Geology, Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Late Cenozoic McMurdo Volcanic Group, Victoria Land, Antarctica

• Main Author: Kyle, Philip Raymond
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: 1976
• Subjects: Earth Sciences not elsewhere classified; Arctic Regions; Volcanism; Geochemistry; Mineralogy; Stratigraphic geology; Geodynamics; School: School of Geography; Environment and Earth Sciences; 049999 Earth Sciences not elsewhere classified; Marsden: 260199 Geology; Marsden: 260399 Geochemistry; Degree Discipline: Geology; Degree Level: Doctoral; Degree Name: Doctor of Philosophy; Antarctic; Arctic; Balleny Islands; Hallett; Marsden; Overlord; Pacific; Pleiades; Ross Sea; The Antarctic; The Pleiades; Transantarctic Mountains; Victoria Land; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.16945573.v1; https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Geology_Mineralogy_and_Geochemistry_of_the_Late_Cenozoic_McMurdo_Volcanic_Group_Victoria_Land_Antarctica/16945573

Rocks of the McMurdo Volcanic Group occur as stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, scoria cones, plugs, flows and volcanic piles up to 4000 m high along the Ross Sea margin of the Transantarctic Mountains and make up the Balleny Islands 300 km north of the Antarctic continental margin. The rocks are predominantly undersaturated and range from alkali basalt and basanite to trachyte and phonolite. Four volcanic provinces are recognised; Balleny, Hallett, Melbourne and Erebus. The Balleny volcanic province is situated along a transform fault in the South Pacific Ocean. The rocks are predominantly basanite. Hallett volcanic province occurs along the coast of northern Victoria Land as four elongate piles formed extensive of hyaloclastites, tuffs, breccias and capped by subaerial eruptive products. The lavas are a basanite/alkali basalt-trachyte-quartz trachyte association, and were extruded over the last 7 m.y. Melbourne volcanic province stretches across the Transantarctic Mountains in northern Victoria Land and ranges in age from 0 to 7 m.y. A Central Suite of intermediate and trachytic lavas form stratovolcanoes, cones and plugs, while many small basanite outcrops constitute a Local Suite. Three lava lineages, resulting from differentiation, are recognised. 1) Lavas at The Pleiades and Mt Overlord consist of a mildly potassic trachyandesite-tristanite-K-trachyte-peralkaline K-trachyte lineage. Major, trace and rare earth element (REE) data suggest evolution by fractional crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene, magnetite, apatite and feldspar. 2) A basanite-nepheline hawaiite-nepheline mugearite-nepheline benmoreite lineage, found at The Pleiades is believed to result from fractional crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene, kaersutite, magnetite, apatite and feldspar. 3) An oversaturated (Q = 0 to 18%) strongly potassic quartz trachyandesite-quartz tristanite-quartz trachyte lineage occurs at only Mt Melbourne. The Erebus volcanic province covers all McMurdo Volcanic Group rocks in south Victoria Land. Mt Erebus ...