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Clark volcano of the Kermadec arc, northeast of New Zealand, is a large stratovolcano comprised of two coalescing volcanic cones; an apparently younger, more coherent, twin-peaked edifice to the northwest and a relatively older, more degraded and tectonized cone to the southeast. High-resolution water column surveys show an active hydrothermal system at the summit of the NW cone largely along a ridge spur connecting the two peaks, with activity also noted at the head of scarps related to sector collapse. Clark is the only known cone volcano along the Kermadec arc to host sulfide mineralization.Volcano-scale gravity and magnetic surveys over Clark show that it is highly magnetized, and that a strong gravity gradient exists between the two edifices. Modeling suggests that a crustal-scale fault lies between these two edifices, with thinner crust beneath the NW cone. Locations of regional earthquake epicenters show a southwest-northeast trend bisecting the two Clark cones, striking northeastward into Tangaroa volcano. Detailed mapping of magnetics above the NW cone summit shows a highly magnetized "ring structure" ~350 m below the summit that is not apparent in the bathymetry; we believe this structure represents the top of a caldera. Oblate zones of low (weak) magnetization caused by hydrothermal fluid upflow, here termed "burn holes," form a pattern in the regional magnetization resembling Swiss cheese. Presumably older burn holes occupy the inner margin of the ring structure and show no signs of hydrothermal activity, while younger burn holes are coincident with active venting on the summit.A combination of mineralogy, geochemistry, and seafloor mapping of the NW cone shows that hydrothermal activity today is largely manifest by widespread diffuse venting, with temperatures ranging between 56° and 106°C. Numerous, small (≤30 cm high) chimneys populate the summit area, with one site host to the ~7-m-tall "Twin Towers" chimneys with maximum vent fluid temperatures of 221°C (pH 4.9), consistent with d 34 Sanhydrite-pyrite values indicating formation temperatures of ~228° to 249°C. Mineralization is dominated by pyrite-marcasite-barite-anhydrite. Radiometric dating using the 228 Ra/ 226 Ra and 226 Ra/Ba methods shows active chimneys to be <20 with most <2 years old. However, the chimneys at Clark show evidence for mixing with, and remobilizing of, barite as old as 19,000 years. This is consistent with Nd and Sr isotope compositions of Clark chimney and sulfate crust samples that indicate mixing of ~40% seawater with a vent fluid derived from low K lavas. Similarly, REE data show the hydrothermal fluids have interacted with a plagioclase-rich source rock.A holistic approach to the study of the Clark hydrothermal system has revealed a two-stage process whereby a caldera-forming volcanic event preceded a later cone-building event. This ensured a protracted (at least 20 ka yrs) history of hydrothermal activity and associated mineral deposition. If we assume at least 200-m-high walls for the postulated (buried) caldera, th...

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The North China Craton (NCC) is believed to be the best example of cratonic destruction. However, the processes leading to cratonic destruction remain unclear, largely due to a lack of knowledge of the nature of the Mesozoic NCC lithospheric mantle. Here we report new petrological and geochemical data for Early Cretaceous NCC basalts, which provide insights into the nature of the underlying lithospheric mantle. The Early Cretaceous basalts (all tholeiites) show a limited variation in geochemical composition. In contrast, olivine‐hosted melt inclusions from these basalts display a wide range in compositional variation and include both alkalic and tholeiitic basaltic compositions. This result provides the direct evidence of the contribution of silica‐undersaturated alkali basaltic melts in the petrogenesis of the Early Cretaceous NCC basalts. In addition, the compositions of olivine phenocrysts and reconstructed primary melts indicate that the Early Cretaceous basalts are derived from a mixed peridotite and refertilized peridotite source. The Pb isotopic compositions of melt inclusions in high fugacity of oxygen (fo) olivines combined with trace element characteristics of these basalts reveal that heterogeneous lithospheric mantle sources for Early Cretaceous basalts were metasomatized by carbonate‐bearing eclogite‐derived melts. The Pb isotopic variations of the melt inclusions and clinopyroxene and plagioclase phenocrysts demonstrate that the mantle‐derived magmas were variably contaminated by lower continental crust. We propose that multiple subduction events during the Phanerozoic, combined with mantle‐plume activity, likely play a vital role in the generation of the Early Cretaceous voluminous magmatism and cratonic destruction.