-present, H2O- and CO2-bearing, near-liquidus experiments were performed at 11508C between 100 and 400MPa and under oxidizing conditions. Glasses were analyzed by Fourier transform IR spectroscopy and their H2O and CO2 concentrations compared with those in glass inclusions.Most glass inclusions cluster near the 200MPa isobar, suggesting entrapment at a depth of ~8 km. Golden pumice magmas have viscosities of 7.9 Pa s and densities of 2.48-2.57 g/cm3. Compo…
Cooling and crystallization recorded in trachytic enclaves hosted in pantelleritic magmas (Pantelleria, Italy): Implications for pantellerite petrogenesis
Abstract This study focuses on the comenditic trachyte enclaves hosted in pantelleritic lava and pumices emplaced during one of the most recent eruptive events at Pantelleria (~ 6 ka). Enclaves range from mm-sized fragments to dm-sized blocks with spheroidal to amoeboid shapes and characteristic globular surfaces; they are crystal-rich with ~ 30 vol% large anorthoclase, less abundant Fe-rich olivine, clinopyroxene and Fe–Ti oxides. Vesicles ranging from a few mm to 1–2 cm in size are distributed throughout the enclave and are commonly filled with microlite-free vesicular glass. The groundmass presents spectacular textures, including fine to coarse spherulites and hopper and skeletal microli…
Generation of CO2-rich melts during basalt magma ascent and degassing
International audience; To test mechanisms of basaltic ma gma degassing, continuous decompressions of volatile-bearing (2.7-3.8 wt% H2O, 600-1300 ppm CO2) Stromboli melts were performed from 250-200 to 50-25 MPa at 1180-1140°C. Ascent rates were varied from 0.25 to ~ 1.5 m/s. Glasses after decompression show a wide range of textures, from totally bubble-free to bubble-rich, the latter with bubble number densities from 104 to 106/cm3, similar to Stromboli pumices. Vesicularities range from 0 to ~ 20 vol%. Final melt H2O concentrations are homogeneous and always close to solubilities. In contrast, the rate of vesiculation controls the final melt CO2 concentration. High vesicularity charges ha…
Phase equilibria of Pantelleria trachytes (Italy): constraints on pre-eruptive conditions and on the metaluminous to peralkaline transition in silicic magmas.
Pantelleria Island is the type locality of pantellerite, an iron and alkali-rich rhyolite (P.I=molar Na2O+K2O/Al2O3 >1.05). Peralkaline rhyolites (i.e pantellerite and comendite) and trachytes usually represent the felsic end-members in continental rift systems (e.g., Pantelleria, Tibesti, Ethiopia, Afar, Kenya, Bain and Range, South Greenland) and in oceanic sland settings (Socorro Is., Easter Is., Iceland and Azores). The origin of peralkaline rhyolites in the different tectonic settings is still a matter of debate and three hypotheses have been suggested: (a) crystal fractionation of alkali-basalt in a shallow reservoir to produce a trachyte which subsequently gives rise to a pantelle…
A two-component mantle source feeding Mt. Etna magmatism; insights from the geochemistry of primitive magmas.
The major elements, trace elements and Sr and Nd isotopes of selected Etnean primitive rocks (b15 ky BP) were studied in order to characterize their mantle source. The noble-gas geochemistry of fluid inclusions in minerals fromthe same lavaswas also investigated. Themajor element compositions ofwhole rocks and minerals showed that these products are among the most primitive atMt. Etna, comprising 6.3–17.5 wt.% MgO. The variable LREE (Light Rare Earth Elements) enrichment relative to MORB (Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt) (Lan/Ybn = 11–26), togetherwith the patterns of certain trace-element ratios (i.e., Ce/Yb versus Zr/Nb and Th/Y versus La/Yb), can be attributed to varying degrees of melting of a c…