a physical basis for the frictional melting of some rock forming minerals abstract under conditions of coseismic slip 0 1 2 0 m s 1 within the upper crust differences in the shear yield strengths fracture toughnesses melting points and to a lesser extent thermal conductivities of rock forming minerals result in a hierarchy of friction melting susceptibilities in many so called pseudotachylytes it is observed that phyllosilicates and amphiboles are preferentially consumed to form the melt phase whilst quartz and feldspar tend to survive as clasts this can be explained in terms of the disequilibrium flash melting of those mineral phases possessing the lower shear yield strengths fracture toughnesses and thermal conductivities rather than by eutectic melting that would otherwise generate equilibrium minimum melts indicative of igneous processes at high strain rates typical of coseismic faulting the mechanical behaviour of minerals is primarily controlled by their fracture toughnesses with progressive comminution during slip leading to fusion the friction melting dependence on the mechanical properties of minerals indicates that there may be an important relationship between wall rock lithology and earthquake magnitude if frictional melting results in fault lubrication

a frictional law for volcanic ash gouge abstract volcanic provinces are structurally active regions undergoing continual deformation along faults within such fault structures volcanic ash gouge containing both crystalline and glassy material may act as a potential fault plane lubricant here we investigate the frictional properties of volcanic ash gouges with varying glass fractions using a rotary shear apparatus at a range of slip rates 1 3 1300 mm s and axial stresses 0 5 2 5 mpa we show that the frictional behaviour of volcanic ash is in agreement with byerlee s friction law at low slip velocities irrespective of glass content the results reveal a common non linear reduction of the friction coefficient with slip velocity and yield a frictional law for fault zones containing volcanic ash gouge textural analysis reveals that strain localisation and the development of shear bands are more prominent at higher slip velocities 10 mm s the textures observed here are similar to those recorded in ash gouge at the surface of extrusive spines at mount st helens usa we use the rate weakening component of the frictional law to estimate shear stress resistance reductions associated with episodic seismogenic slip events that accompany magma ascent pulses we conclude that the internal structure of volcanic ash gouge may act as a kinematic marker of exogenic dome growth

coalbed methane resources assessment in asturias spain abstract the asturian central coal basin located in northern spain is the most important coal basin in the iberian peninsula and some antecedents for coalbed methane exploration on this basin go back to the beginning of the 90 s when two deep wells were drilled in selected areas of the basin this paper contains the results of preliminary studies accomplished from 2003 to 2006 that focused on the potential of the asturian central coal basin for the development of coalbed methane projects according to these studies the gas content in coal beds approximately ranges from 3 88 to 10 81 m 3 t ash free and coalbed methane resources in the coal basin has been estimated in a minimum value of 25 100 mm 3 despite the fact that the gas content in the entire coal basin is modest it appears to be adequate for a commercial coalbed methane development although it is limited by the size of the basin the option for implementation of coalbed methane projects in this basin is associated to the application of a non traditional programme for coalbed methane development including the use of directional drilling from a limited number of well sites carbon dioxide sequestration could be associated with the recuperation of methane from the unexploited coal beds

ultracataclasis sintering and frictional melting in pseudotachylytes from east greenland abstract large volumes of pseudotachylyte an intrusive fault related rock interpreted to form by a combination of cataclasis and melting occur in tertiary normal faults and accommodation zones along 400 km of the east greenland volcanic rifted margin analysis of representative pseudotachylyte samples reveals a wide range of mesoscopic and microscopic textures mineralogies and chemistries in the aphanitic pseudotachylyte matrix three distinct types of pseudotachylyte referred to as angular rounded and glassy are identified based on these characteristics angular pseudotachylyte found primarily in dike like reservoir zones is characterized by angular grains visible on all scales with micron scale fragments of mica and amphibole its matrix is enriched in fe2o3 mgo and tio2 relative to the host rock with minor increases in cao k2o and small decreases in na2o rounded pseudotachylyte is found in reservoir zones injection veins pseudotachylyte filled extension fractures and fault veins small faults with pseudotachylyte along their surfaces it is characterized by smooth surfaced compacted grains on microscopic scales and encloses rounded interpenetrative lithic clasts on outcrop scale its matrix is enriched in fe2o3 mgo tio2 and al2o3 relative to the host rock with minor depletion in na2o and k2o glassy pseudotachylyte is found primarily along fault surfaces its matrix is characterized by isotropic conchoidally fractured material containing microscopic strain free amphibole phenocrysts and is enriched in tio2 al2o3 k2o fe2o3 mgo cao and na2o relative to the host rock these observations suggest that angular pseudotachylyte was produced by cataclasis with enrichment in metallic oxides resulting from preferential crushing of mechanically weak amphibole and mica minerals found in the gneissic host rock cataclasis and concomitant frictional heating resulted in the textural and chemical modification of angular pseudotachylyte by sintering or melting producing rounded and glassy pseudotachylyte respectively compositional and textural observations constrain the temperatures reached during frictional heating 700 900 c which in turn delimit the amount of frictional heat imparted to the pseudotachylytes during slip our results suggest that the east greenland pseudotachylytes formed during small seismic events along faults at shallow crustal levels consistent relative ages and widespread occurrence of pseudotachylyte bearing faults in east greenland suggest that widespread microseismicity accompanied the early development of this volcanic rifted margin

lithic breccia and ignimbrite erupted during the collapse of crater lake caldera oregon abstract the climactic eruption of mount mazama 6845 y b p vented a total of 50 km3 of compositionally zoned rhyodacitic to basaltic magma from a a single vent as a plinian pumice fall deposit and the overlying wineglass welded tuff and b ring vents as ignimbrite and coignimbrite lithic breccia accompanying the collapse of crater lake caldera new field and grain size data for the ring vent products are presented in this report the coarse grained poorly bedded clast supported lithic breccia extends as far as 18 km from the caldera center like the associated ignimbrite the breccia is compositionally zoned both radially and vertically and silicic mixed and mafic types can be recognized based on the proportion of rhyodacitic pumice matrix fractions in silicic breccias are depleted of fines and are lithic and crystal enriched relative to silicic ignimbrite due to vigorous gas sorting during emplacement ignimbrite occurs as a proximal veneer deposit overlying the breccia a medial 8 to 25 km from the caldera center compositionally zoned valley fill as much as 110 m thick and an unzoned distal 20 km facies which extends as far as 55 km from the caldera breccia within 9 km of the caldera center is interpreted as a coignimbrite lag breccia formed within the deflation zone of the collapsing ring vent eruption columns expanded pyroclastic flows of the deflation zone were probably vertically graded in both size and concentration of blocks as recently postulated for some turbidity currents an inflection in the rate of falloff of lithic clast size within the lithic breccia at 9 km may mark the outer edge of the deflation zone or may be an artifact of incomplete exposure the onset of ring vent activity at mt mazama was accompanied by a marked increase in eruptive discharge pyroclastic flows were emplaced as a semicontinuous stream as few ignimbrite flow unit boundaries are evident as eruption from the ring vents progressed flow runout distance and the extent of breccia deposition decreased due to a greater internal flow friction and b decreasing eruption column heights effect b probably resulted from a progressive decrease in magmatic gas content and discharge rate waning discharge may have been promoted by the tapping of more viscous crystal rich magma collapse of conduit walls and declining caldera collapse rate

fault rheology beyond frictional melting during earthquakes comminution and frictional heating both contribute to the dissipation of stored energy with sufficient dissipative heating melting processes can ensue yielding the production of frictional melts or pseudotachylytes it is commonly assumed that the newtonian viscosities of such melts control subsequent fault slip resistance rock melts however are viscoelastic bodies and at high strain rates they exhibit evidence of a glass transition here we present the results of high velocity friction experiments on a well characterized melt that demonstrate how slip in melt bearing faults can be governed by brittle fragmentation phenomena encountered at the glass transition slip analysis using models that incorporate viscoelastic responses indicates that even in the presence of melt slip persists in the solid state until sufficient heat is generated to reduce the viscosity and allow remobilization in the liquid state where a rock is present next to the melt we note that wear of the crystalline wall rock by liquid fragmentation and agglutination also contributes to the brittle component of these experimentally generated pseudotachylytes we conclude that in the case of pseudotachylyte generation during an earthquake slip even beyond the onset of frictional melting is not controlled merely by viscosity but rather by an interplay of viscoelastic forces around the glass transition which involves a response in the brittle solid regime of these rock melts we warn of the inadequacy of simple newtonian viscous analyses and call for the application of more realistic rheological interpretation of pseudotachylyte bearing fault systems in the evaluation and prediction of their slip dynamics

grain scale deformation in ultra high pressure metamorphic rocks an indicator of rapid phase transformation abstract conspicuous grain scale deformation is observed in some ultra high pressure uhp metamorphic rocks of the dora maira massif western alps although no significant strain is discernible on the mesoscopic scale in a jadeite kyanite quartz rock some of the jadeite crystals reveal 100 deformation twins indicating local differential stress levels above 0 3 gpa many kyanite crystals show marked kink or deformation bands with a slip system 100 001 in contrast the adjacent coarse grained quartz matrix grain size ca 0 2 mm which has formed from coesite during exhumation from 100 km depth reveals a foam structure the quartz grain boundary configuration is controlled by interfacial free energy the grains are optically strain free and there is no crystallographic preferred orientation preservation of this foam microstructure which indicates grain growth during low stress annealing precludes that deformation of the jadeite and kyanite crystals is a result of a late stage low temperature overprint the orientation distribution of jadeite and kyanite with and without twins or deformation bands respectively has been investigated with a combination of universal stage and ebsd techniques on the scale of a thin section there is no preferred orientation of twinned jadeite and bent kyanite crystals and undeformed crystals respectively thus the orientation of the inferred local shortening direction is random this precludes deformation driven by a homogeneous far field tectonic stress but suggests an internally controlled stress field which is highly inhomogeneous on the scale of a few grain diameters laboratory experiments show that the coesite to quartz transformation proceeds within hours after decompression from 3 0 to 2 7 gpa at 800 c the microstructures of incompletely transformed samples indicate that the quartz growing at the expense of coesite undergoes crystal plastic deformation and recrystallizes with a very fine grain size during transformation in this case the deformation of quartz is attributed to the volumetric strain v 10 inherent in the coesite quartz transformation which causes a highly inhomogeneous stress field inside the sample related to the progress of the transformation we propose that a similar process has taken place in the polyphase natural rock during exhumation with the transient stresses causing mechanical twinning of jadeite and bending or kinking of kyanite when the transformation had gone to completion grain growth obliterated the microstructures of the quartz matrix while the deformed jadeite and kyanite crystals preserved the record of inhomogeneous deformation at high temperatures the peak differential stresses locally exceeded 0 3 gpa which indicates very high strain rates and a correspondingly rapid transformation of coesite to quartz comparable to the laboratory results

exhumation of ultrahigh pressure metamorphic oceanic crust from lago di cignana piemontese zone western alps the structural record in metabasites the metamorphic and deformational history of coesite bearing ultrahigh pressure metamorphic oceanic crust from lago di cignana valtoumanche western alps as recorded along the decompression and cooling path has been resolved to derive constraints on the physical state of the crust during exhumation the following history is proposed eclogites derived from pillow basalts were deformed by dislocation creep of pyroxene at a depth of more than 80 km in the stability field of coesite the deformation was progressively localised into shear bands over the first 40 km of subsequent exhumation the rocks remained essentially unmodified any deformation must have been localised beyond the limits of the present outcrop retrogression first in a closed system started without concomitant deformation at a depth of about 40 km and temperatures of 550 to 500 c subsequently the system size increased fluid infiltration focussed along tensile fractures is documented by the formation of veins vein shapes and orientations indicate high pore fluid pressures and low differential stress after cooling to about 350 450 c at depths of 12 to 18 km localised ductile deformation transformed the retrogressed eclogites into greenschists for that stage the microstructure of the quartz veins indicates deformation by dislocation creep at falling temperatures and increasing differential stress final cooling to below ca 300 c took place at depths of 7 to 12 km as indicated by the density of fluid inclusions later deformation in the brittle field cannot be correlated with the p t path

pseudotachylyte controversy fact or friction high speed slip experiments performed on westerly granite using friction welding apparatus reveal that comminution is an essential precursor to melting by friction observations of slip surfaces via analytical scanning electron microscopy sem document the following sequence of events occurring in 2 s with increasing velocity up to 2 m s fracture progressive comminution surface melting of mineral fragments fragment to fragment adhesion and finally production of a fragment laden melt supported suspension explosive dehydration and melting of the epidote group mineral allanite indicates that temperatures of at least 1000 c were realized at the interface this is corroborated by calculation of the temperature rise for the known operating conditions contrary to earlier proposals these results show that comminution and frictional melting are complementary and not mutually exclusive processes depending on the velocity shear stress displacement relations prevailing during frictional slip rocks produced in seismogenic zones can be predominantly comminuted wall rock or fragment melt mixes pseudotachylytes

low effective viscosity during high pressure metamorphism due to dissolution precipitation creep the record of hp lt metamorphic carbonates and siliciclastic rocks from crete the micro structural record of high pressure low temperature hp lt metamorphic rocks t 400 50 c p 10 2 kbar of the phyllite quartzite unit in western crete greece is interpreted in terms of deformation mechanisms and flow stress phyllites were deformed at low stress by dissolution precipitation creep governed by strongly enhanced dissolution along quartz mica 001 phase boundaries quartzites and quartz veins were deformed by dislocation creep at higher flow stress the contrasting effective viscosities caused stress concentration in the quartzites and quartz veins also microstructures from aragonite marbles indicate that dissolution precipitation creep was the dominant deformation mechanism and that dislocation creep has not been activated in these rocks pervasive ductile deformation was restricted to hp lt metamorphic conditions and the microstructural record of deformation at maximum depth has been preserved with all subsequent deformation localized and confined to the brittle field constraints on the timing of deformation allow an estimation of strain rates experimentally determined flow laws for dislocation creep are used to pose upper bounds on flow stress and bulk viscosities of rocks deformed by dissolution precipitation creep for the phyllites a conservative estimate is about 1019 pa s or below in contrast to 1020 pa s derived for the quartzites this compares well to the viscosity contrast of 1 2 orders of magnitude reflected by the mesoscopic structures since phyllites and carbonate rocks form large portions of the subducted sedimentary pile the low flow stress during rapid deformation of these rocks at hp lt metamorphic conditions and the lack of deformation along the burial and exhumation path imply very low strength of the plate boundary shear zones and negligible shear heating

caldera faults capture and deflect inclined sheets an alternative mechanism of ring dike formation the subsurface structures of caldera ring faults are often inferred from numerical and analog models as well as from geophysical studies all of these inferred structures need to be compared with actual ring faults so as to test the model implications here we present field evidence of magma channeling into a caldera ring fault as exhibited at hafnarfjall a deeply eroded and well exposed 5 ma extinct volcano in western iceland at the time of collapse caldera formation over 200 m of vertical displacement was accommodated along a ring fault which is exceptionally well exposed at a depth of approximately 1 2 km below the original surface of the volcano there are abrupt changes in the ring fault attitude with depth but its overall dip is steeply inward several inclined sheets within the caldera became arrested at the ring fault other sheets became deflected up along the fault to form a multiple ring dike we present numerical models showing stress fields that encourage sheet deflection into the subvertical ring fault our findings provide an alternative mechanical explanation for magma channeling along caldera ring faults which is a process likely to be fundamental in controlling the location of post caldera volcanism

vent evolution and lag breccia formation during the cape riva eruption of santorini greece the 18 500 yr b p cape riva cr eruption of santorini vented several km3 or more of magma generating four eruption units a basal plinian fall deposit cr a and three pyroclastic flow deposits cr b to cr d upwards cr b and cr d are welded ignimbrites cr c consists predominantly of up to 25 m thick coarse lithic rich co ignimbrite lag breccias resulting from a climactic phase of the eruption the initial plinian phase occurred from a localized vent in n santorini and subsequent column collapse resulted in emplacement of cr b towards the end of cr b new conduits were activated and pyroclastic flows discharged from multiple vents to generate the lag breccias cr c cr d probably records a return to a localized vent as the eruption waned the eruption sampled a zoned magma chamber containing rhyodacite overlying andesite and leaks of these magmas were manifested as the skaros therasia lavas preceding the cr eruption plinian and initial ignimbrite stages occurred while the magma chamber was ove

experimental fragmentation of crystal and vesicle bearing silicic melts we experimentally investigate the effect of crystals on the fragmentation behavior of a three phase melt gas crystals system under rapid decompression starting materials are cylinders of hydrated haplogranite melts containing alumina crystals that are placed at 6 30 mpa and 600 800 c in a fragmentation bomb for foaming subsequently these bubble and crystal bearing melts are rapidly decompressed within 30 mpa for phenocryst and microlite bearing samples

pressure related feedback processes in the generation of pseudotachylytes pseudotachylyte formation is typically viewed as a self limiting process quantitative models have demonstrated that frictional melting is possible at seismic slip rates but once a thin film of melt forms on a seismic fault plane the dramatic decrease in fault friction is thought to suppress further melting volumes of melt generated pseudotachylyte observed in field studies however are in many cases substantially larger than the amounts of frictional melt predicted by theoretical models this suggests that previously unrecognized physical processes may enhance melting during seismic slip localized decompression at dilational jogs may be one such phenomenon transient unloading could play two important roles in the dynamics of pseudotachylyte generation first by setting up significant fluid pressure gradients it would lead to rapid migration of the melt to sites of low pressure thereby reestablishing frictional contact across the fault surface and favoring further melt generation second at significant depths sudden depressurization might lead to in situ decompression melting

formation of hp lt rocks and their tectonic implications in the western tianshan orogen nw china geochemical and age constraints the western tianshan high pressure low temperature metamorphic belt in northwestern china formed within a paleozoic accretionary wedge on the south side of the yili central tianshan plate it comprises various lithologies including mafic metavolcanic rocks metavolcaniclastic rocks metagreywacke marble and serpentinite the metavolcanics comprise eclogite omphacitite epidosite and blueschist the trace and rare earth element characteristics of these rocks indicate morb to oib affinities suggesting a seamount like setting for the protoliths of these rocks the end value of the eclogite 8 9 indicates that the protolith was derived from a long term depleted mantle i e an n morb source supporting the trace and rare earth element characteristics of these samples sm nd isochron dating of 343 44 ma omp gln grt wr and an age of 346 3 ma grt gln were determined using an eclogite boudin within blueschist a well defined 40ar 39ar plateau age of 344 1 ma was obtained for crossite from an omphacite phengite bearing blueschist and is concordant with the sm nd isochron age for the eclogite suggesting that neither argon loss nor excess argon affected the crossite a well defined 40ar 39ar plateau age of 331 2 ma was determined for phengite from the same sample the high pressure metamorphic rocks were formed by the b type subduction of a paleozoic south tianshan ocean about 344 ma ago they were however exhumed to higher crustal levels during the collision of the tarim and yili central tianshan plates about 331 ma ago similar to an alpine type tectonic regime

downsag and extension at calderas new perspectives on collapse geometries from ice melt mining and volcanic subsidence structures at calderas may form as a result of precursory tumescence subsidence due withdrawal of magmatic support resurgence and regional tectonism structural reactivation and overprinting are common to explore which types of structures may derive directly from subsidence without other factors evidence is reviewed from pits caused by the melting of buried ice blocks mining subsidence scaled subsidence models and from over 50 calderas this review suggests that complex patterns of peripheral deformation with multiple ring and arcuate fractures both inside and outside caldera rims topographic embayments arcuate graben and concentric zones of extension and compression may form as a direct result of subsidence and do not require a complex subsidence and inflation history downsag is a feature of many calderas and it does not indicate subsidence on an inward dipping ring fault as has been inferred previously where magmatic inflation is absent or slight initial arcuate faults formed during collapse are likely to be multiple and dip outwards to vertical associated downsag causes the peripheries of calderas undergo radial centripetal extension and this accounts for some of the complex peripheral fractures arcuate crevasses graben and some topographic moats the structural boundary of a caldera defined here as the outermost limits of subsidence and related deformation including downsag commonly lies outside ring faults and outside the embayed topographic wall it is likely to be funnel shaped i e inward dipping even though ring and arcuate fractures within it may dip outward inward dipping arcuate normal faults at shallow levels and steep inward dipping contacts between a caldera s fill and walls may both occur at a caldera that has initially subsided on outward dipping ring faults they arise due to peripheral surficial extension gravitational spreading and scarp collapse topographic enlargement at some calderas and the formation of embayments may reflect general progressive downsag and localized downsag respectively these processes may occur in addition to surficial degradation of oversteep ring fault scarps

friction melting catastrophic dilation and breccia formation along caldera superfaults at glencoe caldera volcano friction melts and magmas transformed explosively to froth or spray where they encountered rapid decompression in dilatant sections of superfaults the friction melts were blasted upwards plastering free surfaces and were rapidly followed by fragmented magma and then liquid magma that formed intrusions irregular contacts of fault intrusions record explosive disruption of hydrothermal systems cut by the dilational faults with lithic breccias removed from the rapidly formed cavities before the arrival of melt spray layers of lithic breccia are common in ignimbrites around calderas and usually show incorporation of hot and hydrothermally altered rocks such layers may specifically reflect initial superfault dilation during caldera collapse

experimental generation of volcanic pseudotachylytes constraining rheology volcanic systems are highly dynamic environments that comprise rocks and magmas which in the process of strain localisation e g in catastrophic flank collapse or dome building events are candidate materials for the occurrence of frictional melting and the formation of pseudotachylytes we evaluate the frictional behaviour of a plagioclase two pyroxene and glass bearing andesite and introduce an approach to constrain the rheology of frictional melts frictional slip at a rate of 1 3 m s under an axial stress of 1 5 mpa induces heating at a rate approximating 130 c per meter of slip and frictional melting of the andesite occurs at 1000 c which corresponds to a peak in shear stress with continuing displacement the shear stress decreases by 25 from the peak strength and stabilises while the temperature equilibrates to 1230 1290 c the shear stress for the system is congruent with a non arrhenian temperature dependent frictional melt rheology exhibiting a non newtonian viscosity evolving from approximately 104 2 to 103 4 pa s post experiment analysis show a gradation from 1 the host rock to 2 an extraordinary zone of unmelted yet viscously deformed material to 3 a thin outer region of chemically heterogeneous protomelts and to 4 an inner region of chemically homogeneous frictionally generated modified melt in the core of the slip zone we discuss the role and identification of frictional melting in volcanic systems and the implication of viscous remobilisation of magmatic plugs during frictional slip of glass bearing volcanic materials

phenocryst fragments in rhyolitic lavas and lava domes although rhyolitic lavas and lava domes are characterised by evenly porphyritic textures not all the phenocrysts are whole euhedra we undertook image analysis of 46 rhyolitic lava and lava dome samples to determine the abundance and shape of quartz and feldspar phenocryst fragments phenocryst fragments were identified in nearly all samples on average fragments amount to approximately 5 of the total phenocryst population or approximately 0 5 modal the abundance of fragments in lavas and lava domes is not related to the groundmass texture whether vesicular flow banded massive glassy or crystalline nor to distance from source fragments are however more abundant in samples with higher phenocryst contents the phenocryst fragments in rhyolitic lavas and lava domes are mainly medium to large 0 5 3 5 mm almost euhedral crystals with only a small portion removed or chunky equant subhedral fragments and occur in near jigsaw fit or clast rotated pairs or groups the fragments probably formed in response to decompression of large melt inclusions shear during laminar flow then dismembered the phenocrysts continued laminar shear separated and rotated the fragments fractures probably formed preferentially along weaknesses in the phenocrysts such as zones of melt inclusions cleavage planes and twin composition planes rare splintery fragments are also present especially within devitrified domains splinters are attributed to comminution of solid lava adjacent to fractures that were later healed for comparison we measured crystal abundance in a further 12 rhyolite samples that include block and ash flow deposits and ignimbrite phenocryst fragments within clasts in the block and ash flow samples showed similar shapes and abundances to those fragments within the lava and lava domes crystal fragments are much more abundant in ignimbrite exceeding 67 of the crystal population however and dominated by small equant anhedral chunks or splinters the larger crystals in the ignimbrite are subrounded the phenocrysts within ignimbrite pumice lapilli are also more intensely fractured than those in lavas and lava domes thus in deformed and altered volcanic successions data on crystal fragment abundance and shape can help discriminate lavas from pyroclastic facies

roundness of clasts in pseudotachylytes and cataclastic rocks as an indicator of frictional melting abstract we examine the roundness rd of clasts derived from fault rocks and discuss its possible application as an indicator for fracturing and chipping or frictional melting the roundness of quartz and feldspathic clasts derived from four frictional melting originated pseudotachylytes and one crushing without melting originated pseudotachylyte as well as three cataclastic rocks was measured between 230 and 270 clasts 10 m in size were measured for each sample the analyses show that rd is lower than 0 4 in all the clasts included in the cataclastic rocks and crushing originated pseudotachylyte whereas it varies from 0 1 to 1 0 and 35 90 of clasts have a roundness 0 4 in the melting originated pseudotachylyte it is suggested that the clasts having a roundness 0 4 were rounded by frictional melting rather than by fracturing or chipping in pseudotachylytes and that the roundness of clasts may be used as a special index of disintegration attributed to attrition and melting

tectonically controlled piecemeal caldera collapse a case study of glencoe volcano scotland caldera collapse at glencoe scotland was incremental and involved complex movements of numerous fault blocks before formation of the ring fault for which the volcano is renowned intracaldera depocenters had the form of grabens or half grabens locally with downsag and bounding monoclinal flexures and these changed form and location for each of the five major ignimbrite eruptions that represent the early volcanic history this piecemeal caldera collapse is in contrast to previous interpretations in which all subsidence was thought to have involved a coherent crustal block moving on the ring fault collapse and magmatic plumbing were profoundly influenced by preexisting tectonic faults trending northwest and northeast a dominant northwest trending graben controlled the general location and form of major caldera depocenters and repeatedly channeled a major river through glencoe the main graben was transected orthogonally by two cross grabens each of the first three caldera eruption cycles involved initial phreatomagmatic explosivity which built tuff cones followed by magmatic fountaining that produced lava like silicic ignimbrites the three lava like ignimbrites total more than 300 m thick two later eruptions produced eutaxitic silicic ignimbrites together more than 300 m thick and contemporaneous progressive downsag was associated with the formation of extensional fractures crevasses hundreds of meters deep sills up to 100 m thick of mingled andesite and rhyolite between the intracaldera ignimbrites were accommodated by increments of subsidence unconformities and sedimentary layers within the stratigraphic succession record fluvial erosion and abrupt switches to alluvial and or lacustrine deposition between each ignimbrite eruption the changes in drainage and sedimentation and the development of coarse debris avalanche breccias reflect tectonic faulting during the periods between major eruptions the duration of the period including the five caldera forming eruptions was probably 0 5 m y and the magnitude of the tectonic faulting that occurred prior to and during the caldera developments 0 5 km m y normal displacement is similar to that of the most actively subsiding sedimentary basins glencoe shows that the piecemeal nature of calderas may be plainly evident only in deeply dissected systems which with knowledge that caldera volcanoes commonly overlie faults suggests that piecemeal calderas may be more common than previously recognized the research also shows that the emplacement of granites s l was episodic rather than synchronous throughout the magmatic province and it suggests that numerous plutons in the province e g in donegal ireland may have formed at sites of central volcanoes that are no longer preserved

origin of broken phenocrysts in ash flow tuffs surprisingly little attention has been devoted to the textural nature of phenocrysts of feldspar and quartz in tuff although many geologists have briefly alluded to broken phenocrysts none have addressed their origin in any detail petrographic study of 117 cooling units in the middle tertiary ash flow province of the great basin united states provides a basis for characterization of the shapes and for interpretation of the origin of felsic phenocrysts in ash flow tuffs although not proven to be wholly ineffective breakage of phenocrysts by mutual impact in the erupting magma and pyroclastic flow is doubtful for at least four reasons first the statistical probability of mutual collision between phenocrysts diminishes exponentially as their proportion to vitroclasts diminishes e g only 1 probability for 10 phenocrysts collision is less likely if pyroclasts move by laminar rather than turbulent flow second the coating of glass and or melt on the phenocrysts provides a cushion that absorbs the impact force third plagioclases broken by impact in the laboratory have unusual shapes unlike those seen in great basin tuffs fourth euhedral phenocrysts of feldspar are commonplace in many great basin tuffs and in some they constitute a significant proportion of the phenocrysts indicating that mutual impact does not modify all intratelluric crystals during explosive eruption the two most populated categories of phenocryst shape in great basin tuffs probably correspond to what has been previously called broken phenocrysts somewhat less than half of the plagioclase and many sanidine phenocrysts are subhedral to anhedral these are similar in shape size and composition to grains in polycrystalline aggregates within the same thin section kindred aggregates and discrete phenocrysts could have been derived from holocrystalline to partly crystalline material in the magma chamber that was disaggregated to varying extents during explosive eruption more than half of the plagioclase and all of the quartz phenocrysts in great basin tuffs consist of irregularly shaped fragments with cuspate embayed outlines resembling pieces of a jigsaw puzzle which we call phenoclasts inclusions of glass are common and are especially evident in larger more or less whole crystals textural features of some phenocrysts in cognate pumice clasts in the tuffs reveal that they broke apart while still in the vesiculating but unfragmented magma as the erupting magma decompressed vesiculation of the melt that was entrapped at higher pressures as inclusions within the phenocrysts blew them apart forming the phenoclasts shapes of felsic phenocrysts in volcanic rocks provide insight into their mode of emplacement euhedral phenocrysts are common in ash flow tuffs as well as lava flows phenoclasts however are diagnostic of ash flow tuffs because they do not occur in plinian ash fall deposits and are rare in lava flows these textural contrasts are useful for interpretation of generally older but in any case altered and recrystallized volcanic rocks in such rocks critical groundmass features and field relations that could provide clues to their origin have been obscured but the shapes of relict phenocrysts are commonly well preserved

large volumes of anhydrous pseudotachylyte in the woodroffe thrust eastern musgrave ranges australia a mylonitic thrust zone at least 1 5 km thick forms a sharp contact between granulite and amphibolite facies gneisses in the eastern musgrave ranges central australia the thrust dips gently to the south and is interpreted as an extension of the woodroffe thrust which was formed about 550 ma ago mylonites at the base of the thrust grade upwards into ultramylonites which pass abruptly into a pseudotachylyte bearing zone approximately 1 km thick containing approximately 4 of pseudotachylyte veining the orientation of the veins appears to be random pseudotachylytes occur only in the granulite facies rocks and their precursors are felsic pyroxene and or garnet granofelses rotated blocks of ultramylonite are present in some of the pseudotachylytes and some pseudotachylyte veins have been plastically deformed suggesting nearly contemporaneous semiductile and brittle behaviour the matrix of the pseudotachylyte shows spectacular examples of igneous quench microstructures especially skeletal and dendritic crystals of plagioclase and feathery pyroxene dendrites also present are glass devitrification microstructures spherulites evidence of liquid flow and partly melted residual grains with former glassy rims showing different optical properties from those of the surrounding isotropic material these features confirm that the pseudotachylyte formed by melting in anhydrous conditions the matrix of the pseudotachylyte veins is less siliceous than the host rocks owing to non equilibrium melting of pyroxene garnet and plagioclase the igneous assemblages of the melt notably the crystallization of pigeonite are consistent with rapid cooling from very high temperature 1000 c melting and quenching is probably due to very local short lived rises in temperature accompanied by dilation

effects of lithology cataclasis and melting on the composition of fault generated pseudotachylytes in lewisian gneiss scotland abstract petrological studies of fault generated pseudotachylytes formed during coseismic slip need to consider cataclastic processes as well as rapid closed system melting and freezing in order to account for the observed similarities and the variations between the chemical compositions of pseudotachylytes and their host rocks whole rock analyses of pseudotachylytes and their gneissic host rocks from the lewisian complex of northwest scotland indicate that the composition of the pseudotachylyte is sensitive not only to the bulk host rock composition but also to its mineralogy and fabric in anisotropic e g gneissic rocks selective cataclastic and melting effects may both contribute to determining the whole rock composition of pseudotachylytes electron microprobe analyses of pseudotachylyte matrices indicate more rapid decomposition and fusion of hydrous ferromagnesian phases such as biotite and amphibole and to a lesser extent feldspar relative to quartz the pseudotachylytes of this study appear to have formed neither by ultracataclasis alone nor by classical equilibrium partial melting or total fusion but through the interaction of selective cataclastic and melting processes controlled by the lithological layering and mineralogical heterogeneity in their host rocks this interpretation may be widely applicable to pseudotachylytes generated by faulting in foliated host rocks

tectonic influences in piecemeal caldera collapse at glencoe volcano scotland glencoe volcano is renowned as the archetype for caldera collapse that results from piston like subsidence of a coherent crustal block on a ring fault however the caldera floor rocks and the geometry of seven intracaldera units that record large volume explosive eruptions show that the collapse involved incremental and haphazard subsidence of numerous crustal blocks before development of the ring fault some subsidence involved flexure downsag with associated development of extensional crevasses hundreds of metres deep a system of orthogonal faults and related grabens records the influence of two intersecting basement discontinuities one of which is inferred to have linked with the active great glen fault substantial extensional and or transtensional faulting with distinct related sedimentary responses occurred without eruptions the tectonic framework substantially controlled the magmatic plumbing and the locations of vents caldera depocentres and through going rivers the related sediments influenced contrasting eruption styles e g transitions between phreatomagmatic and magmatic and the shallow level emplacement of sills

viscosity determinations of some frictionally generated silicate melts implications for fault zone rheology at high strain rates analytical scanning electron microscopy has been used to determine the major element compositions of some natural and artificial silicate glasses and their microcrystalline equivalents derived by the frictional melting of intermediate to acid protoliths the data show that the matrices of the friction melts which cool to form pseudotachylytes are relatively basic and hydrous even when their protoliths are intermediate to acid this is because frictional fusion involves the selective comminution and nonequilibrium melting of minerals based on their individual mechanical properties and melting points not the formation of minimum melts through equilibrium mineral interaction this means that hydrous ferromagnesian minerals e g micas and amphiboles melt preferentially to form the liquid matrix while feldspars and especially quartz more readily survive as clasts pseudotachylytes generated by frictional melting are therefore not bulk melts and as clast melt suspensions they cannot be considered as simple newtonian fluids the calculated viscosities of the friction melts are low for example at 1200 c most friction melts possess zero shear suspension viscosities of 102 104 dpa s 1 dpa s 1 p this is equivalent to the viscosities of tholeiitic and alkaline basaltic magmas at the same temperature these viscosities are maximum determinations because as clast melt suspensions friction melts may undergo shear thinning and exhibit pseudoplasticity at high shear rates i e during slip on a fault surface contrary to earlier suggestions where the bulk melting of intermediate to acid protoliths was believed to result in the generation of viscous friction melts that could act to inhibit continued sliding this work shows that most pseudotachylytes are partial melts possessing low viscosities the formation of highly fluid suspensions during slip may have profound effects on the dissipation of stored strain energy in the rocks surrounding a fault interface lubrication could facilitate an increase in the slip rate and the rate of energy dissipation this would be manifest as an increase in high frequency seismic wave radiation and vibrational