Wong, K orcid.org/0000-0002-5173-0498, Ferguson, D orcid.org/0000-0003-0612-6512, Wieser, P et al. (6 more authors) (2023) Focused Mid-Crustal Magma Intrusion During Continental Break-Up in Ethiopia. Geophysical Research Letters, 50 (11). e2023GL103257. ISSN 0094-8276
Abstract
Significant volumes of magma can be intruded into the crust during continental break-up, influencing rift evolution by altering the thermo-mechanical structure of the crust and its response to extensional stresses. Rift magmas additionally feed surface volcanic activity and can be globally significant sources of tectonic CO2 emissions. Understanding how magmatism may affect rift development requires knowledge on magma intrusion depths in the crust. Here, using data from olivine-hosted melt inclusions, we investigate magma dynamics for basaltic intrusions in the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). We find evidence for a spatially focused zone of magma intrusion at the MER upper-lower crustal boundary (10–15 km depth), consistent with geophysical datasets. We propose that ascending melts in the MER are intruded over this depth range as discrete sills, likely creating a mechanically weak mid-crustal layer. Our results have important implications for how magma addition can influence crustal rheology in a maturing continental rift.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023. The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | continental rifting; rift volcanism; magma storage depths; East African Rift; melt inclusions; petrology |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Inst of Geophysics and Tectonics (IGT) (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NERC DTP NE/L002574/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 01 Jun 2023 14:04 |
Last Modified: | 12 Jun 2023 13:19 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley-Blackwell |
Identification Number: | 10.1029/2023GL103257 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:199778 |