Abstract

Kilauea Volcano emits globally significant quantities of S and sulfur loving (Chalcophile) elements into the atmosphere. These emissions have serious implications for respiratory health and agricultural productivity across the island. Yet, the processes controlling the concentration of these elements in erupted melts are enigmatic. Using high precision major and trace element measurements in melt inclusions and matrix glasses, we demonstrate that chalcophile element systematics at Kilauea are controlled by a number of processes, including the presence of sulfide in the mantle source, sulfide-liquid immiscibility during fractionation, sulfide resorption upon eruption, and the degassing of traditionally “refractory” chalcophile elements (e.g. Se). Our conclusions differ substantially from those of previous work, largely because in the literature, chalcophile elements have only been investigated in lava lakes (where the behaviour of S is anomalous due to syn-eruptive degassing).