Pure forsterite in Nyiragongo lavas: evidence for subsolidus oxidation of volcanic rocks

Type Article
Date 2022-02
Language English
Author(s) Badriyo Agama Innocent1, 3, Chazot GillesORCID2, Kamgang Pierre1
Affiliation(s) 1 : Département Des Sciences de la Terre, Faculté Des Sciences, Université de Yaoundé I, B.P. 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
2 : Laboratoire Géosciences Océan, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Université de Brest (UBO), UMR 6538, Place Copernic, 29280, Plouzané, France
3 : Observatoire Volcanologique de Goma, B.P. 484, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Source Acta Geochimica (2096-0956) (Springer Science and Business Media LLC), 2022-02 , Vol. 41 , N. 1 , P. 12-23
DOI 10.1007/s11631-021-00513-y
Keyword(s) Nyiragongo, Olivine, Forsterite, Oxidation
Abstract

Some volcanic rocks from Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo contain highly oxidized olivine crystals. These olivines crystals are made of two phases, dark olivine on backscattered electron images of pure forsterite composition and grey Mg-poor areas made of olivine and iron-rich oxides. Calculation of the initial composition confirms that they are primary olivine with late separation of two different olivine compositions. Pure forsterite is enriched in SiO2 but contains lower amounts of CaO than Fe-rich areas, in agreement with expected partitioning of these elements related to the composition of the olivine. Iron-rich oxides formed around or inside the olivine crystals during the separation process and confirm a highly oxidized environment during their evolution. We propose that this separation occurred during subsolidus recrystallization under high fO2 conditions of the olivine crystals after cooling of the volcanic rocks. It provides evidences for circulation of iron-rich fluids or gas inducing deuteritic processes occurring in the large volcanic cone of the Nyiragongo, in relation with the presence of a shallow magma chamber connected to a large and permanent lava lake

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