Volcanic arc

Abstract: Volcanic are basalts are all characterized by a selective enrichment in incompatible elements of low ionic potential, a feature thought to be due to the input of aqueous fluids from subducted oceanic crust into their mantle source regions. Island arc basalts are additionally characterized by low abundances (for a given degree of fractional crystallization) of incompatible elements of high ionic potential, a feature for which high degrees of melting, stability of minor residual oxide phases, and remelting of depleted mantle are all possible explanations. Calc-alkaline basalts and shoshonites are additionally characterized by enrichment of Th, P, and the light REE in addition to elements of low ionic potential, a feature for which one popular explanation is the contamination of their mantle source regions by a melt derived from subducted sediment. By careful selection of variables, discrimination diagrams can be drawn which highlight these various characteristics and therefore enable volcanic arc basalts to he recognized in cases where geological evidence is ambiguous. Plots of Y against Cr, K[Yb, Ce/Yb, or Th/Yb against Ta/Yb, and Ce/Sr against Cr are all particularly successful and can be modelled in terms of vectors representing different petrogenctic processes. An additional plot of Ti/Y against Nb/Y is useful for identifying 'anomalous' volcanic arc settings such as Grenada and parts of the Aleutian arc. Intermediate and acid rocks from volcanic are settings can also be recognized using a simple plot of Ti against Zr. The lavas from the Oman ophiolite complex provide a good test of the application of these techniques. The results indicate that the complex was made up of back-arc oceanic crust intruded by the products of volcanic arc magmatism.

Abstract: Volcanic arc magmas can be defined tectonically as magmas erupting from volcanic edifices above subducting oceanic lithosphere. They form a coherent magma type, characterized compositionally by their enrichment in large ion lithophile (LlL) elements relative to high field strength (HFS) elements. In terms of process, the predominant view is that the vast majority of volcanic arc magmas originate by melting of the underlying mantle wedge, which contains a component of aqueous fluid and/or melt derived from the subducting plate. Recently, opinions have converged over the key aspects of the physical model for magma generation above subduction zones (Davies & Stevenson 1992), namely: 1. that the mantle wedge experiences subduction-induced corner flow (e.g. Spiegelman & MacKenzie 1987); 2. that the subduction component reaches the fusible part of the mantle wedge by the three-stage process of (i) metasomatism of mantle lithosphere, followed by (ii) aqueous fluid release due to breakdown of hydrous minerals at depth (e.g. Wyllie 1983, Tatsumi et al 1983) and (iii) aqueous fluid migration, followed by hydrous melt migration, to the site of melting; 3. that slab-induced flow may be locally reversed beneath the arc itself, allowing mantle decompression to contribute to melt generation (e.g. Ida 1983). The simplified model in Figure 1 highlights the physical and chemical processes that have been invoked as being important in controlling the composition of volcanic arc magmas. Magma compositions (coupled with experimental data on element behavior) can help us gain further understanding of these physical and chemical processes. In this review, we first summarize knowledge of the behavior of elements in the subduction system. We then focus on compositional evidence for the processes illustrated in Figure 1, which we group as follows: 1. derivation of the subduction component, 2. transport of the subduction component to the melting column, 3. depletion and enrichment of the mantle wedge, and 4. processes in the melting column.