Abstract
Deep sea pillow basalts dredged from the ocean floor show that vesicularity changes with composition as well as with depth. Alkalic basalts are more vesicular than tholeiitic basalts erupted at the same depth. The vesicularity data, when related to experimentally determined solubility of water in basalt, indicate that K-poor oceanic tholeiites originally contained about 0.25 percent water, Hawaiian tholeiites of intermediate K-content, about 0.5 percent water, and alkali-rich basalts, about 0.9 percent water. Analyses of fresh basalt pillows show a systematic increase of H2O+ as the rocks become more alkalic. K-poor oceanic tholeiites contain 0.06–0.42 percent H2O+, Hawaiian tholeiites, 0.31–0.60 percent H2O+, and alkali rich basalts 0.49–0.98 percent H2O+. The contents of K2O, P2O5, F, and Cl increase directly with an increase in H2O+ content such that at 1.0 weight percent H2O+, K2O is 1.58 percent, P2O5 is 0.55 percent, F is 0.07 percent, and Cl is 0.1 percent. The measured weight percent of deuterium on the rim of one Hawaiian pillow is −6.0 (relative to SMOW); this value, which is similar to other indications of magmatic water, suggests that no appreciable sea water was absorbed by the pillow during or subsequent to eruption on the ocean floor.
Concentrations of volatile constituents in the alkali basalt melts relative to tholeiitic melts can be explained by varying degrees of partial melting of mantle material or by fractional crystallization of a magma batch.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Arnason, B., Sigurgeirsson, T.: Deuterium content of water vapour and hydrogen in volcanic gas at Surtsey, Iceland. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 32, 807–813 (1968).
Dalrymple, G. B., Moore, J. G.: Argon-40: Excess in submarine pillow basalts from Kilauea volcano, Hawaii. Science 161, 1132–1135 (1968).
Engel, A. E. J., Engel, C. G., Havens, R. G.: Chemical characteristics of oceanic basalts and the upper mantle. Bull. Geol. Soc. Am. 76, 719–734 (1965).
Engel, C. G., Engel, A. E. J.: Volcanic rocks dredged southwest of the Hawaiian Islands. U. S. Geol. Surv. Profess. Papers 550 D, D104-D108 (1966).
Flower, M. F. J.: Phlogopite from Jan Mayen Island (North Atlantic). Earth Planet. Sci. Letters 6, 461–466 (1969).
Friedman, I.: Water and deuterium in pumice from the 1959–1960 eruption of Kilauea volcano Hawaii. U. S. Geol. Surv. Profess. Papers 575 B, B 120-B 127 (1967).
Hamilton, D. L., Burnham, C. W., Osborn, E. F.: Solubility of water and effects of oxygen fugacity and water content of crystallization in mafic magmas. J. Petrol. 5, 21–39 (1964).
Kuno, H.: Differentiation of basalt magma in Basalts, the Poldervaart treatise on rocks of basaltic composition, ed. by H. H. Hess and Arie Poldervaart, vol. 2, p. 623–688. New York: Interscience Publishers 1968.
Kushiro, I., Syono, Y., Akimoto, S.: Stability of phlogopite at high pressures and possible presence of phlogopite in the Earth's upper mantle. Earth and Planet. Sci. Letters 3, 197–203 (1967).
Macdonald, G. A., Katsura, T.: Chemical composition of Hawaiian lavas. J. Petrol. 5, No. 1, 82–133 (1964).
Mason, B.: Kaersutite from San Carlos, Arizona, with comments on the paragenesis of this mineral. Mineral. Mag. 36, No. 283, 997–1002 (1968).
Miyashiro, A., Shido, F., Ewing, M.: Diversity and origin of abyssal tholeiite from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 24° and 30° north latitude. Contr. Mineral. and Petrol. 23, 38–52 (1969).
Moore, J. G.: Petrology of deep-sea basalt near Hawaii. Am. J. Sci. 263, 40–52 (1965).
—: Rate of palagonitization of submarine basalt adjacent to Hawaii. U.S. Geol. Surv. Profess. Papers 550 D, D 163-D 171 (1966).
- Submarine basalt off the Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico. Marine Geol. (in press).
Muir, I. E., Tilley, C. E. with chemical analyses by J. H. Scoon: Basalts from the northern part of the rift zone of the Mid-Atlanic ridge. J. Petrol. 5, pt. 3, 409–434 (1964).
— — with chemical analyses by J. H. Scoon: Basalts from the northern part of the Mid-Atlantic ridge — II. The Atlantis Collections near 30° N. J. Petrol. 7, pt. 2, 193–201 (1966).
Murata, K. J.: An acid fumarolic gas from Kilauea Iki, Hawaii. U.S. Geol. Surv. Profess. Papers 537 C, The 1959–60 eruption of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, C1-C6 (1966).
Peck, D. L., Wright, T. L., Moore, J. G.: Crystallization of tholeiitic basalt in Alae lava lake, Hawaii. 29, 629–656 (1966).
Peck, L. C.: Systematic analysis of silicates. U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull 1170, 89 p. (1964).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Publication authorized by the Director, U.S. Geological Survey.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Moore, J.G. Water Content of Basalt Erupted on the ocean floor. Contr. Mineral. and Petrol. 28, 272–279 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00388949
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00388949