The last lavas erupted during the main phase of the Siberian flood volcanic province: Results from experimental petrology

Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, David S. Draper, Carl B. Agee, Jessica Jewell, Andrew Thorpe, P. C. Hess

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

The final lavas of the Siberian flood basalts are a ∼1,000 m thick section of meimechites, high-alkali, high-titanium, hydrous lavas that contrast sharply with the tholeiites that precede them. This paper presents a phase equilibrium study indicating that a candidate primary meimechite magma with 1 wt% water originated at ∼5.5 GPa and 1,700°C, both hotter and shallower than other estimates for melting beneath continental lithosphere. The experiments also suggest that a higher volatile content was involved in meimechite source genesis. Both the absence of orthopyroxene in any experiment and the close field association with carbonatites suggest that the meimechite source region may have been metasomatized with a CO2-rich fluid. A small additional quantity of CO2 and water would move magma origination to ∼1,550-1,600°C.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)191-209
Number of pages19
JournalContributions to Mineralogy and Petrology
Volume153
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Carbon dioxide
  • Experimental petrology
  • Meimechite
  • Multiple saturation
  • Siberian flood basalt

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geophysics
  • Geochemistry and Petrology

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