This research is designed to answer basic questions about how magmatic systems operate and how magmas change composition. The work is societally relevant in terms of advancing our understanding of geologic hazards associated explosive volcanic eruptions. It involves making a comprehensive set of laboratory experiments and geochemical analyses on previously collected ocean bottom volcanic rocks to understand the mechanism by which these magmas evolve in the magma chamber from low to high silica in content. Newly developed isotopic techniques will be used to test the novel hypothesis that high silica magmas form through magma based diffusional transport processes related to sustained temperature gradients across the magma lens at the top of the magma chamber. This hypothesis runs counter to the more traditionally invoked mechanism of assimilation fractional crystallization as the primary process causing the compositional differentiation of magmas. Broader impacts of the work include integration of training and research which involves a graduate student, a postdoctoral researcher, undergraduates, and middle school students. Results of the work will be incorporated into university courses in petrology, geochemistry and numerical modeling.
