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Processes and timescales of magmas: U-series, 40Ar/39Ar chronology, and ternary feldspars, for the Quaternary Suswa volcano, Central Kenya Peralkaline Province, East African Rift
  • Elizabeth Anthony
Elizabeth Anthony
The University of Texas at El Paso

Corresponding Author:eanthony@utep.edu

Author Profile

Abstract

Processes and timescales of magmas: U-series, 40Ar/39Ar chronology, and ternary feldspars, for the Quaternary Suswa volcano, Central Kenya Peralkaline Province, East African Rift Vanessa V. Espejel-García a, Elizabeth Y. Anthony b, Peter A. Omenda c, Alan L. Deino d, John C. White e a Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Circuito No. 1, Campus Universitario 2, C.P. 31125, Chihuahua, Chih., México. b University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA c Scientific and Engineering Power Consultants, P.0. Box 38991, Nairobi, Kenya d Berkeley Geochronology Center, Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA, 94709, USA. e Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY 40475, USA Corresponding author. Vanessa V. Espejel-García, vespejel@uach.mx, Tel. (52) 614 221 7549. ORCID a 0000-0002-0486-8726 b 0000-0001-7951-1724 c —- d 0000-0002-0099-9382 e 0000-0001-5107-6847 Suswa is a Late Pleistocene to recent volcano in the axis of the East African Rift. Early activity saw construction of a trachytic shield volcano, followed by mafic-felsic magma mixing, explosive volcanism, and caldera collapse. Recent activity includes drawn down of the magma chamber to create a second, inner caldera, a resurgent dome, and eruption of phonolites (White et al., 2012, Lithos, 152, 88-104). 40Ar/39Ar ages for the initial shield volcano are ca. 110 ka. Formation of the outer caldera occurred at ca. 46 ka, and initial post-caldera eruptions followed soon thereafter at 32.5 ka. Final eruptions are ca. 11 ka to “zero age”. 230Th/232Th confirms simultaneity of mafic eruptions in the peripheral fields and the youthfulness of the final events. The 203Th/232Th data also demonstrate that depth for initial magma generation lies below the spinel peridotite field within garnet peridotite. Ground deformation includes deflation of 4.6 cm from 1997 to 2000 (Biggs et al., 2009) and subsequent inflation of 4.3 +/- 0.8 cm/yr from 2015 to 2020 (Albino and Biggs, 2021, G3). Alkali feldspar from pre- and most syn-caldera has a limited compositional range. Feldspars in mingled lavas include bimodal distribution of these alkali feldspar and plagioclase identical in composition to similar-age cinder cones and fissure flows adjacent to the volcano. Alkali feldspar shifts to greater An content in the post-caldera phonolite. Oscillatory and tabular textures record rapid crystal growth and turbulence in the phonolite magma chamber. However, neither the textures nor the composition range necessitate renewed addition of mafic material.