Mitsuhiro Nakagawa

Origin of ultra rear‐arc magmatism at Rishiri Volcano, Kuril Arc

The Rishiri Volcano is located at the very rear of the Kuril Arc at its junction with the NE Japan Arc, and its 300 km depth to the slab surface is one of the deepest among the active arc volcanoes in the world. In this study, the origin of this ultra rear-arc magmatism was investigated by analyzing the basaltic lavas from the volcano. The lavas consist of low-K and high-K groups, with the low-K lavas predating the high-K lavas. Since it is unlikely that the high-K magmas are derivatives of the low-K magmas, the two magmas are thought to be derived from different source mantle materials. Analyses using multicomponent thermodynamics suggest that these magmas were both generated through the ∼2% melting of a source mantle with 0.04–0.11 wt.% H2O at 1280–1330°C and ∼2.3 GPa. The temperatures at the surface of the subducting Pacific slab, from which the slab fluids were released, were estimated to be 860–960°C for the low-K magmas and 930–1040°C for the high-K magmas. These temperatures of the slab surface are remarkably higher than those predicted by thermal models. The estimated high temperatures of the slab surface and the latest detailed seismic tomography results suggest that the low-K and high-K magmatism resulted from the progressive production of fluids at the slab surface due to heating by the injection of hot mantle materials into a relatively large-scale fracture in the distorted portion of the subducting Pacific plate. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Eruptive history of Sundoro volcano, Central Java, Indonesia since 34 ka

Reconstruction of the eruptive history of Sundoro volcano is needed to forecast the probability of future eruptions and eruptive volumes. Sundoro volcano is located in Central Java (Indonesia), 65xa0km northwest of Yogyakarta, and in one of the most densely populated areas of Indonesia. On the basis of stratigraphy, radiocarbon dating, petrography, and whole-rock geochemistry, we recognize the following 12 eruptive groups: (1) Ngadirejo, (2) Bansari, (3) Arum, (4) Kembang, (5) Kekep, (6) Garung, (7) Kertek, (8) Watu, (9) Liyangan, (10) Kledung, (11) Summit, and (12) Sibajak. The Ngadirejo (34xa0ka BP) to Kledung (1xa0ka) eruptive groups are inferred to have been the stratovolcano building phase. Based on compositions of deposits, one or more magma reservoirs of intermediate chemical composition are inferred to have existed below the volcano during the periods of time represented by the eruptive groups. SiO2 of juvenile eruptive products ranges from 50 to 63xa0wt%, and K2O contents range from high K to medium K. The chemical composition and phenocryst content of eruptive products change with time. The lower SiO2 products contain mainly plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and olivine, whereas the more evolved rocks contain plagioclase, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and rare hornblende and olivine. Our work has defined Sundoro’s eruptive history for the period 1–34xa0ka, and this history helps us to forecast future activity. We estimated that the total amount of magma discharged since 34xa0ka is approximately 4.4xa0km3. The average eruption rate over this group ranges from 0.14 to 0.17xa0km3/kyr. The eruption rate and the frequency of individual eruptions indicate that the volcano has been very active since 34xa0ka, and this activity in combination with our petrological data suggest the presence of one or more magma reservoirs that have been repeatedly filled and then discharged as eruptions have taken place. Our data further suggest that the volume of the crustal reservoir system has increased with time, such that explosive eruptions are more likely in the future and that they may be larger than the most recent small eruptions.

A petrological and geochemical study on time-series samples from Klyuchevskoy volcano, Kamchatka arc

To understand the generation and evolution of mafic magmas from Klyuchevskoy volcano in the Kamchatka arc, which is one of the most active arc volcanoes on Earth, a petrological and geochemical study was carried out on time-series samples from the volcano. The eruptive products show significant variations in their whole-rock compositions (52.0–55.5 wt.% SiO2), and they have been divided into high-Mg basalts and high-Al andesites. In the high-Mg basalts, lower-K and higher-K primitive samples (>9 wt.% MgO) are present, and their petrological features indicate that they may represent primary or near-primary magmas. Slab-derived fluids that induced generation of the lower-K basaltic magmas were less enriched in melt component than those associated with the higher-K basaltic magmas, and the fluids are likely to have been released from the subducting slab at shallower levels for the lower-K basaltic magmas than for higher-K basaltic magmas. Analyses using multicomponent thermodynamics indicates that the lower-K primary magma was generated by ~13% melting of a source mantle with ~0.7 wt.% H2O at 1245–1260u2009°C and ~1.9xa0GPa. During most of the evolution of the volcano, the lower-K basaltic magmas were dominant; the higher-K primitive magma first appeared in AD 1932. In AD 1937–1938, both the lower-K and higher-K primitive magmas erupted, which implies that the two types of primary magmas were present simultaneously and independently beneath the volcano. The higher-K basaltic magmas evolved progressively into high-Al andesite magmas in a magma chamber in the middle crust from AD 1932 to ~AD 1960. Since then, relatively primitive magma has been injected continuously into the magma chamber, which has resulted in the systematic increase of the MgO contents of erupted materials with ages from ~AD 1960 to present.