Geochemical Variability and Volcanic Processes in Hawaiian Volcanism

Hawaiian volcanism is driven by a deep mantle plume that interacts with the overlying lithosphere to produce a characteristic sequence of volcanic stages and compositional trends. Geochemical variability arises from heterogeneity in the mantle source, including recycled crustal fragments, variably depleted peridotite and pyroxenite lithologies, and carbonated components. As the Pacific plate drifts northwestward, melts generated at increasing depths evolve through fractional crystallisation, melt mixing and volatile exsolution. This evolution gives rise to distinct magmatic series—from pre-shield alkaline basanites to voluminous shield-stage tholeiites and later post-shield and rejuvenated alkalic lavas. Integrating major and trace-element data with radiogenic isotopes, melt-inclusion studies and thermobarometry has refined models of magma storage, ascent pathways and eruptive dynamics. Insights into source composition and melting processes not only elucidate mantle convection and plume structure but also inform assessments of eruptive hazards and volcanic island growth worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies of submarine pre-shield volcanic glasses recovered from the flank of Kīlauea show systematic rare earth element variations that require fractional crystallisation of garnet-rich eclogite at depths exceeding 90 km. This evidence supports a deep initial magma chamber stage and highlights the role of high-pressure crystallisation in early melt differentiation. Complementary work on zircon grains within pyroxenite xenoliths from Oahu reveals rim and core ages spanning the Cretaceous to Proterozoic, indicating that subcontinental lithospheric fragments can be preserved and transported by the Hawaiian plume. These findings demonstrate long-term storage of geochemical heterogeneities in the mantle and their direct contribution to volcanic products.

Geochemical Variability and Volcanic Processes in Hawaiian Volcanism publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in geochemical variability and volcanic processes in hawaiian volcanism across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Fractional crystallisation: The process by which early-forming minerals are removed from a melt, progressively changing its composition.

Eclogite: A dense, high-pressure metamorphic rock derived from basalt, characterised by garnet and omphacitic clinopyroxene.

Peridotite: An ultramafic mantle rock composed mainly of olivine and pyroxenes, often the predominant source of basaltic magmas.

Volatile metasomatism: The alteration of mantle peridotite by melts or fluids enriched in volatiles such as CO₂ and H₂O.

Radiogenic isotopes: Isotopes produced by radioactive decay, used to trace the age, source and evolution of mantle components.

Plume‐plume interaction: A geodynamic scenario in which two mantle upwellings converge or influence each other, altering surface volcanic patterns.

References

1. An emerging plume head interacting with the Hawaiian plume tail. The Innovation (2023).
2. Fractional crystallisation of eclogite during the birth of a Hawaiian Volcano. Nature Communications (2022).
3. Old subcontinental mantle zircon below Oahu. Communications Earth & Environment (2021).
4. CO2‐Rich Rejuvenated Stage Lavas on Hawaiian Islands. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems (2022).
5. Variations in Hawaiian Plume Flux Controlled by Ancient Mantle Depletion. AGU Advances (2025).