Bulletin of Volcanology

, Volume 53, Issue 6, pp 477–495 | Cite as

Early Proterozoic, basaltic andesite tuff-breaccia: downslope, subaqueous mass transport of phreatomagmatically-generated tephra

  • MB Dolozi
  • LD Ayres
Article
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Abstract

At Bear Lake, in the Flin Flon-Snow Lake greenstone belt of Manitoba, 400+ m of thick-to very thick-bedded, generally ungraded, basaltic andesite tuff-breccia, breccia, and lapilli-tuff are intercalated with pillowed lava flows in the upper part of an early Proterozoic submarine basaltic andesite shield volcano. The fragmental rocks comprise angular, amygdaloidal blocks and lapilli, many with partial chilled selvages, in a matrix of blocky, non-amygdaloidal to highly amygdaloidal vitric basaltic andesite ash and small lapilli. Minor thin-to medium-bedded, commonly normally graded tuff occurs in the upper part of the sequence. Clasts in fragmental beds consistently have higher amygdule contents than intercalated lava flows. Although similar to pillow-fragment breccias, the Bear Lake fragmental rocks were produced by extended surtseyan-type, phreatomagmatic eruptions, with associated fire fountain activity, at a progressively subsiding, shallow water vent. Periodic tephra slumping generated debris flows that transported particles down the uppe, gentle slope of the volcano to a depositional site at a water depth of less than 1 km. Turbidity currents probably carried much fine tephra to deeper water; tuff was deposited in the preserved section only after explosive volcanism ceased.

Keywords

Debris Flow Breccia Tephra Basaltic Andesite Greenstone Belt 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1990

Authors and Affiliations

  • MB Dolozi
    • 1
  • LD Ayres
    • 2
  1. 1.Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Chancellor CollegeUniversity of MalawiZombaMalawi
  2. 2.Department of Geological SciencesUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegCanada

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