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Large-scale silicic alkalic magmatism associated with the Buckhorn Caldera, Trans-Pecos Texas, USA: comparison with Pantelleria, Italy

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Abstract

Three major rhyolite systems in the northeastern Davis and adjacent Barrilla Mountains include lava units that bracketed a large pantelleritic ignimbrite (Gomez Tuff) in rapid eruptions spanning 300,000 years. Extensive silicic lavas formed the shields of the Star Mountain Formation (37.2 Ma-K/Ar; 36.84 Ma 39Ar/40Ar), and the Adobe Canyon Formation (37.1 Ma-K/Ar; 36.51-39Ar/40Ar). The Gomez Tuff (36.6 Ma-K/Ar; 36.74-39Ar/40Ar) blanketed a large region around the 18×24 km diameter Buckhorn caldera, within which it ponded, forming sections up to 500 m thick. Gomez eruption was preceded by pantelleritic rhyolite domes (36.87, 36.91 Ma-39Ar/40Ar), some of which blocked movement of Star Mountain lava flows. Following collapse, the Buckhorn caldera was filled by trachyte lava. Adobe Canyon rhyolite lavas then covered much of the region. Star Mountain Formation (~220 km3) is composed of multiple flows ranging from quartz trachyte to mildly peralkalic rhyolite; three major types form a total of at least six major flows in the northeastern Davis Mountains. Adobe Canyon Formation (~125 km3) contains fewer flows, some up to 180 m thick, of chemically homogenous, mildly peralkalic comendite, extending up to 40 km. Gomez Tuff (~220 km3) may represent the largest known pantellerite. It is typically less than 100 m thick in extra-caldera sections, where it shows a pyroclastic base and top, although interiors are commonly rheomorphic, containing flow banding and ramp structures. Most sections contain one cooling unit; two sections contain a smaller, upper cooling unit. Chemically, the tuff is fairly homogeneous, but is more evolved than early pantelleritic domes. Overall, although Davis Mountains silicic units were generated through open system processes, the pantellerites appear to have evolved by processes dominated by extensive fractional crystallization from parental trachytes similar to that erupted in pre- and post-caldera lavas. Comparison with the Pantelleria volcano suggests that the most likely parental magma for the Buckhorn series is transitional basalt, similar to that erupted in minor, younger Basin and Range volcanism after about 24 Ma. Roughly contemporaneous mafic lavas associated with the Buckhorn caldera appear to have assimilated or mixed with crustal melts, and, generally, may not be regarded as mafic precursors of the Buckhorn silicic rocks, They thus form a false Daly Gap as opposed to the true basalt/trachyte Daly gap of Pantelleria.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the Department of Geology, Baylor University for support of this project, the University of Texas at Austin for access to their electron microprobe facility, and the landowners of the Davis Mountains for access to their land. We also thank Minghua Ren for analysis of a Pantelleria richterite. We thank Elizabeth Anthony and Ricardo Avanzinelli for critical reviews of the manuscript, as well as Daniel Barker for review of an earlier version. Chris Henry read and improved our ideas and supplied three analyses of Basin and Range basalts from the area. None of the reviewers are responsible for any errors that remain in the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76798-7354, USA

    Don F. Parker

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY, 40475-3102, USA

    John C. White

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  1. Don F. Parker
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Correspondence to Don F. Parker.

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Editorial responsibility: E. Christiansen

This paper constitutes part of a special issue dedicated to Bill Bonnichsen on the petrogenesis and volcanology of anorogenic rhyolites.

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Appendix

Appendix

Fig. 8
figure 8

The Davis Mountains volcanic field with major known eruptive centers (BC Buckhorn Caldera; MC El Muerto Caldera; PM Paradise Mountain Caldera; PV Paisano Volcano; BA Big Aguja Center, a major center for Star Mountain Formation (SM). Solid line with hatches encloses major outcrop of volcanic rocks; dashed lines outline approximate caldera boundaries; dashed double line indicates approximate areal extent of volcanic rocks associated with Paisano Volcano; Dashed line with single hatches indicates major outcrop of Star Mountain Formation. Cities: B Balmorhea; A Alpine; M Marfa

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Fig. 9
figure 9

Agpaitic index vs. silica plot (this report). Pantelleria silicic rocks are more strongly peralkaline than Buckhorn rocks. Star Mountain and Adobe Canyon rocks have agpaitic index close to 1.0

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Fig. 10
figure 10

Silicic NE Davis Mountains and Pantelleria rocks (this report) plotted within the classification scheme of Macdonald (1974). Pantelleria rocks extend from comenditic trachytes (CT) through pantelleritic trachytes (PT) to pantellerite; Davis Mountains rocks contain less FeO; Buckhorn silicic rocks (domes and Gomez Tuff) are pantelleritic (P); Star Mountain and Adobe Canyon rhyolites are comenditic (C); Buckhorn trachyte and some Star Mountain trachyte plot as comenditic trachyte

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Fig. 11
figure 11

Zr/Th vs. Th. Pantelleria and Buckhorn caldera rocks (trachytes, domes, Gomez Tuff) plot roughly parallel to Th axis with low negative slope (trend 1). Mafic lavas and Basin and Range basalts plot from vicinity of Pantelleria basalts (Zr/Th ~65; low Th) extending downwards to low Zr/Th values (trend 2). Sample DP60 is a unique plagioclase-biotite rhyolite (see text). Adobe Canyon Formation samples extend from high Th end of Gomez plot arc downwards towards higher Th values (trend 3). SMF samples plot within and above the space outlined by the three trends

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Fig. 12
figure 12

Zr/Nb vs. Nb. Buckhorn caldera rocks (trachytes, domes, Gomez Tuff) form a rough trend parallel to the Nb axis (trend 1) with a Zr/Nb of ~12. One Gomez analysis and one dome analysis fall well below this trend. Mafic lavas and Basin and Range basalts extend down towards low Zr/Nb (trend 2). Adobe Canyon and “other Adobe Canyon” analyses extend from Gomez values towards low Zr/Nb and high Nb values (trend 3). Star Mountain analyses again plot largely within the space enclosed by these three trends. Pantelleria analyses form a linear trend with slight positive slope at low Zr/Nb (note: Pantelleria analyses with Nb>300 not shown in order to show Buckhorn data more clearly)

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Parker, D.F., White, J.C. Large-scale silicic alkalic magmatism associated with the Buckhorn Caldera, Trans-Pecos Texas, USA: comparison with Pantelleria, Italy. Bull Volcanol 70, 403–415 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-007-0145-2

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