Petrography and geochemistry of tholeiitic basalts from Mt. Etna’s early eruptive units

Supplementary material for Master’s Thesis: Petrography and geochemistry of tholeiitic basalts from Mt. Etna’s early eruptive units by Patricia Schilcher.

Description

This repository contains the complete analytical dataset and supplementary material associated with a Master’s thesis on the early volcanic evolution of Mount Etna, Italy. The study investigates tholeiitic basalts of the Basal Tholeiitic Supersynthem (~592–332 ka) from southeastern and southwestern Etna using whole-rock geochemistry (XRF, ICP-MS), mineral chemistry (EPMA, LA-ICP-MS), and petrographic observations. Samples from Monte Maletto were included for comparison with relatively primitive products of the younger alkaline stage. The results document spatial and temporal variations in whole-rock composition, mineral chemistry, and crystallization textures, indicating that the older southeastern and younger southwestern tholeiitic basalts represent related but distinct stages of Etna’s early magmatic evolution, with local differences reflecting variable differentiation, storage and crystallization conditions, and possible open-system processes.

The repository comprises four analytical tables: Table A1 contains whole-rock XRF and ICP-MS analyses, Table A2 EPMA analyses of olivine, plagioclase, and clinopyroxene, Table A3 EPMA analyses of oxide minerals, and Table A4 LA-ICP-MS analyses of olivine, clinopyroxene, and plagioclase. Figures A1–A23 provide additional material, including X-ray element distribution maps illustrating mineral zoning and compositional variability.

Data Structure and Content

Table A1: Whole-rock major- and trace-element analyses by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
Supplementary Table A2: Major-element analyses of silicate minerals by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA).
Supplementary Table A3: Major-element analyses of oxide minerals by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA).
Supplementary Table A4: Trace-element analyses of silicate minerals by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS).
FigureAppendix: X-ray element distribution maps acquired by EPMA, together with additional figures illustrating mineral zoning and compositional variation.

Keywords: Mount Etna, tholeiitic basalt, Basal Tholeiitic Supersynthem, petrography, EPMA, LA-ICP-MS, XRF, ICP-MS, magma differentiation, mineral zoning, early volcanic evolution