Project Details
Projekt
Using the chemical stratigraphy in magmatic crystals to track the evolutionary history of a dynamic magma plumbing system
Applicant
Dr. Maren Kahl
Subject Area
Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
Term
from 2012 to 2014
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 213452865
The proposed project aims to track the evolutionary history of dynamic plumbing systems beneath active volcanoes by applying kinetic modeling of the chemical stratigraphy in compositionally zoned magmatic crystals. Organization of compositional zoning data contained in magmatic crystals in a ‚Systems analysis‘ helps to constrain the multistage evolutionary history of magmatic systems. Kinetic modeling of such zonings provides us with information on the timing of magma mixing and magma transfer between the diverse storage elements defining a magma plumbing system. To speed up the kinetic modeling process a new 2-D approach based on BSE (Back Scatter Electron) image analysis will be applied. The combination of the Systems analysis of compositional zoning data plus 2-D kinetic modeling represents a very powerful tool to track the evolutionary history of a magmatic system. The approach will be performed and tested on eruption products (Pu‘u ‚O‘o-Kupaianaha eruption) of Kilauea volcano (Hawaii) with the aim of (i) testing how well the method can map out plumbing systems with ‚known‘ plumbing structure, (ii) determining the timescales of magma transfer between the different reservoirs of the plumbing system and (iii) developing the applied method so that it becomes faster and more automated. The ultimate goal is to be able to relate the motion of individual magma batches in a mapped out plumbing system to surface monitoring signals (e.g. seismicity, ground deformation, etc.). This will enable more reliable monitoring and eruption forecasting strategies based on variations of thermodynamic intensive parameters and the changes of location of specific melt batches to be developed. Establishing such connections between processes at depth and surface observations has not been possible until now.
DFG Programme
Research Fellowships
International Connection
United Kingdom
