Geological architecture and history of the Antigua volcano and carbonate platform: Was there an Oligo–Miocene lull in Lesser Antilles arc magmatism?

Leny Montheil; Mélody Philippon; Jean Jacques Cornée; Marcelle BouDagher-Fadel; Douwe J.J. van Hinsbergen; Pierre Camps; Marco Maffione; Franck Audemard; Brechtje Brons; Koen J.R. van der Looij; Philippe Münch

doi:10.1130/B36465.1

Geological architecture and history of the Antigua volcano and carbonate platform: Was there an Oligo–Miocene lull in Lesser Antilles arc magmatism?

Leny Montheil^*, Mélody Philippon, Jean Jacques Cornée, Marcelle BouDagher-Fadel, Douwe J.J. van Hinsbergen, Pierre Camps, Marco Maffione, Franck Audemard, Brechtje Brons, Koen J.R. van der Looij, Philippe Münch

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Since the acceptance of plate tectonics, the presence of calc-alkaline magmatic rocks has been recognized as evidence of subduction. But under specific geodynamic circumstances, subduction may occur without generating magmas. Here, we investigate the Cenozoic northern Lesser Antilles arc where, from sparsely exposed magmatic records, Eocene–Oligocene and Pliocene magmatic flare-ups and a Miocene lull were postulated. Nevertheless, most of the arc is submarine, so it is challenging to discern lulls and flare-ups from sampling bias. We review the magmatic evidence exposed onshore in the Lesser Antilles and investigate in detail the island of Antigua, which exposes an Eocene to Miocene volcanic sequence and platform carbonate series that coincide with the postulated lull. By combining lithostratigraphic analysis, structural mapping, 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, and biostratigraphy, we refine the magmatic history of the island and date the arrest of extensive arc magmatism at 35 Ma, with minor activity until 27 Ma.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1566-1586
Number of pages	21
Journal	Bulletin of the Geological Society of America
Volume	135
Issue number	5-6
Early online date	19 Oct 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1130/B36465.1
Publication status	Published - 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We discarded our age of 18.57 ± 1.26 Ma for the andesite from the Basal Volcanic Suite (sample ANT 20.4) because it is inconsistent with the age of the rhyolitic dike that crosscuts it. We assume that this sample was fully reset during a late (post-magmatic) hydrothermal event as exemplified by the very high atmospheric contamination within. This is supported by the occurrence of various degrees of sub-greenschist hydrothermal alteration within the Basal Volcanic Suite (albitized plagioclases, chloritized orthopyroxenes, and groundmass; Gunn and Roobol, 1976), the Central Plain

Funding Information:
The authors warmly thank Arthur Iemmolo of the University of Montpellier for help with 40Ar/39Ar analyses and Fabienne Zami of the University of Antilles and Christophe Nevado of the University of Montpellier for assistance with the thin sections. Special thanks go to the National Park of Antigua and especially to Reg Murphy and Chris Waters for allowing access to special sites and accompanying the authors in the field. All the co-authors have a thought for Marcelle Boudagher-Fadel who recently passed away. Without her exceptional skills and her professionalism this work and many others within the ANR GAARAnti project could not have been realized. This work was supported by the GAARAnti project (ANR-17-31 CE-0009) and by the INSU TelluS-SYSTER grant call for 2017–2019. D.J.J. van Hinsbergen acknowledges Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Vici grant 865.17.001

Funding Information:
The authors warmly thank Arthur Iemmolo of the University of Montpellier for help with 40Ar/39Ar analyses and Fabienne Zami of the University of Antilles and Christophe Nevado of the University of Montpellier for assistance with the thin sections. Special thanks go to the National Park of Antigua and especially to Reg Murphy and Chris Waters for allowing access to special sites and accompanying the authors in the field. All the co-authors have a thought for Marcelle Boudagher-Fadel who recently passed away. Without her exceptional skills and her professionalism this work and many others within the ANR GAARAnti project could not have been realized. This work was supported by the GAARAnti project (ANR-17-31 CE-0009) and by the INSU TelluS-SYSTER grant call for 2017–2019. D.J.J. van Hinsbergen acknowledges Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Vici grant 865.17.001.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Geological Society of America

Funding

We discarded our age of 18.57 ± 1.26 Ma for the andesite from the Basal Volcanic Suite (sample ANT 20.4) because it is inconsistent with the age of the rhyolitic dike that crosscuts it. We assume that this sample was fully reset during a late (post-magmatic) hydrothermal event as exemplified by the very high atmospheric contamination within. This is supported by the occurrence of various degrees of sub-greenschist hydrothermal alteration within the Basal Volcanic Suite (albitized plagioclases, chloritized orthopyroxenes, and groundmass; Gunn and Roobol, 1976), the Central Plain The authors warmly thank Arthur Iemmolo of the University of Montpellier for help with 40Ar/39Ar analyses and Fabienne Zami of the University of Antilles and Christophe Nevado of the University of Montpellier for assistance with the thin sections. Special thanks go to the National Park of Antigua and especially to Reg Murphy and Chris Waters for allowing access to special sites and accompanying the authors in the field. All the co-authors have a thought for Marcelle Boudagher-Fadel who recently passed away. Without her exceptional skills and her professionalism this work and many others within the ANR GAARAnti project could not have been realized. This work was supported by the GAARAnti project (ANR-17-31 CE-0009) and by the INSU TelluS-SYSTER grant call for 2017–2019. D.J.J. van Hinsbergen acknowledges Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Vici grant 865.17.001 The authors warmly thank Arthur Iemmolo of the University of Montpellier for help with 40Ar/39Ar analyses and Fabienne Zami of the University of Antilles and Christophe Nevado of the University of Montpellier for assistance with the thin sections. Special thanks go to the National Park of Antigua and especially to Reg Murphy and Chris Waters for allowing access to special sites and accompanying the authors in the field. All the co-authors have a thought for Marcelle Boudagher-Fadel who recently passed away. Without her exceptional skills and her professionalism this work and many others within the ANR GAARAnti project could not have been realized. This work was supported by the GAARAnti project (ANR-17-31 CE-0009) and by the INSU TelluS-SYSTER grant call for 2017–2019. D.J.J. van Hinsbergen acknowledges Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Vici grant 865.17.001.

Funders	Funder number
GAARAnti project	ANR- 17-31 CE -0009
INSU TelluS-SYSTER grant call for 2017-2019
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)	865.17.001

Keywords

Aseismic ridge subduction
Cenozoic evolution
Central cuba
Guadeloupe archipelago
Island-arc
Kinematic reconstruction
Plate
Puerto-rico
Tectonic evolution
Upper oligocene

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10.1130/B36465.1

Geological architecture and history of the Antigua volcano and carbonate platformFinal published version, 9.21 MBLicence: Taverne

Cite this

Montheil, L., Philippon, M., Cornée, J. J., BouDagher-Fadel, M., van Hinsbergen, D. J. J., Camps, P., Maffione, M., Audemard, F., Brons, B., van der Looij, K. J. R., & Münch, P. (2023). Geological architecture and history of the Antigua volcano and carbonate platform: Was there an Oligo–Miocene lull in Lesser Antilles arc magmatism? Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 135(5-6), 1566-1586. https://doi.org/10.1130/B36465.1

@article{94f58aca360546daaba6d33a51cfaeac,

title = "Geological architecture and history of the Antigua volcano and carbonate platform: Was there an Oligo–Miocene lull in Lesser Antilles arc magmatism?",

abstract = "Since the acceptance of plate tectonics, the presence of calc-alkaline magmatic rocks has been recognized as evidence of subduction. But under specific geodynamic circumstances, subduction may occur without generating magmas. Here, we investigate the Cenozoic northern Lesser Antilles arc where, from sparsely exposed magmatic records, Eocene–Oligocene and Pliocene magmatic flare-ups and a Miocene lull were postulated. Nevertheless, most of the arc is submarine, so it is challenging to discern lulls and flare-ups from sampling bias. We review the magmatic evidence exposed onshore in the Lesser Antilles and investigate in detail the island of Antigua, which exposes an Eocene to Miocene volcanic sequence and platform carbonate series that coincide with the postulated lull. By combining lithostratigraphic analysis, structural mapping, 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, and biostratigraphy, we refine the magmatic history of the island and date the arrest of extensive arc magmatism at 35 Ma, with minor activity until 27 Ma.",

keywords = "Aseismic ridge subduction, Cenozoic evolution, Central cuba, Guadeloupe archipelago, Island-arc, Kinematic reconstruction, Plate, Puerto-rico, Tectonic evolution, Upper oligocene",

author = "Leny Montheil and M{\'e}lody Philippon and Corn{\'e}e, {Jean Jacques} and Marcelle BouDagher-Fadel and {van Hinsbergen}, {Douwe J.J.} and Pierre Camps and Marco Maffione and Franck Audemard and Brechtje Brons and {van der Looij}, {Koen J.R.} and Philippe M{\"u}nch",

note = "Funding Information: We discarded our age of 18.57 ± 1.26 Ma for the andesite from the Basal Volcanic Suite (sample ANT 20.4) because it is inconsistent with the age of the rhyolitic dike that crosscuts it. We assume that this sample was fully reset during a late (post-magmatic) hydrothermal event as exemplified by the very high atmospheric contamination within. This is supported by the occurrence of various degrees of sub-greenschist hydrothermal alteration within the Basal Volcanic Suite (albitized plagioclases, chloritized orthopyroxenes, and groundmass; Gunn and Roobol, 1976), the Central Plain Funding Information: The authors warmly thank Arthur Iemmolo of the University of Montpellier for help with 40Ar/39Ar analyses and Fabienne Zami of the University of Antilles and Christophe Nevado of the University of Montpellier for assistance with the thin sections. Special thanks go to the National Park of Antigua and especially to Reg Murphy and Chris Waters for allowing access to special sites and accompanying the authors in the field. All the co-authors have a thought for Marcelle Boudagher-Fadel who recently passed away. Without her exceptional skills and her professionalism this work and many others within the ANR GAARAnti project could not have been realized. This work was supported by the GAARAnti project (ANR-17-31 CE-0009) and by the INSU TelluS-SYSTER grant call for 2017–2019. D.J.J. van Hinsbergen acknowledges Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Vici grant 865.17.001 Funding Information: The authors warmly thank Arthur Iemmolo of the University of Montpellier for help with 40Ar/39Ar analyses and Fabienne Zami of the University of Antilles and Christophe Nevado of the University of Montpellier for assistance with the thin sections. Special thanks go to the National Park of Antigua and especially to Reg Murphy and Chris Waters for allowing access to special sites and accompanying the authors in the field. All the co-authors have a thought for Marcelle Boudagher-Fadel who recently passed away. Without her exceptional skills and her professionalism this work and many others within the ANR GAARAnti project could not have been realized. This work was supported by the GAARAnti project (ANR-17-31 CE-0009) and by the INSU TelluS-SYSTER grant call for 2017–2019. D.J.J. van Hinsbergen acknowledges Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Vici grant 865.17.001. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Geological Society of America",

year = "2023",

doi = "10.1130/B36465.1",

language = "English",

volume = "135",

pages = "1566--1586",

journal = "Bulletin of the Geological Society of America",

issn = "0016-7606",

publisher = "Geological Society of America",

number = "5-6",

}

Montheil, L, Philippon, M, Cornée, JJ, BouDagher-Fadel, M, van Hinsbergen, DJJ, Camps, P, Maffione, M, Audemard, F, Brons, B, van der Looij, KJR & Münch, P 2023, 'Geological architecture and history of the Antigua volcano and carbonate platform: Was there an Oligo–Miocene lull in Lesser Antilles arc magmatism?', Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, vol. 135, no. 5-6, pp. 1566-1586. https://doi.org/10.1130/B36465.1

Geological architecture and history of the Antigua volcano and carbonate platform: Was there an Oligo–Miocene lull in Lesser Antilles arc magmatism? / Montheil, Leny; Philippon, Mélody; Cornée, Jean Jacques et al.
In: Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, Vol. 135, No. 5-6, 2023, p. 1566-1586.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Geological architecture and history of the Antigua volcano and carbonate platform

T2 - Was there an Oligo–Miocene lull in Lesser Antilles arc magmatism?

AU - Montheil, Leny

AU - Philippon, Mélody

AU - Cornée, Jean Jacques

AU - BouDagher-Fadel, Marcelle

AU - van Hinsbergen, Douwe J.J.

AU - Camps, Pierre

AU - Maffione, Marco

AU - Audemard, Franck

AU - Brons, Brechtje

AU - van der Looij, Koen J.R.

AU - Münch, Philippe

N1 - Funding Information: We discarded our age of 18.57 ± 1.26 Ma for the andesite from the Basal Volcanic Suite (sample ANT 20.4) because it is inconsistent with the age of the rhyolitic dike that crosscuts it. We assume that this sample was fully reset during a late (post-magmatic) hydrothermal event as exemplified by the very high atmospheric contamination within. This is supported by the occurrence of various degrees of sub-greenschist hydrothermal alteration within the Basal Volcanic Suite (albitized plagioclases, chloritized orthopyroxenes, and groundmass; Gunn and Roobol, 1976), the Central Plain Funding Information: The authors warmly thank Arthur Iemmolo of the University of Montpellier for help with 40Ar/39Ar analyses and Fabienne Zami of the University of Antilles and Christophe Nevado of the University of Montpellier for assistance with the thin sections. Special thanks go to the National Park of Antigua and especially to Reg Murphy and Chris Waters for allowing access to special sites and accompanying the authors in the field. All the co-authors have a thought for Marcelle Boudagher-Fadel who recently passed away. Without her exceptional skills and her professionalism this work and many others within the ANR GAARAnti project could not have been realized. This work was supported by the GAARAnti project (ANR-17-31 CE-0009) and by the INSU TelluS-SYSTER grant call for 2017–2019. D.J.J. van Hinsbergen acknowledges Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Vici grant 865.17.001 Funding Information: The authors warmly thank Arthur Iemmolo of the University of Montpellier for help with 40Ar/39Ar analyses and Fabienne Zami of the University of Antilles and Christophe Nevado of the University of Montpellier for assistance with the thin sections. Special thanks go to the National Park of Antigua and especially to Reg Murphy and Chris Waters for allowing access to special sites and accompanying the authors in the field. All the co-authors have a thought for Marcelle Boudagher-Fadel who recently passed away. Without her exceptional skills and her professionalism this work and many others within the ANR GAARAnti project could not have been realized. This work was supported by the GAARAnti project (ANR-17-31 CE-0009) and by the INSU TelluS-SYSTER grant call for 2017–2019. D.J.J. van Hinsbergen acknowledges Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Vici grant 865.17.001. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Geological Society of America

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Since the acceptance of plate tectonics, the presence of calc-alkaline magmatic rocks has been recognized as evidence of subduction. But under specific geodynamic circumstances, subduction may occur without generating magmas. Here, we investigate the Cenozoic northern Lesser Antilles arc where, from sparsely exposed magmatic records, Eocene–Oligocene and Pliocene magmatic flare-ups and a Miocene lull were postulated. Nevertheless, most of the arc is submarine, so it is challenging to discern lulls and flare-ups from sampling bias. We review the magmatic evidence exposed onshore in the Lesser Antilles and investigate in detail the island of Antigua, which exposes an Eocene to Miocene volcanic sequence and platform carbonate series that coincide with the postulated lull. By combining lithostratigraphic analysis, structural mapping, 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, and biostratigraphy, we refine the magmatic history of the island and date the arrest of extensive arc magmatism at 35 Ma, with minor activity until 27 Ma.

AB - Since the acceptance of plate tectonics, the presence of calc-alkaline magmatic rocks has been recognized as evidence of subduction. But under specific geodynamic circumstances, subduction may occur without generating magmas. Here, we investigate the Cenozoic northern Lesser Antilles arc where, from sparsely exposed magmatic records, Eocene–Oligocene and Pliocene magmatic flare-ups and a Miocene lull were postulated. Nevertheless, most of the arc is submarine, so it is challenging to discern lulls and flare-ups from sampling bias. We review the magmatic evidence exposed onshore in the Lesser Antilles and investigate in detail the island of Antigua, which exposes an Eocene to Miocene volcanic sequence and platform carbonate series that coincide with the postulated lull. By combining lithostratigraphic analysis, structural mapping, 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, and biostratigraphy, we refine the magmatic history of the island and date the arrest of extensive arc magmatism at 35 Ma, with minor activity until 27 Ma.

KW - Aseismic ridge subduction

KW - Cenozoic evolution

KW - Central cuba

KW - Guadeloupe archipelago

KW - Island-arc

KW - Kinematic reconstruction

KW - Plate

KW - Puerto-rico

KW - Tectonic evolution

KW - Upper oligocene

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SN - 0016-7606

VL - 135

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EP - 1586

JO - Bulletin of the Geological Society of America

JF - Bulletin of the Geological Society of America

IS - 5-6

ER -

Geological architecture and history of the Antigua volcano and carbonate platform: Was there an Oligo–Miocene lull in Lesser Antilles arc magmatism?

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

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