Understanding crystal populations and their significance through the magma plumbing system DOUGAL A. JERRAM & VICTORIA M. MARTIN Department of Earth Sciences, University of Durham Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham DHI 3LE, UK (e-mail: d.a,jerram@ dur.ac.uk) Abstract: Crystals are rarely composed of a single crystal population that have grown solely from the batch of magma in which they are resident on emplacement, either by eruption or shallow intrusion. Close investigation of the majority of crystal populations reveal that they comprise up to four main components: phenocrysts, crystals co-genetic with their magmatic host; xeno- crysts, crystals wholly, or in part, foreign to the magmatic host and magma system; antecrysis, crystals which are recycled one or several times before inclusion in the host magma but have ‘an origin within the magmatic system; and microlites, which represent small co-genetic crystals which nucleate and grow rapidly on decompression and eruption. Textural analysis techniques are employed to quamtify key aspects of the crystal population, including crystal shape, crystal size distributions, spatial distribution patterns and textural modification using dihedral angles. Santorini provides a case study of an active voleanic system where a combined textural analysis study has been developed, highlighting how the crystal population is being continuously modified by a series of replenishment and mixing events. Developing textural and microgeochemical techniques provides the next stage in the interrogation of crystal populations, linking textures to isotopic heterogeneities and providing fingerprints of where crystals are sourced and re-cycled, Magmas rarely arrive at their destinations, either as eruptive products or shallow level intrusions, without a payload of crystals. In the few examples where they do, solidification—crystallization follows without the significant development of large crystals, as is seen in some sill complexes and lava sequences (e.g, Marsh 2004). It is more typical for magmas to contain large crystals entrained within the magma host on emplacement, Ieading to a variety of porphyritic textures, observed within a range of different magma compo- sitions, Further examination of these ‘crystal cargos’ commonly identifies a variety of crystal populations, which are not formed from a single genetically related crystallization event (eg. Wallace & Bergantz 2002; Tuer et al. 2003, Davidson et al. 20072), but are the product of a number of processes, such as crystal recycling, which contibute to the final crystal populations that are observed. Although recycled and assimi- lated crystals pose potential problems to standard whole-rock geochemical approaches, the infor- mation that is locked within such crystals provides a window into key aspects of the magma system such as timescales of magma recharge events, con- tamination histories, magma mixing and magma plumbing histories (c.g. Davidson et al. 20072). Thus, by using a combination of textural and micro- geochemical analysis, some of this information, and the contribution of the crystal population to the overall chemical budget of the magma, can be determined. This article aims to summarize the nature of crystal populations in voleanic and shallow mag- matic systems and the methods used to quantify their textures. For example, what are their com ponents? How are they formed? How do we begin to interrogate them to maximize the information that can be obtained from the final crystal popu- lation? Firstly, the different components of the crystal population are introduced. Then a brief summary of the various textural analysis techniques available to quantify these textures is presented, and a case study volcanic system (Santorini, Greece) is, used to highlight the benefits of a combined textural approaeh. Finally, we look forward to the emerging research into the joint application of textural and microgeochemical analysis. What makes up a crystal population? ‘Magrnatic systems are typically very complex, and involve numerous processes such as cooling, nuclea- tion and growth of crystals, magma and crystal recy- cling, decompression crystallization and storage. The resultant crystal populations that we find erupted in volcanic rocks or frozen in shallow intru- sions are therefore often far more complex than might be immediately obvious (Jerram & Davidson 2007). Thus, a detailed examination and quantifi- cation of the crystal textures can yield important insights into the geochemical and time history of the magma system. There are four main components From: ANNEN, C. & ZELLMER, G. F. (eds) Dynamics of Crustal Magma Transfer, Storage and Differentiation. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 304, 133-148 DOL: 10.1144/SP304.7 0305-8719/08/$15.00 © The Geological Society of London 2008.134 that may be part of a multiple crystal population within an igneous rock: phenocrysts, xenocrysts, antecrysts, and microlites (see Fig. 1) Phenocrysis Phenocrysts are large, often euhedral, crystals in a groundmass matrix of finer grained crystals and/ or glass, and are presumed to represent nucleation and growth from the liquid that is now represented by the groundmass or glass. Thus, we define pheno- cerysts to be crystals which crystallized directly from the magma invoived in the cusrent eruption (e.g. Gill er al. 2006), and as such, to be in both chemical and isotopic equilibrium with the melt. The term primocrysts is often used in the plutonic literacure to describe primary (euhedral) crystals which are formed carly in the textural development of cumulate rocks, and are probably a mixture of both accumulated phenocrysts and antecrysts. Xenocrysts Xenoerysts can be defined as crystals which are foreign to the magma system as a whole but have been incorporated into the magma by some physical process. Xenocrysts often have new overgrowths from the magma that they are now resident in, and may be recycled during replenishing events, result- ing in multiple additional zones. They are accidental erystals which may have a wide variety of sources and thus may not represent part of the active magma system. The variety of possible sources complicates their identification and interpretation, For example, xenocrysts which are sourced from very shallow wall rocks comprised of previous crup- tive products, or from solidified plutonic rocks from the same system, may have similar geochemical sig- natures to the current eruptive products, and will thus be difficult to detect. In such cases they are often grouped together with antecrysts (e.g. Gill er al, 2006) during classification. In contrast, xeno- erysts which are sourced from markedly different rock types such as wall rocks or basement, can be relatively easy to idemtify, Antecrysts ‘The term ‘antecrysts’ (after Wes Hildreth at the ‘Longevity and Dynamics of Rhyolitic Magma Systems’ Penrose Conference, 2001; from Gill et al, 2006; sce also Charlier et al, 2005; Davidson et al, 20072) is becoming the accepted term used to define crystals that have been ‘reincorporated’ into the final magma; they differ from xenocrysts, in that they have crystallized from progenitors of the final magma, and so are directly associated with the active magmatic system. They may have been D. A. JERRAM & V.M. MARTIN; recycled through different magma replenishment events, or stored in crystal accumulations from the magma, to be reincorporated during the final stages of eruption or emplacement. Antecrysts can therefore be used to fingerprint key stages in the evolution of the magma system as a whole, Microlites Microlites are typically less than a few hundred microns in size, and are formed during degassing of the magma on eruption (e.g. Couch et ai. 2003). Conditions at this final interval during erup- tion favour increased nucleation and rapid crystal growth, typically resulting in microlites with an aci- cular morphology, which can be quantified quite readily when in low abundance in glassy samples (c.g. Castro et al. 2003). Microlites are typically in chemical equilibrium with the melt, the rims of phenocrysts and antecrysts, and possibly the xeno- Cryst rims that are growing at the time of eruption, Mixing the components to make the final texture? Ina volcanic system it is easy to see how the differ- ent crystal components described above may be combined to arrive at a final crystal population. For example, consider an open magmatic system with a series of linked chambers; the final mixed crystal population may contain xenocrysts sca- yenged from country or wall rock, antecrysts derived from various replenishing magma batches or remobilized cumulate piles, as well as pheno- crysts and microlites that have crystallized directly from the erupted magma. Some textural modifi- cation of the xenocrysts and antecrysts may occur after incorporation into, and transport by, the host magma, but the different components are typically still readily identifiable. In contrast, when consider- ing shallow-level intrusive rocks, additional pro- cesses may significantly modify the primary composition and textures. Thus, identification of the original crystal components is often difficult and further terms are used to describe any modifi- cation. For example, cumulates essentially rep- resent accumulations of crystals which are often significantly modified in both texture and compo- sition by post-cumulus processes. The term adcu- ulate is used to reflect texturally equilibrated examples of accumulations of unzoned cumulus crystals that lack any intercumulus phases, and orthocumulate describes cumulus crystals that are typically normally zoned, and are poikilitically enclosed by new mineral phases which are nucleated from the intercumulus Tiquid. A mesocu- mulate texture is intermediate between that of anUNDERSTANDING CRYSTAL POPULATIONS 135 Phenocrysts Tacerton'] | * Phenocrysts are euhedral with clear or zoned cores + Zones may have variable major and trace element contents, but should all be in isotopic equilibrium with the mett « A late-stage reaction rim may be present if the crystal is reacting with a triggering Siam te] | recharge liquid * Residence times should relate to the growth POUT 57] | history of the last major batch of magma, bys typically years to 10s of years * Xenocrysts may have clear or reaction cores * Crystals may show no overgrowth, a simple overgrowth rim synonymous with the true phenocryst population, or have multiple ‘overgrowths indicative of crystal recycling * Residence times do not relate to the magma system * Antecrysts may have clear or reacted cores * Crystals may show no overgrowth, a simple overgrowth rim synonymous with the true phenocryst population, or have muttiple tecycled overgrowths like many xenocrysts * Overgrowths may have variable major/trace element contents as with classic zoning, but are distinguished using isotope signatures, where different recycling events are marked by isotopic variation ‘+ Residence times are related to the overall magma system, measuring the timescales. involved in crystal recycling, and the longevity of the magmatic system as a whole| * Microlites represent the rapid nucleation and growth of crystals during degassing and eruption * They should be in chemical equilibrium with, the host magma Microlites microlites * Residence times are short, and typically of the ordef of hours to days Fig. 1. The magmatic crystal cargo: key components of crystal populations in volcanic systems (see text for details). “P” indicates phenocrysts.