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Seth D. Burgess

Publications and source records attributed to Seth D. Burgess.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Plate tectonics and volcanism in western California

Introduction Western California is home to a variety of volcanic rocks. The locations, ages, and chemical compositions of these volcanic rocks help tell part of the fascinating story of California’s plate tectonic evolution over the past 40 million years. These volcanic rocks are a product of multiple tectonic processes, including subduction of divergent and transform plate boundaries beneath continental North America, opening of a slab window, creation and migration of a tectonic triple junction, and the birth and growth of the San Andreas Fault. This fact sheet explains these tectonic processes and discusses their role in shaping the volcanic history of western California over the past 40 million years. By studying the volcanic rock record in western California, geologists are able to piece together how regional volcanism and plate tectonics are linked in space and time. Recognizing this linkage helps scientists to understand possible future volcanism in the region, potential hazards associated with this volcanism, and the impacts these hazards may have on population and infrastructure. The U.S. Geological Survey California Volcano Observatory (CalVO) closely monitors the parts of western California with the greatest potential for volcanism.

California↗

Melt generation sources and conditions in the wake of a migrating slab window: Geochemistry and petrology of the million-year history of primitive volcanism at Clear Lake volcanic field, California

Clear Lake volcanic field (CLVF) is the northernmost and youngest (~2.2 Ma to 8 ka) of the volcanic centers distributed along the San Andreas transform fault in western California. The initial phase of CLVF volcanism (interval one) occurred between ~2.2 and 1.3 Ma and extends ~35 km southeast of Clear Lake, forming a semi-continuous upland plateau capped by lava flows, with isolated volcanic remnants on the periphery. This volcanism is broadly characterized by geochemically primitive compositions that reflect three source compositions and conditions of melt generation. (1) Partial melting of upwelling asthenospheric mantle lherzolite at moderate pressures (1.2–1.4 GPa) and temperatures (1297–1329 °C) produced high-CaO (9.8–11.3 wt %) basalts with high Al 2 O 3 (16.8–17.6 wt %), Mg#s (66–70), MgO (8–10 wt %), Ni (103–262 μg/g), and Cr (284–609 μg/g). These high-CaO basalts contain olivine (Fo 87–91 ) phenocrysts with Cr-spinel inclusions ± subordinate plagioclase and crop out only in the southern part of the CLVF. (2) Partial melting of depleted sub-continental lithospheric mantle harzburgite at variable pressures (0.7–1.5 GPa) and temperatures (1097–1299 °C) produced a compositional continuum of med-K 2 O, calc-alkaline, high-MgO basalts through high-MgO andesites with high Mg#s (67–77), MgO (8–14 wt %) and high Ni and Cr abundances (154–439 and 340–1124 μg/g, respectively). Mineral assemblages are olivine (Fo 88–93 ) with Cr-spinel inclusions ± subordinate clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and plagioclase. Small (<2.5 cm) mantle harzburgite xenoliths and mantle olivine xenocrysts are also found in several of these samples. These high-MgO basalts through andesites represent the largest volume of primitive compositions and have erupted predominantly along the main, fault-controlled northwest-southeast trending axis of volcanism with peripheral outcrops to the north, west, and east. (3) Partial melting of the Gorda eclogite slab edge produced adakitic silicic slab melts with strong depletion in the heavy rare earth elements (Yb = 0.6 μg/g). Subsequent reaction of those melts with depleted ultramafic rocks during ascent imprinted the adakitic dacites with high Mg#s (65–78) and elevated Ni (117–210 μg/g) and Cr (191–283 μg/g). Phenocrysts of orthopyroxene (En 87–94 ) with spinel inclusions (Cr# = 80–88) and extremely Ni-rich (9483 μg/g) olivine cores (Fo 84–93 ) record those reactions. Small-volume outcrops of the adakites on the eastern periphery of the CLVF track the passing slab edge. The trio of melting sources recorded by early CLVF magmatism reflect the tectonically complex environment and the hot (1097–1329 °C), shallow (0.7–1.5 GPa) melting conditions for these primitive compositions and provide estimates of the heat delivered to the crust. Over time, this flux led to maturation of the CLVF magmatic system toward the more voluminous and silicic volcanism that characterizes the balance of its subsequent volcanic history and maintains the present-day anomalously high heat flow in the region. The current interval (interval four) of volcanic activity at CLVF is characterized by low-volume, fault-controlled eruptions of basaltic andesite and andesite suggestive of mantle magma and heat delivery to the crust, similar to interval one. This analogous activity provides motivation for the current study and begs the question of whether the system is undergoing thermal priming for renewed silicic volcanism.

California↗

Young explosive eruptions from the Clear Lake volcanic field

The Clear Lake volcanic field is the northernmost and youngest field in a chain of volcanic fields in and near the California Coast Range mountains. For 2 million years, numerous eruptions have happened around (and through) Clear Lake. The most recent period of activity in the Clear Lake volcanic field probably started around 40,000 years ago and was mainly explosive eruptions concentrated on and near faults in and around the lake. The combination of hot magma and groundwater created explosive releases of hot steam. The craters, called maars, threw out volcanic ash, pumice, and lava fragments, which fell back to the ground and draped the surrounding landscape. The deposits are visible in many places around the southeast end of the lake.

California↗

The anatomy and lethality of the Siberian Traps large igneous province

Emplacement of the Siberian Traps large igneous province (LIP) around 252 Ma coincided with the most profound environmental disruption of the past 500 million years. The enormous volume of the Siberian Traps, its ability to generate greenhouse gases and other volatiles, and a temporal coincidence with extinction all suggest a causal link. Patterns of marine and terrestrial extinction/recovery are consistent with environmental stresses potentially triggered by the Siberian Traps. However, the nature of causal links between the LIP and mass extinction remains enigmatic. Understanding the origins, anatomy, and forcing potential of the Siberian Traps LIP and the spatiotemporal patterns of resulting stresses represents a critical counterpart to high-resolution fossil and proxy records of Permian–Triassic environmental and biotic shifts. This review provides a summary of recent advances and key questions regarding the Siberian Traps in an effort to illuminate what combination of factors made the Siberian Traps a uniquely deadly LIP. Large igneous provinces such as the Siberian Traps are capable of triggering global environmental destabilization. Greenhouse gases generated by Siberian Traps magmatism played a major role in driving the climate changes that triggered the end-Permian mass extinction. The end-Permian extinction fundamentally altered the evolutionary trajectory of Earth's biosphere, creating ecological space for many of the organisms seen today. Determining the timing and patterns of end-Permian marine and terrestrial mortality and recovery and the timing and character of Siberian Traps magmatism is key in understanding the causal link between magmatism and extinction. Understanding the cause(s) of past extinction events informs hypotheses about current and future environmental destabilization.

Siberia↗

High-precision ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronology of perovskite (CaTiO3) from the Ice River Complex, southeastern British Columbia

Uranium‑lead perovskite in situ geochronology has become a cornerstone technique for determining the emplacement timing of alkaline, ultrapotassic, and silica-undersaturated igneous rocks, kimberlites, and carbonatites. Accurate in situ dates are dependent on the availability of matrix matched mineral reference materials which themselves are chemically well characterized and dated accurately to the highest possible precision. When dating perovskite to high precision, such as by isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS), appropriately accounting and correcting for the quantity and isotopic composition of Pb incorporated into the crystal upon crystallization (Pb i ) is a large source of uncertainty and potential inaccuracy. Unfortunately, although ultra-high precision perovskite dates are attainable with modern mass spectrometry techniques, the accuracy of applied Pb i compositions, which can be a considerable percentage of total Pb in a crystal, has not kept pace, resulting in percent level inaccuracy on precisely measured isotopic ratios. In an effort to characterize the age and initial Pb isotopic composition of a readily available, relatively pure perovskite endmember (93–98%) which will be useful as a matrix matched age reference material for in situ U-Pb geochronology, we date crystals isolated from three samples from the Ice River Complex (samples 81IR6, I90.3, and I92.30) by ID-TIMS and evaluate their suitability as known-age reference materials. We directly determine the isotopic composition of Pb i in each sample by ID-TIMS measurement of cogenetic low 238 U/ 204 Pb (μ < 500) phlogopite, apatite, and/or clinopyroxene. Using these initial common Pb isotopic compositions, which are significantly more radiogenic than those predicted by age appropriate Pb evolution models, we obtain ultra-precise weighted-mean 206 Pb/ 238 U perovskite dates of 355.83 ± 0.14, 355.04 ± 0.15, and 357.34 ± 0.12 Ma on the three Ice River samples, respectively. These dates are consistent with the relative emplacement ages previously established for units in the Ice River layered ultramafic series based on field relationships. They also demonstrate the feasibility of attaining accurate perovskite dates in instances when maximum precision is critical by utilizing ID-TIMS analysis of cogenetic low uranium phases for direct measurement of Pb i .

British Columbia↗

Imaging the magmatic plumbing of the Clear Lake Volcanic Field using 3-D gravity inversions

The Quaternary Clear Lake Volcanic Field (CLVF) in the Northern California Coast Range is the youngest of a string of northward-younging volcanic centers in the state. The CLVF is located within the broad San Andreas Transform Fault System and has been active intermittently for ∼2 million years. Heat beneath the CLVF supports The Geysers, one of the largest producing geothermal fields in the world. Previous geophysical studies proposed the existence of a magma reservoir beneath Mount Hannah, which is northeast of The Geysers, near the geographic center of the CLVF. The lateral extent, depth, and presence of melt within this reservoir are poorly constrained, as is the relationship between this body and the broader magmatic plumbing of the CLVF. To gain a clearer and more comprehensive picture of the CLVF magma source region, a gravity dataset was compiled and the first 3-D gravity inversions of the CLVF were completed. Field and synthetic model inversions from the current study both indicate that the gravity low roughly centered on Mount Hannah is not accurately explained by a 5–7 km thick lens of Mesozoic Great Valley Sequence ( &#x3C1; = 2.58 g/cm 3 "> �=2.58g/cm3 ) as proposed by Stanley et al. (1998) . The observed gravity low is more accurately described by one or more silicic, partial melt bodies between The Geysers and Mount Hannah. Although our inversions cannot constrain the exact depth and geometry of these bodies, the recovered models indicate the existence of a partial melt zone between 6 and 13 km depth. The prolonged eruption history of the CLVF, coupled with the compositional variation of erupted rocks over time and space, is consistent with the existence of several, potentially ephemeral, melt-bearing bodies as opposed to one large melt body. Given the density and location of the recovered anomaly, rhyolite-MELTS thermodynamic modeling suggests the existence of 10–30% rhyodacitic melt within the proposed silicic magma reservoir at about 700 °C and 8 km depth (210 MPa). Independent petrologic, geochemical, and seismic evidence indicates that this silicic partial melt zone is underlain by basaltic melt in the lower to middle crust (13 to 21 km depth), which is fed by a mantle source. Eruptions in the past ∼8.5–13.5 thousand years; high regional heat flow; 3 He enrichment of hydrothermal fluids; and our modeling, which suggests the presence of a mid-crustal, silicic partial melt zone, point to a still-active CLVF. The relatively low estimates of partial melt (10–30%) predicted by thermodynamic modeling indicates that an injection of new magma into the imaged partial melt zone is needed to generate sufficient melt to incite future eruptions. Despite the low percent melt estimates within the proposed silicic partial melt zone the potential for future volcanic eruption remains. Due to the proximity of the CLVF to cities surrounding Clear Lake and the densely populated San Francisco Bay Area, continued research and monitoring of the volcanic field are warranted. The geophysical and petrologic modeling presented here improves our understanding of the CLVF magma plumbing system and allows us to better characterize its associated volcanic hazards.

California↗

Petrology and geochronology of 1.48 to 1.45 Ga igneous rocks in the St. Francois Mountains terrane, southeast Missouri

The igneous geology of the St. Francois Mountains terrane in southeast Missouri is dominated by the products of 1.48 to 1.45 billion year old volcanic and plutonic magmatism but also includes volumetrically minor, compositionally bimodal contributions added during plutonism between 1.34 and 1.27 billion years ago. The 1.48 to 1.45 billion year old igneous rocks in the St. Francois Mountains terrane are bimodally distributed between volumetrically dominant felsic rocks and volumetrically minor rocks with mafic to intermediate compositions. All of these rocks are ferroan, which like most of their trace element abundances, suggests a genesis associated with farfield intraplate extensional tectonism and decompression-related magmatism. The diversity of compositions among 1.48 to 1.45 billion year old igneous rocks in the St. Francois Mountains terrane probably reflects mixtures of mantle-derived mafic inputs and low-degree partial melting of more evolved crustal protoliths. Newly determined ages define essentially continuous magmatism during the 30-million-year period between 1.48 and 1.45 billion years ago. The products of this magmatism are essentially coeval, whether intrusive or extrusive or having mafic, intermediate, or felsic compositions. In addition, the iron oxide-apatite (for example, Pea Ridge) and likely the iron oxide-copper gold (Boss) deposits in the St. Francois Mountains terrane have ages coincident with this magmatic episode. Spatial and temporal relations between 1.48 to 1.45 billion year old igneous rocks in the St. Francois Mountains terrane and the mineral deposits they host suggest the associated magmatic and mineralization processes are also genetically related. Geochemical, petrographic, geochronologic, and terrane-wide physical characteristics of the 1.48 to 1.45 billion year old igneous rocks in the St. Francois Mountains terrane are consistent with an origin involving extension well inboard from the margin of the Laurentian craton, associated mantle upwelling, lower crustal melting in response to mantle-derived thermal inputs, and mixing of mantle- and juvenile lower crustal-derived melts. Significant major and trace element compositional dispersion characteristics of these rocks likely reflect midcrustal magma reservoir fractionation of their principal rock-forming minerals. The resultant magmas constitute a series of variably hybridized reservoirs, emplaced at upper levels in the crust, that form a series of plutonic and associated eruptive products.

Missouri↗

Radiometric constraints on the timing, tempo, and effects of large igneous province emplacement

There is an apparent temporal correlation between large igneous province (LIP) emplacement and global environmental crises, including mass extinctions. Advances in the precision and accuracy of geochronology in the past decade have significantly improved estimates of the timing and duration of LIP emplacement, mass extinction events, and global climate perturbations, and in general have supported a temporal link between them. In this chapter, we review available geochronology of LIPs and of global extinction or climate events. We begin with an overview of the methodological advances permitting improved precision and accuracy in LIP geochronology. We then review the characteristics and geochronology of 12 LIP/event couplets from the past 700 Ma of Earth history, comparing the relative timing of magmatism and global change, and assessing the chronologic support for LIPs playing a causal role in Earth's climatic and biotic crises. We find that (1) improved geochronology in the last decade has shown that nearly all well-dated LIPs erupted in < 1 Ma, irrespective of tectonic setting; (2) for well-dated LIPs with correspondingly well-dated mass extinctions, the LIPs began several hundred ka prior to a relatively short duration extinction event; and (3) for LIPs with a convincing temporal connection to mass extinctions, there seems to be no single characteristic that makes a LIP deadly. Despite much progress, higher precision geochronology of both eruptive and intrusive LIP events and better chronologies from extinction and climate proxy records will be required to further understand how these catastrophic volcanic events have changed the course of our planet's surface evolution.

Book chapter↗

Zircon geochronology and geochemistry of Quaternary rhyolite domes of the Coso volcanic field, Inyo County, California

The Quaternary Coso volcanic field (CVF) is a compositionally bimodal volcanic field located within a releasing bend along the eastern range-front Sierra Nevada fault zone in California's southern Owens Valley. The erupted products of CVF silicic magmatism since ~1 Ma comprise 38 high-silica rhyolite domes, with the volumetric majority (~99%) of rhyolite emplaced within the past ~300 ka. The CVF hosts an economically important geothermal field driven by heat associated with a shallow (~5 km) igneous intrusion. The CVF is potentially an immature analog to the nearby Long Valley system, which culminated in generation and eruption of the voluminous and widespread Bishop Tuff. As such, the CVF represents a considerable volcanic hazard, making a detailed understanding of the eruptive history and pre-eruptive conditions of the system critically important. We present uranium-series isochron dates from zircon ± allanite crystal surfaces and zircon trace element geochemical data on the youngest 17 rhyolite domes at Coso, which represent ~60% (by volume) of the silicic magma erupted by the system. These data suggest: (1) a shorter emplacement duration than previously recognized for these domes, with a duration of 20 ± 5 ka; (2) 4 shorter-duration eruption pulses within this interval, all of which occur during the marine isotope stage (MIS) 5 interglacial period; (3) an uptick in the volume of CVF magma erupted between ~200 ka and ~ 78 ka relative to that emplaced over the lifetime of the system; (4) near-coeval eruption of geochemically distinct magma in close geographic proximity, either sourced from different portions of the same magma system at depth or from discrete, uncommunicating bodies; (5) ambiguity with respect to whether or not CVF magmatism is time-predictable, as previously suggested, or erupted as a series of punctuated episodes; (6) no rhyolite volcanism in the past ~78 kyr.

California↗

U–Pb zircon eruption age of the Old Crow tephra and review of extant age constraints

Eruption of the Old Crow tephra deposited ~200 km 3 of volcanic ash throughout Alaska and the northwestern Yukon (eastern Beringia), providing an isochronous marker across the region on a scale unique in the Pleistocene. The Old Crow tephra represents a critical temporal piercing point used extensively to link geographically disparate stratigraphic sections and the paleo-environmental records they contain. Although the canonical age of the Old Crow suggests eruption during the transition between the glacial and interglacial periods of Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 5 and 6 at ~125 ka, recent U–Th–Pb and (U–Th)/He zircon dating of the tephra suggests eruption at ~200 ka, within MIS 7. If accurate, this revised eruption age begets significant change to existing models describing the geologic and biotic evolution of Beringia in the Pleistocene. Thus, confidently knowing the age of the tephra is critical to its time-stratigraphic utility and for past and future work in the region where the tephra has been found. With this contribution, we review existing Old Crow age constraints and present an eruption age for the tephra determined via high spatial resolution ion microprobe U–Pb surface analysis on zircon crystals isolated from source-proximal (<500 km from plausible source) pumiceous pyroclasts of the tephra. By dating only glass-mantled crystals isolated from discrete pumice clasts, we limit the potential for sample contamination from exotic crystals and resulting age bias. The young population of dates from this dataset corroborate previous radiometric dates and confirm Old Crow eruption within late MIS 7 at 207 ± 13 ka.

Alaska↗

On the eruption age and provenance of the Old Crow tephra

Tephrochronology is used to correlate and reconstruct geographically disparate sedimentary records of changing environment, climate, and landscape throughout geologic time. Single tephra layers represent isochronous markers across broad regions, thus accurate and precise radiometric constraints on the timing of eruption are critical to their utility. The Old Crow tephra is found throughout eastern Beringia and represents the largest preserved Pleistocene ashfall event in the region. Despite its volume and significance as a stratigraphic marker, the provenance of this tephra is debated, and the interpreted eruption age of marine isotope stage (MIS) 5 at ∼125 ka has vacillated. To investigate provenance and eruption age, we develop a geochemical fingerprint for the Old Crow tephra via titanomagnetite geochemistry, and zircon crystallization/cooling age via coupled U/Pb, U/Th, and (U Th)/He zircon geochronology. Our results indicate that Old Crow oxides are geochemically distinct from the commonly assumed source-caldera system at the Emmons Lake Volcanic Center (ELVC). Zircon crystals from the Old Crow tephra range in age from Proterozoic to Pleistocene, with concordant zircon U/Pb, U/Th, and (U Th)/He dates on the youngest population of grains suggesting crystallization in their parent magma, and in turn eruption, at 202.9 ± 9.5 ka. We discuss strengths and shortcomings of our radiogenic datasets in light of this result and review the far-reaching implications of a change in Old Crow eruption age.

Alaska↗

GHR1 Zircon – A new Eocene natural reference material for microbeam U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotopic analysis of zircon

We present multitechnique U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotopic data from zircon separated from rapakivi biotite granite within the Eocene Golden Horn batholith in Washington, USA. A weighted mean of twenty-five Th-corrected 206 Pb/ 238 U zircon dates produced at two independent laboratories using chemical abrasion-isotope dilution-thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) is 48.106 ± 0.023 Ma (2 s analytical including tracer uncertainties, MSWD = 1.53) and is our recommended date for GHR1 zircon. Microbeam 206 Pb/ 238 U dates from laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) laboratories are reproducible and in agreement with the CA-ID-TIMS date to within < 1.5%. Solution multi-collector ICP-MS (MC-ICP-MS) measurements of Hf isotopes from chemically purified aliquots of GHR1 yield a mean 176 Hf/ 177 Hf of 0.283050 ± 17 (2 s , n = 10), corresponding to a εHf 0 of +9.3. Hafnium isotopic measurements from two LA-ICP-MS laboratories are in agreement with the solution MC-ICP-MS value. The reproducibility of 206 Pb/ 238 U and 176 Hf/ 177 Hf ratios from GHR1 zircon across a variety of measurement techniques demonstrates their homogeneity in most grains. Additionally, the effectively limitless reserves of GHR1 material from an accessible exposure suggest that GHR1 can provide a useful reference material for U-Pb geochronology of Cenozoic zircon and Hf isotopic measurements of zircon with radiogenic 176 Hf/ 177 Hf.

Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research↗

Initial pulse of Siberian Traps sills as the trigger of the end-Permian mass extinction

Mass extinction events are short-lived and characterized by catastrophic biosphere collapse and subsequent reorganization. Their abrupt nature necessitates a similarly short-lived trigger, and large igneous province magmatism is often implicated. However, large igneous provinces are long-lived compared to mass extinctions. Therefore, if large igneous provinces are an effective trigger, a subinterval of magmatism must be responsible for driving deleterious environmental effects. The onset of Earth’s most severe extinction, the end-Permian, coincided with an abrupt change in the emplacement style of the contemporaneous Siberian Traps large igneous province, from dominantly flood lavas to sill intrusions. Here we identify the initial emplacement pulse of laterally extensive sills as the critical deadly interval. Heat from these sills exposed untapped volatile-fertile sediments to contact metamorphism, likely liberating the massive greenhouse gas volumes needed to drive extinction. These observations suggest that large igneous provinces characterized by sill complexes are more likely to trigger catastrophic global environmental change than their flood basalt- and/or dike-dominated counterparts.

Siberia, Siberian Traps↗

New zircon (U-Th)/He and U/Pb eruption age for the Rockland tephra, western USA

Eruption ages of a number of prominent Quaternary volcanic deposits remain inaccurately and/or imprecisely constrained, despite their importance as regional stratigraphic markers in paleo-environment reconstruction and as evidence of climate-altering eruptions. Accurately dating volcanic deposits presents challenging analytical considerations, including poor radiogenic yield, scarcity of datable minerals, and contamination of crystal populations by magma, eruption, and transport processes. One prominent example is the Rockland tephra, which erupted from the Lassen Volcanic Center in the southern Cascade arc. Despite a range in published eruption ages from 0.40 to 0.63 Ma, the Rockland tephra is extensively used as a marker bed across the western United States. To more accurately and precisely constrain the age of the Rockland tephra-producing eruption, we report U/Pb crystallization dates from the outermost ∼2 μm of zircon crystal faces (surfaces) using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Our new weighted mean 238 U/ 206 Pb age for Rockland tephra zircon surfaces is 0.598 ± 0.013 Ma (2σ) and MSWD = 1.11 (mean square weighted deviation). As an independent test of the accuracy of this age, we obtained new (U-Th)/He dates from individual zircon grains from the Rockland tephra, which yielded a weighted mean age of 0.599 ± 0.012 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 5.13). We also obtained a (U-Th)/He age of 0.628 ± 0.014 Ma (MSWD = 1.19) for the Lava Creek Tuff member B, which was analyzed as a secondary standard to test the accuracy of the (U-Th)/He technique for Quaternary tephras, and to evaluate assumptions made in the model-age calculation. Concordance of new U/Pb and (U-Th)/He zircon ages reinforces the accuracy of our preferred Rockland tephra eruption age, and confirms that zircon surface dates sample zircon growth up to the time of eruption. We demonstrate the broad applicability of coupled U/Pb zircon-surface and single-grain zircon (U-Th)/He geochronology to accurate dating of Quaternary tephra, and highlight the challenges and opportunities of this technique.

Quaternary Science Reviews↗