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Construction of an intraplate island volcano: The volcanic history of Heard Island

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Abstract

Heard Island is a subantarctic volcanic island in the southern Indian Ocean and includes Australia’s only active volcano, Big Ben (2813 m high, 18 km diameter). The most recent eruption of lava at Big Ben occurred in November 2020. Heard Island is the southernmost subaerial exposure of the Kerguelen Plateau, a mainly submerged large igneous province formed as a result of the activity of the Kerguelen plume over the last 130 Myrs. Using published and unpublished data and reports, modern satellite images, and private and public rock collections, we produced a new geological map of Heard Island supplemented by new 40Ar/39Ar isotopic ages. The volcanoes on Heard Island have been constructed on a ~ 300-m-thick platform of 10–5-Myr-old submarine volcaniclastic rocks known as the Drygalski Formation, now exposed above sea level. The Drygalski Formation is underlain by the Oligocene Laurens Peninsula Limestones. Exposed Big Ben lavas are dominated by basanite, basalt, and trachybasalt compositions. Two Big Ben lavas were dated at 11.1 ± 1.1 ka and 23.9 ± 2.1 ka, expanding the range of ages previously reported for nonhistorical lavas from Big Ben (356 ± 51–33 ± 52 ka). Sector collapse occurred on Big Ben prior to the formation of the current eruptive centre, Mawson Peak (likely after 23 ± 16 ka). Laurens Peninsula lies to the west of Big Ben and consists of trachyte and basanite lavas and domes. Laurens Peninsula lavas have ages in the range 5.1 ± 3.5 to 76.6 ± 5.5 ka. Young basaltic cones are located around the coast of Heard Island and range in age from 1.9 ± 3.8 to 13.3 ± 4.1 ka. Heard Island is a relatively small volcanic edifice with a low average magma discharge rate (~0.0002 km3/yr) when compared with other intraplate basaltic volcanic islands.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship (JF) and Australian Antarctic Science Program Grant 4316 (JF, JM, and RC). Graeme Wheller, Jane Barling, Doug Thost, Richard Arculus, Pete Harmsen, Joel Gajewski, Cordell Expedition team members (particularly Bob Schmieder, Fred Belton and Gavin Marshall), and the late Patrick Quilty kindly provided field data, maps, and/or photographs. Celia Mayers and Zdenka Martelli at Curtin University are thanked for their assistance with geochronology sample preparation. Maps and images were provided by the Australian Antarctic Data Centre, Australian Antarctic Division, and all relevant ownership is retained. Ian Skilling and John Smellie provided constructive comments on a previous version of the manuscript. Brian Jicha, two anonymous reviewers, and BV Editor Judy Fierstein provided thoughtful comments that improved the manuscript.

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Data are available at the Australian Antarctic Data Centre: https://data.aad.gov.au/

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This research was partly funded by the Australian Antarctic Division – Australian Antarctic Science Program Grant 4316 (JF, JM, and RC). JF was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

    Jodi M. Fox

  2. School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

    Jodi M. Fox, Jocelyn McPhie & Rebecca J. Carey

  3. Western Australian Argon Isotope Facility, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

    Fred Jourdan

  4. OSU Argon Geochronology Lab, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

    Daniel P. Miggins

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  1. Jodi M. Fox
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  2. Jocelyn McPhie
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JF collected unpublished data, collated rock samples, and completed sample preparation. JF wrote the first draft of the manuscript, figures, and tables and led completion of revisions. JM and RC advised on research design, interpretation of results, and contributed to revisions of text and figures. DM and FJ conducted geochronology analyses and contributed to the interpretation of geochronological data and revision of text and figures.

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Correspondence to Jodi M. Fox.

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Editorial responsibility: J. Fierstein

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Fox, J.M., McPhie, J., Carey, R.J. et al. Construction of an intraplate island volcano: The volcanic history of Heard Island. Bull Volcanol 83, 37 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-021-01452-5

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