Deciphering textural and chemical zoning of K-feldspar megacrysts from Mt. Amiata Volcano (Southern Tuscany, Italy): Insights into the petrogenesis and abnormal crystal growth

This study reports the complex textural and chemical features of K-feldspar megacrysts (up to 5 cm long) hosted in trachydacitic lava flows, lava domes, and coulées from Mt. Amiata volcano (Tuscan Magmatic Province, Central Italy). Backscattering and cathodoluminescence imaging, coupled with core to rim major and trace elements patterns, reveal a complex zoning, and resorption surfaces associated with sharp chemical variations (e.g., Sr and Ba). These zoning patterns originated by disequilibrium and re-equilibration events, related to the repetitive influx of mafic magmas or convective motions in the trachydacitic magma reservoir. Multiple mafic magma refilling events are also supported by the field occurrence of abundant microgranular magmatic enclaves in the studied products. Our results highlight that the abnormal dimension of the studied K-feldspars originates by the interplay between petrological and kinetic processes involving: (i) extensive dissolution; (ii) heterogeneous nucleation; (iii) alternation of spasmodic growth events in disequilibrium and near-equilibrium crystallization. Repetitive influx of hotter magmas and reheating can determine the thermal condition to the growth of few, large K-felspar megacrysts. Also, the strong textural and chemical similarities observed in the K-feldspar megacrysts from Mt. Amiata volcanic rocks and Mt. Capanne monzogranite (Elba Island, Central Italy) support the hypothesis of a phenocrystic origin of intrusive K-feldspar megacrysts.

Tuscan regional authority (Regione Toscana) in the framework of the LAMMA-CNR Project “Monografia vulcanologica del Monte Amiata”