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Whole-rock chemistry, U/Th ages, and magnetite electron microprobe analyses used to establish the eruptive chronology and characteristics of the fayalite-bearing domes at Mono Craters, California

October 26, 2026

The Mono Craters in eastern California extruded one of the largest concentrations of Holocene high-silica rhyolite (greater than 75 weight percent SiO2) in the world. Explosive, tephra-producing eruptions initiated by at least 42 ka, with the most recent eruption occurring around 700 years ago (Sieh and Bursik, 1986; Marcaida and others, 2019). This data release includes (1) bulk rock major and trace-element concentrations (XRF, ICPMS) for all 30 rhyolitic domes at Mono Craters, (2) Fe-Ti oxide mineral compositions (EPMA) from eight fayalite-bearing domes, (3) paired zircon and allanite 238U-230Th isochron ages for eight fayalite-bearing domes, and (4) U-Series data from surface analyses of more than 300 individual zircon and allanite grains (SHRIMP). These data are used in the publication of Chiaro et al. (2026) to elucidate the eruptive history, magnitude, and characteristics of the fayalite-bearing domes at Mono Craters to improve our understanding of volcanic hazards in Eastern California.

Publication Year 2026
Title Whole-rock chemistry, U/Th ages, and magnetite electron microprobe analyses used to establish the eruptive chronology and characteristics of the fayalite-bearing domes at Mono Craters, California
DOI 10.5066/P1BD4Q5P
Authors Genna R Chiaro, Judith E Fierstein, Jorge A Vazquez, Andrew T Calvert, Shaul Hurwitz, Joel E Robinson
Product Type Data Release
Record Source USGS Asset Identifier Service (AIS)
USGS Organization USGS Volcano Science Center
Rights This work is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal
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