Evidence for an abrupt transition in the mantle-derived source to the Long Valley Caldera rhyolites after the climactic eruption: from subduction-modified lithosphere to asthenosphere

Abstract:

Shortly after the climactic eruption of ~600 km³ of Bishop Tuff zoned rhyolitic magma, ~100 km³ of crystal-poor Early Rhyolite erupted inside Long Valley Caldera between ~750-650 ka as domes, glassy lavas, and tuffs (Hildreth, 2004). Despite similarities in bulk composition (e.g., 73-75 wt% SiO₂; ~100 ppm Sr), there are marked differences between the Late (≥ 790°C) Bishop Tuff and postcaldera Early Rhyolites. Although crystal-poor (<5%), the Early Rhyolites are often saturated with 7-8 mineral phases (plag + opx + ilm + tmte + biotite + apatite + zircon ± pyrrhotite), but without the quartz, sanidine, and cpx additionally found in the more crystal-rich (12-24%) Late Bishop Tuff. Pre-eruptive temperatures, on the basis of two Fe-Ti oxides, range from 720-860°C, and ∆NNO values range from-0.4 to -0.9 (consistent with abundant ilmenite). Thus the Early Rhyolites record fO₂ values that are nearly two orders of magnitude lower than those in the Late Bishop Tuff (∆NNO = +1; Hildreth and Wilson, 2007). Application of the plagioclase-liquid hygrometer to Early Rhyolites gives pre-eruptive water contents ≤ 4.4 wt% H₂O. The phenocrysts in Early Rhyolite obsidians often display euhedral and/or diffusion-limited growth textures, suggesting degassing-induced crystallization during rapid ascent. Isotopic data from the literature (e.g., Simon et al., 2014 and references therein) show that Long Valley rhyolites were derived from both crustal and mantle sources. We hypothesize that the drop in fO₂ between the Late Bishop Tuff and Early Rhyolites may reflect a transition in their respective mantle source, from subduction-modified lithosphere to asthenosphere. Such a time-progressive transition in the mantle source of erupted basalts is seen throughout the Great Basin, occurring earliest in its central region and more recently toward its western margin (e.g. Cousens et al., 2012). Although the geochemistry of Quaternary basalts erupted around Long Valley indicate a subduction-modified lithosphere source (Cousens, 1996), the Early Rhyolites may be recording the crustal emplacement of basalts from the asthenosphere before any have yet erupted. If so, the Early Rhyolites may be derived from a greater proportion of crustal sources than calculated from isotopic data on the assumption of a lithospheric mantle source.