Supereruptions - explosive events that eject more than 1000 cubic kilometers of volcanic material - capture our imagination and compel us to consider the potential effects of one of Earth's rarest yet deadliest acts. Comprehending what led to supereruptions in the past is essential to understanding and predicting similar events in places where supereruptive activity is currently possible, including the U.S. (e.g. Yellowstone), South America, Indonesia, and New Zealand. This project will investigate an exemplary exposure of 18- to 19-million-year-old volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks in the southern Black Mountains of Arizona, where the geologic record documents magmatic evolution of the Peach Spring Tuff supereruption, which is the focus of this project. Students participating in the REU will address questions that are important to both the scientific community and the public: (1) How does supereruptive magmatism compare to typical-scale magmatism (e.g. Mount St. Helens in 1980), and how are these connected? (2) What does a supervolcano look like before it erupts? (3) What are the relationships between intrusive rocks and spatially and temporally associated volcanics? (4) How and why do large magmatic systems change through time? It will also provide a platform for testing and applying integrated field and analytical methods for tracking evolution of magma systems, including optical and scanning electron microscopy, rock and mineral analysis by X-ray fluorescence and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, GIS, and remote sensing, tools that can also be combined to address questions at other magmatic centers.
In addition to advancing the understanding of the magmatic systems that produce supervolcanoes and thereby enhancing comprehension and forecasting of future supereruptions, this project will provide a valuable introduction to research for 30 diverse undergraduates whose opportunities may be otherwise limited. It will contribute to the scientific literacy, problem solving and communication skills and the confidence of this group of students, thereby enhancing their general education, and it will attract future earth scientists to the field, providing them with a sound foundation to begin a graduate or professional career and enduring collegial relationships with peers and faculty. This project will foster new and continuing collaborations involving participating students, leaders, and researchers at other academic institutions. It will also provide valuable mentoring experience for two early-career faculty (one female) and one outstanding female PhD student, all of whom are pursuing careers emphasizing mentoring undergraduate researchers.
