Geochemistry of picrite basalts from the Liohi Volcano

Lava vents are confined to a field of development of open fractures of a gjar type. Basalts represent initial lava flows in the structure of the Hawaiian volcanic archipelago.

Considering contents of alkali and rare-earth elements in them, the picrite basalts of the bottom could be assigned to a series of island tholeiites. They are products of high level melting of asthenospheric matter at depth about 75-80 km as a result of decompression near a deep fracture that occurred in the lithosphere and asthenosphere. Similar picrite basalts were found in the base of the youngest volcano of the Hawaiian chain the Loihi Volcano.