Constraints on the preeruptive volatile concentrations in the Columbia River flood basalts

Research Article| February 01, 2002 Constraints on the preeruptive volatile concentrations in the Columbia River flood basalts Rebecca A. Lange Rebecca A. Lange 1Department of Geological Sciences, 2534 C.C. Little Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1063, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Rebecca A. Lange 1Department of Geological Sciences, 2534 C.C. Little Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1063, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 08 May 2001 Revision Received: 08 Oct 2001 Accepted: 25 Oct 2001 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2002) 30 (2): 179–182. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0179:COTPVC>2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 08 May 2001 Revision Received: 08 Oct 2001 Accepted: 25 Oct 2001 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Rebecca A. Lange; Constraints on the preeruptive volatile concentrations in the Columbia River flood basalts. Geology 2002;; 30 (2): 179–182. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0179:COTPVC>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Many of the Columbia River flood basalts that erupted in the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho during the Miocene are remarkably iron rich (12–17 wt% total FeO) and under volatile-free conditions would have been too dense to erupt through continental crust. Their eruption through >20 km of sialic crust sets limits on their minimum, preeruptive total volatile (H2O + CO2) concentrations. These limits are obtained by quantitatively comparing the average density of the overlying crustal column with the calculated effect of dissolved H2O or exsolved CO2 on the density of various Columbia River tholeiitic basalts as a function of depth. Minimum total volatile (H2O + CO2) concentrations range to >4 wt% and are therefore considerably higher than those found in tholeiitic basalts at oceanic islands, like Hawaii. These conclusions are consistent with the strong enrichments in other incompatible elements (e.g., K, P, Ba) observed in the Columbia River flood basalts. Such high concentrations of H2O + CO2 would have had a marked effect on the solidus temperature of the source region, which may explain the remarkably large individual flow volumes (∼103 km3) that characterize this flood-basalt province. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.