ALBERT

Notes: Abstract  The intramontane Lauca Basin at the western margin of the northern Chilean Altiplano lies to the west of and is topographically isolated from the well-known Plio-Pleistocene lake system of fluvio-lacustrine origin that covers the Bolivian Altiplano from Lake Titicaca to the north for more than 800 km to the Salar de Uyuni in the south. The Lauca Basin is filled by a sequence of some 120 m of mainly upper Miocene to Pliocene clastic and volcaniclastic sediments of lacustrine and alluvial origin. Volcanic rocks, partly pyroclastic, provide useful marker horizons. In the first period (6–4 Ma) of its evolution, the 'Lago Lauca' was a shallow ephemeral lake. Evaporites indicate temporarily closed conditions. After 4 Ma the lake changed to a perennial water body surrounded by alluvial plains. In the late Pleistocene and Holocene (2–0 Ma) there was only marginal deposition of alluvial and glacial sediments. The basin formed as a half-graben or by pull-apart between 10 and 15 Ma (tectonic displacement of the basal ignimbrite sequence during the 'Quechua Phase′) and 6.2 Ma (maximum K/Ar ages of biotites of tuff horizons in the deepest part of the basin). Apart from this early basin formation, there has been surprisingly little displacement during the past 6 Ma close to the Western Cordillera of the Altiplano. Also, climate indicators (pollen, evaporites, sedimentary facies) suggest that an arid climate has existed for the past 6 Ma on the Altiplano. Together, these pieces of evidence indicate the absence of large scale block-faulting, tilt and major uplift during the past 5–6 Ma in this area.

Notes: Abstract The intramontane Lauca Basin at the western margin of the northern Chilean Altiplano lies to the west of and is topographically isolated from the well-known Plio-Pleistocene lake system of fluvio-lacustrine origin that covers the Bolivian Altiplano from Lake Titicaca to the north for more than 800 km to the Salar de Uyuni in the south. The Lauca Basin is filled by a sequence of some 120 m of mainly upper Miocene to Pliocene elastic and volcaniclastic sediments of lacustrine and alluvial origin. Volcanic rocks, partly pyroelastic, provide useful marker horizons. In the first period (6–4 Ma) of its evolution, the ‘Lago Lauca’ was a shallow ephemeral lake. Evaporites indicate temporarily closed conditions. After 4 Ma the lake changed to a perennial water body surrounded by alluvial plains. In the late Pleistocene and Holocene (2-0 Ma) there was only marginal deposition of alluvial and glacial sediments. The basin formed as a half-graben or by pull-apart between 10 and 15 Ma (tectonic displacement of the basal ignimbrite sequence during the ‘Quechua Phase’) and 6.2 Ma (maximum K/Ar ages of biotites of tuff horizons in the deepest part of the basin). Apart from this early basin formation, there has been surprisingly little displacement during the past 6 Ma close to the Western Cordillera of the Altiplano. Also, climate indicators (pollen, evaporites, sedimentary facies) suggest that an arid climate has existed for the past 6 Ma on the Altiplano. Together, these pieces of evidence indicate the absence of large scale block-faulting, tilt and major uplift during the past 5–6 Ma in this area.

Notes: Abstract In this study, we present Th–U disequilibria as well as radiogenic and trace element data for recent volcanic rocks from the Nevados de Payachata volcano which erupted through ∼70 km of continental crust in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes (18°S, 69°W). Both lavas and mineral separates were analyzed by mass spectrometry for 238U–230Th disequilibria. The lavas are characterized either by 230Th enrichment or depletion relative to its parent nuclide 238U. Mineral separates are used to derive U–Th isochron ages and these ages compare favorably with inferred stratigraphic ages or K–Ar ages, although in one case the U–Th age is significantly older than the stratigraphic age. Despite relatively constant Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios, the lavas display inverse trends in 230Th/238U versus Ce/Yb or Ba/Hf diagrams. These trends cannot be interpreted by simple two-component mixing. Rather, there must be three (and perhaps four components) involved in the genesis of the Parinacota lavas. A mantle wedge, a slab fluid, and a lower crustal component can be identified. A sediment component is more difficult to detect as it is difficult to decipher its signature because of the strong crustal influence. The existence of binary arrays can be explained by variable amounts of crustal material. The process of crust–mantle interaction must have been short enough to preserve U–Th disequilibrium (〈300 ka).

Notes: Abstract Subduction-related volcanism in the Nevados de Payachata region of the Central Andes at 18°S comprises two temporally and geochemically distinct phases. An older period of magmatism is represented by glaciated stratocones and ignimbrite sheets of late Miocene age. The Pleistocene to Recent phase (≤0.3 Ma) includes the twin stratovolcanoes Volcan Pomerape and Volcan Parinacota (the Nevados de Payachata volcanic group) and two small centers to the west (i. e., Caquena and Vilacollo). Both stratovolcanoes consist of an older dome-and-flow series capped by an andesitic cone. The younger cone, i. e., V. Parinacota, suffered a postglacial cone collapse producing a widespread debris-avalanche deposit. Subsequently, the cone reformed during a brief, second volcanic episode. A number of small, relatively mafic, satellitic cinder cones and associated flows were produced during the most recent activity at V. Parinacota. At the older cone, i. e., V. Pomerape, an early dome sequence with an overlying isolated mafic spatter cone and the cone-forming andesitic-dacitic phase (mostly flows) have been recognized. The two Nevados de Payachata stratovolcanoes display continuous major- and trace-element trends from high-K2O basaltic andesites through rhyolites (53%–76% SiO2) that are well defined and distinct from those of the older volcanic centers. Petrography, chemical composition, and eruptive styles at V. Parinacota differ between pre- and post-debris-avalanche lavas. Precollapse flows have abundant amphibole (at SiO2 〉 59 wt%) and lower Mg numbers than postcollapse lavas, which are generally less silicic and more restricted in composition. Compositional variations indicate that the magmas of the Nevados de Payachata volcanic group evolved through a combination of fractional crystallization, crustal assimilation, and intratrend magma mixing. Isotope compositions exhibit only minor variations. Pb-isotope ratios are relatively low (206Pb/204Pb = 17.95–18.20 and208Pb/204Pb = 38.2–38.5);87Sr/86Sr ratios range 0.70612–0.70707,143Nd/144Nd ratios range 0.51238–0.51230, andγ 18OSMOW values range from + 6.8%o to + 7.6%o SMOW. A comparison with other Central Volcanic Zone centers shows that the Nevados de Payachata magmas are unusually rich in Ba (up to 1800 ppm) and Sr (up to 1700 ppm) and thus represent an unusual chemical signature in the Andean arc. These chemical and isotope variations suggest a complex petrogenetic evolution involving at least three distinct components. Primary mantle-derived melts, which are similar to those generated by subduction processes throughout the Andean arc, are modified by deep crustal interactions to produce magmas that are parental to those erupted at the surface. These magmas subsequently evolve at shallower levels through assimilation-crystallization processes involving upper crust and intratrend magma mixing which in both cases were restricted to end members of low isotopic contrast.

Notes: Abstract Upper mantle plagioclase+spinel- and spinel-peridotite xenoliths occur in basanitic and tephritic lavas of the 2.7 my to Recent Mt. Melbourne Volcanic Field (Antarctica). This field belongs to the Cenozoic McMurdo volcanic group which is located between the deep western trough of the Ross Sea rift system and the uplifted rift shoulder of the Transantarctic Mountains. Our samples cover the transition zone between rift and shoulder. We examined texture and composition of plagioclase+spinel and normal spinel peridotites and determined temperatures and pressures of formation using the internally consistent Ca-ol/cpx and 2px-thermobarometer of Köhler and Brey (1990) and Brey and Köhler (1990). Distinct calcium distribution patterns in olivines correspond to three different petrographic textures: type ELZ have equigranular textures, and low calcium concentrations of 60 ppm in the olivine cores which are strongly zoned to 200 ppm in their rims. Type PLH are protogranular to porphyroclastic and have low and homogeneous calcium contents in the range of 120 to 200 ppm. Type EHH peridotites are equigranular and have olivines with high and homogeneous calcium values of 467–485 ppm. The application of the 2 px-thermometer give rim temperatures of 800 to 860 °C for Type ELZ, 900 to 1080 °C for type PLH and 1030 to 1050 °C for type EHH. Pressures of 13 to 17 kb calculated with the Ca-ol/epx-barometer for EHH peridotites are consistent with the Ross Rift geotherm. For the other two types, this barometer yields unreasonable high pressures exceeding 30 kb for both, plagioclase-bearing and ‘normal’ spinel-peridotites. This indicates disequilibrium and continued calcium-loss from the olivines during cooling below the closure temperature for the 2 px-thermometer. Inversion of the Ca-in-olivine-barometer into a thermometer and application to core compositions of ELZ olivines (60 ppm) suggests that cooling occurred to temperatures of ca. 580 °C. Based on petrographical and geothermobarometric results and diffusion arguments, a four stage model is developed for the evolution of the upper mantle beneath the margin of the Ross Rift: (1) adiabatic uplift into the plagioclase/spinel-peridotile field; (2) subsequent cooling below the blocking temperature (800 °C) of the 2 px-thermometer to about 600 °C as indicated by low Ca in olivine cores; followed by (3) reheating to 760 °C as suggested by zonation to high calcium concentrations of up to 200 ppm in olivine rims. Calcium concentrations of up to 800 ppm were measured in one ELZ-olivine in the outermost rim (10 μm) reflecting (4) a last heating event during transport and ascent in the basanitic host magma. Timing for the latter two stages has been roughly calculated from Ca-diffusivities in olivine. A minimum duration of 1200 to a few million years is indicated for stage 3 and 90 h to 22–23 days for stage 4, respectively. This timing of events correlates to increased mantle temperatures for the duration of magmatic activity of the Mt. Melbourne Volcanic Field and the short-term transport in host magmas. Our results also indicate that anomalous shallow mantle exists at the transition from the Ross Rift into the uplifted Transantarctic Mountains.

Notes: Abstract 18O/16O and D/H ratios have been measured for matrix glasses and phenocrysts from the zoned phonolitic Laacher See tephra sequence (11000 y.b.p., East Eifel volcanic field, FRG) to study open-system behaviour of the associated magma system. Mineral and glass δ 18O values appear to be largely undisturbed by low-temperature, secondary alteration, record isotopic equilibrium and confirm previous conclusions, based on radiogenic isotope evidence, of early, small-scale crustal assimilation during differentiation of parental magmas in a crustal magma chamber. One sanidine-glass pair possibly documents the late stage influx of meteoric fluids into the topmost magma layer prior to eruption. A sealing carapace of chilled magma, which itself was strongly contaminated, prevented large-scale fluid exchange up to the point prior to eruption when this carapace was fractured and meteoric water gained access to parts of the magma system. D/H measurements of various glass types (glass inclusions, dense and pumiceous glass) and amphiboles gave conflicting results suggesting a combination of degassing, volatile exchange with country rocks and hydration. Stable isotope ratios for primitive parental magmas (δ 18O=+5.5 to 7.0‰) and mantle megacrysts (δ 18O=+ 5.5 to +6.0‰, δD=−21 to −38‰, for amphiboles and phlogopite, resp.) suggest a rather variable fluid composition for the sub-Eifel mantle.

Notes: Abstract Whole rock and mineral stable isotope and microprobe analyses are presented from granitoids of the North Chilean Precordillera. The Cretaceous to Tertiary plutonic rocks contain important ore deposits and frequently display compositional and textural evidence of hydrothermal alteration even in barren rocks. Deuteric alteration includes replacement of biotite and amphibole by chlorite and epidote, sericitization and saussuritization of feldspars, and uralitization of clinopyroxene and/or amphibole. While whole rock compositions are not significantly affected, compositional variations in amphiboles suggest two types of hydrothermal alteration. Hornblende with actinolitic patches and rims and tight compositional trends from hornblende to Mg-rich actinolite indicate increasing oxygen fugacity from magmatic to hydrothermal conditions. Uralitic amphiboles exhibiting irregular Mg-Fe distribution and variable Al content are interpreted as reflecting subsolidus hydration reactions at low temperatures. The δD values of hydrous silicates vary from −63 to −105‰. Most δ18O values of whole rocks are in the range of 5.7 to 7.7‰ and are considered normal for igneous rocks in the Andes. These δ18O values also coincide well with the oxygen isotope composition of geochemically similar recent volcanics from the Central Andean Volcanic Zone (δ18O = 7.0–7.4‰). Only one sample in this study (δ18O = 3.0‰) appears to be depleted by isotope exchange with light meteoric water at high temperatures. The formation of secondary minerals in all other intrusions is mainly the product of deuteric alteration. This also holds true for the sample from El Abra, the only pluton associated with mineralization. This indicates the dominant role of a magmatic rather than a meteoric fluid in the alteration of the Cretaceous and Tertiary granitoids in northern Chile.

Notes: Abstract  Jurassic Ferrar rocks in Victoria Land (Antarctica) occur predominantly as basaltic or andesitic flows and sills. Both show characteristic petrographical and chemical variations, which can be related to in-situ differentiation processes. Such characteristics have been investigated at one flow (“Colonnade flow”) and one sill (“Thumb Point sill”) in the Prince Albert Mountains (Central Victoria Land) based on a statistical grain size analysis and the application of the crystal size distribution theory. A third magma body (“HiTi-unit”), which in previous literature was described as a flow, does not show clear similarities to either the flow or sill. Sill and flow are in-situ differentiated with accumulation of silicic residual melt in the latest cooled parts. For the flow this part is located in the lower half and for the sill in the upper third of their thickness. Thumb Point sill additionally shows an accumulation zone of olivine in the lower third. The position of the residual melt accumulation zone is an indicator for an origin as flow or sill. The HiTi-unit, by contrast, exhibits, only moderate petrographical and chemical variations. Growth and nucleation rates have been determined using, with some modifications, the CSD theory introduced by Marsh (1988). Growth rates of plagioclase for the flow vary from 10−11 to 10−10 cm/s and are comparable with literature values for basaltic lava lakes on Hawaii. Nucleation rates vary from 10−4 to 10−3 cm−3s−1, which are generally smaller than for Hawaiian basalts. Growth and nucleation rates for the sill cover a large range from 10−13 to 10−11 cm/s and 10−9 to 10−3 cm−3s−1, respectively. Systematic variations of these parameters with vertical position were obtained for the sill with its extensive differentiation history. Nucleation and growth rates are dependant on the mode of cooling. Nevertheless, small but significant differences between the flow and sill exist. Growth and nucleation rates of HiTi-unit (10−12 to 10−11 cm/s and 10−6 to 10−5 cm−3s−1) are intermediate between the flow and sill and thus do not allow a distinction of emplacement mode.