Geological and geochemical data provide definitive evidence that magma chambers are inherently open systems subject to interaction with adjacent wallrock (crustal assimilation), magma recharge, and crystal formation (fractional crystallization). The objective of this research is to develop a broadly applicable computational geochemical tool, the Magma Chamber Simulator (MCS), to describe the compositional, mass, and thermal evolution of open system magma bodies undergoing simultaneous recharge, crustal assimilation, and fractional crystallization. The basis of the MCS is a thermodynamic description of a magmatic system that is subject to energy, mass and species conservation, and construction of the MCS will proceed via reformulation and integration of two extant modeling tools, MELTS and Energy-Constrained Recharge, Assimilation Fraction Crystallization (EC-RAFC). Application of the MCS will allow field, geochemical, petrological, and geochronological studies of magmatic systems to be placed in a quantitative framework that will enable predictions about the behaviors of magmatic systems. Through application of the MCS to the diverse array of magmatic systems represented on Earth, progress will be made on the fundamental question of how magma diversity is achieved. For example, questions related to how magmas diversify in classical settings such as ocean islands (Hawaii), subduction zones (Arenal), continental flood basalts (Parana), and layered mafic intrusions (Bushveld Complex) will be explored.
The MCS will be available on a number of web sites for use by professional researchers as well as graduate and undergraduate students, thereby providing the geochemical and petrological community with a user-friendly desktop computational tool for quantitatively investigating the evolution of dynamic, open-system magma bodies. As part of the outreach activities, exercises for undergraduate/graduate petrology classes will be developed in collaboration with students. These exercises will assist students in developing skills in computational modeling as well as use of quantitative analysis of geologic data to answer relevant questions in igneous petrology. Thus, this work will not only impact the research of a large number of professional petrologists/geochemists, but it will also contribute to the training of students in research, curriculum development, and collaborative endeavors.
