Tectonic controls on the transition from homogeneous crystal-rich to zoned crystal-poor ignimbrites
Lu TY, He ZY, Bachmann O, Klemd R, Yan LL, Xu XS (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
Journal
Book Volume: 7
Article Number: 539
Journal Issue: 1
DOI: 10.1038/s43247-026-03523-x
Abstract
Silicic calderas exhibit cyclic magmatic progression, with some systems transitioning from homogeneous crystal-rich to subsequent zoned crystal-poor caldera-forming eruptions—yet mechanisms governing this shift remain elusive. Here we contrast two caldera-forming eruptions from the Furongshan caldera complex in Southeast China. Our integrated zircon oxygen-hafnium isotopes, trace elements and bulk-rock data revealing a distinct shift from homogeneous crystal-rich tuffs to compositionally zoned crystal-poor tuffs, accompanied by a decrease in water content and oxygen fugacity. We attribute this temporal shift to a tectonic transition from water-fluxed melting linked to slab dehydration, a hallmark of classical arc magmatism, to adiabatic decompression melting driven by asthenospheric upwelling associated with the progressively rollback subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate. Our findings reveal that large magmatic systems record plate-scale tectonic reorganization via marked shifts in magma water contents and the petrological traits of volcanic deposits.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration
China (CN)
Nanjing University
China (CN)
University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) / 北京科技大学
China (CN)
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ) / Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
Switzerland (CH)
China (CN)
Nanjing University
China (CN)
University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) / 北京科技大学
China (CN)
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ) / Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
Switzerland (CH)
How to cite
APA:
Lu, T.Y., He, Z.Y., Bachmann, O., Klemd, R., Yan, L.L., & Xu, X.S. (2026). Tectonic controls on the transition from homogeneous crystal-rich to zoned crystal-poor ignimbrites. Communications Earth & Environment, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03523-x
MLA:
Lu, Tian Yu, et al. "Tectonic controls on the transition from homogeneous crystal-rich to zoned crystal-poor ignimbrites." Communications Earth & Environment 7.1 (2026).
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