Magnetite Crisis in Miniature: Vanadium, Sulfur, and Iron Valence State Measurements in Melt Inclusions from Nyamuragira Volcano (D.R. Congo, Africa)

Sulfur (S), vanadium (V), and iron (Fe) K-edge micro-X-ray absorption near edge structure (micro-XANES) spectroscopy of melt inclusions (MI) from Nyamuragira volcano (D.R. Congo, Africa) shows that diffusive loss of H from olivine-hosted melt inclusions may lead to crystallization of submicron magnetite and sulfide crystallites that are imperceptible petrographically or via electron microscopy. Micro-XANES was used to constrain the evolution of oxygen fugacity (fO2) and sulfur speciation for MI preserved in Nyamuragira tephra (1986 and 2006) and lava (1938 and 1948). The S, V, and Fe valence state oxybarometry for 1938, 1948, and 2006 MI are all consistent with equilibration at FMQ-1, and sulfur in MI from these three eruptions are sulfide-dominated (< 9% sulfate). However, Fe and V micro-XANES data for 1986 MI appear to be more reduced by 1-2 log units, while S micro-XANES data indicate more variable sulfate content. The 1986 results are best explained by diffusive loss of H from the entrapped melt. Submicron magnetite forms as Fe oxidizes in the melt in response to the loss of H, and V strongly partitions into these magnetite nanolites due to its compatibility. The nanolites are consistently analyzed within the beam volume and, thus, the measured V XANES appears more ordered. Magnetite crystallization from the melt also triggers precipitation of crystalline FeS phases within the inclusion, leading to a more ordered S XANES spectra as well. This may suggest a different magma storage history for the 1986 eruption compared to the others. Results demonstrate that coupled S, V, and Fe micro-XANES analysis of alkalic MI can provide accurate measures of the fO2 of entrapped melts, and that S and V micro-XANES spectroscopy are potentially highly sensitive tools for identifying diffusive water loss in olivine-hosted MIs.