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Abstract Cerro Machín, a volcano located in the northern segment of the Andes, is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Colombia with an explosive record that involves at least five plinian events. Prior studies focused on the last dome-building eruption have suggested the presence of a water-rich mid-crustal magma reservoir. However, no direct volatile measurements have been published and little work has been completed on the explosive products of the volcano. Here, we study the largest known eruption of Cerro Machín volcano which occurred 3600 years BP producing dacitic pyroclastic fall deposits that can be traced up to 40 km from the vent. Lapilli pumice clasts have a mineral assemblage of plagioclase, amphibole, quartz, and biotite phenocrysts, with accessory olivine, Fe–Ti oxides, and apatite. The occurrence of Fo89–92 olivine rimmed by high Mg# amphibole and the established high-water contents in the magma imply the presence of magma near or at water saturation at pressures > ~ 500 MPa. Measurements of up to 10.7 wt % H2O in melt inclusions hosted in plagioclase and quartz in the 3600 years BP eruption products support the idea that Cerro Machín is a remarkably water-rich volcanic system. Moreover, this is supported by measurements of ~103 to 161 ppm H2O in plagioclase phenocrysts. The application of two parameterizations of water partitioning between plagioclase and silicate melt allows us to use our water in plagioclase measurements to estimate equilibrium melt water contents of 5 ± 1 wt % to 11 ± 2 wt % H2O, which are in good agreement with the water contents we measured in melt inclusions. Results of amphibole geobarometry are consistent with a magma reservoir stored in the mid-to-lower crust at a modal pressure of 700 ± 250 MPa, corresponding to a depth of ~25 km. Minor crystallization in the shallow crust is also recorded by amphibole barometry and calculated entrapment pressures in melt inclusions. Amphibole is present as unzoned and zoned crystals. Two populations of unzoned amphibole crystals are present, the most abundant indicate crystallization conditions of 853 ± 26°C (1 se; standard error), and the less abundant crystallized at an average temperature of 944 ± 24°C (1 se). Approximately 18% of the amphibole crystals are normally or reversely zoned, providing evidence for a minor recharge event that could have been the trigger mechanism for the explosive eruption. Plagioclase crystals also show normal and reverse zoning. The moderate Ni concentrations (<1600 μg/g) in the high-Fo olivine xenocrysts suggest that Cerro Machín primary magmas are generated by inefficient interaction of mantle peridotite with a high-silica melt produced by slab melting of basaltic material. Some sediment input is also suggested by the high Pb/Th (>2.2) and Th/La (0.3–0.4) ratios. Whole rock chemistry reveals heavy rare earth element (HREE) depletion and Sr enrichment that likely formed during the crystallization of garnet and amphibole in the upper part of the mantle or lower portion of the crust, promoting the formation of water-rich dacitic magma that was then injected into the middle-to-lower crust. Textural and compositional differences in the crystal cargo that erupted during dome-building and plinian events support the idea that large volumes of magma recharge lead to effusive eruptions, while only small recharge events are needed to trigger plinian eruptions at Cerro Machín.
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Magmatic Storage and Volatile Fluxes of the 2021 La Palma Eruption
The 2021 La Palma eruption (Tajogaite) was unprecedented in magnitude, duration, and degree of monitoring compared to historical volcanism on La Palma. Here, we provide data on melt inclusions in samples from the beginning and end of the eruption to compare the utility of both melt and fluid inclusions as recorders of magma storage. We also investigated compositional heterogeneities within the magmatic plumbing system. We found two populations of olivine crystals: a low Mg# (78–82) population present at the beginning and end of eruption, recording the maximum volatile contents (2.5 wt % H2O, 1,800 ppm F, 700 ppm Cl, 3,800 ppm S) and a higher Mg# (83–86) population sampled toward the end of the eruption, with lower volatile contents. Despite their host composition, melt inclusions share the same maximum range of CO2 concentrations (1.2–1.4 wt %), indicating olivine growth and inclusion capture at similar depths. Overall, both melt and fluid inclusions record similar pressures (450–850 MPa, ∼15–30 km), and when hosted in the same olivine crystal pressures are indistinguishable within error. At these mantle pressures, CO2 is expected to be an exsolved phase explaining the similar range of CO2 between the two samples, but other volatile species (F, Cl, S) behave incompatibly, and thus, the increase between the two olivine populations can be explained by fractional crystallization prior to eruption. Finally, based on our new data, we provide estimates on the total volatile emission of the eruption.
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- PAR ID:
- 10528576
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
- Volume:
- 25
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 1525-2027
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GC011491
