Geology and morphostructural evolution of Piton de la Fournaise

International audienceThe morphology of Piton de la Fournaise volcano results from the succession of construction, destruction and deformation processes that occurred since at least 530 ka. The chaotic surface of the gently dipping submarine flanks indicates that volcaniclastic deposits related to massive flank landslides and erosion cover most of the submarine flanks. Only a few seamounts like Cône Elianne and the submarine continuation of the rift zones are built by lava flows. In the subaerial domain, Piton de la Fournaise exhibits deeply incised canyons evidencing intense erosion and eastward verging scarps whose origin is still controversial. The different interpretations invoking flank landslides and/or summit collapse calderas are summarized. Geological data indicate a twofold construction of Piton de la Fournaise. Between 530 and 60 kyrs, the volcanic centre located in the current Plaine des Sables led to the building of the western part of the massif. The volcanic centre migrated eastwards to its current location, possibly at 60–40 kyrs. Then Piton de la Fournaise experienced caldera collapses and recurrent phreatomagmatic eruptions especially between 4880 and 2340 yr BP as evidenced by the Bellecombe ash deposit. Most of the recent volcanic activity is now currently focused restricted inside the Enclos Fouqué caldera where lava flow accumulation and rare explosive events built the 400-m-high Central Cone

Volcaniclastic sedimentation on the submarine slopes of a basaltic hotspot volcano: Piton de la Fournaise volcano (La Réunion Island, Indian Ocean)

International audienceVolcaniclastic successions are well-described in volcanic arc setting but rare in hotspot environments. The present work proposes a facies model of volcaniclastic sedimentation related to basaltic hotspot volcanoes as exemplified by the Piton de la Fournaise volcano (La Réunion Island). The facies model is based on a multi-scale approach combining high-resolution multibeam and backscatter data, deep-water photographs, side scan imagery and Kullenberg piston cores. Data show that a wide range of gravity flows and erosional features develop in the active volcaniclastic sedimentary system. Coastal and submarine instabilities are the main processes shaping the volcano's submarine morphology. Meanwhile, the evolution and dynamics of the sedimentary system are strongly linked with the morpho-structural evolution of the subaerial part of the volcano. The proposed model is characterized by a cyclic succession of stages: (1) a growing stage during which sedimentary activity is mainly restricted to proximal and mid-slope areas; (2) a collapse stage that entirely reshapes the morphology of the submarine slopes; and (3) an erosional stage related to a slow down of volcanic activity, enabling the development of large deep-sea fans

Melilite-bearing lavas in Mayotte (France): An insight into the mantle source below the Comores

International audienceOcean island basalts (OIB) from the Comores archipelago (Indian Ocean) display mineralogical and geochemical features different from the other Indian OIB. We present here new geochronological data (40Ar/39Ar), major and trace element compositions and isotopic (Sr, Nd, Pb) ratios of silica-undersaturated alkaline rocks from Mayotte, the oldest island of the Comores. Two trends are defined using major element composition: (1) a highly silica-undersaturated trend which includes basanites, (melilite-bearing) nephelinites, intermediate lavas and phonolites from the southern part of the island and (2) a moderately silica-undersaturated trend which is mainly represented by alkali basalts, basanites, intermediate lavas and phonolites from the northern part of the island. Both trends could be explained, to some extent, by variable degrees of partial melting. Normative larnite-bearing olivine melilitites and nephelinites exhibit, in addition to their high silica-undersaturation, elevated concentrations in CaO (>12wt.%) and P2O5 (up to 1.35wt.%). These exceptional rocks would result from low degree deep partial melting of a CO2-metasomatized source in the presence of carbonate (probably dolomite) and apatite. Igneous rocks from southern and northwestern shield volcanoes are characterized by a radiogenic Pb composition, revealing the existence of a HIMU (high μ=238U/204Pb) component in their source. Its influence decreases from the main building stage (>10.6-~3.0Ma) to the post-shield stage for the benefit of a depleted MORB-mantle (DMM) component, especially in the north central rocks. This feature would reflect increasing melting degrees of the depleted dominant source, bearing small-scale HIMU heterogeneities progressively consumed with time. The HIMU signature might have been introduced in the Comorian lithospheric mantle by thermal erosion or delamination of a continental lithosphere during the Gondwana break-up. The other islands of the Comores archipelago (Moheli, Anjouan and "La Grille" type lavas from Grande Comore) display also a DMM-HIMU mixing trend. Only a few lavas from Grande Comore ("Karthala" type) and one sample from Mayotte show the clear EM1 contribution (87Sr/86Sr>0.7035) of the Comorian plume

Morphology and sedimentary architecture of a modern volcaniclastic turbidite system: The Cilaos fan, offshore La Réunion Island

International audienceRecent oceanographic surveys revealed the existence of five volcaniclastic deep-sea fans off La Réunion Island. The Cilaos fan is a large volcaniclastic submarine fan, connected to rivers that episodically experience torrential floods through a narrow and steep shelf-slope system. New piston cores presented in this study together with echosounder profiles give new insight into the evolution of this extensive and sand-rich turbidite system. The Cilaos fan extends over 15,000 km2 on an abyssal plain and is compartmentalized by topographic highs. Located southwest of the island, the sedimentary system consists of a canyon area and a deep sea fan divided into a proximal and a distal fan. The proximal fan is characterized by its wide extent and coarse-grained turbidites. The distal fan is characterized by elongated structures and fine-grained turbidites. A detailed morphological study of the fan which includes the analysis of swath bathymetry, backscatter, echosounder, and piston core data shows that the Cilaos fan is a complex volcaniclastic deep-sea fan, highly influenced by preexisting seafloor irregularities. The canyons and the slope area show a complex and evolving sediment feeding system with a direct sediment input by the river and irregular sediment supply by submarine landslide. Three main construction stages are identified for this system: (1) an old incision phase of the channels forming wide turbidites extending over the entire distal fan; (2) a period of no or low activity characterized by a thick layer of hemipelagic mud; and (3) a local reactivation of the channel in the proximal fan. Each stage seems to be linked to a different sediment source with a progressively increasing contribution of hemipelagic sediment and mud in younger stages

Direct sediment transfer from land to deep-sea: Insights into shallow multibeam bathymetry at La Réunion Island

International audienceSubmarine canyon heads are key areas for understanding the triggering factors of gravity currents responsible for the transfer of detrital sediment to the deep basins. This contribution offers a detailed picture of canyon heads off La Réunion Island, with high-resolution multibeam bathymetry in the water depth range of 4-220 m. The present feeding of the Cilaos turbidite system, one of the largest modern volcaniclastic systems in the world, is deduced from morphological and sedimentological interpretations of newly acquired data. The study highlights small-scale sedimentary features indicating hydrodynamic and sedimentary processes. A direct connexion between the Saint-Etienne river mouth and submarine canyons is evidenced by the complete incision of the shelf and the presence of canyon heads connected to the modern deltaic bar. This direct connection, supplied by river torrential floods (cyclonic floods every two or three years), suggests the continuity of high-density fluvial flows to submarine gravity flows, forming hyperpycnal flows in the canyon. The initiation of secondary submarine gravity flows by storm waves (large austral waves and cyclonic waves) is also proposed for submarine canyons with large canyon heads developed in the surf zone from a sandy coastal bar. Bedforms in active canyon axis are considered as an indicator of the frequent activity of high-density turbidity currents. Moreover, a morphological record of last glacial and deglacial sea level variations is preserved, and particularly the Last Glacial Maximum sea level with the presence of small vertical cliffs, observed in this bathymetric data, which likely corresponds to a paleo-shoreline or paleo-reefs

A volcaniclastic deep-sea fan off La Réunion Island (Indian Ocean): Gradualism versus catastrophism

International audienceA new geophysical data set off La Réunion Island (western Indian Ocean) reveals a large volcaniclastic submarine fan developing in an open-ocean setting. The fan is connected to a torrential river that floods during tropical cyclones. Sediment storage at the coast is limited, suggesting that the sediments are carried directly to the basin. The fan morphology and turbidites in cores lead us to classify it as a sand-rich system mainly fed by hyperpycnal flows. In the ancient geological record, there are many examples of thick volcaniclastic successions, but studies of modern analogues have emphasized mechanisms such as debris avalanches or direct pyroclastic flow into the sea. Because the Cilaos deep-sea fan is isolated from any continental source, it provides information on architecture and noncatastrophic processes in a volcaniclastic deep-sea fan

La connaissance de l'histoire géologique des volcans: un préalable indispensable à leur surveillance

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