Showing papers by "Nelia W. Dunbar published in 2013"

On the Time Scales of Magma Genesis, Melt Evolution, Crystal Growth Rates and Magma Degassing in the Erebus Volcano Magmatic System Using the 238U, 235U and 232Th Decay Series

Abstract: We investigate the time scales of magma genesis, melt evolution, crystal growth rates and magma degassing in the Erebus volcano magmatic system using measurements of 238U-230Th-226Ra-210Pb-210Po, 232Th-228Ra-228Th and 235U-231Pa-227Ac. These are the first measurements of 231Pa-227Ac in volcanic samples and represent the first set of data in a volcanic system to examine the entire suite of relevant 238U, 235U and 232Th decay series nuclides. Our sample suite consists of 22 phonolite volcanic bombs, erupted between 1972 and 2005, and five anorthoclase megacrysts separated from bombs erupted in 1984, 1989, 1993, 2004 and 2005. The 238U-230Th, 230Th-226Ra and 235U-231Pa systems are uniform over the 34 years examined. The anorthoclase megacrysts and phonolite glasses show complementary 226Ra/230Th disequilibria with (226Ra/230Th) ∼40 in the anorthoclase and ∼0*75 in the phonolite glass. In all samples, (210Pb/226Ra) is in radioactive equilibrium for both phases. In two phonolite glass samples (227Ac/231Pa) is unity. For the phonolite glasses (228Ra/232Th) is in equilibrium, whereas in the anorthoclase megacrysts it is significantly greater than unity. Instantaneous crystal fractionation, with magma residence times greater than 100 years and less than 10 kyr, can account for the measured 238U-230Th-226Ra-210Pb and 235U-231Pa-227Ac. However, the significant 228Ra/232Th disequilibria in the anorthoclase megacrysts preclude this simple interpretation. To account for this apparent discrepancy we therefore developed an open-system, continuous crystallization model that incorporates both nuclide ingrowth and decay during crystallization. This open-system model successfully reproduces all of the measured 238U and 232Th disequilibria and suggests that the shallow magma reservoir at Erebus is growing. The implication of this modeling is that when the time scale of crystallization is comparable with the half-life of the daughter nuclide of interest (e.g. 226Ra) the simple isochron techniques typically used in most U-series studies can provide erroneous ages. The observation that (210Pb/226Ra) and (227Ac/231Pa) are in radioactive equilibrium suggests that the residence time of the magmas is >100 years. When considering the effect of 222Rn degassing on 210Pb/226Ra, the data indicate that the majority of magma degassing is deep and long before eruption, consistent with melt inclusion data. Additionally, for the 2005 lava bomb, whose eruption date (16 December 2005) is known explicitly, 210Po was not completely degassed from the magma at the time of eruption. Incomplete degassing of 210Po is atypical for subaerially erupted lavas and suggests that the Erebus shallow magma degasses about 1% of its Po per day. The combined 238U and 232Th data further indicate that the pyroclasts ejected by Strombolian eruptions at Erebus have compositions that are close to what would be expected for a near-steady-state system, reflecting inmixing of degassed magmas, crystal fractionation, and aging.

Recent volcanic accretion at 9°N–10°N East Pacific Rise as resolved by combined geochemical and geological observations

Abstract: [1] The ridge crest at 9°N–10°N East Pacific Rise (EPR) is dominated by overlapping lava flows that have overflowed the axial summit trough and flowed off-axis, forming a shingle-patterned terrain up to ∼2–4 km on either side of the axial summit trough. In this study, we employ 230Th-226Ra dating methods, in conjunction with geochemistry and seafloor geological observations, in an effort to discern the stratigraphic relationships between adjacent flows. We measured major and trace elements and 87Sr/86Sr, 143Nd/144Nd, 176Hf/177Hf, and 238U-230Th-226Ra for lava glass samples collected from several flow units up to ∼2 km away from the axial summit trough on the ridge crest at 9°50′N EPR. Statistical analysis of the 238U-230Th-226Ra data indicates that all but one measured sample from these flows cannot be resolved from the zero-age population; thus, we cannot confidently assign model ages to samples for discerning stratigraphic relationships among flows. However, because groups of samples can be distinguished based on similarities in geochemical compositions, particularly incompatible element abundances with high precision-normalized variability such as U and Th, and because the range of compositions is much greater than that represented by samples from the 1991–1992 and 2005–2006 eruptions, we suggest that the dive samples represent 6–10 eruptive units despite indistinguishable model ages. Geochemical variability between individual flows with similar ages requires relatively rapid changes in parental melt composition over the past ∼2 ka, and this likely reflects variations in the relative mixing proportions of depleted and enriched melts derived from a heterogeneous mantle source.

Impact of known local and tropical volcanic eruptions of the past millennium on the WAIS Divide microparticle record

Abstract: [1] We present a new method for inferring the relative location (low- versus high-southern latitude), and therefore the potential climatic impact, of past eruptions based on the particle size distribution (PSD) of micrometer-sized ash measured continuously in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice core. We find that particles from a high-southern latitude eruption (Buckle Island, Antarctica (1839 Common Era, C.E.)) have a PSD with mode diameter ≥5 µm coarser than the background dust (mode 5.1 µm), while ash particles originating from stratospheric tropical eruptions, including Tambora (1815 C.E.), Kuwae (1458 C.E.), and Unknown (1258 C.E.), have PSDs with mode diameters ~0.6–1.5 µm finer than the background. In addition, volcanic ash particles from global-scale eruptions are deposited ~3–6 months earlier and over a shorter time interval than sulfate aerosols. We hypothesize that this phasing is driven by differences in atmospheric processing and aerosol/particle transport and deposition.