Pb, U, Th, Rb and Sr contents and Pb- and Sr-isotopic compositions, together with field and petrological data, are consistent with the hypothesis of derivation of the basaltic and rhyolitic magmas of this volcanic field from source regions in the upper mantle and lower crust, respectively. It is suggested that the isotopic signatures of the basalts were inherited from a 2600 m.y.-old mantle 'keel' attached to the continental crust and were essentially unaffected by passage of the magma through the latter.R.J.P.