Slow changes in lava chemistry at KamaModified Letter Turned Commaehuakanaloa linked to sluggish mantle upwelling on the margin of the Hawaiian plume

Temporal variations in lava chemistry at active submarine volcanoes are difficult to decipher due to the challenges of dating their eruptions. Here, we use high-precision measurements of 226Ra-230Th disequilibria in basalts from Kama`ehuakanaloa (formerly LiVihi) to estimate model ages for recent eruptions of this submarine Hawaiian pre-shield volcano. The ages range from ca. 0 to 2300 yr (excluding two much older samples) with at least five eruptions in the past similar to 150 yr. Two snapshots of the magmatic evolution of Kama`ehuakanaloa (or "Kama`ehu") are revealed. First, a long-term transition from alkalic to tholeiitic volcanism was nearly complete by ca. 2 ka. Second, a systematic short-term fluctuation in ratios of incompatible elements (e.g., Th/Yb) for summit lavas occurred on a time scale of similar to 1200 yr. This is much longer than the similar to 200-yr-long historical cycle in lava chemistry at the neighboring subaerial volcano, Kilauea. The slower pace of the variation in lava chemistry at Kama`ehu is most likely controlled by sluggish mantle upwelling on the margin of the Hawaiian plume.