Abstract
We present new compositional data on a suite of dacite units that form the summit area of the Pliocene-Quaternary Mt. Erciyes stratovolcano in Central Anatolia, Turkey. Whole rock major and trace element analyses demonstrate the remarkable compositional homogeneity of these dacites (67.3±0.3wt.% SiO2), with only a few elements (Mg, Fe, Ca, Ni, Cu, and As) varying significantly (up to 10%) outside of analytical error. In contrast, the dacites show significant diversity in mineral textures, mineral compositions and phase assemblages, which indicate different magmatic histories for each magma batch erupted in the summit region. All samples contain two distinct plagioclase populations (clear phenocrysts with minor zoning ~An33–An49 and cloudy, sieve-textured phenocrysts ~An59–An80, both with clear rims of ~An42–An65), demonstrating the hybrid nature of the dacites. Temperatures calculated from magnetite–ilmenite pairs show a broad range from ~680°C to ~1000°C, and indicate more oxidized conditions for dacites from the SW ridge (types A1 and A2: ΔNNO=1.2 to 1.9 log units) compared to dacites from the SE ridge (types B1 and B2: ΔNNO=0 to 0.5 log units; type B3: ΔNNO=−0.1 to 1.0 log units). The higher-T units (types B1 and B2: 844 to 970°C) contain fresh to partially-altered amphibole±biotite phenocrysts, while these phases are completely pseudomorphed in the lower-T units (types A1, A2 and B3: 623 to 842°C). Amphibole and clinopyroxene geobarometry indicate crystallization depths of 5–9km and >15km respectively. The dacites were likely formed through mixing between a basaltic andesite magma (source of the high-An sieve-textured plagioclase and orthopyroxene phenocrysts) and a rhyolitic magma (source of the low-An clear plagioclase and biotite phenocrysts). The minor element variability of Fe, Mg, and K found in the different plagioclase populations requires multiple sources for each type, indicating that more than two compositionally distinct end-member components (magmas, crystal mushes) were involved in mixing to form the summit dacites.
► We present new data on dacites from the summit of the Mt. Erciyes stratovolcano, central Anatolia, Turkey. ► Whole rock major and trace element data indicate remarkable compositional homogeneity. ► The dacites show significant diversity in mineral textures, mineral compositions and phase assemblages. ► This indicates a distinct history for each erupted dacite flow and multiple sources for its crystal cargo.