The Tonga‐Kermadec‐New Zealand volcanic arc is an end‐member of arc systems with fast subduction suggesting that the Tonga sector should have the coolest modern slab thermal structure on Earth. New ...data for boron concentration and isotopic composition are used to evaluate the contrasting roles of postulated subduction components (sediments and oceanic slab lithologies) in magma genesis. Major observations include: (a) Tonga‐Kermadec volcanic front lavas are enriched in B (as recorded by B/Nb and similar ratios) and most have relatively high δ11B (>+4‰), whereas basaltic lavas from New Zealand have relatively low B/Nb and δ11B (<−3.5‰); (b) both δ11B and B/Nb generally increase northward from New Zealand along with convergence rate and overall slab flux; (c) δ11B and B/Nb decrease toward the back‐arc, as observed elsewhere; and (d) low δ11B is observed in volcanic front samples from Ata, an anomalous sector where the back‐arc Valu Fa Spreading Center impinges on the arc and the Louisville Seamount Chain is presently subducting. Otherwise, volcanic front lavas exhibit positive correlations for both B/Nb and δ11B with other plausible indicators of slab‐derived fluid contributions (e.g., Ba/Nb, U/Th, (230Th/232Th) and 10Be/9Be), and with estimated degree of melting to produce the mafic lavas. Inferred B‐enrichments in the arc magma sources are likely dominated by serpentinite domains deeper within the subducting slab (±altered oceanic crust), and B systematics are consistent with dominant transport by slab‐derived aqueous fluids. Effects of this process are amplified by mantle wedge source depletion due to prior melt extraction.
Plain Language Summary
Boron isotope and other geochemical data are used to evaluate contributions from subducted materials to magma sources for volcanoes of the Tonga‐Kermadec‐New Zealand volcanic arc. The data are used to estimate the composition of modified mantle sources for the arc magmas as well as the extent of melting to produce them. It is shown that the mantle was previously depleted in melt components, and then overprinted by B and other components from the subducting slab, predominantly by aqueous fluids produced by dehydration of the slab. Some elements (e.g., Th, Be, La) considered to be relatively immobile in aqueous fluids, show strong correlation with B‐enrichment, suggesting that they too can be mobilized in this manner. This result is important for understanding the origin of arc magmas from other localities. In addition our data imply that slab inputs to arc magma sources are cumulative over time.
Key Points
The first comprehensive B isotope data set for the Tonga‐Kermadec‐New Zealand arc and associated subducting sediments
Tonga‐Kermadec lavas have higher B/Nb and δ11B than the sediments, and seem to reflect dominantly fluid‐related contributions from the subducting slab
Estimates of magma source compositions and extent of melting constrain the nature of subduction contributions along the arc
Occurrences of high-Mg andesite (HMA) in modern volcanic arcs raise the possibility that significant volumes of continental crust could be directly derived from Earth's mantle. Such rocks are ...commonly associated with subduction of young, warm oceanic lithosphere or occur in areas heated by mantle convection. A relatively rare occurrence near Mt. Shasta in the Cascades volcanic arc has been considered to represent one such primary mantle-derived magma type, from which more evolved andesitic and dacitic magmas are derived. Recognition that the Shasta area HMA is actually a hybrid mixed magma, calls into question this notion as well as the criteria upon which it is based. We report new chemical and mineralogical data for samples of the Shasta HMA that bear on the components and processes involved in its formation. Several generations of pyroxenes and olivines are present along with different generations of oxide minerals and melt inclusions. The most magnesian olivines (Fo93) exhibit disequilibria textures, exotic melt inclusions, and reaction rims of Fo87 composition; these crystals along with spongy, ∼Mg#87 orthopyroxene crystals are interpreted to be xenocrystic and do not signify a primitive mantle derivation. The groundmass is andesitic with moderate MgO content, and melt inclusions of similar compositions are hosted by equilibrium olivine (∼Fo87). The bulk magma (whole rock) is more magnesian, but primarily due to incorporation of mafic minerals and ultramafic xenolith debris. We propose that the exotic crystal and lithic debris in these rocks is derived from (1) dacitic magmas of possible crustal derivation, (2) prograded ultramafic rocks in the underlying crust, and (3) random lithic debris and crystals derived from conduit wall rocks and earlier intruded magmas within the feeder plexus beneath Shasta. The HMA is inferred to represent a mixture between evolved dacitic and primitive basaltic magmas as well as incorporation of xenolithic crystal cargo. There is no compelling evidence that HMA is present in large volumes, and it is not considered to be an important parental liquid to more evolved magmas at Shasta.
Mount St. Helens (MSH) volcano, in the southern Washington Cascades arc, has produced dominantly dacitic to andesitic magmatic products over the last 300 ka. Basaltic to basaltic andesitic magmas ...erupted only during the relatively brief (ca. 2100-1800 yr B.P.) Castle Creek period from vents separated by no more than a few kilometers. They provide a unique perspective on the evolution of this volcano. Despite close temporal and spatial proximity, these mafic magmas define two distinct compositional lineages: (1) low-K tholeiites (LKT) and (2) basalts of "oceanic island" or intraplate affinity (or IPB). Both lack typical arc geochemical signatures and appear to derive from distinct mantle sources, neither of which has been significantly modified by slab-derived fluid or melt components. No true calc-alkalic basalts have erupted from MSH despite its obvious arc setting. Each lineage includes derivative lavas that range from ∼7 to 5 wt% MgO and ∼49 to 55 wt% SiO2, and both are slightly porphyritic with dominantly olivine and plagioclase, minor spinel, and trace clinopyroxene in some but not all samples. With respect to incompatible elements (e.g., K, La, Nb, Th, etc.), compositional trends for the two lineages are dramatically different and inconsistent with simple fractional crystallization processes. The data instead suggest that each lineage was produced dominantly by mixing between distinct parental LKT and IPB basaltic magmas and material of intermediate composition roughly similar to average MSH andesite. Mineralogical characteristics of macrocrysts in MSH basalts indicate that they do not represent equilibrium assemblages. Olivine compositions and textures in some samples implicate accumulation of crystals formed from multiple magmas, and evidence for magma mixing is reinforced by the rare presence of "blebs" of rhyolitic glass. These assemblages of crystals presumably are derived from different magmas and/or older MSH magmatic products (including crystal mush zones) within crustal conduit systems. Extrapolation of compositional trends ("mixing arrays") to higher MgO content implicates the involvement of three types of parental magma: primitive LKT as well as distinct nepheline- and hypersthene-normative IPBs (or ne-IPB and hy-IPB), variants of which have erupted repeatedly from monogenetic vents in this sector of the Cascades. Such magmas are interpreted to form from distinct lherzolitic mantle sources (less fertile, with lower clinopyroxene content for LKT) at depths on the order of 80 (LKT) and 50-60 (IPBs) kilometers, under near-anhydrous conditions, in response to decompression rather than flux-melting. We also report a set of self-consistent estimates of temperature, pressure, water content, magma density, and weight fraction of "andesitic" mixing component for samples of each lineage. These parameters are highly correlated and serve to constrain the structure of the magma feeder system beneath MSH. A dynamic continuum of melt compositions is likely present, controlled principally by temperature and density gradients within the system. We envisage that during Castle Creek time the most primitive basaltic magmas formed distinct reservoirs in the deep crust, with the ne-IPB variant near 28 km depth and the LKT variant near 23 km. More silicic members of these lineages appear to have evolved at depths between ∼20-15 km. We suggest that reservoir depths were controlled mainly by magma density that, in turn, is largely determined by the degree of mixing with "andesitic" components at crustal depths. This configuration implies a vertical magmatic plexus with connections extending well into the upper mantle. The sharp chemical distinction between the LKT and IPB mixing arrays suggests that the respective feeder systems were isolated and rarely interacted despite their close proximity. Finally, it appears that the presence of large, complex, and long-lived conduit systems beneath stratovolcanoes can act as "magma traps," within which deeper-seated (mantle) inputs are prone to modification by interaction with stored magmas and their differentiation products. In contrast, the occurrence of relatively primitive basalts from monogenetic vents distal from stratovolcanoes implies that diverse basaltic magmas ascend beneath virtually the entire arc segment and that the true complexity of this "mantle wind" is locally masked by modifications within the crust.
This paper briefly reviews the magmatic manifestations of volcanic arcs and aspects of how such magmas form. Common concepts about “how subduction zones work” are reassessed—with particular emphasis ...on the atypical Cascades volcanic arc. This arc is associated with one of the warmest modern subduction zones, with accelerated slab dehydration and low flux of slab-derived fluids compared to most others. With minimized leverage of fluids, other aspects of arc magmatism become more evident. We see multiple distinct basaltic magma types, all represented by relatively primitive high-MgO end members that allow assessment of their conditions of formation. Dominant types include two distinct intraplate varieties: low-K tholeiite with similarities to mid-ocean ridge basalts and another variety with affinities to many ocean island basalts. In addition, there is a spectrum of more typical calcalkalic basalts that range to fairly alkali-rich compositions (absarokites) as well as high-Mg basaltic andesites. These magma types are variably present throughout much of the arc and all are present coevally in a transect paralleling the Columbia River. Their complex spatial distributions may in part reflect along-strike differences in tectonic controls and/or dynamics of mantle convective flow. The Cascades arc is relatively broad, with significant basaltic volcanism locally in frontal and back arc regions. Prominence of basaltic magmatism has emerged since the late Miocene, and may be related to changes in the regional tectonic regime over time. These mafic magmas provide energy to drive melting in the crust, and perhaps in the lithospheric mantle, that feeds the more prominent stratovolcanoes distributed along the arc axis. Thermobarometry of the most primitive basalts implies unusual relations between depth and composition, as well as conflicting views regarding melt generation. Some traditional interpretations concerning 1) the conditions of magma formation, 2) the role of subducting oceanic plates (±sediments) in forming volcanic arc magmas, and 3) the nature of magmatic source domains in general appear to be inconsistent with current observations to some degree. These topics are reviewed and their implications assessed regarding physical and tectonic aspects of subduction zones.
Many arc lavas are more oxidized than mid-ocean-ridge basalts and subduction introduces oxidized components into the mantle. As a consequence, the sub-arc mantle wedge is widely believed to be ...oxidized. The Fe oxidation state of sub-arc mantle is, however, difficult to determine directly, and debate persists as to whether this oxidation is intrinsic to the mantle source. Here we show that Zn/FeT (where FeT = Fe2+ + Fe3+) is redox-sensitive and retains a memory of the valence state of Fe in primary arc basalts and their mantle sources. During melting of mantle peridotite, Fe2+ and Zn behave similarly, but because Fe3+ is more incompatible than Fe2+, melts generated in oxidized environments have low Zn/FeT. Primitive arc magmas have identical Zn/FeT to mid-ocean-ridge basalts, suggesting that primary mantle melts in arcs and ridges have similar Fe oxidation states. The constancy of Zn/FeT during early differentiation involving olivine requires that Fe3+/FeT remains low in the magma. Only after progressive fractionation does Fe3+/FeT increase and stabilize magnetite as a fractionating phase. These results suggest that subduction of oxidized crustal material may not significantly alter the redox state of the mantle wedge. Thus, the higher oxidation states of arc lavas must be in part a consequence of shallow-level differentiation processes, though such processes remain poorly understood.
The South Sandwich volcanic arc is sited on a young oceanic crust, erupts low-K tholeiitic rocks, is characterized by unexotic pelagic and volcanogenic sediments on the down-going slab, and simple ...tectonic setting, and is ideal for assessing element transport through subduction zones. As a means of quantifying processes attending transfer of subduction-related fluids from the slab to the mantle wedge, boron concentrations and isotopic compositions were determined for representative lavas from along the arc. The samples show variable fluid-mobile/fluid-immobile element ratios and high enrichments of B/Nb (2.7 to 55) and B/Zr (0.12 to 0.57), similar to those observed in western Pacific arcs. δ11B values are among the highest so far reported for mantle-derived lavas; these are highest in the central part of the arc (+15 to +18‰) and decrease toward the southern and northern ends (+12 to +14‰). δ11B is roughly positively correlated with B concentrations and with 87Sr/86Sr ratios, but poorly coupled with other fluid-mobile elements such as Rb, Ba, Sr and U. Peridotites dredged from the forearc trench also have high δ11B (ca. +10‰) and elevated B contents (38–140ppm). Incoming pelagic sediments sampled at ODP Site 701 display a wide range in δ11B (+5 to −13‰; average=−4.1‰), with negative values most common. The unusually high δ11B values inferred for the South Sandwich mantle wedge cannot easily be attributed to direct incorporation of subducting slab materials or fluids derived directly therefrom. Rather, the heavy B isotopic signature of the magma sources is more plausibly explained by ingress of fluids derived from subduction erosion of altered frontal arc mantle wedge materials similar to those in the Marianas forearc. We propose that multi-stage recycling of high-δ11B and high-B serpentinite (possibly embellished by arc crust and volcaniclastic sediments) can produce extremely 11B-rich fluids at slab depths beneath the volcanic arc. Infiltration of such fluids into the mantle wedge likely accounts for the unusual magma sources inferred for this arc.
► Subduction recycling are evaluated considering B systematics for the SSI arc. ► SSI lavas have heaviest 11B values (+12 to +18‰) yet observed for arc-rocks. ► Metasomatized forearc mantle provides high 11B to SSI lavas. ► Multi-stage recycling of fluids at slab depths account for unusual magma source. ► Tectonic erosion appears to be the mechanism for recycling heavy B via the trench.
Basaltic magmatism is a common feature of dynamically active terrestrial planets. The compositions of basalts reflect the temperatures and pressures of magma generation, providing windows into a ...planet's thermal state. Here, we present new thermobarometers based on magma Si and Mg contents to estimate the pressures and temperatures of basaltic magma generation on Earth and other terrestrial planets. Melting on Earth is intimately tied to plate tectonics and occurs mostly at plate boundaries: mid-ocean ridges and subduction zones. Beneath ridges, melting is driven by adiabatic decompression of passively upwelling mantle at 1300–1400 °C. Similar temperatures of melting are found for some arcs, suggesting that decompression melting is also important in arcs and that enhanced melting by hydrous fluxing is superimposed on this background. However, in arcs where melting temperatures are low (1200 °C), hydrous fluxing is required. Temperatures hotter than ridges (>
1400 °C) are primarily found away from plate boundaries: beneath thick continental lithosphere and oceanic “hotspots” like Hawaii. Oceanic “hotspots” are thought to derive from deep thermal upwellings (“plumes”), but some hot anomalies beneath continents are not associated with deep-seated plumes and hence must have different origins, such as thermal insulation or radioactive heating of metasomatized zones. Melting on Venus, as constrained from spectral data of its surface, occurs at higher temperatures (1500 °C) and pressures than on Earth, perhaps because Venus is characterized by a thick and stagnant upper thermal boundary layer that retards convective heat loss. In this regard, Venus' upper thermal boundary layer may be analogous to thick continents on Earth. Mars appears to have cooled off to <
1300 °C within its first billion years, but considerable controversy exists over the interpretation of young (<
500 My) basaltic meteorites that record temperatures of 1550 °C. As for the first billion years of Earth's history, its upper mantle was hotter than 1700 °C, hence melting commenced at pressures greater than 7 GPa, where melts could have been denser than residual solids, resulting in downward fertilization of the Earth's mantle.
For some volcanic arcs, the geochemistry of volcanic rocks erupting above subducted oceanic fracture zones is consistent with higher than normal fluid inputs to arc magma sources. Here we use ...enrichment of boron (B/Zr) in volcanic arc lavas as a proxy to evaluate relative along-strike inputs of slab-derived fluids in the Aleutian, Andean, Cascades and Trans-Mexican arcs. Significant B/Zr spikes coincide with subduction of prominent fracture zones in the relatively cool Aleutian and Andean subduction zones where fracture zone subduction locally enhances fluid introduction beneath volcanic arcs. Geodynamic models of subduction have not previously considered how fracture zones may influence the melt and fluid distribution above slabs. Using high-resolution three-dimensional coupled petrological-thermomechanical numerical simulations of subduction, we show that enhanced production of slab-derived fluids and mantle wedge melts concentrate in areas where fracture zones are subducted, resulting in significant along-arc variability in magma source compositions and processes.
New U-Pb zircon ages are reported for granulite facies crustal xenoliths brought to the surface by mafic lavas in the Snake River Plain. All samples yield Meso-to-Neoarchean ages (2.4–3.6 Ga) that ...significantly expand the known extent of the Archean Wyoming Craton at least as far west as the west-central Snake River Plain. Most zircon populations indicate multiple growth episodes with complexity increasing eastward, but they bear no record of major Phanerozoic magmatic episodes in the region. To extrapolate this work further west to the inferred craton boundary, zircons from southwestern Idaho batholith granodiorites were also analyzed. Although most batholith zircons record Cretaceous formation ages, all samples have zircons with inherited cores—with some recording Proterozoic ages (approaching 2 Ga). These data enhance our perspectives regarding lithosphere architecture beneath southern Idaho and adjacent areas and its possible influence on Cenozoic magmatism associated with the Snake River Plain–Yellowstone “melting anomaly”.
The United States established an academy for educating future army officers at West Point in 1802. Why, then, did it take this maritime nation forty-three more years to create a similar school for ...the navy?The Long Road to Annapolisexamines the origins of the United States Naval Academy and the national debate that led to its founding.Americans early on looked with suspicion upon professional military officers, fearing that a standing military establishment would become too powerful, entrenched, or dangerous to republican ideals. Tracing debates about the nature of the nation, class identity, and partisan politics, William P. Leeman explains how the country's reluctance to establish a national naval academy gradually evolved into support for the idea. The United States Naval Academy was finally established in 1845, when most Americans felt it would provide the best educational environment for producing officers and gentlemen who could defend the United States at sea, serve American interests abroad, and contribute to the nation's mission of economic, scientific, and moral progress.Considering the development of the naval officer corps in relation to American notions of democracy and aristocracy,The Long Road to Annapolissheds new light on the often competing ways Americans perceived their navy and their nation during the first half of the nineteenth century.
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