Petrological and experimental constraints on magma storage for large pumiceous eruptions in Dominica island (Lesser Antilles) Clara Solaro, Caroline Martel, Rémi Champallier, Georges Boudon, Hélène Balcone-Boissard, Michel Pichavant To cite this version: Clara Solaro, Caroline Martel, Rémi Champallier, Georges Boudon, Hélène Balcone-Boissard, et al.. Petrological and experimental constraints on magma storage for large pumiceous eruptions in Dominica island (Lesser Antilles). Bulletin of Volcanology, Springer Verlag, 2019, 81 (9), 10.1007/s00445-019- 1313-x. insu-02280177 HAL Id: insu-02280177 https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-02280177 Submitted on 5 May 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Bulletin of Volcanology (2019) 81:55 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-019-1313-x RESEARCH ARTICLE Petrological and experimental constraints on magma storage for large pumiceous eruptions in Dominica island (Lesser Antilles) 1 2 2 1 3 Clara Solaro & Caroline Martel & Rémi Champallier & Georges Boudon & Hélène Balcone-Boissard & Michel Pichavant2 Abstract The general question of the generation of large-volume silicic eruptions is here addressed through the experimental determination of the storage conditions of the primary magmas that generated ignimbritic eruptions at Dominica Island (Lesser Antilles) during the 24–51 ka period of time. The basal plinian fallouts and pumice pyroclastic flows from the large-volume (~ 5 km3 DRE) events of Layou, Roseau and Grand Fond were investigated, together with the smaller – ignimbritic eruptions of Grand Bay and Grande Savane. All samples are dacitic (63 66 wt% SiO2)and contain~ 30 vol% phenocrysts of plagioclase (~ 21 vol%), orthopyroxene (~ 5 vol%) and Fe-Ti oxides (< 1 vol%), in a rhyolitic matrix glass. The most differentiated samples contain additional amphibole (up to 5 vol%) and quartz. Crystallization experiments Δ were performed starting from Layou and Roseau pumice samples at 800 to 900 °C, 200 to 400 MPa, ~ NNO + 1 and for H2O-saturated and H2O-undersaturated conditions. The main phase contents, assemblages and compositions of both Δ – natural samples were reproduced experimentally at ~ 850 °C, NNO + 0.6, 7 8 wt% melt H2O and ~ 400 MPa (~ 16 km depth) consistent with magma ponding at the mid-crustal discontinuity. There is also evidence of more differentiated magma batches that may reflect a plumbing system with a significant vertical extension. The relationships between the chamber depth, width and volume argue for eruptions that do not form collapse calderas, in agreement with field evidence. The erupted magma volumes in Dominica are more than five times larger than those emitted in the neighbouring islands (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Montserrat; < 1 km3), which may be explained by a locally extensional tectonic context that favoured assembly of large magma bodies, but also by the rarity of frequently draining upper crustal reservoirs (as evidenced on the neighbouring volcanic systems) that favoured deep accumulation of large volumes of magma during this period and time for differentiation to dacitic compositions. Keywords Dominica . Ignimbrite . Dacite . Phase equilibria . Storage conditions Introduction Editorial responsibility: M. Portnyagin Island arc subduction magmatism is known to mostly produce Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article andesitic to dacitic eruptions of small volumes (< 1 km3 dense (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-019-1313-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. rock equivalent (DRE) per eruption), as also reported for the Lesser Antilles arc (Lindsay et al. 2005a). Nevertheless, some * Caroline Martel systems can produce large-volume silicic eruptions (5 to sev- [email protected] eral 10 km3 DRE/eruption), mostly associated with caldera formation, with important implications in terms of hazard as- 1 Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), CNRS, Université de sessment and risk management (Self and Rampino 1981; Self Paris, Paris, France et al. 1984; Heiken and McCoy 1984; Druitt et al. 1989;Allen 2 Institut des Sciences de la Terre d’Orléans (ISTO), UMR 7327, 2001; Wilson 2001; Reubi and Nicholls 2005; Wilson et al. Université d’Orléans – CNRS - BRGM, Orléans, France 2006). The genesis, storage and eruption of large-volume 3 UMR 7193 Université Paris 06 - CNRS – ISTeP, Sorbonne magmas in arc settings are thus key issues to evaluate the Universités (UPMC), Paris, France impact and mitigate the risk on human society. 55 Page 2 of 22 Bull Volcanol (2019) 81:55 Using thermo-mechanical modelling of heat transfer, We present hereafter a study combining petrological and Annen and Sparks (2002) calculated that intrusion rates higher experimental approaches to constrain the storage conditions of than 5.10−4 m/year are necessary to generate large-scale mag- Dominica magmas. Several important issues are addressed ma bodies in the crust by a process of sill accretion. Such such as (i) the depth, temperature and the volatile content of intrusion rates imply periods of high magma production rates these large silicic pumiceous eruptions; (ii) the possible differ- (flare-up; de Silva and Gosnold 2007), which could result ences in storage conditions between small- and large-volume from high magmatic fluxes from the mantle (at least eruptions; and (iii) the factors that control the volumes of 10−2 km3/year; Annen 2009), as evidenced for large plutonic erupted magma at the scale of the Lesser Antilles arc, from batholiths (Lipman 2007;deSilvaandGosnold2007;deSilva the comparison between Dominica and the neighbouring 2008). islands (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Montserrat). Nevertheless, such high magma fluxes can also be detri- mental to the growth of large-volume reservoirs. To prevent dike propagation and eruption, recharge rate must be compa- Geological setting, volcanic activity rable to the viscous relaxation time of the surrounding crust and petrological background (Jellinek and De Paolo 2003; Degruyter and Huber 2014; Degruyter et al. 2016). Thus, Jellinek and De Paolo (2003) The Lesser Antilles volcanic arc results from the subduction suggested that the production of large magma volumes linked of the Atlantic oceanic lithosphere below the Caribbean oce- with caldera-forming eruptions derives from long periods anic plate at an average velocity of ~ 2 cm/year (Wadge 1984). 5 6 (10 –10 years) of magma supply in large magma chambers Built up by 11 main islands, the arc is 800 km long, with a 2 3 (> 10 km ). Warm viscoelastic walls would allow them to particular convexity toward the East (Fig. 1). Dominica Island deform, thus preventing large overpressures to be generated and promoting growth of the reservoir. Such a storage regime would be favoured in extensional tectonic contexts. To trigger an eruption from these large magma volumes, a critical over- pressure must be reached, either by magma inputs (10−2 to 10−1 km3/year; de Silva 2008) that largely exceed the long- term magma supply rates, and/or a chamber vertically flat- tened favouring dike generation, magma propagation and eruption (Jellinek and De Paolo 2003). Whether the storage conditions of such large magma vol- umes are different, especially in terms of pressure/depth and temperature, from those of small-volume magma chambers, is a key issue in understanding magma generation, growth and eruption conditions at crustal levels. In particular, pres- sure, temperature and volatile content are essential parame- ters in controlling magma storage. Several phase- equilibrium studies have been conducted on small-volume magma chambers from subduction zones, suggesting tem- peratures (T) from 820 to 900 °C and pressures (P)from100 to 200 MPa for andesitic to dacitic magmas (e.g. Luhr 1990; Gardner et al. 1995; Barclay et al. 1998;Marteletal.1998; Sato et al. 1999; Scaillet and Evans 1999;Hammeretal. 2002; Costa et al. 2004; Holtz et al. 2005). In contrast, only a few studies suggest deep storage pressures ~ 400 MPa for large-volume andesitic reservoirs (Parat et al. 2008; Andújar et al. 2016). On Dominica island, in the Lesser Antilles arc, where large-volume eruptions are known, pet- rological studies of dome-forming products and pumiceous ignimbrites (Howe et al. ) have suggested crystallization temperatures of 800–990 °C and oxygen fugacities (fO2)of NNO − 0.25 to + 0.35 (up to NNO + 0.7 in Howe et al. Fig. 1 Dominica Island. Simplified version of Dominica geological map showing the deposit extent of the major pyroclastic density currents. The 2014), but pressures of magma storage have not been orange triangles indicate the major eruptive centres and the green stars determined. show the sampling sites (modified after Boudon et al. 2017) Bull Volcanol (2019) 81:55 Page 3 of 22 55 represents a central point of the arc, from which the southern eruptive centre at the origin of this ignimbritic eruption islands (Dominica to Grenada) form a unique active segment, has been proposed to be the Morne Diablotins volcanic whereas the northern islands (Dominica to Anguilla) separate complex(Smithetal.2013). The Grand Bay ignimbrite into a recent active western limb and an older inactive eastern outcrops in the South coast, near the village of Berekua, segment (Bouysse and Westercamp 1990). The active arc and has been described by Lindsay et al. (2003)and hosts 12 volcanic islands. Howe et al. (2014) as a massive, pumice- and lithic-rich Dominica Island (15° 25 N, 61° 20 W) is located at the PDC deposit. The centre of this ignimbritic eruption, pre- centre of the Lesser Antilles arc between Martinique and viously assumed to be Plat Pays Volcanic centre (Lindsay Guadeloupe.