Temporal clustering of fissural eruption across multiple segments within the Ethiopian Rift
Magmatic continental rifts show evidence that discrete rift segments experience episodic intrusive and eruptive events, more commonly termed rifting episodes. However, whether multiple rifting episodes across adjacent rift segments are clustered in time is not well understood. To address this issue,...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1169635/full |
| _version_ | 1797830027966939136 |
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| author | Melanie Siegburg Melanie Siegburg Thomas M. Gernon Derek Keir Derek Keir Jonathan M. Bull Rex N. Taylor Emma J. Watts Tim Greenfield Ermias F. Gebru Ermias F. Gebru |
| author_facet | Melanie Siegburg Melanie Siegburg Thomas M. Gernon Derek Keir Derek Keir Jonathan M. Bull Rex N. Taylor Emma J. Watts Tim Greenfield Ermias F. Gebru Ermias F. Gebru |
| author_sort | Melanie Siegburg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Magmatic continental rifts show evidence that discrete rift segments experience episodic intrusive and eruptive events, more commonly termed rifting episodes. However, whether multiple rifting episodes across adjacent rift segments are clustered in time is not well understood. To address this issue, we conduct new radiocarbon dating that constrains the timing of the most recent rifting episode at the Boset magmatic segment of the northern Ethiopian rift, and combine this with historical dating of similar rifting events in the adjacent magmatic segments. New radiocarbon dates of multiple charcoal samples from the base of the most recent fissural lava at the Boset Volcanic Complex indicate that it likely occurred between 1812 and 1919 CE. These dates are similar to those from historical accounts of fissural eruption from the neighbouring Kone (∼1810 CE), and Fantale (∼1770 to 1808 CE) magmatic segments. We conduct new analysis of major and trace element compositions from these historical fissural lavas, as well as from a fresh-looking lava flow from Beru cone near to Kone volcano. The results of the geochemistry from these flows of all three magmatic segments show compositions that vary in the basalt and trachybasalt fields, with sufficient variation to rule out them having erupted from a single dike intrusion episode. This, combined with the scatter in dates from the radiocarbon analysis and historical accounts, along with the location of each eruption in a discrete and spatially offset magmatic segment, favours an interpretation of each magmatic segment experiencing separate rifting episodes but with these being clustered in time. Mechanisms to explain the clustering of rifting episodes are more speculative but could include stress transfer from dike intrusion and deep crustal hydraulic connection in the plumbing system of multiple segments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:29:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5785e1f2e7df4ad8be8fe694f680ddb2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:29:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-5785e1f2e7df4ad8be8fe694f680ddb22023-05-10T04:44:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632023-05-011110.3389/feart.2023.11696351169635Temporal clustering of fissural eruption across multiple segments within the Ethiopian RiftMelanie Siegburg0Melanie Siegburg1Thomas M. Gernon2Derek Keir3Derek Keir4Jonathan M. Bull5Rex N. Taylor6Emma J. Watts7Tim Greenfield8Ermias F. Gebru9Ermias F. Gebru10School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United KingdomLandesamt für Geologie und Bergwesen Sachsen-Anhalt, Halle (Saale), GermanySchool of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United KingdomSchool of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United KingdomDipartimento di Scienze della Terra, University of Florence, Florence, ItalySchool of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United KingdomSchool of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United KingdomSchool of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United KingdomDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandSchool of Earth Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaMagmatic continental rifts show evidence that discrete rift segments experience episodic intrusive and eruptive events, more commonly termed rifting episodes. However, whether multiple rifting episodes across adjacent rift segments are clustered in time is not well understood. To address this issue, we conduct new radiocarbon dating that constrains the timing of the most recent rifting episode at the Boset magmatic segment of the northern Ethiopian rift, and combine this with historical dating of similar rifting events in the adjacent magmatic segments. New radiocarbon dates of multiple charcoal samples from the base of the most recent fissural lava at the Boset Volcanic Complex indicate that it likely occurred between 1812 and 1919 CE. These dates are similar to those from historical accounts of fissural eruption from the neighbouring Kone (∼1810 CE), and Fantale (∼1770 to 1808 CE) magmatic segments. We conduct new analysis of major and trace element compositions from these historical fissural lavas, as well as from a fresh-looking lava flow from Beru cone near to Kone volcano. The results of the geochemistry from these flows of all three magmatic segments show compositions that vary in the basalt and trachybasalt fields, with sufficient variation to rule out them having erupted from a single dike intrusion episode. This, combined with the scatter in dates from the radiocarbon analysis and historical accounts, along with the location of each eruption in a discrete and spatially offset magmatic segment, favours an interpretation of each magmatic segment experiencing separate rifting episodes but with these being clustered in time. Mechanisms to explain the clustering of rifting episodes are more speculative but could include stress transfer from dike intrusion and deep crustal hydraulic connection in the plumbing system of multiple segments.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1169635/fullradiocarbon dating (14 C) of charcoalMain Ethiopian RiftBoset-Bericha Volcanic Complextemporal clustering of volcanic eruptionsmafic fissure eruptionKone Volcano |
| spellingShingle | Melanie Siegburg Melanie Siegburg Thomas M. Gernon Derek Keir Derek Keir Jonathan M. Bull Rex N. Taylor Emma J. Watts Tim Greenfield Ermias F. Gebru Ermias F. Gebru Temporal clustering of fissural eruption across multiple segments within the Ethiopian Rift Frontiers in Earth Science radiocarbon dating (14 C) of charcoal Main Ethiopian Rift Boset-Bericha Volcanic Complex temporal clustering of volcanic eruptions mafic fissure eruption Kone Volcano |
| title | Temporal clustering of fissural eruption across multiple segments within the Ethiopian Rift |
| title_full | Temporal clustering of fissural eruption across multiple segments within the Ethiopian Rift |
| title_fullStr | Temporal clustering of fissural eruption across multiple segments within the Ethiopian Rift |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temporal clustering of fissural eruption across multiple segments within the Ethiopian Rift |
| title_short | Temporal clustering of fissural eruption across multiple segments within the Ethiopian Rift |
| title_sort | temporal clustering of fissural eruption across multiple segments within the ethiopian rift |
| topic | radiocarbon dating (14 C) of charcoal Main Ethiopian Rift Boset-Bericha Volcanic Complex temporal clustering of volcanic eruptions mafic fissure eruption Kone Volcano |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1169635/full |
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