Geology topics

David A. Clague

Publications and source records attributed to David A. Clague.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

USGS1989

Shipboard report for Hawaii GLORIA ground-truth cruise F11-88-HW, 25 Oct.-7 Nov., 1988

GLORIA side-scan imagery of the region north of Oahu was collected during two cruises in the spring of 1988. These cruises, F4-88-HW and F6-88-HW, discovered an extensive lava flow field on the Hawaiian Arch and extensive landslide deposits that moved down through the Hawaiian Moat and up onto the Hawaiian Arch. These landslide deposits were apparently derived from two separate submarine failures on the north side of Molokai and the northeast side of Oahu. The cruise reports for these cruises will be released as USGS Open-File Reports in 1989. This report summarizes the results of a subsequent cruise, F11-88-HW on the R/V Farnella, to sample some of the features discovered during the prior GLORIA surveys. Cruise F11-88-HW began in Honolulu on Oct. 25, 1988 and ended in Honolulu on Nov. 7, 1988. The major objectives of the cruise were to sample the giant lava field north of Oahu (Figure 1), to sample an apparently young flow between Oahu and Kauai (Figure 2) , to do some preliminary sampling of the deposits of the Nuuanu giant landslide northnortheast of Oahu, and to determine the thickness of sediment on flows in this lava field to compare to the acoustic backscatter variations observed in the GLORIA imagery of the flow field. These objectives were modified during the cruise due to rough seas which limited the deployment of the camera sled and to problems with the coring equipment which limited us to collecting 10 ft gravity cores. In particular, we did not complete any work aimed directly at the Nuuanu landslide deposits. The comparison of sediment thickness on the flows to observed acoustic backscatter on the GLORIA images was not completed because flows with intermediate backscatter were found to have thicker sediment than we could sample. The other objectives were achieved and lava samples of the flows and vents of the flow field were recovered from 23 locations. Gravity cores on top of the flows also determined the sediment thickness at 12 locations. The flow between Oahu and Kauai was sampled and photographed and found to be young, but clearly not historic in age.

Hawai'i↗

USGS1989

Preliminary geologic map of the Puu Anahulu quadrangle, Hawaii

Vent deposits and lava flows from Hualalai Volcano and lava flows from Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea Volcanoes cover the Puu Anahulu 7 1/2-minute quadrangle. Hualalai's diffuse north-trending rift zone, marked by the large trachyte cone of Puu Waawaa and several basaltic spatter cones, is located mainly in the southwestern part of the quadrangle. Several Hualalai flows originated in the Hualalai quadrangle, crossed the Puu Anahulu quadrangle, and terminated in the Kiholo quadrangle. Hualalai flows cover most of the western half of the quadrangle and are interlayered with Mauna Loa lavas along a 2-kilometer-wide strip from southeast to northwest across the middle of the Puu Anahulu quadrangle. Mauna Loa flows cover most of the eastern half. Mauna Kea flows are restricted to the northeastern corner, where they underlie Hualalai and Mauna Loa lavas. A few extensive and relatively young flows from Hualalai and Mauna Loa cover most of the quadrangle; thus, the older units are generally small in area. The oldest units in the quadrangle are the trachyte cone of Puu Waawaa and its flow, which includes Puu Anahulu, covers about 7 percent of the quadrangle. Basaltic lavas of Hualalai range in age from latest Pleistocene to less than 2,000 years. Pleistocene lavas cover about 5 percent of this quadrangle, lavas that are 5,000 - 10,000 years old cover about 5 percent, lavas that are 3,000 - 5,000 years old cover about 3 percent, and three extensive flows that are 1,500 - 3,000 years old cover about 25 percent. The oldest Mauna Loa flows, that are probably 5,000 - 10,000 years old, cover about 2 percent of this quadrangle, flows that are 3,000 - 5,000 years old cover about 18 percent, six extensive flows that are 1,500 - 3,000 years old cover about 23 percent, and the 1859 flow, that is the youngest volcanic unit, and covers about 10 percent of its area. Two hawaiite flows from Mauna Kea, that are late Pleistocene in age, cover about 2 percent of the quadrangle.

Hawaii↗

USGS1981

Linear island and seamount chains, aseismic ridges and intraplate volcanism: Results from DSDP

The Deep Sea Drilling Project drilled a substantial number of sites that bear on the origin of linear island and seamount chains, aseismic ridges and other more regional expressions of intraplate volcanism. Drilling in the Emperor Seamounts during Leg 55 was particularly successful. Results from this leg include: 1) the volcanoes of the Hawaiian-Emperor chain continue to increase in age away from Kilauea as predicted. 2) Suiko Seamount formed at a paleolatitide of 26.9±3.5°N, 7° north of present-day Hawaii, but far south of its present latitude of 44.8°N. 3) the volcanic rock types recovered include hawaiite, mugearite, alkalic basalt and tholeiitic basalt in the sequence and relative volume expected for Hawaiian volcanoes. 4) the tholeiitic and alkalic basalts recovered are geochemically similar to those in the Hawaiian Islands, only the ratio of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr appears to change through time. All the lavas appear to be derived from a source that has small-scale heterogeneities, but is homogeneous on a large scale. 4) The Emperor Seamounts were once volcanic islands that underwent subaerial and shallow marine erosion, and deposition of shallow-water biogenic carbonate sediments that capped all or most of each volcano. Drilling in other regions has yielded less conclusive results. For example, it is uncertain if the Line Islands are an age progressive chain (hot-spot trace) or result from some other type of intraplate volcanism. The mid-Pacific Mountains also show evidence of originating from a regional episode of volcanism in the mid-Cretaceous. Drilling in the Nauru Basin encountered a voluminous mid-Cretaceous volcanic flow-sill complex that overlies Jurassic magnetic anomalies, yet is composed of depleted tholeiite. In the Indian Ocean, drilling on the Ninety-East Ridge established that it 1) is volcanic in origin; 2) is older to the north; 3) formed in shallow water, and 4) formed further south and has moved northward. It appears that the Ninety-East Ridge, like the Hawaiian-Emperor chain, is a hot spot trace. In the Atlantic Ocean, drilling on the Iceland-Faeroe Ridge and the Rio Grande Rise-Walvis Ridge suggests that all these aseismic ridges are hot spot traces generated by the Iceland and Tristan de Cunha hot-spots.

SEPM Special Publication↗

USGS1973

Age of Kōko Seamount, Emperor Seamount chain

K— Ar ages obtained by the conventional isotope-dilution and the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar techniques on two sanidine trachytes, four basalts, and a phonolite dredged from the top of Kōko Seamount, 300 km north of the Hawaiian-Emperor bend, show that the seamount is 46.4 ± 1.1 my old. These data indicate that the volcanoes in the Hawaiian-Emperor chain continue to increase in age to the west and north beyond Midway Atoll, as predicted by the melting-spot hypothesis for the origin of the chain, and that the rate of volcanic migration along the chain was nonlinear between the time of formation of the island of Hawaii and Kōko Seamount.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗