Bimodal volcanism of back-arc basin formation and in the products of both continental and oceanic hotspots (e.g. Yellowstone and the Canary Islands). Bimodal volcanism is normally explained as a result of partial melting of the crust, creating granitic magmas, during the emplacement of large volumes of relatively hot basaltic magma from a mantle source. The two magma types then form separate magma chambers giving rise to periodic eruption of both types of lava. Bimodal volcanism Bimodal volcanism is the eruption of both mafic and felsic lavas from a single volcanic centre with little or no lavas of intermediate composition. This type of
Samarium–neodymium dating minerals, so a mafic rock which crystallises mafic minerals will concentrate neodymium in the melt phase relative to samarium. Thus, as a melt undergoes fractional crystallization from a mafic to a more felsic composition, the abundance of Sm and Nd changes, as does the ratio between Sm and Nd. Thus, ultramafic rocks have high Sm and low Nd and therefore "high" Sm/Nd ratios. Felsic rocks have low concentrations of Sm and high Nd and therefore "low" Sm/Nd ratios (for example komatiite has 1.14 parts per million (ppm) Sm and 3.59 ppm Nd versus 4.65 ppm Sm and 21.6 ppm Nd