HR: 14:25h
AN: V23D-04 [Abstracts]
TI: The Importance of Crust-derived CO2 in Mafic Magmas: Evidence from Italian Volcanoes
AU: * Iacono Marziano, G
EM: g.iacono@pa.ingv.it
AF: INGV Palermo, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, sezione di Palermo, via Ugo
La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy, Palermo, 90146, Italy
AU: Gaillard, F
EM: gaillard@cnrs-orleans.fr
AF: ISTO CNRS, Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans (ISTO), UMR 6113 CNRS, 1A rue
de la Ferollerie, 45071 Orléans CEDEX 2, France, Orléans, 45071, France
AU: Scaillet, B
EM: bscaille@cnrs-orleans.fr
AF: ISTO CNRS, Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans (ISTO), UMR 6113 CNRS, 1A rue
de la Ferollerie, 45071 Orléans CEDEX 2, France, Orléans, 45071, France
AU: Pichavant, M
EM: pichavan@cnrs-orleans.fr
AF: ISTO CNRS, Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans (ISTO), UMR 6113 CNRS, 1A rue
de la Ferollerie, 45071 Orléans CEDEX 2, France, Orléans, 45071, France
AU: Chiodini, G
EM: chiod@ov.ingv.it
AF: INGV Naples, Osservatorio Vesuviano, Naples, Italy, Naples, 80124, Italy
AB:
Volatile abundances in magma are commonly considered to be inherited from the melting conditions in the
mantle and subsequently modified by degassing processes during magma rising. The addition of volatiles of
crustal origin during magma transfer toward the surface has been proposed only in a few instances but no
quantitative assessment has shown that such a process can affect volatile emissions of active volcanoes to any
significant extent. Here, we illustrate the overwhelming effect of carbonate assimilation on CO2 degassing from
several Italian volcanic centers.
Extensive interactions between magmas and the several-kilometers-thick sedimentary carbonate basement are
documented in Central-Southern Italy by abundant high temperature skarn xenoliths occurring in the eruptive
products. By means of carbonate assimilation experiments and mass balance calculations, we estimate that the
main trends in major element compositions observed Mt. Vesuvius eruptive products of the last 25 ka are
consistent with 6-9wt percent of carbonate assimilation at 6-12 km depth. Important assimilation degrees were
also deduced for some volcanoes of the Roman Province. Such process introduces several wt percent of CO2 in
the magma, which largely exceeds CO2 solubility in molten silicate and significantly contributes to the important
CO2 degassing reported for these volcanic areas. We show that both the emission rates and the carbon isotopic
compositions of the degassed CO2 are consistent with decarbonation during assimilation.
Several other volcanic centers recognized to be emplaced over thick carbonate sedimentary successions are
characterized by important CO2 degassing (e.g. Mt. Etna, Volcan Popocatépetl, Merapi, Lascar Volcano, Erebus)
and show magmatic skarn xenoliths in their eruptive products as evidence of decarbonation during high
temperature magma-limestone interactions. When measured, the carbon isotopic composition of CO2 emitted by
the fumaroles of these volcanoes strongly deviates from the typical mantle-derived magmatic signature and
probably indicates an important contribution from sedimentary carbonates. This degassing mechanism, largely
neglected so far, needs to be considered for interpreting volcanic gas emissions and its contribution to global
CO2 emissions from volcanoes into the atmosphere has to be estimated.
DE: 0370 Volcanic effects (8409)
DE: 1030 Geochemical cycles (0330)
DE: 8430 Volcanic gases
SC: Volcanology, Geochemistry, Petrology [V]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting