A distinct metal fingerprint in arc volcanic emissions

As well as gases that regulate climate over geological time, volcanoes emit prodigious quantities of metals into the atmosphere, where they have key roles as catalysts, pollutants and nutrients. Here we compare measurements of arc basaltic volcano metal emissions with those from hotspot settings. As...

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Main Authors: Edmonds, M, Mather, T, Liu, E
Format: Journal article
Published: Springer Nature 2018
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author Edmonds, M
Mather, T
Liu, E
author_facet Edmonds, M
Mather, T
Liu, E
author_sort Edmonds, M
collection OXFORD
description As well as gases that regulate climate over geological time, volcanoes emit prodigious quantities of metals into the atmosphere, where they have key roles as catalysts, pollutants and nutrients. Here we compare measurements of arc basaltic volcano metal emissions with those from hotspot settings. As well as emitting higher fluxes of metals (similar to those building ore deposits), these arc emissions possess a distinct compositional fingerprint, particularly rich in tungsten, arsenic, thallium, antimony and lead when compared with those from hotspots. We propose that volcanic metal emissions are controlled by magmatic water content and redox: hydrous arc magmas that do not undergo sulfide saturation yield metal-rich, saline aqueous fluid; shallow degassing and resorption of late-stage sulfides feeds volcanic gases in Hawai’i and Iceland. Although global arc magma chemistries vary considerably, our findings suggest that volcanic emissions in arcs have a distinct fingerprint when compared with other settings. A shift in global volcanic metal emissions may have occurred in Earth’s past as more oxidized, water-rich magmas became prevalent, influencing the surface environment.
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spelling oxford-uuid:3474bd2d-65c2-45c9-b1e4-0c624281a9522022-03-26T13:26:02ZA distinct metal fingerprint in arc volcanic emissionsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:3474bd2d-65c2-45c9-b1e4-0c624281a952Symplectic Elements at OxfordSpringer Nature2018Edmonds, MMather, TLiu, EAs well as gases that regulate climate over geological time, volcanoes emit prodigious quantities of metals into the atmosphere, where they have key roles as catalysts, pollutants and nutrients. Here we compare measurements of arc basaltic volcano metal emissions with those from hotspot settings. As well as emitting higher fluxes of metals (similar to those building ore deposits), these arc emissions possess a distinct compositional fingerprint, particularly rich in tungsten, arsenic, thallium, antimony and lead when compared with those from hotspots. We propose that volcanic metal emissions are controlled by magmatic water content and redox: hydrous arc magmas that do not undergo sulfide saturation yield metal-rich, saline aqueous fluid; shallow degassing and resorption of late-stage sulfides feeds volcanic gases in Hawai’i and Iceland. Although global arc magma chemistries vary considerably, our findings suggest that volcanic emissions in arcs have a distinct fingerprint when compared with other settings. A shift in global volcanic metal emissions may have occurred in Earth’s past as more oxidized, water-rich magmas became prevalent, influencing the surface environment.
spellingShingle Edmonds, M
Mather, T
Liu, E
A distinct metal fingerprint in arc volcanic emissions
title A distinct metal fingerprint in arc volcanic emissions
title_full A distinct metal fingerprint in arc volcanic emissions
title_fullStr A distinct metal fingerprint in arc volcanic emissions
title_full_unstemmed A distinct metal fingerprint in arc volcanic emissions
title_short A distinct metal fingerprint in arc volcanic emissions
title_sort distinct metal fingerprint in arc volcanic emissions
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