Miocene lamproite volcanoes in south-eastern Spain—an association of phreatomagmatic and magmatic products

A series of small Miocene (8.3–6.7 Ma) lamproite rock occurrences (as monogenetic volcanoes and/or dykes) cover a large area in southeastern Spain. These rocks are associated with extensional basins filled by Neogene deposits in the Betic and Subbetic structural units. At Cancarix (Sierra de las Cabras), Calasparra, Barqueros, Cerro de Monagrillo, Jumilla, and Vera, eruptions occurred, whereas at Fortuna, Mula and Zeneta there were only small-scale intrusions (mainly dykes). This paper describes volcanic centers at Cancarix, Calasparra and Barqueros, which show initial phreatomagmatic eruptions driven by interaction of rising lamproite magma with groundwater. Tuff ring formed during this volcanic activity. Subsequent activity consisted of dome extrusion in the vent areas of Cancarix and Calasparra and by explosive to effusive magmatic activity accompanied by extensive lava flows at Barqueros.Calasparra and Cancarix are relatively symmetric monogenetic tuff rings filled by late stage massive vertical plug, extruded as degassed crystalline high-viscosity magma along the volcanic conduit. Barqueros was initially a tuff ring, whose late stage Hawaiian-style fountaining generated spatter and clastogenic lavas that built the intra-tuff ring cone of Cabezo del Morron. Finally, extensive lava flows spread from the base of the cone toward the northern part of the edifice. Variations in the tectonic (extensional regime) and local hydrogeologic conditions (shallow aquifers) influenced the occurrence of these lamproite volcanoes. Late stage magma rise was dependent on the magmatic volatile regime, being already degassed at Calasparra and Cancarix, by showing higher viscosity (high crystallization rate) of intra-tuff ring dome extrusions, or still rich in volatiles at Barqueros, displaying lower viscosity lava fountaining and then lava flows.