

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Vladimir Papitashvili (703)292-7425 OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate For Geosciences NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY This calls for differential fractionation of olivine and feldspar from their respective melts, and slow O-diffusion of olivine while in the shallow lava lake prior to eruption.Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory and Laboratory (MEVOL) NSF Org: Enhanced disequilibrium with olivine phenocrysts, are seen during the late stages of Erebus volcano construction. Isotopic depletion of the melt may be accounted for by incorporation of 8–11% hydrothermally altered volcanic edifice over time assuming water–rock interaction from strongly isotopically depleted Antarctic precipitation. Feldspar and glasses exhibit δ 18O values well below predicted values and are in fractionation disequilibrium with olivine compositions at measured magmatic temperatures of 1000 ☌ within the phonolite lava lake. The trend correlates with a decreasing forsterite content in the olivine. Olivine δ 18O decreases from a typical mantle value of +5.3‰ in the parental basanite source to 4.3‰ in recently erupted phonolite lava bombs. Forward models indicate there should be an enrichment in δ 18O of 0.4‰ in lavas due to Raleigh fractionation, but this is not observed. Olivine, feldspar, glass and whole rock samples from 29 lavas, 7 modern bombs and 2 xenoliths were analyzed for their oxygen isotopic compositions. The cold frozen climate and lack of radiogenic isotope evidence for assimilation of crustal materials makes this a unique location to investigate factors contributing to changes in oxygen isotope compositions. Oxygen isotope analysis of minerals in alkaline basanite to phonolite lavas from Erebus and surrounding volcanic centers show an anomalous trend of decreasing δ 18O with magmatic evolution. Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica is an active volcano that has hosted a persistent phonolite lava lake for over 50 years.
