Ar isotope data for the Central Plateau Member of the Plateau Rhyolites, Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field

At least 28 rhyolitic lava flows, domes, and tuffs erupted within Yellowstone caldera following its formation 631 ka. Understanding the timing of intracaldera eruptions is essential for characterizing natural hazards posed by Yellowstone volcano. We present 40Ar/39Ar eruption ages for the Mallard Lake Member and Central Plateau Member of the Plateau Rhyolite, which comprise products from 22 eruptions spanning ~160 to ~70 ka. These eruptions occurred along two linear vent zones within Yellowstone caldera that appear to be extensions of major extracaldera normal faults. Eruptions took place in five brief clusters with group mean ages of 160.3±1.0 ka (2σ), 149.8±4.0 ka, 111.4±0.9 ka, 104.1±0.8 ka, and 70.8±0.7 ka. All mapped products within each informal group have indistinguishable 40Ar/39Ar eruption ages implying brief eruption durations. Eruption products of each group are spatially clustered, with only one of the two linear vent zones being active during an eruption group. These data provide important information for hazard mitigation scenarios at the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field.