The Okataina Volcanic Centre (OVC), located in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand, is a dominantly rhyolitic magmatic system in an arc setting, where eruptions are thought to be driven by mafic recharge. Here, Sr-Pb isotopes, and compositional and textural variations in plagioclase phenocrysts from ten rhyolitic deposits (two caldera, one immediately post-caldera, four intra-caldera, and three extra-caldera) are used to investigate the OVC magmatic system and identify the sources and assimilants within this diverse mush zone. Plagioclase interiors exhibit normal and reverse zoning, and are commonly in disequilibrium with their accompanying glass, melt inclusions, and whole rock compositions. This indicates that the crystals nucleated in melts that differed from their carrier magma. In contrast, the outermost rims of crystals exhibit normal zoning that is compositionally consistent with growth in cooling and fractionating melts just prior to eruption. At the intra-crystal-scale, the total suite of 87Sr/86Sr ratios are highly variable (0.7042–0.7065 ± 0.0004 average 2se), however, the majority (95%) of the crystals are internally homogeneous within error. At whole-crystal-scale (where better precision is obtained) 87Sr/86Sr ratios are much more homogeneous (0.70512–0.70543 ± 0.00001 average 2se) and overlap with their host whole rock Sr isotopic ratios. Whole-crystal Pb isotopic ratios also largely overlap with whole rock Pb ratios. The plagioclase and whole rock isotopic compositions indicate significant crustal assimilation (≥20%) of Torlesse-like metasediments (local basement rock) by a depleted mid-ocean ridge mantle magma source, and Pb isotopes require variable fluid-dominant subduction flux. The new data support previous petrogenetic models for OVC magmas that require crystal growth in compositionally and thermally distinct magmas within a complex of disconnected melt-and-mush reservoirs. These reservoirs were rejuvenated by underplating basaltic magmas that serve as an eruption trigger. However, the outermost rims of the plagioclase imply interaction between silicic melts and eruption-triggering mafic influx is largely limited to heat and volatile transfer, and results in rapid mobilization and syn-eruption mixing of rhyolitic melts. Finally, relatively uniform isotopic compositions of plagioclase indicate balanced contributions from the crust and mantle over the lifespan of the OVC magmatic system.

The northern part of the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field (central Nevada, USA) contains more than one hundred Quaternary basaltic cones and maars and related eruptive products. We focused on four informal units of different ages and locations in the field to test the compositional variability and magma ascent processes within the time span of an individual eruption and the variability between very closely spaced volcanoes with different ages. Based in whole-rock chemistry, mineral chemistry and the calculation of intrinsic properties (pressure, temperature and oxygen fugacity) we found that individual magma batches were generated in the asthenospheric mantle from a heterogeneous garnet lherzolite/olivine websterite source by ~3-5% partial melting. Each magma batch and temporary deep reservoir was a separate entity rather than part of a continuous long-lived reservoir. Magmas ascended relatively fast, stalled and crystallized in the uppermost several kilometres of the mantle near the base of the crust and also stalled at mid-crustal levels with minor or no geochemical interaction with surrounding rocks. Our data also suggest that volcanoes erupting within certain time windows have similar source characteristics and ascent processes whether they are located within a few hundred meters of each other or are separated by many kilometres.

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