Mineral-Scale Sr and Pb Isotopic Variations as Recorders of Magma Differentiation Processes in the Fish Canyon Magmatic System, San Juan Volcanic Field, U.S.A.
Abstract
The use of crystal isotope microstratigraphy, through microanalysis for Sr and more recently Pb isotopes, shows that inter- and intra-crystalline isotopic and compositional heterogeneities exist within many volcanic rocks. Here we report preliminary Sr and Pb isotope data for sanidine, plagioclase and biotite (Sr only) crystals separated from representative samples of the 5000km3, 28Ma Fish Canyon Tuff and the pre-caldera Pagosa Peak Dacite, from the La Garita Caldera, San Juan Volcanic Field, U.S.A. Age-corrected whole-rock 87Sr/86Sr values define a small range (0.7063 to 0.7065), whereas plagioclase values range from 0.7063 to 0.7072 and sanidines define a more limited range 0.7063 to 0.7067. These ranges in 87Sr/86Sr cannot be solely attributed to radiogenic ingrowth during residence in the Fish Canyon magma reservoir, as the 87Rb/86Sr values (plagioclase; 0.003 to 0.011, sanidine; 0.30 to 0.73) are too low to significantly affect 87Sr/86Sr over magmatic timescales. Biotites exhibit a much greater range in initial Sr isotope ratios (0.7202 to 0.7295), but with even higher 87Rb/86Sr ratios of 8 to 12, more than 50 Myrs would be needed to evolve such ratios from the whole-rock ratio. Similarly, large ranges of Pb isotope ratios in sanidines and plagioclase, cannot be produced given the U/Pb ratios of these phases on any geologically reasonable timescale. We interpret the isotopic variations to represent open system processes in the generation of the Fish Canyon magma either by 1) crystallisation from heterogeneous isotopically modified (ultimately mantle-derived) magmas during interaction with old, heterogeneous crust, and/or 2) the direct incorporation of xenocrystic phases from the crust to produce an isotopically heterogeneous magma (and rock) at the mineral scale. Small but significant variations in 39Ar/40Ar total fusion ages for each of the studied phases, are consistent with the latter interpretation, suggesting that the crystal population is a mixture of newly-crystallised and old xenocrystic, incompletely degassed crystalline products.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2003
- Bibcode:
- 2003AGUFM.V11F..05C
- Keywords:
-
- 1040 Isotopic composition/chemistry