Age, distance and geochemical evolution within a monogenetic volcanic field: Analyzing patterns in the Auckland volcanic field eruption sequence

Abstract

The Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) is a young active monogenetic basaltic field, which contains ∼50 volcanoes scattered across the Auckland metropolitan area. Understanding the temporal, spatial, and chemical evolution of the AVF during the last c.a. 250 ka is crucial in order to forecast a future eruption. Recent studies have provided new age constraints and potential temporal sequences of the past eruptions within the AVF. We use this information to study how the spatial distribution of the volcanic centers evolves with time, and how the chemical composition of the erupted magmas evolves with time and space. We seek to develop a methodology which compares successive eruptions to describe the link between geochemical and spatiotemporal evolution of volcanic centers within a monogenetic volcanic field. This methodology is tested with the present day data of the AVF. The Poisson nearest neighbor analysis shows that the spatial behavior of the field has been constant overtime, with the spatial distribution of the volcanic centers fitting the Poisson model within the significance levels. The results of the meta-analysis show the existence of correlations between the chemical composition of the erupted magmas and distance, volume, and time. The apparent randomness of the spatiotemporal evolution of the volcanic centers observed at the surface is probably influenced by the activity of the source. The methodology developed in this study can be used to identify possible relationships between composition trends and volume, time and/or distance to the behavior of the source, for successive eruptions of the AVF.