Dear Colleagues,
The University of Manchester, UK, is offering PhD funding support for outstanding students, details are here http://www.
The criteria for success include a first-class degree or equivalent and prior research experience. All nationalities are eligible for funding.
We would like to invite applications for the project detailed below, which is part of the recently funded NERC Large Grant on Disequilibrium processes in Basaltic Volcanism.
Further details of the application procedure are available upon request, but the first step involves sending a 2 page CV and 2 page covering letter explaining your fit to the project to mike.burton@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Best,
Mike Burton and DisEqm consortium
Project Title: Crystallization and degassing of basaltic magmas in volcanic conduits
Introduction: Basaltic volcanism is the most common form of volcanism on Earth. The impact of a basaltic eruption is determined by both its intensity and style, ranging from explosive and ash-rich (impacting on air-space access and climate) to effusive and gas-rich (affecting public health and agriculture locally and distally). Previous work on basaltic volcanic products has typically assumed equilibrium between melt, crystals and volatiles: in other words, that the processes of crystallization and degassing occur nearly instantaneously in response to depressurisation during magma ascent and eruption. However, it is now recognised that the timescales required to achieve equilibrium for both crystal growth and volatile exsolution are similar to or longer than ascent times for erupting basaltic magmas. Disequilibrium is therefore ubiquitous in basaltic volcanoes.
The recently funded NSFGEO-NERC project “Quantifying disequilibrium processes in basaltic volcanism (DisEqm)”, of which all supervisors are part, seeks to create an empirically constrained quantitative description of disequilibrium processes in basaltic volcanism, and hence to address key volcanological problems through a numerical modelling framework. The aim of this PhD, within the framework of the DisEqm project, is to examine and quantify the equilibrium and disequilibrium crystallization and degassing behaviour in natural basaltic melts as they ascend through volcanic conduits, using samples from key case study eruptions.
Project Summary: The project will involve using a range of experimental and analytical techniques to examine disequilibrium behaviour in volcanic conduits. 4D (3D+time) X-ray tomographic experiments to investigate crystallisation and vesiculation kinetics of basaltic magmas under different P, T, volatile content and magma composition will be conducted at Diamond Light Source, the UK synchrotron facility in Harwell (near Oxford). The 4D experiments will be complemented by rapid-quench, static bench-top equilibrium and disequilibrium experiments conducted at the experimental petrology laboratory at the University of Bristol.
The candidate will use state-of-the-art software for image analysis and the most up-to-date image processing techniques to analyse and quantify crystallization and vesiculation processes in basaltic magmas from 4D X-ray tomographic images taken in real time. Final experimental run products from both X-ray tomography and static bench-top experiments will also be analysed in detail i) to perform textural analysis of crystal and bubble contents, shapes and size distributions using a QEMSCAN instrument, and ii) to obtain melt and mineral compositions by electron microprobe and NanoSIMS. Diffusion modelling adjacent to crystal and vesicle walls will be used to calculate timescales of crystal growth and volatile release under different eruptive regimes.
The student will join the volcanology research group at the University of Manchester, and will be an integral member of the DisEqm project team. They will attend DisEqm consortium meetings, and work closely with team members at the universities of Manchester, Bristol, Durham, Cambridge, Arizona State University, and Diamond Light Source. They will also attend national and overseas conferences during the PhD to present their research.
Eligibility: We seek an outstanding candidate to recommend for a prestigious President's Scholarship at the University of Manchester. This award is open to applicants of any nationality. The successful candidate will show considerable evidence of research potential: for example, papers already published and/or presentations at international conferences.
This project will suit a numerate candidate with a strong background in geoscience or physical sciences, with enthusiasm for analytical and experimental work. Prior experience in one or more of the following would be helpful: experimental petrology; X-ray computed microtomography; image processing; scanning electron microscopy; electron probe microanalysis; diffusion modelling.
______________________________
Mike Burton
Professor of Volcanology
Room 1.50, Williamson Building, Oxford Road
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Manchester
Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
Tel. 0161 3066745
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