Mt. Nemrut volcano (Eastern Turkey): Temporal petrological evolution

Quaternary active Nemrut volcano is situated 12km north of the Bitlis-Zagros suture zone, southern margin of continental collision between Arabian and Anatolian plates. The latest activity of the volcano dates back to historic times. Volcanic evolution of the volcano is investigated under two main stages: Pre-caldera and post-caldera separated by paroxysmal caldera forming eruptions not older than 90ka. The majority of the products are silica oversaturated peralkaline {([Na₂O+K₂O]/Al₂O₃)>1} felsic rocks with rare transitional-to-mildly alkaline basalts and mugearites. A compositional gap (Daly Gap) between 53% and 59% SiO₂ is partly filled with benmoreitic enclaves in peralkaline rhyolites. Benmoreitic enclaves display evidence of interminglement between mafic and felsic magmas. Observed mineral assemblages represent typical peralkaline mineralogy with aenigmatite, arfvedsonite-riebeckite, aegirine, fayalite and chevkinite. Geochemical evolution trends and modelling depict that protracted crystal fractionation dominated by feldspar, clinopyroxene, olivine and Fe-Ti oxides and crustal contamination would produce peralkaline rhyolites from the actual mafic compositions taken as parents. Mineralogical and petrographical observations indicate that the magma chamber is zoned compositionally having a crystal rich density layer between mafic and felsic melts. The genesis of Nemrut peralkaline magmatism has been ascribed to the ascension of slightly subduction modified asthenospheric melts into upper crustal high level reservoirs in localized extension in Muş ramp basin.