3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3 From: Brittany Brand <brittanybrand@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3 The Magmatic Studies Group within the Boise State University, Department of Geosciences, seeks a PhD student for a project on the petrogenesis of mafic, plinian eruptions. The project is titled: *Exploring the Magmatic, Crustal, and Conduit Conditions Required for Mafic, Plinian Volcanism* A project summary is included below. The ideal candidate will have a Masterâ??s Degree or significant undergraduate research experience in petrology, geochemistry, and/or volcanology. This project is NSF-funded, with Research Assistant funding for 3 years. For a full project description, see summary below. The start date is August 2019. Applications are due February 1st, 2019. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Dorsey Wanless ( DWanless@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx) and Dr. Brittany Brand ( brittanybrand@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx). You can find information regarding how to apply here: https://earth.boisestate.edu/student-resources/admissions/ *Go here to apply:* https://graduatecollege.boisestate.edu/applying-graduate-college/ *Project Summary:* *Overview:* Mafic eruptions, which are typically effusive to mildly explosive, are the most common style of volcanism on Earth. However, mafic volcanoes can produce much stronger, Plinian-style eruptions, capable of destructive pyroclastic currents and widespread ash fall. Despite their potential impact to local infrastructure and global climate, the mechanisms responsible for generating mafic Plinian eruptions are poorly-constrained. We propose an interdisciplinary investigation that combines physical volcanology, geochemistry, petrology, and experimental petrology to explore the conditions that result in Plinian mafic volcanism. We target the 13.4_ka (~12 km3 DRE) and ~12.6 ka (<1 km3 DRE) mafic eruptions at Volcán Llaima, which produced extensive ignimbrites found radially around the volcano. These deposits are chosen for their fresh nature, excellent exposures, and previous work that provides a strong foundation for our research objectives. The difference in eruption sizes also permit investigation of processes that promote large-volume, caldera forming eruptions versus smaller volume Plinian mafic eruptions. *Intellectual Merit: *Our geochemical and petrologic work will allow us to constrain the magmatic and crustal conditions (e.g., pressures; reservoir heterogeneity) that lead to Plinian mafic eruptions. We will also assess conduit conditions that promote high explosivity for mafic melts, including the interplay between ascent rate and vesiculation-crystallization-induced changes in magma rheology on permeable gas loss. Our study is unique in that (1) we explore how these processes are similar or different for large-volume versus smaller-volume mafic, Plinian eruptions, and (2) it is one of the first studies on mafic Plinian volcanism to implement a full suite of diverse but complimentary methods to address our research questions, including petrology, geochemistry, physical volcanology, decompression experiments, and rheology experiments. Our proposed methods will also allow us to heuristically define pyroclastic textural characteristics that represent pre- and post-fragmentation processes (i.e., bubble relaxation, microlite growth), which has implications not only for our work, but for all future work on explosive mafic systems. In summary, our holistic approach will advance knowledge in the field by providing better constraints on conditions and relationships that drive such eruptions, from the reservoir through the conduit. *Broader Impacts:* Our proposed work will benefit society by allowing us to better constrain the causes and consequences of mafic Plinian eruptions, which has global implications for the millions of people living at risk from mafic volcanic centers. The work will also provide insight into conditions that resulted in similar styles of volcanism on Mars, a basaltic planet with a history of explosive volcanism. The involvement of two PhD students, who will develop a strong collaboration with the research team, will advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning. We will broaden participation of under-represented groups by (1) involving undergraduate students from the Universidad de Concepción (Chile) in the field work and research, and (2) facilitating the collaboration of two early- to mid-career female investigators (Brand and Wanless). Broad dissemination will include series of blog post and short videos of our field work that document the key elements of discovery associated with the project. The materials will be published through the BSU Blue Review and Focus magazines, Brandâ??s professional Facebook page, and the BSU magmatic and volcanic studies group Facebook page (combined Facebook pages have >790 international followers). Also, Wanless, Brand, and the BSU volcanology students will incorporate samples, stories, images and videos from our work in Chile into outreach efforts, which average one to two community outreach events per month (~2400 students per year), and participation in the annual BSU Science and Engineering day (>1500 visitors each year). ============================================================== 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/ To unsubscribe from the volcano list, send the message: signoff volcano to: listserv@xxxxxxx, or write to: volcano-request@xxxxxxx. To contribute to the volcano list, send your message to: volcano@xxxxxxx. Please do not send attachments. ============================================================== ------------------------------ End of Volcano Digest - 7 Dec 2018 to 10 Dec 2018 (#2018-126) *************************************************************
