Melt inclusion constraints on petrogenesis of the 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption, Iceland

The 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption, on the Bárðarbunga volcanic system in central Iceland, was one of the best-monitored basaltic fissure eruptions that has ever occurred, and presents a unique opportunity to link petrological and geochemical data with geophysical observations during a major rifting episode. We present major and trace element analyses of melt inclusions and matrix glasses from a suite of ten samples collected over the course of the Holuhraun eruption. The diversity of trace element ratios such as La/Yb in Holuhraun melt inclusions reveals that the magma evolved via concurrent mixing and crystallization of diverse primary melts in the mid-crust. Using olivine–plagioclase–augite–melt (OPAM) barometry, we calculate that the Holuhraun carrier melt equilibrated at 2.1 ± 0.7 kbar (7.5 ± 2.5 km), which is in agreement with the depths of earthquakes (6 ± 1 km) between Bárðarbunga central volcano and the eruption site in the days preceding eruption onset. Using the same approach, melt inclusions equilibrated at pressures between 0.5 and 8.0 kbar, with the most probable pressure being 3.2 kbar. Diffusion chronometry reveals minimum residence timescales of 1–12 days for melt inclusion-bearing macrocrysts in the Holuhraun carrier melt. By combining timescales of diffusive dehydration of melt inclusions with the calculated pressure of H2O saturation for the Holuhraun magma, we calculate indicative magma ascent rates of 0.12–0.29 m s−1. Our petrological and geochemical data are consistent with lateral magma transport from Bárðarbunga volcano to the eruption site in a shallow- to mid-crustal dyke, as has been suggested on the basis of seismic and geodetic datasets. This result is a significant step forward in reconciling petrological and geophysical interpretations of magma transport during volcano-tectonic episodes, and provides a critical framework for the interpretation of premonitory seismic and geodetic data in volcanically active regions

Gradual caldera collapse at Bárdarbunga volcano, Iceland, regulated by lateral magma outflow

Large volcanic eruptions on Earth commonly occur with a collapse of the roof of a crustal magma reservoir, forming a caldera. Only a few such collapses occur per century, and the lack of detailed observations has obscured insight into the mechanical interplay between collapse and eruption.We usemultiparameter geophysical and geochemical data to show that the 110-squarekilometer and 65-meter-deep collapse of Bárdarbunga caldera in 2014-2015 was initiated through withdrawal of magma, and lateral migration through a 48-kilometers-long dike, from a 12-kilometers deep reservoir. Interaction between the pressure exerted by the subsiding reservoir roof and the physical properties of the subsurface flow path explain the gradual, nearexponential decline of both collapse rate and the intensity of the 180-day-long eruption.</p

Melt inclusion constraints on petrogenesis of the 2014-2015 Holuhraun eruption, Iceland

The 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption, on the Bárðarbunga volcanic system in central Iceland, was one of the best-monitored basaltic fissure eruptions that has ever occurred, and presents a unique opportunity to link petrological and geochemical data with geophysical observations during a major rifting episode. We present major and trace element analyses of melt inclusions and matrix glasses from a suite of ten samples collected over the course of the Holuhraun eruption. The diversity of trace element ratios such as La/Yb in Holuhraun melt inclusions reveals that the magma evolved via concurrent mixing and crystallization of diverse primary melts in the mid-crust. Using olivine–plagioclase–augite–melt (OPAM) barometry, we calculate that the Holuhraun carrier melt equilibrated at 2.1 ± 0.7 kbar (7.5 ± 2.5 km), which is in agreement with the depths of earthquakes (6 ± 1 km) between Bárðarbunga central volcano and the eruption site in the days preceding eruption onset. Using the same approach, melt inclusions equilibrated at pressures between 0.5 and 8.0 kbar, with the most probable pressure being 3.2 kbar. Diffusion chronometry reveals minimum residence timescales of 1–12 days for melt inclusion-bearing macrocrysts in the Holuhraun carrier melt. By combining timescales of diffusive dehydration of melt inclusions with the calculated pressure of H2O saturation for the Holuhraun magma, we calculate indicative magma ascent rates of 0.12–0.29 m s−1. Our petrological and geochemical data are consistent with lateral magma transport from Bárðarbunga volcano to the eruption site in a shallow- to mid-crustal dyke, as has been suggested on the basis of seismic and geodetic datasets. This result is a significant step forward in reconciling petrological and geophysical interpretations of magma transport during volcano-tectonic episodes, and provides a critical framework for the interpretation of premonitory seismic and geodetic data in volcanically active regions

The effect of diffusion on lithium isotope ratios in Icelandic basalts

In recent years, diffusion has gained increasing recognition as an important process for explaining the lithium (Li) isotope ratios (δ7Li) of magmatic systems. However, the role of diffusion in explaining the variability of mantle-derived basalts has not yet been investigated in detail. We have measured δ7Li values in a comprehensive suite of fresh, subglacial Icelandic basalt glasses and observe a wide range of values from 2.4‰ to 7.3‰, the largest range in Li isotope compositions identified at any ocean island. We find that δ7Li values do not correlate with lithophile element tracers, but do correlate with 3He/4He. One possibility is that the high diffusivities of both Li and He permit fractionation of Li isotope compositions that couple it to 3He/4He, and decouple it from other, slower-diffusing lithophile tracers. In this study, we explore this idea and model diffusive processes in crystal mushes and mantle melt channels, both with and without melt transport. Our modelling indicates that large (>3‰) fractionation of Li isotope compositions from MORB-like values can be generated by diffusion and that the coupling of Li isotope ratios and 3He/4He signatures can occur as a consequence of diffusive interactions within mantle melt channels. This suggests that the Li isotope compositions of melts cannot be used as a straightforward passive tracer of mantle heterogeneity, because they can be fractionated during magmatic processes. In contrast, we find that diffusive fractionation of 3He/4He is small (∼1 Ra) next to the variability in Icelandic basalts (∼8 to ∼35 Ra). Diffusive fractionation of Li isotope ratios should be most pronounced at OIB localities whose mantle melts have a wide range of [Li], such as Hawaii and Iceland. Although a mantle source can contain Li isotope heterogeneities as a result of crustal recycling, we show that a mantle that is homogenous in Li isotope composition can still generate melts that have variable δ7Li values via diffusion processes. The same diffusion models can also be applied to other stable isotope systems such as H, Mg, Ca, and Fe. Indeed our models show that diffusion during magmatic transport within the mantle may be a significant source of “noise” in the δ7Li, δD, and possibly δ26Mg isotopic systems

The indium isotopic composition of the bulk silicate Earth

International audienceIndium (In) behaves as a moderately volatile metal during nebular and planetary processes, and its volatility depends strongly on oxygen fugacity. The In isotopic composition of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) could provide a critical constraint on the nature of Earth's building blocks and mechanisms that lead to its volatile depletion. However, accurately and precisely determining the isotopic composition of In of the silicate Earth is challenging due to its low abundance in igneous rocks and the presence of significant isobaric interferences on its isotopes (e.g., 113Cd+ on 113In+ and 115Sn+ on 115In+). Here, we present a purification procedure for In from rock matrices and report the first dataset of In isotopic compositions of 30 terrestrial igneous rocks, one biotite geostandard, and one carbonaceous chondrite (Allende) measured on a Nu Sapphire collision-cell equipped multi-collector inductively-coupled-plasma mass-spectrometer (CC-MC-ICP-MS) with an external reproducibility of 0.11‰ (2SD). At this level of precision, we find no statistically significant difference in the In isotopic compositions of mid-ocean-ridge basalts (MORB), oceanic island basalts (OIB), and continental flood basalts (CFB). Furthermore, Canary Islands, Iceland and Afar lavas display no analytically resolvable In isotopic variations from basalts to rhyolites. Therefore, In isotope fractionation during igneous processes is smaller than our analytical uncertainty and the In isotopic compositions of basalts are likely to be representative samples of their mantle sources. The twenty-one terrestrial basalts from diverse geological settings have an average δ115In of 0.35 ± 0.07 ‰ (2SD). This value represents the current best estimate of the In isotopic composition of the mantle as well as of the bulk silicate Earth, assuming limited In isotope fractionation during mantle partial melting, and due to the small contribution of the continental crust to the In budget (<5%). This isotopic composition provides a baseline with which to compare with chondrites and differentiated planetary bodies in future studies