217 research outputs found

    Degassing history of water, sulfur, and carbon in submarine lavas from Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

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    Major, minor, and dissolved volatile element concentrations were measured in tholeiitic glasses from the submarine portion (Puna Ridge) of the east rift zone of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii. Dissolved H_(2)O and S concentrations display a wide range relative to nonvolatile incompatible elements at all depths. This range cannot be readily explained by fractional crystallization, degassing of H20 and S during eruption on the seafloor, or source region heterogeneities. Dissolved C0_2 concentrations, in contrast, show a positive correlation with eruption depth and typically agree within error with the solubility at that depth. We propose that most magmas along the Puna Ridge result from (I) mixing of a relatively volatile-rich, undegassed component with magmas that experienced low pressure (perhaps subaerial) degassing during which substantial H_(2)O, S, and C0_2 were lost, followed by (2) fractional crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene, and plagioclase from this mixture to generate a residual liquid; and (3) further degassing, principally of C0_2 for samples erupted deeper than 1000 m, during eruption on the seafloor. The degassed end member may form at upper levels of the summit magma chamber (assuming less than lithostatic pressure gradients), during residence at shallow levels in the crust, or during sustained summit eruptions. The final phase of degassing during eruption on the seafloor occurs slowly enough to achieve melt/vapor equilibrium during exsolution of the typically CO_(2)-rich vapor phase. We predict that average Kilauean primary magmas with 16% MgO contain ~0.47 wt% H_(2)O, ~900 ppm S, and have δD values of ~-30 to -40‰. Our model predicts that submarine lavas from wholly submarine volcanoes (i.e., Loihi), for which there is no opportunity to generate the degassed end member by low pressure degassing, will be enriched in volatiles relative to those from volcanoes whose summits have breached the sea surface (i.e., Kilauea and Mauna Loa)

    Mid-ocean-ridge rhyolite (MORR) eruptions on the East Pacific Rise lack the fizz to pop

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    Eruptions on the Alarcon Rise segment of the northern East Pacific Rise (23.55°N, 108.42°W) at 2500−2200 m below sea level (mbsl) produced the most compositionally diverse volcanic suite found along the submarine mid-ocean-ridge (MOR) system, offering an opportunity to compare mafic through silicic eruption styles at the same abyssal depth. Eruption styles that formed evolved volcanic rocks on the submarine MOR have not been studied in detail. The prevalence of lava flows along the MOR indicates that most eruptions are nonexplosive, but some volcaniclastic characteristics suggest that explosive styles also occur. Higher viscosities in intermediate (103–5 Pa·s) versus mafic (101 Pa·s) lavas on Alarcon Rise correspond with larger, more brecciated pillows, while highly viscous rhyolite lavas (106–7 Pa·s) formed rugged domes mostly composed of autoclastic breccia. Although high H2O contents (1.5–2.1 wt%), abundant volcaniclasts, and vesicularities up to 53% in rhyolite might imply eruption explosivity, limited fine-grained ash production and dispersal indicate an effusive origin. Higher viscosities of MOR rhyolite (MORR) magma and small eruption volumes, compared to MOR basalt (MORB), limit bubble coalescence and rapid magma ascent, two likely prerequisites for deep-marine eruption explosivity. This idea is supported by widespread dispersal of basaltic ash, but very limited production and dispersal of silicic ash on Alarcon Rise

    Axial Seamount

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    Author Posting. © Oceanography Society, 2010. This article is posted here by permission of Oceanography Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Oceanography 23, 1 (2010): 38-39.Axial Seamount is a hotspot volcano superimposed on the Juan de Fuca Ridge (JdFR) in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Due to its robust magma supply, it rises ~ 800 m above the rest of JdFR and has a large elongate summit caldera with two rift zones that parallel and overlap with adjacent segments of the spreading center

    Allopatric and Sympatric Drivers of Speciation in Alviniconcha Hydrothermal Vent Snails

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    Despite significant advances in our understanding of speciation in the marine environment, the mechanisms underlying evolutionary diversification in deep-sea habitats remain poorly investigated. Here, we used multigene molecular clocks and population genetic inferences to examine processes that led to the emergence of the six extant lineages of Alviniconcha snails, a key taxon inhabiting deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. We show that both allopatric divergence through historical vicariance and ecological isolation due to niche segregation contributed to speciation in this genus. The split between the two major Alviniconcha clades (separating A. boucheti and A. marisindica from A. kojimai, A. hessleri, and A. strummeri) probably resulted from tectonic processes leading to geographic separation, whereas the splits between co-occurring species might have been influenced by ecological factors, such as the availability of specific chemosynthetic symbionts. Phylogenetic origin of the sixth species, Alviniconcha adamantis, remains uncertain, although its sister position to other extant Alviniconcha lineages indicates a possible ancestral relationship. This study lays a foundation for future genomic studies aimed at deciphering the roles of local adaptation, reproductive biology, and host–symbiont compatibility in speciation of these vent-restricted snails

    Oceanic Zircon Records Extreme Fractional Crystallization of MORB to Rhyolite on the Alarcon Rise Mid-Ocean Ridge

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    The first known occurrence of rhyolite along the submarine segments of the mid-ocean ridge (MOR) system was discovered on Alarcon Rise, the northernmost segment of the East Pacific Rise (EPR), by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in 2012. Zircon trace element and Hf and O isotope patterns indicate that the rhyolite formed by extreme crystal fractionation of primary mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) sourced from normal to enriched MOR mantle with little to no addition of continental lithosphere or hydrated oceanic crust. A large range in zircon ϵHf spanning 11 ϵ units is comparable to the range of whole rock ϵHf from the entire EPR. This variability is comparable to continental granitoids that develop over long periods of time from multiple sources. Zircon geochronology from Alarcon Rise suggests that at least 20 kyr was needed for rhyolite petrogenesis. Grain-scale textural discontinuities and trace element trends from zircon cores and rims are consistent with crystal fractionation from a MORB magma with possible perturbations associated with mixing or replenishment events. Comparison of whole rock and zircon oxygen isotopes with modeled fractionation and zircon-melt patterns suggests that, after they formed, rhyolite magmas entrained hydrated mafic crust from conduit walls during ascent and/or were hydrated by seawater in the vent during eruption. These data do not support a model where rhyolites formed directly from partial melts of hydrated oceanic crust or do they require assimilation of such crust during fractional crystallization, both models being commonly invoked for the formation of oceanic plagiogranites and dacites. A spatial association of highly evolved lavas (rhyolites) with an increased number of fault scarps on the northern Alarcon Rise might suggest that low magma flux for ∼20 kyr facilitated extended magma residence necessary to generate rhyolite from MORB

    Structure of Lo'ihi Seamount, Hawai'i and lava flow morphology from high-resolution mapping.

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    © The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Clague, D. A., Paduan, J. B., Caress, D. W., Moyer, C. L., Glazer, B. T., & Yoerger, D. R. Structure of Lo'ihi Seamount, Hawai'i and lava flow morphology from high-resolution mapping. Frontiers in Earth Science, 7, (2019):58, doi:10.3389/feart.2019.00058.The early development and growth of oceanic volcanoes that eventually grow to become ocean islands are poorly known. In Hawai‘i, the submarine Lō‘ihi Seamount provides the opportunity to determine the structure and growth of such a nascent oceanic island. High-resolution bathymetric data were collected using AUV Sentry at the summit and at two hydrothermal vent fields on the deep south rift of Lō‘ihi Seamount. The summit records a nested series of caldera and pit crater collapse events, uplift of one resurgent block, and eruptions that formed at least five low lava shields that shaped the summit. The earliest and largest caldera, formed ∼5900 years ago, bounds almost the entire summit plateau. The resurgent block was uplifted slightly more than 100 m and has a tilted surface with a dip of about 6.5° toward the SE. The resurgent block was then modified by collapse of a pit crater centered in the block that formed West Pit. The shallowest point on Lō‘ihi’s summit is 986 m deep and is located on the northwest edge of the resurgent block. Several collapse events culminated in formation of East Pit, and the final collapse formed Pele’s Pit in 1996. The nine mapped collapse and resurgent structures indicate the presence of a shallow crustal magma chamber, ranging from depths of ∼1 km to perhaps 2.5 km below the summit, and demonstrate that shallow sub-caldera magma reservoirs exist during the late pre-shield stage. On the deep south rift zone are young medium- to high-flux lava flows that likely erupted in 1996 and drained the shallow crustal magma chamber to trigger the collapse that formed Pele’s Pit. These low hummocky and channelized flows had molten cores and now host the FeMO hydrothermal field. The Shinkai Deep hydrothermal site is located among steep-sided hummocky flows that formed during low-flux eruptions. The Shinkai Ridge is most likely a coherent landslide block that originated on the east flank of Lō‘ihi.Funding for the collection of the data was provided by the National Science Foundation OCE1155756 to CM and the Schmidt Ocean Institute to BG. Support for DC and JP to process the data and write the manuscript was provided by a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to MBARI

    Hydrothermal Chimney Distribution on the Endeavour Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge

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    The Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge is well known for its abundance of hydrothermal vents and chimneys. One‐meter scale multibeam mapping data collected by an autonomous undersea vehicle revealed 572 chimneys along the central 14 km of the segment, although only 47 are named and known to be active. Hydrothermal deposits are restricted to the axial graben and the near‐rims of the graben above a seismically mapped axial magma lens. The sparse eruptive activity on the segment during the last 4,300 years has not buried inactive chimneys, as occurs at more magmatically robust mid‐ocean ridges

    Hydrothermal Chimney Distribution on the Endeavour Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge

    Get PDF
    The Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge is well known for its abundance of hydrothermal vents and chimneys. One-meter scale multibeam mapping data collected by an autonomous undersea vehicle revealed 572 chimneys along the central 14 km of the segment, although only 47 are named and known to be active. Hydrothermal deposits are restricted to the axial graben and the near-rims of the graben above a seismically mapped axial magma lens. The sparse eruptive activity on the segment during the last 4,300 years has not buried inactive chimneys, as occurs at more magmatically robust mid-ocean ridges
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