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The lower 776 m of core recovered during the initial phase of the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project (HSDP) contains lavas erupted from Mauna Kea volcano. Tholeiitic and alkalic basalts, including an Fe-Ti rich flow, are intercalated in the upper 58 m of Mauna Kea lavas. Similar basaltic sections are subaerially exposed on the lower east flank of Mauna Kea. The Fe-Ti rich lavas reflect large amounts of clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and olivine fractionation within the crust and upper mantle, but the range from tholeiitic to alkalic compositions reflects variable extents of melting of a garnet-bearing source. Based on abundances of incompatible elements, the extent of melting for a basanitoid was a factor of 2 less than that for nearly coeval tholeiitic lavas. All flow units in the lower 718 m of the HSDP core are tholeiitic lavas. Their variability in major element compositions reflect variable accumulation of olivine. Incompatible element abundance ratios in these lavas reflect a complex temporal variation in extent of melting. Within the tholeiitic part of the core, lavas from 800 m to 950 m formed by the largest extent of melting, whereas tholeiitic lavas from the bottom of the core and from just below the tholeiitic to alkalic transition formed by lower degrees of melting. Inferred melt compositions at 16% MgO show that the ∼200 to 400 ka Mauna Kea lavas from the HSDP core and the

Many of the lavas from the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project (HSDP) are olivine-rich (>10 vol %) and weakly alteredJ The Maun. fi Loa lavas from the upper part of the HSDP hole are more olivine-rich and generally have oliviaes with higher forsterite contents than the underlying Mauna Kea lavas. Olivine-rich lavas from these volcanoes contain both euhedral, undeformed phenocrysts and kink-banded xenocrysts of olivines, unlike wha(was assumed for typical subaerial Hawaiian tholeiites. The forsterite content of both types of 01ivine ranges widely (80- 90%). Many of the HSDP lavas have olivines with forsterite Contents of ,89-90%, indicating that they grew in magmas with at least 15 wt % MgO. Most of these lavas contain even higher MgO contents (18 to 28 wt %), which are a result of accumulation of olivine phenocrysts and xenocrysts. The olivine xenocrysts in these lavas are inferred to be derived from disaggregation of deformed dunite cumulates, which are present in many of these lavas. Glasses from pahoehoe crusts on some of the HSDP flows have major element compositions that confinn the subdivision of the core based on whole rock compositions. The moderately evolved compositions of the HSDP glasses indicate quenching temperatures similar to those measured during the current Kilauea eruption.

[1] New geochronologic constraints refine the growth history of Mauna Loa volcano and enhance interpretations of the petrologic, geochemical, and isotopic evolution of Hawaiian magmatism. We report results of 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating experiments on low-K, tholeiitic lavas from the 1.6 km high Kahuku landslide scarp cutting Mauna Loa's submarine southwest rift zone, and from lavas in a deeper section of the rift. Obtaining precise40Ar/39Ar ages from young, tholeiitic lavas containing only 0.2–0.3 wt.% K2O is challenging due to their extremely low radiogenic 40Ar contents. Analyses of groundmass from 45 lavas yield 14 new age determinations (31% success rate) with plateau and isochron ages that agree with stratigraphic constraints. Lavas collected from a 1250 m thick section in the landslide scarp headwall were all erupted around 470 ± 10 ka, implying an extraordinary period of accumulation of ∼25 mm/yr, possibly correlating with the peak of the shield-building stage. This rate is three times higher than the estimated vertical lava accumulation rate for shield-building at Mauna Kea (8.6 ± 3.1 mm/yr) based on results from the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project. Between ∼470 and 273 ka, the lava accumulation rate along the southwest rift zone decreased dramatically to ∼1 mm/yr. We propose that the marked reduction in lava accumulation rate does not mark the onset of post-shield volcanism as previously suggested, but rather indicates the upward migration of the magma system as Mauna Loa evolved from a submarine stage of growth to one that is predominantly subaerial, thereby cutting off supply to the distal rift zone. Prior to ∼250 ka, lavas with Loihi-like isotopic signatures were erupted along with lavas having typical Mauna Loa values, implying greater heterogeneity in the plume source earlier in Mauna Loa's growth. In addition to refining accumulation rates and the isotopic evolution of the lavas erupted along the southwest rift zone, our new40Ar/39Ar results constrain the eruption of the Ninole Basalts from 227 to 108 ka and provide maximum estimates on the timing of the Ka Lae and South Kona landslides.

Stratigraphically controlled sequences of in situ lavas were collected from Loihi Seamount using the Alvin submersible to evaluate the volcano's temporal geochemical evolution. Three sections with up to 370 m of relief were sampled from the two pit craters at the summit of Loihi. All of the analyses were done on glass separates. Our results indicate that tholeiitic and alkalic volcanism at the summit of Loihi has been coeval. The tholeiitic and alkalic lavas have similar incompatible element patterns and O, Pb, Sr, and Nd isotope ratios but are distinct in some incompatible element ratios. These results are consistent with the different Loihi rock types being derived by variable degrees of melting from a common source. The crossing and light-rare-earth-enriched rare earth element patterns and variable Sc/Yb ratios of the tholeiites indicate that their source was a garnet lherzolite. The relatively low δ18O values (∼4.9 ‰) for Loihi lavas are interpreted to be characteristic of the Hawaiian plume.

Loihi seamount has been mapped using Seabeam multibeam sonar, and the resulting data have been processed to produce bathymetric maps with a 10-m contour interval and shaded-relief perspective images. Analysis of morphological and structural data recorded in the maps and images indicates that constructional volcanism on Loihi has been localized predominantly along its southern and northern rift zones and that these rifts have been active since early in the seamount's history. The distinct asymmetry between Loihi's eastern and western slopes (the eastern slopes are steeper) is attributed to mass wasting of large sections of the volcano's west flank. Two large amphitheater valleys on the seamount's west flank are believed to have resulted from repeated mass-wasting events triggered by earthquakes associated with an early rift zone whose core now lies buried beneath the block feature present on Loihi's southwest flank. The prominent kink in the present south rift zone of Loihi may represent a fundamental readjustment of along-rift magma conduits that was caused by gravitational slumping on the southwest flank of the volcano. Lava cones and constructional volcanic ridges are present along the rims of summit pit craters and form a continuous chain of volcanic constructs around the periphery of the summit platform. The concentric arrangement of young eruptive vents pn Loihi's summit may be caused by ring dikes. The morphology and structural interrelationships of pit craters on Loihi's summit suggest that the southeastern pit is the youngest. The formation of a summit platform on Loihi may have been caused by repeated collapse of pit craters and the southward migration of primary magma conduits that underlie the pits. This model predicts a north-to-south age progression for volcanism on Loihi's summit.

Tholeiitic glasses were dredged from the submarine rift zones of the five volcanoes comprising the island of Hawaii and Loihi Seamount. The major element composition of the glasses follows a systematic trend that is related to the stage of evolution of the volcano. Glasses from Loihi Seamount (the youngest Hawaiian volcano) are enriched in Fe, Ca, Ti, Na, and K and depleted in Si and Al relative to the glasses from the other, older volcanoes. Kilauea is intermediate in age and its glasses are intermediate in composition between those from Loihi and Mauna Loa, the largest and oldest of the active Hawaiian tholeiitic volcanoes. The volatile contents (H20, CO2, S, F, Cl) of the glasses from these volcanoes follow the same trend (highest in Loihi; lowest in Mauna Loa). Glasses from Hualalai Volcano are similar in composition to those from Mauna Loa; those from Kohala Volcano are similar to Kilauea; Mauna Kea glasses range from Mauna Loa-like to Kilauea-like. The observed systematic variation in composition of Hawaiian tholeiites may be related to the progressive melting and depletion of the source of these volcanoes during their growth. Oxygen and hydrogen isotope analyses were made on many of the glasses from each volcano. The δ18O values of Hawaiian tholeiites are distinctly lower than those of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) (averages: 5.1 versus 5.7). These low values are probably a distinct feature of hot spot lavas. The δD values for these glasses (−88 to −61) are typical of mantle and MORB values. Thus the H2O in the Hawaiian glasses is probably of magmatic origin. Previous isotopic and trace element data indicate that the source of Hawaiian tholeiites contains two distinct source components. Based on the results of this study, the plume component in the source for Hawaiian tholeiites is characterized by moderate 87Sr/86Sr (0.7035–0.7037) and 206Pb/204Pb ratios (18.6–18.7), a low δ18O value (∼5.0), and greater contents of volatiles, Fe, Ca, Ti, Na and K relative to the MORB source.

Geological and geophysical studies along the entire length of the Line Islands were undertaken in order to test the hot spot model for the origin of this major linear island chain. Volcanic rocks were recovered in 21 dredge hauls and fossiliferous sedimentary rocks were recovered in 19 dredge hauls. Volcanic rocks from the Line Islands are alkalic basalts and hawaiites. In addition, a tholeiitic basalt and a phonolite have been recovered from the central part of the Line chain. Microprobe analyses of groundmass augite in the alkalic basalts indicate that they contain high TiO2 (1.0–4.0 wt %) and Al2O3 (3.4–9.1 wt %) and are of alkaline to peralkaline affinities. Major element compositions of the Line Islands volcanic rocks are very comparable to Hawaiian volcanic rocks. Trace element and rare earth element analyses also indicate that the rocks are typical of oceanic island alkalic lavas; the Line Islands lavas are very much unlike typical mid-ocean ridge or fracture zone basalts. Dating of these rocks by 40Ar-39Ar, K-Ar, and paleontological methods, combined with Deep Sea Drilling Project data from sites 165, 315, and 316 and previously dated dredged rocks, provide ages of volcanic events at 20 localities along the chain from 18°N to 9°S, a distance of almost 4000 km. All of these dates define mid-Cretaceous to late Eocene edifice or ridge-building volcanic events. Eocene volcanic events took place from 15°N to 9°S, and Late Cretaceous events took place from 18°N to 9°S. In the southern Line Islands both Cretaceous and Eocene events took place on the same edifice or ridge, indicating recurrent volcanism at a single locality. The irregular distribution of atolls in the chain, the fact that Late Cretaceous reefs flourished along a distance of approximately 2500 km in the central and southern Line Islands, and the observation that spatially closely related seamounts exhibit different subsidence histories are interpreted as indicating that large segments of the chain have not followed a t1/2 related subsidence path. Magnetic surveys of 11 seamounts show that four of the seamounts, from the central Line chain, give virtual geomagnetic poles which fall well to the north of virtual geomagnetic poles of Cretaceous seamounts. These four poles agree with other paleomagnetic data of middle-late Eocene-early Oligocene age from the Pacific. One of these four seamounts yielded a 40Ar-39Ar total fusion age of 39 Ma. Because the poles of all four seamounts fall into a tight group we infer that they are probably of middle-late Eocene age to early Oligocene age. The other three seamounts as well as one seamont from the Line Islands analyzed previously all give virtual geomagnetic poles which agree with Late Cretaceous paleomagnetic data from the Pacific. Of these four seamounts, three give Late Cretaceous 40Ar-39Ar ages ranging from 71 to 85 Ma; another, in the southern Line Islands, is interpreted, on paleontological evidence, to be of Late Cretaceous age. The origin of the Line Islands has been ascribed by previous workers to the effects of a single hot spot and to the action of four hot spots. The single hot spot model cannot account for all of the volcanic edifices in the Line Islands, although it does explain a general age progression of 9.6±0.4 cm/yr from north to south along the chain derived from a number of dated edifices. The four hot spot model accounts for more of the dated volcanic edifices but still does not explain all of the available data. The petrologic data argue against a mid-ocean ridge or transform fault origin proposed by earlier workers. The complex volcanic province represented by the Line Islands remains a challenge to existing models for the origin of midplate volcanism in the Pacific. An atoll drilling program which could determine edifice building histories, paleolatitudes of seamount formation, and subsidence rates and patterns in the Line Islands is needed.