| Abstract: | Quaternary volcanic rocks of Stromboli (Italy) can be divided into older calc-alkaline and younger shoshonitic series. The SiO2 contents of the rocks range from 50% to 61% but the majority of them are basalts. The rocks show systematic variations in chemical composition which correlate with the volcanic stratigraphy, such that, at a given SiO2 content, K and other incompatible elements such as REE increase with decreasing age. In addition, the La/Yb ratio increases while the K/Rb, K/Ba, Zr/Ce and Zr/Nb ratios decrease towards the top of the volcanic pile. On the other hand, the abundances of transition elements, V, Co, Sc and Zn, like most major elements are broadly similar in comparable rocks of different ages. It is suggested that the parent magmas were derived by partial melting from upper mantle peridotite enriched in incompatible elements by fluids released from the descending oceanic lithosphere. The temporal chemical variations may probably be related to the lengths of time during which fluids were in contact with the upper mantle source. |
