The magmatic feeding system of the Campi Flegrei caldera: architecture and temporal evolution

To develop a model of both the structure and evolution of the Campi Flegrei caldera (CFc) magmatic feeding system, geochronological, geochemical and Sr, Nd, Pb and B isotopic data of representative volcanic products of the past 15 ka have been combined with geophysical and melt inclusion literature data, structural setting and dynamics of the resurgent caldera. According to previous petrological data, the CFc magmatic feeding system consists of a deep reservoir, in which mantle-derived K-basaltic parental magmas differentiate to shoshonite, latite and trachyte, through combined crustal contamination and fractional crystallization processes, and shallow reservoirs where the evolved magmas further differentiate and mingle/mix before eruptions. The Sr, Nd, Pb, and B isotope data allow recognition of three distinct magmatic components. One component is believed to be residual magma from the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) caldera forming eruption. The NYT component (87Sr/86Sr of 0.70750–53, 143Nd/144Nd ratio of ca. 0.51246, 206Pb/204Pb of ca. 19.04 and δ11B of ca. –7.9‰), has been the most prevalent component over the past 15 ka being mixed, in most cases, with the other two components. One of these other components is best recognized in the Minopoli 2 magma, first erupted 10 ka ago. Minopoli 2 magma is shoshonitic in composition and is the most enriched in radiogenic Sr (87Sr/86Sr of ca. 0.70860) and unradiogenic Nd and Pb (143Nd/144Nd ratio of ca. 0.51236, 206Pb/204Pb of ca. 18.90), and is characterised by δ11B value of ca. –7.32‰. The third component is trachytic in composition and has higher 206Pb/204Pb (ca. 19.08), lower 87Sr/86Sr (ca. 0.70726) and δ11B (−9.8‰) and higher 143Nd/144Nd (ca. 0.51250), with respect to the NYT component. This third component is best recognized in the Astroni 6 magma and did not appear until ca. 4 ka. The identified isotopically distinct magmatic components were erupted in different sectors of the CFc. During both I (b14.9–9.5 ka) and II (8.6–8.2 ka) epochs of volcanic activity, magmas similar to the NYT component, and those resulting from mixing between Minopoli 2 and NYT components were erupted from vents located mostly on the marginal faults of the NYT caldera. During the III epoch (4.8–3.8 ka) magmas either similar to NYT, or resulting from mixing between Astroni 6 and NYT components were erupted from vents located along faults bordering the La Starza resurgent block and, subordinately, the NYT caldera. Moreover, magmas resulting from mixing between Minopoli 2 and NYT components were erupted from vents located along NE–SW regional faults activated during caldera resurgence. The inferred present structure of the feeding system is characterised by a deep reservoir, whose top is at about 8 km depth, that hosts shoshonitic–trachytic magmas. Remnants of the NYT magma reside at shallower depth in different sectors of the crust underlying CFc, and were sometimes intercepted by volatile-rich magmas of deep provenance during the three epochs of CFc volcanic activity.