VOLCANOLOGY, GEOCHEMISTRY AND PETROLOGY GROUP

Faculty:
Maureen Feineman
Tanya Furman
Barry Voight

The Volcanology, Geochemistry and Petrology Group seeks to understand the generation, evolution, and eruption of magmas and lavas in a variety of tectonic environments. Volcanic activity is associated with hotspots (such as Hawaii), regional extension (such as mid-ocean ridges or the East African Rift), and subduction zones (such as the Andes). Volcanic products often provide the only evidence – direct or indirect – as to the thermal, mineralogical and chemical state of the Earth’s interior. As such, they enable us to explore important questions of Earth evolution from the Archaean through to the present day.

Some of the questions we address include: How do mantle plumes interact with extensional zones? What is the relationship between metamorphic reactions in a subducting slab and the generation of magma in the mantle wedge above? What are the timescales of fluid and melt transport in the mantle? What are the timescales of magma evolution prior to eruption? How do magmas move through the crust? How does degassing affect magmatic and eruptive lava compositions? We also explore the societal implications of volcanic hazard management in populated regions. To answer these questions, we use a variety of approaches in both the field and the laboratory including mapping, sample collection and analysis by electron microprobe, electron microscopy, and mass spectrometry, as well as computer modeling and both high-pressure and one-atmosphere experimentation.

We currently have field projects in progress around the world. Students and faculty at Penn State are investigating the possible role of slab melting in the genesis of Daisen Volcano in Southwest Japan and the Armutlu volcanics of western Turkey, the thermo-chemical structure of the South African Superplume and its role in continental extension along the East African Rift, the nature of active volcanism in Indonesia, and eruption monitoring and hazard management at Montserrat and in the Kamchatka Peninsula. Laboratory experiments allow us to duplicate conditions in a magma chamber or deep within the Earth’s mantle in order to analyze the behavior of materials and elements under controlled conditions. Current and future projects include mineral-fluid and melt-fluid trace element partitioning, isotope fractionation, and diffusion experiments. Computer modeling allows us to predict and analyze the behavior of the earths interior under a broad spectrum of starting conditions; for example, we are currently developing models to predict the composition of fluids as they travel from the dehydrating slab to the magma source region in the subduction zone mantle wedge. At a broader scale, computer modeling of magma reservoir and conduit processes contribute to our ability to predict and prepare for volcanic eruptions.

We welcome inquires from students interested in pursuing MS or PhD degrees, and have a strong tradition of encouraging students to develop and carry out research programs of their own design in addition to participating in on-going projects led by current faculty members.