Geosciences 2013, 3, 633-667; doi:10.3390/geosciences3040633 OPEN ACCESS geosciences ISSN 2076-3263 www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences Article Modification of the Continental Crust by Subduction Zone Magmatism and Vice-Versa: Across-Strike Geochemical Variations of Silicic Lavas from Individual Eruptive Centers in the Andean Central Volcanic Zone Gary S. Michelfelder 1,*,†, Todd C. Feeley 1, Alicia D. Wilder 1 and Eric W. Klemetti 2 1 Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA; E-Mails:
[email protected] (T.C.F.);
[email protected] (A.D.W.) 2 Department of Geosciences, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023, USA; E-Mail:
[email protected] † Present Address: Department of Geography, Geology and Planning, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO 65897, USA. * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +1-406-994-6916; Fax: +1-406-994-6923. Received: 2 May 2013; in revised form: 8 November 2013 / Accepted: 14 November 2013 / Published: 27 November 2013 Abstract: To better understand the origin of across-strike K2O enrichments in silicic volcanic rocks from the Andean Central Volcanic Zone, we compare geochemical data for Quaternary volcanic rocks erupted from three well-characterized composite volcanoes situated along a southeast striking transect between 21° and 22° S latitude (Aucanquilcha, Ollagüe, and Uturuncu). At a given SiO2 content, lavas erupted with increasing distance from the arc front display systematically higher K2O, Rb, Th, Y, REE and HFSE contents; Rb/Sr ratios; and Sr isotopic ratios. In contrast, the lavas display systematically lower Al2O3, Na2O, Sr, and Ba contents; Ba/La, Ba/Zr, K/Rb, and Sr/Y ratios; Nd isotopic ratios; and more negative Eu anomalies toward the east.