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1. In one step: Insights into shallow differentiation from basalt to rhyolite at Cordón Caulle from rhyolite-MELTS simulations

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2025.108305  

   Ruefer, Anna C; Kelly, Liam J; Gualda, Guilherme AR; Carrillo, Edgar L; Hickernell, Sarah; Ward, Sarah; Winslow, Heather; Ruprecht, Philipp (March 2025, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research)
2. Transient rhyolite melt extraction to produce a shallow granitic pluton

   https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf0604  

   Schaen, Allen J.; Schoene, Blair; Dufek, Josef; Singer, Brad S.; Eddy, Michael P.; Jicha, Brian R.; Cottle, John M. (May 2021, Science Advances)

   Rhyolitic melt that fuels explosive eruptions often originates in the upper crust via extraction from crystal-rich sources, implying an evolutionary link between volcanism and residual plutonism. However, the time scales over which these systems evolve are mainly understood through erupted deposits, limiting confirmation of this connection. Exhumed plutons that preserve a record of high-silica melt segregation provide a critical subvolcanic perspective on rhyolite generation, permitting comparison between time scales of long-term assembly and transient melt extraction events. Here, U-Pb zircon petrochronology and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar thermochronology constrain silicic melt segregation and residual cumulate formation in a ~7 to 6 Ma, shallow (3 to 7 km depth) Andean pluton. Thermo-petrological simulations linked to a zircon saturation model map spatiotemporal melt flux distributions. Our findings suggest that ~50 km 3 of rhyolitic melt was extracted in ~130 ka, transient pluton assembly that indicates the thermal viability of advanced magma differentiation in the upper crust. 

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3. FLOW BANDS AND MICROLITE TEXTURES IN OBSIDIAN, MINYON FALLS RHYOLITE, AUSTRALIA

   https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2020NC-348340  

   Seitzinger, Zenja; Knesel, Kurt (January 2020, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs)
4. Pumice clast analysis: Unveiling conduit dynamics in Utah’s Quaternary rhyolite volcanos.

   Davis, C; Rivera, T; Degraffenreid, R; Schiffbauer, J; Selly, T (April 2024, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs)

   Textural studies of pumice clasts have been used for decades to estimate eruption styles, particularly through bubble size distribution (BSD) analysis along with quantification of vesicle sizes, numbers, connectivity, and crystallization textures. In more recent years, studies have evolved to include finer-scale analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and large-scale digital elevation models (DEM). By integrating textural, geochemical, and SEM analysis of the vesicularity of pumice clasts, a comprehensive conduit model can be constructed, which can be further used to estimate volatile content and explosivity. In this contribution, we investigate pumice from two Quaternary deposits from the Black Rock Desert and Mineral Mountains located in west central Utah, a first-of-its kind study for these units. In hand sample, the 2.4 Ma crystal-poor Cudahy Mine pumice (SiO2 = 76.1 wt.%) appears characterized by small, uniform bubbles, whereas the <1 Ma Ranch Canyon pumice (SiO2 = 77.5%) contains ample K-feldspar phenocrysts and elongated fibrous vesicles. We employ X-ray tomographic and scanning electron microscopies to determine bubble sphericity and interconnectivity, crystal volumes, and density and vesicularity estimates. Our resulting data are used to establish a model for intra-conduit processes and eruption intensity of these two anorogenic, monogenetic rhyolite volcanoes. These imaging techniques provide a unique way to understand eruption dynamics for ancient volcanoes. 

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5. Magma accumulation at depths of prior rhyolite storage beneath Yellowstone Caldera

   https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ade0347  

   Maguire, Ross; Schmandt, Brandon; Li, Jiaqi; Jiang, Chengxin; Li, Guoliang; Wilgus, Justin; Chen, Min (December 2022, Science)

   Seismic imaging shows a melt fraction of up to 20% in the depth range that supplied prior Yellowstone eruptions. 

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