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Do extrusion ages reflect magma generation processes at depth? An example from the Neogene Volcanic Province of SE Spain

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Abstract

The high-K calc-alkaline volcanic rocks along the Neogene Volcanic Province of SE Spain represent crustal anatectic melts mixed with mantle components during the opening of the Alborán Sea. Partially melted metapelitic enclaves, along with the geochemical signature, provide evidence of their crustal source. U–Pb SHRIMP geochronology on monazite and zircon from enclaves and their hosting lavas in the localities of El Hoyazo, Mazarrón and Mar Menor reveals variable delays between the melting at depth and the eruption of the volcanics. These data indicate that: (1) the most important event of anatexis in the Neogene spanned at least the 3 m.y. interval between 12 and 9 Ma; (2) there is no trend in age of crustal melting; and (3) the delay between magma generation and extrusion varies from more than 3 m.y. at El Hoyazo to ~0.5 m.y. and possibly 2.5 m.y. at Mar Menor, with no significant delay measurable at Mazarrón. The variable time delay between anatexis and lava extrusion indicates that radiometric ages of volcanics may provide misleading information on the timing of magma genesis occurring at depth. This highlights the pitfall of basing detailed geodynamic models on volcanic extrusion ages alone.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Antonio Acosta-Vigil, I. Buick, J.M. Fernandez-Soler and J. Hermann for discussion, A. Patiño-Douce and B. Clarke for reviewing an earlier version of the manuscript, and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. The Electron Microscopy Unit at ANU is thanked for access to the SEM facilities. We acknowledge the financial support of Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca (PRIN 2005-047810) and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Euromargins ESF Eurocore) to BC, of CGL2006-04440 (MEC) and RNM-0145 (Junta de Andalucía) to MTG-P, and of the Australian Research Council to DR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Università di Padova, Via Giotto 1, 35137, Padua, Italy

    Bernardo Cesare

  2. C.N.R. Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse, Corso Garibaldi, 37, 35137, Padua, Italy

    Bernardo Cesare

  3. Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia

    Daniela Rubatto

  4. Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Fuentenueva s/n, 18002, Granada, Spain

    María Teresa Gómez-Pugnaire

  5. Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Fuentenueva s/n, 18002, Granada, Spain

    María Teresa Gómez-Pugnaire

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  1. Bernardo Cesare
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Correspondence to Bernardo Cesare.

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Communicated by J. Hoefs.

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Table 2 SHRIMP U–Pb analyses of zircon and monazite (XLS 38.5 kb)

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Cesare, B., Rubatto, D. & Gómez-Pugnaire, M.T. Do extrusion ages reflect magma generation processes at depth? An example from the Neogene Volcanic Province of SE Spain. Contrib Mineral Petrol 157, 267–279 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-008-0333-x

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