A giant felsic pyroclastic flow eruption in the Tarim Flood Basalt Province

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  • Wei Tian
  • Lei Wang
  • Pan, Lu
  • Mingyue Gong

We report the discovery of an accretionary lapilli-bearing tuff layer from Keping, NW Tarim Basin. There occurs a widely-spread felsic pyroclastic sequence between the Kupukuziman basalts and the Kaipaizileike basalts. The felsic pyroclastic sequence, underlain by synchronous basaltic tuff and basalt lava flows, consists of an air-fall tuff layer with occasional cross beddings, three accretionary lapilli-bearing tuff layers, an ignimbrite layer and a re-sedimented ignimbrite layer. The zircon U-Pb age of an ignimbrite from the felsic sequence is 290.9 ± 1.3 Ma (MS WD = 1.12), which determines the cessation time of the Kupukuziman basalt eruption. Based on their structural characteristics, the accretionary lapilli can be classified into three types. They have typical characteristics of ash aggregates formed in co-ignimbrite ash fall deposits, e. g., maximum grain size of accreted ash <250μm, and aspect ratio > 1.5. The stratigraphic evolution of Type II-I-III indicates an undulating strength of a pyroclastic flow that supported the formation of accretionary lapilli.

Original languageEnglish
JournalYanshi Xuebao/Acta Petrologica Sinica
Volume34
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)63-74
Number of pages12
ISSN1000-0569
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Externally publishedYes

    Research areas

  • Accretionary lapilli, Felsic pyroclastic flow, Ignimbrite, Tarim Flood Basalt, Zircon U-Pb age

ID: 251602742