Roberto Mazzuoli

Temporal evolution of a three component system: the island of Lipari (Aeolian Arc, southern Italy)

The volcanic products from Lipari define an evolutionary trend with a high gradient of K-enrichment, similar to the calc-alkaline to potassic volcanism of other islands in the Aeolian arc. Stratigraphic reconstruction of the island based on field and geochronological data indicate that the volcanic activity can be subdivided in two stages. The first stage, from 223 to 42 ka, consists of six eruptive cycles and is characterized by basalts and basalt-andesites showing progressive increase in both SiO2 and K2O contents with time. The second stage consists of four cycles erupted since 42 ka and is marked by an apparent rejuvenation of the geochemical system with the appearance of the first rhyolitic products. Fractional crystallization, assimilation and mixing models suggest that the geochemistry of Lipari volcanism evolved with time by a complex interplay between two mantle-derived components, one sub-alkaline and the other alkaline, in addition to crustal melts and/or crustally-derived materials. A petrogenetic model in which fractional crystallization was subordinate to mixing best fits the geochemical data and petrographic observations of macro- and microscopic features. Melts from the crustal and mantle end-members are almost always present in the system but the relative proportions appear to vary with time. The sub-alkaline mantle component (source of Tyrrhenian tholeiites) is an important contributor to the early evolution of the volcanism in Lipari; input from the alkaline mantle component (source of the Roman Comagmatic Province) increases with time, and the crustal component becomes dominant in the later activity. The preferred petrogenetic model for the temporal evolution of the volcanic system in Lipari involves melting initially caused by an increase in the thermal input related to the opening of the Tyrrhenian Sea and/or to subduction processes. The quick rise of the isotherms and almost contemporaneous melting of source materials with different compositions favored complex mixing during ascent of the melts.

Petrology of volcanic products younger than 42 ka on the Lipari-Vulcano complex (Aeolian Islands, Italy): an example of volcanism controlled by tectonics

Abstract Over the last 42 ka, volcanic activity at Lipari Island (Aeolian Arc, Italy) produced lava domes, flows and pyroclastic deposits with rhyolitic composition, showing in many cases evidence of magma mixing such as latitic enclaves and banding. In this same period, on nearby Vulcano Island, similar rhyolitic lava domes, pyroclastic products and lava flows, ranging in composition from shoshonite to rhyolite, were erupted. As a whole, the post-42 ka products of Lipari and Vulcano show geochemical variations with time, which are well correlated between the two islands and may correspond to a modification of the primary magmas. The rhyolitic products are similar to each other in their major elements composition, but differ in their trace element abundances (e.g. La ranging from 40 to 78 ppm for SiO2 close to 75 wt%). Their isotopic composition is variable, too. The 87Sr/86Sr (0.704723–0.705992) and 143Nd/144Nd (0.512575–0.512526) ranges partially overlap those of the more mafic products (latites), having 87Sr/86Sr from 0.7044 to 0.7047 and 143Nd/144Nd from 0.512672 to 0.512615. 206Pb/204Pb is 19.390–19.450 in latites and 19.350–19.380 in rhyolites. Crystal fractionation and crustal assimilation processes of andesitic to latitic melts, showing an increasing content in incompatible elements in time, may explain the genesis of the different rhyolitic magmas. The rocks of the local crustal basement assimilated may correspond to lithotypes present in the Calabrian Arc. Mixing and mingling processes between latitic and rhyolitic magmas that are not genetically related occur during most of the eruptions. The alignment of vents related to the volcanic activity of the last 40 ka corresponds to the NNW–SSE Tindari–Letojanni strike-slip fault and to the correlated N–S extensional fault system. The mafic magmas erupted along these different directions display evidence of an evolution at different PH2O conditions. This suggests that the Tindari–Letojanni fault played a relevant role in the ascent, storage and diversification of magmas during the recent volcanic activity.

Quaternary oblique extensional tectonics in the Ethiopian Rift (Horn of Africa)

Abstract The Ethiopian Rift extends in a northeasterly direction, from Southern Ethiopia to the Afar region. It shows a complex fault pattern, characterised by the interplay of a N30°E—N40°E-trending border fault system with the Quaternary Wonji Fault Belt, which is constituted by right-stepping en-echelon NS to N20°E trending faults. The Wonji Fault Belt affects mainly the rift floor, but it also overlaps with some segments of the margins. Its en-echelon arrangement indicates a left-lateral component of displacement along the rift trend. The general fault pattern of the Ethiopian Rift, as well as mesoscopic fault analyses and structural features of some key areas, indicate the occurrence of a roughly E—W extension, which is compatible with the sinistral shear component of motion along the rift. This paper proposes that oblique rifting related to the E—W direction of extension has been active since the beginning of the Quaternary and that it came after an earlier phase of roughly pure extension orthogonal to the rift trend.

Chaotic advection, fractals and diffusion during mixing of magmas: evidence from lava flows

Structures of magma mixing from three different lava flows have been analyzed and the degree of mingling has been quantified by measuring the contact perimeter between magmas and the fractal dimension of structures. In each lava flow, the values of these parameters suggest that the magma mixing structures were produced by chaotic dynamics induced by stretching and folding processes between the interacting magmas. The mingling of magmas has been simulated using a chaotic dynamical system consisting of repeated stretching and folding processes. The simulation shows the same patterns of variation of contact perimeter and fractal dimension as those observed in natural structures and indicates that magma interaction processes acted with different intensities in the three lava flows in response to different magmatic interaction regimes. Since physical dispersion of one magma inside another through stretching and folding processes and chemical exchanges are closely related, we performed coupled numerical simulations of chaotic advection and chemical diffusion. The results show a good agreement between the computed and natural structures, in particular, the occurrence in the same system of well- and poorly mixed regions. It is shown that magma interaction processes are able to generate magmatic masses having wide spatial heterogenity at many length scales. This occurrence can account for the presence of magmatic enclaves inside host rocks showing a variable degree of hybridization in both plutonic and volcanic environments.

The role of the crust in the magmatic evolution of the island of Lipari (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Volcanic rocks on the island of Lipari show the entire range of Sr, Nd, Pb isotopic compositions displayed by other islands in the Aeolian archipelago. The rapid isotopic evolution of subaerial volcanic rocks on Lipari towards crustal values together with the appropriate isotopic composition of the neighbouring Calabrian crust (Serre) indicate that many geochemical characteristics observed in the lavas can be attributed to contamination and mixing with crustal materials and melts. Interpretation of the data is complicated by the fact that underplating onto the crust-mantle boundary and the specific lithologies present in the crustal section differ underneath each individual sector of the island. In the central and northern parts of the island, metapelitic rocks were incorporated to provide the more radiogenic Sr isotopic compositions of some lavas. The products from M. Guardia in the southern part of Lipari, where activity is restricted to the last 30–40 ka, bear geochemical similarities to the island of Vulcano, where it is proposed that considerable remobilization of the crust took place in the presence of mafic mantle-derived melts. On Lipari the petrogenetic processes of magma mixing and assimilation dominate over fractional crystallization, and the observed increase of K2O over Na2O can be correlated with contributions from metapelitic crustal lithologies. It is suggested that the variability in isotopic composition and the budget of alkalis (Na2O versus K2O) in the lavas can be explained by invoking a heat source from an intruding asthenospheric MORB-type mantle into a cooler lithospheric crust/mantle during the opening of the Tyrrhenian basin.

Silicic magma entering a basaltic magma chamber: eruptive dynamics and magma mixing — an example from Salina (Aeolian islands, Southern Tyrrhenian Sea)

The Pollara tuff-ring resulted from two explosive eruptions whose deposits are separated by a paleosol 13 Ka old. The oldest deposits (LPP, about 0.2 km3) consist of three main fall units (A, B, C) deposited from a subplinian column whose height (7–14 km) increased with time from A to C, as a consequence of the increased magma discharge rate during the eruption (1–8x106 kg/s). A highly variable juvenile population characterizes the eruption. Black, dense, highly porphyritic, mafic ejecta (SiO2=50–55%) almost exclusively form A deposits, whereas grey, mildly vesiculated, mildly porphyritic pumice (SiO2=56–67%) and white, highly vesiculated, nearly aphyric pumice (SiO2=66–71%) predominate in B and C respectively. Mafic cumulates are abundant in A, while crystalline lithic ejecta first appear in B and increase upward. The LPP result from the emptying of an unusual and unstable, compositionally zoned, shallow magma chamber in which high density mafic melts capped low density salic ones. Evidence of the existence of a short crystal fractionation series is found in the mafic rocks; the andesitic pumice results from complete blending between rhyolitic and variously fractionated mafic melts (salic component up to 60 wt%), whereas bulk dacitic compositions mainly result from the presence of mafic xenocrysts within rhyolitic glasses. Viscosity and composition-mixing diagrams show that blended liquids formed when the visosities of the two end members had close values. The following model is suggested: 1. A rhyolitic magma rising through the metamorphic basement enterrd a mafic magma chamber whose souter portions were occupied by a highly viscous, mafic crystal mush. 2. Under the pressure of the rhyolitic body the nearly rigid mush was pushed upwards and mafic melts were squeezed against the walls of the chamber, beginning roof fracturing and mingling with silicic melts. 3. When the equilibrium temperature was reached between mafic and silicic melts, blended liquids rapidly formed. 4. When fractures reached the surface, the eruption began by the ejection of the mafic melts and crystal mush (A), followed by the emission of variously mingled and blended magmas (B) and ended by the ejection of nearly unmixed rhyolitic magma (C).

Plio-Quaternary volcanotectonic activity in the northern sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift: relationships with oblique rifting

Abstract Deformation and magmatism within the ∼90 km wide northern Ethiopian Rift system is concentrated along a narrow zone - the Wonji Fault Belt. Two key areas (the Nazret-Dera and Asela-Ziway areas), located along the eastern margin of the north-northeast to northeast trending Main Ethiopian Rift, have been investigated in order to reconstruct the recent tectonomagmatic evolution of the northern branch of the Main Ethiopian Rift. In these areas, Early Pleistocene volcanic products (Wonji Group) overlie Pliocene volcanic rocks (Eastern Margin Unit). Detailed stratigraphical reconstructions have revealed the presence of several tectonomagmatic units which can be correlated between the two study areas. The stratigraphical and petrological study of these units outlined (1) the bimodal composition (basalts-pantellerites) of the oldest and youngest units and the unimodal character (pantellerites) of the products erupted during the intervening period; (2) the mainly fissural origin of the ignimbrites and oldest basalts; and (3) a mafic/felsic volumetric ratio of 1:5. The geological data suggest that, around the Pliocene-Quaternary boundary, a change in the stress field occurred in this Main Ethiopian Rift sector, passing from a direction of extension roughly orthogonal to the rift shoulders, to oblique rifting related to an east-west trending extension. In this framework the change in the style of volcanism observed in the Nazret-Dera and Asela-Ziway areas can be related to the change of the stress field. A new geodynamic model is presented for the Late Pliocene to Recent evolution of this sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift. According to this model, a large volume of rhyolitic products was erupted during an oblique rifting phase, following a previous period of pure extension. The change in the tectonic regime favoured partial melting of the underplated basalts as a decrease in the pressure and an elevation of isotherms occurred.

New unspiked K–Ar ages of volcanic rocks of the central and western sector of the Aeolian Islands: reconstruction of the volcanic stages

Abstract A geochronological study of the Filicudi, Salina, Lipari and Vulcano Islands (Aeolian Archipelago) using the unspiked potassium–argon technique provides new age data which, combined with stratigraphic correlation, better constrain the temporal evolution of volcanism. The unspiked K–Ar age of the oldest exposed lavas on Filicudi, 219±5 ka, is significantly younger than the previous estimation of 1.02 Ma. In the general context of Aeolian volcanism, this new date suggests that the volcanism of the western sector of the Aeolian Archipelago is younger than previously thought. Geochronological data point out on the rapid transition from calc–alkaline to potassic volcanism. The distribution of the K–Ar ages within the Salina–Lipari–Vulcano group shows that the volcanism started on Lipari and propagated over time northward on Salina and southward on Vulcano. Geochronological and geophysical data suggest that the onset of volcanism in the central sector of the Aeolian Arc may be due to a mantle upwelling structure located below Lipari. A change in the style of the eruptions occurred in the Salina–Lipari–Vulcano system at about 100 ka from the present. Low-energy magmatic eruptions occurred between 188 and about 100 ka. From about 100 ka to the present, higher-energy eruptions and low-energy events due to magma–water interaction also occurred. This change in the style of activity, together with the appearance of evolved products (i.e. rhyolites) during the last 50 ka, is consistent with the formation of magmatic reservoirs located at shallower depth with respect to those of the 188–100-ka period. The new geochronological data and available petrological models reveal that a change in the deep source of the primary magmas occurred in a relatively short time interval.

Geodynamical evolution of Central Andes at 24°S as inferred by magma composition along the Calama-Olacapato-El Toro transversal volcanic belt

Abstract Miocene to Recent volcanism on the Puna plateau (Central Andes) developed in three geological settings: (a) volcanic arc in the Western Cordillera (Miocene–Recent); (b) trans-arc along the main NW–SE transverse fault systems (Miocene); and (c) back-arc, mainly monogenic volcanic centres (Pliocene–Quaternary). We have studied the evolution of the arc–trans-arc volcanism along one of the most extensive transverse structures of Central Andes, the Calama–Olacapato–El Toro, at 24°S. Compositional variations from arc to trans-arc volcanism provide insights into petrogenesis and magma source regions. Puntas Negras and Rincon volcanic centres are arc-type and have typical calc-alkaline geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic characteristics. East of the arc, lavas of the Tul-Tul, Del Medio and Pocitos complexes (TUMEPO) are heavy rare earth element-depleted and could be derived from 20–30% of partial melting of a lower crustal garnet-bearing metabasite. These liquids could be variably mixed with arc magmas at the base of the crust (MASH). This suggests important contributions from lower crustal sources to TUMEPO centres. Products at the Quevar and Aguas Calientes volcanic complexes to the east of TUMEPO show a prominent upper crustal signature (high 86Sr/87Sr, low 143Nd/144Nd) and could represent mixtures of 20–30% TUMEPO-type liquids with up to 70–80% of upper crustal melts. We propose a geodynamic model to explain geochemical variations for the arc–trans-arc transverse volcanism from the Upper Miocene to Recent. In our model, arc volcanism is linked to dehydration of the subducting Nazca plate, which produces typical calc-alkaline compositions. During the Upper Miocene (10–5 Ma), lithospheric evolution in the Puna plateau was dominated by thickening of ductile lower crust and thinning of the lithosphere. Lower crustal melting was promoted by concomitant asthenospheric upwelling and water release from the amphibolite–eclogite transformation, yielding TUMEPO magmas with lower crustal signatures. At the same time, the eastern sector of the Puna plateau experienced westward underthrusting of the Brazilian shield and upper crustal brittle deformation. Partial melts from underthrust upper crustal wedges mixed with lower crustal magmas to produce lavas at Aguas Calientes and Quevar. During Pliocene to Quaternary, delamination of the lithosphere and lowermost crust promoted a widespread monogenetic ocean island basalt-type and shoshonitic volcanism.

Age and petrology of the Late-Pleistocene brown tuffs on Lipari, Italy

Late-Pleistocene volcanic products on Lipari consist mainly of pyroclastic surge deposits (Monte Guardia sequence) and fine-grained brown tuffs. Radiometric age determination on carbon from thin soils at the top of the tuffs indicate that they have several ages of emplacement ranging from more than 35,000 to 16,800 years ago. Chemical and microprobe data on glass and mineral fragments from these tuffs show that they belong to a shoshonite or high-K series. This composition is compatible with an origin related to the magma system of Vulcano, but not with the magma system on Lipari.These tuffs have a widespread distribution on several of the Aeolian islands as well as on the northern part of Sicily. They have features typical of ash-flow tuffs of hydromagmatic origin. We propose that they originated from submarine eruptions from the Vulcanello vent before this volcano emerged above sea level.