VOLCANO: PhD position in Energy sources and duration of eruptions

[Chelsea Allison <cmalliso@xxxxxxx>]

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PhD position in Energy sources and duration of eruptions

From: Browning, John (2012)" <John.Browning.2012@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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PhD Studentship: Energy sources, behaviour, and durations of volcanic eruptions

 

Rock Fractures and Fluid Flow research group, Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London

 

Why are some eruptions of long duration and others of very short duration? Why do some eruptions of short duration produce much more eruptive materials than other eruptions of much longer duration? Why do the volumetric flow rates (effusive rates in the case of lava production) decline rapidly after the peak, whereas others decline much more slowly? These are all fundamental questions in theoretical and applied volcanology that need to be answered in order to forecast the likely behaviour and duration of an eruption once it has started.

More specifically, to understand volcanoes and forecast what is going to happen during (1) an unrest period and (2) once and eruption has started, we need to explore and answer these questions. In this proposal a new approach is taken to answer the questions, namely the energy approach – via thermodynamics. The questions and the potential answers are recast within the framework of thermodynamics, focusing on the elastic energy that accumulates in the volcano before and during the unrest period – energy that is partly available to drive a dyke to the surface and magma out of the chamber once the eruption has started.

Thermodynamically, all volcanoes are open systems; they exchange heat and materials with their surroundings. For an eruption to occur, there must be sufficient energy within the volcano to propagate a feeder dyke to the surface. Furthermore, for a significant volume of magma to issue during the eruption, there must be energy available to press the magma out of the associated chamber and to the surface. A principal aim of the project is to provide energy models to explain so as to be able to forecast:

(1) the duration of an eruption,

(2) the volumetric flow rates during the eruption,

(3) the eruption behaviour, and

(4) the eruptive-volume size distribution of eruptions.

Using analytical methods, the aim is to explore the working hypothesis that the primary energy responsible for feeder-dyke formation is elastic energy. 

 

Applications are invited for a funded NERC PhD studentship within the Rock Fractures and Fluid Flow research group of the department of Earth Sciences. This competitive award is available to UK members only, due to funding restrictions. The RAE panel for Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences rated 70% of research by the department as world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour.  

 

For further information or to make an application email Prof Agust Gudmundsson,  rock.fractures@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx or info@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.

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