Reconstructing a Snake River Plain ‘super-eruption’ via compositional fingerprinting and high-precision U/Pb zircon geochronology

Ellis, Ben; Schmitz, Mark D.; Hill, Malcolm

doi:10.1007/s00410-019-1641-z

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…The alternative hypothesis is that the complex age range in the CK bauxite samples is a function of igneous processes and a large xeno-and antecrystic crystal cargo in a single volcanic eruption and/or volcaniclastic unit that was sequentially deposited in the CK depositional zone and was the dominant source of Miocene zircons. Due to the mixing of xenocrystic, antecrystic and autocrystic zircon crystallization within individual mineral grains and then averaged by whole grain dissolution, individual ignimbrite eruptions dated with CA-ID-TIMS can reveal concordant zircon ages with > 1 Ma of protracted zircon dates within individual eruptive events (e.g., Wotzlaw et al 2013;Szymanowski et al 2019;Ellis et al 2019).Therefore, a single ignimbrite eruption could reasonably yield protracted ranges in zircon dates similar to the samples dated in this study. It is possible that the old ages reflect a xenocrystic component in a relatively homogeneous igneous source material for the bauxite horizons, rather than a mixed detrital input.…”

Section: Interpreting Zircon Age Spectra and Maximum Depositional Ages (Mda's) In Ck Bauxitessupporting

confidence: 52%

“…While Pb-loss could artificially extend the age spectra by yielding young ages, a 12-h chemical abrasion has been demonstrated as a robust measure to limit Pb-loss, and was used in this work (Widmann et al 2019). Therefore, we interpret that the youngest population of zircons in this sample reflects the age of final crystallization, with older grains representing a mix of antecrystic and xenocrystic zircons (e.g., Wotzlaw et al 2018;Szymanowski et al 2019;Gaynor et al 2019;Ellis et al 2019;Brlek et al 2020;Rosera et al 2021). The weighted mean and uncertainty for this interpretation are 17.312 ± 0.015/0.016/0.024 Ma for LUČ-3 (Fig.…”

Section: Age Interpretation Of Sinj Basin Volcaniclastic Rocksmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…CA-ID-TIMS analyses indicate that there are normally discordant grains with Miocene 206 Pb/ 238 U ages, which suggests subtle components of inheritance present in some grains. More reliable provenance reconstructions require building a large database of geochronological data for the region, both for bauxite deposits and potential volcanic sources, as well as application of additional proxies, such as zircon petrochronology (e.g., Liu et al 2014;Szymanowski et al 2016Szymanowski et al , 2019Ellis et al 2019;Lu et al 2019).…”

Section: Interpreting Zircon Age Spectra and Maximum Depositional Ages (Mda's) In Ck Bauxitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Karst bauxite formation during Miocene Climatic Optimum (central Dalmatia, Croatia): mineralogical, compositional and geochronological perspectives

Brlek

Gaynor

Mongelli

et al. 2021

Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch)

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The Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO) represents a global warm period (approximately 17-14.7 Ma) interrupting a longterm period of Cenozoic cooling. To elucidate if bauxitization took place in southeastern European mid-latitude areas during the MCO, we studied a section of undated massive karst bauxite (Crveni Klanac, CK) in central Dalmatia, Croatia, hosted in Upper Cretaceous limestones and overlain by Miocene Sinj Basin lacustrine deposits. Integrated mineralogical, morphological and geochemical analyses indicate the predominant mineral phases of the homogenous bauxite matrix are authigenic, subhedral to euhedral kaolinite and gibbsite. The in-situ mineralization was a consequence of pedogenic processes, indicating the CK bauxites formed autochthonously. In situ U-Pb zircon ages of the lower, middle and upper parts of the CK bauxite are very similar, dominated by Miocene and Oligocene ages, indicating that they all share similar protolith(s). Subsequent high-precision chemical abrasion-isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) analyses indicate a maximum depositional age (MDA) for the pre-bauxitic material of 16.9576 ± 0.021 Ma (2σ uncertainty, incorporating decay constant uncertainty). This MDA, a maximum age of autochthonous bauxitization, coincides with the onset of the MCO. Based on currently available geochronological constraints, the maximum timeframe for CK bauxitization was less than ~ 700 ka, which matches the records of the MCO in paleo-mid-latitude Europe. The potential imprint of pre-17 Ma bauxitization and contribution of older (i.e., Upper Paleogene) bauxite deposits resedimented to the CK profile, as well as degree of potential parautochthonous origin of the CK bauxites, is yet to be investigated. More than simply aligning with regional and local reconstructions of continental climatic conditions during the onset and the early stages of the MCO, the high degree of autochthony of the CK bauxites provide a precise climatic constraint. For in-situ bauxitization to occur in the southeastern parts of mid-latitude continental Europe, paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental conditions must have had mean annual temperature greater than 17-22 °C and mean annual precipitation of more than 1100-1200 mm.

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Section: Interpreting Zircon Age Spectra and Maximum Depositional Ages (Mda's) In Ck Bauxitessupporting

confidence: 52%

Section: Age Interpretation Of Sinj Basin Volcaniclastic Rocksmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Interpreting Zircon Age Spectra and Maximum Depositional Ages (Mda's) In Ck Bauxitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Karst bauxite formation during Miocene Climatic Optimum (central Dalmatia, Croatia): mineralogical, compositional and geochronological perspectives

Brlek

Gaynor

Mongelli

et al. 2021

Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch)

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“…1) is not known. A Miocene ignimbrite flare-up has been proposed (Nash et al, 2006), and evidence for very large Miocene eruptions is emerging (Finn et al, 2016;Ellis et al, 2019), but, until now, none exceeded the magnitude of the Yellowstone super-eruptions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of two new super-eruptions from the Yellowstone hotspot track (USA): Is the Yellowstone hotspot waning?

Knott

Branney

Reichow

et al. 2020

Geology

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Super-eruptions are amongst the most extreme events to affect Earth’s surface, but too few examples are known to assess their global role in crustal processes and environmental impact. We demonstrate a robust approach to recognize them at one of the best-preserved intraplate large igneous provinces, leading to the discovery of two new super-eruptions. Each generated huge and unusually hot pyroclastic density currents that sterilized extensive tracts of Idaho and Nevada in the United States. The ca. 8.99 Ma McMullen Creek eruption was magnitude 8.6, larger than the last two major eruptions at Yellowstone (Wyoming). Its volume exceeds 1700 km3, covering ≥12,000 km2. The ca. 8.72 Ma Grey’s Landing eruption was even larger, at magnitude of 8.8 and volume of ≥2800 km3. It covers ≥23,000 km2 and is the largest and hottest documented eruption from the Yellowstone hotspot. The discoveries show the effectiveness of distinguishing and tracing vast deposit sheets by combining trace-element chemistry and mineral compositions with field and paleomagnetic characterization. This approach should lead to more discoveries and size estimates, here and at other provinces. It has increased the number of known super-eruptions from the Yellowstone hotspot, shows that the temporal framework of the magmatic province needs revision, and suggests that the hotspot may be waning.

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“…The enormous volume (1470 km 3 ) Cougar Point Tuff XIII rhyolite (CPT XIII) covers an area of at least 24,500 km 2 in the central Snake River Plain (Fig. 2) with highprecision ID-TIMS zircon ages defining that the eruption occurred at 11.030 ± 0.006 Ma (Ellis et al 2019). Variably exposed CPT XIII fallout deposits are found south of the Snake River Plain in the Cassia Mountains and Bruneau-Jarbidge regions.…”

Section: The Yellowstone-snake River Plain (Ysrp) Provincementioning

confidence: 99%

Obsidian pyroclasts in the Yellowstone-Snake River Plain ignimbrites are dominantly juvenile in origin

et al. 2021

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Dense, glassy pyroclasts found in products of explosive eruptions are commonly employed to investigate volcanic conduit processes through measurement of their volatile inventories. This approach rests upon the tacit assumption that the obsidian clasts are juvenile, that is, genetically related to the erupting magma. Pyroclastic deposits within the Yellowstone-Snake River Plain province almost without exception contain dense, glassy clasts, previously interpreted as hyaloclastite, while other lithologies, including crystallised rhyolite, are extremely rare. We investigate the origin of these dense, glassy clasts from a coupled geochemical and textural perspective combining literature data and case studies from Cougar Point Tuff XIII, Wolverine Creek Tuff, and Mesa Falls Tuff spanning 10 My of silicic volcanism. These results indicate that the trace elemental compositions of the dense glasses mostly overlap with the vesiculated component of each deposit, while being distinct from nearby units, thus indicating that dense glasses are juvenile. Textural complexity of the dense clasts varies across our examples. Cougar Point Tuff XIII contains a remarkable diversity of clast appearances with the same glass composition including obsidian-within-obsidian clasts. Mesa Falls Tuff contains clasts with the same glass compositions but with stark variations in phenocryst content (0 to 45%). Cumulatively, our results support a model where most dense, glassy clasts reflect conduit material that passed through multiple cycles of fracturing and sintering with concurrent mixing of glass and various crystal components. This is in contrast to previous interpretations of these clasts as entrained hyaloclastite and relaxes the requirement for water-magma interaction within the eruptive centres of the Yellowstone-Snake River Plain province.

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Reconstructing a Snake River Plain ‘super-eruption’ via compositional fingerprinting and high-precision U/Pb zircon geochronology

Cited by 11 publications

References 77 publications

Karst bauxite formation during Miocene Climatic Optimum (central Dalmatia, Croatia): mineralogical, compositional and geochronological perspectives

Karst bauxite formation during Miocene Climatic Optimum (central Dalmatia, Croatia): mineralogical, compositional and geochronological perspectives

Discovery of two new super-eruptions from the Yellowstone hotspot track (USA): Is the Yellowstone hotspot waning?

Obsidian pyroclasts in the Yellowstone-Snake River Plain ignimbrites are dominantly juvenile in origin

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