Magmatism associated with Cascade segmentation and Basin and Range extention, northeastern California-south-central Oregon.

Abstract

Field, petrographic, chronologic and geochemical characteristics of lavas from the eastern Cascade-northwestern Basin and Range boundary region show a distinct relation between tectonism and magmatism. This area lies approximately 50 kilometers northeast of the Medicine Lake Highlands along the extension of a proposed segment boundary zone. Lavas from this region span an age range from 2.0-7.4 Ma and a compositional range from tholeiitic basalt to calc-alkaline basaltic andesite. The basaltic end-member is an incompatible element depleted, high Mghigh-alumina olivine tholeiite HAOT. HAOT flows appear to be fissure fed and are commonly cut by N-S and N40 degrees -55 degrees W trending faults. The calc-alkaline basaltic andesites CABA exhibit high concentrations of Al sub 2 O sub 3 and incompatible elements, and lower Mg. These evolved lavas are erupted from individual vents that typically align along a N50 degrees E trend, similar to the trend of the proposed segment boundary zone in this region. A petrogenetic model calling on combined AFC+ magma reinjection suggests that the CABA lavas formed from a high magnesium andesitic primary melt in a crustal magma chamber that was being replenished by HAOT composition magma. Combined with the observed field relationships, this model suggests that the impingement of Basin and Range tectonic and magmatic processes on a Cascade segment boundary zone allows for the interaction of calc-alkaline and tholeiitic magmas to produce the observed spatial and temporal association of CABA and HAOT lavas. This magma interaction appears to be controlled by the overlapping structural trends at depth and near the surface.

29 samples from this reference