Geology topics

C.M. Johnson

Publications and source records attributed to C.M. Johnson.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2012

Oligocene basaltic volcanism of the northern Rio Grande Rift: San Luis Hills, Colorado

The inception of the Rio Grande rift in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado was accompanied by voluminous mafic volcanism preserved in part as erosional remnants on an intrarift horst within the current axial rift graben of the San Luis Valley. Oligocene (∼26 Ma) volcanic rocks of the Hinsdale Formation at San Luis Hills range from 49 to 57 wt % SiO 2 and include nepheline and hypersthene normative lavas. A mildly alkalic series consisting of trachybasalt, basaltic trachyandesite, and trachyandesite is volumetrically dominant, olivine tholeiites are subordinate, and xenocrystic trachyandesites containing abundant quartz and plagioclase xenocrysts occur only locally. Relative to the San Luis Hills olivine tholeiites which have La/Sm n ∼ 2, the more alkaline series are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREE) and have La/Sm ratios that increase in the trachybasalt-basaltic trachyandesite suite (La/Sm n ∼ 3) to xenocrystic trachyandesites that are the most LREE enriched (La/Sm n ∼ 4). Chondrite-normalized, trace element patterns for the lavas in the San Luis Hills are similar in shape within the mildly alkaline to transitional series; they have characteristic Nb and Ta depletions and high K and Th relative to Ta, Nb, and LREE. Major and trace element constraints support a petrogenetic model of fractionation plus lower crustal assimilation for petrologic suites within the San Luis Hills rocks, although the model cannot relate lavas for the entire series to a common parent. Most mafic lavas of the San Luis Hills were evolved (Mg # <60) and contaminated by LREE-enriched silicic partial melts of granulitic lower crust depleted in Rb, Th, and U. Pb isotopes are the most sensitive indicators of crustal contamination, whereas shifts in Nd and Sr isotope ratios are associated with large amounts of assimilation. However, relatively noncontaminated lavas can be identified and indicate at least two mantle source regions were involved.

Journal of Geophysical Research↗

USGS2010

Microbial production of isotopically light iron(II) in a modern chemically precipitated sediment and implications for isotopic variations in ancient rocks

The inventories and Fe isotope composition of aqueous Fe(II) and solid-phase Fe compounds were quantified in neutral-pH, chemically precipitated sediments downstream of the Iron Mountain acid mine drainage site in northern California, USA. The sediments contain high concentrations of amorphous Fe(III) oxyhydroxides [Fe(III) am ] that allow dissimilatory iron reduction (DIR) to predominate over Fe–S interactions in Fe redox transformation, as indicated by the very low abundance of Cr(II)-extractable reduced inorganic sulfur compared with dilute HCl-extractable Fe. δ 56 Fe values for bulk HCl- and HF-extractable Fe were ≈ 0. These near-zero bulk δ 56 Fe values, together with the very low abundance of dissolved Fe in the overlying water column, suggest that the pyrite Fe source had near-zero δ 56 Fe values, and that complete oxidation of Fe(II) took place prior to deposition of the Fe(III) oxide-rich sediment. Sediment core analyses and incubation experiments demonstrated the production of millimolar quantities of isotopically light (δ 56 Fe ≈ -1.5 to -0.5) aqueous Fe(II) coupled to partial reduction of Fe(III) am by DIR. Trends in the Fe isotope composition of solid-associated Fe(II) and residual Fe(III) am are consistent with experiments with synthetic Fe(III) oxides, and collectively suggest an equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation between aqueous Fe(II) and Fe(III) am of approximately -2. These Fe(III) oxide-rich sediments provide a model for early diagenetic processes that are likely to have taken place in Archean and Paleoproterozoic marine sediments that served as precursors for banded iron formations. Our results suggest pathways whereby DIR could have led to the formation of large quantities of low-δ 56 Fe minerals during BIF genesis.

California↗

USGS2008

Isotopic and trace element constraints on the petrogenesis of lavas from the Mount Adams volcanic field, Washington

Strontium, Nd, Pb, Hf, Os, and O isotope compositions for 30 Quaternary lava flows from the Mount Adams stratovolcano and its basaltic periphery in the Cascade arc, southern Washington, USA indicate a major component from intraplate mantle sources, a relatively small subduction component, and interaction with young mafic crust at depth. Major- and trace-element patterns for Mount Adams lavas are distinct from the rear-arc Simcoe volcanic field and other nearby volcanic centers in the Cascade arc such as Mount St. Helens. Radiogenic isotope (Sr, Nd, Pb, and Hf) compositions do not correlate with geochemical indicators of slab-fluids such as (Sr/P)n and Ba/Nb. Mass-balance modeling calculations, coupled with trace-element and isotopic data, indicate that although the mantle source for the calc-alkaline Adams basalts has been modified with a fluid derived from subducted sediment, the extent of modification is significantly less than what is documented in the southern Cascades. The isotopic and trace-element compositions of most Mount Adams lavas require the presence of enriched and depleted mantle sources, and based on volume-weighted chemical and isotopic compositions for Mount Adams lavas through time, an intraplate mantle source contributed the major magmatic mass of the system. Generation of basaltic andesites to dacites at Mount Adams occurred by assimilation and fractional crystallization in the lower crust, but wholesale crustal melting did not occur. Most lavas have Tb/Yb ratios that are significantly higher than those of MORB, which is consistent with partial melting of the mantle in the presence of residual garnet. 18O values for olivine phenocrysts in Mount Adams lavas are within the range of typical upper mantle peridotites, precluding involvement of upper crustal sedimentary material or accreted terrane during magma ascent. The restricted Nd and Hf isotope compositions of Mount Adams lavas indicate that these isotope systems are insensitive to crustal interaction in this juvenile arc, in stark contrast to Os isotopes, which are highly sensitive to interaction with young, mafic material in the lower crust. Springer-Verlag 2008.

Washington↗

USGS2003

New osmium isotope evidence for intracrustal recycling of crustal domains with discrete ages

New 187Os/188Os ratios of Quaternary Mount Adams volcanic rocks from the Cascade arc in southern Washington vary by >300% (187Os/188Os = 0.165-0.564) and fall into high (>0.319) and low (0.166 to 0.281) groups of 187Os/188Os ratios that are substantially more radiogenic than mantle values. These Os isotope compositions and groupings are interpreted to reflect recycling of discrete intracrustal domains with high 187Os/188Os ratios but differing ages, thus recording the process of crustal hybridization and homogenization. Os isotope compositions provide new constraints on amounts of intracrustal recycling in young subduction-zone environments that reflect the magmatic history of the arc. Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb isotope variations in this young, mafic are complex are too small to allow such constraints.

Geology↗

USGS2003

Prevalence of skeletal and eye malformations in frogs from north-central United States: estimations based on collections from randomly selected sites

Skeletal malformation rates for several frog species were determined in a set of randomly selected wetlands in the north-central USA over three consecutive years. In 1998, 62 sites yielded 389 metamorphic frogs, nine (2.3%) of which had skeletal or eye malformations. A subset of the original sites was surveyed in the following 2 yr. In 1999, 1,085 metamorphic frogs were collected from 36 sites and 17 (1.6%) had skeletal or eye malformations, while in 2000, examination of 1,131 metamorphs yielded 16 (1.4%) with skeletal or eye malformations. Hindlimb malformations predominated in all three years, but other abnormalities, involving forelimb, eye, and pelvis were also found. Northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) constituted the majority of collected metamorphs as well as most of the malformed specimens. However, malformations were also noted in mink frogs (R. septentrionalis), wood frogs (R. sylvatica), and gray tree frogs (Hyla spp.). The malformed specimens were found in clustered sites in all three years but the cluster locations were not the same in any year. The malformation rates reported here are higher than the 0.3% rate determined for metamorphic frogs collected from similar sites in Minnesota in the 1960s, and thus, appear to represent an elevation of an earlier baseline malformation rate.

Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin↗

USGS2001

The importance of survey timing in monitoring breeding seabird numbers

We conducted weekly aerial surveys of islands along the central Maine coast from April-June of 1993-1997 and used aerial photographs to determine peak nest count dates for Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) and Great Black-Backed Gulls (Larus marinus). These data also were used to determine the potential effect of survey timing on the ability to detect long-term trends in the abundance of these species. The number of cormorant nests in the study area peaked in mid-June, while Great Black-backed and Herring gulls peaked in late May and early June, respectively. Peak nesting dates generally were consistent for each island across years, but varied by up to a month between islands during a given year. A 10-year monitoring program using annual surveys conducted between 23 May and 23 June, or biennial surveys conducted from 2-17 June, would have an 80% probability of detecting annual changes of ??5% for all three species in this region. Received 1 November 2000, accepted 4 December 2000.

Waterbirds↗

USGS1990

H, O, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope geochemistry of the Latir volcanic field and cogenetic intrusions, New Mexico, and relations between evolution of a continental magmatic center and modifications of the lithosphere

Over 200 H, O, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope analyses, in addition to geologic and petrologic constraints, document the magmatic evolution of the 28.5-19 Ma Latir volcanic field and associated intrusive rocks, which includes multiple stages of crustal assimilation, magma mixing, protracted crystallization, and open- and closed-system evolution in the upper crust. In contrast to data from younger volcanic centers in northern New Mexico, relatively low and restricted primary ??18O values (+6.4 to +7.4) rule out assimilation of supracrustal rocks enriched in 18O. Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.705 to 0.708), ??18O values (-2 to-7), and 206Pb/204Pb ratios (17.5 to 18.4) of metaluminous precaldera volcanic rocks and postcaldera plutonic rocks suggest that most Latir rocks were generated by fractional crystallization of substantial volumes of mantle-derived basaltic magma that had near-chondritic Nd isotope ratios, accompanied by assimilation of crustal material in two main stages: 1) assimilation of non-radiogenic lower crust, followed by 2) assimilation of middle and upper crust by inter-mediate-composition magmas that had been contaminated during the first stage. Magmatic evolution in the upper crust peaked with eruption of the peralkaline Amalia Tuff (???26 Ma), which evolved from metaluminous parental magmas. A third stage of late, roofward assimilation of Proterozoic rocks in the Amalia Tuff magma is indicated by trends in initial 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios from 0.7057 to 0.7098 and 19.5 to 18.8, respectively, toward the top of the pre-eruptive magma chamber. Highly evolved postcaldera plutons are generally fine grained and are zoned in initial 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios, varying from 0.705 to 0.709 and 17.8 to 18.6, respectively. In contrast, the coarser-grained Cabresto Lake (???25 Ma) and Rio Hondo (???21 Ma) plutons have relatively homogeneous initial 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios of approximately 0.7053 and 17.94 and 17.55, respectively. ??18O values for all the postcaldera plutons overlap those of the precaldera rocks and Amalia Tuff, except for those for two late-stage rhyolite dikes associated with the Rio Hondo pluton that have ??18O values of-8.6 and-9.5; these dikes are the only Latir rocks which may be largely crustal melts. Chemical and isotopic data from the Latir field suggest that large fluxes of mantle-derived basaltic magma are necessary for developing and sustaining large-volume volcanic centers. Development of a detailed model suggests that 6-15 km of new crust may have been added beneath the volcanic center; such an addition may result in significant changes in the chemical and Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of the crust, although Pb isotope ratios will remain relatively unchanged. If accompanied by assimilation, crystallization of pooled basaltic magma near the MOHO may produce substantial cumulates beneath the MOHO that generate large changes in the isotopic composition of the upper mantle. The Latir field may be similar to other large-volume, long-lived intracratonal volcanic fields that fundamentally owe their origins to extensive injection of basaltic magma into the lower parts of their magmatic systems. Such fields may overlie areas of significant crustal growth and hybridization. ?? 1990 Springer-Verlag.

Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology↗

USGS1989

Geochemistry of intrusive rocks associated with the Latir volcanic field, New Mexico, and contrasts between evolution of plutonic and volcanic rocks

Plutonic rocks associated with the Latir volcanic field comprise three groups: 1) ???25 Ma high-level resurgent plutons composed of monzogranite and silicic metaluminous and peralkaline granite, 2) 23-25 Ma syenogranite, and alkali-feldspar granite intrusions emplaced along the southern caldera margin, and 3) 19-23 Ma granodiorite and granite plutons emplaced south of the caldera. Major-element compositions of both extrusive and intrusive suites in the Latir field are broadly similar; both suites include high-SiO2 rocks with low Ba and Sr, and high Rb, Nb, Th, and U contents. Moreover, both intermediateto siliciccomposition volcanic and plutonic rocks contain abundant accessory sphene and apatite, rich in rare-earth elements (REE), as well as phases in which REE's are essential components. Strong depletion in Y and REE contents, with increasing SiO2 content, in the plutonic rocks indicate a major role for accessory mineral fractionation that is not observed in volcanic rocks of equivalent composition. Considerations of the rheology of granitic magma suggest that accessory-mineral fractionation may occur primarily by filter-pressing evolved magmas from crystal-rich melts. More limited accessory-mineral crystallization and fractionation during evolution of the volcanic magmas may have resulted from markedly lower diffusivities of essential trace elements than major elements. Accessory-mineral fractionation probably becomes most significant at high crystallinities. The contrast in crystallization environments postulated for the extrusive and intrusive rocks may be common to other magmatic systems; the effects are particularly pronounced in highly evolved rocks of the Latir field. High-SiO2 peralkaline porphyry emplaced during resurgence of the Questa caldera represents non-erupted portions of the magma that produced the Amalia Tuff during caldera-forming eruption. The peralkaline porphyry continues compositional and mineralogical trends found in the tuff. Amphibole, mica, and sphene compositions suggest that the peralkaline magma evolved from metaluminous magma. Extensive feldspar fractionation occurred during evolution of the peralkaline magmas, but additional alkali and iron enrichment was likely a result of high halogen fluxes from crystallizing plutons and basaltic magmas at depth. ?? 1989 Springer-Verlag.

Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology↗

USGS1988

Origin of metaluminous and alkaline volcanic rocks of the Latir volcanic field, northern Rio Grande rift, New Mexico

Volcanic rocks of the Latir volcanic field evolved in an open system by crystal fractionation, magma mixing, and crustal assimilation. Early high-SiO2 rhyolites (28.5 Ma) fractionated from intermediate compositionmagmas that did not reach the surface. Most precaldera lavas have intermediate-compositions, from olivine basaltic-andesite (53% SiO2) to quartz latite (67% SiO2). The precaldera intermediate-composition lavas have anomalously high Ni and MgO contents and reversely zoned hornblende and augite phenocrysts, indicating mixing between primitive basalts and fractionated magmas. Isotopic data indicate that all of the intermediate-composition rocks studied contain large crustal components, although xenocrysts are found only in one unit. Inception of alkaline magmatism (alkalic dacite to high-SiO2 peralkaline rhyolite) correlates with, initiation of regional extension approximately 26 Ma ago. The Questa caldera formed 26.5 Ma ago upon eruption of the >500 km3 high-SiO2 peralkaline Amalia Tuff. Phenocryst compositions preserved in the cogenetic peralkaline granite suggest that the Amalia Tuff magma initially formed from a trace element-enriched, high-alkali metaluminous magma; isotopic data suggest that the parental magmas contain a large crustal component. Degassing of water- and halogen-rich alkali basalts may have provided sufficient volatile transport of alkalis and other elements into the overlying silicic magma chamber to drive the Amalia Tuff magma to peralkaline compositions. Trace element variations within the Amalia Tuff itself may be explained solely by 75% crystal fractionation of the observed phenocrysts. Crystal settling, however, is inconsistent with mineralogical variations in the tuff, and crystallization is thought to have occurred at a level below that tapped by the eruption. Spatially associated Miocene (15-11 Ma) lavas did not assimilate large amounts of crust or mix with primitive basaltic magmas. Both mixing and crustal assimilation processes appear to require development of relatively large magma chambers in the crust that are sustained by large basalt fluxes from the mantle. The lack of extensive crustal contamination and mixing in the Miocene lavas may be related to a decreased basalt flux or initiation of blockfaulting that prevented pooling of basaltic magma in the crust. ?? 1988 Springer-Verlag.

Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology↗

USGS1986

A paleomagnetic and stable isotope study of the pluton at Rio Hondo near Questa, New Mexico: Implications for CRM related to hydrothermal alteration

Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic data combined with stable isotope data from the middle Tertiary pluton along the Rio Hondo in northern New Mexico suggest that its magnetic remanence has both thermal (TRM) and high-temperature chemical (CRM) components. Oxygen isotope temperatures indicate that magnetite associated with the more rapidly cooled higher levels of the pluton, and with mafic inclusions and cogenetic rhyolitic dikes sampled at lower levels of exposure, ceased subsolidus recrystallization and isotopic exchange above its Curie temperature (580°C) in the presence of a magmatic fluid. Continued cooling imparted a TRM to these portions of the pluton. The more slowly cooled granodiorite at lower levels has quartz-magnetite isotopic temperatures that are below the Curie temperature of magnetite implying that its magnetization is high-temperature CRM. Sub-Curie isotopic temperatures for other granitic plutons in the western U.S.A. suggest that CRM may be commonly derived from subsolidus interactions between magnetite and magmatic fluids in plutonic rocks. A meteoric-hydrothermal system generated by the cooling Rio Hondo pluton, and not by younger adjacent intrusions, resulted in limited alteration along zones of high permeability near the southern margin of the Rio Hondo pluton, and in more prevasive alteration of the pluton to the north. The meteoric-hydrothermal alteration occurred at relatively high temperatures (> 350°C) and, with the exception of local chloritization, caused little visible alteration of the rocks. The isotopic ratios indicate that little of the magnetite could have grown from or exchanged with a meteoric-hydrothermal fluid.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗

USGS1986

The origin of fluids in the salt beds of the Delaware Basin, New Mexico and Texas

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope analyses have been made of (1) brines from several wells in the salt deposits of the Delaware Basin, (2) inclusion fluids in halite crystals from the ERDA No. 9 site, and (3) local ground waters of meteoric origin. The isotopic compositions indicate that the brines are genetically related and that they probably originated from the evaporation of paleo-ocean waters. Although highly variable in solute contents, the brines have rather uniform isotopic compositions. The stable isotope compositions of brine from the ERDA No. 6 site (826.3 m depth) and fluid inclusions from the ERDA No. 9 site are variable but remarkably regular and show that (1) mixing with old or modern meteoric waters has occurred, the extent of mixing apparently decreasing with depth, and (2) water in the ERDA No. 6 brine may have originated from the dehydration of gypsum. Alternatively, the data may reflect simple evaporation of meteoric water on a previously dry marine flat. Stable isotope compositions of all the waters analyzed indicate that there has been fairly extensive mixing with ground water throughout the area, but that no significant circulation has occurred. The conclusions bear importantly on the suitability of these salt beds and others as repositories for nuclear waste.

New Mexico, Texas↗

USGS1984

Triple junction magmatism: a geochemical study of Neogene volcanic rocks in western California

Inception of volcanism at late Oligocene to Recent centers in the eastern Coast Ranges of California (ECR suite) regularly decreases in age northward and is correlated with the northward migration of the transform-transform-trench Mendocino triple junction (MTJ). Miocene volcanism in the southern California basin (SCB suite) is spatially and temporally associated with the transform-ridge-trench Rivera triple junction (RTJ). The tholeiitic to calc-alkaline rocks in both suites were erupted through older trench melange while arc magmatism was occurring several hundred kilometers to the east. Therefore they are not related to subduction zone magmatism, but instead to interactions of the MTJ and RTJ with the continental margin. The ECR rocks, dominantly intermediate to silicic in composition, have relatively high δ 18 O values up to 11.3, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios up to 0.7055, as well as relatively high Th contents, suggesting that crustal anatexis played a dominant role in their generation. Coupled crystal fractionation and crustal assimilation by an initially basaltic magma cannot explain the high δ 18 O values and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios because greater than 95% of the basalt would need to crystallize. In contrast, the SCB rocks, dominantly mafic to intermediate in composition, have relatively low δ 18 O values down to 5.2 and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios down to 0.7025 suggesting that these rocks were derived dominantly from a mantle source. Whether crustal anatexis occurs is determined largely by the type of stress a triple junction imposes upon the continental margin. Both the MTJ and RTJ are associated with high heat flow and magma fluxes from the mantle. The transform-transform-trench MTJ is associated with locally variable mild extension to compression and therefore allows pooling of basaltic magma in the crust to initiate crustal melting. The high rates of continental extension associated with the transform-ridge-trench RTJ prevents such pooling of magma. The space created by decoupling of the subducted slab at a transform-transform-trench triple junction might promote passive upwelling of mantle material to fill it and induce melting to generate basalts. Mafic volcanic rocks of this origin may provide a unique view of the subcontinental mantle at the continental margin. 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios as low as 0.70255 for mafic volcanic rocks in the Sonoma-Tolay center associated with the MTJ contrast with high La/Sm ratios of 1.1 to 1.3 and low Zr/Nb,Hf/Ta,La/Th , and La/Ta ratios of 5.0 to 6.7, 2.6 to 3.5, 4.7 to 8.8, and 10.2 to 12.5, respectively. These data suggest that the mantle beneath parts of western California may have originally been depleted but has been enriched relatively recently. Such enrichment might have occurred by metasomatic processes associated with crustal accretion and/or juxtaposition of differing lithospheric mantle in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗