Magmatic Longevity of Laacher See Volcano (Eifel, Germany) Indicated by U-Th Dating of Intrusive Carbonatites

Uranium-series dating of carbonatitic ejecta clasts constrains the crystallization and differentiation timescales of the Laacher See volcano, which erupted 6·3 km3 of magma (dense rock equivalent) during one of the largest Late Quaternary eruptions in Central Europe. Carbonatites form a distinct population among plutonic ejecta that are present in the middle and late erupted Laacher See tephra. Characteristic trace element patterns of the carbonatites, including negative Eu anomalies, and mantle-like oxygen isotopic compositions preserved in zircon indicate that the Laacher See carbonatites are cogenetic with their phonolite host. Carbonatite U-Th zircon isochron ages range from 32·6 ± 4·1 ka (2σ; MSWD = 1·7; n = 24) to near-eruption age (12·9 ka). Uranium-series carbonatite ages qualitatively agree with alkali feldspar compositions that lack prominent magmatic zonation, but show evidence for perthitic unmixing during subsolidus residence at elevated temperatures (720°C). Model differentiation ages and crystallization ages for the carbonatites overlap within a few thousand years as resolved by U-Th dating and indicate rapid crystallization following carbonatite segregation from its parental phonolite. Model differentiation and zircon isochron ages peak at ∼17 ka, suggesting a major phase of differentiation of the Laacher See magma system at this time, although the onset of phonolite differentiation dates back to at least ∼10-20 kyr prior to eruption. Phenocrysts in the middle and late erupted phonolite magma crystallized shortly before eruption, and the lack of older crystals implies crystal removal through settling or resorption. Crystal ages from both crystal-rich and liquid-dominated parts of a magma system are thus complementary, and reveal different aspects of magma differentiation and residence timescale

Plume–lithosphere interactions and LIP-triggered climate crises constrained by the origin of Karoo lamproites

We identified a ca. 180 Ma diamondiferous lamproite event in Zambia, establishing a link between ultrapotassic volcanism and the early Jurassic Karoo flood basalt province of sub-Saharan Africa. The cratonic lamproites erupted through the Permo–Triassic Luangwa Rift structure, but MgO-rich ultrapotassic magma formation was unrelated to rifting and triggered by plume–lithosphere interactions during the Karoo LIP event. Elevated Li–Zn–Ti concentrations in magmatic olivine (up to 18.5 ppm Li at 86–90 mol.% forsterite) and strong Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotopic enrichment of the host lamproites ( 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70701–0.70855, εNd = − 10.8 to − 10, εHf = − 20.3 to − 19.1, 206Pb/204Pb = 16.8–17.5) suggest partial melting of phlogopite-metasomatized lithospheric mantle domains, at approximately 180–200 km depth. The mantle-like δ7 Li values (+2.8 to +5.7‰) of the most pristine lamproite samples are compatible with source enrichment by asthenosphere-derived melts, without significant involvement of recycled sedimentary components. This geochemical fingerprint stands in sharp contrast to the negative δ7 Li compositions of primitive K-rich volcanic rocks from collision zone settings, where the shallow mantle sources contain recycled sediment. Isotope modelling demonstrates that the sub-Saharan lamproites originate from a MARID-style metasomatized peridotitic mantle source that underwent incompatible element enrichment at ca. 1 Ga, during tectonic activity associated with Rodinia supercontinent formation. Plume-sourced basaltic and picritic magmas of the 180 Ma Karoo LIP interacted with such K-rich hydrous lithospheric mantle domains, thereby attaining enriched incompatible element and radiogenic isotope compositions. Nd–Hf isotope mass balance suggests that up to 25% of MARID-sourced lamproite melt component contributed to some of the high-Ti flood volcanic units. Although large quantities of volatiles can be transferred from Earth’s mantle to the atmosphere via plume–lithosphere interactions, it is unlikely that outgassing of mantle-sourced sulphur can exceed the climatic impact caused by the release of much more abundant carbon from thick continental roots. Thus, the excess SO2 required to account for transient atmospheric cooling during the early Jurassic, coincident with the Karoo LIP event, must have had a thermogenic origin near the surface of Earth

Oxygen isotopic heterogeneity in the Temora-2 reference zircon

For the past decade and a half, Geoscience Australia has distributed zircon from a portion of the Middledale Gabbroic Diorite under the label “Temora-2”. This reference zircon was originally developed as a reference material for use in ion microprobe U-Th-Pb geochronological analyses. As ion probe capability has increased to allow the measurements of other isotopic systems at geologically useful precision and accuracy, the Temora-2 zircon has remained a convenient reference material to use for those systems. However, the suitability of this material for non-geochronological applications must be continuously reassessed. This study demonstrates that some (but not all) aliquots of the Temora-2 zircon, distributed by Geoscience Australia to analytical laboratories worldwide, have δ18O values up to 1‰ lower than the reference laser fluorination δ18O value quoted in Black et al. (2004). Although the long and complex collection history of this material makes it difficult to pinpoint the cause of this discrepancy, we suspect it relates to material from two or more boulders from the Temora-2 site, with different δ18O values, being sampled and mixed together in the field prior to storage at Geoscience Australia. Therefore, oxygen isotope measurements on SIMS mounts where Temora is the only reference zircon may be biased towards heavier values by up to 1‰, unless there are additional constrains on the actual δ18O value of the specific aliquot of Temora-2 zircons placed on that particular ion probe mount. We recommend that future oxygen isotope work should use a reference zircon other than Temora-2, until Geoscience Australia can replace the current stock of heterogeneous Temora-2 material with zircon which has a uniform δ18O value

U-series zircon age constraints on the plumbing system and magma residence times of the Changbai volcano, China/North Korea border

The Changbai (or Baitoushan, Paektu) volcano on the China/North Korea border is best known for its climactic caldera-forming eruption of 100 km 3 of comendite materials 1000 years (1 ka) ago. The polygenetic Changbai volcano also erupted moderate-volume pre-caldera comendite lava at~4 ka and small-volume post-caldera trachyte ignimbrite at~0.3 ka. Here we report 238 U- 230 Th disequilibrium ages of zircons from lavas and ignimbrites of the pre-caldera (~4 ka), syn-caldera (1 ka), and post-caldera (~0.3 ka) events. The zircon isochron ages are 12.2 ± 1.1 ka (2σ) for the 4-ka comendite lava and 12.2 ± 1.7 ka for the 1-ka comendite ignimbrite. Zircons from the 0.3-ka trachyte ignimbrite exhibit 3 respective peaks at 2.6 ± 1.8 ka, 130 ± 10 ka and N 230 ka. The indistinguishable zircon ages for the 4-ka pre-caldera eruption of comendite lava and the 1-ka caldera-forming eruption of comendite pumice and ignimbrite suggest that the 4-ka lava provides an early sampling of a much larger magma body at depth and thus serves as a kind of petrologic early-warning signal. In addition, the 4-ka lava may represent the lowest-temperature magma in the roof zone of a thermally zoned magma chamber that usually escapes first. The distinctive multi-modal zircon age distributions of the 0.3-ka trachytic eruption, however, reveal that this post-caldera eruption tapped a different magma body and indicate that Changbai's magmatic plumbing system had changed after the 1-ka caldera-forming climactic eruption. Our results suggest very short zircon and magma residence times for the Changbai volcano (8 kyr for the 4-ka eruption, 11-12 kyr for the 1-ka eruption and 2.3 kyr for the 0.3-ka eruption)

On synchronous supereruptions

The Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT) supereruption from Toba Caldera in Sumatra at ca. 74,000 years BP is the largest volcanic event recorded in the Pleistocene. Intriguingly, recent radioisotopic dating of the near antipodal Los Chocoyos (LCY) supereruption from the Atitlán caldera in Guatemala finds an identical age within uncertainties to that of YTT. This opens the question of whether these synchronous supereruptions may be a coincidence or could be a consequence of each other? Using the known eruptive record from the past 2 Myr, we find that the likelihood of having two near antipodal supereruptions (>1,000 km3 tephra volume) within centuries (<400 years), as suggested by volcanic proxies and annual counting layer chronology in the ice core records, is very small (0.086%), requiring a non-random cause and effect. Considering this analysis, we speculate that one potential physical mechanism that could explain the temporal relationship between these supereruptions is that seismic energy released during YTT eruption focused on the antipodal region, where concentrated stresses ultimately promoted the eruption of the perched LCY magma system (or vice versa). This supereruption “double-whammy” may thus be the more compelling source of the significant environmental impacts often attributed individually to the YTT supereruption. Improving the existing age information of YTT and LCY, and a better understanding of caldera collapse events will enable further testing of the hypothesis that synchronous supereruptions do not result by pure chance

Zircon as a tracer of plumbing processes in an active magmatic system: insights from mingled magmas of the 2010 dome collapse, Montserrat, Lesser Antilles Arc, Caribbean

This project has received funding from the European Union's Hori-zon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 749611 (JHS) . We also ac-knowledge funding from the Natural Environment Research Council Isotope Geoscience Facilities Steering Committee, grant IP-1746-1117 (JB) . The work has been financially supported by the Spanish grant CGL 2017-84469-P (JHS) . Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA. Alexander Varychev at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and Jeremy Rushton at the British Geological Survey, U.K., are thanked for help with analytical work. Jose Luis Macias is thanked for editorial handling. We are obliged to two anonymous reviewers for the time and effort they took to help us improve the clarity and rigour of our interpretations. 19Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat, erupted from 1995 to 2010, with activity including dome growth, destructive pyroclastic density currents and Vulcanian explosions. Monitoring data, such as gas emissions, show the system is still in a state of unrest. The recent eruptions provide an opportunity to study, in real time, a complex subduction-related subvolcanic transaustal melt-mush reservoir, its magma fluxes, and the timing of crystal and melt storage prior to eruptive paroxysms. How and when mush destabilisation occurs prior to volcanic eruptions continues to be a question of intense debate. Evidence of mafic magma intrusion, a potential eruptive trigger, is preserved in enclaves with quenched and diffuse margins that are mingled with crystal-rich andesite. Here, in this first study of Soufriere Hills Volcano zircon, we report zircon ages and compositions for mafic-intermediate enclaves and host andesites from the most recent dome collapse in 2010 to place temporal constraints on magma reservoir processes. Zircon U-238-Th-230 ages disequilibrium crystallisation ages ranging between c. 2-250 ka constrain the longevity of the magmatic plumbing system. Uniform Hf isotopes, epsilon Hf 11.3 +/- 12 to 14.6 +/- 1.5, indicate invariant compositions that are typical for island arc magma sources. Zircon trace element concentrations and Ti-in-zircon crystallisation temperatures indicate crystallisation in isolated, small-volume, lenses with variable fractions of melt of heterogeneous compositions. We suggest amalgamation of assorted crystal cargoes from these lenses occurred prior to eruption during mush destabilisation triggered by mafic magma recharge. Zircon textures, on the other hand, shed light on recent centimetre-scale magma mingling immediately prior to eruption. Euhedral-subhedral zircon is preferentially preserved in or near quenched contacts of the least-evolved enclave and host andesite. By contrast, reheating of the andesite by the mafic magma recharge in the presence of zircon-undersaturated melts promoted zircon resorption. This led to the formation of subhedral-anhedral corroded zircon that is typical in the host andesite mush. Zircon thus reveals processes ranging from 100,000s of years of andesite storage to short-term partial destruction in response to transient heating and magma mixing events.European Commission 749611Natural Environment Research Council Isotope Geoscience Facilities Steering Committee IP-1746-1117Spanish Government CGL 2017-84469-PUniversidad de Granada/CBU

Sulfur isotopes in otoliths allow discrimination of anadromous and non-anadromous ecotypes of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

Oncorhynchus nerka occur both as anadromous sockeye salmon that spend most of their life in the ocean, and as non-anadromous kokanee salmon that remain in fresh water their entire lives. We assessed whether stable isotopes of sulfur (δ34S) in otoliths could be used to distinguish sockeye salmon and kokanee ecotypes that are otherwise difficult to identify when they share a common freshwater rearing environment. We also investigated the chemical link between salmon and their diet by measuring δ34S in various fish tissues (eggs, muscle, scales) and zooplankton. δ34S (mean±SE) in sockeye salmon eggs (18.7 ± 0.4‰) and marine zooplankton (20.5 ± 0.1‰) were enriched by 10–14‰ compared with kokanee eggs and freshwater zooplankton. δ34S in the otolith cores of sockeye salmon (19.2 ± 0.7‰) and kokanee salmon (5.3 ± 1.1‰) were similar to δ34S in marine and freshwater zooplankton, respectively, indicating that the core is derived from maternal yolk tissue and reflects the maternal diet. δ34S in the freshwater growth zone of otoliths did not differ significantly between sockeye (5.9 ± 1.1‰) and kokanee salmon (4.4 ± 1.2‰), and was similar to freshwater zooplankton. The mean difference between δ34S in the otolith core and first year of growth was 13.3 ± 1.4‰ for sockeye and 0.65 ± 1.3‰ for kokanee salmon. A quadratic discriminant function developed from measurements of δ34S in otoliths of known maternal origin provided perfect classification rates in cross-validation tests. Thus, sulfur isotope ratios in otoliths are effective in discriminating between anadromous and non-anadromous ecotypes of O. nerka

Multi-technique geochronology of intrusive and explosive activity on Piton des Neiges Volcano, Réunion Island

MD was supported by the AuScope NCRIS2 program, Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery funding scheme (DP160102427) and Curtin Research Fellowship. CP was supported by the company Austral Energy and by the ANRT CIFRE program (agreement n°2017/1175).The construction of ocean island basaltic volcanoes consists of a succession of eruptions, intrusions, and metamorphism. These events are often temporally ill-constrained because the most widely used radiometric dating methods applicable to mafic volcanic rocks (K-Ar or 40Ar/39Ar on whole rock or groundmass) are prone to inaccuracy when applied to slowly-cooled, altered, or vesicular and aphyric products. Here we adopt a multi-technique geochronology approach (including zircon U-Pb, phlogopite 40Ar/39Ar, zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He, and zircon double-dating) to demonstrate its efficacy when applied to basaltic volcanoes. Taking the main volcano of Réunion Island (Piton des Neiges) as a case study, we establish the time of the major plutonic, metamorphic, and explosive events that had resisted previous dating attempts. We document four stages of pluton emplacement and metamorphism at 2200 - 2000 ka, 1414 ± 8 ka, 665 ± 78 ka, and 150 - 110 ka, all coinciding with volcanism revival after quiescent intervals. We also date a major Plinian eruption at 188.2 ± 10.4 ka, coeval with the formation age of a large caldera, and, finally, we constrain the last eruption of Piton des Neiges to 27 ka, revising a previous estimate of 12 ka. By resolving several conundrums of Réunion's geological history, our multi-technique geochronology approach reveals that endogenous growth of a volcanic island proceeds as pulses at the beginning of renewed volcanism. We also demonstrate that cross-checking eruptions ages by diversified dating techniques is important to better assess the timing and recurrence of basaltic volcanic activity, with implications for hazard prediction.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe