JOURNAL

OF GEOPHYSICAL

RESEARCH,

VOL. 86, NO. BII,

PAGES 10137-10152, NOVEMBER

10, 1981

A Summaryof the Geologyand Petrologyof the Sierra La Primavera,

Jalisco, Mexico
GAIL

A.

MAHOOD

Departmentof Geology,Schoolof Earth Sciences,

StanfordUniversity,Stanford,California94305
The SierraLa Primavera,near Guadalajara,Mexico,is a Late Pleistocenerhyolitic centerconsistingof
lava flows and domes,ash flow tuff, air fall pumice,and calderalake sediments.All eruptive units are
high-silicarhyolites,but systematiccompositionaldifferencescorrelatewith age and eruptivemode. The
earliestlavas eruptedapproximately145,000yearsago and were followed approximately95,000 years

agoby the eruptionof about20 kra3 of magmaasashflowsthat formthe Tala Tuff. The Tala Tuff is
zonedfrom a mildly peralkalinefirst-eruptedportionenrichedin Na, Rb, Cs, CI, F, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, Sb,
HREE, Hf, Ta, Pb, Th, and U to a metaluminouslast-eruptedpart enrichedin K, LREE, Sc,and Ti; AI,
Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, and Eu are constantwithin analyticalerrors.Collapseof the roof zone of the magma
chamberled to the formation of a shallow 1l-km-diameter calderain which lake sedimentsbeganto collect. The earliestpostcalderalava, the south-centraldome,is nearly identicalto the last-eruptedportion
of the Tala Tuff, whereasthe slightly younger north-centraldome is chemically transitional from the
south-centraldometo later, more marie,ring domes.This sequenceof ashflow tuff and domesrepresents
the tapping of progressively
deeperlevelsof a zoned magma chamber95,000 + 5,000 yearsago. Sedimentationcontinuedand a periodof volcanicquiescence
wasmarkedby the depositionof some30 m of
fine-grainedashysediments.Approximately75,000yearsago a new groupof ring domeseruptedat the
southernmarginof the ltke.Thesedomesare lappedby only 10-20 m of sedimentsas uplift resulting
from renewedinsurgenceof magmabroughtan end to the lake. This uplift culminatedin the eruption,
beginningapproximately60,000yearsago,of aphyriclavasalonga southernarc. The youngestof these
lavaseruptedapproximately30,000yearsago. The lavasthat erupted75,000,60,000,and 30,000 years

agobecamedecteasingly
peralkalineandprogressively
enrichedonlyin Si, Rb, Cs,andpossiblyU with
time. They representsuccessive
eruption of the uppermostmagma in the postcalderamagma chamber.
Eruptiveunitsof La Primaveraare eitheraphyricor containup to 15%phenocrysts
of sodicsanidine_>
quartz>> ferrohedenbergite
> fayalite > ilmenite+ titanomagnetite.Major elementcompositions
of sanidine, clinopyroxene,and fayalite phenocrystsvary only slightly betweeneruptive groups,but the concentrationsof many traceelementschangeby factorsof 5-10. This is reflectedin phenocryst/glass
partition coefficients
that differ by factorsof up to 20 betweensuccessively
eruptedunits. Becausethe major

elementcompositions
of thephenocrysts
andthepressure,
temperature,
andfo2of themagmas
wereessentiallyconstant,the large variationsin partitioningbehaviorare thoughtto resultfrom small changes
in bulk compositionof the melt. Crystalsettlingand incrementalpartial melting are by themselvesincapableof producingeither the chemicalgradientswithin the Tala Tuff magma chamber or the trends
with time in the post-95,000-yearlavas.Rather, diffusionalprocesses
in the silicateliquid are thought to
have been the dominant differentiation

mechanisms. The zonation in the Tala Tuff is attributed to trans-

port of trace metalsas volatile complexeswithin a thermal and gravitationalgradientin a volatile-rich

but water-undersaturated
magma.The evolutionof the postcalderalavaswith time is thoughtto involve
the diffusiveemigrationof traceelementsfrom a relativelydry magmaasa decreasing
proportionof network modifiersand/or a decreasingconcentrationof complexingligandsprogressivelyreducedoctahedral site availability in the silicate melt.

INTRODUCTION

One way to understandthe differentiationprocessesoperating in high-level magma chambersthat solidify as granitic

plutonsis to studymaterial eruptedfrom suchchambers.Ash
flow tuffs are rapidly quenched voluminous samples of
magma chambers;as suchthey have made possiblethe characterizationof chemicaland thermal gradientswithin the upper portionsof silicicmagmachambersjust prior to eruption
[Lipman et al., 1966; Smith and Bailey, 1966;Hildreth, 1977,
1979; Smith, 1979; Ritchie, 1979; Hildreth et al., 1980]. Complementaryto studiesof ashflow tuffs,which are inverted recordsof magma chambersat singlepointsin time, is the information contained in a sequenceof eruptive units, which
recordthe chemicalevolutionof the upper portionsof a silicic
magma chamber through time. Making the reasonableas-

poseof this study of the Sierra La Primavera,therefore,has

been to trace the chemical evolution of a rhyoliticcomplex
through time, interpretingit as the periodic samplingof an
evolving magma chamber.
To determinethe eruptivehistory,the Sierra La Primavera,
locatedon the westernoutskirtsof Guadalajara, Jalisco,Mexico (Figure 1), was mapped at a scaleof 1'25,000. Eruptive
units were classifiedinto groups based on stratigraphicrelations, and the eruptive sequencewas calibratedwith over 50
K-At dates performed at University of California, Berkeley
[Mahood, 1980a]. This paper summarizesthe geologicaland
chemical evolution of the Primavera system;the geology of
the Sierra La Primavera is describedin more detail by Mahood[1980a, 1980b],whereasthe petrologyis discussedmore
fully by Mahood [1980a, 1981].

sumption
that a lavaflowor ashflowtapsthemostdifferenti-

REGIONAL

SETTING

ated uppermostmagma in the systemat a particular moment,

The Sierra La Primavera lies at the intersection of the two
a sequenceof eruptiveunits providesprogressreportson the
major
Cenozoicvolcanicprovincesof Mexico (Figure 1). Its
differentiationmechanismsoperatingat depth. The main putmildly peralkalinerocksstandin marked chemicalcontrastto
Copyright 1981by the AmericanGeophysicalUnion.
Paper number IB0529.
0148-0227/81/001B-0529501.00

both the andesitic stratovolcanoes

10137

and basaltic cinder cones

10138

MAHOOD: SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGYOF LA PRIMAVERA

tion of the Sierra La Primavera may be controlledby regional

tectonics,faultingwithin the complexis a productof local hydrostaticadjustments
to changesin the level of the underlying

magmachamber.This lack of regionalfaultsin the SierraLa

Primavera is circumstantial evidence for an underlying
magma chamberthat cannot sustainbrittle fracture.
SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGIC HISTORY AND PETROLOGY

A briefhistoryof the SierraLa Primavera

followsand is
summarized in Table 1. The earliest lavas erupted about

145,000-100,000
yearsago.They were followedby eruption,
approximately95,000yearsago,of about20 km3of magmaas
ash flowsthat formed the Tala Tuff. Collapseof the roof zone
of the magma chamberupon eruption of the Tala Tuff produced an 11-km-diameter

caldera that soon filled with water.

Onset of lacustrine sedimentationwas followed rapidly by

eruptionof two domesin the centerof the lake (the south-central and north-central domes,which form the lower portions
of Mesa E1Nejahuete(I) and Cerro Alto (H), respectively,
in
Figure 2). The baseof the south-centraldome occursat the

samepositionwithin the sediments

asthe 'giantpumicehorizon', an importantstratigraphicmarker, whereasthe north-

0 km50
I

VOLCAN

DE

COLIMA

:Fig. . Rcgiona!locationmap (modifiedmmMahood[980b]I.

This map showsthe locationof the SierraLa Primavera(SLP) relative to the majo andesiticstratovolcanoes
of the westernportionof

centraldomeoverliesthe giantpumicehorizon.Ring domes

representing
some5 km3 of porphyriticmagmathen erupted
alongtwo concentricarcs:one alongthe northeastportionof
the ring fractureand the othercrossingthe middleof the lake.
A periodof volcanicquiescence
wasmarkedby deposition
of
some 30 m of fine-grainedashy sediments.Approximately

75,000yearsago,activityresumed
withtheeruptionof 3 km

of aphyricand porphyriticmagmaat the southernmarginof

tiary CordilleranProvince(diagonalruling),regionalfaulting,and the lake to form a youngergroupof ring domes.Ensuingupthe citiesof Guadalajara(G) and M6xico (M). The SierraLa Prima- lift, thought to result from renewed insurgenceof magma,
vera lies alonga line parallelto the northwesttrend of the western broughtan endto the lake. This uplift culminatedin the erup-

the Pliocene-RecentMexican Neovolcanic Belt (stippled), the Ter-

portionof the MexicanNeovolcanic

Belt definedby Volc,nTequila
and ten basalticandesitecindercones(smallcirclessoutheastof Guadalajara).

that make up the bulk of the Plioceneto Recent Mexican

NeovolcanicBelt and to the largelymetaluminoussiliciclavas
and ash flowsthat dominatethe Tertiary CordilleranProvince.
Normal faultinghas brokenthe area into a seriesof grabens,
one of the largestbeing occupiedby Lake Chapala.Volc,n
Colima, southof La Primavera,sitswithin a large north-south

tion, beginningapproximately
60,000yearsago,of 7 km of
aphyriclavasalonga southernarc.The youngest
of the southern arc lavas,Cerro E1 Colli (FF, Figure 2), eruptedapproximately 25,000-30,000 years ago.
All the eruptiveunitsof the SierraLa Primaveraare mildly

peralkalinehigh-silica(>75% SiO2 on an anhydrousbasis)

rhyolites.All of them are similar in grosscomposition,but
there are systematic
chemicaldifferencesthat correlatewith

both age and eruptive mode. Variations in major element

compositions
at La Primaveraare small;in contrast,variagrabenand is on line with the east-westtrendof the eastern tions in the minor and trace elementsare striking.Representaportionof the MexicanNeovolcanicBelt.The intersection
of tive analysesof major and minor elementsby classicalwet
extensionalfeaturesnear the Sierra La Primavera may have chemistry,and of minor and traceelementsby instrumental
focusedmarievolcanismin the area,leadingto large-scalemelt- neutron activation analysis(INAA) and X ray fluorescence
are given in Table 2. Additional analysescan be found in
ing of crustalmaterial to give rise to Primaveramagmas.
Little is known of the prevolcanicbasementthat might be worksby Mahood [1980a, 1981].In the followingdiscussion,
partiallymeltedto giveriseto the Primaveramagmas.Despite sampleswith variabledegreesof posteruptivehydrationhave
the nearly 1000m of relief in the nearbycanyonof the Rio been comparedon the basisof analysesrecalculatedfree of
Grande de Santiago,the oldest rocks exposedare Miocene water and normalized to 100%.
The proportionof phenocrysts
in the porphyriticeruptive
ashflow tuffs [Watkinset al., 1971].Much of the area now occupiedby the SierraLa Primaveraappearsto be immediately unitsrangesfrom lessthan 1%to 15%by volume.Sodicsaniunderlain by andesiticand basalticlava flows,which are lo- dine and quartz, the former generally more abundant,tocally exposedin canyonswithin the Sierraand at its margins gether compriseapproximately97-99% of the phenocrysts,
fayalite,and ilmenite,
and are commonas accidentaldebrisin air fall pumice depos- the remainderbeingferrohedenbergite,
its.

All recognizedfaultsin the SierraLa Primaveraare related

either to calderacollapseor to uplift thoughtto be a resultof
renewed insurgenceof magma. All faults begin and end
within the environsof the complex;none extend beyondthe
Sierra to offsetolder rocks.This suggests
that, while the loca-

typicallyin the proportions

50:10' 1. Titanomagnetite,
zircon,
and apatiteoccurin someunits.Phenocrystassemblages
of
the variouseruptivegroupsare summarizedin Table 1, and
representative
analysesappearin Table 3. Sanidine,ferrohedenbergite,and ilmeniteare unzonedand homogeneous.
The
compositions
of the phenocrysts
changedslightlywith time,

MAHOOD.' SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

10139

TABLE 1. Summaryof the GeologicHistory of the Sierra La Primavera

Approximate Age
Basedon K-Ar Dates

Magma

Eruption of precalderalavas
Eruptionof the Tala Tuff
Caldera collapse
Eruption of central domesand

depositionof giantpumice
horizon

PhenocrystAssemblage

0 or 10-15

San>_Q >>Cpx>>Fa > Ilm > Mt

0-1

San >_Q

0.15
0.8
0.7
5

1
1
10
10-15

75,000

0or

San > Q >> Cpx >> Ilm

San > Q >> Cpx > Fa >> Ilm
San > Q >> Cpx > Fa >> Ilm
San >_Q >> Cpx > F a >> Ilm
San >_Q >> Cpx > Fa >> Ilm

60,000 and 30,000

144,000-100,000

95,000 + 10,000

South central dome

North central dome

Eruptionof olderring domes

Eruption of youngerring domes
Uplift
Eruption of southernarc lavas

2(?)
20

Giant pumice horizon

but within eruptive groupsthe phenocrystsare uniform in

composition.
GEOLOGICAL

AND CHEMICAL

OF THE SIERRA
Precaldera

Total Phenocrysts,

[Mahood,1980a],years Volume,km3

Event

EVOLUTION

LA PRIMAVERA

Lavas

10

None

is characterizedby white pumicelapilli, bearinglessthan 1%

quartz and sanidine,set in a pink ashy matrix. In many
places,the third membershowsinterlayeringof ashflow and
air fall layers,and the ash flow portionsare laminated.
CompositionalZonation in the Tala Tuff

About 145,000years ago the first lavas of the Sierra La

Primavera were erupted. These porphyritic and aphyric
domesand flows presentlycrop out in two areas(Figures 2
and 3a), but there may well have been other lavasnow coveredby youngereruptiveunits.The precalderalavasmake up
the compositionallymost heterogeneous
eruptive group. In
the northern area, the porphyriticRio Salado dome (A, Fig-

The Tala Tuff is mildly zoned;mostmajor elementsremain

approximatelyconstantthroughthe eruptedvolume,and the
moststronglyzonedelements,Y and Sc,vary only by a little
more than a factor of two. From the first-eruptedthrough the
last-eruptedportion of the Tala Tuff, the molar ratio Na,_O/

ure 2) eruptedfirst, followedby the aphyricCation de las

Floresflow (B, Figure2). Both unitsare clearlyoverlainby
the porphyriticdomeof MesaE1Le6n (C, Figure2) and by
the Tala Tuff. Thesethreeunitsshowno systematic
chemical

FeO* (total iron expressedas FeO), MnO, and MgO remain

approximatelyconstantat 1.70,0.05, and 0.04 weightpercent,

(Na,_O+ K,_O)dropsfrom0.6 to 0.55.Wet chemicalanalyses

demonstratethat TiO,_increasesfrom 0.09 to 0.13 wt. %, while

respectively.
Chlorineis stronglypartitionedinto water-rich
vaporrelativeto a silicicliquid [Burnham,1967].Despitepostrends with time. Becausethe southerngroup of precaldera siblelosson eruption,C1,as well as F, is enrichedin the firstlavas has been blanketedby Tala Tuff, minor ash flows, air empted portion of the Tala Tuff, which containsapproxifall, and alluvium, neither the number of separateunits nor mately0.16%C1and 0.12%F. C1and F constituteabout0.11%
and 0.09%,respectively,
of the last-eruptedportionof the Tala
their relative agesare known.
Tala Tuff

About 95,000 years ago, ash flows representingapproximately 20 km3 of magmaeruptedfrom the SierraLa Primavera and emptiedinto the surroundingbasins,coveringsome
700 km'-(Figure4). Theseashflowsare collectivelynamedthe
Tala Tuff for the villageof Tala (Figure 1). The Tala Tuff
consistsof many small ash flowsthat are groupedinto three
easilyrecognizedinformal members:
1. The first member containswhite aphyric pumice and
makesup morethan 90%of the volumeof the tuff. It occursas
intracaldera ash flows within the Sierra La Primavera proper
and as nonwelded,approximately60-m-thick, outflow sheets
filling the surroundingbasins.
2.

The second member of the Tala Tuff is about 10 m

Tuff. Na, Rb, Cs, Sm, Gd, Tb, Tm, Yb, Lu, Y, Zr, Hf, Pb, Th,
U, Nb, Ta, Sb, and Zn are all enriched in the first-erupted

portionof the Tala Tuff, whereasK, Ca, La, Ce, Nd, Ti, and
Sc are enriched in the last-erupted part. The Tala Tuff is

zonedfroma mildlyperalkaline
first-erupted
portion(agpaitic
index -- 1.10,Zr - 600 ppm) to a barely metaluminouslasteruptedpart (agpaiticindex-- 0.99,Zr = 500ppm).La Primavera is not uniquein thisregard.Someof the Tertiary caldera
complexes
of the westernUnited States(e.g.,the BlackMountain [Christiansen
and Noble, 1965]and Silent Canyon [Noble
et al., 1968] calderas)producedash flows zoned from peralkalineto subalkaliccompositions.
Many ring dike complexes
in New England[Billings,1956]and northernNigeria [Jacobsen,1977]showalternationof peralkalineand metaluminous
granitesin the samecenter.
Elemental abundancesin the first-eruptedportion of the
Tala Tuff relative to those in the last-erupted portion are
plottedin Figure5, followingHildreth[1979].This is equiva-

thick and is characterizedby white aphyric pumice and grey

pumicelapilli containingvery sparsequartz and sanidine,as
well as lapilli that representthe mixing of the two magmas.
in the roofof the
Despite their darker color, the grey pumice lapilli are the lentto plottingtheratioof theabundance
samecompositionas the white pumicelapilli in the overlying magmachamberto that in the deepestleveltapped.As is true
third member. The transition from the second member of the
for the BishopTuff [Hildreth, 1979],light rare earth elements
Tala Tuff to the underlyingand overlyingmembersis grada- (LREE) are depletedand heavyrare earthelements(HREE)
tional but takesplace within lessthan 1 m stratigraphically. are enrichedroofward. Sr and Ba (among the most strongly
3.

The third member of the Tala Tuff is 5-10 m thick and

zonedelementsin the BishopTuff) do not appearin Figure5

10140

MAHOOD: SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

0
l

KM

5
I

Fig. 2. Locationmap of the SierraLa Primavera(modifiedfrom Mahood[1980b]).The SierraLa Primaverais located

on the westernoutskirtsof Guadalajara,Jalisco,Mexico.Diagonalruling:pre-Primaveravolcanicrocks;V pattern:precalderalavas;unpatterned:Tala Tuff (alsoincludesminor ashflow tuffs,primary and reworkedair fall deposits,and alluvium, all generallyunderlainby the Tala Tuff); light stipple:lake sediments;
double-dashpattern:olderring domes;rectilinear dots:youngerring domes;heavystipple:southernarc lavas.Faults are shownas heavydashedlines.Lettersrefer to
the namesof eruptive centers,whereasnumbersrefer to cultural features,as follows:A: Rio Saladodome; B: Cation de
Las Floresflow;C: MesaE1Lon dome;D: Arroyo Saucillogroup;E: Mesa E1 Chiquihuitillo;F: MesaE1Burro dome;G:
Cerro Chato dome;H: Cerro Alto compositedome;I: Mesa E1 Nejahuetecompositedome;J: Cerro E1 Tule dome;K: E1
Madr6n dome;L: Pinarde La Venta dome;M: ArroyoLa Cuartilladome;N: MesaLa Loberadome;O: CerroE1 Chapulin dome;P: Dos Coyotesdome;Q: Arroyo Las Pilasdome;R: Arroyo Ixtahuatontedome;S: La Cuestadome;T: Cerro
E1 Culebreadodome;U: La Puerta dome;V: Arroyo Las Animas dome;W: Cerro E1 Pedernalcenter;AA: Cerro San Miguelcenter;BB:LlanoGrandeflow;CC: CerrosLasPlanillascenter;DD: ArroyoColoradodome;EE: CerroE1Tajo center; FF: Cerro E1 Colli dome; 1: Rio Caliente; 2: La Venta del Astillero; 3: Tierra Blanca.

becausein all samplestheyare belowdetectionlevels(10 and CalderaCollapse

20 ppm, respectively).The antithetic behavior of Na:O and

K:O in the Tala Tuff is commonto a numberof high-silica The secondand third membersof the Tala Tuff occuronly
eruptiveunits,includingthe BishopTuff, the BandelJerTuff in the centralpart of the Sierra La Primavera;they are not
[SmithandMacdonald,1979],and severalashflowsfrom the foundas outflowsheetsin the surrounding
basins.This sugYellowstonePlateau(W. Hildreth,personalcommunication, geststhattheestimated150-500rn of collapseof theroofzone
1979).
of the magma chamberbeganwhile the first memberof the

MAHOOD.' SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

10141

TABLE 2. RepresentativeWhole Rock Analyses

EruptiveGroup
PCD

SiO:
TiO2
A1203

TT-E

TT-L

SCD

NCD

ORD

YRD

60

30

76.84
0.09
11.79

76.44
0.09
11.70

77.02
0.13
11.70

76.67
0.13
11.67

76.43
0.18
11.66

76.10
0.17
11.71

76.85
0.12
11.44

77.02
0.09
11.71

77.28
0.06
11.91

1.55
0.04

1.70
0.05

1.72
0.05

1.76
0.05

1.79
0.05

2.02
0.07

1.72
0.05

1.42
0.04

1.18
0.04

MgO

0.04

0.04

0.05

0.05

0.05

0.05

0.04

0.03

0.02

CaO

0.21

0.18

0.26

0.27

0.20

0.27

0.20

0.23

0.30

NaO
KO

4.25
4.89

4.70
4.72

3.88
4.81

4.42
4.66

4.60
4.80

4.62
4.83

4.54
4.71

4.69
4.44

4.51
4.47

F
CI

0.11
0.12

0.12
0.16

0.09
0.11

0.09
0.10

0.08
0.09

0.09
0.09

0.09
0.11

0.10
0.12

0.10
0.13

1.04
48
112

1.10
41
92

0.99
66
141

1.06
67
135

1.09
81
171

1.10
81
172

1.10
57
124

1.07
39
89

1.03
35
79

39

35

FeO*
MnO

Agpaitic
index
La
Ce

Nd

46

50

56

54

67

52

Sm
Eu
Tb
Yb
Lu
Rb
Cs
Th
U
Hf
Y

9.6
0.07
1.54
6.4
0.96
188
3.7
18.4
7.0
13.6
65

13.1
0.09
2.58
10.8
1.41
275
6.4
27.3
9.5
20.0
139

11.9
0.06
1.63
6.2
0.90
171
4.2
18.9
6.2
13.2
54

10.9
0.06
1.63
6.0
0.86
172
3.6
19.1
7.0
13.3
76

11.3
0.12
1.59
5.6
0.86
141
3.4
18.1
6.6
15.3
51

11.3
0.12
1.48
5.9
0.84
144
2.9
17.6
5.1
15.2
47

10.3
0.09
1.55
6.1
0.90
163
3.3
18.2
5.8
14.7
53

8.4
0.06
1.36
5.6
0.80
167
3.6
16.6
5.7
11.3
50

Zr
Nb
Ta

454
66
4.3

615
112
6.7

499
69
3.9

526
71
3.9

683
70
3.9

682
66
3.5

584
65
3.8

379
68
3.6

Sc
Zn

0.96
116

0.41
179

0.95
114

0.99
106

0.83
100

1.06
106

0.71
108

0.69
100

8.0
0.03
1.25
5.4
0.79
195
4.4
19.6
6.5
8.9
47
228
68
3.4
1.10
84

To facilitate comparisonof variably hydratedsamples,all analyseshave been recalculatedto 100%,

free of water.

PCD = precaldera
dome,TT-E = early-erupted
Tala Tuff, TT-L = late-erupted
Tala Tuff, SCD =
south-central
dome,NCD = north-centraldome,ORD = older(95,000-yr)ting domes,YRD = younger
(75,000-yr) ring domes,60 = 60,000-yr southernarc lavas, 30 = 30,000-yr-old youngestdome, Cerro El
Colli.

Tala Tuff was still erupting, so that the two upper members the floor of the caldera,but everywherethe top is marked by a
were entirely pondedwithin the collapsebasin. Topographic 30-cm-thick fine white ashy layer.
Then a rather spectacularsedimentationevent occurred.A
expressionof a boundingring fault is presentonly to the west
of Rio Caliente(1 in Figure 2), wherethe precalderaRio Sal- 3- to 13-m-thickhorizonof giant pumiceblockssetin a diatoado and Cation de las Flores lavas are truncated. The circular
maceousashymatrix wasdepositedoverthe entire 110km2 of
patterndefinedby the ventsfor the northeasternarc of older the lake. The blocksof fully inflated pumicerangefrom 0.3 to
ring domesand the youngerring domesindicatesthe location more than 6 m acrossand are commonlycolumnar-jointedin
of the remainder of the masterting fault.
a crudelyradial pattern. The ashymatrix is finely laminated,
and the laminae are deformedaround the pumiceblocks.The
Caldera Lake Sedimentation
distributionof particle sizesis bimodal;pumicelapilli of interThe caldera rapidly filled with water, and sedimentbegan mediate size are rare. The unique characterof this deposit
stratigraphic
markerbedwithinthelake
to be depositedon the surfaceof the Tala Tuff almostimme- madeit animportant
diately,protectingit from all but minor fluvial erosion.These bed sequence.
It is envisionedthat the giant pumice blocksformed when
sedimentsconsistdominantly of 15- to 50-cm-thick layers of
planar-beddedand low-angle cross-beddedcoarse,ash and phenocryst-poorlavas erupted into the middle of the shallow
pumicelapilli that showrepetitivenormal gradingwith some lake. The blocks floated over the surface of the lake and evenerosionof the finely cross-bedded
topsof the sequences.
They tually saturatingwith water sank gently to the bottom of the
seem to be saturatedpumice turbidity flows. The source for lake,wherefine wind-blownashfrom the surrounding
plains
wereaccumulating
asfinelylammost of this pumice appearsto be erosionof small 'islands'of of theTalaTuffanddiatoms
Tala Tuff within the shallowlake and reworkingof immedi- inated sediments[Mahood, 1980b].
At the marginsof the lake, the giant pumice horizon was
ately post-Talaair fall deposits,which are severalmetersthick
outsidethe caldera.The thicknessof this basalpumiceoussec- depositeddirectly over the erodedTala Tuff or on 'inselbergs'
tion varies from 0 to 25 m due to pre-existingtopographyon of pre-Tala rocks.Over most of the lake it was depositedon

10142

MAHOOD: SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

top of the 30-cm-thicklayer of fine white ashthat capsthe

basalpumiceoussediments.The giant pumicehorizon 'seals'
faults in the Tala Tuff and the overlyingpumiceoussediments,but is rarelycut by faultsitself,showingthat faulting
related to calderacollapsehad ceasedby the time it was deposited.
Central Domes

A dome comprisingthe lower part of Mesa E1 Najahuete

was eraplacedat the stratigraphiclevel of the giant pumice
horizonin the south-central
portionof the lake (Figure3b).
Both the giant pumice horizon and this south-centraldome
have less than 1% phenocrysts,in contrastto later domes

with approximately10%phenocrysts
that stratigraphically
overlie the giant pumicehorizon.
The chemicalsimilarityof the last-eruptedportionof the
Tala Tuff to the southcentraldomeand the presenceof a 'coignimbritelag-falldeposit'[Wrightand Walker, 1977]nearthe
dome suggestthat the Tala Tuff may have eruptedfrom a
central vent near the presentsite of the south-centraldome
[Mahood, 1980b].
Shortly after eraplacementof the south-centraldome and

depositionof the giant pumicehorizon,a domecontaining

10%phenocrysts
eruptedthroughthemiddleof the lake(Figure 3b). The baseof this north-centraldome overliessubaerial
pumice brecciason top of the giant pumice horizon. The

wholerock and phenocryst

compositions
of the giant pumice
horizon are generally intermediate between those of the
south-and north-centraldomes[Mahood, 1981].
The sedimentarysectionabovethe giant pumicehorizonis
quite variable. Typically the giant pumicehorizon is overlain
by lessthan 10 m of stratifiedpumice before the sectionbecomesdominatedby fine white ashy and diatomaceousbeds.
Locally,fine-graineddepositsdirectlyoverliethe giantpumice horizon. The pumiceouslacustrinebedsappearto be the
productof air fall eruptionsthat precededthe eraplacement
of
a group of ring domes.
Older Ring Domes

The older ring domescontainapproximately10%phenocrystsand representsome5 km3 of magma.They erupted

along two concentricarcs:one along the ring fracture at the
northeastmargin of the lake, and the other through the
middle of the lake (Figure 3c). The new magma erupted
through the earlier central domes;thus Cerro Alto and Mesa

E1 Nejahueteare compositedomes,their lower and upper

portionsconsistingof magmasof slightlydifferentcomposition. The autobrecciated
lower marginsof older ring domes
that eruptedin the lake or at its margin are horizontal;the
contactsgenerallyoccurwithin the lower portion of the finegrainedsediments,
approximately10 m abovethe giantpumice horizon.Locally(e.g.,on the westflankof MesaE1Nejahuete)the intrusionof thesedomesdeformedand upliftedthe
lake sediments,includingthe giant pumicehorizon.
The cauldronblock is cut by an arcuatesystemof normal
faults that extends9 km from Cerro Alto to just southof
CerroE1Tule (Figure2). This fault offsetsMesaE1Nejahuete
and seemsto have provided structural control for the extrusionof a ridge of pumiceousporphyriticlava on its south
flank, suggesting
that faultingand eruptionwere closelyrelated. This fault may representa fracturedevelopedin the
roof zone of the underlyingmagma chamberon calderacollapsethat was reactivatedduringeruptionof the older ring

MAHOOD: SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

10143

Fig. 3. Palcogeography
of the SierraLa Primavera[from Mahood, 1980b].Pre-Primaveravolcanicrocks:diagonalruling;precalderalavas:V pattern;Tala Tuff: blank;lake sediments:
light stipple;centraldomesand older ring domes:paired
dashes;youngerring domes:rectilineardots;faults:dashedlines. (a) 100,000yearsago, following eruption of the precalderalavas.There may havebeenotherlavasbelongingto thisperiod,now coveredby youngereruptiveunits.(b) 95,000
yearsago,followingeruptionof the Tala Tuff, calderacollapse,and the eruptionof the centraldomesthroughthe middle
of the lake. (c) 90,000 yearsago, followingeruptionof the older ring domes.Thesering domeseruptedalong two concentricarcs:one alongthe ring fractureat the northeastmarginof the lake, and the other throughthe middle of the lake.
(d) 65,000yearsago,followingeruptionof the youngerring domes.Both aphyricand porphyriticlavaseruptedalong the
ring fractureat the southernmargin of the lake.

domes. The presenceof the older ring domes Cerro Chato,

Mesa E1 Burro, and Mesa E1 Chiquihuitillo (G, F, E, Figure
2) on the extensionof the arcuate trend of the fault beyond
the margin of the lake suggeststhat, at that time, the underlying magma chamberwas somewhatlarger than the collapse
basin.

Tala Tuff Magma Chamber

The eruptionof the Tala Tuff, calderacollapse,inceptionof

lake sedimentation,
depositionof the giant pumicehorizon,
and eruptionof the two centraldomesfollowedby the older
ring domesall occurredwithin a time spanunresolvable
by K-

Ar dating, about 5,000-10,000 years [Mahood, 1980a, b].

The last-eruptedportionof the Tala Tuff is compositionally
nearly identical to the south-centraldome, whereasthe northcentral dome and older ring domesare slightlymore mafic in
composition(Tables 2 and 3). This suggestscontinuity in
compositionalgradientsfrom that part of the magma chamber
that erupted explosively as the Tala Tuff to that which
erupted as early postcalderalavas. Similar relationshave been

documentedin severallarge silicicsystems,wherethe immediatelypostashflowlavasare similarto or lie on slightlymore

maficextensions
of the chemicaltrendsin the ashflows(e.g.,
Long Valley, California [Baileyet al., 1976],the Valles cal-

10144

MAHOOD: SUMMARYOF THE GEOLOGYAND PETROLOGYOF LA PRIMAVERA

from deeperlevelsbecomingthe mostroofward.During this

intervalimmediatelyfollowingcalderacollapse,the new roof
zone magmamay have beentemporarilyout of equilibrium
with its surroundings.
Additionally,a free vaporphasemay
have beenpresentas a resultof vesiculationduringthe calTa
dera-producingeruption. During this period of re-estabG
lishmentof magma chamberequilibrium,transientmechanismsmay have producedthe increasein Na, Fe, Zr, and Hf
in the magma that erupted as the north-centraldome and
older ring domes.If so,the mechanisms
musthave operated
on theseelementsaloneor muchmorerapidly on them than
0 km 20
on other elements.Alternativelythesereversalsmay have
been presentwithin a continuouslyzoned magma chamber
and condiFig. 4. Distributionof the Tala Tuff (modifiedfrom Mahood and reflectcontrastingdifferentiationmechanisms
[1980b]).The Tala Tuff (pebblepattern)buried approximately700 tions in the volatile-enrichedroof zone that eruptedas the
Tala Tuff and in the relativelydrier, slightlyhotter, deeper
magmathat eruptedlater as the older ring domes.
dera,New Mexico[Smith,1979],and Yellowstone[Hildrethet

al., 1980]).In all theseexamples,

ringdomespresumably
rep- YoungerRing Domes
resentthe tappingof slightlydeeperportionsof the composi- Caldera lake sedimentationcontinuedafter the emplacetionally zoned magma chamber from which the ash flow ment of the older ring domes,with fine ashy and diatoerupted.
maceousmaterial dominatingthe section.The depositionof
Most elementsshowunidirectionalchangesfrom the first- some30 m of thesefine-grainedsediments
indicatesa period
eruptedportionsof theTala Tuff to theolderringdomes(Fig- of volcanicquiescence.(The fine-grainednature of the lake
ure 6). Certain elements,however,showa reversalin trend. Zr

sediments and the virtual absence of lithie debris derived from

and Hf are mostdepletedin the last-eruptedportionof the

Tala Tuff and the south-central
domebut increaseagainin
the north-centraland older ring domes.Likewise,Na20 is
mostdepletedin the last-eruptedportionof the Tala Tuff but

outsidethe calderasuggest
that, prior to formationof the cal.dera, the whole region was elevatedso that streamsdrained
away from the future site of the Sierra La Primavera. This
may representan example of regionalintumescenceabove a

is significantly higher in the south-centraldome. Whereas shallowsilicicmagmachamber,Stage1 of the resurgentcaul-

K20 and Na:O behaveantithetically

in the ash flow, they droncycle[SmithandBailey,1968].)About75,000yearsago,
bothincreasein the centraldomesand olderring domes.Iron activityresumedwith the eruptionof a new group of ring
appearsunzonedin the ashflow, but like Zr, Hf, and Na, it is

domesat the southernmargin of the lake (Figure 3d). Both

aphyricand porphyriticlavaswereerupted,totallingapproximately3 km3 of magma.The youngerK-Ar dateson these
domesare corroboratedby their positionhigher within the
lake bed sequence[Mahood,1980b].The youngerring domes
are lappedby only 10-20 m of sediment.Fine-grainedsedidomes.
mentsgive way to fluvially reworkedair fall pumice, and the
The rapid evacuation
of the Tala Tuff magmawouldlead uppermostpart of the sectionconsists
of subaeriallydeposited

more abundantin the north-centraldome and older ring

domes.The reversals
in Na, Zr, andHf parallelchanges
in the
agpaiticindex,whichis 1.10in the first-eruptedportionof the
Tala Tuff, fallsto approximately
0.99in thelasteruptedportion, and then risesto approximately
1.10in the olderring

to a rapidreorganization
of themagmachamber,
withmagma tephra units.

t3
ENRICHED

CI

Sb

ZnRb

Tm Yb

Cs

Tb

Na

Gd
Mn Fe Co

CONSTANT

Ta

Sm Eu

Nd

Ca

Ti

La Ce
1/2
DEPLETED

, Sc

_
1/3

Fig.5. TalaTuffenrichment
anddepletion
factors.
Theelemental
abundances
in thefirst-erupted
portion
of theTala
Tuffareratioedto thosein thelast-erupted
part.If anelementplotsabovethelineit isenriched
roofward,
belowthelineit
is depletedroofward,in eachcaseby the factoron the right.

MAHOOD: SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

200

-12

77-

-10

SiO21---'--I1-
203

-11

76-

150 -

-8

100

-6

4.5 '=

%
1000

Na

4.0

-2000
600

20"K20
-8

Rb

-1000

10145

250 -6

200 -7

200

-5

150 -

0.4-

-3

30-

2.0-

-1.1

25-

1.5

-1.0

1.0-

-4

0.80.6-

-10
Th
-8

%
20-6
15700

- 20
- 150
-18

600
500

_Zr

Hf

-16
-14

180Zn

- 100

140

50

lOO

SCD NCD ORD

(-95)

SCD NCD ORD

(-95)

Fig. 6. Elementaltrendsin theTala Tuff andimmediately

postcaldera
lavas.E, M, andL standfor theearly-,middle-,
and late-eruptedportionsof the Tala Tuff, respectively,while SCD, NCD, and ORD refer to the south-central,north-central, and older (95,000-yr)ring domes,respectively.A.I. is the agpaiticindex.

the easternmostcenters, give K-Ar dates of 25,000-30,000

years,
which are in agreementwith the youthful topographic
Uplift that produced the topographicSierra La Primavera
expression
of theseunits. Cerro E1 Colli is chemicallydistinct
brought an end to lacustrine sedimentationapproximately
from the rest of the southernarc lavas, and its position in the
60,000 years ago. Much of the geomorphicexpressionof the
caldera was destroyedbecausethe hinge line for this uplift compositionaltrend defined by the postcalderadomes innearly coincidedwith the ring fracture of the caldera. The dicatesthat it is the youngesteruptive unit in the Sierra La
Primavera.
largest fault associatedwith this uplift parallels the caldera

marginandcanbe tracedfor approximately

8 km from southwestof La Venta del Astillero(2 in Figure 2) to Cerro E1 Pedernal. The fault consistsof two en echelonsegments;the maximum displacementis found at Rio Caliente (1 in Figure 2), .
where the Tala Tuff and overlying lacustrinedepositsare cut
by a 100-m scarp.
Deformation during uplift was concentratedat the margins
of the lake.Radial dipsof 10-20 on sediments
at the margins
of the former lake flatten to approximately2 within a short
distancetowards its center. Uplift was assymetricto the caldera and was greatestat the southernmargin of the lake; thus
a gentle northerly componentis superimposedon the radial
dips of the lake sediments.Uplift of at least250 m is indicated
[Mahood, 1980b].The notable scarcityof faults that cut sedimentsabovethe giant pumicehorizonwithin the central portion of the former lake indicatesthat the uplift was pistonlike; the former calderablock apparentlyroseas a singleunit
exceptat its margins.

Post-95,000-YearEvolutionof thePrimavera
Magma Chamber
After the eruption of the older (95,000-yr) ring domes,the
lavas becameprogressivelymore silicic and lessperalkaline
(Table 2, Figure 7). Values for FeO*, TiO,, MgO, and MnO

in the olderring domesare approximately

twicethosein the
most recentlyeruptedunit, Cerro E1 Colli. There is somescat-

ter in the alkali data due to mobility on posteruptivehydration, but Na,O remainedapproximatelyconstantwhile K,O
decreasedfrom about 4.8 to 4.45% with time (Table 2). C1
concentrationsappear to have increasedslightly from 0.9 wt.
% in the perlitic and pumiceousolder ring domesto 0.13% in
the youngestof the southernarc obsidians,althoughthis may

reflect better retention of C1 by obsidiansamples.F remained

approximatelyconstantat about 0.10%. Rb, Cs, and possibly
U are the only trace elementsthat increasedmonotonically
with time in the lavas(Figure 7); nearly all other elementsdecreased(REE, Zr, Hf, K, Mg, Ti, Mn, Fe, and Zn) or reSouthern Arc Lavas
mained approximatelyconstant(Ta, Nb, Sb, Th, Pb, and Y).
Uplift culminatedin the eruption,beginningapproximately Sc, like Ca, is unsystematicin behavior, and Th, which re60,000yearsago, of 7 km3 of magmaas aphyricflowsand mained approximatelyconstantfrom the older ring domesto
domes.Contemporaneouswith extrusionof these domesand the 60,000-yr southernarc lavas, increasedagain in Cerro E1
flows were eruptionsof air fall pumice, which caps the lake Colli, the youngestdome.
bed section,and a small ash flow that spread over approxiIn Figure 8, the elemental values for Cerro E1 Colli are
mately2.5 km'nearTierra Bianca(3 in Figure2). Thesetuffs shownin ratio to thosein the older ring domes.This diagram
have compositionsrelatingthem to the 60,000-yr-oldsouthern is not strictly comparableto the enrichmentfactor diagram
arc lavas [Mahood, 1980a].
for the Tala Tuff (Figure 5) becauseit doesnot representthe
The lavasof the southernarc are generallyyoungertoward chemicalzonationpresentin the magma chamberat any one
the east.Cerro E1Tajo and Cerro E1 Colli (EE, FF, Figure 2), moment in time; rather, it is thoughtto illustratethe chemical

10146

MAHOOD:

175

SUMMARY

OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

-8

Ce
======
Yb

125

75-

,,

1000600

200 -

Ti

Ca
-2000

Mn

-1000

-4

%77-

-3

764.75

2.0-1.1

FeO A.I.

%
1.5-

-- 1.0

11

Na2"-'_K20
-4

175 -

150 -

-3

Rb

20-

Zr

600

%4.50-

-12

,SiO2A203

1.0-

0.8-

-6

-14

-5

15-12

400

100 -

-10

200

- 100

Zn

80-

- 50

r 30

(=ORD)

95

75

60

30

(=ORD)

Fig.7. Elemental
trends
inthepost-9S,000-yr
lavas.
This
figure
issimilar
toFigure
6.The95:older
tingdomes
(ORD
of Figure 6); 75: youngerring domes;60: 60,000-yrsouthernarc lavas;30: the youngestsouthernarc lava, Cerro El Colli,
eruptedapproximately30,000 yearsago.

evolutionthroughtime of the uppermostmagmain the chamber. The differencebetween the two enrichmentpatterns is
striking;with increasingdifferentiation,the ash flow magma
was enriched in the HREE and many of the multivalent cations, whereasthe post-95,000-yrlavas were enrichedsystematicaByonly in Si, Rb, Cs, and possiblyU. (Th plotsabovethe
no-enrichmentline only becauseof its increasein Cerro E1
Colli.)

Microprobe
analyses
of titanomagnetite
andilmenite
from
the Rio Salado dome (A, Figure 2) were recalculatedusing
the method of Carmichael[1967],and the recastanalyseswere
usedto determinethe temperatureand oxygenfugacityusing

Buddingtonand Lindsley's[1964] calibrationof the Fe-Ti

oxides.A temperature
of 850Canda logfo: of-13.8 were

obtained,
Which
areappropriate
to a magma
ontheFMQbuf-

fer. The small variationsbetweeneruptive units of the major

element compositionsof phenocrystssuggestonly small difINTENSIVE PARAMETERS IN PRIMAVERA MAGMAS
ferencesin'magma temperatures.This fact, coupledwith the
Temperatureand OxygenFugacity
resultsof two geothermometers
[Mahood, 1980a],leadsto the
Neither the aphyric nature of many Primavera eruptive conclusionthat eruptive temperaturesof porphyritic Primaunits nor the phenocryst assemblagesin most others lend vera magmasprobablyvaried by no more than 30C.
themselvesto thermodynamicdeterminationof crystal-liquid Pressure
equilibration temperatures. Hence it remains uncertain
There is little direct evidencefor the depth to the roof of the
whether the chemical evolution documentedfor the postcaldera lavastook place under a waxing, waning, or fluctuat- Primaveramagmachamber.Formation of a caldera 11 km in
diameteron eruptionof only 20 km3 of magmaas the Tala
ing thermal regime.

ENRICHED

Cs

F Na

AI Si

CI CaSc

Rb
Y

NbSb

Ta PbTh

CONSTANT

Go

Mn Fe

HI

1/2

La

DEPLETED

Mg

Ti

Zr

1/3

1/4

Fig. 8. Enrichmentand depletionfactorsin the post-95,000-yrlavas.The elementalvalue in the youngestsouthernarc

lava, Cerro El Colli, is ratioedto the averageof the older ring domes.This figureis not directlyanalogousto Figure 5, as it
doesnot representthe zonationpresentin the magmachamberat any onepoint in time; ratherit presumablyillustratesthe
evolution through time of the most roofward magma.

MAHOOD: SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

10147

Tuff would seemto require a magma chamberwith a fairly the computerprogram of Wright and Doherty [1970] require
shallow roof. By analogy with eroded cauldrons and ring 1-30% fractionation. Sums of the least squaresresidualsare
complexesof similar mineralogyand bulk composition,the quite small (a necessary
consequence
of the slight composiroof of the Primaveramagma chamberwas probably between tional differencesbetweenparent and daughtermagmas),but
2 and 6 km beneath the surface.Assuming that the pheno- more than half the solutionsrequire both the addition and
crystsprecipitatedwithin the upper portion of a high-level subtractionof phases,a resultthat seemsgeologicallyimprobmagmachamber,the smallvariation betweeneruptivegroups able, especiallyin crystal-poorrhyolites.
of the major elementcompositions
of the phenocrysts
suggests The bestcomputersolutionscalculatedon the basisof mathat the depth to the roof of this magma chamberchanged jor elementswere testedto seeif they predictedcorrecttrace
little after eruptionof the Tala Tuff.
elementconcentrationsin the daughtermagmas.Poor agreement was obtained betweenthe predicted and measuredconEVALUATION OF DIFFERENTIATION
MECHANISMS
centrationsof most trace elements in the daughter magmas
The homogeneityof phenocrystand whole rock composi- [Mahood, 1981]. Most trace elementsdecreaseor remain aptions within each postcalderaeruptive group, along with the proximatelyconstantwith time in the postcalderalavas(Figarcuate arrangementof vents, is strong evidence that these ure 7), but the calculationspredict increasingconcentrations.
lavas erupted from a singleunified magma chamber. Studies This is a result of the large proportion of sanidineand quartz
of large-volume
zonedashflow eruptionshaveshownthat in the separatingphaseswhich, despitethe strongenrichment
magma at the roof of the chamberis generallymore differen- of elementssuch as the LREE and Zn in the marie phases,
tiated and poorer in phenocryststhan at deeper levels. The causes the bulk distribution coefficient D for these elements to
trend in Primavera post-95,000-yrlavas is oppositeto that be less than one. In all the calculated models the removal of
doesnot producethe observeddecreasein LREE
expectedon tapping successively
deeperlevelsof a composi- phenocrysts
tionally zoned magma chamber; the last lavas erupted are with time. Also, despitethe dominant role of sanidinein the
phenocryst-freeand are the most siliceous.Thus it seems calculated models and D.u for all casesbeing greater than
more likely that the Tala Tuff and all the postcalderalavas one, the predicteddecreasein Eu is alwayssmallerthan that
eruptedfroma magmachamberthat wasevolvingchemically observed.
with time. This is not to say that the geometryof the magma
chamber did not change;indeed, the southernarc lavas may Partial Melting
represent a southward expansion of the magma chamber.
Incremental partial melting of a sourceregion would not
However, the magma chamber was (is) presumably large producethe trendsobservedin the post-95,000-yrlavasof La
enoughthat magma in its roof zone did not immediately 'feel' Primavera.The firstpartial meltswould be enrichedin Si, Rb,
the effectsof new additionsbelow, and thus changesin com- and Cs and depletedin Fe, Mg, and Ti relative to subsequent
positionwithin the sequenceof lavasreflecthigh-leveldiffer- melt fractions.The reverseis observedin the post-95,000-yr
entiation mechanisms.Sincethere is no positiveevidenceof a lavas:they becomeincreasinglysiliceousand depletedin the
unitary magma chamber during eruption of the precaldera marie elements with time.
The chemical zonation in the Tala Tuff did not result from
lavas, they will not be consideredfurther.
accretion of successivepartial melt increments. Incremental
CrystalFractionation
partial melting doesnot readily explain the crossoverin REE
Most of the Tala Tuff and many of the Primaveralavas are on the enrichmentfactor diagram (Figure 5) nor the divergent
aphyric.If crystalsettlingoperatedin thesemagmas,eitherall enrichmentpatternsof the first transitionserieselements[Ma.
the phenocrystssettled out, or the magmas became super- hood, 1980a; see also Hildreth, 1977].
heatedprior to eruptionand the phenocrystswere resorbed.
PHENOCRYST/OLASS PARTITIONING AND MELT
Phenocrystsshow no evidenceof having settled:they are
STRUCTURE
hedral, unzoned, and homogeneous.Repeated tapping of a
Crystal fractionation,whether during partial melting or due
cooling magma chamberthat is crystallizinginward from its
margins is equivalent geochemicallyto settling of the ob- to crystalsettling,cannotalone accountfor the compositional
served phenocrystphases;thus the chemical contraints on gradient
in theTalaTuffor thetrendswithtimein thepostboth of thesedifferentiationmechanismsare similar.
95,000-yr lavas.On the other hand, the progressiveincreasein
The compositionalzonationpresentin the magmachamber the ratio of network-forming elementsto network-modifying

justpriorto theeruption
of theTalaTuffwasnottheproduct elementsin the post-95,000-yr
lavassuggests
that trace-element evolution is associatedwith changing melt structure.
(The term 'melt structure'is usedhere to signifythe mutual
spatial relationshipbetweenatomsin a silicateliquid. Since
melts lack long-rangeorder, a melt structuralstate is characterized by an averageconcentrationof variously coordinated
these elements.
'
cations(e.g., a highly polymerizedmelt has, on the average,
2. To producethe nearly two-fold roofward enrichmentof fewer octahedral'sites'than a lesspolymerizedmelt). In this
elementssuchas Nb, Y, Ta, U, Rb, and Cs would requirere- sense,at any given pressure,temperature, volatile content,
moval of at least half the magma as phenocrysts.But this and bulk composition,the melt structureis 'fixed' in a statistiwould have profound effectson major elementssuch as Ca cal sense.)
and Fe, effects that are not observed.
Crystal/liquid partition coefficientsare thoughtto be funcSeparation of phenocrystsin their modal proportionsdoes tionsof (1) temperature[Hkli and Wright, 1967;Leemahand
not accountfor the chemicaltrendsin the post-95,000-yrlavas Lindstrom,
1978],(2) fo [Drake,1975;Sunet al., 1974],(3)
[Mahood, 1981].Crystal fractionationmodelscalculatedusing pressure[Mysen and Kushiro, 1978], (4) compositionof the

of crystalfractionationalone for the following reasons:

1. Zn is enriched and Sc and Ti are depleted roofward,
while Fe, Mg, and Mn are unzoned(Figure 5). Thesedivergent trends are incompatible with the removal of mafic
phenocrysts,which are stronglyenrichedrelative to glassin

10148

MAHOOD: SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

TABLE 4. Summary of Phenocryst/GlassPartition Coefficients

Eruptive Group

Sanidine

Ferrohedenbergite

PCD

TT

ORD

YRD

PCD

La
Ce
Nd
Sm
Eu
Tb

0.06
0.033
0.01
0.019
2.3
0.012

0.037
0.031
0.02
0.020
2.3
0.016

0.057
0.043
0.04
0.029
2.0
0.023

0.11
0.095
0.09
0.946
2.2
0.022

Fayalite

SCD

ORD

YRD

23
20.9
16
14
12
6.9

2.9
3.5
5.3
6.2
5
5.0

3.5
4.0
5.9
6.2
6
4.0

24
21.6
17
13
10
6.1

SCD

1.08
0.93
0.77
0.496
0.1
0.31

ORD

2.0
1.78
1.5
1.060
0.4
0.54

Ilmenite
YRD

23
20.4
14
8.4
5.8
2.8

ORD

1.31
1.19
0.96
0.684
0.4
0.36

Dy

0.01

0.02

0.02

0.02

4.5

4.8

0.4

Yb
Lu
Th
U

0.005
0.008
0.010
0.008

0.014
0.010
0.017
0.021

0.016
0.015
0.021
0.018

0.018
0.014
0.025
0.014

6.4
8
3.44
1.0

5.0
6.9
0.36
0.12

4.5
6.1
0.77
0.33

5.5
7
2.89
0.87

0.92
1.3
0.276
0.12

0.98
1.3
0.438
0.13

1.96
2.2
3.17
0.69

0.55
0.72
0.43
0.06

Hf

0.005

0.018

0.015

0.015

1.52

0.30

0.39

2.04

0.12

0.28

1.78

Ta
Sc
Ti
Mn
Fe
Zn

0.004
0.04
0.1
0.011
0.14
0.04

0.018
0.04
0.05
0.020
0.14
0.06

0.018
0.05
0.11
0.018
0.11
0.06

0.015
0.06
0.11
0.020
0.14
0.07

0.098
5.1
0.3
63
37
11.1

0.090
4.8
0.4
56
33
10.4

0.575
9.3
0.5
77
40
10.7

Rb
Cs

0.39
0.012

0.31
0.023

0.36
0.009

0.34
0.028

0.69
133
2.6
34
20
21

0.10
110
4
30
18
8.9

0.97
109
2.5
15
7.2

0.49
172
2.5
33
18
14.8

0.65
18.0
18
380
27
24
7.8

The calculated
errorson thepartitioncoefficients,
themethodof correcting
for impuritiesin themineralseparates,
andtheINAA analyses
of

theseparated
glassandphenocrysts
aregivenby Mahood[1980a].Valuesarestatedsuchthatuncertainty
is in thelastdigit.Seefootnoteto
Table 2 for the Eruptive Group abbreviations.

phenocrystphase[Schnetzlerand Philpotts,1970],and (5) bulk

compositionof the melt [Watson,1977;Takahashi,1978;Hart
and Davis, 1978; Mysen and Virgo, 1980]. The temperature,
oxygenfugacity, and pressureof the Primaveramagmasare
thoughtto have varied little betweeneruptivegroups.Compositions of the marie phenocrystsin the different groups are
nearly identical, and the range of sanidine compositionsis
small. Thus variations in partition coefficientsbetween the
older and youngerring domesor betweenthem and the Tala
Tuff and its outgassed
equivalent,the south-centraldome,reflect changesin melt structureresultingfrom changesin bulk
composition
of the magma.A decrease
in the concentration
of
the network modifiers,Fe, Mn, Mg, and Ca (and Na and K in
peralkalinemelts),or in dissolvedH,_Oor F wouldpromotea
higher proportionof bridgingoxygenbondsand an increase
in the polymerizationof the melt [Burnham,1975],with a correspondingincreasein crystal-liquidpartition coefficients.
With this in mind, seventeenmineral and glassseparates
from five representativePrimavera sampleswere analyzed at
LawrenceBerkeleyLaboratory by INAA. The resultinganalysesand partitioning patternsare discussedelsewhere[Mahood, 1980a;G. A. Mahood and W. Hildreth, manuscriptin
preparation, 1981]; the pertinent partition coefficientsare
summarizedin Table 4. Despite only minor differencesin the
major element compositionsof phenocrysts,the concentra-

tion coefficientsfor all analyzedelementswith the exception

of Ta in ferrohedenbergiteremain constantor increasefrom
the 95,000- to the 75,000-yrdome.The singleexceptionof Ta,
however, might simply be an artifact of an improper correction for ilmenite inclusionsin the clinopyroxenes.
The observeddecreasein Fe, Mn, Mg, and K in the sequenceof post-95,000-yrlavaswould be expectedto fosterincreasingpolymerizationof the meltsand, as a result,increasing crystal/liquid partition coefficients.The changes in
crystal/glasspartition coefficientsbetween the older and
youngerring domes,however,seemremarkablylarge consid-

ering the smallchangesin major elementcomposition.Such

behaviorsuggests
one or more of the following conclusions:
1. High-silica rhyolitic melts are so stronglypolymerized
that small changesin major elementcompositioncan greatly
affect the number of sitesin the liquid suitablefor most trace
elements.Small distortionsof the silicate network may make
already marginal siteseven lessenergeticallyfavored.
2. The increase in partition coefficientsmay reflect increasingmelt polymerizationand resultantdecreasein trace
metal sitescausedchieflyby a decreasein the dissolvedvolatile content of the melt. Although the absolutedifferencein
volatile contentbetweenthe magmasof the older and younger
ring domescould not have beenlarge, at low water (or fluorine) concentrations,small variationscan have great effects,as

tionsof many of the traceelementsvary by factorsof 5-10 illustratedby the rapiddropin liquidustemperature
on addamonganalyzedsamples.This is reflectedin crystal/glasspartition coefficientsthat differ by as much as a factor of 20.
Phenocryst/Glass
Partitioningin the Older
and YoungerRing Domes
All the southernarc lavas are aphyric, so any discussionof
the chemicalevolutionof the post-95,000-yrlavas as reflected
in trace element partitioning is necessarilyrestrictedto the
older and youngerring domes.The behaviorof trace element
partition coefficientsin the ring domesis systematic;the parti-

ing small amountsof water or fluorine to the anhydrousgranitic system[Naney and Swanson,1980; Wyllie and Tuttle,
19611. '
3. If elementsthat are not easilyaccommodatedby the silicate network are complexedby hydroxyl, fluoride, chloride,

phosphate,sulfate,or carbonateligands,any decreasein concentrationof thesecomplexingagentswould increasethe activity of the trace elementsin the melt, favoring increased
concentrationsin the crystalline phases.Complexing could
lead to discontinuitiesin crystal/liquid partitioning behavior;
partition coefficients
might remainlow as long as the concen-

MAHOOD: SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

tration of the complexingligandsis sufficientto complexmost

of the trace metals, but once the concentrationof complexing
'ligands falls below that threshold,the partition coefficients
will rise. This mechanismmight be most effectivein relatively
volatile-poor high-silica magmaswhere the total concentration of possiblecomplexingligandsis of the sameorder as the
sum of the trace metals. Other types of complexingmay also
be important in increasingthe solubility of trace metals in
melts. For example, Watson[1979]has suggested,on the basis
of measurementsdemonstratingan increasein the solubility
sociatedwith the alkalies as complexes.
Migration of Elementsto Structurally
More Favorable

Melts

10149

Fe, Mn, and Mg than the older ring dome. On the contrary,
for the elementsand phasesanalyzed,partition coefficientsfor
mosttrace elementsin the Tala Tuff magma (Table 4) are significantly smallerthan in the youngerring domesand, in fact,
are smaller

than or similar

to those in the more mafic older

ring dome.
Limited analytical data, thermodynamic calculations,and
mineralogicalevidence[Smith and Bailey, 1966; Gibson,1970;
Noble and Parker, 1974; $ommer, 1978; Hildreth, 1977, 1979;
R. L. Smith, personal communication, 1979; this study] in-

in H20, F, and C1 relative to the last-eruptedportions,and, by

inference,the roofward magmasare enriched in volatiles. An

increasein the waterand/or halogencontentof a rhyolitic

melt, like an increase in concentration of the cationic network

The combined effects of gradients in temperature, bulk

composition,and volatile contentshould logically result in a
magma chamber with a melt structuralgradient. In the relatively dry post-95,000-yr system, the combined gradients
could have been such that the roof was more polymerized
than the more mafic, hotter, deeperlevels.The progressivedecreasein whole rock (and glass)abundancesof mosttrace ele-

modifiers, should depolymerizethe magma [Burnham, 1975].

One expressionof such depolymerization would be smaller
phenocryst/glass
partition coefficients,as indeed are found in
the Tala Tuff and its outgassedequivalent, the south-central
dome. The contrastin elementalenrichmentpatternsbetween
the Tala Tuff and the post-95,000-yrlavas(Figures5, 6, 7, and
8) suggests
that mechanismsotherthan melt structuralcontrol

mentswith time in the post-95,000-yr

eruptivegroups(eachof

producedthe traceelementgradientsin the Tala Tuff magma.

which presumablyrepresentedthe uppermostand most differentiatedmagma in the Primaveramagma chamberat the moment of its eruption) may have been accomplishedby migration of theseelementsout of the roofwardmagmainto deeper,
lesspolymerizedlevelsof the magma chamber.
The two-liquid partitioning studiesof Watson [1976] and
Ryersonand Hess [1978] in immisciblemafic and silicicmelts
are examples of diffusion into a structurally more favorable
melt. They found that Ti, Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca, P, Zr, Ta, Cr,
REE, Sr, and Ba were partitioned into the lesspolymerized
marie melt and that A1, Na, K, and Cs were preferentially
concentratedin the silicic melt. Aluminum apparently substitutesfor siliconin tetrahedralcoordination,which requires
the coupled substitution of the alkalies to maintain local
charge balance. The systematic enrichment of Primavera
post-95,000-yrmagmasin only Si, Rb, and Cs, while all other
elementsremain approximately constantor decreasein concentration,is analogousto the partitioning of all cations but
aluminum and the alkalies into the less polymerized marie
meltsin the two-liquid experiments.The observeddecreasein

If melt structure had been the dominant

control on trace ele-

ment variations in the Tala Tuff, enrichment of those ele-

ments(Si, A1, and the alkalies)which have been shownexperimentally to partition into the more stronglypolymerizedmelt
would be antithetic to those elements(Fe, Ti, REE, Zr, Ta,
etc.) that partition into the lesspolymerizedmelts. The vertical trace element gradientsin the Tala Tuff magma chamber
are not in accord with such a model.

Na and K behave

anti-

thetically, as do the HREE and LREE. Elements of the first

transition seriesdo not behave consistently:Sc and Ti are depleted and Zn is enrichedroofward, whereasFe is unzoned.

Thesedata suggest
that melt structuredid not exertasstronga
control on trace element behaviorin the ash flow magma as in
the magmasof the ring domes,due to the depolymerizingeffects of elevated volatile

concentrations.

A number of elementsthat partition into lesspolymerized

meltsin the two-liquid experimentshave oppositeenrichment
directionsin different ash flow systems,despitethe roofward
depletion in all systemsof the elementsCa, Mg, and Ti. Zr,
Hf, Zn, and Fe are enriched roofward in moderately to
total mole percentalkaliesis consistent
with the implications stronglyperalkalinesystems(e.g.,Fantale Tuff [Gibson,1970];

of the two-liquiddata, becausethe measureddecreasein. GrouseCanyonmemberof the BeltedRangeTuff[Nobleand

magma viscositywith increasingperalkalinity [Riebling,1966] Parker, 1974]; Soldier Meadow Tuff [Korringa, 1973]),
indicates that alkalies in molecular excess of alumina are netwhereasthese same elementsare unzoned or depleted roofwork modifiersand should,therefore,migrateto a lesspolym- ward in 'calc-alkalic' systems(e.g., Bishop Tuff [Hildreth,
erized melt. At Primavera this lesspolymerizedmelt presum- 1979];Topopah Springsmemberof the PaintbrushTuff [Lipably lies at a slightly deeperlevel of the magma chamber.
man et al., 1966];Rainier Mesa member of the Timber Mountain Tuff [Christiansenet al., 1977]).In mildly peralkaline or
Phenocryst/Glass
Partitioningin theAs Flow
alkali-rhyolitesystems(e.g.,La Primavera;BandelierTuff (R.
Magma and the Origin of CompositionalZoning
L. Smith, personalcommunication,1979);Spearheadmember
in the Tala Tuff
of the Thirsty Canyon Tuff [Noble and Parker, 1974]) these
If bulk compositionhad beenthe major controlon partition elementsare variouslyunzonedor slightlyenrichedroofward.
Such behavior seems inconsistent with melt structural concoefficientsin the Tala Tuff magma, the last-eruptedportion
of the Tala Tuff and its compositionallyidentical, outgassed trol, and may be better explained by a mechanismin which
equivalent,the south-centraldome,couldbe expectedto have trace elementsmigrate as volatile complexesin a thermal and
partition coefficientssimilar to those of the younger ring gravitationalgradient.As volatilesmove roofward,they may
dome, which, in turn, should be higher than those for the preferentiallycomplex with different trace metals;thus, sysolder ring dome. This is becausethe last-erupted Tala Tuff, tems with different volatile contentsor ratios of H20, F, C1,
the south-centraldome, and the younger ring dome are simi- and CO2 will have differentelementalenrichmentpatterns.In
lar in major elementcompositionand all three are lower in Ti, this way the trace element enrichment pattern in the Tala

10150

MAHOOD: SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

EFFECTS OF GRADIENTS

SUM OF

ON MELT POLYMERIZATION

EFFECTS

DOMINANT CONTROL ON
TRACE-ELEMEMENT

TRACE-ELEMENT

CONCENTRATIONS

VOLATiLE-COMPLEXES

(tends to erupt explosively as

ash flows and major air falls)
POLYMERIZATION

MELT

MAXIMUM---'-'

STRUCTURE

(tends to erupt as lavas

and minor air falls)

INCREASINGPOLYMERIZATION

A. MAGMA

CHAMBER

WITH

A VOLATILE-RICH

ROOF

POLYMERIZATION

MELT

MAXIMUM

STRUCTURE

(tends to erupt as lavas

and minor air falls)

INCREASINGPOLYMERIZATION

B. MAGMA CHAMBER LACKING A VOLATILE-RICH

ROOF

Fig. 9. Diagrammaticrepresentationof melt polymerizationgradientswithin silicic magma chambers.(a) Silicic

magmachamberwith a volatile-richroof zoneand maximummelt polymerizationat an intermediatelevel. In the volatilerich zone abovethe polymerizationmaximum,transportof tracemetalsas dissolvedvolatile complexesmay be the dominant differentiationmechanism,while below the polymerizationmaximum, the distributionof trace metalsmay be determined by melt structure.(b) Silicic magma chamberlacking a volatile-rich roof zone. The roofward magma might be the
mostpolymerized,so most trace metalswould diffuseto deeper,hotter, more mafic levelsof the chamberwhere the melt is
lesspolymerized.

Tuff (and in other ashflow systems)may be the natural result

of developmentof a volatile-enrichedcap on a dominantly
drier magma chamber. Roofward enrichment in trace metals
may be linked to roofward enrichment in the volstiles required to producean ash flow eruption.

gradient fiattens,increasingtemperatureand the more mafic

compositionof the magma with increasingdepth in the chamber may overcomethe roofward volatile gradient and reverse
the polymerization gradient. The result could be a magma
chamber with maximum melt polymerization at some intermediate level. In the volatile-rich zone above the polyDISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
merization maximum, transport of trace metals as dissolved
The structureof a silicate melt is determinedby pressure, volatile complexesmay be the dominant differentiationmechtemperature, major element composition,and volatile con- anism, while below the polymerization maximum (which
tent.Gradients
in temperature
andphenocryst
and hole would roughly coincide with the leveling of the water
rock compositions
preservedin ashflow tuffsare the main evi- gradient), the distribution of trace metals may be deterdence for suchgradientswithin silicic magma chambersand, mined by melt structure. This concept is shown diagrainferentially, for the melt structural gradientsthat result from maticallyin Figure 9a. If an eruptionwere to tap throughthe

suchzoning.The depolymerizing
effectof a roofwardincrease polymerization
maximum,it wouldsamplemagmasthat obin dissolved
volatilecontentof a magmais counteracted
by tainedtheirtraceelementabundance
patterns
throughat least
the roofwarddecreasein temperatureand concentration
of two differentmechanisms;
suchan eventmightbe manifested
network-modifying
cations.In differentsystems,
the sumof by discontinuities
in elementaltrends.Sucha changein the
theseeffectscouldresultin maximumpolymerization
occur- dominantmechanism
of differentiation
mightaccountfor spring at the roof,at deeplevels,or at someintermediate
posi- parentreversals
in the trendsof Zr, Hf, Ns, andthe agpaitic
tion in a magmachamber,depending
on the relativemagni- indexbetween
theTala Tuff andolderringdomes(although
a
tudesof the individualgradients.
transientvaporphaseproducedon eruptionmay have been
In chambers
in whichthe roofzoneis stronglyenrichedin involved).Magmathateruptedasthesouth-central
domemay
water (or other volstiles),the melt may initially be increas- have occupiedthe boundarybetweenthe two differentiation
ingly polymerizedwith depthin the chamber,but asthe water regimes.The changein trace elementtrendscoincideswith

MAHOOD: SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF LA PRIMAVERA

the end of the ash flow eruption, which is consistentwith the

eruption ceasing on exhaustion of the volatile-enriched
magma.

In a silicic magma chamber that lacks a stronglyvolatileenriched roof zone, the roofward magma might be the most
polymerized, so most trace metals would diffuse to deeper,

12782 and EAR-78-03648

to Carmichael

10151

and EAR-76-21833

to G.

Curtis, and by two University of California at BerkeleyGraduate Division Grants-in-Aid and a N. S. F. Fellowship to the author. Early
versionsof this manuscriptbenefitedfrom suggestions
by Gilbert and
Hildreth, and the final version from a review by J. Ratt6.
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(ReceivedDecember8, 1980;
revised March 12, 1981;
acceptedMarch 25, 1981.)

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