Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 25 (1985) 289--307 289

Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands

EXPLOSIVE ERUPTIONS OF THE AYARZA CALDERAS,

SOUTHEASTERN GUATEMALA

PAULA S. PETERSON* and WILLIAM I. ROSE, Jr.

Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Michigan Technological University,
Houghton, M149931, U.S.A.
(Received November 20, 1983; revised and accepted November 25, 1984)

ABSTRACT

Peterson, P.S. and Rose, W.I., Jr., 1985. Explosive eruptions of the Ayarza calderas,
southeastern Guatemala. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 25: 289--307.

The Ayarza calderas, southeastern Guatemala, form a figure "8"-shaped depression

that is now occupied by Laguna de Ayarza. The smaller eastern caldera is also the older.
It formed upon eruption of a "mixed" plinian air fall that is locally overlain by a co-
magmatic ash-flow deposit. Called the "Mixta" unit, the air-fall portion contains rhyolitic
(75.2 wt.% SiO~) pumice, basaltic (52 wt.% SiO2) blobs and compositional hybrids
that are either spectacularly banded or homogeneous in color. Although of limited
aerial extent and volume ( - 0.1 km 3, dense rock equivalent), the unit is of considerable
petrologic interest because the basalt contains pristine phenocrysts and quench-crystal-
lites of calcic hornblende. Virtually identical 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70373) of both rhyolite
and basalt end members suggest a common magmatic source. A log from the Mixta
ash-flow deposit has been C14-dated at 27,000 _+ 1,600 y.B.P.
Eruption of the younger pyroclastic sequence at Ayarza culminated in formation of
the western caldera. This rhyolitic sequence also consists of a plinian air fall overlain
by a comagmatic ash-flow deposit. The ash-flow unit is quite fine-grained and probably
phreatomagmatic in origin. A thin horizon of air-fall material is locally interbedded with-
in the ash unit. Volume (DRE) of the younger sequence has been estimated at a mini-
mum 2 km 3. A log from the younger ash-flow unit has been C~4-dated at 23,100 -+ 500
y.B.P., the age of formation of the western caldera and the last recognized activity at
Ayarza.
Although major-element geochemistry of the Ayarzan rhyolites is very similar to
that of other silicic units of northern Central America, minor- and trace-element con-
tents permit all the rhyolites to be distinguished from each other. Sr-isotopic ratios of
the Mixta rhyolite reaffirm that older radiogenic crustal rocks are not involved in the
petrogenesis of rhyolites in northern Central America.

INTRODUCTION

S t o i b e r a n d C a r r ( 1 9 7 3 ; C a r r e t al., 1 9 8 2 ) r e c o g n i z e d t w o t r a n s v e r s e
structures that define the southeastern-Guatemala tectonic segment of the
M i d d l e A m e r i c a n A r c ( F i g . 1; inset}. I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e a n d e s i t i c c o m p o s i t e
*Present address: BLM Elko District Office, 3900 Idaho Street, Elko, NV 89801, U.S.A.

0377-0273/85/$03.30 1985 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.

290

cones of the active volcanic front that lie within this tectonic segment,
some 200 olivine-bearing basaltic cinder cones and small shield volcanoes
occur in clusters elongate northeast--southwest, delineating fault-bound
margins of the segment. Chemically classified by Cart (1976) as alkalic
and high-alumina basalts after Kuno (1966), these rocks are in intimate
spatial and temporal association with extensive Quaternary obsidian flows,
some of the largest such flows on the continent (Williams et al., 1964).
Volcanic complexes near segment borders are c o m m o n l y associated
with large Krakatauan-type calderas (Stoiber and Cart, 1973). Inward
from the margins, equally violent pyroclastic, caldera-forming eruptions may
occur but with less frequency. Mid-segment volcanoes characteristically
lack the complexities, the domes and secondary vents, of their marginal
counterparts (Stoiber and Carr, 1973).
The Ayarza calderas lie some 40 km northeast of the active volcanic
front and slightly inward from the western margin of the southeastern-
Guatemala tectonic segment as defined by Stoiber and Cart (1973; Fig. 1,
inset). The two calderas coalesce to form a figure "8"-shaped depression,
now occupied by Laguna de Ayarza (Fig. 1). Dozy (1949) first recognized
the depression as a double caldera; Williams (1960) attributed the origin
of the calderas to the explosive eruptions of two overlapping pyroxene-
bearing andesitic stratocones. Neither the bathymetric investigation of
Poppe et al. (1985) nor our stratigraphic study indicates any post-collapse
activity at Ayarza, an observation first made by Williams (1960).

t~m" \~ h u/ ..? 4~ ~ ~",.r"; .}I I 9~>w '-, 9'o

,,j.~ ~.,, ,~..,. . . . . . ~o .-~,o~ ~{ + I , GUATEMALA

; '~,'%~dl'~"-. J" t<'/J/-""-'~ ~lt{" .... ~-3 CA/<< "~l~.i 0 B \CALOERA)

~ "" ~ ; . ~ "-.5J ") ) ) t X--~BO0~ t.~._,~ ~ . . IX.. "" e . 6 / ~ ...,"
C___ '. . . . "."" t~ - ~ ( ,~'~oo~-J ~ "~ ~ ,-" " ,
~ CO / ~jtO0 " 0,

< . ,,/,.>.- h Lt/

;----x / L( .. .j . - .
"~ S, '
\

::Tt /t },5?7 : m

i'~ ~ ' T . . , ~ ; - ' ~ ~ ; ~ / ~_ , <!tr> ' ,.. '

Fig. 1. Location map of the Laguna de Ayarza calderas. Inset: black circles = stratocones
of the active volcanic front; letters indicate rhyolitic centers o f northern Central America:
A = Atitlan; B = Amatitlan; C = Ayarza; D = Coatepeque; E = Ilopongo; dashed lines =
transverse zones delineating southeastern-Guatemala tectonic segment o f the Middle
American Arc (modified after Carr et al., 1982). Black bars = exposures of the Mixta
unit. Topographic contours in meters.
 291

STRATIGRAPHY

Introduction

Pyroclastic deposits at Ayarza consist of two dominantly rhyolitic se-

quences that are separated by a meter-thick paleosol (Fig. 2) and rest upon
what may be a poorly preserved ash-flow deposit. Both sequences consist
of lower air-fall tephra locally overlain by ash-flow material. Each pyroclastic
sequence has been correlated by field evidence to a single caldera-forming
eruptive event; morphological comparison of the calderas assisted this
correlation. The comparatively juvenile inner steepness of the walls of the
western caldera (Fig. 1) suggests that it is the younger. Immature stream
/SOIL //

- 7 Pl_n k_. _
\
\
SABANA REDONDA
AIR FALL
\

TAPALAPA
,ASH
1
7 0
I5m
I
0
.

RHYOLITICQ

ASH-FLOW
DEPOSIT

. 0

BA,SALT c
,eior
HYBRID . I
JIIXIIJ,,II, I
a 0
RHYiTIC
0 0
;SH / WMldi

Fig. 2. Correlation of Ayarzan pyroclastic sections from north and south sides of Laguna
de Ayarza.
292

deltas do n o t e x t e n d any significant distance into t h e w e s t e r n ealdera where-

as the eastern caldera a p p e a r s to be filling with coalescing deltas ( P o p p e
et al., 1985). M a x i m u m d e p t h s o f ~ 140 m in the eastern and ~ 240 m in
the w e s t e r n basin have b e e n d e t e r m i n e d by P o p p e et al. (1985). T h e shal-
l o w e r d e p t h o f the eastern caldera is a t t r i b u t e d to a longer p e r i o d o f t i m e
over w h i c h s e d i m e n t a t i o n has p r o c e e d e d . S e d i m e n t a r y p r o d u c t s e n c o u n t e r e d
in drill core f r o m the eastern caldera include t e p h r a t h a t is believed to have
b e e n e r u p t e d during f o r m a t i o n o f the w e s t e r n caldera. Local t h i c k n e s s
and dispersal o f the l o w e r p y r o c l a s t i c s e q u e n c e (Fig. 1) suggest t h a t it was
e r u p t e d f r o m vents within t h e eastern caldera and d e p o s i t e d to the west
on the flanks o f the w e s t e r n cone. A l t h o u g h p o o r l y c o n s t r a i n e d b y o n l y
near-source e x p o s u r e s , the e s t i m a t e d v o l u m e (dense r o c k e q u i v a l e n t ) o f
this sequence, at. least. 0.1 k m 3 ( R o s e et al., 1981), m a y reflect substantial
d e s t r u c t i o n of the d e p o s i t due to f o r m a t i o n o f the w e s t e r n caldera. Analo-
gous field o b s e r v a t i o n s o f t h i c k n e s s and dispersal o f t h e u p p e r p y r o c l a s t i c
s e q u e n c e indicat( , t.hat its e r u p t i o n c u l m i n a t e d in t~he f o r m a t i o n o f the
w e s t e r n caldera.
'FABLE 1

Major- and trace-element a n a l y s e s o f M i x t a air-fall c o m p o n e n t s

2 3 4 5
observed calculated observed calculated observed calculated

SiO 52.5 56.6 56.5 58.9 58.8 62.5 62.5 75.2

A120 ~ 18.4 17.9 17.7 17.2 17.3 16.9 16.6 14.1
FeO* 10.6 8.8 8.9 8.0 8.0 6.4 6,3 1.3
MgO 3.9 3.1 3.2 2.9 2.9 2.5 2.3 0.2
CaO 8.2 6.9 6.9 5.9 6.1 4.5 4.8 0.7
Na20 3.8 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.7 3.8 3.9
K20 1.14 ] .8 1.7 2.2 2.1 2.6 2.6 4.36
TiO~ 1.30 1.10 1.09 1.01 0.98 0.80 0.79 0.13
P:O s 0.25 0,21 0.22 0.20 0.20 0.17 0.16 0.04
Total** (100.0) (100,0) (100.0) (100.0) (99.9) (100.1) (99.9) (99.9)

Mg/(Mg + Fe) 0.40 Sum of

squares 0.09 0.08 0.29
XNa/X K 5.07 % Rhyolite
end member 17 28 44
% Basaltic
end member 81 71 [)6

Rb (ppm) 17 42 36 44 48 68 66 128
Sr 610 550 510 510 450 470 370 64
Ba 290 330 340 360 380 390 440 620
La II 13 12 19 13 15 15 20
Sc 26 21 21 19 19 14 15 0.7
Zr 194 190 175 187 167 184 155 106

1. M i x t a b a s a l t .
2. D a r k m a t e r i a l f r o m b a n d e d p u m i c e .
3. H o m o g e n e o u s g r e y p u m i c e .
4. H o m o g e n e o u s g r e y p u m i c e .
5. M i x t a r h y o l i t e ( p u m i c e b l o c k s ) ; t r a c e - e l e m e n t content is t h e m e a n o f 3 a n a l y s e s .
Whole-rock analyses by XRF.
* T o t a l i r o n as F e O .
**Analyses recalculated to 100%.
~Applicable only to major-element chemistry.
 293

Lower pyroclastic sequence

The lower pyroclastic sequence at Ayarza consists of a unit of air-fall

tephra locally overlain north of the calderas by a coeruptive ash-flow de-
posit. In its basal section the air fall contains rhyolitic ash and pumice (Table
1); the upper portion of the air fall, in addition to minor rhyolitic material,
contains rounded, vesiculated fragments of aphanitic basalt as well as banded
and unbanded hybrid pumices of intermediate compositions with respect
to the rhyolitic and basaltic end members (Table 1). Rhyolitic ash and
pumice dominate the overlying ash-flow deposit but it also contains basaltic
and hybrid material; a log from the ash-flow unit has been C14-dated at
27,000 + 1,600 y.B.P. The air fall is much thicker to the north, where local
surge deposits have also been observed, than it is in the south (Fig. 2).
This " m i x e d " unit, air-fall and ash-flow deposits, has been informally named
the Mixta unit; "Mixta" is also applied informally to qualify distinct com-
positional components within the unit.

Petrology~petrography
The silicic end member of the Mixta unit is phenocryst-poor, contain-
ing about 5 or less volume percent total phenocrysts consisting of subequal
amounts of oligoclase and biotite with trace magnetite and ilmenite in a
matrix of vesiculated, hydrated glass. Vesicle morphologies range from
equant to elongate.
Subrounded masses of the vesiculated aphanitic basalt contain at most
two or three volume percent of subequal amounts of euhedral phenocrysts
of labradorite and calcic hornblende, as much as 0.5 cm in diameter, in a
hyalopilitic matrix. Incluson of grains of one phenocryst species within
another suggests simultaneous crystallization of plagioclase, amphibole
and opaque oxides.
The hyalopilitic matrix consists of approximately 40 and 30 vol.%,
respectively, of slender, unzoned crystallites of labradorite and amphibole
as felty and fan-shaped intergrowths in approximately 30 vol.% interstitial,
hydrated glass; a small quantity of Fe-Ti oxides is also present. The am-
phibole laths have been identified as composites of calcic hornblende
(Table 2) intergrown with an optically distinct amphibole tentatively identi-
fied on the basis of optical properties as cummingtonite. Synneusitic clusters
of forsteritic olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase are also present. Their
appearance is fresh and unresorbed, suggesting equilibrium with the horn-
blende and remaining melt.
The compositions of both plagioclase phenocrysts and crystallites are
labradorite (Ans0+s) as determined by refractive index and extinction angles;
similarly the compositions of phenocrysts and crystallites of amphibole are
very much alike although that of the matrix population is more variable
(Table 2). The compositional similarity of the phenocryst and matrix grains
of these phases suggests that intratelluric crystallization and subsequent
294

'FABLE 2

Major-element composition, structural formulae and calculated equilibrium temperatures

of Mixta basalt amphiboles

] '2

SiO 2 .12.0 38.2 --39.0

A120, 12.0 13.3 --17.2
FeO* 13.9 11.8 --14.1
MgO 11.6 11.8 --12.8
CaO 11.2 10.2 --11.3
Na~O 3.0 2.5 -- 2.8
K20 0.52 0.41
TiO~ 2,4 2.8 - 3 . 2
Total 96.62

Structural formulae* *
Si 6.62 6.40-- 5.64
AI TM 1.38 1.60- 2.36
8.00 8.00 8.00
A1VI 0.92 1.02- 0.57
Ti 0.28 0.35
Mg+ Fe 3.8 3.63- 4.08
5.00 5.00 5.00
Mg+Fe 0.76 0.97-- 0.38
Ca 1.89 1.83-- 1.74
2.65 2.80 2.12
Na 0.92 0.81-- 0.78
K ().]0 0.09-- 0.08

Geothermometry ~
Mg/(Mg+Fe) 0.60 0.64- 0.62
Xz/XNa 0.11 0 . 1 1 - 0.10
T (-+50C) 850 835 800

1. Amphibole phenocryst from Mixta basalt; calcic hornblende after Hawthorne (1983).
2. Amphibole crystallites from Mixta-basalt matrix; calcic hornblende after Hawthorne
(1983).
*Total iron as FeO.
**Based on 23 oxygen.
VEquilibrium temperature of co-existing melt and hornblende calculated with the alkali-
exchange geothermometer of Helz (1979) under the assumptions discussed in Peterson
et al. (in prep.).

quenching of the remaining melt took place under similar conditions. The
skeletal or hollow morphology commonly exhibited by plagioclase crystal-
l i t e s also i n d i c a t e s r a p i d g r o w t h , p e r h a p s a c c e l e r a t e d as t h e b a s a l t " c h i l l e d "
against the rhyolite magma.
Hybrid pumices resulted from physical mixing of the rhyolite and basaltic
 295

magmas. They range in appearance from mottled or solid shades of grey

of intermediate compositions to delicately marbled specimens with com-
positionally distinct black and white bands.

Geochemistry
The Mixta rhyolite is chemically very similar to other Quaternary biotite-
bearing rhyolites from Guatemala (Rose et al., 1979, 1981); indeed, major-
oxide geochemistry of all Quaternary rhyolites in northern Central America
exhibits far less variation than minor- and trace-element geochemistry and
the former has been shown inadequate as a correlation tool of widely dis-
persed tephra (Drexler, 1978; Peterson, 1980). The variation diagrams of
Fig. 3 express the minor differences observed within rhyolitic material at
Ayarza yet also permit its geochemical distinction from other rhyolitic
centers in northern Central America.
The Mixta basalt, a high-alumina basalt as defined by Kuno (1966), is
chemically similar to basalt from other parts of Guatemala (Carr, 1974;
Rose et al., 1978, 1981). However, the Mixta basalt contains pristine pheno-
crysts and matrix grains of amphibole in contrast to the majority of Quater-
nary high-alumina basalts of Guatemala that commonly contain phenocrysts
and groundmass crystallites of olivine and clinopyroxene as the dominant
mafic minerals. The low MgO content (3.9 wt.%) and Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratio

T~02 4.'~ab3.218~ .~3 2Io. o o : .. ~ zo

' Oo " ~oo y o 2 3

Jo

4. o: .Oo oo

4 t "" "
o 20.0
zo xx r
g 012
SO00
% , o ".
.
o ~ tO0 "~
o
40 1 x x
C~ 20 . 00. 0
3
..... Zr
o 3 o o | iooo O0
4 " 2 1"o'o OoO
00
oo 4OO.O

MgO oo 4" ' ~ " 2

~o'o o x
4000
o
o
x
oX x 500 0 o ..,
o :.~. o ~oo o S r
.,
o 1'' 2oo0 Sr
3 2
o
o o
oo
5
o 3 " "
o0
pooo

21
IO oo oo
65 70 75 8o 65 70 7,5 oL ioo 2o0 3oo

SiO 2 S i0 2 Zr
F i g . 3. Variation diagrams contrasting major-, minor- and trace-element contents o f
s o m e rhyolitic tephra from northern Central America. A y a r z a n units: 1 = Mixta; 2 =
Pinos Altos; 3 = Tapalapa; 4 = 8abana R e d o n d a . Open circles = Atitlan; solid circles =
A m a t i t l a n ; crosses = I l o p o n g o . Only use o f minor- and trace-element c o n t e n t s permits
g e o c h e m i c a l correlation o f these tephra units to their respective source areas.
296

{0.40) o f the M i x t a basalt are c o n s i s t e n t w i t h initial liquidus c r y s t a l l i z a t i o n

and s u b s e q u e n t f r a c t i o n a t i o n o f (synneusitic) olivine and c t i n o p y r o x e n e
f r o m a p a r e n t melt. T h e w h o l e - r o c k m a j o r - e l e m e n t c o m p o s i t i o n o f t h e
r h y o l i t e is closely a p p r o x i m a t e d b y f u r t h e r f r a c t i o n a t i o n o f t h e p h e n o c r y s t
phases o b s e r v e d in t h e basalt f r o m its w h o l e - r o c k analysis ( ~ 40% l a b r a d o r -
ite, ~ 26% h o r n b l e n d e and ~ 8% Fe-Ti oxides). W h e n specific p r o p o r t i o n s
o f each o b s e r v e d e n d - m e m b e r m a j o r - e l e m e n t c o m p o s i t i o n are m i x e d , the
o b s e r v e d m a j o r - e l e m e n t c o m p o s i t i o n s o f b o t h u n b a n d e d p u m i c e s and o f
individual b a n d s o f m a r b l e d s p e c i m e n s are closely r e p r o d u c e d ( T a b l e 1).
Modeling o f m i n o r - and t r a c e - e l e m e n t c o n t e n t is less successful; specifically,
u p o n d e r i v a t i o n o f t h e r h y o l i t e f r o m t h e basalt, o u r c a l c u l a t e d c o n t e n t s
o f Y, R b , L a and Ba in the f a b r i c a t e d r h y o l i t e are t o o low b y f a c t o r s o f
6 0 - - 1 0 0 % . We a t t r i b u t e u n s u c c e s s f u l m o d e l i n g at this level to an oversimpli-
f i c a t i o n o f crystal f r a c t i o n a t i o n processes; p e r h a p s t h e liquid-state or ther-
m o g r a v i t a t i o n a l m o d e l s o f S h a w et al. ( 1 9 7 6 ) , H i l d r e t h {1979, 1981) or
S m i t h ( 1 9 7 9 ) c o u l d be successfully applied.

Geo t h e r m o rne try /geo baro m e try

Co-existing Fe-Ti o x i d e s o f t h e M i x t a r h y o l i t e p r o v i d e an e q u i l i b r i u m
t e m p e r a t u r e and o x y g e n f u g a c i t y o f t h e m e l t at t h e t i m e o f t h e i r crystal-
lization, respectively, 705 _+ (40--80)C and - - 1 6 . 0 5 + 0.6 log units (Table
3), a value close to t h a t o f the Ni-NiO buffer.

TABLE 3

Electron microprobe analyses of Fe-Ti oxide phenocrysts from rhyolitic pumice blocks
of the Mixta airfall

Spinel Rhombohedral phase

AI~O.~ 0.98
FeO* 83.46 44.08
MgO 0.08 0.19
TiO~ 7.71 49.01
MnO 2.18 4.4
Total 94.41 97.68

*Totaliron as FeO.

X'usp X'~n T(40--80C) log fo2(0.5--1.0 )

1. 0.282 0.981 705 --16.05

2. 0.086 0.943 622 --18.77

1. Recalculated mole fractions by method of Stormer 1983); application of solution

model of Spencer and Lindsley (1981) to determine T- and log fo2-values.
2. Recalculated mole fractions by method of Lindsley and Spencer (1982); application
of solution model of Spencer and Lindsley (1981) to determine T- and log fo2-values.
note that this lower temperature (range) would serve to increase the minimum PH~O
values in the water-saturated granite system to greater than 2.8 kbar; we feel however
that this lower temperature range is unrealistic.
 297

The alkali-exchange geothermometer of Helz (1979) has been applied

to the Mixta hornblende-glass pair (Table 2}. The results suggest that the
hornblende phenocrysts equilibrated with the melt at a temperature of
850 + 50C; matrix crystallites appear to have equilibrated at slightly lower
temperatures (Table 2).
Minimum values of PH20 in the water-saturated "granite" (NaA1Si3Os-
KA1Si3Os-SiO2-H20) system required at the limiting temperatures deter-
mined for the Mixta rhyolite are about 0.5 kbar (at 780C) and 1.25 kbar
(at 700C; Tuttle and Bowen, 1958). Small but significant amounts of Fe,
Mg, Ca, etc., in the Mixta rhyolite would serve to slightly increase the mini-
mum pressure values.
Although the crystallization trends and phase relations that we have
observed in the Mixta basalt correlate well with experimental results (Peter-
son et al., in prep.), they remain poorly constrained between ~ 2 and a
maximum ~ 18 kbar, at which garnet becomes stable relative to amphibole
(Allen and Boettcher, 1971; Allen et al., 1972).

Discussion
Detailed discussion of the Mixta unit and its genesis will be presented
by Peterson et al. (in prep.), who have proposed coexistence of the end-
members in a compositionally and thermally stratified magma body similar
to those envisioned by Smith (1979), McBirney (1980) or Hildreth (1981).
Mixta hybrid material probably represents a pre-emption thermal and
compositional buffer that separated the two end-member melts. If the
volume of hybrid material and the compositional gap between end mem-
bers from these mixed eruptions can indeed be translated into "time"
(Smith, 1979), then coexistence of the Ayarzan melts was short-lived and of
a duration too short to permit significant isotopic contamination of the
rhyolite by older radiogenic crust (Table 4).
Assuming coexistence of the melts, rhyolite overlying basalt, the mini-
mum total pressure at which mixing could have occurred is 1--2 kbar (~ 3--
6 km depth) as limited by the Mixta rhyolite from extrapolation of mini-
mum melting behavior in the pure "granite" system. Both the rhyolite and
basaltic magmas were probably undersaturated with respect to water al-
though, in view of the dominant mafic phases in each, both were water-
bearing. Hypothetical separation of the Mixta basalt from a parent magma
through fractionation of olivine and pyroxene took place at some greater
depth under hotter, drier conditions.
Eruption of the Mixta unit was more likely triggered by local tectonism
than by abrupt intrusion of the rhyolite by the basalt. Local tectonic activ-
ity may have jostled and disrupted the stratified magma body, ultimately
initiating an eruption that fortuitously preserved petrographic evidence of
amphibole fractionation from the basaltic melt. Preservation of pristine,
euhedral phenocrysts and quench-crystallites of hornblende in the Mixta
basalt is testimony to amphibole fractionation within the crust, a mecha-
298

nism by which some investigators (Allen and Boettcher, 1971; Boettcher,

1973; Helz, 1976, 1979; Cawthorne and O'Hara, 1976; Anderson, 1980)
believe the calc-alkaline suite may be generated. We reiterate the observa-
tion of Yoder (1969) that it is characteristic of andesite in general to con-
tain relict amphibole. Although we have demonstrated the presence of
phenocrystic amphibole in the Mixta basalt, we cannot assess the importance
of amphibole fractionation from basaltic material in magmatic arcs,

TABLE 4

Strontium-isotope ratios of Mixta-airfall rhyolite and basalt

Material analyzed (87Sr/86Sr)+lo

Mixta rhyolite : whole-rock 0.70375 _+0.00012

plagioclase 0.70369 -+ 0.00007
Mixta basalt: whole-rock 0.70373 -+ 0.00005
whole-rock 0.70373 =~0.00006

Ratios are normalized to E&A = 0.070800.

Upper pyroclastic sequence

Introduction
A meter-thick paleosol separates the upper pyroclastic sequence at Ayarza
fr o m the older Mixta unit {Fig. 2). The you nger rhyolitic sequence consists
of a major air-fall unit t hat is immediately overlain by exceptionally fine-
grained ash-flow material; these units have been informally named the
Pinos Altos air fall and Tapalapa ash. Locally, to the nort h and northwest,
a thin horizon of air-fall tephra, called the Sabana R e d o n d a air fall, lies
within the ash. A log from the Tapalapa ash unit has been C14-dated at
23,100 + 500 y.B.P., which represents the age of the last recognized activ-
ity at Ayarza.

Pinos Altos air fall

Description. To the south, two sets of well sorted, normally graded rhyolitic
(Table 5) tephra f or m the Pinos Altos air fall; on the n o r t h e r n flank o f the
western caldera, only one poor l y sorted set is observed. The upper set
ranges between 2 and 5 meters in thickness. T he lower set contains larger
and mo r e abundant lithic fragments although the largest pumice block ob-
served in it was only 5 cm in diameter; pumice of 10--15 cm in diameter
(25 cm the m a x i m u m diameter observed) are c o m m o n in the upper set.
F r o m its greater thickness and larger-sized pumice population, we inter-
p r e t the upper set, or second pulse, to represent a m ore intense phase of
activity. A few of Pinos Altos t ephr a exhibit faint, wispy grey streaks t hat
are vaguely reminiscent of Mixta banded hybrids.
 299

TABLE 5

Major- and available minor- and trace-element composition of pumice blocks from the
Ayarzan rhyolitic units

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

SiO, 75.2 73.1 73.2 73.3 70.8 72.6 75.0 70.3

A&O, 14.1 15.4 15.5 15.4 18.0 15.6 14.7 19.2
FeO* 1.3 1.81 2.00 1.81 3.15 2.06 1.32 3.0
MgO 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.3
CaO 0.7 1.19 1.26 1.23 1.26 1.67 0.82 0.74
Na,O 3.9 4.3 3.8 3.8 2.81 4.0 4.2 2.55
K,O 4.37 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.2 3.4 3.7 3.54
TiO, 0.14 0.13 0.20 0.19 0.3 0.27 0.13 0.31
P,O, 0.04 0.04 0.07 0.03 0.03
- 0.05 - 0.04 - 0.04 -----
Total** 99.96 99.97 100.0 99.97 99.96 99.96 100.0 99.97

Rb (ppm) (128) 133 124 101 132 133

Sr (64) (126) (126) (126) ( 126) (126)
Ba (620) 774 (734)
La (20) 24.8 24.3 24.2 24.1 27.9
Sm 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.1 3.47
SC (0.7) 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.3 5.52
co 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.34 2.12
Ni 24 24 24 23 33
Cr 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.1 5.6
Zr (106) (157) (157) (157) (157) (157)

1. Mixta rhyolite (as presented in Table 1).

2-6. Pinos Altos air fall (trace-element contents, in parentheses the mean of 5 analyses).
7. Tapalapa ash-flow unit (Ba-content the mean of 3 analyses).
8. Sabana Redonda air fall.
*Total Fe as FeO.
**Analyses recalculated to 100%.
Major-element analyses by XRF; trace- and minor-element analyses by INAA or XRF.

Pinos Altos tephra contain all of the phenocryst species observed in the
Mixta rhyolite but in slightly greater quantity. Three or 4 volume percent
each of biotite and oligoclase are present with about a percent. of Fe-Ti
oxides, An important mineralogical difference between Pinos Altos and
Mixta rhyolites is the additional presence of a percent or two of amphibole
in the former, not unlike, in composition, the calcic hornblende observed
in the Mixta basalt (Table 6). All the Ayarzan amphiboles are a low-silica,
high-alumina type in which there is a significant amount. of tetrahedral
alumina substituting for silica.

Tapalapa ash

Description. Immediately overlying the Pinos Altos air fall is an uncon-

solidated, unstratified and very fine-grained pyroclastic deposit consist-
ing primarily of rhyolitic ash and minor pumice and crystal fragments.
30O

TABLE 6

Electron microprobe analyses of amphibole phenocrysts from the Pinos Altos and Sabana
Redonda air-fall units

l '2 3 4 5

SiO: 42.2 42.2 42.4 42.4 42.0

AI20~ 10.2 10.8 10.8 9.1 12.0
FeO* 13.4 16.1 13.3 14.4 13.9
MgO 14.9 13.7 15.2 14.4 11.6
CaO 11.2 11.3 ] 1.6 9.9 ] 1.2
Na20 n.d. n.d. n.d. n.d. 3.0
K20 0.55 0.55 0.55 0.47 0.52
TiO: 2.51 2.06 2.71 2.08 2.4
MnO 0.52 -- 0.34 0.56 n.d.
Total 95.40 96.89 96.86 93.31 96.62
Mg/(Mg + Fe) 0.66 0.60 0.67 0.64 0.60

Structural formulae* *
Si 6.37 6.36 6.30 6.53 6.62
A1IV 1.63 1.64 1.70 1.47 1.38
8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8,00
A1vI 0.18 0.27 0.19 0.18 0.92
Ti 0.28 0.23 0.30 0.27 0.28
Mn 0.07 .... 0.04 0.07 n.d.
(Mg + Fe) 4.47 4.50 4.47 4.48 3.80
5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00
(Mg + Fe) 0.57 0.58 0.55 0.68 0.76
Ca 1.81 1.82 1.85 1.63 1.89
2.38 2.40 2.40 2.31 2.65
Na n.d. n.d. n.d. n.d. 0.92
K 0.11 0.11 0.10 0.09 0.10

1--3. Amphibole phenocrysts from the Pinos Altos air fall.

4. Amphibole phenocrysts from Sabana Redonda air fall.
5. Amphibole phenocrysts from Mixta basalt (as presented in Table 1 ).
*Total iron as FeO.
**Based on 23 oxygen.
- - Below detection limit.
n.d. not determined.

P u m i c e " b l o c k s " a r e o f 2 - - 4 c m in d i a m e t e r ( t h e m a x i m u m o b s e r v e d )
a n d f o u n d o n l y in t h e b a s a l o r m i d - s e c t i o n o f t h e u n i t . O n l y t h e b asal
p o r t i o n o f t h e u n i t c o n t a i n s an a p p r e c i a b l e v o l u m e o f l i t h i c f r a g m e n t s ,
w h i c h i n c l u d e f r a g m e n t s o f M i x t a b a s a l t a n d h y b r i d p u m i c e as m u c h as 6 c m
in d i a m e t e r .
T h e f i n e - g r a i n e d ash o f t h e T a p a l a p a u n i t is c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y b l o c k y
morphology, suggestive of a phreatomagmatic o r i g i n ( H e i k e n , 1 9 7 2 ) in
 301

l' \

Zo no De orza
....
SAN JUAN

- !
f L

,i

%
Fig. 4. D i s t r i b u t i o n o f T a p a l a p a a s h - f l o w d e p o s i t .

which rising magma encountered water immediately prior to or during

eruption. The phreatic c o m p o n e n t may have been ground water; alternative-
ly, an ancestral Laguna de Ayarza may have been impounded in the earlier-
formed caldera, the western wall of which may have breached during the
eruption of the Pinos Altos unit.
In terms of phases present, mineralogy of the Tapalapa deposit is identical
to that of the Pinos Altos air fall. Proportions, however, appear to differ
somewhat in that the Tapalapa unit has slightly less hornblende, and more
biotite, than does the underlying airfall.
To the west, near the village of San Juan Tapalapa (Fig. 4), the ash de-
posit reaches its maximum observed thickness of 4--5 m. In this area, the
upper 1--1.5 m of the normally buff-colored unit is c o m m o n l y stained pink
due to auto-oxidation and concomitant primary degassing during cooling.
Where the unit thins, this stain is absent.

Interpretation. The Tapalapa unit is confined to topographic lows (Fig. 4)

and contains carbonized w o o d fragments and logs. One such log has been
C14-dated at 23,100 + 500 y.B.P., thus dating both the formation of the
western caldera and the last recognized pyroclastic activity at Ayarza. Its
topographically restricted dispersal and its massive, rather than stratified,
appearance indicate that the Tapalapa unit is not a phreatoplinian ash
302

fall. Although Williams (1960) failed to acknowledge any deposits "laid

down by glowing avalanches", we conclude that the unit is indeed an ex-
ceptionally fine-grained ash-flow deposit, phreatic in origin, that lacks the
characteristic rafted pumice blocks and poor sorting of " d r y " ash-flow
deposits. Iron-titanium oxide data indicate a pre-eruptive magmatic tem-
perature of ~ 700C, not:, apparently, hot enough to induce welding. The
observed positive correlation between greater thickness of the unit and
presence of the pink stain suggests that the discoloration of the otherwise
huff-colored ash is a function of the volume of gases that escaped, rather
than temperature.
In an effort to quantify the "fineness" of the Tapalapa ash, a select suite
of 5 samples was gently hand-sieved through apertures from - 1 0 through
+4 O (at a 1 O interval), 4.5 and 5.5 ( = --log2(aperture in mm)). Inman
parameters (Inman, 1952), median diameter (Md) and standard devia-
tion (a0) quantify, respectively, mean grain size and the degree of sorting
reflected by an individual sample. The results of this examination, coupled
with field observations and presented stratigraphically in Fig. 5, suggest
two fining-upward sequences, the uppermost beginning with sample P-40.
Each sequence is interpreted as the ash deposit of a single distinct ash
flow. The second ash flow may have been preceded at least locally in the
north (but not to the southwest where these samples were taken) by deposi-
tion of the youngest observed Ayarzan air-fall unit, the Sabana Redonda.
SAMPLE MDJ~ 0~

t - I ~P N P8 5.6 1.61

i L- ~ ~--" P40 2.6 1.93

(SABANA REDONDA AIR FALL)

L P35 4.1 1.25

I
i
P37 3.6 1.68

I LOG (23,100 r 5 0 0 Y B P )

P39 -0.5 5.74

i
o o
_{_ ~ PINOSALTOSAIR FALL
Fig. 5. Stratigraphic section of the Tapalapa ash with results from grain-size analysis.
MD 0 = median diameter; eO = standard deviation.
 303

Sabana Redonda air fall

Description. From exposures northwest of the Ayarzan calderas, where

it overlies buff-colored Tapalapa ash and is overlain by the modern soil
horizon, the Sabana Redonda air fall was initially described as the youngest
pyroclastic unit erupted from the western caldera (Peterson, 1980). An
air-fall unit believed to be its stratigraphic equivalent has since been ob-
served as a horizon within the Tapalapa ash deposit immediately north of
the western caldera.
Thickness of the unit ranges between 0.5 and 1.0 m. Graded bedding is
poorly developed. Two or 3 percent of the pumice blocks are about 4--
4.5 cm in diameter, the largest observed; approximately three-quarters of
the pumice population is less than 1 cm in diameter. Lithic material is
sparse.
The single analysis of Sabana R e d o n d a tephra (Table 5), although hardly
determinative, suggests a slightly more mafic composition in comparison to
other Ayarzan rhyolitic tephra; this trend is hinted at by the increased con-
centration of certain trace elements, such as Ni, Co, Cr and Sm (Table 5),
in the Sabana Redonda. There also appears to be an increased proportion
of hornblende (Table 6) relative to biotite, although the latter continues to
dominate the mafic phenocryst population by a factor of at least 5. Oligo-
clase is marginally more calcic than that observed in the other Ayarzan
rhyolitic units. The phenocryst phases combined still do not exceed 10%
by volume of any single pumice block.

VOLUME OFTHE AYARZANTEPHRA

Plinian eruptions are characterized by exceptionally powerful continuous

gas blasts (Walker, 1973), resulting in very high velocities of ejecta. Column
heights greater than 40 km and corresponding high rates of discharge facili-
tate wide dispersal of even coarse ejecta. Each air-fall unit theoretically
provides a chemically distinct, laterally extensive blanket that represents
a virtually instantaneous m o m e n t in geologic time.
The Mixta, Pinos Altos and Sabana Redonda air-fall units all probably
blanketed large areas at one time. Only Pinos Altos tephra has been success-
fully correlated to distal sites (Peterson, 1980) including one deep-sea
core sample (RC12-32#33) off the Guatemalan Pacific coast and two sites
in the Guatemalan Highlands which lie 11 km apart and some 50 km west
of Laguna de Ayarza (Fig. 6). Near-source deposition at Ayarza suggests
a west-southwesterly wind during eruption and permits extrapolation of
dispersal by use of concentric ellipsoid isopachs {Rose et al., 1973, 1981;
Wunderman, 1983). Minimum volume estimates for the Pinos Altos air-
fall deposit lie between 1.0 and 1.5 km 3, dense rock equivalent (Peterson,
1980).
Although additional sitings of the Mixta and Sabana R e d o n d a units and
304

the Tapalapa ash to the north have greatly augmented volume estimates
originally presented by Peterson (1980), these estimates remain conserva-
tive minimums limited to near-source exposures. As Rose et al. (1981)
caution, near-source thicknesses do not necessarily provide an accurate
assessment of a unit's total volume. The volume of the Mixta unit (air-
fall plus ash-flow material) has been increased to at least 0.1 km 3 (DRE);
collectively, the units erupted from the western cone -- the Pinos Altos air
fall and the Tapalapa ash unit (including Sabana Redonda tephra) -- are
credited a minimum 2.0 km ~ (DRE; Rose et al., 1981).
I ! ~. I0
92 W "' 9

-16ON /" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
/

/'
/ GUATEMALA
\
/

Fig. 6. Distribution of Pinos Altos air fall based upon geochemical correlation with distal
sites (after Peterson, 1980).

SUMMARY

(1) Similar trace- and minor-element contents of the Ayarzan rhyolites

are consistent with a c o m m o n magmatic source, distinct from sources of
other northern Central American rhyolitic tephra (Fig. 3; Rose et al., 1981).
(2) Although a single source is indicated, two individual systems appear
to have ultimately functioned independently of each other. If caldera area
and volume estimates of ejecta reflect the relative magnitudes of underlying
systems, the eastern system at Ayarza is the smaller of the two. Smith
(1979), in an examination of the products of mixed-magma eruptions,
noted that the smallest-volume eruptions are characterized by the greatest
compositional (wt.% of SiO2) gaps between end-member components.
The compositional gap between Mixta components is a striking 22.7 wt.%
SiO2; the younger pyroclastic sequence at Ayarza is volumetrically much
greater (10X) than the Mixta unit but is entirely rhyolitic. Two separate
systems of greatly different volume are proposed to underlie the Ayarza
calderas. An alternative proposal would require a single Ayarzan chamber
to enlarge and shift westward between the eruptions of Mixta and Pinos
Altos tephra.'
 305

(3) The presence of wispy grey streaks through Pinos Altos tephra has
been noted and the bimodal~ty of the Mixta unit is obvious. Rose et al.
(1981) indicate that basaltic material comprises a significant portion of
the total volumes erupted from the five major silicic centers in northern
Central America (Fig. 1; inset). Whether this basaltic association is wholly
predetermined, as primary source material (e.g., Hildreth, 1981) or for-
tuitous, as a triggering mechanism (e.g., Sparks et al., 1977), remains sub-
ject to debate. Clearly, however~ the basalt/rhyolite association pervades
northern Central America.
(4) Virtually identical Sr-isotope ratios determined for the Mixta end-
m e m b e r components (Table 4) suggest a single magmatic source. The Ayar-
zan ratios reaffirm that petrogenesis of rhyolites in northern Central America
has not involved old radiogenic crustal rocks.
(5) Although we are unable to assess the importance of amphibole frac-
tionation from basaltic material in the magmatic arc environment, pristine
phenocrysts of calcic hornblende preserved in the chilled Mixta basalt are
testimony to its occurrence.
(6) Hydrous mafic phases (biotite and hornblende) of Ayarzan rhyolitic
tephra may reflect elevated water pressures that permitted phenocryst
crystallization at relatively low magmatic temperatures (<<800C). Perhaps
assisted by high Plinian columns and prolonged atmospheric admixture,
these low temperatures prohibited welding within either of the ash-flow
deposits identified at Ayarza. Although other thicker and more extensive
ash units in northern Central America are also unwelded (e.g., the Los
Chocoyos ash; Hahn et al., 1979; Rose et al., 1981), the Fe-Ti oxide tem-
peratures derived from Ayarzan tephra are among the lowest noted for
the region.
(7) No evidence of resurgence is observed at Ayarza (Williams, 1960;
Peterson, 1980; Poppe et al., 1985), indicating that each of the respective
systems culminated its volcanic activity with a single, violent eruptive phase.
The Ayarzan units are among the youngest tephra erupted from the major
silicic centers in northern Central America; the Los Chocoyos ash, a volu-
metrically and stratigraphically significant silicic unit widely dispersed
throughout the highlands of Guatemala (Hahn et al., 1979; Rose et al.,
1981) has been assigned an age of 85,000 -+ 5,000 y.B.P. (Hahn et al.,
1979; Drexler et al., 1980). The historically active mafic volcanic front is
younger than 50,000 years old and in general lies trench-ward of all of
the silicic centers. Thus, silicic volcanism in northern Central America
preceeded the advent of the mafic front but also continued as activity
shifted trench-ward. Silicic eruptions that overlap with activity of the
front probably represent a magmatic "lag t i m e " in response to the adjust-
ment of subduction angle or speed or plate arrangement that induced migra-
tion of volcanism trench-ward. Although the Ayarzan systems may literally
have run out of steam, Ilopongo (El Salvador) erupted dacitic to rhyo-
dacitic tephra as late as 300 A.D. and fumarolic activity continues. Ilopongo
306

is essentially in line with the mafic stratocones of the volcanic front; Ayarza
of the five silicic centers, is furthest removed from the active front (Fig. 1;
inset).

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