Contrasting timescales of crystallization and magma storage beneath the Aleutian Island arc

• Main Authors: Brian R. Jicha, Brad S. Singer, Brian L. Beard, Clark M. Johnson
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2005
• Subjects: Aleutian Island
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.552.2965; http://www.geo.mtu.edu/~raman/papers2/JichaetalEPSL05.pdf

Geologic, chronologic, and U–Th isotope data from Pleistocene–Recent basaltic to rhyolitic lavas and their phenocrysts constrain the long-term evolution of magmatic processes at Seguam Island, Aleutian Island arc, and suggest a model in which erupted magmas were derived from a single, deep seated reservoir for ~130 kyrs of its eruptive history. The monotonic evolution in (230Th / 232Th)0 ratios is consistent with radiogenic ingrowth of 230Th in a long-lived magma reservoir between 142 and 9 ka. Internal U–Th mineral isochrons from seven lavas and one ignimbrite are indistinguishable from their eruption ages as constrained by 40Ar / 39Ar dating, which implies a short period (i.e., 103 yrs or less) of crystal residence in the magma prior to eruption. These results can be reconciled if small batches of magma are repeatedly extracted from a deep, thermally buffered, basaltic reservoir, followed by decompression-driven crystallization and differentiation in small chambers or conduits in the upper crust immediately prior to eruption. Stratovolcano collapse at 9 ka produced a 4 km diameter caldera and a 70 m thick dacitic ignimbrite covering ~12 km2. The ignimbrite, as well as subsequent rhyolitic and basaltic lava flows, signal a decrease in (230Th / 232Th)0 and 87Sr / 86Sr ratios. The abrupt change in magma composition at 9 ka most likely reflects disruption of the long-lived reservoir by rapid ascent of basaltic magma with low (230Th / 232Th) and 87Sr / 86Sr ratios and excess 226Ra. While the