Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 103 (2000) 367±376

www.elsevier.nl/locate/jvolgeores

The hydrothermally altered ankaramite basalts of Punta Poyata

(Tenerife, Canary Islands)
J.A. RodrõÂguez-Losada a,*, J. Martinez-Frias b, M.A. Bustillo b, A. Delgado c,
A. Hernandez-Pacheco d, J.V. de la Fuente Krauss d
a
Departamento de EdafologõÂa y GeologõÂa, Universidad de La Laguna, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
b
Departamento de GeologõÂa, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Jose Gutierrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
c
Estacion Experimental del ZaidõÂn, Prof. Albareda 1, 18008 Granada, Spain
d
Facultad de Ciencias GeoloÂgicas, Departamento de PetrologõÂa y GeoquõÂmica, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Received 23 February 1999; revised 27 December 1999; accepted 20 January 2000

Abstract
The features of hydrothermal mineral phases hosted in ankaramite basalts from the lower part of the Taganana area (northside
Anaga, Tenerife) are studied in this work. This area, known as ªArco de Tagananaº, constitutes a volcanic rift zone that is
overturned to the northwest and now identi®ed by a dense NE±SW striking dyke swarm with a distinct SE dip. The most recent
K±Ar data indicate a mid-upper Miocene age for the emplacement of the dykes. The rocks are intensely altered, usually
brecciated, and are deeply eroded. This allows us to look at the roots of a volcanic edi®ce that has almost disappeared. Basaltic
pyroclastic deposits and lava ¯ows, as well as salic breccias, associated to the emplacement of salic domes, unconformably
overly these rocks.
Mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the mineralization as well as isotopic data are reported in this paper. Some
mineral paragenesis and isotopic data re¯ect submarine conditions of alteration.
Mineralogy was studied by transmitted and re¯ected light microscopy, XRD, SEM and electron microprobe. In general
terms, the mineralization consists of major jasper (quartz and opal) and celadonite, in association with minor hematite,
magnetite, Fe ^ Ca, Mg carbonates, Kaersutite, calcite and traces of ilmenite, which is always associated with magnetite.
Four paragenetic stages were recognized in the studied area; two of them exhibit hydrothermal mineralization. q 2000 Elsevier
Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Taganana; hydrothermal; mineralization; jasper; celadonite

1. Introduction mainly because it is arcuate, concave to the north,

The Taganana area is referred to by many authors
as ªArco de Tagananaº (Carracedo, 1979; Bravo and
Hernandez-Pacheco, 1980; Ancochea et al., 1990;
HernaÂndez-Pacheco and RodrõÂguez-Losada, 1996)
* Corresponding author. Fax: 134-922-318-311.
E-mail address: jrlosada@ull.es (J.A. RodrõÂguez-Losada).
0377-0273/00/$ - see front matter q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0377-027 3(00)00231-6
with a radius ranging from 10 to 14 km (Fig. 1).
This zone was previously considered part of the
ªOld Basaltic Seriesº and speci®cally as ªthe Lower
Old Basaltic Seriesº (AranÄa et al., 1979; Ancochea et
al., 1990). It is formed by massive and brecciated
ankaramites, polylithic breccias and small intrusive
outcrops of alkali gabbroids and syenites (Rodri-
guez-Losada et al., 1993; Rodriguez-Losada and
Fig. 1. Geological map of the Taganana rift zone (modi®ed from HernaÂndez-Pacheco and RodrõÂguez-Losada, 1996) and location of the Punta Poyata area.
 J.A. RodrõÂguez-Losada et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 103 (2000) 367±376 369

Table 1
Minerals from the main associations occurring in the hydrothermalised PP area

Mineralogy Occurrence Textural types Main chemical features Abundance Stage

Jasper (quartz Veins, small fracture Massive (anhedral crystal Si/Fe ˆ 9.12 *** II±III
and opal) ®lling (sili®cation) mosaic), incipient banding,
replacement
Celadonite Host rock alteration, Replacement, massive Fe/Al ˆ 1.78, Fe/ *** II
fracture and vug ®llings aggregates Mg ˆ 3.78, Al/Mg ˆ 2.10,
Si/(Fe 1 Mg 1 Al) ˆ 2.48
Siderite (and Host rock alteration, Euhedral to anhedral crystals NA ** III
Ankerite) vug ®llings
Kaersutite Patches in magnetite Anhedral crystal aggregates Ca/Mg ˆ 2.57, Fe/Ti ˆ 4.17 * I
(MM)
Magnetite Massive aggregates, Anhedral crystal aggregates MM(Ti-rich):Fe/Ti ˆ 22.69, * I,
tiny grains in jasper MTC(Cr-rich):Fe/Cr ˆ 8.02, III,
MT:no trace elements III
Ilmenite Unmixing rods in Cleavage and segregations in Fe/Ti ˆ 1.46 T I
magnetite (MM) host magnetite boundaries
crystals
Hematite Disseminations in the Irregular aggregates NA *** III
host rock and veins
Calcite Vug ®llings Euhedral crystals NA * IV

Martinez-Frias, 1998) partially cut by a dense old
dyke swarm with compositions ranging from basaltic
to salic (HernaÂndez-Pacheco and RodrõÂguez-Losada,
1996). It was later cut by more recent basaltic and
salic dykes as well as salic domes related to the over-
lying Middle and Upper Old Series (Ancochea et al.,
1990).
The ®rst K±Ar data for the area were published by
Abdel-Monem et al. (1972), who obtained a 15.7 Ma
age for an ankaramitic basalt. This determination
differs from more recent K±Ar data by at least
10 Ma, considering data from Carracedo (1975)
(4.9 Ma), Feraud (1981) (5.8 and 3.7 Ma) and Anco-
chea et al. (1990) (5.7 and 3.6 Ma). The main problem
for an adequate age-determination in this area is that
the most relevant rocks are quite altered and therefore
not useful for K±Ar dating. The extremely dense dyke
intrusions are devoid of remnant magnetism, making
paleomagnetic methods invalid. Consequently, an
important gap of age-determinations exists. Since
these data, it seems that the rocks from the Taganana
area are of mid-upper Miocene age with an unknown
lower limit. In addition, Carracedo (1975) indicates an
age of more than 15.7 Ma for the Taganana rocks
which is in accordance with the mid-Miocene as a
minimum age limit. A geological map of the area is
shown in Fig. 1, modi®ed from HernaÂndez-Pacheco
and RodrõÂguez-Losada, 1996, where different dyke
intrusions are described. There are salic domes related
to a more recent (Pliocene) small density dyke intru-
sion. This intrusive complex contains more salic than
basaltic dykes. On the other hand, the older (Miocene)
dyke complex, referred to here as the Taganana rift
zone (TRZ), appears, in many areas, to be 100% intru-
sive with no visible host rock. This dyke complex,
contrary to the more recent one, is affected, in most
places, by deformation, brecciation and strong altera-
tion. The dykes seem to be ªghost dykesº because
they are intensely brecciated but it is still possible to
distinguish their dyke-like morphology. The host
rocks, when visible, are mainly massive and brec-
ciated ankaramites as well as other polylithic breccias
and small intrusive bodies (alkali gabbroids and
syenites). In general, the recent dykes strike ENE±
WSW with a vertical dip, while the old intrusive
complex strikes NE±SW and has a 60±708 SE dip
(HernaÂndez-Pacheco and RodrõÂguez-Losada, 1996).
These authors indicate mid Miocene growth of a
primitive Anaga edi®ce and an almost contempora-
neous intrusion of the older dyke complex. After
this period of intrusion, tensional stress produced
normal faults and one of them, probably located
370 J.A. RodrõÂguez-Losada et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 103 (2000) 367±376
offshore to the North of the actual Taganana area,
played an important role in the evolution of the primi-
tive Anaga edi®ce. After a lengthy period of erosion,
new magmatic episodes deposited the most recent
Middle and Upper Old Series, as de®ned by AranÄa
et al. (1979) and Ancochea et al. (1990).
The salic domes are distributed throughout the
Taganana area (Fig. 1) and have trachytic and phono-
litic compositions (Fuente Krauss de la, 1984).
Geochronological data indicate an early Pliocene
age for the dome intrusion (Carracedo, 1975) and
late Pliocene age for some recent salic dykes in
support of the assumed relations between salic
domes and recent dykes from the overlying Middle
and Upper Old Series.
The basalts that this paper is concerned with are
located at the promontory of Punta Poyata (PP) (Fig.
1). Hydrothermal mineralization affected these rocks.
In general, data about hydrothermal alteration in the
Canary Islands are scarce. As a new contribution to
the knowledge of the oldest area of the island of
Tenerife, this study is signi®cant because it represents
a ®rst description of hydrothermal processes in rocks
that were deposited in submarine conditions and is the
®rst report of jasper mineralization in Tenerife. Simi-
lar studies on other islands of the archipelago were
made by Javoy et al. (1986) for the basal complexes of
Fuerteventura, Gomera and La Palma.
2. The Punta Poyata hydrothermal mineralization
The mineralized area of PP is located to the NW of
the Anaga Massif. Despite lack of age determinations,
it seems clear from ®eld characteristics (level of
appearance, alteration degree, and relationship to the
dykes from the rift intrusion), that the area represents
the oldest part of the ªArco de Tagananaº. The miner-
alization consists of a simple paragenesis of major
jasper and celadonite, in association with minor hema-
tite, magnetite, siderite, calcite, kaersutite, and traces
of ilmenite, always associated with magnetite (Table
1). The minerals exist in varying proportions.
The hydrothermal minerals ®ll cavities and veins
(Fig. 2) exclusively within the submarine ankaramitic
basalts. The basalts display porphyritic texture with
large subhedral phenocrysts of augite (3±5 mm) and
olivine (approx. 2 mm). The ®ne-grained groundmass
is mostly equidimensional augite microcrysts and
plagioclase with sizes between 0.05 and 0.1 mm.
Traces of apatite are also present. The entire PP area
displays intense widespread silici®cation and
chloritisation.
2.1. Characteristics of the mineralization
The mineralization occurs as open-space vein and
vug ®lling, cockade textures and gash veins. The
extent of the entire mineralized outcrop is restricted
in surface to the PP area (around 50 m). The veins
have a maximum length of 30±40 cm and their thick-
ness ranges between 2 and 25 cm, following a wide
range of directions. The most frequent strike direc-
tions match the main NE±SW strike, which is also
the strike of the large dykes in the area. In the ®eld,
the hydrothermal ®llings are clearly visible displaying
red, green and brown colors, which contrast with the
host rock (Fig. 2). Chlorite alteration does not extend
more than 0.5 m from the vein selvage, and produces a
powdery texture of the host ankaramitic basalts. No
alteration zoning was identi®ed.
Mineralogical studies used transmitted and
re¯ected light microscopy, XRD, SEM and electron
microprobe. In the ®eld, a clear correlation between
mineralogy and the color of the mineralized areas can
be observed: (a) the red zones are made up of quartz
and hematite (red jasper); (b) the green zones are
mainly celadonite, frequently associated with opal
CT (green jasper); (c) the orange±brown zones are
characterized by the presence of siderite, which
occurs closely related to the green jasper displaying
variable crystal sizes (from irregular mm-size to
several cm-size euhedral crystal); and (d) the gray
and black areas are rich in magnetite±ilmenite.
Calcite is mainly found as euhedral, isolated cm-size
crystals in®lling voids. It also occurs as tiny crystals
included in the red jasper and in the siderite-rich
aggregates.
The quartz displays a mosaic texture comprising
anhedral crystals and length-fast chalcedony; the
size of the crystals in this quartz mosaic is very vari-
able, reaching up to 100 mm. In accordance with the
XRD criteria of Murata and Norman (1976), quartz
displays a degree of crystallinity of seven. When the
quartz is associated with hematite (red jasper), this
iron phase occurs as mm-size ªpelletsº which can
 J.A. RodrõÂguez-Losada et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 103 (2000) 367±376
Fig. 2. Photograph displaying the jasper-bearing hydrothermal veins and vugs included in the altered ankaramitic basalts of Punta Poyata.
mask the quartz textures. Under SEM, the hematite
shows a cluster-like texture with an average size
between 4 and 6 mm. The opal CT is isotropic (opal
CTM by FloÈrke et al., 1991). When it is found with
celadonite (green jasper), the opal CT is usually the
matrix, whereas celadonite occurs as rods. Under
SEM, opal occurs as microspheres; this texture is
typical of silica which forms part of sinters, geyserites
and exhalites, and has been explained as a conse-
quence of fast polymerization caused by high super-
saturation of hydrothermal waters (Rimstidt and Cole,
1983). The result of the process is the formation of
tiny silica spheroids, with sizes generally ranging
from 0.5 to 20 mm (StuÈben et al., 1994). However,
the silica spheroids found in the PP mineralization
are considerably smaller (between 0.06 and
0.12 mm). Silica microspheres have also been inter-
preted as products of maturation of silica gels (Duhin
et al., 1992). The geochemical patterns which the
major elements display, in both green and red jaspers
(RJ and GJ in Table 2), are consistent with the
371
geochemical domain de®ned by Zhov et al. (1994)
for hydrothermal cherts.
Where the opal/celadonite ratio decreases, the
whole green jasper becomes much more laminar in
texture. It is well known that the opal±quartz trans-
formation process can be accelerated or slowed down
by the presence of certain minerals (e.g. some types of
clay, Williams and Crerar, 1985). Thus, the existence
of celadonite, almost always linked to opal, could
explain the low degree of transformation to quartz.
Where the opal CT occurs alone, it displays incipient
transformation to quartz (aging), and is always gray or
brown (easily differentiated from the green jasper).
XRD analyses suggest that the textural differences
are not re¯ected in their structural arrangement. The
opal CT regularly has the d (101) spacing at 4.09 A Ê,
and the height/width ratio of this peak at 50% inten-
sity is around 16.
The main ore minerals are magnetites. Textural and
chemical analyses of the magnetites result in two
different types being distinguished: ®rst, magnetite
372 J.A. RodrõÂguez-Losada et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 103 (2000) 367±376

Table 2
Chemical analyses (wt%) of samples selected from the PP mineralized area (nd ˆ not detected, na ˆ not applicable)

Sampl no. a,b SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 MnO CaO MgO Na2O K2O TiO2 P2O5 Cr2O3 LOI TOTAL

FAB 49.46 11.07 11.09 0.13 9.69 4.77 1.89 1.06 3.24 0.48 0.12 4.84 97.84
AAB 48.87 10.41 9.73 0.15 10.18 5.51 2.17 0.65 3.02 0.46 0.10 6.37 97.62
SA 4.43 0.24 37.04 0.44 9.54 11.98 0.11 0.16 0.01 0.03 nd 35.91 99.89
CA 55.00 4.60 15.80 0.14 0.83 3.40 1.38 3.04 0.28 0.13 nd 15.28 99.88
SCA 34.77 6.07 18.69 0.25 8.23 6.42 1.08 1.36 1.64 0.17 nd 20.42 99.10
SOA 25.69 3.42 31.46 0.45 6.54 4.83 0.92 0.79 0.97 0.10 nd 22.69 97.86
MA 18.89 6.63 45.90 0.38 7.04 7.06 0.79 0.39 12.37 0.01 nd nd 99.46
RJ 82.37 0.07 9.03 0.09 1.31 1.18 0.13 0.01 0.02 0.04 nd 5.24 99.49
GJ 83.50 0.15 8.36 0.07 0.42 1.03 0.18 0.94 0.01 0.04 nd 5.26 99.96
MTC 1.23 nd 87.60 nd nd nd nd nd nd nd 11.16 na 99.99
MT 7.47 nd 92.52 nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd na 99.99
MM nd nd 95.12 nd nd nd nd nd 4.88 nd nd na 100.00
IL nd nd 55.52 nd nd nd nd nd 44.47 nd nd na 99.99
CEL 67.02 7.12 19.92 nd nd 2.68 nd 3.25 nd nd nd na 99.99
KT 44.13 13.93 27.33 nd 14.60 nd nd nd nd nd nd na 99.99
a
FAB and AAB ˆ altered ankaramitic basalts, SA, CA and MA ˆ siderite-, celadonite- and magnetite- rich aggregates, respectively, SCA ˆ
siderite-celadonite aggregates, SOA ˆ siderite±opal aggregates, RJ and GJ ˆ red and green jasper, MTC and MT ˆ tiny particles of magnetite
which were magnetically separated from the RJ, MM ˆ massive magnetite occurring in MA, IL ˆ exsolution rods of ilmenite in MM host
grains, CEL ˆ celadonite crystals which are found in the GJ, KT ˆ kaersutite crystals included in MA.
b
Samples FAB, AAB, SA, CA, MA, SCA, SOA, RJ and GJ were analyzed by ICP-MS (Activation Laboratories LTD (ACTLABS), Ancaster,
Ontario, Canada). Detection limits for all elements: 0.01 wt% except Cr: 1 ppm. MTC, MT, MM, IL, CEL and KT were analyzed by electron
microprobe (Jeol JXA-8900M). Beam energy: 20 kV. Beam current: 0.5 nA. Time of analyses: 100 s (standard collection of the Technical
Services of the Complutense University, Madrid).

occurring as polygranular masses up to 5 cm, asso-
ciated with kaersutite (MM in Table 1). This magne-
tite displays a Ti-rich composition (up to 5 wt% TiO2)
and ®lls in veins and vugs in the ankaramitic basalts,
always with tiny ilmenite exsolutions. Second,
magnetite occurs as mm-size particles disseminated
in the red jasper. In the latter type, two subtypes
were distinguished, after magnetic selection for later
chemical characterization: Cr-rich magnetite and
magnetite with no trace elements, represented as
MTC and MT, respectively (Table 1). While the
®rst one (MM) seems to be associated with magmatic
processes, the other magnetites (MTC and MT) are
related to the hydrothermal source of the jasper-
bearing minerals.
Preliminary oxygen and carbon isotope analyses
(Table 3) were carried out on some minerals (calcite,
siderite, quartz and magnetite) from selected samples
of the PP mineralized area. Quartz, in the red jasper
(samples RJ-1 and RJ-2), gives d 18O values of 126.0
and 125.5½ (SMOW). Siderite, included in quartz,
gives values of 125.2½ (SMOW). Finally, the large
euhedral crystals of siderite and calcite give values of
128.0 and 124.3½, respectively. The d 13C values of
calcite and siderite range between 20.1 and 13.4½
(PDB) (Tables 3 and 4).
3. Discussion and conclusions
The detailed investigation of the textural relation-
ships allow four paragenetic stages to be recognized:
stage IÐmagnetite (MM)-ilmenite ^ kaersutite;
stage IIÐceladonite±opal CT; stage IIIÐdominant
quartz 1 hematite, minor siderite, calcite and magne-
tite (MTC, MT); and stage IVÐeuhedral siderite and
calcite. The ®rst stage probably re¯ects exsolution
processes affecting the magnetite (MM) crystals
after its magmatic crystallization. Using the coexist-
ing magnetite (MM) and ilmenite compositions, an
equilibrium temperature of 6258C and oxygen fuga-
city of 10217 atm were obtained (based on Ghiorso
and Sack, 1991). This temperature is concordant
with the temperatures of ilmenite exsolutions in
magnetite (Ramdohr, 1980) and could be considered
too high to consider hydrothermal conditions for stage
 J.A. RodrõÂguez-Losada et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 103 (2000) 367±376 373

Table 3
Isotopic composition (carbon dioxide was evolved from carbonates using 100% phosphoric acid at 25 and 508C using a method similar to that
described by McCrea (1950) and Al-Aasm et al. (1990). This method essentially consist of three steps: (1) collection of CO2 from calcite, after a
2 h reaction with phosphoric acid at 258C; (2) elimination of CO2 from residual calcite and something from ankeritic carbonates, after reaction
between the insoluble residue and phosphoric acid, during 24 h; and (3) collection of CO2 from ankeritic carbonates, at 508C and during 10 days,
with the same reaction as second step. Opal samples were treated with cold 1:5 HCl to remove carbonates and with dithionite±citrate±
bicarbonate (DCB) to remove iron oxyhydrates (Holgrem, 1967). Oxygen was extracted from the cherts by reaction with ClF3, using methods
described in Borthwick and Harmon (1982). It was then puri®ed and converted to CO2 using a vacuum line similar to that described by Clayton
and Mayeda (1963). Isotopic ratios were measured by a Finnigan MAT 251 mass spectrometer (Stable Isotope Laboratory. Department of Earth
Sciences and Environmental Chemistry. ªEstacion Experimental del Zaidin, CSICº. Granada, Spain). The reproducibility of the analytical
procedure was lower than ^0.2½ for opal, magnetite and siderite and lower than ^0.1½ for calcite) of some major pure minerals from selected
samples (see Table 2 for sample nomenclature; na ˆ not applicable) of the PP mineralized area

Calcite Siderite Quartz Magnetite

RJ-1 RJ-2 SA RJ-1 RJ-2 SA RJ-1 RJ-2 MA

13
d C(½) PDB 11.99 11.98 12.15 20.13 20.22 13.44 na na na
d 18O(½) SMOW 124.33 124.31 124.29 125.19 125.21 127.95 126.00 125.5 15.88

I. However, stages II±IV exhibit features that
evidence hydrothermal processes. In accordance
with the de®ned paragenetic and textural relation-
ships, the celadonite±opal CT association (stage II)
would have formed from heated seawater, possibly
at an approximate temperature of 908C (after Oudin
et al., 1988, celadonite may form at temperatures up to
908C).
Regarding the isotopic data, d 13C values of calcite
and siderite (stage III) range between 20.1 and
13.4½ (PDB) (Table 4) which is indicative of the
participation of marine waters (Anderson and Arthur,
1983; Mozley and Burns, 1993). This is consistent
with the assumed submarine character of the ankara-
mite basalts studied here. Nevertheless, some dif®cul-
ties exist when seawater is considered as the source of
carbonates. According to the fractionation factors for
carbon isotopes at a given temperature aAB ˆ …dA 1
1000†=…dB 1 1000†; different d 13C values can be
obtained with varying temperature. If a d 13C of 0½

Table 4
Isotopic composition (d 13C½ PDB; d 18O½ SMOW) of selected samples from the PP mineralized area (see Table 3 for details)

Sample Calcite Siderite Q Magnetite

d 13C d 18O d 13C d 18O d 18O d 18O

F-1 ca 219.97 129.58

F-1-A 11.99 124.33 20.13 125.19 126.0
F-1-B 11.98 124.31 20.22 125.21 125.5
F-2A-RED 12.15 124.29 13.44 127.95
FO-1 15.88
CALC-2 220.02 129.72
RL-1 15.83 124.26
RL-2 22.82 123.16
RL-3 20.33 122.63
RL-4 15.73 124.08
RL-5 11.38 123.91
RL-6 21.31 124.46
RL-7 12.48 123.73
RL-8 13.92 122.62
RL-9 14.38 123.89
RL-10 12.09 123.07
RL-11 22.48 124.13
374 J.A. RodrõÂguez-Losada et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 103 (2000) 367±376
Fig. 3. Equilibrium diagram temperature vs. d 18O values of the
siderite and calcite from Punta Poyata (based on Irwin et al.
(1977) and Anderson and Arthur (1983)) and temperature of hydro-
thermal process for an assumed marine water isotope composition
of 0½ (SMOW).
is assumed for marine waters, the d 13C obtained in
precipitated carbonate varies from 10½ at 208C to
about 6½ at 808C and from 3½ at 208C to 20.5½
at 808C from a marine water of d 13C equal to 27½
(based on Emrich et al., 1970). This last range (3 to
20.5½) is similar to that de®ned above. For an
assumed d 13C of around 0½ in marine water, the
theoretical isotopic values obtained above for the
carbonates, are greater than the ones presented in
this work (between 3 and 20.5½). The ¯ow of
seawater through the rock and subsequent reaction
with it, probably shifted its initial isotope composition
and ®nally, could result in lower d 13C values for the
precipitated carbonates than those expected; this
could be the case here.
For the studied area, it is not possible to establish
what the characteristics of the hydrothermal
mineralizing ¯uids were, but the appearance of cela-
donite suggests that heated marine water was the main
cause of alteration, probably mixed with mineralizing
¯uids which shifted the initial isotopic values of sea
water. Considering the oxygen isotope composition of
the carbonates (stage III), if a d 18O value of 0½
(SMOW) is assumed for marine water, and carbonates
formed in equilibrium with it (Fig. 3), these minerals
would indicate a temperature of heated seawater
around 708C for siderite (d 18O < 1 25½) and
508C for calcite (d 18O < 1 24½) and siderite
(d 18O < 1 28½), indicating a decrease (or increase)
in the water temperature during the precipitation of
carbonates. Finally, calcites formed in stage IV as
large euhedral crystals (d 18O < 1 29.6½) indicate a
precipitation temperature of 208C, which is too low to
consider hydrothermal crystalization during stage IV.
The presence of two different magnetites (Cr-rich
and with no traces elements) in stage III, remains
unsolved because of the impossibility of identifying
a clear correlation between them. A change in the
chromium content (decreasing or increasing with
time) of the hydrothermal ¯uids probably induced
growth of the two compositional types of magnetite.
In conclusion, new evidence of hydrothermal
processes affecting rocks with submarine features is
provided. The PP mineralization are similar, in
geotectonic setting and textural characteristics, to
those found in other islands of the Canary archipelago,
e.g. Fuerteventura (Lebas, 1981; Mangas et al., 1994)
and La Palma (Gee et al., 1993; Schiffman and Staudi-
gel, 1994, 1995). As suggested by HernaÂndez-Pacheco
and RodrõÂguez-Losada (1996), the Taganana area has
no subaerial volcanic features, but it displays subvolca-
nic and submarine facies as the case reported in this
work (Rodriguez-Losada et al., 1993; Rodriguez-
Losada and Martinez-Frias, 1998). This area shows
similar features to those existing in the basal complexes
from other islands of the Canarian Archipelago, where
plutonic to subvolcanic outcrops, submarine lava ¯ows,
sediments (which are not always present) and extremely
dense dyke-intrusions are the main characteristics of the
basal complexes in the Canary Islands.
Acknowledgements
This work was carried out with the support of the
research projects PB94-0073, PB95-106-CO2-01
(Spanish DGICYT) and AMB96-0498-C04-03 (Span-
ish CICYT). Our thanks to the Technical Services of
 J.A. RodrõÂguez-Losada et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 103 (2000) 367±376
the Oviedo and Granada Universities for the electron
microprobe facilities as well as to the Technical
Services of the ªMuseo Nacional de Ciencias Natur-
alesº and Complutense University, Madrid. Special
thanks to Matthew Harffy for his critical review of
the English version.
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