Search

Columnar-jointed tuffs (bentonites) are located below the Lower Carboniferous Tideswell Dale Sill, Derbyshire, in an abandoned quarry. There are three zones of prismatic joints, columnar joints (∼60 cm thick and mean column width of 4.1 cm) and massive, conchoidally fractured rock sequentially from the dolerite contact downwards. The rocks are very fine-grained (1–10 µm) and consist mainly of sanidine, interlayered illite/smectite, and hematite, with minor quartz, apatite, montmorillonite, anatase and detrital minerals. High K2O and Fe2O3, low Na2O and low MgO are interpreted as due to alteration of felsic volcanic ash. The bentonite was contact-metamorphosed by the sill to temperatures of c. 300 °C. The progression of fracture geometries, thermal considerations and application of theories of column formation indicate that columns formed downwards away from the sill, due to prograde contact metamorphism of the originally clay-rich bentonite. The formation of columnar fracture networks by shrinkage due to igneous heating may have implications for the effectiveness of bentonite as a barrier for disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Regional dimensions include documenting widespread felsic explosive volcanism and inferring a Triassic oxidation event from palaeomagnetic data.

Zinc and Cd isotope compositions are presented for a comprehensive suite of terrestrial rocks to constrain the extent of Zn and Cd isotope fractionation during igneous processes and better define the δ66Zn and δ114Cd values of the silicate Earth (the δ values denote per mille deviations of 66Zn/64Zn from JMC Lyon Zn and of 114Cd/110Cd from NIST SRM 3108 Cd). Analyses of spinel lherzolites provide a bulk silicate Earth (BSE) δ114CdBSE value of –0.06 ± 0.03 ‰ (2SD). For Zn, the peridotite data of the current and previous studies define a mean δ66ZnBSE = 0.20 ± 0.05 ‰ (2SD). Komatiite analyses of this and published investigations yield similar mean values, which suggests that the Zn and Cd isotope compositions of the mantle remained fairly constant since the Archean. Data for loess provide upper continental crust compositions of δ114Cd = 0.03 ± 0.10 ‰ and δ66Zn = 0.23 ± 0.07 ‰. The Zn isotope and abundance data for peridotites and oceanic basalts are in accord with the previous observation of a mantle array, with basalts having higher Zn concentrations and δ66Zn values than the peridotites. To a first order, this reflects slightly incompatible behaviour of Zn during mantle melting and melt differentiation with associated enrichment of heavy Zn isotopes in the melt phase. Cadmium is marginally more incompatible than Zn during igneous processes and the oceanic basalts also display a minor enrichment of heavy Cd isotopes relative to peridotites. However, secondary processes produce significant Cd isotope variability in both mantle melts and peridotites, obscuring the primary igneous array. The δ66ZnBSE estimates of this and previous studies resemble the Zn isotope compositions of CV and CO carbonaceous and some enstatite chondrites. In contrast, the BSE has a lower δ114CdBSE value than enstatite and carbonaceous chondrites. This implies that the Cd isotope composition of the BSE was either fractionated during accretion or that Earth's Cd inventory was not exclusively acquired from material related to carbonaceous and enstatite chondrites. Importantly, delivery of Zn and Cd to the BSE solely by CI and CM chondrites is not in accord with the meteorite and terrestrial stable isotope data of these elements., Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 338, ISSN:0016-7037, ISSN:1872-9533

Efforts to date the oldest modern human fossils in eastern Africa, from Omo-Kibish1-3 and Herto4,5 in Ethiopia, have drawn on a variety of chronometric evidence, including 40Ar/39Ar ages of stratigraphically associated tuffs. The ages that are generally reported for these fossils are around 197 thousand years (kyr) for the Kibish Omo I3,6,7, and around 160-155 kyr for the Herto hominins5,8. However, the stratigraphic relationships and tephra correlations that underpin these estimates have been challenged6,8. Here we report geochemical analyses that link the Kamoya's Hominid Site (KHS) Tuff9, which conclusively overlies the member of the Omo-Kibish Formation that contains Omo I, with a major explosive eruption of Shala volcano in the Main Ethiopian Rift. By dating the proximal deposits of this eruption, we obtain a new minimum age for the Omo fossils of 233 �� 22 kyr. Contrary to previous arguments6,8, we also show that the KHS Tuff does not correlate with another widespread tephra layer, the Waidedo Vitric Tuff, and therefore cannot anchor a minimum age for the Herto fossils. Shifting the age of the oldest known Homo sapiens fossils in eastern Africa to before around 200 thousand years ago is consistent with independent evidence for greater antiquity of the modern human lineage10., Leverhulme Trust Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund SFI award 13/RC/2092

The Bengal Fan provides a Neogene record of Eastern and Central Himalaya exhumation. We provide the first detrital thermochronological study (apatite and rutile U-Pb, mica Ar-Ar, zircon fission track) of sediment samples collected during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 354 to the mid–Bengal Fan. Our data from rutile and zircon fission-track thermochronometry show a shift in lag times over the interval 5.59–3.47 Ma. The oldest sample with a lag time of 6 m.y.) has a depositional age of 5.59–4.50 Ma, and the zircon and rutile populations then show a static peak until >12 Ma. This interval, from 5.59–4.50 Ma to >12 Ma, is most easily interpreted as recording passive erosion of the Greater Himalaya. However, single grains with lag times of

Efforts to date the oldest modern human fossils in East Africa, from Omo-Kibish and Herto in Ethiopia, have drawn on a variety of chronometric evidence, including 40Ar/39Ar ages of stratigraphically-associated tuffs. The generally-accepted ages for these fossils are ca. 196 thousand years (ka) for the Kibish Omo I and ca. 160-155 ka for the Herto hominins. However, stratigraphic relationships and tephra correlations that underpin these estimates have been challenged. Here, we report new geochemical analyses that link the Kamoya Hominin Site (KHS) Tuff, which conclusively overlies the Kibish Formation member containing Omo I, with a major explosive eruption of Shala volcano in the Main Ethiopian Rift. By dating the proximal deposits of this eruption, we obtain a new minimum age for the Omo fossils of 212±16 ka. Contrary to previous arguments, we also show that the KHS Tuff does not correlate with another widespread tephra layer, the Wadaido Vitric Tuff (WAVT), and therefore cannot anchor a minimum age for the Herto fossils. Shifting the age of the oldest known Homo sapiens fossils in eastern Africa to before ~200 ka is consistent with several independent lines of evidence for greater antiquity to the modern human lineage.

The Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) is the northern portion of the East African Rift System and separates the Eastern and Western plateaus of Ethiopia. The recent volcanic and tectonic activity is largely focused within the rift basin along a 20 km wide zone on the rift floor. Large silicic volcanic complexes are aligned along this central rift axis but their eruptive histories are not well constrained.The Bora-Baricha-Tullu Moye (BBTM) volcanic field is situated in the central Main Ethiopian Rift and has a different appearance than the other MER volcanic systems. The BBTM constitutes several late Quaternary edifices, the major ones are: Tullu Moye, Bora and Baricha. In addition, there are multiple smaller eruptive vents (e.g. Oda and Dima), cones, and domes across the ca. 20 X 20 km wide area. Currently, there is very little information on the frequency and magnitude of past volcanic eruptions. We present a new dataset of field observations, componentry, petrography, geochronology (40Ar/39Ar), and glass major and trace element chemistry. The data are assessed as potential fingerprints to assign diagnostic features and correlate units across the area, and establish a tephrostratigraphic framework for the BBTM volcanic field.Two large-volume and presumably caldera-forming eruptions are identified, the younger of which took place at 100 ka. The volcanic products exposed in the BBTM area show that the volcanic field has undergone at least 20 explosive eruptions since then. The post-caldera eruptions have comenditic (Tullu Moye) and pantelleretic (Bora and Baricha) magma compositions. Other smaller edifices such as Oda and Dima also erupted pantelleritic magmas, and only differ slightly in composition than tephra of Bora and Baricha. Tullu Moye had two distinct explosive eruptions that dispersed tephra up to 14 km away and on to the eastern plateau. Bora and Baricha together had at least 8 explosive eruptions. Their deposits can be distinguished by their light grey color and unique lithic components. Oda had 7 eruptions, the most recent of which generated a pyroclastic density current that travelled up to 10 km away from the vent. Dima experienced at least 3 eruptions, generating tephra with a bluish-grey colour.This mapping and compositional analysis of the deposits from the BBTM in the MER indicates that the region has been more active in the last 100 ka than previously thought, which has implications for hazards assessments for the region.

Efforts to date the oldest modern human fossils in eastern Africa, from Omo-Kibish

Volcanoes in island arcs can undergo edifice evolution that includes submarine and subaerial volcanism, providing a dynamic environment of magmatic heat and volatiles that drives hydrothermal fluid flow with potential inputs from sea and/or meteoric water. This, in turn, can generate significant hydrothermal alteration that can result in economic deposits of industrial minerals. One example includes bentonite, a smectitic rock composed dominantly of montmorillonite.Economically viable bentonite deposits are typically only 0.5 – 5 meters thick and although Wyoming-type bentonites comprise 70% of the world’s known deposits, they are commonly no thicker than 8 m. The island of Milos is Europe’s largest and actively mined calcium bentonite resource from volcanic piles exceeding 80 m thickness. Here, we use the Milos island example to understand how magmatism, volcanic edifice evolution and hydrothermal activity interact. We integrate field relationships of volcanic stratigraphy and alteration zones, with clay mineralogy (XRD), stable (S, O and H) isotope analysis and high precision geochronology (CA-ID-TIMS zircon U-Pb, and alunite Ar-Ar) to elucidate the timescales, thermal drivers and fluid components that lead to the development of a globally important bentonite resource.A vertical transect through bentonite-altered volcanic stratigraphy indicates multiple magmatic pulses ca. 2.8 Ma with a submarine andesitic cryptodome and accompanying pepperitic hyaloclastite. Cumulative volcanic and sub-volcanic processes occurred over ca. 170 kyrs, resulting in a vertically and laterally extensive volcanic pile overlain by an episode of magmatic quiescence and brackish-water diatomaceous sediments. It is overlain by a silicic pyroclastic flow host to pervasive silica-alunite-kaolinite alteration. Stable isotopic analyses of bentonite indicate a hydrothermal origin at around 70°C with the fluid being sourced from sea and meteoric waters. The timing of formation is defined by a maximum duration of ca. 170 kyrs, with clear geological evidence that a significant period of alteration occurred within < 20 kyrs at ~ 2.64 Ma. Alunite sulfur isotope compositions reflect steaming ground activity that could be interpreted as the oxidised, shallower level counterpart to a boiling geothermal system linked to development of extensive bentonite. However, the timing of alunite can be clearly resolved to > 1.5 myrs after bentonite formation to ~ 1.0 Ma, supporting a later overprint origin due to relatively recent steam heating of groundwater after emergence of the submarine system.This study identifies key parameters that have resulted in the formation of an economic-scale bentonite resource on the emergent island of Milos. We conclude that the hydrology needed to form a bentonite deposit is not constrained to the marine environment and can be connected to emergent parts of the volcanic edifice. High precision geochronology indicates bentonite development happens on volcanic timescales (10 to 100 kyrs). A cumulative volcanic and sub-volcanic pile coeval with the formation of bentonite suggests multiple magmatic episodes over narrow timeframes provide and sustain the thermal driver for significant bentonite development. After emergence and development of a groundwater system, the subsequent steam heating is deleterious to grade and results in the development of alunite-kaolinite overburden.

The Don Manuel porphyry copper system, located in the Miocene–Pliocene metallogenic belt of central Chile, contains spatially zoned alteration styles common to other porphyry copper deposits including extensive potassic alteration, propylitic alteration, localized sericite-chlorite alteration and argillic alteration but lacks pervasive hydrolytic alteration typical of some deposits. It is one of the youngest porphyry copper deposits in the Andes. Timing of mineralization and the hydrothermal system at Don Manuel are consistent with emplacement of the associated intrusions (ca. 4 and 3.6 Ma). Two molybdenite samples yielded consistent ages of 3.412 ± 0.037 and 3.425 ± 0.037 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar ages on hydrothermal biotites (3.57 ± 0.02, 3.51 ± 0.02, 3.41 ± 0.01, and 3.37 ± 0.01 Ma) are associated with potassic alteration. These ages are younger than the youngest intrusion by ~300 k.y. recording the cooling of the system below 350 °C. Such a time gap can be explained by fluxing of hot magmatic fluids from deeper magmatic sources.

Siletzia is an accreted Palaeocene-Eocene Large Igneous Province, preserved in the northwest United States and southern Vancouver Island. Although previous workers have suggested that components of Siletzia were formed in tectonic settings including back arc basins, island arcs and ocean islands, more recent work has presented evidence for parts of Siletzia to have formed in response to partial melting of a mantle plume. In this paper, we integrate geochemical and geochronological data to investigate the petrogenetic evolution of the province.\ud \ud The major element geochemistry of the Siletzia lava flows is used to determine the compositions of the primary magmas of the province, as well as the conditions of mantle melting. These primary magmas are compositionally similar to modern Ocean Island and Mid-Ocean Ridge lavas. Geochemical modelling of these magmas indicates they predominantly evolved through fractional crystallisation of olivine, pyroxenes, plagioclase, spinel and apatite in shallow magma chambers, and experienced limited interaction with crustal components.\ud \ud Further modelling indicates that Siletzia magmatism was derived from anomalously hot mantle, consistent with an origin in a mantle plume. This plume has been suggested to have been the same as that responsible for magmatism within the Yellowstone Plateau. Trace element compositions of the most primitive Siletzia lavas are similar to suites associated with the Yellowstone Mantle Plume, suggesting that the two provinces were derived from compositionally similar sources. Radiogenic isotope systematics for Siletzia consistently overlap with some of the oldest suites of the Yellowstone Magmatic Province. Therefore, we suggest Siletzia and the Yellowstone Mantle Plume are part of the same, evolving mantle plume system.\ud \ud Our new geochronological data show the province was emplaced during the time when Eocene sea surface temperatures were their highest. The size of Siletzia makes the province a potential contributing factor to the biospheric perturbation observed in the early Eocene.

Intraplate magmatism is enigmatic in origin despite its importance in our understanding of crustal cycling through the deep mantle. A mantle plume origin is justified for some intraplate magmatism, but not in the case of a large number of occurrences. Here we present a novel explanation for intraplate magmatism in situations where evidence for a plume origin is either lacking or equivocal. Specifically, we highlight two voluminous, long-lived intraplate magmatic provinces located on the precisely conjugate continental margins of Cameroon and NE Brazil and which lasted, respectively, from 65 and 52 Ma to the present. New Ar dating and geochemical data show that magmatism in the two provinces was contemporaneous, identical in incompatible-element composition, and started >40 Myr after continental separation, when the two margins were ∼2000 km apart. Lack of age progression in magmatic activity rules out a mantle plume origin. We propose an origin in sub-continental lithospheric mantle that was thickened during Gondwana supercontinent assembly. Thermal re-equilibration of the thickened lithosphere accompanied by percolation of carbonate-rich melt led to the formation of a thick zone of newly created, enriched asthenosphere that is held in place by buoyancy, prevented from dispersing by adjacent lithospheric blocks, and heated by radioactive decay. Following continental breakup at 105 Ma, slow outward drainage of this enriched and heated asthenosphere was channelled into thinner parts of the continental and oceanic lithosphere. Sublithospheric drainage and decompression melting of this enriched mantle provides a viable explanation for these and many other intraplate magmatic occurrences.

Volcanoes in island arcs can undergo edifice evolution that includes submarine and subaerial volcanism. This provides a dynamic environment of magmatic heat and volatiles that drives hydrothermal fluid flow with potential inputs from sea and/or meteoric waters. This, in turn, can generate significant hydrothermal alteration that can result in economic deposits of industrial minerals such as bentonite and kaolinite. The island of Milos is Europe’s largest and actively mined calcium bentonite resource, with production capacities exceeding 400,000 tons per year. Here, we use the Milos island example to understand how magmatism, volcanic edifice evolution and hydrothermal activity interact to generate important bentonite mineralisation. We integrate field relationships of volcanic stratigraphy and alteration zones, with clay mineralogy (XRD), stable (S, O and H) isotope analysis and high precision geochronology (CA-ID-TIMS zircon U-Pb, and alunite Ar-Ar) to elucidate the timescales, thermal drivers and fluid components that lead to the development of a globally important bentonite resource.A vertical transect through bentonite-altered volcanic stratigraphy indicates multiple magmatic pulses initiated at ca. 2.8 Ma with a submarine andesitic cryptodome and accompanying hyaloclastite carapace that display quenched and peperitic contacts. Cumulative volcanic and sub-volcanic processes occurred over ca. 170 kyrs, resulting in a volcanic pile exceeding 80 m. This period included an episode of magmatic quiescence and diatomite formation in a shallow submarine environment and is overlain by a silicic pyroclastic flow. In this upper unit, a pervasive alunite-kaolinite alteration assemblage was developed. Stable isotopic analyses of bentonite (> 85% montmorillonite) indicate a hydrothermal origin at around 125°C with the fluid being sourced from sea and meteoric waters. The timing of formation is defined by a maximum duration of ca. 170 kyrs, with clear geological evidence that a significant period of alteration occurred within 1 Ma after bentonite formation to 1.2 Ma, supporting a later overprint origin due to relatively recent steam heating of groundwater after emergence.This study identifies new key parameters that have resulted in the formation of an economic-scale bentonite resource on the emergent island of Milos. In addition to the requisite appropriate protolith, we conclude that in an emergent volcanic arc setting the hydrology needed to form a bentonite deposit is not constrained to the marine environment and can be connected to emergent parts of the volcanic edifice. High precision geochronology indicates bentonite development happens on volcanic timescales (10 to 100 kyrs). A cumulative volcanic and sub-volcanic pile coeval with the formation of bentonite suggests multiple magmatic episodes over narrow timeframes provide and sustain the thermal driver for significant bentonite development. Once the volcanic edifice has completely emerged and developed a groundwater system, the steam heating of groundwater is deleterious to grade and results in the development of alunite-kaolinite overburden.

The Bengal Fan IODP Exp 354 core provides a Neogene re­cord of eastern and central Himalayan exhu­mation. U-Pb analyses of detrital zircons from this sediment archive shows that from ~ 4 Ma, there was a major increase in grains aged

Much evidence points to a dramatic thinning of East Asian lithosphere during the Mesozoic, but with little precision on when, or over what time scale. Using geochemical constraints, we examine an extensive compilation of dated volcanic samples from Russia, Mongolia and North China to determine when the lithosphere thinned and how long that process took. Geochemical results suggest that magmatism before 107 Ma derived from metasomatised subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM), whereas after 107 Ma, melt predominantly derived from an asthenospheric source. The switch to an asthenospheric magma source at ~107 Ma occurred in both Mongolia and North China (>1600 km apart), whereas in eastern Russia the switch occurred a little later (~85 Ma). Such a dramatic change to an asthenospheric contribution appears to have taken, from beginning to end, just ~30 Myrs, suggesting this is the duration for lithospheric mantle weakening and removal. Subsequent volcanism, through the Cenozoic in Mongolia and North China does not appear to include any contribution from the removed SCLM, despite melts predominantly deriving from the asthenosphere.

A combination of new 40Ar/39Ar dating results, major- and trace-element data, plus Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotope data, are used to investigate the petrogenesis of Triassic high-Si adakite (HSA), Cretaceous low-Si adakite-like (LSA) lavas, and Cretaceous high-K and shoshonitic trachyandesite lavas, from eastern and south-central Mongolia. All samples are light rare-earth element and large-ion lithophile element enriched but depleted in some high-field strength elements (notably Nb, Ta and Ti). Two alternative models are proposed to explain the petrogenesis of the HSA samples. (1) A southward-subducting Mongol-Okhotsk slab underwent partial melting in the Triassic during the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean, with the resultant melts assimilating mantle and crustal material. Alternatively (2), a basaltic underplate of thickened (>50 km; >1.5 GPa), eclogitic lower crust foundered into the underlying mantle, and underwent partial melting with minor contamination from mantle material and some shallow-level crustal contamination. The LSA samples are interpreted as melts derived from a lithospheric mantle wedge that was previously metasomatised by slab melts. Similarly, the trachyandesite lavas are interpreted as melts deriving from a subduction-enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle. The spatial distribution of these samples implies that metasomatism likely occurred due to a southward-subducting Mongol-Okhotsk slab associated with the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean. When this interpretation is combined with previous evidence for a northward-subducting Mongol-Okhotsk slab it advocates that the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean closed with double-sided subduction.

Quaternary volcanic centres north of the Bitlis-Zagros suture in Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus represent both volcanic hazards and potential or actual geothermal energy resources. Such challenges and opportunities cannot be fully quantified without understanding these volcanoes’ petrogenesis, geochronology and magmatic, tectonic or other eruption triggers. In this preliminary study, we discuss the age and geology of the Karkar monogenetic volcanic field in Syunik, SE Armenia. The ~70 km2 field is close to Armenia’s only geothermal energy test drilling site. Fissure-fed trachybasaltic andesite to trachyandesite lavas erupted on a trans-tensional segment of the Syunik branch of the Pambak-Sevan-Syunik Fault, where previous studies suggested a Holocene age for the youngest eruptions. Here, high-resolution duplicate 40Ar/39Ar dating of 7 groundmass separates provided composite plateau or inverse isochron ages ranging from 6 ± 3 ka and 8 ± 3 ka to 332 ± 9 ka (2). Each lava flow displays petrographic and whole rock geochemical patterns consistent with melting of subduction-modified lithospheric mantle and extensive evolution within the crust involving fractional crystallisation and mixing of magma batches. Data confirm that volcanic activity in Syunik and also Vardenis provinces overlapped with Palaeolithic to Bronze Age human occupation and remains a minor lava inundation hazard. Further geochemical work will allow constraint of the depth and timescales of magma storage. Both Karkar and the area around Porak volcano, which lies 35 km N of Karkar on the Syunik Fault, might be considered for future geothermal energy developments.

The Sierra Nevada Volcanic Range (SNVR), which includes Popocatépetl, Iztaccíhuatl and Tláloc-Telapón volcanoes, has been the source of multiple large explosive eruptions that have dispersed tephra across central México. Several eruptions since 40 ka have previously been described, particularly from Popocatépetl, the southernmost volcano of the range. However, the longer-term eruption history of the SNVR is poorly understood, due to challenges with correlating limited exposures of older pyroclastic sequences, and in discriminating between tephras derived from different sources. Here we describe two extensive exposures located between Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes, which provide a more complete and longer-term explosive eruption record of the SNVR: the Nepopualco and Xalitzintla tephra sequences. A detailed tephrostratigraphic survey, together with new40Ar/39Ar geochronological analyses and glass geochemistry, has permitted the characterization of identified eruption units further leading to the determination of geochemical fields for each volcano and the subsequent discernment of volcanic sources. Our results show that, since the collapse of Los Pies Cone, which destroyed the Paleo-Iztaccíhuatl edifice at 631 ± 44 ka (2σ), Iztaccíhuatl has produced at least 6 explosive rhyolitic eruptions. After coeval activity with Popocatépetl, between ~600 and ~ 500 ka, Iztaccíhuatl's explosive activity ceased while Popocatépetl's continued until present day. Popocatépetl has produced at least 27 medium to large explosive eruptions (inferred VEI 4–6), commonly of andesitic to dacitic compositions. Some of these eruptions deposited pumice fallout of >1 m thick in both the Nepopualco and Xalitzintla sequences (e.g. the 339 ± 16 ka [2σ] NT-23/WRT-7 eruption), suggesting that Popocatépetl has produced several eruptions similar in magnitude to well-known the ~14 ka Tutti Frutti Pumice (a VEI 6 eruption with a ~ 5 km3tephra volume). The Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl tephras are interbedded with deposits from more distal volcanoes, including some mafic to intermediate products of unknown sources (possibly from nearby monogenetic cones) and tephras related to the late Pleistocene eruptions of Tláloc-Telapón (including the tephra layer produced by the San Valentin Ignimbrite, recently40Ar/39Ar dated in this study at ~102 ka; 2σ). Our new chemical, stratigraphic and geochronologic investigations of these pyroclastic deposits, predominantly from Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, provide information on the scale and frequency of medium to large magnitude explosive eruptions over a longer-time period than currently known and that have had potential to disperse tephra across central México since the middle to late Pleistocene. This new data can be used to determine the source of further unknown tephras in the region as well as to better assess the volcanic hazard to the densely populated megalopolis of México City.

The Glen Gollaidh aillikite dyke (58.36741°N 4.69751°W), N.W. Scotland, occurs within the Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks of the Moine Supergroup ~4 km east of the Moine Thrust. Phlogopite 40Ar/36Ar measurements give a late Devonian maximum emplacement age of 360.3 ± 4.9 (2σ) Ma. This age occurs in a quiet period of Scottish magmatic history c. 30 Ma after the closure of the Iapetus and before the start of intra-plate alkali magmatism which affected southern Scotland for ~60 My from c. 350 Ma. Abundant chromites and Cr-diopsides and a few unaltered olivines, reflecting a mantle provenance, were recovered from heavy mineral concentrates. The North Atlantic Craton, exposed in Lewisian gneisses west of the Moine thrust, is therefore inferred to extend east at depth under Glen Gollaidh, presenting an opportunity to investigate the thickness and composition of the cratonic margin in the Devonian. The aillikite was found to be barren of diamond and no picro-ilmenites or garnets were definitively identified. However, mineral chemistry suggests that a proportion of Glen Gollaidh xenocrysts crystallised in equilibrium with garnet. Most spinels are Mg, Al chromites, with some Mg chromite present. All fall within the garnet peridotite field based on Ti and Cr but with insufficient Cr2O3 (up to 47.2 wt%) to be consistent with the diamond stability field. Amongst Cr-diopsides 30% of grains have Cr and Al contents consistent with derivation from garnet peridotite. The majority of clinopyroxenes also show a marked depletion in heavy compared to light rare-earth elements, again consistent with equilibration with garnet. The opx-cpx solvus thermometer demonstrates that average Cr-diopside compositions require at least 37 kbar to give a temperature (979 °C) lying even on a relatively warm 40 mWm−2 geotherm (Hasterok and Chapman Earth Planet Sc Lett 307:59–70, 2011). Large variations in the chemistry of mantle minerals reflect a complex history of metasomatism akin to constituents of alkali igneous rocks elsewhere in the Hebridean and Northern Highlands Terranes. Fertilised mantle provided the conditions for generation of aillikite melts, probably triggered by break-off of the advancing Avalonia slab. The cratonic root underlying the Glen Gollaidh aillikite during the late Devonian was apparently too thin to lie within the diamond stability field, consistent with xenoliths from alkali basalts further south. Nonetheless, sufficient geophysical and mineral chemical evidence supports Glen Gollaidh aillikite sitting close to the edge of diamond-prospective mantle therefore suggesting diamond potential a short distance to the west within the Lewisian and what is now East Greenland.

Noblesse multi-collector noble gas mass spectrometer is specially designed for multi-collection of Ar isotopes with different beam sizes, especially for small ion beams, precisely, and hence is perfectly suitable for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. We have analyzed widely used sanidine, muscovite, and biotite standards with recommended ages of ~ 1.2–133 Ma, with the aim to assess the reliability of Noblesse for 40Ar/39Ar dating. An ESI MIR10 30W CO2 laser was used for total fusion or incremental heating samples. Extracted gases were routinely purified by four SAES NP10 getters (one at ~ 400 °C and others at room temperature). A GP50 getter and a metal cold finger cooled by liquid N (− 196 °C) were also attached for additional purification if necessary. The Ar isotopes were then measured by Noblesse using Faraday or multiplier according to the signal intensities. Over a period of 1.5 months 337 air calibrations produced a weighted mean 40Ar/36Ar of 296.50 ± 0.08 (2σ, MSWD = 4.77). Fish Canyon sanidine is used to calculate J-values, which show good linear relationship with position in irradiation. The age of four mineral standards (Alder Creek sanidine, Brione muscovite, Yabachi sanidine, and Fangshan biotite) are within error of the accepted ages. Five Alder Creek sanidine aliquots yielded an age range of 1.174–1.181 ± 0.013 Ma (2σ) which broadly overlaps the established age of the standard and the uncertainty approaches those of the foremost Ar/Ar laboratories in the world. The weighted mean ages of four Brione muscovite aliquots (18.75 ± 0.16 Ma, 2σ), five Yabachi sanidine aliquots (29.50 ± 0.19 Ma, 2σ), and three Fangshan biotite aliquots (133.0 ± 0.76 Ma, 2σ) are consistent with the recommended values of these standards, and the uncertainties are typical of modern Ar/Ar laboratories world-wide.

The Don Manuel igneous complex and associated porphyry copper mineralization in the Andean Cordillera of central Chile demonstrate similarities between intrusive complexes associated with porphyry copper deposits and arc volcanoes that generate porphyritic volcanics. The Don Manuel igneous complex intrusions progressed from quartz monzonite through rhyolite and biotite tonalite to intermediate porphyritic and basaltic andesite dikes, which intrude the older units. Mineralization is associated with the biotite tonalite and intermediate porphyries, which also contain the greatest abundance of mafic enclaves. Zoning patterns within plagioclase phenocrysts suggest that the later intermediate porphyries comprise a hybridized suite formed by magma mixing. New zircon U-Pb ages and whole-rock Ar-Ar ages indicate that the Don Manuel igneous complex was emplaced between ca. 4 and 3.6 Ma. The time scale for the episodic intrusion of the Don Manuel igneous complex units is similar to observed episodicity of eruption and degassing events in active arc volcanoes. Observations from the Don Manuel igneous complex are consistent with the close spatial and temporal association of mineralization with episodic intrusion and interaction between silicic and mafic magmas during emplacement. The observations are also consistent with the hypothesis that mafic magma provides a source of sulfur for porphyry copper deposit formation.

This research uses analyses from Nile catchment rivers, wadis, dunes and bedrocks to constrain the geological history of NE Africa and document influences on the composition of sediment reaching the Nile delta. Our data show evolution of the North African crust, highlighting phases in the development of the Arabian – Nubian Shield and amalgamation of Gondwana in Neoproterozoic times. The Saharan Metacraton and Congo Craton in Uganda have a common history of crustal growth, with new crust formation at 3.0 – 3.5 Ga, and crustal melting at c. 2.7 Ga. The Hammamat Formation of the Arabian – Nubian Shield is locally derived and has a maximum depositional age of 635 Ma. By contrast, Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks are derived from more distant sources. The fine-grained (mud) bulk signature of the modern Nile is dominated by input from the Ethiopian Highlands, transported by the Blue Nile and Atbara rivers. Detrital zircons in the Nile trunk are predominantly derived from Phanerozoic cover rocks. Most detritus from the upstream White Nile is trapped in the Sudd marshes and contributes little to the Nile trunk. Therefore, the White Nile downstream is dominated by locally derived Phanerozoic cover. The White Nile proximal to the Gezira Fan is influenced by the fan ’ s Blue Nile signature. Supplementary material : Sample information, analytical methods and data tables are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9. figshare.c.3569490

Understanding the tectonics that gave rise to the formation of Tibet is critical to our understanding of crustal deformation processes. The unusual geomorphology of the drainage basins of East Asia's major rivers has been proposed to be the result of either (1) distortion and attenuation of antecedent drainages as India indents into Asia, which can therefore be used as passive strain markers of horizontal shear, or (2) due to fragmentation by river captures and flow reversals of an originally continental-scale drainage, in which the major East Asian rivers once flowed into the palaeo-Red River. If the latter hypothesis is correct, then it has been proposed that dating the drainage fragmentation constrains the timing of uplift of Tibet. A number of sedimentary provenance studies have been undertaken in order to determine whether the palaeo-Red River was once a river of continental proportions into which the upper reaches of the Yangtze, Salween, Mekong, Irrawaddy, and Yarlung drained. We have assessed the evidence that the Yarlung originally flowed into the palaeo-Red river, and then sequentially into the Irrawaddy and Brahmaputra, connecting to the latter first via the Lohit and then the Siang. For this river system, we have integrated our new data from the Paleogene-Recent Irrawaddy drainage basin (detrital zircon U-Pb with Hf and fission track, rutile U-Pb, mica Ar-Ar, bulk rock Sr-Nd, and petrography) with previously published data, to produce a palaeodrainage model that is consistent with all datasets. In our model, the Yarlung never flowed into the Irrawaddy drainage: during the Paleogene, the Yarlung suture zone was an internally drained basin, and from Neogene times onwards the Yarlung drained into the Brahmaputra in the Bengal Basin. The Central Myanmar Basin, through which the Irrawaddy River flows today, received predominantly locally-derived detritus until the Middle Eocene, the Irrawaddy initiated as a through-going river draining the Mogok Metamorphic Belt to the north sometime in the Late Eocene to Early Oligocene, and the river was then dominated by a stable MMB-dominated drainage throughout the Neogene to present day. Existing evidence does not support any connection between the Yarlung and the Red River in the past, but there is a paucity of suitable palaeo-Red River deposits with which to make a robust comparison. We argue that this limitation also precludes a robust assessment of a palaeo-connection between the Yangtze/Salween/Mekong and the Red River; it is difficult to unequivocally interpret the recorded provenance changes as the result of specific drainage reorganisations. We highlight the palaeo-Red River deposits of the Hanoi Basin as a potential location for future research focus in view of the near-complete Cenozoic record of undisputed palaeo-Red River deposits at this location. A majority of previous studies consider that if a major continental-scale drainage ever existed at all, it fragmented early in the Cenozoic. Such a viewpoint would agree with the growing body of evidence from palaeoaltitude studies that large parts of SE Tibet were uplifted by this period. This then leads towards the intriguing question as to the mechanisms which caused the major period of river incision in the Miocene in this region.\ud Keywords: Eastern Tibet; Palaeodrainage; Red River; Irrawaddy River; Yarlung Tsangpo; Central Myanmar Basin

Surface artefacts dominate the archaeological record of arid landscapes, particularly the Saharo-Arabian belt, a pivotal region in dispersals out of Africa. Discarded by hominins, these artefacts are key to understanding past landscape use and dispersals, yet behavioural interpretation of present-day artefact distributions cannot be carried out without understanding how geomorphological processes have controlled, and continue to control, artefact preservation, exposure and visibility at multiple scales.We employ a geoarchaeological approach to unravelling the formation of a surface assemblage of 2,970 Early and Middle Stone Age lithic artefacts at Wadi Dabsa, Saudi Arabia, the richest locality recorded to date in the southwestern Red Sea coastal region. Wadi Dabsa basin, within the volcanic Harrat Al Birk, contains extensive tufa deposits formed during wetter conditions. We employ regional landscape mapping and automatic classification of surface conditions using satellite imagery, field observations, local landform mapping, archaeological survey, excavation, and sedimentological analyses to develop a multi-scalar model of landscape evolution and geomorphological controls acting on artefact distributions in the basin. The main artefact assemblage is identified as a palimpsest of activity, actively forming on a deflatingsurface, a model with significant implications for future study and interpretation of this, and other, artefact surface assemblages.

We report the first attempt to date metasomatic events in peridotite xenoliths from the Subcontinental Lithospheric Mantle (SCLM) beneath the Cenozoic Calatrava volcanic field of central Spain. The most metasomatized xenoliths of the El Aprisco olivine melilitite maar were selected to perform a geochronological study on metasomatic apatite (U-Pb method) and amphibole (Ar-Ar), integrated with an enlarged chemical data set on these minerals. The metasomatic agents in studied samples are mainly carbonate-rich ultra-alkaline melts of probable asthenospheric derivation. Some samples have been overprinted by more than one metasomatic event. The geochronological data confirm three metasomatic events that occurred within the SCLM beneath central Spain in Cretaceous (118 Ma), Oligocene (29 Ma), and Miocene (16–4 Ma) times, much earlier than the host volcanic magmatism. To date, no magmatic events of those ages have been recorded in central Spain. However, a correlation with several cycles of sporadic intraplate magmatism of alkaline affinity in the Iberian microplate is suggested. This study illustrates that the SCLM preserves the memory of a complex history of melt and/or fluid percolation processes in a metasomatic record that is generally unrelated to shallower crustal magmatic events., This work is included in the objectives and supported by the CGL2016–78796 project of the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICINN) and the UCM 910492 group. González-Jiménez acknowledges financial support of the Ramón y Cajal Fellowship RYC-2015–17596, granted by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Empresa (MINECO).

Argon isotopic analyses were funded by NERC grant to I. Savov, IP-1690-1116. PJS was funded through a NERC studentship as part of the Leeds York Spheres Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) (grant number NE/L002574/1). Part of the field work and research were supported by base funding of the Institute of Geological Sciences (IGS) and a thematic project by the Science Committee of the Armenian Ministry of Education and Science (project #18 T-1E368). The post-collisional Syunik and Vardenis volcanic highlands, located in the southern Lesser Caucasus mountains (part of the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone) are host to over 200 monogenetic volcanoes, as well as 2 large Quaternary polygenetic volcanoes in the Syunik highland. The latter are overlain by lavas from the monogenetic volcanoes, suggesting there was a transition in the style of volcanic activity from large-volume central vent eruptions to dispersed small-volume eruptions. 12 new high quality 40Ar/39Ar ages are presented here, with 11 ages calculated by step-heating experiments on groundmass separates, and the final age obtained from total fusions of a population of sanidines. All the ages were younger than 1.5 Ma, except for one ignimbrite deposit whose sanidines gave an age of 6 Ma. While the bulk of the exposed products of post-collisional volcanism relate to Pleistocene activity, it is clear there has been active volcanism in the region since at least the late Miocene. All ages for monogenetic volcanoes in the Syunik highland are younger than 1 Ma, but to the north in Vardenis there is geochronological evidence of monogenetic volcanism at 1.4 and 1.3 Ma. An age of 1.3 Ma is determined for a lava flow from one of the polygenetic volcanoes- Tskhouk, and when combined with other ages helps constrain the timing of the polygenetic to monogenetic transition to around 1 Ma. The new ages illustrate a degree of spatio-temporal coupling in the formation of new vents, which could be related to pull-apart basins focussing ascending magmas. This coupling means that future eruptions are particularly likely to occur close to the sites of the most recent Holocene activity. The polygenetic to monogenetic transition is argued to be the result of a decreasing magma supply based on: (i) volume estimates for Holocene eruptions and for all monogenetic volcanoes and their lava flows in Syunik; and (ii) the volcanic stratigraphy of the Lesser Caucasus region which shows late Pliocene- early Pleistocene continental flood basalts being succeeded by a few large andesite-dacite volcanoes and then the most recent deposits consisting of small-volume scoria cones. The Syunik highland has the highest density of monogenetic centres in the Lesser Caucasus, which is taken to indicate this region has the highest magma flux, and was therefore the last location to transition to monogenetic volcanism, which is why the transition is most clearly seen there. There is no evidence from Sr-Nd-B isotope measurements for the exhaustion of fusible slab components in the mantle source, showing that an inherited slab signature can survive for millions of years after the end of subduction. Although volcanism in the Lesser Caucasus is currently waning, a future pulse of activity is possible. Publisher PDF

The Siberian large igneous province (LIP) forms the world's most extensive continental exposure of basalt and has several sub-provinces surrounding it, which may be genetically related. The Taimyr peninsula of north Siberia is one of these sub-provinces and is frequently assumed to be the northerly continuation of the basalts exposed at Noril'sk, the best-studied area of the Siberian LIP. However, the correlation is uncertain. We present new major and trace element data from 35 samples of extrusive and intrusive rocks from Taimyr, with Sr and Nd isotope data from a subset of ten. The Taimyr rocks fall into two groups with low (~ 7 wt.%) and elevated (~ 9 wt.%) MgO concentrations. The high-MgO rocks display a restricted range of initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.705 to 0.706) and 143Nd/144Nd (0.5122 to 0.5124) ratios, and share bulk silicate earth normalised rare earth element patterns strikingly similar to data observed in the ore-related Noril'sk intrusions. The remaining low-MgO group samples have a broader range with higher Sr and lower Nd isotope values and higher incompatible trace element ratios (e.g., Th/Ta > 5.3 and La/Smn > 1.7) similar to the crustally-contaminated Nadezhdinsky and Morongovsky suite basalts of the Noril'sk region. The major and trace element data for both groups are consistent with a process of fractional crystallisation coupled with small degrees of assimilation of incompatible-element-enriched lower crust involving different contaminants. Trace element model calculations indicate a process of magma formation at large degrees of partial melting and at pressures of less than 3 GPa, probably within the garnet–spinel transition zone or the spinel stability field of the asthenospheric mantle. We obtained an argon plateau age of ~ 252 (252.7 ± 1.5) Ma and a ~ 239 Ma total fusion age from a Taimyr lava and intrusive sample, respectively, confirming that volcanism is only partly contemporaneous with the activity of the Siberian LIP. Although this is in agreement with previous interpretations, we argue that the age difference between both events is only ~ 13 Ma and probably less (~ 5 Ma) although further investigation of the relationship is required. Our data allow correlation with distinct Noril'sk members and most importantly to the ore-bearing (Ni–Cu) intrusions implying that whole rock chemistry could have value as a prospecting tool in Taimyr.

Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) explorations of the Kahouanne Seamounts, located 25 km SE of Montserrat in the northern Lesser Antilles island arc, have discovered the occurrence of honeycomb-scalloped erosional features on volcanic and limestone outcrops at depths of up to 600 m below sea level (mbsl). These features, combined with the flat-topped morphology of the seamounts, the occurrence of shallow-water carbonates (rhodoliths, benthic foraminifera), and the presence of oxidized, highly-vesicular volcanic fragments, suggest that the seamounts were once subaerial islands and have subsequently subsided to their present depth. The subsidence is likely to have been in response to a combination of 1) graben development southeast of the island of Montserrat where faulting and extension are driven by the accommodation of slip convergence associated with oblique subduction along the Lesser Antilles volcanic arc and 2) regional subsidence inferred from studies of nearby carbonate platforms. 40Ar/39Ar dating of basalt/andesite lavas from the central seamount indicates active volcanism around 5.4 Ma. Shallow-water carbonates recovered from an apparent wave-cut terrace at ~600 mbsl in the same area, were deposited approximately 3 Ma, based on Sr-isotope stratigraphy, indicating significant subsidence of the complex since that time. The total subsidence is in line with displacements in the Kahouanne valley graben and regional subsidence rates inferred from carbonate platform depths around the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, implying that intra-arc subsidence has been a significant process shaping the present bathymetry and topography of this island arc.

This study presents major-, trace element and Re–Os isotope and elemental data for young alkaline basalts (< 10 Ma) from oceanic (Annobon, S. Tome, Principe), continental (Manengouba) and continent–oceanic boundary (COB, Mt. Cameroon) sectors of the Cameroon volcanic line (CVL). The CVL is a chain of Tertiary to recent, transitional to strongly alkaline intraplate volcanoes extending from the south Atlantic island of Annobon to the continental interior of West Africa (Biu Plateau). The basalts from the oceanic sector display a range of initial 187Os/188Os ratios between 0.128 and 0.190 and those from the COB and continental sector range between 0.142 and 0.560. The samples with high 206Pb/204Pb (e.g. ratios > 20) possess 187Os/188Os isotope compositions between 0.14 and 0.18 (e.g., basalts from Mt Cameroon and Sao Tome) which reflect the chemical characteristics that are more likely to be primary features of CVL, and are close to the value of 0.153 attributed to the HIMU end-member (Tubuai–Mangaia). However, most of the lavas from the continental sector show highly radiogenic initial 187Os/188Os ratios (0.36 to 0.56) that are outside the range previously observed for ocean island basalts, with shifts to radiogenic Os isotope compositions accompanied by less radiogenic 206Pb/204Pb and increasing SiO2 contents. The increase in 187Os/188Os is also associated with the decrease of Os, Ni, MgO and phenocryst abundances. These data can be explained by fractional crystallisation and assimilation of continental crust by the ascending magma. The systematic shift to unradiogenic lead isotope compositions from the COB into the oceanic sector is positively correlated with variations in 187Os/188Os isotope composition (from 0.140 to 0.128). At first sight this covariation might be attributed to the mixing of HIMU material with the ambient upper mantle (DMM). However, there is a clear covariation of the Os isotope and elemental composition, best explained with contamination of the oceanic basalts by the physical entrainment of xenoliths and xenocrysts of mantle origin. Overall, these results indicate that Os in CVL basalts is highly susceptible to contamination from both oceanic and continental lithospheres, under these circumstances covariations with other isotopes and elements must be interpreted with caution.

Twenty-six new 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages for 23 lavas and domes from the Uturuncu volcano in the Altiplano of SW Bolivia reveal a protracted eruptive history from 1050±5 to 250±5 ka. Eruptions have been exclusively effusive, producing some 50 km3 of high-K dacites and silicic andesites. Bimodal mineral compositions, complex mineral textures, the presence of andesitic magmatic enclaves within dacites and linear chemical trends on binary element plots all indicate that magma mixing is an important petrogenetic process at Uturuncu. Post-458 ka, distinct high and low MgO–Cr magmas are resolved. These magmas erupt during similar times, suggesting that eruptions are tapping different parts of the magma system, albeit from the same vent system. Volcanic and petrological features are consistent with the existence of a vertically extensive magma mush column beneath Uturuncu, and calculated buoyancy forces are sufficient to drive effusive eruptions. Eruptive activity is episodic, with six eruptive periods separated by hiatuses of >50 kyr. Cumulative volume curves demonstrate that the majority of the edifice formed between 595 and 505 ka. The episodicity of eruptions is most likely to be related to fluctuations in the magma supply to the underlying Altiplano–Puno Magma Body.

Volcanism on Montserrat (Lesser Antilles arc) has migrated southwards since the formation of the Silver Hills ~ 2.5 Ma, and has formed three successively active volcanic centres. The Centre Hills volcano was the focus of volcanism from ~ 1–0.4 Ma, before activity commenced at the currently active Soufrière Hills volcano. The history of activity at these two volcanoes provides an opportunity to investigate the pattern of volcano behaviour on an andesitic arc island over the lifetime of individual volcanoes. Here, we describe the pyroclastic stratigraphy of subaerial exposures around central Montserrat; identifying 11 thick (> 1 m) pumiceous units derived from sustained explosive eruptions of Centre Hills from ~ 0.8–0.4 Ma. Over 10 other, less well- exposed pumiceous units have also been identified. The pumice-rich units are interbedded with andesite lava breccias derived from effusive, dome-forming eruptions of Centre Hills. The stratigraphy indicates that large (up to magnitude 5) explosive eruptions occurred throughout the history of Centre Hills, alongside effusive activity. This behaviour at Centre Hills contrasts with Soufrière Hills, where deposits from sustained explosive eruptions are much less common and restricted to early stages of activity at the volcano, from ~ 175–130 ka. Subsequent eruptions at Soufriere Hills have been dominated by andesitic effusive eruptions. The bulk composition, petrography and mineral chemistry of volcanic rocks from Centre Hills and Soufrière Hills are similar throughout the history of both volcanoes, except for occasional, transient departures to different magma compositions, which mark shifts in vent location or dominant eruption style. For example, the final recorded eruption of Centre Hills, before the initiation of activity at Soufrière Hills, was more silicic than any other identified eruption on Montserrat; and the basaltic South Soufrière Hills episode marked the transition to the current stage of predominantly effusive Soufrière Hills activity. The compositional stability observed throughout the history of Centre Hills and Soufrière Hills suggests that a predominance towards effusive or explosive eruption styles is not driven by major compositional shifts of magma, but may reflect local changes in long-term magma storage conditions that characterise individual episodes (on 105 year timescales) of volcanism on Montserrat.

The eastern flank of the Mount Etna stratovolcano is affected by extension and is slowly sliding eastward into the Ionian Sea. The Pernicana fault system forms the border of the northern part of this sliding area. It consists of three E-W−oriented fault sectors that are seismically active and characterized by earthquakes up to 4.7 in magnitude (M) capable of producing ground rupture and damage located mainly along the western and central sectors, and by continuous creep on the eastern sector. A new topographic study of the central sector of the Pernicana fault system shows an overall bell-shaped profile, with maximum scarp height of 35 m in the center of the sector, and two local minima that are probably due to the complex morphological relation between fault scarp and lava flows. We determined the ages of lava flows cut by the Pernicana fault system at 12 sites using cosmogenic 3 He and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar techniques in order to determine the recent slip history of the fault. From the displacement-age relations, we estimate an average throw rate of ∼2.5 mm/yr over the last 15 k.y. The slip rate appears to have accelerated during the last 3.5 k.y., with displacement rates of up to ∼15 mm/yr, whereas between 3.5 and 15 ka, the throw rate averaged ∼1 mm/yr. This increase in slip rate resulted in significant changes in seismicity rates, for instance, decreasing the mean recurrence time of M ≥ 4.7 earthquakes from ∼200 to ∼20 yr. Based on empirical relationships, we attribute the variation in seismic activity on the Pernicana fault system to factors intrinsic to the system that are likely related to changes in the volcanic system. These internal factors could be fault interdependencies (such as those across the Taupo Rift, New Zealand) or they could represent interactions among magmatic, tectonic, and gravitational processes (e.g., Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii). Given their effect on earthquake recurrence intervals, these interactions need to be fully assessed in seismic hazard evaluations.

Synopsis The Early Carboniferous Arthur’s Seat volcano in central Edinburgh is of geological significance and landscape value but lacks a precise chronology. New 40 Ar/ 39 Ar step-heating plateau analyses date the lowest Lava 1 of the eruptive sequence to 341.2 ± 0.8 Ma (Visean, Holkerian), with Lava 3a at 336.7 ± 4.7 Ma. Intrusive or lava-lake basalts within the Lion’s Haunch Vent are precisely dated at 338 ± 0.6 Ma at Dunsapie and 335.1 ± 0.6 Ma at Crow Hill (Visean, Asbian). Taken together with existing 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dates recalculated to recent decay constant and standard values, and U/Pb dates, a revised magmatic chronology consistent with biostratigraphy is presented for the Midland Valley of Scotland. The Garleton Hills Volcanic Formation is older than the Arthur’s Seat Volcanic Formation, whereas the Clyde Plateau and Arthur’s Seat volcanic formations are partly coeval, requiring minor re-adjustments to existing stratigraphy. Supplementary material: Excel spreadsheets with raw analytical data and recalculation of existing 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18773.

A new high-precision inverse isochron 40Ar/39Ar age for the youngest Toba super-eruption is presented: 75.0 ± 0.9 ka (1 sigma, full external precision, relative to the optimisation model of Renne et al., 2010, 2011). We present the most accurate and robust radio-isotopic age constraint for the Young Toba Tuff. 40Ar/39Ar ages for biotite shards harvested from ultra-distal Toba tephra deposits (>2500 km) preserved in archaeological sites in the Middle Son Valley and Jurreru Valley, India, establish provenance with the young Toba super-eruption. The air-fall tephra at these sites can be used as an isochronous horizon facilitating stratigraphic and temporal correlation throughout India. The high-precision 40Ar/39Ar age for the young Toba tephra can serve as a tie point for linking of the multiple Greenland ice cores beyond the GICC05 timescale, and permits correlation to other absolutely dated palaeoclimate archives for the testing of synchronicity in the response of the global climate system.

Lasers are fundamental tools for sampling in geochemical studies and have found wide application in mass spectrometric sample introduction systems. Here we describe an isotope extraction method for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology using a new scanning CO2 laser system. This method can partially un-mix radiogenic (40Ar*) from trapped argon components and provides an alternative to furnace step-heating methods. A key advantage of the laser scanning method developed at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) is the ability to step-heat samples as large as 100 mg to fusion using low raster speeds, although care must be taken to avoid self-shielding of grains and proper laser targeting. The scanning laser extraction system has the potential for lower overall blanks and the ability to run blanks and calibrations between steps of a heating sequence. This provides better control on system performance and characterization during sample measurement and can result in improved data quality.

Sanidine from the Fish Canyon Tuff is regularly used as a neutron flux monitor by 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronologists. A new sampling of the Fish Canyon Tuff (denoted FCs-EK) has yielded sanidine that relative to FC-2 is confirmed here to have an R value of 0.9997±0.0100, which is indistinguishable from 1. The new sample will allow for continuity as many 40 Ar/ 39 Ar laboratories have exhausted their supplies of FC-2. FCs-EK is now available in significant quantities from the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre.

The central Scotia Sea, located between the South American and Antarctic plates, is an integral part of the marine conduit that permits eastward deep-water flow from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. The geologic history of the central Scotia Sea is therefore critical for a full understanding of the initiation and subsequent evolution of the complete, deep Antarctic Circumpolar Current, widely believed to have been a key factor in the history of Antarctic glaciation. Here, we present new evidence on the nature and age of the central Scotia Sea floor. Multibeam surveys and the first dredged samples indicate that a now-submerged remnant volcanic arc may have formed a barrier to deep eastward oceanic circulation until after the mid-Miocene climatic optimum. Inception and development of a full deep Antarctic Circumpolar Current may therefore have been important, not in the drop in global temperatures at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary as long surmised, but in the subsequent late Miocene global cooling and intensification of Antarctic glaciation.

Tectonic models of the evolution of the inter-American region show that induced subduction initiation/polarity reversal is required in order to isolate the Caribbean as a separate plate. However, the timing and mechanism of this subduction initiation/reversal are still controversial. In order to shed light on this issue we investigate the geochemistry of arc-derived, ~ 80 Ma, basic to acidic igneous rocks from the Main Ridge Formation (MRF) in central Jamaica. The affinity of the mantle component in the MRF arc rocks can help increase our understanding of the initiation of any new subduction zone in the inter-American region. Trace element geochemistry demonstrates that the MRF mantle source component was N-MORB-like. Conversely, younger circum-Caribbean arc rocks (≤ 75 Ma) have a more enriched plume-like mantle component. Unfortunately, when considering the slab component, some of the most useful trace elements that can be used to identify the affinity of a slab flux in arc lavas (e.g., Ba) have been mobilised by subsolidus alteration processes in the MRF. Consequently, the immobile element Th/La–(Ce/Ce*)Nd discrimination diagram is proposed as a method of determining the affinity of slab components from altered igneous rocks. This diagram identifies sedimentary slab components that have potentially contaminated an arc source region, e.g., continental detritus, volcanic detritus, hydrogenous Fe–Mn oxides, fish debris-rich clay and hydrothermal sediments. In this study, the Th/La–(Ce/Ce*)Nd diagram suggests that the slab component in most of the MRF samples has a composition similar to continental detritus/GLOSS II. Additionally, several MRF samples are derived from a source region that has been fluxed with a subduction component, in part, composed of fish debris and hydrothermal sediments. These results help constrain the timing and mechanism of Cretaceous subduction initiation in the inter-American region. The geochemical components recognised in the MRF rocks support a Turonian–Campanian (93.5–70.6 Ma) model of intra-Caribbean induced subduction polarity reversal that resulted from the collision of the Caribbean oceanic plateau with an inter-American arc system (the Great Arc of the Caribbean).

The 1.95-km-thick Cassia Formation, defined in the Cassia Hills at the southern margin of the Snake River Plain, Idaho, consists of 12 refined and newly described rhyolitic members, each with distinctive field, geochemical, mineralogical, geochronological, and paleomagnetic characteristics. It records voluminous high-temperature, Snake River−type explosive eruptions between ca. 11.3 Ma and ca. 8.1 Ma that emplaced intensely welded rheomorphic ignimbrites and associated ash-fall layers. One ignimbrite records the ca. 8.1 Ma Castleford Crossing eruption, which was of supereruption magnitude (∼1900 km 3 ). It correlates regionally and exceeds 1.35 km thickness within a subsided, proximal caldera-like depocenter. Major- and trace-element data define three successive temporal trends toward less-evolved rhyolitic compositions, separated by abrupt returns to more-evolved compositions. These cycles are thought to reflect increasing mantle-derived basaltic intraplating and hybridization of a midcrustal region, coupled with shallower fractionation in upper-crustal magma reservoirs. The onset of each new cycle is thought to record renewed intraplating at an adjacent region of crust, possibly as the North American plate migrated westward over the Yellowstone hotspot. A regional NE-trending monocline, here termed the Cassia monocline, was formed by synvolcanic deformation and subsidence of the intracontinental Snake River basin. Its structural and topographic evolution is reconstructed using thickness variations, offlap relations, and rheomorphic transport indicators in the successive dated ignimbrites. The subsidence is thought to have occurred in response to incremental loading and modification of the crust by the mantle-derived basaltic magmas. During this time, the area also underwent NW-trending faulting related to opening of the western Snake River rift and E-W Basin and Range extension. The large eruptions probably had different source locations, all within the subsiding basin. The proximal Miocene topography was thus in marked contrast to the more elevated present-day Yellowstone plateau.

Three voluminous rhyolitic ignimbrites have been identified along the southern margin of the central Snake River Plain. As a result of wide-scale correlations, new volume estimates can be made for these deposits: ~350 km3 for the Steer Basin Tuff and Cougar Point Tuff XI, and ~1,000 km3 for Cougar Point Tuff XIII. These volumes exclude any associated regional ashfalls and correlation across to the north side of the plain, which has yet to be attempted. Each correlation was achieved using a combination of methods including field logging, whole rock and mineral chemistry, magnetic polarity, oxygen isotope signature and high-precision 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. The Steer Basin Tuff, Cougar Point Tuff XI and Cougar Point Tuff XIII have deposit characteristics typical of ‘Snake River (SR)-type’ volcanism: they are very dense, intensely welded and rheomorphic, unusually well sorted with scarce pumice and lithic lapilli. These features differ significantly from those of deposits from the better-known younger eruptions of Yellowstone. The ignimbrites also exhibit marked depletion in δ18O, which is known to characterise the SR-type rhyolites of the central Snake River Plain, and cumulatively represent ~1,700 km3 of low δ18O rhyolitic magma (feldspar values 2.3–2.9‰) erupted within 800,000 years. Our work reduces the total number of ignimbrites recognised in the central Snake River Plain by 6, improves the link with the ashfall record of Yellowstone hotspot volcanism and suggests that more large-volume ignimbrites await discovery through detailed correlation work amidst the vast ignimbrite record of volcanism in this bimodal large igneous province.

We report five new 40Ar/39Ar ages for basaltic lavas in the Maku region of northwest Iran, between ca. 1.87 and 0.40 Ma, which help constrain the tectonic and landscape evolution of this part of the Turkish—Iranian plateau. Flows originated from the composite volcanoes Ararat (Agri Dagi), Tendurek and Yigit Dagi, in eastern Turkey (Anatolia). These volcanoes are within the Turkish—Iranian plateau, which is a consequence of the Arabia—Eurasia collision, but has a poorly constrained evolution and surface uplift history. Current plateau elevations are typically 1.5–2 km, and relief between non-volcanic summits and basins is typically on the scale of ∼1 km. Samples are from flows that passed along pre-existing river valleys. Gorges were cut by re-established rivers after the eruptions, but the great majority of the local relief (∼95 per cent) lies above the sampled flows and so most likely pre-dates the volcanism. Gorge depths and lava ages allow local Quaternary fluvial incision rates to be calculated, which are ∼0.01 to 0.05 mm yr−1. These rates imply slow surface uplift of this part of the Turkish—Iranian plateau during the Quaternary. We therefore constrain the generation of the great majority of relief in the study area to be pre-Quaternary, and caused by the tectonic construction of the plateau, rather than a subcrustal origin related to the Quaternary magmatism.

Rhyodacite lavas (Newcastle Volcanic Formation) from the Wagwater Basin in eastern Jamaica dated at 52.74 ± 0.34 Ma (2σ) have adakitic-like major element compositions, low Y and heavy rare Earth element (REE) concentrations and negative Nb and Ta anomalies on a normal mid-ocean ridge basalt normalised multi-element diagram. They also have lower Sr (< 400 ppm), MgO (≤ 2.0 wt.%), Ni (mostly ≤ 30 ppm) and Cr (mostly ≤ 40 ppm) concentrations compared to other modern adakites and middle-late Archaean (3.5–2.5 Ga) trondhjemite, tonalite and granodiorite/dacites (TTG/Ds). eNd(i) and eHf(i) values indicate that the Newcastle adakite-like lavas cannot be formed by assimilation and fractional crystallisation processes involving any other igneous rock in the area and so the composition of the lavas is largely the result of the residual mineralogy in the source region. Low Sr and Al2O3 contents indicate a fluid/vapour-absent source with residual plagioclase and REE systematics point to residual amphibole and garnet in the source region. Similarly, high silica values and constant Zr and P2O5 concentrations suggest residual quartz and accessory zircon and apatite. The plagioclase and garnet residue implies that the Newcastle magmas were derived from partially melting a metabasic protolith at 1.0–1.6 GPa, which would intersect the amphibole dehydration partial melt solidus at ~ 850–900 °C. Radiogenic isotopes along with the low MgO, Ni and Cr concentrations in the Newcastle lavas demonstrate that the garnet amphibolite source region cannot be part of (1) the lower Jamaican arc crust, (2) delaminated lower crust or (3) subducted Proto-Caribbean “normal” oceanic crust that may, or may not, have detached. This data, in addition to partial melting models involving a theoretical garnet-amphibolite source region for the Newcastle lavas, shows that the adakite-like rocks are derived from metamorphosed Caribbean oceanic plateau crust that underthrust Jamaica in the early Tertiary. The underplated oceanic plateau crust partially melted by either (1) influx of basaltic magma during lithospheric extension in the early Tertiary or (2) direct partial melting of the underthrusting (subducting) plateau crust. The Newcastle magmas ascended and erupted without coming into contact with a mantle wedge thus forming the low MgO, Ni and Cr contents. Most Cenozoic adakites have compositions similar to the middle-late Archaean TTG/D suite of igneous rocks. In contrast, early (> 3.5 Ga) Archaean TTG/D crustal rocks have lower Sr, MgO, Ni and Cr concentrations and prior to this study had no modern adakite analogue. However, the Newcastle adakites have similar compositions to the, early Archaean TTG/D. The discovery of these rocks has important implications for our understanding of the formation of the Earth's earliest continental crust and so it is proposed that the Newcastle lavas be classified as a unique subgroup of adakites: Jamaican-type adakite.

Uturuncu volcano, SW Bolivia, is a dormant stratovolcano (~85 km3) dominated by dacitic lava domes and flows. 39Ar/40Ar ages show that the volcano was active between 890 ka and 271 ka, with the lavas becoming younger and less extensive at higher elevations. There are current signs of unrest. Between 1992 and 2006 geodetic satellite measurements record an ongoing 70 km deformation field with a central uplift rate of 1 to 2 cm/yr. Deformation indicates volume changes of 400 x 108 m3 over 14 years, an average of ~1 m3/s (10–2 km3/yr). The deformation is attributed to magma intrusion into the Altiplano-Puna regional crustal magma body. Deformation models indicate a source at depths of 17 to 30 km beneath current local relief. In a reconnaissance survey, persistent seismic activity (mean of 2.6 earthquakes per hour with a maximum of 14 per hour) was recorded at about 4 km depth below the center of the uplift, 4 km SW of the volcano's summit. The seismic events have a normal b value (~1.04) and activity is attributed to brittle deformation in the elastic crust above the active deep magma intrusion. The porphyritic dacite lavas (64–68% SiO2) have a plagioclase-orthopyroxene-biotite-magnetite-ilmenite assemblage and commonly contain juvenile silicic andesite inclusions, cognate norite nodules and crustal xenoliths. Temperature estimates are in the range 805 to 872°C for the dacites and about 980°C for the silicic andesites. The dacite magmas formed by fractional crystallization of andesite forming norite cumulates and involving partial melting of crust. Compositions and zoning patterns of orthopyroxene and plagioclase phenocrysts indicate that compositional variation in the dacites is caused by magma mixing with the silicic andesite. Reversely zoned orthopyroxene phenocrysts in the andesitic end-member are explained by changing oxidation states during crystallization. Fe3+/Fe2+ ratios from orthopyroxene crystals and Fe3+ in plagioclase provide evidence for a relatively reduced melt that subsequently ascended, degassed and became more oxidized as a consequence of degassing. The geophysical and petrological observations suggest that dacite magma is being intruded into the Altiplano-Puna regional crustal magma body at 17 km or more depth, consistent with deformation models. In the Late Pleistocene dacitic and andesitic magmas ascended from the regional crustal magma body to a shallow magma system at a few kilometers depth where they crystallized and mingled together. The current unrest, together with geophysical anomalies and 270 ka of dormancy, indicate that the magmatic system is in a prolonged period of intrusion. Such circumstances might eventually lead to eruption of large volumes of intruded magma with potential for caldera formation.

Apatite (U–Th)/He and fission track data from profiles in western Scotland constrain the timing and magnitude of denudation during the early Cenozoic when the north Atlantic region was the site of intense magmatic activity related to the proto-Icelandic plume. Apatite helium ages vary from 77 ± 8 to 265 ± 27 Ma (± 2σ) at Sgorr Dhonuill, Ballachulish, and from 104 ± 10 Ma to 166 ± 17 Ma at Clisham, Outer Hebrides. At both locations apatite fission track (AFT) ages are older than the corresponding He ages; at Clisham they vary from 189 ± 28 Ma to 242 ± 26 Ma, and from 186 ± 6 Ma to 257 ± 12 Ma at Sgorr Dhonuill. Apatite He ages increase linearly with elevation suggesting that the cooling rate remained constant in the late Mesozoic. However, the apatite He age profile requires a period of rapid cooling after ∼ 100 Ma. Apatite He ages predicted from the AFT-derived thermal histories are indistinguishable from measured He ages for a rapid cooling event of 1 to 10 Myr duration between 61 and 47 Ma at Sgorr Dhonuill and 65 to 49 Ma at Clisham. The combined apatite FT- and He-derived thermal histories constrain the early Cenozoic geothermal gradient at 39 ± 9 °C/km at Sgorr Dhonuill and 19 ± 6 °C/km at Clisham. Amounts of denudation related to the rapid cooling event vary from 1330 ± 230 m at Sgorr Dhonuill to 2250 ± 750 m at Clisham, in agreement with models that predict greater amounts of denudation where magmatic underplating is thicker. However, the direct correlation between underplating-driven surface uplift and denudation may only be apparent and a more complex link between spatial variation of surface uplift and denudation is suggested. The integration of results from multiple low-temperature thermochronometers, combined with inverse and forward modelling, provides a convincing and quantitative method to deduce onshore erosional histories, and provides critical information about the spatial distribution of erosion that cannot be derived from the offshore record.

New high precision 40Ar/39Ar dating of sanidine and biotite from two rhyolitic domes and an ignimbrite, combined with existing fission-track data and a hydrothermal sericite age, suggests that the world-class Ag deposit at Cerro Rico was emplaced during a protracted period of magma-related hydrothermal activity beginning at 13.77 ± 0.03 Ma and continuing for at least 0.2 m.y. This may have been sustained by a large single injection or repeated injections of fractionated Ag-enriched magma into a high-level magma chamber. K-Ar dating of alunite indicates that supergene oxidation had begun by about 13.5 Ma, soon after dome emplacement, and progressed semicontinuously for at least 7.5 m.y. This oxidation, while not leading to significant enrichment, has significantly enhanced the economic viability of the disseminated part of the orebody.

The southeast Australian margin, like other high elevation passive margins, is characterised by a steep escarpment that separates a dissected coastal plain from a low relief inland plateau. Quantitative constraints on the generation of escarpments can be provided by apatite (U–Th)/He ages. Here we use a coast-perpendicular traverse across the coastal lowlands, escarpment and plateau to test the three prevailing models of SE Australian escarpment formation, namely retreat into a downwarped rift shoulder, escarpment retreat and down-wearing on high elevation rift shoulder with flexural rebound. Apatites from the coastal plain have He ages of between 87 and 112 Ma, suggesting that the coastal lowlands developed very rapidly after rifting and continental break-up at 85–100 Ma. The He age data are inconsistent with the erosion of a downwarped rift margin, and cannot be explained by a constant post-break-up rate of lateral escarpment retreat across the coastal plain or by constant down-wearing. The data require either rapid escarpment retreat or rapid in-place excavation of the escarpment soon after break-up, in response to rifting and the lowering of base levels on the margin of the new continent at break-up, followed by a period of landscape stability and low erosion. Combined with the existing apatite fission track record, the He data are consistent with erosion of 3–4 km within a maximum of 28 Myr of break-up, at a minimum vertical erosion rate of 130 m Myr−1 along the coast. The rapid denudation period across the coastal plain in this region took less than 48 Myr (from the coast to the escarpment base), which corresponds to an average vertical erosion rate of 45 m Myr−1. This is equivalent to a mean escarpment retreat rate of 5–10 km Myr−1. Apatite He ages from the plateau (183–247 Ma) indicate that the highlands remained stable throughout continental break-up, experiencing average erosion rates of less than 10 m Myr−1 since the late Palaeozoic/early Mesozoic.