Mid-crustal storage and crystallization of Eyjafjallajökull ankaramites, South Iceland

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Abstract

— Our understanding of the long-term intrusive and eruptive behaviour of volcanic systems is ham-pered by a relatively short period of direct observation. To probe the conditions of crustal magma storage below South Iceland, we have analysed compositions of minerals, mineral zoning patterns, and melt inclusions from two Eyjafjallajökull ankaramites located at Brattaskjól and Hvammsmúli. These two units are rich in composi-tionally diverse macrocrysts, including the most magnesian olivine (Fo88−90 ) and clinopyroxene (Mg#cpx 89.8) known from Eyjafjallajökull. Olivine-hosted spinel inclusions have high Cr#spl (52–80) and TiO2 (1–3 wt%) and low Al2 O3 (8–22 wt%) compared to typical Icelandic chromian spinel. The spinel-olivine oxybarometer implies a moderate oxygen fugacity of ∆logFMQ 0–0.5 at the time of crystallization, and clinopyroxene-liquid thermobarometry crystallization at mid-crustal pressures (1.7–4.2 kbar, 3.0±1.4 kbar on average) at 1120– 1195 C. Liquid-only thermometry for melt inclusions with Mg#melt 56.1–68.5 and olivine-liquid thermometry for olivine macrocrysts with Fo80.7−88.9 yield crystallization temperatures of 1155–1222 C and 1136–1213 C, respectively. Diffusion modelling of compositional zonations in the Brattaskjól olivine grains imply that the Brattaskjól macrocrysts were mobilized and transported to the surface from their mid-crustal storage within a few weeks (at most in 9–37 days). Trends in clinopyroxene macrocryst compositions and the scarcity of plagio-clase indicate that the mid-crustal cotectic assemblage was olivine and clinopyroxene, with plagioclase joining the fractionating mineral assemblage later. In all, the crystal cargoes in the Brattaskjól and Hvammsmúli ankaramites are composed of agitated wehrlitic or plagioclase wehrlitic crystal mushes that crystallized over a large temperature interval at mid-crustal depths.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)83-102
Number of pages20
JournalJokull
Volume2019
Issue number69
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Bibliographical note

Funding Information: This work was funded by Nordic Volcanological Centre and Icelandic Research Fund doctoral student grant (185267-051). We thank Atli Hjartarson for the aid in sample preparation and Jussi S. Heinonen for discussions. Eero Hanski delivered a useful review of an early version of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2019, Iceland Glaciological Society. All rights reserved.

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