Chronometry and Speedometry of Magmatic Processes using Chemical Diffusion in Olivine, Plagioclase and Pyroxenes

Abstract

The magmatic processes that fuel volcanism, crustal growth, ore formation and discharge of volcanic gases and aerosols to the atmosphere occur across a range of timescales, from millions of years to just a few seconds. For example, the production of new oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridges is a near-continuous process that can operate in any one ocean basin on timescales of more than 100 m.y. However, the driving force for such processes is the spreading of the ocean plates that happens on a cm/yr timescale. At the other end of the spectrum, explosive volcanic eruptions involve the ascent and fragmentation of magma at velocities of the order of 100 m/s such that the journey from a magma chamber to an ash cloud may take place in a matter of minutes. In this case the driving force is the rapid expansion of magmatic gas in response to changes in pressure. At intermediate timescales magmatic processes may give rise to hydrothermal ore deposits on timescales of less than a million years for an individual deposit, while growth of giant granite batholiths may require piecemeal assembly of magma batches on timescales of a few million years. Although each of these processes has a characteristic, time-averaged timescale on which it operates, this is typically the end result of one or more natural processes that operate on much shorter timescales. For example, mid-ocean ridges do not extrude magma continuously onto the ocean floor, mineralising fluids do not discharge continuously through the shallow crust, and granitic magmas do not dribble continuously into evolving batholithic chambers. In some cases it is the long-term timescales that are important, for example the spreading rate of ocean basins, in others it is the short-term timescales that are important, for example the episodic growth of lava domes at active volcanoes. Although …