Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Mixing model for andesitic volcanism

Conference · · EOS, Trans., Am. Geophys. Union; (United States)
OSTI ID:5368586

Andesite and dacite commonly contain partially melted plagioclase, resorted or reacted quartz, and mafic xenolithe (less than 1 mm to 1 m) composed of plagioclase (An/sub 50 to 60/), pyroxene or hornblende, and minor amounts of glass, olivine (Fo/sub 70 to 80/), and plagioclase (An/sub 80 to 90/). Texturally similar xenoliths occur in granodiorite. Petrologic data indicate that the xenoliths represent basalt magma quenched within active silicic magma chambers and that the silicic parent magma is rhyolite. Field relationships suggest that mixing is accomplished by convective stirring in sizeable chambers and that these chambers develop in regions of upward flux of basalt. It is proposed that: (1) basalt magma from the upper mantle provides heat for generating rhyolitic melt in the lower crust, (2) the resulting magma body continues to receive injections of basalt as it rises through the crust, and (3) the influence of tectonic setting on crustal residence time of the magma body controls to what degree the system is homogenized. This model is consistent with elemental and isotopic composition of ingeous rocks and with thermal and hydrodynamic considerations.

Research Organization:
Univ. of California, Los Alamos
OSTI ID:
5368586
Journal Information:
EOS, Trans., Am. Geophys. Union; (United States), Journal Name: EOS, Trans., Am. Geophys. Union; (United States) Vol. 57:12; ISSN EOSTA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English