Volcanic Petrology PhD project on Pumice Rafts at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia
Dear colleagues,
We are currently seeking a PhD candidate to investigate the petrology of pumice rafts. Pumice rafts have in many cases been the only known product or surface _expression_ of submarine silicic eruptions. The buoyant character and the production of significant volumes of highly vesiculated pumice have led to the general interpretation that pumice rafts record an explosive eruptive phase. This understanding has been recently challenged by the 2012 Havre eruption in the Kermadec arc that produced a substantial raft (>400 km2) but the summit of the volcano lies at ~700 mbsl where confining pressure of the overlying water column may have been sufficient to reduce or suppress magmatic volatile-driven explosivity. In addition, recent surveying of the volcano summit revealed dominantly effusive eruptive products from the 2012 eruption.
This project will investigate the petrology of raft pumice produced by the Havre 2012 eruption as well as from other recent shallow marine explosive eruptions in the Tofua arc (Tonga) to assess competing hypotheses that the Havre raft pumice has been produced by explosive or effusive eruptions. Detailed mineral, glass and textural analyses will be undertaken on raft pumice produced from eruptions in a variety of water depths. Havre raft pumice results can also be compared to similar data being generated by other research groups on samples collected from the volcano, and contribute to a larger collaborative research effort on the largest historic submarine silicic eruption.
The project will substantially utilise new scanning electron microscope, electron microprobe and ICP-MS/LA-ICP-MS facilities within our Central Analytical Research Facility (CARF) QUT. We are therefore looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate with mathematical skills and expertise in electron microprobe and/or ICP-MS analysis of igneous rocks.
Eligible candidates will need to apply for a scholarship through the QUT Targeted Scholarship Round, with a deadline of February 28, 2017. The 3-year scholarship will provide an annual stipend of $26,682 (tax-free), and for international students, a Higher Degree Research Tuition Fee Sponsorship will also be provided to cover 3 years of tuition fees.
For further information on the project please contact Associate Professor Scott Bryan (scott.bryan@xxxxxxxxxx).
Volcano Listserv is a collaborative venture among Arizona State University (ASU), Portland State University (PSU), the Global Volcanism Program (GVP) of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, and the International Association for Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI).
ASU - http://www.asu.edu/ PSU - http://pdx.edu/ GVP - http://www.volcano.si.edu/ IAVCEI - http://www.iavcei.org/
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