Picrite basalts from the Pliocene Uegusukudake Formation in Kume-jima, Ryukyu Islands.

Abstract

Picrite basalts containing MgO up to 16 wt.% were found in the lowest part of the Pliocene Uegusukudake Formation on the north coast of Kumejima island ; in the close proximity northwest of the island lies an active back-arc basin, Okinawa Trough. The high Fo (92.2) of olivine and Cr_2O_3 (56.5%) of spinel in the picrite basalts indicate the existence of a magma with >13% MgO and >0.15% Cr_2O_3. The Kumejima picrite basalts are tholeiitic arc picrites having relatively high SiO_2 and low incompatible element abundances.They may have formed accompanying the opening of the Okinawa Trough.