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40Ar/39Ar dating of the eruptive history of Mount Erebus, Antarctica: summit flows, tephra, and caldera collapse

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Abstract

Eruptive activity has occurred in the summit region of Mount Erebus over the last 95 ky, and has included numerous lava flows and small explosive eruptions, at least one plinian eruption, and at least one and probably two caldera-forming events. Furnace and laser step-heating 40Ar/39Ar ages have been determined for 16 summit lava flows and three englacial tephra layers erupted from Mount Erebus. The summit region is composed of at least one or possibly two superimposed calderas that have been filled by post-caldera lava flows ranging in age from 17 ± 8 to 1 ± 5 ka. Dated pre-caldera summit flows display two age populations at 95 ± 9 to 76 ± 4 ka and 27 ± 3 to 21 ± 4 ka of samples with tephriphonolite and phonolite compositions, respectively. A caldera-collapse event occurred between 25 and 11 ka. An older caldera-collapse event is likely to have occurred between 80 and 24 ka. Two englacial tephra layers from the flanks of Mount Erebus have been dated at 71 ± 5 and 15 ± 4 ka. These layers stratigraphically bracket 14 undated tephra layers, and predate 19 undated tephra layers, indicating that small-scale explosive activity has occurred throughout the late Pleistocene and Holocene eruptive history of Mount Erebus. A distal, englacial plinian-fall tephra sample has an age of 39 ± 6 ka and may have been associated with the older of the two caldera-collapse events. A shift in magma composition from tephriphonolite to phonolite occurred at around 36 ka.

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Acknowledgements

The authors extend their thanks to Al Eschenbacher, Kurt Panter, Nelia Dunbar, and Jean Wardell who provided assistance in the field. The National Science Foundation contractor, Antarctic Support Associates, provided invaluable field support. Petroleum Helicopters Inc. and US Navy VXE-6 Antarctic Support Squadron provided wonderful helicopter support. Lisa Peters and Matt Heizler made useful suggestions and assisted during laboratory analysis. Willie Scott and Lisa Faust provided useful comments on the text and figures, respectively. This work was supported through grants OPP-9419267, OPP-9814921, and OPP-0229305 from the Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation. Insightful and constructive reviews by Al Deino and Bill Hart helped improve the final manuscript.

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  1. Christopher J. Harpel

    Present address: US Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1300 SE Cardinal Court, Building 10, Suite 100, Vancouver, WA, 98683, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environmental Science, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, 87801, USA

    Christopher J. Harpel & Philip R. Kyle

  2. New Mexico Geochronology Research Laboratory, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Socorro, NM, 87801, USA

    Richard P. Esser & William C. McIntosh

  3. Nevada Pacific Gold (US) Inc., P.O. Box 548, Elko, NV, 89803, USA

    David A. Caldwell

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  1. Christopher J. Harpel
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Correspondence to Philip R. Kyle.

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Editorial responsibility: Julie Donnelly-Nolan

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Harpel, C.J., Kyle, P.R., Esser, R.P. et al. 40Ar/39Ar dating of the eruptive history of Mount Erebus, Antarctica: summit flows, tephra, and caldera collapse. Bull Volcanol 66, 687–702 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-004-0349-7

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