The

NewsleneroftheCommissiononLarge-VolumeBasaltic Provinces
IA VCEIInternational Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior

Planning is well underway for the 1998.1AVCEI Congress in Cape Town, SouthAfrica-we hope to see you there! In this issue, summaries of recent meetings inMexico, France, and South Africa are highlighted. Contributions to The UP Reader,including recent research results, are welcomed. Please inform your colleagues
about the CLVBP and our activities.

IAVCEINews
The next IAVCEI Congress will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 11-17 July
1998. The theme of the congress is "MAGMATIC DIVERSITY: VOLCANOES AND
THEIR ROOTS." The organizing committee is currently planning the scientificprogram, which will include a Large Igneous Proflinces symposium to be convened(provisionally} by Goonie Marsh and Mike Coffin (and anybody else who mightvolunteer}. Ten symposia will form the core of the scientific program, but there will
be open sessions, so nobody should feel that their contribution will be out of place.

LeaderMike Coffin
Institute for Geophysics
The Untversity of Texas at Austin
4412 Spicewood Springs Road, Bldg.
600Austin, TX 78759-8500, USA.
Tel: 1.512.471.0429
fax: 1.512.471.8844

internet: mikec@coffln.tg.utexas.edu
SecretaryJohn Mahoney
Department ofGeology and Geophysics
School of Ocean and Earth Sdenceand Technology
Untverstty of Hawaii
2525 Correa Rd.
Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
Tel: 1.808.956.8705

fax: 1.808.956.2538
internet:
jmahoney@soest.hawaii.edu
Newsletter Production
Janelle L Berry, Lisa Gahagan
and Toni Lee MitchellThree parallel sessions will run over the five days of the congress. Apart fromsymposia that individual commissions may wish to organize, several symposia
which have specific relevance to IAVCEI-related aspects cf southern African geology
will be scheduled. The conference will feature both pre- and post-congress field trips
which will complement the symposia. Depending on demand, these will include
Carbonatites and Alkaline Ring Complexes; Karoo Volcanic Rocks (Lesotho andLebombo}; Kimberlites; Bushveld Complex; Etendeka Volcanic Province, Namibia;
Damaraland Ring Complexes, Namibia; Archean Komatiites; and Granites.
Large igneous provinces feature strongly in this list, and IAVCEI 98 represents a notto be missed opportunity to see these petrogenetically and volcanologically fascinating rocks for yourselves.
Cape Town iS one of the most scenic cities in the world, and July is one of the best
times of the year for field trips into the hinterland. The conference will be held on thecampus of the University of Cape Town (UCT} and accommodation is available
within reasonable walking distance of the campus. None of the registration fees will
be used to pay expenses of keynote speakers. Instead, keynote presentations will bechosen from the pool of submitted abstracts. The congress will include oral andposter sessions.
Anybody interested in attending IAVCEI 1998 who has not received the first circular
can request one from ivc98@geology.uct.ac.za, and the Congress has a home page at
http://www .uct.ac.za/depts/ geolsci/ivc98. Anybody with suggestions
about symposia is invited to contact Chris Harris (Organizer of Scientific Program)
at: kv@geology.uct.ac.za or Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town,
Rondebosch 7700, South Africa.

CLVBP NewsLeadership

The CLVBP has been led by Mike Coffin and John Mahoney since its inception as an lAVCEI Task Group in
1992. Although lAVCEI does not stipulate term lengths for Commission leaders, the current CLVBP leaders believethat a change in leadership in late 1997 will bring new ideas, directions, and enthusiasm to the CLVBP.
Nominations for leadership of the CLVBP are now being accepted; please send your nominations to either
Mike Coffin or John Mahoney by 1 July 1997. The Steering Committee will select the new leadership from thenominations.
CL VBP-U.S. National Science Foundation Dialogue

Discussions with U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) program officers have resulted in an invitation for
CLVBP representatives to visit NSF in Washington in mid- to late 1997. The purpose of the visit will be to present arid discuss a potential "UP initiative" with the appropriate NSF program officers. Although such a visit
will not commit NSF to funding a UP initiative in any way, the invitation is encouraging, and at the least will
begin a formal dialogue between CLVBP and NSF.
What the CLVBP group will need to present in Washington includes: 1) the fundamental scientific issues involving UPs, 2) the rationale for NSF to fund a UP initiative, and 3) a rough 10-year projected budget for aUP initiative. At this stage, your (and this includes the non-U.S. CLVBP members as well) views and ideas ona potential UP initiative are most welcome. Please send your input to Mike Coffin or John Mahoney by 1 July
1997.
Volume on Large Igneous Provinces

Papers are undergoing final paste-up by the American Geophysical Union, which is publishing the UP volume
as part of their Geophysical Monograph series. Publication is expected in mid-1997.

Steering Committee
An updated list of Steering Committee members and their addresses follows:

Nick Arndt (Univ. of Rennes, France) ........................................................................ arndt@univ-rennesl.fr
Hans Barsczus (Univ. of Montpellier, France) ............................... barsczus@sajou.dstu.univ-montp2.fr
Ian Campbell (Australian National Univ., Australia) .................................... ihcl56l@huxley.anu.edu.au
Mike Coffin (Univ. of Texas, USA) ..................................................................... mikec@coffin.ig.utexas.edu
Keith Cox (University of Oxford, UK) ................................................................... Keith.Cox@earth.ox.ac.uk
Geoff Davies (Australian National Univ., Australia) .............................................. geoff@rses.anu.edu.au
Bob Duncan (Oregon State Univ., USA) ..................................................................... rduncan@oce.orst.edu
Jean Goslin (Univ. of Brest, France) ............................................................................... goslin@univ-brest.fr
Chris Harris (Univ. of Cape Town, South Africa) ...................................................... kv@geology.uct.ac.za
Chris Hawkesworth {Open Univ., UK) .......................................................... C.J.Hawkesworth@open.ac.uk
Jim Head (Brown Univ., USA) ............................................................................ head@pggipl.geo.brown.edu
Jan Hertogen (University of Leuven, Belgium) .................................... jan.hertogen@geo.kuleuven.ac.beJohn Hopper (Danish Uthosphere Centre, Denmark) ........................................................... jrh@dlc.ku.dk
Rosaly Lopes-Gautier Uet Propulsion Lab, NASA) .......................................... rlopes@jpluvs.jpl.nasa.gov
John Mahoney (Univ. of Hawaii, USA) ............................................................. jmahoney@soest.hawaii.edu
Sverre Planke (Univ. of Oslo, Norway) .......................................................... sverre.planke@geologi.uio.noJakob Skogseid (Univ. of Oslo, Norway) .................................................... jakob.skogseid@geologi.uio.noKensaku Tamaki (Univ. of Tokyo, Japan) ............................................................ tamaki@ori.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Dominique Weis (Free Univ. of Brussels, Belgium) ............................................... dweis@resulb.ulb.ac.be
Dave Williams (Univ. of Alabama, USA) ................................................................ dwillia3@wgs.geo.ua.edu
Full addresses and contact numbers for the above are available over the internet, on diskette, or as
hard copy (see below) from Mike Coffin.

2Recent Research Summary
Initial results of marine geophysical investigations into
interactions between the Ontong Java Plateau and theSolomon Islands are available at http:/ I
www.ig.utexas.edu/research/projects/solomon/sol.links.hbnl

Previous Meetings
IAVCEI General Assembly, Puerto Vallarta, Mmco, 1924 January 1997

A symposium on Large-Volume Basaltic Prwinces
included 23 papers-12 oral and 11 posters. Studies
focused on the Snake River Plain (USA), Pacific Northwest, Kamchatka, Western Mediterranean, Southeast
Sicily, Northern Israel, Madagascar, Antarctica, Eastern
Australia, Colombia (Caribbean) oceanic plateau,·Parana-Etendeka, and I<aapvaal in South Africa. Papers
addressing the Mexican geology oovered areas in andsouth of Mexioo City as well as central Baja California.
Two thematic papers dealt with oorrelation of continental flood basalt ages with mass extinctions, and new
discrimination diagrams for arc, rift, and ocean island
tectonic settings.
A special issue of the Journal of Volaznology and GeothermJil Research is scheduled to be devoted to the generaltheme of "RRFT-RELATED VOLCANISM: GEOLOGY,GEOCHEMISTRY, AND GEOPHYSICS." It will include
papers from this symposium as well as other contributions on this theme. About 20 papers are likely to besubmitted to this issue between August and December,1997. Anyone interested in contributing should contact
Surendra P. Verma, CIE, UNAM, Apartado Postal34,Temixco, Mor. 65280, Mexico. Internet
spv@mazatl.cie.unam.mx

contributed by Surendra P. Verma (Centro de lrwestigacion
en Energia, UNAM, Maico)
European Union of Geosciences (EUG9), Strasbourg,France, 23-27 March 1997
The EUG meeting takes place every two years inStrasbourg. It attracts many European geoscientists{over 3000 in 1997), and more and more from North
America and around the world. A UP symposium waswell attended and attracted a diverse audience of
petrologists, geochemists and geophysicists. A group ofpresentations involved discussions of the characteristics
of modem UPs (Afar-Ethiopia, the Caribbean IgneousProvince, Kerguelen Plateau-Broken Ridge and theirrelation to the Kerguelen plume), including aspects ofplume birth and continental breakup. A second series oftalks discussed the role of LIPs in crustal growth, andtheir identification in the geological record, from theArchean to the Phanerozic. A poster session wasdedicated to the presentation of seismic andgeochemical data on basalts from East Greenland, theVenezuelan volcanic plateau, the South Iberianmargin, and the Ethiopian flood basalts.
In general, UPs were a subject of hot discussion
during the EUG meeting. A two-day plume session
involved several aspects of UP research, and indeed
posed the problem of when does a UP become aplume (and vice versa), particularly for those charged
with assigning papers to different sessions. Vincent
Courtillot, the president of the EUG, presented a
stimulating address which discussed the role of UPs
in mass extinctions.
In Europe, LIP research is gaining momentum,
specifically in terms of research on our own LIP in theNorth Atlantic province, and certain UPs which havebeen "adopted" by the Europeans, e.g., Kerguelen and
the Afar hot spot

contributed by fohn Ludden (CRPG, Nancy, Frattee) andDominit[ue-Weis (Universiti Librt: de Bnaelles,Belgium)
Plumes, Plates, and Minerali%ation '97, Pretoria, SouthAfriaz, 14-19 April1997
The University of Pretoria was the setting for a fiveday symposium addressing the impingement ofmantle plumes on lithospheric plates, the resulting
influence on crustal dynamics, and the possibilities ofeconomic mineralization. The first two days of theprogram included seven keynote and 18 other oralpresentations on plumes and plates, plus posters, andooncluded with a traditional, festive South African
braai. The third day provided a break in the program.
and was devoted to workshops on the Kaapvaal
craton, exploration models in Africa, theWitwatersrand Basin and Bushveld Complex, andcomputer-aided plate reconstructions. The concluding two days included five keynote and 21 other oralpresentations focusing on mineralization, andincluded a formal banquet on the eve of the final day.
A pre-symposium excursion toured the Bushveld
Complex and associated rocks for five days. Two
post-symposium excursions examined 1) theWitwatersrand and Ventersdorp supergroups, andKimberley diamond district for five days, and 2)
Karoo flood basalts in Kruger National Park for threedays. Highlights of the trips included inspecting theMerensky Reef and the Dwars River chromitite lay~rsof the Bushveld Complex, visiting the Kimberley Btg
Hole, descending -2700 m into the Kloof gold mine,and sharing the classic Olifants River Karoo floodbasalt sequence in Kruger National Park with freerange lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes, crocodiles,
and other typical zoo fauna, all under the watchfuleyes of two well-armed park rangers. In Kruger,
larger than Wales, homo sapiens are locked inside
camps from 6 pm to 6 am; all other members of theanimal kingdom, however, may roam freely.

Ia\.173

The symposium was organized by the Deparbnent ofGeology of the University of Pretoria and the Mineralogical Association of South Africa in collaboration
with the Geological Society of South Africa. Otheruniversities, the Division of Mining Technology of theCSIR, and mining houses provided generous support.

contributed by Mike Coffin (Univmity ojTUIIS Institute forGeophysics)
Synopses of recent meetings are welcomed-please send
your SZOO word review to Mike Coffin or John Mahoney.

LIPS and the Ocean Drilling Program
The recently approved basement drilling leg on theKerguelen Plateau is scheduled for December 1998 toearly February 1999. Our own Mike Coffin has been
selected·as a co-chief scientist of the expedition; attaboy, Mike!
The JOIDFS science advisory structure has been
remodeled significantly. The most relevant changes
for scientists submitting proposals to use the JOIDES
Resolution are (1) that the several previous thematic

panels have been reconstituted into two panels, anEarth's Interior "SSEP.. (Science Steering and Evaluation
Panel) and an Earth's Environment SSEP, and (2) thatnew driUing proposals are now peer-reviewed as part ofthe overall evaluation process. The next proposal
deadline is 15 September 1997. For more information onplanned legs, proposal guidelines, and panel structure,
see the JOIDES web page (www.whoi.edu/joides). John
Mahoney represents the CLVBP as a member of theInterior SSEP.

Commission Products. and Services
UPs on Internet

Anonymous FTP

LIPs have an Internet presence, accessible via standard
Internet tools. The Commission's LIP bibliography of-·4150 references, directory of -500 members, anddigital database of UP areas (Figure 1 of Coffin &Eldholm, Reviews of Geophysics, 1994) are available, as
well as the calendar of events and text versions of The
LIP Reader. Should individual scientists have improved outlines of LIP areas available digitally and bewilling to make these available over the Internet, pleaseprovide a digital file to Mike. The Internet site iscurrently set up as a Gopher server, which allows users
to log in with anonymous ftp or WWW tools, such as
Netscape, Internet Explorer, or NCSA Mosaic. As timeallows, the site will be enhanced for WWW users. Ideas
on how the site could be improved are most welcome.
For copies of materials on Macintosh diskette, pleasesend a blank 3.5-inch diskette to Mike.

With ftp, open "'utigjg.utexas.edu.., use the legin name"anonymous" and your Internet address as thepassword. Change directory to "outgoing/lips".

GopherUsing your Gopher client software, open"'gopher.utexas.edu"'. Navigate to "'UT-Austin", to"Colleges and Departments", to "Institute for Geophysics", to "Research Projects", and then to "Commission
on Large Igneous Provinces".
·World With Web
The Universal Resource Locator (URL) is http:/ I
www .ig.utexas.edu/research/ projects/lips.html

Upcoming Meetings
17-22 June: The History and Dynamics of Global Plate Motions, Marshall, California, USA. Infonnation: AGU Meetings Dept., Plate Motions Conference, 2000 Florida Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009, USA. Telephone:
1.202.462.6900. Facsimile: 1.202.238.0566. Internet meetinginfo@kosmos.agu.org. WWW: htp://www.agu.org~4

2-6 June: Seventh Annual V.M. Goldschmidt Conference, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Symposium: Large
Igneous Provinces and Their Relation to Plumes and Climate. Information: M.J. Drake(goldconf@lpl.arizona.edu). WWW: http:/ I cass.jsc.nasa.gov / lpi.hbnl
1-9 July: Earth- Ocean- Atmosphere Forces for Change, Melbourne, Australia. Information: lAMAS/IAPSO Secretariat, Convention Network, 224 Rouse Street, Port Melbourne, Victoria 3207,
Australia. Telephone: 61.3.9646.4122. Facsimile: 61.3.9646.7737. Internet: rnscarlett@peg.apc.org
20-22 July: CONCORD (Conference on Cooperative Ocean Riser Drilling), Tokyo, Japan. Information: 1)
International-H.C. Larsen, Danish Lithosphere Centre (concord@dlc.ku.dk); 2) Japanese-S.
Takagawa, Japanese Marine Science and Technology Center (takagawa@mailgate.jarnstec.go.jp) orI. Kushiro (kushiro@misasa.okayama-u.ac.jp). WWW: http:/ /www.dlc.ku.dk/
15-18 September: Volcanism and Volcanic Hazards in Immature Intraplate Oceanic Islands, La Palma,
Canary Islands, Spain. Information: W.J. McGuire, Dept. of Geological Sciences, University
College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. Internet: w .mcguire@ucl.ac.uk
28 September-2 October: Sth International Congress of the Brazilian Geophysical Society, sao Paulo,Brazil. Symposia: Igneous Provinces; Geophysics and Geology of Continental Margins. Field
Trip: Basaltic Magmatism in Parana Basin. Information: Y.R. Marangoni, Meeting Planejamentoe Organiza~ao de Eventos, Caixa Posta119232, CEP 04505-970, sao Paulo, Brazil. Facsimile:
55.11.820.6818. Internet: cisbgf@iag.usp.br. WWW: http:/ /www.iag.usp.br/geofisica/
CISBGf.hbnl
20-23 October: Geological Society of America 1997 Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Information: GSA, PO Box 9140, Boulder, Colorado 80301-9140, USA. Special symposium: Hotspots
from the Top Down: What are They? Discipline and Theme Sessions: Plume Tails and Continental Lithosphere: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Snake River Plain and Other Continental
Plume Tracks; Submarine Plateaus and Hotspot Islands, Young and Old: Identification and Rolein Continental Growth; Volcanic Eruptions: From the Deep Oceans to Deep Space. Field Trips:
Bimodal Magmatism, Basaltic Volcanic Styles, and Tectonomagmatic Evolution of the Eastern
Snake River Plain, Idaho; Bimodal Basalt-Rhyolite Magmatism in the Central and Western Snake
River Plain, Idaho and Oregon. Telephone 1.303.447.2020 or 1.800.472.1988. Facsimil~:
1.303.447.0648. Internet meetings@geosociety.org. WWW: http:/ /www.geosociety.org
10-12 November: Volcanic Margins Workshop, International Lithosphere Program, Potsdam, Germany.
Information: J. Erzinger, GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Telegrafenberg A 50, 14473 Potsdam,Germany. Telephone: 49.331.288.1421. Facsimile: 49.331.288.1474. Internet ilp@gfz-potsdam.de
8-12 December: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. Information:
AGU Meetings Dept., 2000 Florida Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009, USA. Telephone
1.202.462.6900. Facsimile: 1.202.238.0566. Internet meetinginfo@kosmos.agu.org. WWW: http://www.agu.org
1998
7-8 January: Volcanic and Magmatic Studies Group (VMSG) Annual Meeting, Leicester, United Kingdom. Information: A. Kerr, Department of Geology, University of Leicester, University Road,Leicester LE17RH, UK. Internet: ack2@leicester.ac.uk. WWW: http:/ /www.le.ac.uk/geology/ack2/vmindex.hbnl
11-17 July: IAVCEI Congress, Cape Town, South Africa. Information: Secretariat, IAVCEI 1998, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, Republic of South Africa.
Facsimile: 27.21.650.3783. Internet: ivc98@geology.uct.ac.za. WWW: http:/ /www.uct.ac.za/depts I geolsci/ ivc98

The

LI P
Institute for Geophysics
The University of Texas at Austin
4412 Spicewood Springs Rd. Bldg.600
Austin, Texas 78759-8500 USA