Sulfur Variations in Glasses from Volcanic Rocks: Effect of Melt Composition on Sulfur Solubility

A worldwide data set of major element and sulfur analyses of undegassed lavas, pumices, and melt inclusions from 14 volcanic locations was selected to investigate the compositional effects on sulfur solubility in magmas. We utilized analyses on calc-alkaline, alkaline, and tholeiitic rocks, with a range of 3400 ppm S variation. There is a strong correlation between chemical composition and the sulfur concentration: the less silicic and the more alkaline the rocks are, the more dissolved sulfur they can carry. Also, sulfur concentration is higher in rocks that represent less polymerized melts. Elemental correlations between FeO and S, well-defined for tholeiites, do not hold for alkaline melts. The compositional effects are at least as important as the better-known pressure, temperature, and f(O_2) dependencies.