Alkaline Rocks and Carbonatites of the World

Setup during HiTech AlkCarb: an online database of alkaline rock and carbonatite occurrences

Zuni-Bandera Volcanic Field

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Occurrence number: 
174-00-155
Country: 
United States
Region: 
New Mexico
Location: 
Longitude: -107.96, Latitude: 34.85
Carbonatite: 
No

The Zuni-Bandera Volcanic Field, west central New Mexico is a Quaternary aged volcanic field located in the transition zone between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range. The field consists of a sequence of tholeiite and alkali basalt lava flows, spatter ramparts, scoria cones, shields, maars, and collapse pits erupting through Proterozoic continental crust. Basalts analysed in the area classify as basanite, trachybasalt/hawaiite, basalt, and basaltic andesite. Rocks belonging to the tholeiitic series are believed to be sourced from spinel-facies mantle whereas the alkaline series rocks were sourced from garnet-facies mantle. Geochemical data including whole rock major and trace element, Sr-Nd isotopic can be found in Menzies and Kyle (1991) and Peters et al. (2008).

Age: 
1.38 Ma – 1000 AD for flows studied in Menzies and Kyle (1991) “Pleistocene and Holocene”
References: 

MAXWELL, C., 1986. Geological map of El Malpais lava field and surrounding areas, Cibola. United States Geological Survey Publication. MENZIES, M.A., KYLE, P.R., 1991. Enriched and Depleted Source Compositions for Tholeiitic and Alkaline Lavas from Zuni-Bandera, New Mexico: Inferences About Intraplate Processes and Stratified Lithosphere. Journal of Geophysical Research 96 pp 13,645-13,671. PETERS, T.J., MENZIES, M., THIRLWALL, M, KYLE, P.R., 2008. Zuni-Bandera volcanism, Rio Grande, USA – Melt formation in garnet- and spinel-facies mantle straddling the asthenosphere-lithosphere boundary. Lithos 102 pp 295-315

Fig 1. Gelogical map of lava flows in the ZBVF (Maxwell, 1986)
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith