Title
Sr isotope disequilibrium in Columbia River flood basalts: Evidence for rapid shallow-level open-system processes
Document Type
Article
Department or Administrative Unit
Geological Sciences
Publication Date
6-1-2005
Abstract
Geochemical variability among Columbia River Basalt Group flood lavas has been attributed to two different origins: derivation from heterogeneous mantle and modification of mantle-derived magmas by open-system processes involving continental crust. We present in situ analyses of Sr isotopes from core-to-rim transects of plagioclase phenocrysts and groundmass from each major Columbia River Basalt Group formation and show that plagioclase crystals are usually internally zoned in 87Sr/86Sr and are in 87Sr/86Sr disequilibrium with their host groundmass. These data unequivocally demonstrate that Columbia River basalt magmas, regardless of the nature of mantle sources, were modified by open-system processes operating at crustal depths. One-dimensional diffusion modeling indicates that observed isotopic heterogeneities cannot have existed at magmatic temperatures for more than a few years or decades. In general, results indicate that these flood basalt magmas were erupted while still in the process of assembly. A typical Columbia River flood basalt magma (melt plus phenocrysts) therefore only attains its final geochemical identity just before or during eruption, a fact that is generally obscured when evaluating conventional whole-rock isotope analyses.
Recommended Citation
Ramos, F. C., Wolff, J. A., & Tollstrup, D. L. (2005). Sr isotope disequilibrium in Columbia River flood basalts: Evidence for rapid shallow-level open-system processes. Geology, 33(6), 457. https://doi.org/10.1130/g21512.1
Journal
Geology
Rights
© 2005 Geological Society of America.
Comments
This article was originally published in Geology. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.
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