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Voluminous and crystal-rich igneous rocks of the Permian Wurzen volcanic system, northern Saxony, Germany: physical volcanology and geochemical characterization

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Abstract

The North Saxon Volcanic Complex (NSVC) is a nested caldera edifice dominated by the c. 295 Ma Rochlitz Volcanic System and the c. 289 Ma Wurzen Volcanic System (WVS). The climactic activity of the WVS resembled a VEI ≥ 7 fissure ‘supereruption’ resulting in voluminous and crystal-rich caldera-fill ignimbrites (minimum volume c. 199 km3); caldera outflow facies is not known sofar. Precursory to the WVS ‘monotonous intermediates’, rhyolitic and rhyodacitic volcanic activity led to deposition of the low-volume Wermsdorf and Cannewitz ignimbrites. Modal analysis of the WVS pyroclastic units reveals an inhomogeneous crystal population (≤ 58 vol%) comprising k-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, ortho- and clinopyroxene and minor amounts of biotite. The Wurzen caldera fill ignimbrites feature three types of fiamme: (1) felsic fiamme; (2) mafic fiamme; and (3) granite-porphyry fiamme. This, the modal variation, and the common presence of clinopyroxene and biotite indicate a strong magma mingling component in the WVS—characteristics which have not been observed in the precursory, Wermsdorf and Cannewitz ignimbrites. The caldera fill ignimbrites feature a large compositional variation from (basaltic) trachyandesite to rhyolite caused by basaltic injection and magma mingling. It is proposed that magmatic underplating led to reheating crystal mush and finally to convection processes within the WVS magma chamber. The predominance of either pyroxene or biotite as mafic mineral in the (trachy-) dacitic to rhyolitic ignimbrites indicates eruption of crystal mush from different magma batches. Prominent negative Nb and Ta anomalies of the Wurzen caldera fill ignimbrites, porphyries, and mafic dykes indicate enhanced melt–crust interaction or contamination of mantle melt. In the aftermath of the WVS caldera eruption, basaltic, trachyandesitic, andesitic and rhyolitic melts ascended puncturing the Wurzen-α and β ignimbrites leading to an array of NW–SE-trending dykes, subvolcanic bodies, and lava domes. Among these, voluminuous granite-to-syenite porphyries emplaced. The deeply eroded WVS caldera allows insight into one of the major magmatic processes that governed the post-collisional phase of the Variscan orogeny in Europe. The study of the deeply eroded supervolcano caldera will lead to the understanding of the connection between a monotonous intermediate ignimbrite and related post-eruptive intrusions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Hartmut Hempel (Basalt AG, Großsteinberg) for the permission to sample several quarries and for placing three cores drilled in the Großsteinberg quarry near Grethen (Parthenstein) at our disposal. We thank Axel Hiller (Wismut AG, Hartenstein) for the provision of sample material and thin sections. In particular we would like to thank Frank Eigenfeld (Halle) and Harald Walter (Saxon State Agency for Environment, Agriculture and Geology, Freiberg) for constructive discussions and comments. Johannes Richter kindly enough provided access to the core depository of the Saxon State Agency for Environment, Agriculture and Geology, Freiberg. We would like to thank Manfred Birke (Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Hanover) for ceding geochemical data. Sabine Haser (Institute for Mineralogy, TU Bergakademie Freiberg) is thanked for technical support at the scanning electron microscope. Peter Stutz (Institute for Mineralogy and Petrography, University of Hamburg), Gudrun Geyer and Ronny Ziesemann (Institute for Geology, TU Bergakademie Freiberg), and Bernd Scheunert (Saxon State Agency for Environment, Agriculture and Geology, Freiberg) are thanked for the preparation of polished rock samples and thin sections. We highly appreciate helpful comments given by Shan de Silva and two anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Geology, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Bernhard-von-Cotta-Straße 2, 09599, Freiberg, Germany

    Alexander Repstock & Christoph Breitkreuz

  2. Saxon State Agency for Environment, Agriculture and Geology, Halsbrücker Straße 31A, 09599, Freiberg, Germany

    Manuel Lapp

  3. Institute for Mineralogy, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Brennhausgasse 14, 09596, Freiberg, Germany

    Bernhard Schulz

Authors
  1. Alexander Repstock
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  2. Christoph Breitkreuz
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  3. Manuel Lapp
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  4. Bernhard Schulz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexander Repstock.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

531_2017_1554_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Online Appendix Figure 1 simplified geological map of the NSVC, the Wurzen Volcanic Complex is highlighted in color. Green point’s marks outcrops and quarries (for numbers see Appendix Table 1). (PDF 1882 KB)

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Online Appendix Figure 2 Drilling WIS 1519A/82 exposing the upper part of Wurzen-α ignimbrites (Wurzen IID accord. to Röllig 1969) overlain by a c. 400 m thick assumedly andesitic to dacitic lava dome complex, for location see Fig. 3. (PDF 65 KB)

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Online Appendix Figure 3 Profiles across Wurzen Volcanic System (vertically exaggerated) within the North Saxon Volcanic Complex depict the assumed structure; modified in consideration of collected data from quarries, outcrops and drill cores and the geological map (Fig. 3) modified after Röllig (1969) and Hoffmann et al. (2013). The correlated drill cores are: 1—WIS 176/73 (Naunhof), 2—WIS 1519A/82 (Thallwitz), 3 – three drill cores in the Großsteinberg quarry, 4 – 276/72 (Wermsdorf) (PDF 70 KB)

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Online Appendix Figure 4 Thin section images of WVS ignimbrites; A: Wermsdorf ignimbrite with quartz (Qtz) reveals pseudohexagonal shape in the contact zone between fiamme—formerly pumice (P)—and host ignimbrite. Hematite usually is finely disseminated in groundmass, enriched in a part from the contact between former pumice and host ignimbrite. K-feldspar (Kfs) occurs as pre-dominant feldspar. Dominant mafic mineral is orthopyroxene (Opx). B: Cannewitz ignimbrite outcropping at the Mutzschen Wasser between Cannewitz and Serka showing small crystal clasts of k-feldspar (Kfs), plagioclase (Pl) and quartz (Qtz) as opposed to larger crystal clasts in the Wermsdorf ignimbrite and the Wurzen α,-β-ignimbrites. Predominant mafic mineral is biotite (Bt) that also rims lithics (L) as secondary phase. Fiamme are typically not larger than 2 mm, rarely can reach up to 3 cm (Appendix Figure 3). C: Coarse-grained recrystallized groundmass of the Wurzen-α ignimbrite at the Haselberg quarry, plagioclase is the pre-dominant mineral, followed by k-feldspar with overgrowth of secondary k-feldspar, which indicates a metasomatic overprint. Although pyroxene is the dominant mafic crystal clast, secondary formed biotite (Bt) is abundant, in places. D: recrystallized groundmass of the Wurzen-α ignimbrite at Zinkenberg quarry veils volcanic textures; plagioclase (Pl) again is pre-dominant and orthopyroxene (Opx) often altered to chlorite (Chl). E and F: Wurzen-β ignimbrite at the contact zone between an exotic fiamme (F) and the host ignimbrite. Plagioclase (Pl) occurs in both, within the exotic fiamme and the host ignimbrite. Biotite (Bt) again is the dominant mafic mineral. Chloritization is common in the contact zone. G: granite-porphyry from the Wachtelberg outcrop south of Wurzen reveal poikilitic desolution of k-feldspar (Kfs) in plagioclase (Pl). Quartz (Qtz) is less abundant in comparison to the other felsic crystal clasts. Orthopyroxene (Opx) is the most common mafic mineral. H: Thin section of the carapace facies of the andesite lava complex exposed in drill core WIS 1519A/82 (Appendix Figure 2). Distinct highlighted relictic perlites (rP) reveal a recrystallization of volcanic glass in ancient glassy lava dome of assumely andesitic to dacitic composition, hematite (Hem) is abundant in groundmass (PDF 412 KB)

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Online Appendix Figure 5 Diagram highlighting Ti/Zr ratios, andesite, trachyandesite and basaltic trachyandesite reveal high Ti/Zr values, whereas trachydacitic and rhyodacitic compositions reveal moderate-to-low ratios. Variations in Zr may be related to magmatic differentiation, TiO2 variations could be explained by magma mingling and mixing processes (for symbology see Fig. 10) (PDF 1453 KB)

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Online Appendix Table 1 GPS data for outcrops and quarries in the Wurzen Volcanic System (for location on map see Appendix Figure 1) (PDF 93 KB)

Online Appendix Table 2 Orientation and dip of fiamme in the WVS ignimbrites (see also Fig. 6) (PDF 304 KB)

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Online Appendix Table 3 Modal composition of crystals in bulk matrix of ignimbrite rock samples and thin sections, data in vol% (PDF 59 KB)

Online Appendix Table 4  Granulometry in fiamme (PDF 101 KB)

Online Appendix Table 5 Whole rock geochemical analyses of WVS rocks (PDF 70 KB)

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Repstock, A., Breitkreuz, C., Lapp, M. et al. Voluminous and crystal-rich igneous rocks of the Permian Wurzen volcanic system, northern Saxony, Germany: physical volcanology and geochemical characterization. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 107, 1485–1513 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-017-1554-x

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