Chapter 16.

Island Arc Magmatism

Ocean-ocean Island Arc (IA); Ocean-continent Continental Arc

Active Continental Margin (ACM)

Figure 16-1. Principal subduction zones associated with orogenic volcanism and plutonism. Triangles are on the overriding plate.
PBS = Papuan-Bismarck-Solomon-New Hebrides arc. After Wilson (1989) Igneous Petrogenesis, Allen Unwin/Kluwer.

Characterisitcs of Island Arc Magmatism

Activity along arcuate volcanic island chains along
subduction zones w/deep oceanic trench on oceanic
side

Distinctly different from basaltic provinces

Composition more diverse and silica-rich

Dominated by andesites

Basalt generally occurs in subordinate quantities

More explosive than the quiescent basalts

Strato-volcanoes are the most common volcanic landform

Igneous activity related to convergent plate

situations
)

results from subduction of one plate beneath

another

The initial petrologic model:

) Oceanic crust is partially melted
) Melts rise through the overriding plate to
form volcanoes just behind the leading
plate edge
) Unlimited supply of oceanic crust to melt

Subduction Products
O

Characteristic igneous associations

Distinctive patterns of metamorphism

Orogeny and mountain belts

Island Arc Volcanics diverse suite

Island Arc Volcanics diverse suite

O

Basalt andesite rhyolite associations

) Basalts tholeiites similar to MORB -higher
Al2O3 (16 wt%) called high Al basalts
)

Andesites not primary mantle melts; derived

from fractional crystallization of more primitive
parent

Dacites, rhyolites more felsic members; derived

from andesites by fractional crystallization

Boninites rare, Mg-rich, opx-bearing rocks; may

be primitive andesites derived by direct melting

Structure of an Island Arc

Benioff Zone
earthquake foci
describe inclined zone
(subduction zone)
which projects as deep
as 700 km
Site of convergence
marked by trench

Figure 16-2. Schematic cross section through a typical island arc after Gill
(1981), Orogenic Andesites and Plate Tectonics. Springer-Verlag. HFU= heat
flow unit (4.2 x 10-6 joules/cm2/sec)

Forearc contains
volcanic and
sedimentary rocks
derived by weathering
of arc

Trench and forearc show

anomalously low heat
flow.
Volcanic arc and backarc
show unusually high heat
flow.

Accretionary prism uppermost sediments and seafloor brought into

trench; scraped off and accreted to inner wall of trench
Volcanic arc behind forearc and parallel to trench; distance between
trench and arc correlates to dip angle of subducting slab
Back arc basin behind volcanic arc; underlain by basaltic oceanic
crust; may contain secondary spreading ridge; extensional tectonics

Volcanic Rocks of Island Arcs

O
O

Complex tectonic situation and broad spectrum

High proportion of basaltic andesite and andesite
)

Most andesites occur in subduction zone settings

Table 16-1. Relative Proportions of Quaternary Volcanic

Island Arc Rock Types
Locality
Talasea, Papua
Little Sitkin, Aleutians
Mt. Misery, Antilles (lavas)
Ave. Antilles
Ave. Japan (lava, ash falls)

B
9
0
17
17
14

A
55
4
49

B-A
23
78
22
42
85

D
9
18
12
39
2

After Gill (1981, Table 4.4) B = basalt B-A = basaltic andesite

A = andesite, D = dacite,

R = rhyolite

R
4
0
0
2
0

Major Elements and Magma Series

O
O
O

Tholeiitic (MORB, OIT)

Alkaline (OIA)
Calc-Alkaline (restricted to subduction
zone)
)

Fractionation trend that characterizes magmatic and

volcanic arcs at convergent plate boundaries
Produces increase in alkali content w/o significant
increase in Fe:Mg ratio

Sub-series of Calc-Alkaline

K2O is an important discriminator 3 sub-series

)

Low-K, Medium-K, and High- K

Figure 16-4. The three

andesite series of Gill (1981)
Orogenic Andesites and Plate
Tectonics. Springer-Verlag.
Contours represent the
concentration of 2500 analyses
of andesites stored in the large
data file RKOC76 (Carnegie
Institute of Washington).

Sub-series of Calc-Alkaline Magmas

Low-K series dominated by basalts and basaltic
andesites
Represents initial stages of mantle melting beneath an
island arc and fractionation of initial melts
Very primitive basalt magmas
Typical of young, immature and smaller arcs
Low alkalis and SiO2
High-K series dominated by andesite and dacite
Typical of late-stage magmatic activity in larger, older
more mature arcs like Japan

Figure 16-6. b. AFM diagram distinguishing tholeiitic and calc-alkaline series. Arrows
represent differentiation trends within a series.

Figure 16-8. K2O-SiO2 diagram of nearly 700 analyses for Quaternary island
arc volcanics from the Sunda-Banda arc. From Wheller et al. (1987) J. Volcan. Geotherm. Res., 32, 137160.

Other Trends
O

Spatial
)

Low-K tholeiite near trench calc-alkaline

alkaline as depth to seismic zone increases

Temporal
)

Early to later calc-alkaline to latest alkaline is

common

Trace Elements
O

REEs
)
)

Slope within series is similar

(+) slope of low-K
depleted mantle source
V Some even more depleted
than MORB
Others have more normal
slopes
Heterogeneous mantle
sources

Figure 16-10. REE diagrams for some representative Low-K

(tholeiitic), Medium-K (calc-alkaline), and High-K basaltic
andesites and andesites. An N-MORB is included for reference
(from Sun and McDonough, 1989). After Gill (1981) Orogenic
Andesites and Plate Tectonics. Springer-Verlag.

Isotopes
O

New Britain, Marianas, Aleutians, and South Sandwich volcanics

plot within a surprisingly limited range of depleted mantle

Figure 16-12. Nd-Sr

isotopic variation in some
island arc volcanics.
MORB and mantle array
from Figures 13-11 and
10-15. After Wilson
(1989), Arculus and
Powell (1986), Gill
(1981), and McCulloch et
al. (1994). Atlantic
sediment data from
White et al. (1985).

Cosmogenic Isotopes
10Be

created by cosmic rays + oxygen and nitrogen in upper

atmosphere
) Earth by precipitation and readily incorporated into clayrich oceanic sediments
)

Half-life of only 1.5 Ma. After about 10 Ma, 10Be is no

longer detectable

10
)

Be/9Be averages about 5000 x 10-11 in the uppermost

oceanic sediments

In mantle-derived MORB and OIB magmas, and continental

crust, 10Be is below detection limits (<1 x 106 atom/g) and
10Be/9Be is <5 x 10-14

B is a stable element
) Very brief residence time deep in subduction zones
)

B in recent sediments is high (50-150 ppm), but has a greater

affinity for altered oceanic crust (10-300 ppm)

In MORB and OIB it rarely exceeds 2-3 ppm

10Be/Be
total

vs. B/Betotal diagram (Betotal 9Be since 10Be is so rare)

Figure 16-14. 10Be/Be(total) vs. B/Be for six arcs. After Morris (1989) Carnegie Inst. of Washington Yearb., 88, 111-123.

Petrogenesis of Island Arc Magmas

Main variables affecting isotherms in subduction zone systems are:
1) the rate of subduction
2) the age of the subduction zone
3) the age of the subducting slab
4) the extent to which the subducting slab induces flow in the mantle
wedge
Other factors are now thought to play only a minor role:
)dip of the slab
)frictional heating
)endothermic metamorphic reactions
)metamorphic fluid flow

Typical thermal model for a subduction zone

O

Isotherms will be higher (i.e., system hotter) if

a) the convergence rate is slower
b) the subducted slab is young and near the ridge (warmer)
c) the arc is young (<50-100 Ma)

yellow curves
= mantle flow

Figure 16-15. Cross section of a

subduction zone showing
isotherms (red-after Furukawa,
1993, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 83098319) and mantle flow lines
(yellow- after Tatsumi and
Eggins, 1995, Subduction Zone
Magmatism. Blackwell. Oxford).

The principal source components island arc magmas

1. Crustal portion of the subducted slab:
Altered oceanic crust (hydrated by circulating seawater, and
metamorphosed in large part to greenschist facies)
Subducted oceanic and forearc sediments
Seawater trapped in pore spaces

Figure 16-15. Cross section of a

subduction zone showing
isotherms (red-after Furukawa,
1993, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 83098319) and mantle flow lines
(yellow- after Tatsumi and
Eggins, 1995, Subduction Zone
Magmatism. Blackwell. Oxford).

The principal source components island arc magmas

2. Mantle wedge between the slab and the arc crust
3. Arc crust
4. Lithospheric mantle of the subducting plate
5. Asthenosphere beneath the slab

Figure 16-15. Cross section of a

subduction zone showing
isotherms (red-after Furukawa,
1993, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 83098319) and mantle flow lines
(yellow- after Tatsumi and
Eggins, 1995, Subduction Zone
Magmatism. Blackwell. Oxford).

O
O

Only subducted crust (1) and mantle wedge (2) possible

Trace element and isotopic data suggest that both contribute
to arc magmatism
) Incompatible element ratios of arc magmas show water
plays a significant role in arc magmatism

Incompatible trace element data indicates the

importance of slab-derived water and a MORBlike mantle wedge source
Most geologists favor a non-melted slab

Island Arc Petrogenesis

Figure 16-11b. A
proposed model
for subduction
zone magmatism
with particular
reference to island
arcs. Dehydration
of slab crust
causes hydration
of the mantle
(violet), which
undergoes partial
melting as
amphibole (A) and
phlogopite (B)
dehydrate. From
Tatsumi (1989), J. Geophys.
Res., 94, 4697-4707 and
Tatsumi and Eggins (1995).
Subduction Zone
Magmatism. Blackwell.
Oxford.

A multi-stage, multi-source process

O

Dehydration of the slab provides the LIL, 10Be, B, etc. enrichments +

enriched Nd, Sr, and Pb isotopic signatures
) These components, plus other dissolved silicate materials, are
transferred to the wedge in a fluid or melt phase
The mantle wedge provides the incompatible and compatible element
characteristics

The parent magma for the calc-alkaline series is a high alumina

basalt
) largely restricted to the subduction zone environment, and the
origin of which is controversial
Some high-Mg (>8 wt% MgO) high alumina basalts may be primary
More common low-Mg (< 6 wt% MgO), high-Al (>17wt% Al2O3)
basalts are the result of deeper fractional crystallization of the
primary tholeiitic magma which ponds at the base of the arc crust in
more mature arcs

Fractional crystallization takes place at a number of levels

Figure 16-11b. A
proposed model
for subduction
zone magmatism
with particular
reference to island
arcs. Dehydration
of slab crust
causes hydration
of the mantle
(violet), which
undergoes partial
melting as
amphibole (A) and
phlogopite (B)
dehydrate. From
Tatsumi (1989), J. Geophys.
Res., 94, 4697-4707 and
Tatsumi and Eggins (1995).
Subduction Zone
Magmatism. Blackwell.
Oxford.

Model for
principal
features of arc
magmatism:

1. Heating and dehydration of subducted crust and sediments

2. Rise of released fluid phase + LIL elements into overlying mantle
wedge
3. Dragging hydrous peridotite in overlying mantle wedge to great
depths where it dehydrates initiating partial melting to form olivine
tholeiite basalt w/1-2 wt % H2O

Model for
principal features
of arc magmatism:

4. Ponding of tholeiitic magma at base of arc crust to form high-Al

basalt magma by fractional crystallization. Overlying arc crust melted
forming silica-rich melts that mix w/mafic melts.
5. Differentiation of tholeiitic and calc-alkaline series at higher crustal
levels to produce broad spectrum of volcanics at surface.
6. Induced mantle flow may cause convective mantle upwelling and backarc volcanism behind the arc.