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Science 14 July 1989:
Vol. 245. no. 4914, pp. 168 - 170
DOI: 10.1126/science.245.4914.168
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Articles

Temperature Measurements in Carbonatite Lava Lakes and Flows from Oldoinyo Lengai, Tanzania

MAURICE KRAFFT 1 and JÖRG KELLER 2

1 Centre Vulcain, F-6700 Cernay, France.
2 Mineralogisch-Petrographisches Institut der Universität, D-7800 Freiburg, Federal Republic of Germany.

The petrogenesis of carbonatites has important implications for mantle processes and for the magmatic evolution of mantle melts rich in carbon dioxide. Oldoinyo Lengai, Tanzania, is the only active carbonatite volcano on Earth. Its highly alkalic, sodium-rich lava, although different in composition from the more common calcium-rich carbonatites, provides the opportunity for observations of the physical characteristics of carbonatite melts. Temperature measurements on active carbonatitic lava flows and from carbonatitic lava lakes were carried out during a period of effusive activity in June 1988. Temperatures ranged from 491° to 519°C. The highest temperature, measured from a carbonatitic lava lake, was 544°C. These temperatures are several hundred degrees lower than measurements from any silicate lava. At the observed temperatures, the carbonatite melt had lower viscosities than the most fluid basaltic lavas. The unusually low magmatic temperatures were confirmed with 1-atmosphere melting experiments on natural samples.

Submitted on February 27, 1989
Accepted on April 26, 1989


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Chapter 7 The Neogene-Recent volcanic rocks.
J. B. Dawson (2008)
Geological Society, London, Memoirs 33, 39-77
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Hollow natrocarbonatite lapilli from the 1992 eruption of Oldoinyo Lengai, Tanzania.
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Journal of the Geological Society 151, 59-63
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