Investigation of the Mid-Age (65–34 ka) Period of Taranaki Volcano, New Zealand: Indications for the Effect of Volcano Growth.

This article focuses on the magmatic evolution of Taranaki Volcano in New Zealand during three mid-age growth phases between approximately 65,000 and 34,000 years ago, emphasizing the interplay between volcanic edifice growth, sector collapse events, and magmatic processes in the mid- to upper-crustal reservoir. Through detailed geochemical and petrographic analyses of volcaniclastic mass-flow deposits, the study identifies distinct compositional trends reflecting magma mixing between dacitic melts and gabbroic-ultramafic xenoliths derived from plutonic assemblages beneath the volcano. The research demonstrates that edifice loading and unloading from sector collapses influence magma overpressure and reservoir dynamics, resulting in more evolved and compositionally scattered magmas closer to collapse events. These findings elucidate how cyclic edifice growth and collapse modulate magmatic system behavior and contribute to the long-term evolution of arc stratovolcano plumbing systems.