Contamination of arc andesites by crustal melts

in the Central Volcanic Zone, Chilean Andes

R.B. Trumbull, K. Hahne, R. Wittenbrink, R. Emmermann, W. Bsch, W. Seifert, H. Gerstenberger, W. Siebel
GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam and Institut fr Mineralogie, FU Berlin, Takustrasse, Berlin

SFB 267
2500
6900 6845 6830 6815
2500 SUMMARY TRENCH FORE - ARC MAGMATIC ARC
70W
Calama
PERU LA PAZ

0 5 10
5697m
The Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) of the Andes has extreme crustal
Lastarria 0
AREQUIPA

BOLIVIA
km
thickness and high plateaus which are more typical for collisional settings 0 high-conductivity zone
like Tibet. Andesites have erupted in the Andean arc throughout the low-velocity zone 20
ARICA POTOSI 20S
2515 2515 20 Nazca oce
Cordon
Mesozoic, but crustal thickening and plateau uplift developed only in the late anic
Colorado
del Azufre 40 plate oce cru
40
lith anic st
5488m
del Azufre
Miocene. This project explores the relationship between crustal thickening 60 osp 60
PACIFIC her
20S
Chaco Bayo

ARGENTINA
and arc magmatism, focussing on the composition of andesites. 80
e
80
CALAMA 2530 2530
Sierra de
CHILE Cerro
Blanco
Gorbea
The results show systematic variations in the contents of Rb, Cs, Th, and 100
4260m CHILE 100
OCEAN ANTOFAGASTA
25S
U; and the isotope ratios of Sr, Pb and Nd over time. We suggest that
Dos Crateros
Aguas 120 120
Study Blancas
these changes are due to contamination of andesites by crustal melts:
ARGENTINA

area Salar de
5761m 140
la Isla 140
2545 2545
25S
km km
COPIAPO <1 to 5 Ma Colorado
Fractionation can be ruled out because the variations are independent
8 to 11 Ma Leon
Muerto of SiO2 (Fig. 3) and because Isotope ratios and incompatible element
16 Ma 4799m Fig. 7 Zones of low seismic velocity and high electrical
70W
20 Ma ratios (Th/Zr, Ba/Rb) are affected (Figs. 4, 5).
Dos Puntos
Element ratios sensitive to fluid interaction (Th/Cs, Ba/Zr) are not conductivity beneath the magmatic arc are interpreted by
Fig. 1 Location map 2600
6900 6845 6830 6815
2600

affected (Fig. 4). Schilling et al. (1997) as caused by up to 15 vol. % partial

The timing of contamination (Fig. 6) corresponds to a phase of intense melts.
This study looks at arc andesites erupted before, during and ignimbrite activity, and the composition of ignimbrites is comparable
after late Miocene crustal thickening in the CVZ. Data are with the required contaminant (Figs. 3, 4, 5).
Phenocrysts in post-Miocene andesites contain rhyolitic melt inclusions
presented from 12 volcanic centers (Fig. 1.) which erupted
which are out of equilibrium with the host (Figs. 8, 9)
through the same crustal segment fom 20 Ma to the There is geophysical evidence of a zone of partial melting in the mid to
Quaternary. lower crust beneath the magmatic arc today (Fig. 7).

RHYOLITIC MELT INCLUSIONS:

GEOCHEMICAL COMPARISONS ISOTOPIC COMPOSITIONS EVIDENCE OF MAGMA MIXING
Melt inclusions are common in plagioclase but they also occur in
orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and rare biotite. Many inclusions in
2
9
<1 Ma
<1 Ma
<1 Ma
Lastarria
Cordon del Azufre
Bayo
samples 8 Ma and younger have a rhyolitic composition (Fig. 9).
8 Ma
11 Ma
16 Ma
Aguas Blancas
Colorado de Azufre
Chaco Rhyolitic inclusions are rare in older samples.
Trachyte Rhyolite 0 20 Ma
20 Ma
Colorado
Leon Muerto

8
Trachy- -2
andesite 5 The rhyolitic inclusions have compositions corresponding to the
Na2O + K2O (wt.%)

Southern Volcanic Zone

7 Basaltic andesites - dacites
-4
water-undersaturated granite minimum(Fig. 10), regardless of host
trachy-
andesite early
mineral type or inclusion size. Thus, the effects of local crystallization
0
6 Dacite -6 (concentration gradients at crystal surfaces or crystallization of melt
Miocene mid
Trachy-
<1 Ma Dos Puntas
volcanics on inclusions walls) are negligible.
basalt 30 - 32 S
Nd (t)

<1 Ma Lastarria late -8

0.705 0.706 0.707
5 <1 Ma
<1 Ma
Cordon del Azufre
Bayo
-5
5 Ma Sierra de Gorbea Chemical and textural attributes of the host minerals suggest that
8 Ma Dos Crateros
8 Ma
11 Ma
Aguas Blancas
Colorado de Azufre
they crystallized in situ from andesitic magma and are not
4 Basaltic Andesite 16 Ma Chaco APVC
Basalt andesite
16 Ma Cerro Blanco -10 ignimbrites xenocrysts from a felsic magma. We conclude that rhyolitic melts
20 Ma Colorado
20 Ma Leon Muerto were incorporated into the andesitic magma during or prior to growth
3 of the phenocrysts.
45 50 55 60 65 70 75 -15
0.700 0.705 0.710 0.715 0.720
SiO2 (wt.%) 87
Sr / 86Sr i

Fig. 2. High-K, calc-alkaline andesites are the most 39.1

common rock type erupted in all except the early Miocene

Leon Muerto center (20 Ma), which is more mafic. 38.9
208Pb/204Pb

38.7

Andesites / dacites
1000 Andesites (57 - 60 wt.% SiO2)
38.5
20-10 Ma 10-0 Ma 75 m
Post-Miocene (5 to <1 Ma)
Miocene (20 to 8 Ma) Ignimbrites (APVC)
Rock / Primitive Mantle

APVC ignimbrites (60 - 70 wt.% SiO2)

38.3 Fig. 8 Photomicrograph in plane light of melt
18.5 18.6 18.7 18.8 18.9 19.0
100 inclusions in plagioclase from Lastarria (<1 Ma).
206Pb/204Pb

10
Fig. 5. The isotopic data define a trend of increasing
radiogenic Sr and Pb, and decreasing Nd with age. For Melt inclusions
Clinopyroxene
comparison, fields are shown for Southern Volcanic Zone 10 Biotite
Orthopyroxene
1 volcanics, Mesozoic volcanics from 32- 30S and Plagioclase
9
ignimbrites from the APVC.
Na2O + K2O (wt.%)

Cs Rb Ba Th U K Ta Nb La Ce Sr Nd P Hf Zr Sm Ti Tb Y Matrix Glass

8 Trachyte

Trachy-
7 Basaltic
andesite
Fig. 3. Positive anomalies at Cs, Rb, Th and U in the trachy-
andesite
CRUSTAL THICKENING CRUSTAL THICKENING 6 Trachy- whole
mantle-normalized diagram characterise the post-Miocene basalt rocks

centers. Shown for comparison is the range of compositions End Begin End Begin 5
Basaltic
for ignimbrites from the APVC at 23N. 0
30
4 Basalt andesite Andesite Dacite Rhyolite

-1 Cs (ppm)
-2
3
20
-3 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
-4 SiO2 (wt.%)
-5
-6
10
-7
<1 Ma Dos Puntas
Fig. 9 The chemical composition of whole-rocks, matrix
10
fluid
<1 Ma
<1 Ma
Lastarria
Cordon del Azufre
-8
Nd (t)
interaction
<1 Ma
5 Ma
Bayo
Sierra de Gorbea
-9 glass and rhyolitic melt inclusions in the TAS diagram.
9 8 Ma Dos Crateros -10 0
8 Ma Aguas Blancas 19.0 40
11 Ma Colorado de Azufre
8 16 Ma Chaco
melt 16 Ma
20 Ma
Cerro Blanco
Colorado 18.9 Th (ppm)
7 assimilation 20 Ma Leon Muerto 30

18.8
Qz
6
Ba / Zr

20
5 APVC 18.7
ignimbrites Melt Inclusions
4 18.6
10
206Pb / 204Pb plagioclase
3 clinopyroxene
18.5 0 orthopyroxene
2 0.710 200

1 0.709 87Sr / 86Sr (initial) Rb (ppm) Granite minimum

0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 150
Th / Zr 0.708

0.707 100

0.706
50
0.705

Fig. 4. Plot of the incompatible element ratios Th/Zr against 0.704

0 5 10 15 20 25
0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Ab Or
Age (Ma) Age (Ma)
Ba/Zr (no SiO2 restriction). Fractional crystallization of
andesitic melt should not affect either ratio but fluid
interaction will change Ba/Zr. The post-Miocene samples
have high and variable Th/Zr ratios at constant Ba/Zr. This Fig. 6. Variations of Rb, Th, Cs and the isotope ratios of Sr, Pb and Fig.10 Rhyolitic inclusions plotted on a normative Qz-Or-Ab
is best explained by contamination with a melt phase. The Nd with age. Trace element plots are for andesites restricted to 57-60 diagram with minimum melt composition (star), cotectic and
APVC ignimbrites are roughly comparable to the felsic wt.%. SiO2. 830C liquidus isotherm determined by Holtz et al. (1992) for
melts required. The components show constant low levels from 20 Ma to 8 Ma, the Qz-Ab-Or-H2O system (2 kbar, aH2 O= 0.5).
increase sharply from 8 to 5 Ma and stay at a high level to the
Quaternary.
REFERENCES:

Holtz, F., Johannes, W. and Pichavant, M. (1992) Trans. Royal Soc.

Edinburgh: Earth Sciences, 83: 409-416.
Schilling, F.R., Partzsch, G.M., Brasse, H. and Schwarz, G. (1997) Physics
of the Earth and Planetary Interiors 103, 17-32.