xviii, 177 p. : ill., maps. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This dissertation explores several important consequences of H 2 O-rich fluids in magmatic and ore-forming systems within continental arc crust.
North Sister, a stratovolcano in the Oregon High Cascades, provides a window into magma generation processes in the deep crust. Eruption of a remarkably limited basaltic andesite composition over the lifespan of this volcano may reflect last equilibration of mantle derived magma within a deep crustal hot zone. High pressure, water-undersaturated phase equilibrium experiments show that an anhydrous, augite-rich gabbro at ∼12 kbar (40 km depth) and ∼ 1175°C is the most probable lithology with which North Sister basaltic andesite with ∼3.5 wt% H 2 O last equilibrated within the deep crust before erupting.
While magma often erupts at the planets surface as at North Sister, a greater volume never reaches the surface and solidifies within the upper crust. Exsolution of magmatic fluids is an inevitable consequence of crystallization of hydrous crustal magmas. The fate of these fluids is the focus of the remainder of this dissertation.
Modeling of CO 2 and H 2 O variations during crystallization of granitic magma reveals that exsolution of a large mass of fluid occurs only after CO 2 is largely degassed, creating ideal conditions for hydrofracturing and formation of porphyry copper deposits. CO 2 and H 2 O solubility relations suggest that H 2 O-rich magma was required to produce the porphyry-Cu-Mo deposit at Butte, Montana, which may explain its distinctively deep generation. Electron microprobe analyses of Ti in quartz and Zr in rutile in samples from Butte yield porphyry magma temperatures (630-770°C) that overlap substantially with hydrothermal vein temperatures (<430-750°C). Veins display large temperature ranges (50-250°C) that signify variable degrees of cooling of hot magmatic fluids upon contact with cooler wall rock during vein growth. Modeling of Ti diffusion in quartz suggests that individual dikes and veins likely cooled over short timescales (10s-1000s years), indicating that porphyry systems may evolve by episodic magmatic fluid injections with discrete thermal spikes. Modeling of Ti diffusion in quartz combined with electron backscatter diffraction maps show that small hydrothermal quartz veins likely formed by epitaxial growth.
This dissertation includes co-authored material both previously published and in preparation for submission. / Committee in charge: A. Dana Johnston, Chairperson, Geological Sciences;
Mark Reed, Member, Geological Sciences;
Paul Wallace, Member, Geological Sciences;
Richard P. Taylor, Outside Member, Physics
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uoregon.edu/oai:scholarsbank.uoregon.edu:1794/10250 |
| Date | 06 1900 |
| Creators | Mercer, Celestine Nicole, 1979- |
| Publisher | University of Oregon |
| Source Sets | University of Oregon |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Relation | University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Geological Sciences, Ph. D., 2009; |
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