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The stable isotope systems of Li and B are useful tools for the understanding of ocean island basalt genesis. We have applied both systems to a comprehensive set of well-characterised samples across the Azores islands in order to further evaluate the nature of the mantle source. These ocean islands represent the surface expression of a low-buoyancy mantle plume. The variability of Li and B concentrations and their isotopic compositions across the archipelago builds on recent radiogenic isotope studies from the islands to the west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Flores and Corvo). The results for both systems yield some values that are typical for ocean island basalts; however, the variability of both δ7Li and δ11B observed in primitive lavas is most extreme on the western islands of Flores and Corvo (δ7Li = + 3.5 to + 8.2‰ and δ11B = − 3.5 to + 11.8‰). The large spread in isotopic composition is most likely due to contamination of the magmas during ascent through hydrothermally altered oceanic crust. Models of assimilation fractional crystallisation best explain the variability observed on each island and allow for robust estimates of the mantle source. The implication of these observations is that the interpretation of the radiogenic isotopes and trace elements may have to be treated with care if the stable isotopes record contamination by assimilation of hydrothermally altered material and that the use of Li and B as mantle source tracers may be obscured by shallow level processes. Further, it seems unlikely that the large range observed in Sr and Nd isotopes can reflect variable contributions from recycled low-T materials such as sediment or altered MORB, since there is no correlation between the radiogenic and stable isotope data.

Recent geochemical work shows that subduction-zone serpentinites are repositories for fluid-mobile elements absorbed during interaction with sediment-derived fluids. Unraveling the geochemical fingerprint of these rocks helps to define timing of tectonic accretion of sediments along the subduction interface and the role ofserpentinitein element recycling tovolcanic arcs. Here we present the trace element andisotopic composition(B–O–H, Sr, Pb) of high-pressure serpentinites from the Voltri Massif (Ligurian Western Alps, Italy), to discuss their role as incompatible element carriers and their contribution to recycling of sediment-derived components in subduction zones. The serpentinites presented here record metamorphic olivine growth during eclogite-faciesmetamorphismand show undeformed and mylonitic textures. Field relations show that undeformed rocks are enclosed in deformed ones and that nometasedimentary rocksare present nearby. Undeformed serpentinite has very high δ11BSRM951(from +26‰ to +30‰), low Sr and Pbisotope ratios(87Sr/86Sr=0.7053–0.7069;206Pb/204Pb=18.131–18.205) and low As and Sb contents (0.1 and 0.01μg/g, respectively). Oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions are +4.5‰ and −67‰, respectively. In contrast, mylonitic serpentinite shows lower δ11B (from +22‰ to +17‰), significant enrichment in radiogenic Sr and Pb isotopes (87Sr/86Sr up to 0.7105;206Pb/204Pb up to 18.725), and enrichment in As and Sb (1.3 and 0.39μg/g, respectively). δ18O of the mylonitic serpentinites reaches values of +5.9‰, whereas δD is comparable with that of undeformed rocks (approximately −70‰). In mylonitic serpentinites, the B and Sr isotopic values and the fluid-mobile element (FME) concentrations are near those for the Voltri metasedimentary rocks (calc- and mica-schists). Pb systematics also reveal influx of a crust-derived component. Our dataset shows that undeformed serpentinite still preserves an oceanic geochemical fingerprint, whereas mylonitic serpentinite is reset in its concentrations of FME and its B, Sr and Pb isotope compositions, due to interaction with sediment- and crust-derived fluids. The environment of this interaction is either compatible with (i) an outer-rise zone setting, withpercolationof seawater-derived fluids enriched in sedimentary components into bending-related fault structures, or with (ii) subduction channel domains, where ascending sediment-derived slab fluids infiltrate slices of former oceanic serpentinite accreted to the plate interface domain. Influx of sediment-derived subduction fluids along major deformation zones in serpentinite modifies the element budget of the rocks, with important implications for element recycling and the tectonic history of serpentinite. The B, Sr and Pb isotopic systematics, coupled with FME concentration in serpentinites are particularly helpful geochemical tracers of interaction between different reservoirs in subduction-interface environments, and are more sensitive than the traditionally applied stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions.

To develop a model of both the structure and evolution of the Campi Flegrei caldera (CFc) magmatic feeding system, geochronological, geochemical and Sr, Nd, Pb and B isotopic data of representative volcanic products of the past 15 ka have been combined with geophysical and melt inclusion literature data, structural setting and dynamics of the resurgent caldera. According to previous petrological data, the CFc magmatic feeding system consists of a deep reservoir, in which mantle-derived K-basaltic parental magmas differentiate to shoshonite, latite and trachyte, through combined crustal contamination and fractional crystallization processes, and shallow reservoirs where the evolved magmas further differentiate and mingle/mix before eruptions. The Sr, Nd, Pb, and B isotope data allow recognition of three distinct magmatic components. One component is believed to be residual magma from the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) caldera forming eruption. The NYT component (87Sr/86Sr of 0.70750–53, 143Nd/144Nd ratio of ca. 0.51246, 206Pb/204Pb of ca. 19.04 and δ11B of ca. –7.9‰), has been the most prevalent component over the past 15 ka being mixed, in most cases, with the other two components. One of these other components is best recognized in the Minopoli 2 magma, first erupted 10 ka ago. Minopoli 2 magma is shoshonitic in composition and is the most enriched in radiogenic Sr (87Sr/86Sr of ca. 0.70860) and unradiogenic Nd and Pb (143Nd/144Nd ratio of ca. 0.51236, 206Pb/204Pb of ca. 18.90), and is characterised by δ11B value of ca. –7.32‰. The third component is trachytic in composition and has higher 206Pb/204Pb (ca. 19.08), lower 87Sr/86Sr (ca. 0.70726) and δ11B (−9.8‰) and higher 143Nd/144Nd (ca. 0.51250), with respect to the NYT component. This third component is best recognized in the Astroni 6 magma and did not appear until ca. 4 ka. The identified isotopically distinct magmatic components were erupted in different sectors of the CFc. During both I (

The South Sandwich volcanic arc is sited on a young oceanic crust, erupts low-K tholeiitic rocks, is characterized by unexotic pelagic and volcanogenic sediments on the down-going slab, and simple tectonic setting, and is ideal for assessing element transport through subduction zones. As a means of quantifying processes attending transfer of subduction-related fluids from the slab to the mantle wedge, boron concentrations and isotopic compositions were determined for representative lavas from along the arc. The samples show variable fluid-mobile/fluid-immobile element ratios and high enrichments of B/Nb (2.7 to 55) and B/Zr (0.12 to 0.57), similar to those observed in western Pacific arcs. δ11B values are among the highest so far reported for mantle-derived lavas; these are highest in the central part of the arc (+ 15 to + 18‰) and decrease toward the southern and northern ends (+ 12 to + 14‰). δ11B is roughly positively correlated with B concentrations and with 87Sr/86Sr ratios, but poorly coupled with other fluid-mobile elements such as Rb, Ba, Sr and U. Peridotites dredged from the forearc trench also have high δ11B (ca. + 10‰) and elevated B contents (38–140 ppm). Incoming pelagic sediments sampled at ODP Site 701 display a wide range in δ11B (+ 5 to − 13‰; average = − 4.1‰), with negative values most common. The unusually high δ11B values inferred for the South Sandwich mantle wedge cannot easily be attributed to direct incorporation of subducting slab materials or fluids derived directly therefrom. Rather, the heavy B isotopic signature of the magma sources is more plausibly explained by ingress of fluids derived from subduction erosion of altered frontal arc mantle wedge materials similar to those in the Marianas forearc. We propose that multi-stage recycling of high-δ11B and high-B serpentinite (possibly embellished by arc crust and volcaniclastic sediments) can produce extremely 11B-rich fluids at slab depths beneath the volcanic arc. Infiltration of such fluids into the mantle wedge likely accounts for the unusual magma sources inferred for this arc.

East of the Patagonian Andes, mafic volcanic rocks (mainly lava flows and scoriae) are exposed in the Sierra de San Bernardo fold belt and neighbouring areas (central Patagonia; 44.5-46° S, 69-71° W). They were erupted over a wide interval of time (late Eocene-Pleistocene; 14 new K-Ar ages), and show systematic chemical and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic variations in time. The alkaline lavas (Mg number 57-66) erupted during the late Eocene and early Miocene, have an intraplate geochemical affinity, and have the highest 143Nd/144Nd and 206Pb/204Pb and the lowest 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios of the dataset. Their compositions indicate that their depth of equilibration in the mantle was greater than that of subsequent lavas. In contrast, the Plio-Pleistocene alkaline lavas (Mg number 58-71) are the most enriched in incompatible elements, still showing an intra-plate signature, and have the lowest 143Nd/ 144Nd and 206Pb/204Pb and the highest 87Sr/86Sr ratios. A distinctive group of early Miocene subalkaline lavas is characterized by slightly more evolved compositions (Mg number 56-59), coupled with very low incompatible element contents, flat LREE and fractionated HREE patterns ('kinked' pattern), and intermediate Sr-Nd-Pb isotope compositions. The Pleistocene basanites (Mg number 71-72) from the Cerro Ante monogenetic cone, on the easternmost slopes of the Patagonian Andes, have a marked orogenic geochemical signature and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope ratios that overlap with those of volcanic rocks from the adjacent active Andean arc. They originated in a mantle source extensively modified by the addition of materials from the subducting Pacific oceanic plates. We suggest that the wide chemical and isotopic variability of the Sierra de San Bernardo lavas reflects the upwelling of asthenospheric mantle beneath the study area, which induced lithospheric erosion and progressive involvement of enriched mantle domains in the genesis of magmas. In this context, late Eocene and early Miocene alkaline magmatism was dominantly sourced from the asthenospheric mantle, whereas Plio-Pleistocene alkaline magmas contain the largest proportion of an enriched lithospheric component. The peculiar compositional features of the early Miocene subalkaline lavas are interpreted in terms of high-degree mantle melting followed by melt-lithospheric mantle reaction processes. Based on current knowledge about the relative movement and decoupling between lithosphere and asthenosphere, we propose that the asthenosphere below the study area rose up to compensate for the westward drift of the mantle wedge coupled with the South American lithosphere. Fil: Bruni, Sandro. Istituto Di Geoscienze E Georisorse; Italia. Università degli Studi di Pisa; Italia Fil: D'Orazio, Massimo. Università degli Studi di Pisa; Italia. Istituto Di Geoscienze E Georisorse; Italia Fil: Haller, Miguel Jorge F.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; Argentina Fil: Innocenti, Fabrizio. Università degli Studi di Pisa; Italia. Istituto Di Geoscienze E Georisorse; Italia Fil: Manetti, Piero. Istituto Di Geoscienze E Georisorse; Italia. Università degli Studi di Firenze; Italia Fil: Pécskay, Zoltán. Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Institute of Nuclear Research; Hungría Fil: Tonarini, Sonia. Istituto Di Geoscienze E Georisorse; Italia

The potassic (K) to ultrapotassic (UK) volcanic rocks cropping out in the Vardar Zone of Macedonia and southern Serbia span in age from Late Miocene (6.57 Ма) to Pleistocene (1.47 Ма). The main identified outcrops are in the Kumanovo, Sveti Nikole, Shtip and Demir Kapia areas; the southernmost occurrences of these volcanic rocks are located in the large Kozuf Massif (Voras Massif in Greece) at the Macedonia–Greek border. Three distinct groups may be distinguished. The first group has a shoshonitic affinity and occurs in the Kozuf Massif (LMg-K group); it includes shoshonites to rare rhyolites, with latites and trachytes being the most widespread products. The second group consists of potassic rocks (HMg-K group, K2O/Na2O between 1.0 and 1.8) occurring in both southern Serbia (Cer and Slavujevci) and Macedonia (Djuristhe, near Sveti Nikole). The third group, present only in Macedonia, consists of ultrapotassic rocks (UK group, K2O/Na2O >1.8, Mg# >71) classified as UK shoshonites, UK latites and UK phonotephrites; overall, they show a “Roman Province type” affinity (Group III of Foley, Venturelli, Green, Toscani, Earth Sci Rev 24:81–134, 1987). Geochemically, the studied rocks exhibit strong enrichment in LILE, Th and Pb, as well as relative depletion in Ta–Nb and Hf; such signatures are typical of magmas generated in convergent geotectonic settings. In the HMg-K and UK rocks, Sr and Nd isotopic ratios vary from 0.70768 to 0.71040, and 0.51243 to 0.512149, respectively. The rocks of the LMg-K group show relatively limited Sr and Nd isotope variations (0.7087–0.7093 and 0.51233–0.51229), which correlate with a decrease in MgO and increase in SiO2 contents. The geochemical features of the LMg-K volcanic rocks indicate that their evolution was mainly driven by fractional crystallization coupled with contamination by feldspar-rich crustal materials. In contrast, the HMg-K and UK rocks have not been significantly modified by crustal contamination, and their geochemical features are considered to reflect lithospheric mantle heterogeneity acquired during the subduction of the Western Vardar Ocean and the Apulian plate. The metasomatizing agent was apparently more enriched in Zr, Th, Ta and Ce than in fluid-mobile elements, such as Pb and Cs, suggesting that it was characterized by a high melt/fluid ratio. The potassic and ultrapotassic magmatic activity developed in response to the Pliocene–Pleistocene extension in the Vardar Zone, in turn related to the opposite propagation of extension in the Aegean and Pannonian basins (respectively SW and NE).

We report here, for the first time, on the new finding of extrusive calciocarbonatite (alvikite) rocks from the Pleistocene Mt. Vulture volcano (southern Italy). These volcanic rocks, which represent an outstanding occurrence in the wider scenario of the Italian potassic magmatism, form lavas, pyroclastic deposits, and feeder dikes exposed on the northern slope of the volcano. The petrography, mineralogy and whole-rock chemistry attest the genuine carbonatitic nature of these rocks, that are characterized by high to very high contents of Sr, Ba, U, LREE, Nb, P, F, Th, high Nb/Ta and LREE/HREE ratios, and low contents of Ti, Zr, K, Rb, Na and Cs. The O–C isotope compositions are close to the “primary igneous carbonatite” field and, thus, are compatible with an ultimate mantle origin for these rocks. The Sr–Nd–Pb–B isotope compositions, measured both in the alvikites and in the silicate volcanic rocks, indicate a close genetic relationship between the alvikites and the associated melilitite/nephelinite rocks. Furthermore, these latter products are geochemically distinct from the main foiditic-phonolitic association of Mt. Vulture. We propose a petrogenetic/geodynamic interpretation which has important implications for understanding the relationships between carbonatites and orogenic activity. In particular, we propose that the studied alvikites are generated through liquid unmixing at crustal levels, starting from nephelinitic or melilititic parent liquids. These latter were produced in a hybrid mantle resulting from the interaction through a vertical slab window, between a metasomatized mantle wedge, moving eastward from the Tyrrhenian/ Campanian region, and the local Adriatic mantle. The occurrence of carbonatite rocks at Mt. Vulture, that lies on the leading edge of the Southern Apennines accretionary prism, is taken as an evidence for the carbonatation of the mantle sources of this volcano. We speculate that mantle carbonatation is related to the introduction of sedimentary carbon from the Adriatic lithosphere during Tertiary subduction. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neogene magmatism in the Apuseni Mountains of Romania was active between 15 and 7 Ma, with an isolated final eruption at 1.6 Ma. Several groups of magmatic rocks can be distinguished in the province on the basis of ages, trace elements and isotopic compositions. Most are of calc-alkaline affinity, despite the fact that the region is located 200 km from the postulated Carpathian subduction trench. However, adakite-like calc-alkaline magmas were also erupted and the youngest eruptions were of alkaline affinity. Magmatic rocks older than 13.5 Ma are characterised by the highest 87Sr/86Sr, δ18O and δD values in their phenocryst phases. This early magmatism is considered to be a result of crustal melting related to the fast rotation of small crustal blocks. Volcanic rocks younger than 13.5 Ma have lower 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O ratios, with a narrow range for pyroxene and amphibole mineral separates, indicating closed system fractional crystallization. A larger scatter of 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O values is found in plagioclase phenocrysts and groundmasses, indicating that a small amount of crustal assimilation also occurred. The δD values for hydrogen-bearing phases such as amphibole, biotite and groundmass indicate fractional crystallisation in a closed system and a trend of decreasing δD in the source with time. The magma source of normal calc-alkaline adakite-like magmas was not related to contemporaneous subduction, but was likely due to melting of delaminated eclogitic mafic lower crust. In contrast, the late-stage alkaline magmas were related to asthenospheric upwelling. Petrological analysis of the complex succession of magmas in the Apuseni Mountains province demonstrates that normal calc-alkaline and adakite-like magmatism can be generated in a non-subductional environment, in this case associated with an unusual extensional setting.

A continuous-coring borehole recently drilled at Camaldoli dellaTorre on the southern slopes of Somma^Vesuvius provides constraints on the volcanic and magmatic history of the Vesuvian volcanic area since c. 126 ka BP. The cored sequence includes volcanic units, defined on stratigraphical, sedimentological, petrological and geochemical grounds, emitted from both local and distal vents. Some of these units are of known age, such as one Phlegraean pre-Campanian Ignimbrite, Campanian Ignimbrite (3 9 ka), Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (14 ?9 ka) and Vesuvian Plinian deposits, which helps to constrain the relative age of the other units. The main rock types encountered are shoshonite, phonotephrite, latite, trachyte and phonolite. The seque nce includes, from the base upwards: a thick succession of pyroclastic units emplaced between 126 and 3 9 ka, most of them attributed to eruptions that occurred in the Phlegraean area; the Campanian Ignimbrite; the products of a local tuff cone formed between 3 9 ka and the deposition of the products of the earliest activity of the Mt. Somma volcano; the products of the Somma^Vesuvius volcano, which include from the base upwards a thick sequence of lavas, pyroclastic rocks and the products of a local spatter cone dated between 3 ?7 ka and AD 79.The data obtained from the study of the borehole show that, before the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption, low-energy explosive volcanism took place in the Vesuvian area, whereas mostly high-energy explosive eruptions characterized the Campi Flegrei activity. In the Vesuvian area, Campanian Ignimbrite deposition was followed by the eruption of a local tuff cone and a long repose time, which predated the formation of the Mt. Somma edifice. Since 18 ?3 ka (Pomici di Base eruption) the activity of Somma^Vesuvius became mostly explosive with rare lava effusions. The shallowest cored deposits belong to the Camaldoli dellaTorre cone, formed between the Pomici di Avellino and Pomici di Pompei eruptions (3 ?7 ka^AD 79). New geochemical and Sr^Nd^Pb^ B-isotopic data on samples from the drilled core, together with those available from the literature, allow us to further distinguish the volcanic rocks as a function of both their provenance (i.e. Phlegraean or Vesuvian areas) and age, and to identify different magmatic processes acting through time in the Vesuvian mantle source(s) and during magma ascent towards the surface. Isotopically distinct magmas, rising from a mantle source variably contaminated by slab- derived components, stagnated at mid-crustal depths (8^10 km below sea level) where magmas differentiated and were probably contaminated. Contamination occurred either with Hercynian continental crust, mostly during the oldest stages of Vesuvian activity (from 3 9 to 16 ka), or with Mesozoic limestone, mostly during recent Vesuvian activity. Energy constrained assimilation and fractional crystallization (EC-AFC) modelling results show that contamina- tion with Hercynian crust probably occurred during differentiation from shoshonite to latite. Contamination with limestone, which is not well constrained with the available data, might have occurred only during the transition from shoshonite to tephrite. From the 'deep' reservoir, magmas rose towards a series of shallow reservoirs, in which they differentiated further, mixed, and fed volcanic activity.

Temporal variation in the isotopic composition of boron has been monitored in fumarolic condensates collected over an extended time period (1970–1996) from La Fossa crater, Volcano Island. We also report comparative boron isotopic data for representative Vulcano lavas and for shallow hydrologic samples (seawater, wells, thermal springs) from the north flank of La Fossa. Combined with concurrent chemical and isotopic (δ18O, δD) data for the fumaroles, these results indicate that the fumarolic fluids record mixing relations between three distinct fluid end members: (1) a dominantly magmatic fluid (EM1); (2) a mixture of modified seawater with magmatic fluid (EM2); and (3) an aqueous fluid produced from seawater by extensive wall-rock reaction, evaporation, and boiling (AF). Differences between the latter two end members are most clearly accentuated on the basis of the boron isotopic data. Long-term compositional variations for crater fumaroles were dominated by EM1-AF mixing between 1979–88, with progressive decrease in EM1 contribution with time, and by EM2-AF mixing between 1988–96. The exact spatial distribution of these fluid reservoirs remains unclear, but all must have been present throughout the monitoring period to account for the observed variations. Moreover, the combined B-O-H data seem to preclude important contributions from shallow meteoric reservoirs. Marked short-term variations in δ11B closely coincide with episodes of local seismicity, which presumably triggered reorganization of hydrothermal circulation patterns; gradual variations over periods up to 3–4 years are associated with relatively low seismicity during which fluid circulation was likely influenced by effects of mineral precipitation on permeability of the hydrologic system.

New B and Li isotopic data are presented for well-characterized basalts from a transect across the Cascades volcanic arc, S. Washington, for a sediment core on the incoming Juan de Fuca plate, and for dacites from Mt. St. Helens. The basalts define two compositional groups, one (I) having affinities to those from intraplate settings and the other (II) resembling typical volcanic arc calcalkalic lavas. These groups are inferred to have distinct sources. Group I lavas have low Li/Y (0.25–0.6) and B/Nb (∼0.1–0.45), near-constant Ba/Nb (7–18), and show little cross-arc variation in fluid-mobile/immobile element ratios. In contrast, Group II lavas have slightly elevated Li/Y (∼0.5) and higher Ba/Nb (21–100) regardless of location; B/Nb is enriched (to ∼2.2) in the frontal arc, but toward the backarc drops to lower values (

Boron concentration and isotopic compositions were determined in representative products from the Phlegrean Volcanic District (PVD), which includes Campi Flegrei (CF), and the islands of Procida and Ischia. The most primitive products (from Procida and Ischia islands) are moderately enriched in B (4.6-12 ppm), whereas more evolved products of CF and Ischia Island are more enriched (21-118 ppm). The content of B is positively correlated with Nb, Zr, Th, La and, generally, with all incompatible elements. delta11B values are generally lower and more uniform in samples from CF (-6.8 to - 10.6‰) compared with those from Procida (-3.6 to -8.5‰) and Ischia (-2.8 to -8.4‰) islands. Overall, B-enrichments relative to fluid-immobile elements of PVD are only slightly higher than those observed in mid-ocean ridge basalts and there is no significant correlation between delta11B and B/immobile element ratios. For CF samples including the Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) and most post-CI products, delta11B is negatively correlated with 87Sr/86Sr, with extreme compositions represented by evolved products of the CI (higher delta11B, lower 87Sr/86Sr) and less evolved shoshonite (lower delta11B, higher 87Sr/86Sr). In contrast, samples from Procida, Ischia, and pre-CI products and one young shoshonite from CF define a distinct correlation with primitive trachybasalt as the high delta11B, low 87Sr/86Sr end-member, and young shoshonites as the low delta11B, high 87Sr/86Sr end-member. The overall interpretation of the geochemical and isotopic data suggests three conclusions: (1) Geochemical and isotopic variations of post-CI products from CF can be explained by mixing/mingling between at least two distinct magmas, i.e. the CI and the young shoshonite (Minopoli 1). (2) The isotopic trend described by Procida trachybasalts, Ischia samples, pre-CI samples from CF and Pigna St. Nicola shoshonite is a mantle trend suggesting the involvement in their genesis of a distinct component depleted in B, with low delta11B and high 87Sr/86Sr. A similar component has been invoked to explain the differences between Stromboli potassic lavas and more typical calc-alkaline rocks of the Aeolian Islands. This component is consistent with ‘sediments or melts thereof' introduced into the mantle by subduction, but depleted in B due to metamorphic reactions accompanying subduction. (3) The displacement from the mantle trend of CI and Minopoli 1 shoshonite magmas is probably due to crustal contamination processes.

Sr-isotopic microanalysis has been performed on selected minerals from the Campi Flegrei caldera, together with Sr and Nd isotopic ratio determinations on bulk mineral and glass fractions. The aim was a better characterization of the chemically homogeneous, but isotopically distinct magmatic components which fed volcanic eruptions of the caldera over the past 5 ka, in order to enhance our knowledge about one of the most dangerous volcanoes on Earth. Information on the involved magmatic endmembers, unobtainable by analyzing the isotopic composition of whole rock samples and bulk mineral fractions, has been acquired through high-precision determination of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr on single crystals and microdrilled mineral powders. We focused our investigations on the products emplaced during the Astroni 6 eruption (4.23 cal ka BP), assumed representative of the expected event in case of renewed volcanic activity in the Campi Flegrei caldera. Data on single crystals and microdrilled mineral powders have been compared with Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of bulk mineral fractions from products emplaced during the whole Astroni activity, which included seven distinct eruptions. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of single crystals and microdrilled mineral powders are in the 0.7060 to 0.7076 range, much wider than that of bulk mineral fractions, which range from 0.7066 to 0.7076. Moreover, the Sr isotopic ratios are inversely correlated to 143 Nd/ 144 Nd. The new data allow us to better define the magmatic endmembers involved in mingling/mixing processes that occurred prior to/during the Astroni activity. One magmatic endmember, characterized by average 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of ~ 0.70750, was quite common in the past 15 ka activity of the Campi Flegrei caldera; the other, as evidenced by the isotopic composition of single feldspar and clinopyroxene crystals, is less enriched in radiogenic Sr ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ~ 0.70724). The latter is interpreted to represent a new magmatic component that entered the Campi Flegrei caldera feeding system in the past 5 ka, the previously recognized Astroni 6 component. However, diopside crystals in Astroni 6 are characterized by even lower 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, in the range of 0.7060–0.7068 and by the highest 143 Nd/ 144 Nd ratios measured in the products of Astroni activity. These diopsides may represent another common magmatic component, as they have been found in most of the Phlegrean Volcanic District products emplaced over the past 75 ka. These diopsides, crystallized in a mantle-derived mafic magma, were entrapped by the Astroni 6 magma during ascent, before it mingled/mixed with the more differentiated and enriched in radiogenic Sr resident magma, thus attaining an intermediate Sr-Nd isotopic fingerprint. These results have an important outcome on the understanding of the volcano behavior, as renewed activity can be triggered by the arrival of fresh magma in the feeding system that would mingle/mix with the resident magma. Such an event may be able to start an unrest phase at the volcano that could last for years or decades, perhaps culminating in a new eruption.

The Aeolian arc (South Italy) overlies a subduction zone formed during a complex collision between the African and European tectonic plates. Thinned continental crust beneath the eastern part of the arc and subduction of continental lithosphere distinguish this arc from its counterparts in intraoceanic settings. Boron isotopic systematics were determined for selected Aeolian lavas to evaluate processes of magma genesis, and potential complications arising from involvement of continental materials. The most mafic lavas show significant variation in δ11B (−6.1 to +2.3‰) which is positively correlated with mobile/immobile element ratios (e.g. B/Th (0.7–5.1), B/Nb (0.4–4.9), B/Zr (0.05–0.37), Cs/Nb (0.04–0.42). Plots of δ11B vs. ratios of B to immobile trace elements (e.g. B/Nb, B/Zr, B/La, etc.) give similar δ11B intercepts which are typical of primitive oceanic mantle (ca. −7‰). However, detailed assessment of δ11B–Nb/B–Th/B systematics and other trace element data suggests that the Aeolian mantle wedge is laterally inhomogeneous. The overall cross-arc variation in δ11B in Aeolian calcalkaline lavas can be explained by addition to these mantle sources of a subduction component with relatively high but variable δ11B (−3.5 to +5‰). Progressively higher δ11B and ratios of fluid-mobile elements to Nb with distance eastward from Alicudi is indicative of greater subduction contributions toward the volcanic front. Only the potassic series lavas from Vulcano and Stromboli deviate from this pattern in that they have relatively low δ11B and distinctive Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions that suggest strong involvment of a lithospheric component in addition to subduction effects in their mantle. Comprehensively, δ11B is poorly correlated with Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions allowing clear distinction of subduction related processes from source composition effects.

Combined B, O, H, and Sr isotopic studies of groundwaters from Mt. Etna provide new constraints on their origin and the consequences of fluid-rock interaction within this hydrologic system. Variations in d 18 O( 29.7 to 27.2‰) and d D( 262 to 223‰) mainly lie along the regional meteoric water line and suggest that most waters originated as local precipitation. However, small shifts in d 18 O, and variable 87 Sr/ 86 Sr (0.70355 to 0.70879) and d 11 B( 25.2 to 125.8‰) indicate that subsequent interactions occurred between the fluids and local rocks. High B/Cl ratios in all samples seemingly preclude direct involvement of seawater in the hydrologic system despite the proximity to the coast and, in some samples, elevated 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and d 11 B. Two general 'end-member' water types are recognized on the basis of their chemistry. These apparently are produced by interactions of local meteoric waters with the dominant reservoir rocks— either basaltic lavas of Etna or the underlying sediments, respectively; high d 11 B in the sediment-hosted end-member points to a significant marine carbonate contribution. Subsequent mixing between these or similar end-members produced a range of intermediate composition groundwaters. Certain anomalous water compositions require the presence locally of a distinct component with high B and moderate d 11 B (ca. 110‰) but relatively low 87 Sr/ 86 Sr; an anthropogenic source for this component is plausible. One unusual sample has B and Sr isotopic compositions similar to the other volcanic rock-hosted waters, but anomalously high Cl content that likely reflects local magmatic outgassing near this sampling locality. In general, this study indicates that groundwater B and Sr isotopic compositions are rock-dominated; these data provide useful constraints on the origin and evolution of groundwaters. Copyright © 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd

Palaeomagnetic investigations and Rb–Sr dating were carried out on samples from two plutons from the Granite Harbour Intrusives of the Transantarctic Mountains inland of Terra Nova Bay. The Rb–Sr whole rock–biotite ages from Teall Nunatak (475±4, 483±4 Ma), a quartz-diorite pluton cropping out to the south of Priestley Glacier, are older than that from the Mount Keinath monzogranite (450±4 Ma), which is located to the north of the glacier. These results are consistent with the literature data, which suggest that during the last phases of the Ross Orogeny the cooling rate of the basement was significantly lower to the north than to the south of Priestley Glacier. The Teall Nunatak quartz-diorite is characterized by a stable magnetization, whose blocking-temperature spectrum ranges from 530 to 570 °C. At one site, the stable magnetization is screened by a large secondary component of opposite polarity, removed by thermal demagnetization below 300 °C. The characteristic directions after thermal demagnetization yielded a southern pole located at lat. 11°S, long. 21°E. The magnetization of Mount Keinath monzogranite consists of several components with overlapping stability spectra. A characteristic direction was isolated at one site only, obtained by demagnetizing the specimens in the temperature range from 380 to 460 °C. Comparison with the other East Antarctica poles shows that those from Victoria Land are very well grouped and give a reliable early Ordovician palaeopole (lat. 5°S, long. 23°E, with K=196 and A95=3.7°), whereas the poles from Wilkes, Enderby and Dronning Maud Land are dispersed. We tentatively advance the hypothesis that the dispersion reflects different magnetization ages due to the slow cooling of these regions during the last stages of the Ross Orogeny.

This paper presents the results of an investigation carried out on young volcanic rocks from the Gedemsa and Fanta 'Ale complexes, located in the Main Ethiopian Rift, the site of an intense magmatism since Eocene-Oligocene. The earlier NW-SE direction of extension of the Rift, which generated NE-SW trending faults, rotated around E-W in Quaternary times, and produced the still active N to N-NE Wonji Fault System, The Gedemsa volcano is located in the central part of the Ethiopian Rift, about 100 km SE of Addis Ababa. It is characterized by a wide central caldera, about 8 km in diameter. The general stratigraphic sequence in the area includes, from base upwards, rift-floor ignimbrites, pantelleritic and subordinate trachytic pyroclastic deposits and lava flows and domes, and widespread basaltic deposits. The Fanta 'Ale volcanic complex is located in the northern part of the Main Ethiopian Rift, where the Afar depression begins. It is characterized by a summit caldera of which the diameter is about 4 km. This volcano erupted trachytic and rhyolitic lavas, whereas the most diffuse unit is an ignimbrite related to the caldera collapse. Explosive activity has occurred inside and outside the caldera, forming tuff cones and thick pumice-fallout deposits. The only mafic unit is represented by a basaltic eruption that occurred in 1870 AD. Historical eruptions and intense fumarolic activity are evidence for the persistence activity of the Fanta 'Ale in this part of the Main Ethiopian Rift New geochemical and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope data on representative samples from Gedemsa and Fanta 'Ale volcanoes are presented and discussed in order to shed light on the genesis of mafic and felsic magmas, the genetic link between them, and their possible interaction with the local crust. Volcanic rocks show a typical mafic-felsic bi-modal distribution with few intermediate terms (Daly Gap), as observed at regional scale along the Main Ethiopian Rift as well as on the plateau. Geochemical data and modeling suggest that magmas evolved mainly through fractional crystallization processes, accounting for the entire mafic-felsic compositional variation. However, Sr-Nd-Pb isotope data reveal also open-system evolution processes. The most differentiated, Sr-poor rhyolites suffered important low temperature contamination by shallow fluids of hydrothermal and/or meteoric origin. This affected mostly the Sr isotopic composition of whole-rocks, and much less that of separated feldspars that provide more reliable Sr-87/Sr-86 values. Mafic rocks, as well as the least contaminated felsic rocks, provide evidence for two components involved in the genesis and evolution of mafic magmas: a mantle component, carrying the isotopic composition of the Afar plume, and a crustal component, likely Pan-African sialic lower crust, that might have been added in small amounts, about 2%, to mafic magmas. The origin of the primary magmas is inferred to have occurred by 7% partial melting of a mixed source region including both depleted and enriched mantle components. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ischia, one active volcano of the Phlegraean Volcanic District, prone to very high risk, is dominated by a caldera formed 55 ka BP, followed by resurgence of the collapsed area. Over the past 3 ka, the activity extruded evolved potassic magmas; only a few low-energy explosive events were fed by less evolved magmas. A geochemical and Sr–Nd–O isotope investigation has been performed on minerals and glass from products of three of such eruptions, Molara, Vateliero, and Cava Nocelle (

Serpentine muds from South Chamorro Seamount (SCS), drilled during ODP Leg 195 at Site 1200 contain metamafic clasts that experienced blueschist-facies metamorphism (including the critical mineral assemblage pumpellyite – Na-amphibole – epidote). These schists represent fragments from the actual slab–mantle interface at ~ 27 km depth. Their heterogeneous lithology with a metasomatic character indicates significant mobility of major elements in the Mariana forearc, a region of melange formation as it can also be observed in onland exposures such as the Catalina Schist. As the Mariana forearc blueschists show no late stage alteration they permit the direct study of material transfer during the subduction processes at an active convergent margin. This study presents the first data of detailed B isotope ( δ 11 B) and light element variations in blueschist-facies minerals from the Mariana arc system. The primary foci are B and Li concentrations and δ 11 B values analyzed by SIMS and ToF-SIMS techniques. Minerals such as (Na-rich) amphibole, phengite and chlorite are found to be strongly enriched in Li (up to 70 μg/g), Be (up to 8 μg/g) and B (up to 35 μg/g) and with δ 11 B values of − 6 ± 4‰. These new data are consistent with isotopically heavy B being released into the Mariana forearc mantle wedge (serpentinization of dry mantle peridotite after interaction with B-rich slab-released high pH fluids) and confirm models of significant B-loss and B isotope fractionation during forearc (shallow) slab dehydration. The elevated Li, Be and B concentrations in minerals that comprise the bulk of the rocks, namely, amphibole, phengite, and chlorite bear a strong potential to further transport Li and B as well as the isotopically light component of B to greater depths in the mantle, where ongoing metamorphism is responsible for further isotope and elemental fractionation and the formation of distinct mantle reservoirs, e.g. volcanic arc and oceanic intra-plate (OIB) magmas.

Basaltic flows and sills occur in the Gedo region and in the Shebelle valley (Buulobarde area) of the western-central part of Somalia. These basalts have a subalkaline-transitional tholeiitic character but, on the basis of geochemical and isotope data, three different types can be evidenced. The basalts of Gedo region along the Juba river, from Luuq to Baardheere, are different from those of the Laaf Maakada plateau due to their slightly higher SiO2 and lower FeOt and TiO2 contents, alkalis and Mg values being almost equivalent. The Webe Shebelle basalts, as indicated by their lower Mg values, can be classified as more evolved rocks; they also exhibit slightly higher TiO2 content. The different groups cannot have been derived by simple fractionation processes, as indicated by the87Sr/86Sr isotope composition which ranges from 0.70388 to 0.70530. These variations are correlated with Rb and K2O values, suggesting a crustal contamination process. The Laaf Maakada basalts, characterized by the lowest SiO2, Rb, K2O contents and minimum87Sr/86Sr value, may represent the less contaminated products.

Subduction zone kinematics predict that, assuming a fixed lower plate, the velocity of the subduction equals the velocity of the subduction hinge (Vs = -Vh). In all subduction zones the subduction hinge migrates toward the lower plate. However, two main types of subduction zones can be distinguished: 1) those where the upper plate converges toward the lower plate slower than the subduction hinge (mostly W-directed), and 2) those in which the upper plate converges faster than the subduction hinge (generally E- or NE-directed). Along the first type, there generally is an upward flow of the asthenosphere in the hanging wall of the slab, whereas along the opposite second type, the mantle is pushed down due to the thickening of the lithosphere. The kinematics of W-directed subduction zones predict a much thicker asthenospheric mantle wedge, larger volumes and faster rates of subduction with respect to the opposite slabs. Moreover, the larger volumes of lithospheric recycling, the thicker column of fluids-rich, hotter mantle wedge, all should favour greater volumes of magmatism per unit time. The opposite, E-NE-directed subduction zones show a thinner, if any, asthenospheric mantle wedge due to a thicker upper plate and shallower slab. Along these settings, the mantle wedge, where the percolation of slab-delivered fluids generates melting, mostly involves the cooler lithospheric mantle. The subduction rate is smaller, andesites are generally dominant, and the lithosphere thickens, there appears to be a greater contribution to the growth of the continental lithosphere. Another relevant asymmetry that can be inferred is the slab-induced corner flow in the mantle along W-directed subduction zones, and an upward suction of the mantle along the opposite E- or NNE-directed slabs. The upward suction of the mantle inferred at depth along E-NE-directed subduction zones provides a mechanism for syn-subduction alkaline magmatism in the upper plate, with or without contemporaneous rifting in the backarc. Positive delta(11)B and high (143)Nd/(144)Nd characterize W-directed subduction zones where a thicker and hotter mantle wedge is present in the hanging wall of the slab. However, this observation disappears where large amounts of crustal rocks are subducted as along the W-directed Apennines subduction zone. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Astroni volcano was built through seven eruptions that generated pyroclastic deposits and lava domes within the Campi Flegrei caldera (southern Italy) 4.1–3.8 ka BP. Whole-rock geochemical and B–Sr–Nd isotopic investigations were carried out on representative samples of all seven eruptions. The products vary from tephriphonolites to phonolites, and from latites to trachytes. They show textural, mineralogical and isotopic evidence of disequilibrium, including distinct clinopyroxene populations, rounded and/or resorbed plagioclase and alkali-feldspar, and reverse-zoned phenocrysts of all these mineral phases. The Sr, Nd and B isotopic composition of whole rocks is variable and correlated with the degree of chemical evolution, suggesting open-system processes in addition to fractional crystallisation. Moreover, significant Sr-isotopic disequilibrium between the phenocrysts and glass has been documented for one sample. The chemostratigraphy of the products indicates that Astroni eruptions 1 through 5 were fed by magmas of trachytic to phonolitic composition that were less enriched in radiogenic Sr and 11B up-section. This variability has been interpreted as the result of mingling between at least two distinct magmatic end-members, one more evolved and the other less evolved. Another heterogeneous batch of magma, resulting from almost complete mixing between the same two end-members, was drained during eruptions 6 and 7. The more evolved end-member, characterised by 87Sr/86Sr ≥ 0.7075, 143Nd/144Nd ≤ 0.51247 and δ11B ≥ − 8‰, was very similar to the magma that fed the final phases of the Agnano–Monte Spina eruption, which occurred a few centuries earlier in the Astroni vent area. The less evolved end-member had 87Sr/86Sr ≤ 0.70726, 143Nd/144Nd ≥ 0.51251 and δ11B ≤ 10‰, and was likely derived by fractional crystallisation of a mantle-derived magma. An abrupt decrease in both the Sr isotope ratio and the Th content, detected at the transition between Unit 4 and 5, suggests that another magma with a 87Sr/86Sr ratio intermediate between those of the two identified end-members may have been involved in Astroni activity. The more evolved end-member is interpreted as a residue of the Agnano–Monte Spina eruption that was invaded by either the intermediate or the less evolved magmatic end-member, promoting mingling and triggering Astroni activity. This study of Astroni provides insights for both short- and long-term volcanic hazard assessment, as the Astroni volcano is the best example of a very close sequence of eruptions from the same vent area in the Campi Flegrei caldera.

[1] A comprehensive geochemical study, including B, Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopes, has been carried out on El Salvador subduction-related lavas. The rocks have arc-type incompatible element distributions with high LILE/HFSE ratios, nearly constant 143Nd/144Nd (≈0.5130), and small differences in 207Pb/204Pb (15.53–15.57), whereas 87Sr/86Sr ranges from 0.7035 to 0.7039. Boron isotopic composition varies widely, between −2.7‰ and +6.3‰. The boron isotope signature points to involvement of fluid inputs from (1) a high-δ11B serpentinite fluid from serpentized mantle wedge dragged beneath the volcanic arc or from the subducting lithosphere and (2) a low-δ11B fluid from the progressive dehydration of subducted altered basaltic crust and/or sediments. The observed sample variability is explained with a model in which different proportions of serpentinite-derived (10–50%) and slab-derived fluids are added to an enriched-DMM source, triggering its partial melting. We suggest a model in which tectonic erosion, i.e., dragging down of slivers of serpentinized upper plate mantle, was responsible for the occurrence of serpentinite reservoir, 11B-enriched in the forearc by shallow fluids.

Sr-Nd-Pb-B isotope and incompatible trace element investigations were carried out on volcanics of the Phlegrean Volcanic District, which includes Campi Flegrei and the islands of Ischia and Procida (Campanian region, southern Italy). The results of these investigations allowed us to define several components in the genesis of magmas, including transitional mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB)???type asthenospheric mantle, aqueous fl uids, oceanic sediment melts derived from the subducted Ionian slab, and continental crust. A source contamination process that introduces variable proportions of slab-derived components into the mantle can explain the observed isotopic variations among the products of Ischia and Procida, and of Campi Flegrei older than 39 ka. Furthermore, comparison between Phlegrean Volcanic District and Aeolian arc volcanic rocks shows a different role of aqueous fluids and sediment melts from southeast to northwest. Energy-constrained assimilation and fractional crystallization modeling suggests that younger than 39 ka Campi Flegrei potassic trachybasalt magmas could have assimilated up to 2% of crustal melt, while evolving to trachyte during stagnation at ~8 km depth. Crustal assimilation and mixing/mingling processes among isotopically distinct magma batches at shallower depth account for geochemical and isotopic variations of younger than 39 ka Campi Flegrei volcanic rocks.

Different lithologies (impure marble, eclogite and granitic orthogneiss) sampled from a restricted area of the coesite-bearing Brossasco–Isasca Unit (Dora Maira Massif) have been investigated to examine the behaviour of 40Ar–39Ar and Rb–Sr systems in phengites developed under ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism. Mineralogical and petrological data indicate that zoned phengites record distinct segments of the P–T path: prograde, peak to early retrograde in the marble, peak to early retrograde in the eclogite, and late retrograde in the orthogneiss. Besides major element zoning, ion microprobe analysis of phengite in the marble also reveals a pronounced zoning of trace elements (including Rb and Sr). 40Ar–39Ar apparent ages (~35-–62 Ma, marble; ~89–-170 Ma, eclogite; ~35-–52 Ma, orthogneiss), determined through Ar laserprobe data on phengites (step-heating and in situ techniques), show wide intra-sample and inter-sample variations closely linked to within-sample microchemical variations: apparent ages decrease with decreasing celadonite contents. These data confirm previous reports on excess Ar and, more significantly, highlight that phengite acted as a closed system in the different lithologies and that chemical exchange, not volume diffusion, was the main factor controlling the rate of Ar transport. Conversely, a Rb–Sr internal isochron from the same eclogite yields an age of ~36 Ma, overlapping with the time of the UHP metamorphic peak determined through U–Pb data and thereby corroborating the previous conclusion that UHP metamorphism and early retrogression occurred in close succession. Different phengite fractions of the marble yield calcite–phengite isochron ages of ~36 to ~60 Ma. Although this time interval matches Ar ages from the same sample, Rb–Sr data from phengite are not entirely consistent with the whole dataset. According to trace element variations in phengite, only Rb-–Sr data from two wet-ground phengite separates, yielding ages of ~36 and ~41 Ma, are internally consistent. The oldest age obtained from a millimetre-sized grain fraction enriched in prograde –peak phengites may represent a minimum age estimate for the prograde phengite relics. Results highlight the potential of the in situ 40Ar–-39Ar laser technique in resolving discrete P–T stages experienced by eclogite-facies rocks (provided that excess Ar is demonstrably a negligible factor), and confirm the potential of Rb–Sr internal mineral isochrons in providing precise crystallization ages for eclogite-facies mineral assemblages.

In El Salvador, Central America, active deformation takes the form of a major dextral strike-slip fault system, the El Salvador Fault Zone, resulting from the oblique subduction of the Cocos Plate. The fault system is laterally discontinuous, being subdivided into different major en-echelon segments that partially overlap to form pull-apart structures. Volcanic activity is spatially confined to the fault segments and absent in the intervening pull-apart basins; no significant temporal gap exists in the erupted products, at least during the Plio-Quaternary. Detailed analyses within the geothermal fields of Berlín and Ahuachapán have revealed important volcano-structural and petrologic differences between the two areas. In the Berlín area active deformation is controlled by the regional transcurrent stress field, resulting in the development of systems of right-lateral E–W-trending strike-slip faults. Conversely, the structural setting of the Ahuachapán area is more complex, reflecting an interaction among different stress fields. Berlín products exhibit a marked geochemical and isotopic homogeneity indicating the presence of a single magmatic system. At Ahuachapán, on the other hand, the rocks display significant variations in both Sr isotopes and the LILE/HFSE ratios: this area is characterized by multiple volcanic centres, fed by different magma batches that reach the surface without reciprocal interactions in shallow reservoirs. Thus, the characteristics of the volcanic products at Berlín and Ahuachapán reflect their different tectonic settings, with important implications for geothermal investigations.

The Western Anatolia Miocene-to-Present Day magmatism evolved from calc-alkaline and shoshonitic rocks (21-16 Ma) to lamproites (16-14 Ma), and eventually into OIB-type magmas (2-0 Ma) represented by the Kula volcanics. In the calc-alkaline and shoshonitic association, Sr and Nd isotopic ratios and trace element variations suggest that the interaction with the crust was moderate, so that the geochemistry of these rocks is considered to reflect the heterogeneous chemical nature of their mantle source. The ultrapotassic and lamproitic rocks are characterised by a high Sr and low Nd isotopic composition and are strongly enriched in K and Rb with respect to Ba, indicating a phlogopite-bearing lithospheric source. Low Sr and high Nd isotopic compositions, together with low LILE/HFSE ratios, reveal the OIB-type nature of the Kula volcanics. Therefore, the products switch from supra-subduction orogenic suites to volcanics coming from sub-slab astenospheric mantle. The evolution is interpreted as being due to a 'horizontal' stretching of the slab (no slab pull break-off) generated by different velocities in the subduction hangingwall lithosphere. This triggered the extensional movement between Greece and Turkey and the stretching into two slabs of the NE-directed African subduction, due to the faster southwestward slab rollback of Africa underneath Greece relative to the slab segment below Cyprus and Anatolia. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Major- and trace-element, Sr-Nd isotopes, and mineral chemistry data were obtained for a collection of volcanic rock samples erupted by the Cay and Maca Quaternary volcanoes, Patagonian Andes (45°S, Chile). Cay and Maca are two large, adjacent stratovolcanoes that rise from the Chiloe block at the southern end of the southern volcanic zone (SVZ) of the Andes. Samples from the two volcanoes are typical medium-K, calc-alkaline rocks that form two roughly continuous, largely overlapping series from subalkaline basalt to dacite. The overall geochemistry of the samples studied is very similar to that observed for most volcanoes from the southern SVZ. The narrow range of Sr-Nd isotope compositions (87Sr/86Sr=0.70389-0.70431 and 143Nd/144Nd=0.51277-0.51284) and the major- and trace-element distributions indicate that the Cay and Maca magmas differentiated by crystal fractionation without significant contribution by crustal contamination. This is in accordance with the thin (

At Elba Island (Italy), nine shallow-levei late Miocene granite porphyry layers connected by feeder dikes built up three nested Christmas-tree laccoliths. The intrusive units have been defined and correlated between exposures in western and centrai Elba on the basis of field,petrographic, and geochemical data, along with intrusive relationships. Detailed mapping and reconstuction of tectonic history led to restoration of the originai 5-km-thick sequence and determination of the dimensional parameters of each intrusive layer. Thè laccolith layers were emplaced at depths between 1.9 and 3.7 km, exploiting physical discontinuities that served as crustal magma traps inside a stack of nappes. The intrusive layers are 50-700 m thick, with diameters between 1.6 and 10 km. Length to thickness relationships for individuai laccolith layers show a power-law correlation that does not fìt the known dimensional distribution for laccoliths, but instead fit a line with a slope typical of the theoretical vertical-inflation stage of laccolith development This is interpreted as the first reported natural example of the occurrence of a vertical-inflation stage during laccolith growth. The dimensional data for Elba intrusive layers also suggest that laccoliths and plutons commonly form by amalgamation of smaller sheet-like bodies, while multilayer laccoliths form when coalescence faiis, possibly owing to the large availability of crustal magma traps.

New whole-rock B, Sr, Nd isotope ratios and 87Sr/86Sr on clinopyroxenes have been collected to study the enrichment of fluid mobile elements (FMEs) observed in Mt. Etna volcanics. Etna volcano, one of the most active in the world, is located in an extremely complex tectonic context at the boundary between colliding African and European plates. The analytical work focuses on current (1974–1998) and historic (1851–1971) eruptive activity, including some key prehistoric lavas, in order to interpret the secular shift of its geochemical signature to more alkaline compositions. Boron is used as a tool to unravel the role of fluids in the genesis of magmas, revealing far-reaching consequences, beyond the case study of Mt. Etna. Small variations are observed in δ11B (−3.5 to −8.0‰), 87Sr/86Sr (0.70323–0.70370), and 143Nd/144Nd (0.51293–0.51287). Moreover, temporal evolution to higher δ11B and 87Sr/86Sr, and to lower 143Nd/144Nd, is observed in the current activity, defining a regular trend. Sr isotopic equilibrium between whole-rock and clinopyroxene pairs indicates the successive introduction of three distinct magma types into the Etna plumbing system over time; these are characterized by differing degrees of FME enrichment. In addition, certain lavas exhibit evidence for country rock assimilation, magma–fluid interaction, or magma mixing in the shallow feeding system; at times these processes apparently lowered magmatic δ11B and/or induced Sr isotopic disequilibrium between whole rock and clinopyroxene. The regular increase of δ11B values is correlated with Nb/FME and 87Sr/86Sr ratios; these correlations are consistent with simple mixing between the mantle source and aqueous fluids derived from nearby Ionian slab. The best fit of Mt. Etna data is obtained using an enriched-MORB mantle source and a fluid phase with δ11B of about −2‰ and 87Sr/86Sr of 0.708. We argue that the slab window generated by differential roll-back of subducting Ionian lithosphere (with respect to Sicily) allows the upwelling of asthenosphere from below the subduction system and provides a suitable path of rise for subduction-related fluids. The increasing geochemical signature of fluid mobile elements enrichment to Mt. Etna lavas is considered a consequence of the progressive opening of slab window through time.

The regional distribution of geochemical and isotopic compositions of granitoid rocks from a Gondwana continental margin is studied to highlight its structure and geodynamic evolution. The intrusive rocks emplaced during the early Palaeozoic Ross Orogeny in northern Victoria Land (Antarctica) constitute a high-K calc-alkaline association. The geographic patterns of isotope and geochemical data on granitoid rocks allow the distinction of two portions of the continental margin, separated by a sharp discontinuity. The portion towards the palaeo-Pacific Ocean (Oceanward Side) displays strongly regular inland increase of Sr- and decrease of Nd-isotope ratios, coupled with analogous variations in major and trace elements; on this basis we infer a NW-SE-trending margin affected by SW-directed subduction. The portion towards the East Antarctic Craton (Continentward Side) shows a similar regular variation only for Nd isotope compositions, consistent with a hypothesis of a N-S-striking margin with west-ward subduction. In the Oceanward Side, isotope and trace-element characteristics suggest that the granites were generated by extensive interaction of mantle-derived magmas with high-level crustal melts. The origin of Continentward Side intrusives is compatible with a process of interaction between mantle-derived melts and a mafic granulite lower crust. The granitoids of the two crustal sectors share the same Proterozoic Sm-Nd model ages, suggesting that they both belong to the same crustal province. We interpret this arrangement of crustal segments as due to the shift and rotation of a forearc sliver of the Gondwana margin. This movement was likely enhanced by oblique subduction under an irregular margin weakened by the presence of a magmatic arc.

Two flank eruptions took place at Mt. Etna during 1989–1993. The former (September–October 1989) produced lavas among the most primitive of this century while the latter (December 1991–March 1993) was unusually long lasting and the largest of the last three centuries. Alkali basalts of 1989 displayed initial enrichments of Rb and K accompanied by an higher value of radiogenic-Sr and isotopic disequilibrium between host-rock and clinopyroxene (0.70364 and 0.70356, respectively). Subsequently, within one week, K, Rb and 87Sr86Sr ratio decreased to constant values (87Sr86Sr = 0.70355). Nd isotopic ratio did not show significant variations. These features can be explained by a selective contamination process involving essentially Rb, K and radiogenic-Sr. The bulk from the 1991–1993 eruption hawaiites, were erupted between January and May 1992. In this period, lavas (here called JML) were characterised by uniform geochemical and isotopic compositions and Sr-isotopic equilibrium between whole rock and pyroxene (0.70355). In other periods (December 1991 and June 1992) we observed lower and variable Sr isotopic compositions coupled with disequilibria between lavas and their clinopyroxenes (0.70351 in the w.r. and 0.70345 in the cpx of the sample of 15 December 1991). Starting from June 1992, the products seem to reveal fractionation effects as suggested by the continuous rise in concentrations of incompatible elements. When the observed variability cannot be ascribed to fractionation effects, we are not able to discriminate mixing from selective contamination. However, lavas erupted during December 1991 evolved towards the isotope composition of JML that was never exceeded, moreover the regular behaviour of Rb, K and radiogenic-Sr of 1989 lavas was not observed during the 1991–1993 eruption. Thus, we prefer to interpret these variations as mainly due to mixing processes between an end-member of JML composition and another one having the same, or lower, isotopic composition of the clinopyroxene found in the sample of December 1991. Several petrogenetic processes are contemporaneously active at Mt. Etna; they encompass magma mixing, selective contamination and fractional crystallization. Their relative importance varies according to the original volume of each magma batch and to the status of the shallow feeding system. The complexity of these processes, acting in the short time span of a few months, claims caution about the geochemical representativity of a single lava sample for each eruption.

Geological magazine, 127 (2), ISSN:0016-7568, ISSN:1469-5081

[1] Geochemical and chronological data for Cenozoic plutons and dikes from northern Victoria Land (Antarctica), were used to propose a tectonic-magmatic model for this portion of the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS). The seven major plutons are compositionally bimodal, with gabbroic and syenitic portions. Among the 180 studied dikes, most are 1 m thick and have alkali basalt-basanite-tephrite compositions, along with minor intermediate rocks. Trachytic-rhyolitic dikes (up to 50 m thick) are by far less common. The 40Ar-39Ar data for dikes indicate middle Eocene to early Oligocene ages, the oldest found to date for igneous activity throughout the WARS. The geochronological-structural framework provides evidence for coeval emplacement of dikes on two main NW-SE and N-S striking trends, whereas plutonic-subvolcanic activity occurred in adjacent crustal sectors at different times. Mafic dikes display major and trace element distribution typical of basalts from oceanic islands, such as high ratios of Nb and Ta to large ion lithophile and heavy rare earth elements, coupled with prominent negative K and Pb anomalies in the primitive mantle-normalized multielement diagrams. Initial isotopic compositions are within the ranges of 0.70299–0.70372 for 87Sr/86Sr and 4.2–6.3 for eNd. These features are shared by younger Neogene lavas. Geochemical modeling for both mafic dikes and lavas indicates an enriched magma source characterized by a residual potassic hydrous phase, thus pointing out a mantle source nearly uniform throughout 50 m.y. Comparable geochemical signature are reported for the magma source of the other Cenozoic volcanic provinces of the WARS and the whole Antarctic Plate. The new data for the early igneous rocks of the rift put in evidence a chronologic-structural link between magmatic evolution, regional tectonics and plate dynamics which suggests a model for WARS magmatism that is alternative to current plume hypotheses. We propose that magma genesis and emplacement are related to reactivation of preexisting translithospheric faults, which promoted local decompression melting of an enriched mantle that was previously veined during the decompression episode associated with the amagmatic late Cretaceous extensional rift phase.

At Monte Arci alkaline (hawaiites to trachytes), subalkaline with a marked calc-alkaline character (basalts to dacites) and rhyolitic lavas were erupted almost simultaneously in Late Pliocene time. Major- and trace-element chemistry, microprobe mineralogy and isotopic data suggest a partial melting origin for both rhyolites and subalkaline rocks. Different sources are however inferred for two rock series: homogeneous, calc-alkaline in nature for subalkaline rocks; unhomogeneous, richer in 87 Sr, for rhyolitic ones. Crystal fractionation differentiation from subcrustal alkali-basalts should have been the main process in the genesis of alkaline rocks. Large-scale contaminations with rhyolitic and/or alkaline rocks are evident in many of these lavas. Such a complicated magmatic association characterizes an area where volcanism related to post-collisional tensional movements in Pliocene time superimposes to Middle Miocene calc-alkaline basic volcanism related to previous subduction processes. The Pliocene volcanic history of Monte Arci emphasizes the influence of the paleogeodynamic environment on the nature of magmas erupted in post-continental collision areas, that are frequently difficult to arrange in the usual schemas connecting magma composition with tectonic setting.