<p>The Neogene volcanism in the western part of Romania is confined to the Apuseni Mountains and surrounding areas. The largest volcanic area is mostly developed in the WNW-ESE oriented, ca. 120 km in length Zărand-Brad-Zlatna Basin.</p><p>The Bontău Volcano (Seghedi et al., 2010) is located inside the western part of the Zărand-Brad-Zlatna Basin and it is strongly affected by erosional processes, being crossed in its northern part, from east to west, by the Crișul Alb River.</p><p>The Bontău Volcano is known to be active roughly between 14-10 Ma (according to the available K/Ar data) and it has been characterized as a composite or stratovolcano volcano associated with dome complexes, built by calc-alkaline andesitic lavas and pyroclastic deposits (andesite to basaltic andesite). The long-lasting volcanism developed in the Bontău area has a complex build up stages that we recently have found were interrupted by a series of destructive failure events. Several important volcanic collapses of the volcanic edifice took place producing large volcanic debris avalanches followed by numerous debris flows which produced various secondary volcaniclastic deposits that can be observed in different places all around the Bontău volcano. The debris avalanches deposits have not yet been known up to this study. The distribution of the debris avalanche deposits and associated volcaniclastic deposits is the main target of this study. In order to reconstruct Bontău Volcano activity and reconstruct its original morphology we done field observations and sampled the main lithologies to perform petrographic observations and geochemical and isotopic analyses (for the main lithologies).</p><p>During our field observations we tried to identify the relationships between debris avalanche deposits and older volcanic bodies (lavas, domes, volcaniclastic). One main important remark is related with the presence of several small basins at the margin of the volcano consisting of a succession of thin planar and cross-bedded sandstone in an alternation of coarse and fine layers associated with discontinuous lapilli trains (including pumices); The deposits are poorly to moderately sorted; with low angle cross lamination in lenses or pockets. Such deposits, as closely associate with debris avalanche deposits have been interpreted as small intra-hummocky basins formed after debris avalanche generation; they are mostly situated at the margins of the volcano.</p><p>The presence of multiple debris avalanche deposits can be connected with volcano growing in an extensional environment. We may assume that the long-lived Miocene rift graben system of the Zărand-Brad-Zlatna Basin experienced numerous changes in the fracture propagation and vertical movements that promoted repeated dyke intrusion and facilitated generation of numerous debris avalanches.</p><p>Acknowledgements: This work was supported by a grant of the of Ministry of Research and Innovation, CNCS – UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCCF-2016-4-0014, within PNCDI III.</p>

The Eastern part of the Miocene Zărand extensional basin witnessed the generation and evolution of the largest composite volcano in Apuseni Mts., named recently Bontău. The volcano is filling the basin at the junction between the South and North Apuseni Mountains. The Bontău Volcano is known to be active roughly between ~14–10. In spite of heavily forested and poorly exposed volcanic deposits, it was possible to identify its complex evolution. The volcano suggests an original oval-shaped edifice base currently showing a north-oriented horseshoe-shaped debris avalanche eroded crater. The early effusive volcanic activity was contemporaneous with the emplacement of individual and/or clustered volcanic lava Domes. Late-stage summit dome generation was followed by several volcanic collapses all around the volcanic edifice producing large volcanic debris avalanche deposits (DADs), accompanied by numerous debris flows all around the volcano periphery. Thick pumice pyroclastic flow deposits found below DADs at the periphery may suggest that the slope failures were proceeded by a Plinian eruption. The debris avalanche crater is the last event in the volcano evolution exposing several intrusive andesitic-dioritic bodies and associated hydrothermal and mineralization processes, most probably including the former central vent area of the volcano. The volcano proximal effusive and explosive deposits display a change in the composition of the erupting magma (increased SiO2 from 53.4% to 60.6%) that resulted in an increase of viscosity and the construction of the summit lava domes. Such domes are however only found as various size blocks in DADs. The volcanism connects with the two steps of geotectonic evolution of the Zărand Basin: The initial construction period during regional extension started ~16 Ma up to 12.3–12.1 when the Bontău volcano and surrounding domes were generated. The second period, younger than 12 Ma, corresponds to NW-SE compressional tectonics developed only in the Bontău volcano with summit dome generation and, finally, assists volcano destruction and DADs generation. Newly performed geochemical and Sr and Nd isotopic data studies attest to a calc-alkaline character and suggest an evolution via assimilation-fractional crystallization processes of a dominant MORB-like mantle source magma. Also, they confirm the amphibole (± pyroxene) andesites to be the most evolved lithology. The stepwise changes in fracture propagation in the Zărand extensional setting along with a change to more hydrated and fractionated magma favored in ~4 Myrs of the evolution of the Bontău volcano lead to multiple pulses of the longest-lived magma chamber in the whole Miocene volcanism of the Apuseni Mts.