Rapid trans-crustal movement of arc magma under Pagan volcano, Northern Mariana

Nearly 800 million people worldwide are exposed to volcanic hazards, with two-thirds of these areas located in subduction zones. Studying the movement of arc magma in subduction zones is particularly essential for volcanic hazard prevention. In particular, rapid trans-crustal movement of arc magma from the mantle can lead to volcanic eruptions with little warning, which would pose a high risk, yet research in this area is scarce. This paper reports for the first time the rapid trans-crustal movement of arc magma in the Izu-Mariana Arc. Systematic analyses on the volatile contents of melt inclusions in primitive olivine from the Pagan arc volcano yield exceptionally high CO₂ contents of up to 6000 ppm with H₂O contents of 3.7 wt%, which record magma storage at near-Moho depth of ~20 km. Diffusion chronometry of Fo, Ni and Mn in the host olivine, on the other hand, reveals that the parental magma took 15-125 days to ascend from near-Moho storage before its eruption. Such a rapid ascent of high Fo olivine from Moho to eruption is rare in arcs. That is because arc magma mostly has high water contents which would lead to viscous stalling during ascent and then delay the eruption. However, magma under Pagan volcano stored at a deeper depth than other arc volcanoes with similar water content, still ascended to eruption at a high rate. High CO₂ content and exsolution in Pagan magma, compared to other arc magmas, which could provide additional buoyancy or significant overpressure through continuous CO₂ degassing, and then result in rapid ascent.