Comenditic and pantelleritic ash-flow tuffs from Volcan Las Navajas, Nayarit, Mexico
Two distinctive ash-flow tuffs occur around the base of Volcan Las Navajas, a Pleistocene trachyte - peralkaline rhyolite center located in the northwestern segment of the Mexican Volcanic belt. The lower ash-flow unit is locally up to 65 m thick, is lithic rich and contains pumice blocks of comenditic rhyolite. The unit is not extensively exposed, and thus its areal extent and volume cannot be determined. Its chemical characteristics and stratigraphic relationship to other products erupted from Las Navajas suggest that it is related to the formation of the older of the two calderas which occur on Las Navajas. Unconformably overlying this unwelded ash-flow is a pantelleritic airfall pumice unit which is locally welded. This airfall unit is conformably overlain by a welded as-flow tuff that contains fiamme of pantelleritic composition (72 %SiO/sub 2/, 8% FeO*, 900 ppm Zr, agpaitic index of 1.7) as well as pumice blocks that show evidence of various degrees of mixing between pantellerite and trachyte. This suggests eruption from a chemically zoned magma chamber. This unit is locally up to 20 m thick, although its top has been removed by erosion. It is found on all sides of Las Navajas except on the south where it may be covered by Volcan Sanganguey, a Pleistocene to Recent calc-alkaline volcano. The welded ash-flow has been dated by K - Ar at 0.2+/-0.1 m.y. Stratigraphically and chemically this ash-flow appears to be related to the formation of younger of the two calderas.
- Research Organization:
- Tulane Univ., New Orleans, LA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6194937
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8510489-
- Journal Information:
- Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States), Vol. 17; Conference: 98. annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, Orlando, FL, USA, 28 Oct 1985
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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MEXICO
VOLCANIC ROCKS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
PETROLOGY
CALDERAS
EROSION
ERUPTION
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
LAVA
PUMICE
STRATIGRAPHY
TUFF
VOLCANISM
VOLCANOES
CHEMISTRY
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
GEOLOGY
IGNEOUS ROCKS
LATIN AMERICA
NORTH AMERICA
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