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Notes: Abstract —The Italian peninsula shows high complexity of the mantle-crust system and of the Plio-Quaternary magmatism. The lithospheric thickness has remarkable lateral variations from about 110 km to about 30 km. Intermediate and deep-focus earthquakes indicate the presence of a lithospheric slab under the Aeolian-Calabrian area and at the southern end of Campania. Much less extensive intermediate-depth seismicity characterizes the Roman-Tuscany region, where the existence of a relic slab has been hypothesized. The deep seismicity in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea is associated with active calcalkaline to shoshonitic volcanism in the Aeolian arc. Alkaline potassic volcanism occurs in central Italy, and potassic lamproitic magmatism coexists with crustal anatectic and various types of hybrid rocks in the Tuscany area.¶The parallelism between changing magmatism and variation of the structure of the crust-mantle system makes central-southern Italy a key place where petrological and geophysical data can be used to work out an integrated model of the structure and composition of the upper mantle. Beneath Tuscany the upper mantle has been affected by intensive subduction-related metasomatism. This caused the formation of phlogopite-rich veins that cut through residual spinel-harzburgite and dunite. These veins, possibly partially molten, may explain the unusually soft mechanical properties that are detected just below the Moho. In the Roman Province, the upper mantle is formed by a relatively thin lid (the mantle part of the lithosphere) and by metasomatic fertile peridotite, probably connected with the upraise of an asthenospheric mantle wedge above the Apennines subduction zone. Geochemical data indicate that metasomatism, though still related to subduction, had different characteristics and age than in Tuscany. In the eastern sector of the Aeolian arc and in the Neapolitan area, the upper mantle appears to be distinct from the Roman and Tuscany areas and is probably formed by fertile peridotite contaminated by the presently active subduction of the Ionian Sea floor.¶The overall picture is that of a mosaic of various mantle domains that have undergone different evolutionary history in terms of both metasomatism and pre-metasomatic events. The coexistence side by side of these sectors is a key factor that has to be considered by models of the geodynamic evolution of the Central Mediterranean area.

Notes: Abstract Major, trace element and Sr-isotope compositions are reported for a suite of lavas coming from the area of Commenda in the SE Vulsinian district. The analyzed samples have all low silica contents and variable but generally high CaO, MgO and FeOt. Based on K2O% and K2O/Na2O ratio, the rocks from Commenda can be classified as belonging to the Potassic Series (KS) and the High-potassium Series (HKS). The HKS rocks appear to have derived by cristal/liquid fractionation from the most mafic types with separation of olivine and clinopyroxene and then of clinopyroxene + leucite. The most primitive HKS rocks have aphyric texture and high Mg-values, Cr and Ni contents which are close or within the range of values of magmas formed by partial melting of periodititic mantle sources. The KS rocks have lower incompatible element contents as the HKS rocks with similar degree of evolution. The variations of Sr-isotopic ratios of the analyzed rocks and of other Vulsinian lavas, indicate that the basic HKS Vulsinian rocks did not interact significantly with the continental crust. Instead, the KS appears to have evolved by combined crystal fractionation and assimilation processes, starting from parental magmas which had87Sr/86Sr ratio not significantly lower than that found in the less evolved rocks of the suite. The most primitive HKS rocks from Commenda have hygromagmatophile element distribution pattern characterized by high ratio of LILE/HFSE with negative anomalies of Ta and Ti, resembling closely those of other Roman mafic volcanics. The primitive geochemical characteristics of the Commenda rocks exclude that these features are the products of interaction with the crust and provide a further support to the hypothesis of a genesis within a subduction-modified mantle source.

Notes: Summary The Alpine (29 Ma) stock of Cima di Vila (CdV, Zinsnock), South Tyrol/Alto Adige, Eastern Alps consists of dominant granodiorites with a few tonalites. Late granitic and aplitic dykes cut the pluton, which also contains several microgranular mafic enclaves. Major, trace element and Sr isotopic data reported for samples of various lithologies indicate that mafic, intermediate and acidic magmas in the CdV intrusion are not all strictly comagmatic. Crustal melting of lower continental crust appears to explain better the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of granodiorites. Mingling between salic and mantle-derived mafic magmas is responsible for the genesis of tonalites, whereas granites and aplites are the products of separation of residual liquid fromin situ crystallized granodioritic magma. Studies of mafic enclaves and adjoining host rocks indicate that mafic and acidic magmas interacted extensively during the emplacement and crystallization of the granodioritic mass. This interaction produced selective enrichments of some elements (Rb, K, Ba) in the mafic magmas at the expense of the nearby acid magmas. Partial crystallization of the mafic magma and equilibration between the residual liquid and the host granodioritic magma produced a depletion of LREE contents in the enclaves. Sr isotopic data indicate that equilibrium between acidic magma and enclaves was not reached, in spite of the large chemical exchanges between mafic blobs and host granodiorites. Late stage fluids from the wall-rocks had an important role in determining Sr isotopic composition of the latest crystallized granitic and aplitic melts.

Notes: Zusammenfassung Über die generelle Bedeutung einer Vielzahl von Gängen (22–23 Ma, K/Ar-Datierung) wird diskutiert, die in einem weiten Gebiet der Betischen Zone aufgeschlossen sind. Diese Vielzahl von Gängen repräsentiert wahrscheinlich eine der ersten magmatischen Episoden innerhalb der vulkanischen neogenen Provinz, welche mit der späten tektonischen Entwicklung der Region des Alboranischen Meeres verbunden ist. Diese Gänge bieten in jedem Fall das besterhaltene magmatische Material, verglichen mit denen, die man bis jetzt kennt. Die Gesteine, die diese Gänge bilden (hypoabyssiche Aequivalente andesitischer Basalte und basaltischer Andesite), besitzen ebenso Hauptelemente wie auch Spurenelemente, die den Tholeiit-Serien der Inselbögen ähnlich sind. Ihre Flächenverteilung und Feldbeziehungen geben auch an, daß ein ausgedehnter Gürtel in der Zone von Alboran in oligo-miozänen Zeiten in Entwicklung war, bevor sich der Zusammenstoß des sogenannten Alboranblocks mit der naheliegenden Kontinentalzone im unteren-mittleren Miozän produzierte. Diese Gesteine geben das gleichzeitige Vorhandensein einer Benioff-Wadati-Zone aktiv unter der Region von Alboran an, sowohl auf Grund ihres magmatischen Aussehens wie auch auf Grund ihrer weiten Flächenverteilung, und deshalb zeigen sie auch die vorige Existenz subduktionsfähiger Lithosphäre in ihrer Nähe. Der Hauptdilatationsvektor war schon während der Intrusion der Gänge normal zur jetzigen Elongation des Alboran-Beckens gerichtet, was auch vermuten läßt, daß jenes Becken schon während des Oligozäns oder des unteren Miozäns begonnen hatte, sich tektonisch zu individualisieren. In diesem Fall könnte die durch die Gänge repräsentierte vulkanische Episode einige der Charakteristika der dem Becken unterliegenden Kruste erklären und speziell das Vorhandensein eines wichtigen Netzes von magnetischen Anomalien, das Ost-West verläuft. Die spätere Entwicklung des Vulkanismus in dieser Provinz konnte sich aus der Partialschmelzung einer vorher kontaminierten und sogar thermisch anomalen Zone des Mantels ergeben haben, verbunden mit dem Wirken von Verwerfungen und zerrenden Brüchen in einem lithosphärischen Gürtel, der sich vom Südosten der Iberischen Halbinsel bis Marokko ausbreitet.

Notes: Abstract Major elements, trace elements and 87Sr/86Sr data are reported for the Quaternary potassic alkaline rocks from the Mts. Ernici volcanic area (Southern Latium — Italy). These rocks are represented by primitive types which display high Mgv, low D.I., variable degrees of silica undersaturation and different K2O contents which allowed the distinction of a potassium series (KS) and a high potassium series (HKS). All the analyzed samples have high LIL element contents and high 87Sr/86Sr which ranges between 0.707–0.711. They also have fractionated REE patterns. The KS rocks have lower LIL element concentrations and 87Sr/86Sr ratios than the HKS rocks with a large compositional gap between the two series. Minor but still significant isotopic and trace element variations are also observed within both KS and HKS. The genesis cannot be completly explained either by crystal liquid fractionation, mixing or assimilation processes or by different degrees of equilibrium partial melting from a homogeneous source, thus indicating that both the KS and HKS consist of several geochemically and isotopically distinct magma types. The data suggest that the KS and HKS magmas originated by low degrees of melting of a garnet peridotite mantle heterogeneously enriched in LIL elements and radiogenic strontium, possibly accompanied by disquilibrium melting of some accessory phases. The occurrence of a geochemical anomaly within the mantle is believed to be due to fluid metasomatism probably generated by dehydration of a lithospheric slab subducted during the Late Tertiary development of the Apennine Chain.

Notes: Abstract Major, trace element and Sr isotopic compositions have been determined on 21 lava samples from Vico volcano, Roman Province, Central Italy. The rocks investigated range from leucite tephritic phonolites to leucite phonolites and trachytes. Trace element compositions are characterized by high enrichments of incompatible elements which display strong variations in rocks with a similar degree of evolution. Well-defined linear trends are observed between pairs of incompatible trace elements such as Th-Ta, Th-La, Th-Hf. A decrease of Large Ion Lithophile (LIL) elements abundance contemporaneously with the formation of a large central caldera is one of the most prominent characteristics of trace element distribution. Sr isotope ratios range from 0.71147 to 0.71037 in the pre-caldera lavas and decreases to values of 0.70974–0.70910 in the lavas erupted after the caldera collapse. Theoretical modelling of geochemical and Sr isotopic variations indicates that, while fractional crystallization was an important evolutionary process, AFC and mixing also played key roles during the evolution of Vico volcano. AFC appears to have dominated during the early stages of the volcanic history when evolved trachytes with the highest Sr isotope ratios were erupted. Mixing processes are particularly evident in volcanites emplaced during the late stages of Vico evolution. According to the model proposed, the evolution of potassic magmas emplaced in a shallow-level reservoir was dominated by crystal fractionation plus wall rock assimilation and mixing with ascending fresh mafic magma. This process generated a range of geochemical and isotopic compositions in the mafic magmas which evolved by both AFC and simple crystal liquid fractionation, producing evolved trachytes and phonolites with variable trace element and Sr isotopic compositions.

Notes: Abstract Granular xenoliths (ejecta) from pyroclastic deposits emplaced during the latest stages of activity of the Alban Hills volcano range from ultramafic to salic. Ultramafic types consist of various proportions of olivine, spinel, clinopyroxene and phlogopite. They show low SiO2, alkalies and incompatible element abundances and very high MgO. However, Cr, Co and Sc are anomalously low, at a few ppm level. Olivine is highly magnesian (up to Fo%=96) and has rather high CaO (1% Ca) and very low Ni (around a few tens ppm) contents. These characteristics indicate a genesis of ultramafic ejecta by thermal metamorphism of a siliceous dolomitic limestone, probably with input of chemical components from potassic magma. The other xenoliths have textures and compositional characteristics which indicate that they represent either intrusive equivalents of lavas or cumulates crystallized from variably evolved ultrapotassic magmas. One sample of the former group has major element composition resembling ultrapotassic rocks with kamafugitic affinity. Some cumulitic rocks have exceedingly high abundances of Th (81–84 ppm) and light rare-earth elements (LREE) (La+Ce=421–498 ppm) and extreme REE fractionation (La/Yb=288–1393), not justified by their modal mineralogy which is dominated by sanidine, leucite and nepheline. Finegrained phases are dispersed through the fractures and within the interstices of the main minerals. Semiquantitative EDS analyses show that Th and LREE occur at concentration levels of several tens of percent in these phases, indicating that their presence is responsible for the high concentration of incompatible trace elements in the whole rocks. The interstitial position of these phases and their association with fluorite support a secondary origin by deposition from fluorine-rich fluids separated from a highly evolved potassic liquid. The Nd isotopic ratios of the cjecta range from 0.51182 to 0.51217. 87Sr/86Sr ratios range from 0.70900 to 0.71036. With the exception of one sample, these values are lower than those of the outcropping lavas, which cluster around 0.7105±3. This indicates either the occurrence of several isotopically distinct potassic magmas or a variable interaction between magmas and wall rocks. However, this latter hypothesis requires selective assimilation of host rocks in order to explain isotopic and geochemical characteristics of lavas and xenoliths. The new data indicate that the evolutionary processes in the potassic magmas of the Alban Hills were much more complex than envisaged by previous studies. Interaction of magmas with wall rocks may be an important process during magmatic evolution. Element migration by gaseous transfer, often invoked but rarely constrained by sound data, is shown to have occurred during the latest stages of magmatic evolution. Such a process was able to produce selective enrichment of Th, U, LREE and, to a minor degree, Ta and Hf in the wall rocks of potassic magma chamber. Finally, the occurrence of xenoliths with kamafugitic composition points to the existence of this type of ultrapotassic magma at the Alban Hills.