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Halldórsson, Sæmundur Ari
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- PublicationOpen AccessMagma reservoir dynamics at Toba caldera, Indonesia, recorded by oxygen isotope zoning in quartz(2017-01)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;; ; ;Quartz is a common phase in high-silica igneous rocks and is resistant to post-eruptive alteration, thus offering a reliable record of magmatic processes in silicic magma systems. Here we employ the 75 ka Toba super-eruption as a case study to show that quartz can resolve late-stage temporal changes in magmatic δ18O values. Overall, Toba quartz crystals exhibit comparatively high δ18O values, up to 10.2‰, due to magma residence within, and assimilation of, local granite basement. However, some 40% of the analysed quartz crystals display a decrease in δ18O values in outermost growth zones compared to their cores, with values as low as 6.7‰ (maximum Δcore−rim = 1.8‰). These lower values are consistent with the limited zircon record available for Toba, and the crystallisation history of Toba quartz traces an influx of a low-δ18O component into the magma reservoir just prior to eruption. Here we argue that this late-stage low-δ18O component is derived from hydrothermally-altered roof material. Our study demonstrates that quartz isotope stratigraphy can resolve magmatic events that may remain undetected by whole-rock or zircon isotope studies, and that assimilation of altered roof material may represent a viable eruption trigger in large Toba-style magmatic systems.480 80 - PublicationOpen AccessDeep magma degassing and volatile fluxes through volcanic hydrothermal systems: Insights from the Askja and Kverkfjöll volcanoes, Iceland(2023-03-06)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Mantle volatiles are transported to Earth’s crust and surface by basaltic volcanism. During subaerial eruptions, vast amounts of carbon, sulfur and halogens can be released to the atmosphere during a short time-interval, with impacts ranging in scale from the local environment to the global climate. By contrast, passive volatile release at the surface originating from magmatic intrusions is characterized by much lower flux, yet may outsize eruptive volatile quantities over long timescales. Volcanic hydrothermal systems (VHSs) act as conduits for such volatile release from degassing intrusions and can be used to gauge the contribution of intrusive magmatism to global volatile cycles. Here, we present new compositional and isotopic (δD and δ18O-H2O, 3He/4He, δ13C-CO2, Δ33S- δ34S-H2S and SO4) data for thermal waters and fumarole gases from the Askja and Kverkfj¨oll volcanoes in central Iceland. We use the data together with magma degassing modelling and mass balance calculations to constrain the sources of volatiles in VHSs and to assess the role of intrusive magmatism to the volcanic volatile emission budgets in Iceland. The CO2/ΣS (10 30), 3He/4He (8.3–10.5 RA; 3He/4He relative to air), δ13C-CO2 ( 4.1 to 0.2 ‰) and Δ33S- δ34S-H2S ( 0.031 to 0.003 ‰ and 1.5 to +3.6‰) values in high-gas flux fumaroles (CO2 > 10 mmol/mol) are consistent with an intrusive magmatic origin for CO2 and S at Askja and Kverkfj¨oll. We demonstrate that deep (0.5–5 kbar, equivalent to ~2–18 km crustal depth) decompression degassing of basaltic intrusions in Iceland results in CO2 and S fluxes of 330–5060 and 6–210 kt/yr, respectively, which is sufficient to account for the estimated CO2 flux of Icelandic VHSs (3365–6730 kt/yr), but not the VHS S flux (220–440 kt/yr). Secondary, crystallization-driven degassing from maturing intrusions and leaching of crustal rocks are suggested as additional sources of S. Only a minor proportion of the mantle flux of Cl is channeled via VHSs whereas the H2O flux remains poorly constrained, because magmatic signals in Icelandic VHSs are masked by a dominant shallow groundwater component of meteoric water origin. These results suggest that the bulk of the mantle CO2 and S flux to the atmosphere in Iceland is supplied by intrusive, not eruptive magmatism, and is largely vented via hydrothermal fields.38 26 - PublicationRestrictedHydrothermal 15N15N abundances constrain the origins of mantle nitrogen(2020)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Nitrogen is the main constituent of the Earth's atmosphere, but its provenance in the Earth's mantle remains uncertain. The relative contribution of primordial nitrogen inherited during the Earth's accretion versus that subducted from the Earth's surface is unclear1-6. Here we show that the mantle may have retained remnants of such primordial nitrogen. We use the rare 15N15N isotopologue of N2 as a new tracer of air contamination in volcanic gas effusions. By constraining air contamination in gases from Iceland, Eifel (Germany) and Yellowstone (USA), we derive estimates of mantle δ15N (the fractional difference in 15N/14N from air), N2/36Ar and N2/3He. Our results show that negative δ15N values observed in gases, previously regarded as indicating a mantle origin for nitrogen7-10, in fact represent dominantly air-derived N2 that experienced 15N/14N fractionation in hydrothermal systems. Using two-component mixing models to correct for this effect, the 15N15N data allow extrapolations that characterize mantle endmember δ15N, N2/36Ar and N2/3He values. We show that the Eifel region has slightly increased δ15N and N2/36Ar values relative to estimates for the convective mantle provided by mid-ocean-ridge basalts11, consistent with subducted nitrogen being added to the mantle source. In contrast, we find that whereas the Yellowstone plume has δ15N values substantially greater than that of the convective mantle, resembling surface components12-15, its N2/36Ar and N2/3He ratios are indistinguishable from those of the convective mantle. This observation raises the possibility that the plume hosts a primordial component. We provide a test of the subduction hypothesis with a two-box model, describing the evolution of mantle and surface nitrogen through geological time. We show that the effect of subduction on the deep nitrogen cycle may be less important than has been suggested by previous investigations. We propose instead that high mid-ocean-ridge basalt and plume δ15N values may both be dominantly primordial features.125 6 - PublicationOpen AccessUltrahigh-precision noble gas isotope analyses reveal pervasive subsurface fractionation in hydrothermal systems(2023-04-14)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;; ; ;Mantle-derived noble gases in volcanic gases are powerful tracers of terrestrial volatile evolution, as they contain mixtures of both primordial (from Earth's accretion) and secondary (e.g., radiogenic) isotope signals that characterize the composition of deep Earth. However, volcanic gases emitted through subaerial hydrothermal systems also contain contributions from shallow reservoirs (groundwater, crust, atmosphere). Deconvolving deep and shallow source signals is critical for robust interpretations of mantle-derived signals. Here, we use a novel dynamic mass spectrometry technique to measure argon, krypton, and xenon isotopes in volcanic gas with ultrahigh precision. Data from Iceland, Germany, United States (Yellowstone, Salton Sea), Costa Rica, and Chile show that subsurface isotope fractionation within hydrothermal systems is a globally pervasive and previously unrecognized process causing substantial nonradiogenic Ar-Kr-Xe isotope variations. Quantitatively accounting for this process is vital for accurately interpreting mantle-derived volatile (e.g., noble gas and nitrogen) signals, with profound implications for our understanding of terrestrial volatile evolution.82 13 - PublicationOpen AccessRapid shifting of a deep magmatic source at Fagradalsfjall volcano, Iceland(2022-09)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;; Recent Icelandic rifting events have illuminated the roles of centralized crustal magma reservoirs and lateral magma transport1-4, important characteristics of mid-ocean ridge magmatism1,5. A consequence of such shallow crustal processing of magmas4,5 is the overprinting of signatures that trace the origin, evolution and transport of melts in the uppermost mantle and lowermost crust6,7. Here we present unique insights into processes occurring in this zone from integrated petrologic and geochemical studies of the 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland. Geochemical analyses of basalts erupted during the first 50 days of the eruption, combined with associated gas emissions, reveal direct sourcing from a near-Moho magma storage zone. Geochemical proxies, which signify different mantle compositions and melting conditions, changed at a rate unparalleled for individual basaltic eruptions globally. Initially, the erupted lava was dominated by melts sourced from the shallowest mantle but over the following three weeks became increasingly dominated by magmas generated at a greater depth. This exceptionally rapid trend in erupted compositions provides an unprecedented temporal record of magma mixing that filters the mantle signal, consistent with processing in near-Moho melt lenses containing 107-108 m3 of basaltic magma. Exposing previously inaccessible parts of this key magma processing zone to near-real-time investigations provides new insights into the timescales and operational mode of basaltic magma systems.54 7 - PublicationRestrictedTraversing nature’s danger zone: getting up close with Sumatra’s volcanoes.(2012)
; ; ; ; ; ; ;Budd, D. A.; Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden ;Troll, V. R.; Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden ;Hilton, D. R.; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, California, USA ;Freda, C.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma1, Roma, Italia ;Jolis, E. M.; Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden ;Halldorsson, S. A.; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, California, USA; ; ; ; ; The Indonesian island of Sumatra, located in one of the most active zones of the Pacific Ring of Fire, is characterized by a chain of subduction-zone volcanoes which extend the entire length of the island. As a group of volcanic geochemists, we embarked upon a five-week sampling expedition to these exotic, remote, and in part explosive volcanoes (SAGE 2010; Sumatran Arc Geochemical Expedition). We set out to collect rock and gas samples from 17 volcanic centres from the Sumatran segment of the Sunda arc system, with the aim of obtaining a regionally significant sample set that will allow quantification of the respective roles of mantle versus crustal sources to magma genesis along the strike of the arc. Here we document our geological journey through Sumatra’s unpredictable terrain, including the many challenges faced when working on active volcanoes in pristine tropical climes.227 16