U-series in zircon and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology reveal the most recent stage of a supervolcanic cycle in the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex, Central Andes

The ignimbrite flare up that produced the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex of the Central Andes is characterized by episodic supervolcanism over a ~10 Ma time-span that climaxed about 4Ma. Since peak activity, the temporal and spatial record of volcanism suggests a waning of the system with only one other supervolcanic eruption at 2.6Ma. The most recent phase of volcanism from the APVC comprises a series of late Pleistocene domes that share a general petrochemical resemblance to the ignimbrites. New U-series data on zircons and high precision 40Ar/39Ar age determinations reveal that these effusive eruptions represent a temporally coherent magmatic episode. The five largest domes (Chao, Chillahuita, Chanka, Chascon-Runtu Jarita, and Tocopuri) have a combined volume >40 km3, and are distributed over an elliptical area of over 3000km2 centered at 22°S 68°W. They are crystal rich (>50%) dacites to rhyolites. New 40Ar/39Ar age determinations on biotite for the domes range range from 108±6 to 190±50 ka. However, 40Ar/39Ar ages from sanidine for some of the domes are more precise and span from 87±4 to 97±2 ka. We therefore interpret the eruption age of all these domes to be ~90 - 100 ka. This is consistent with SIMS U-series crystallization ages from the rims of 66 zircon crystals from four of the domes that reveal a fairly continuous spread of ages from ~90 ka to >300 ka with potentially common peaks in zircon ages at 100 ka and ~200 ka. U-Pb dating on the interiors of some of these zircon crystals indicates crystallization ages of up to 1.5 Ma. The common peaks of zircon crystallization between domes suggest that magma that fed these domes shared a larger regional source. Furthermore, the large volume of this potential source and the crystal-rich nature of the lava imply that this source was likely a large body of crystal-mush. The continuous nature of the zircon rim age population indicates that the residence time of this magma body was likely >200kyr. Potential peaks in zircon crystallization ages could result from periodic injections of andesitic magma that reinvigorated crystallization. However, the ubiquity of likely antecrystic zircon interiors suggests that the associated temperature rise was insufficient to cause complete resorbtion of the antecrysts. A shared peak of zircon crystallization just prior to eruptions, as well as co-eruption of andesitic lava connotes recharge as the eruption trigger.