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From: Jeremie Vasseur <jeremie.vasseur@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Dear Volcano Listserv members,
Please find below a description for a fully-funded PhD position opportunity
available at the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich, Germany.
*Fracture of multiphase magma across the viscous-to-brittle transition*
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich,
Germany
Supervisor team: Dr Jérémie Vasseur & Prof. Donald B. Dingwell.
External supervisor: Dr Fabian B. Wadsworth (Durham University, U.K.).
Magmas are viscoelastic fluids that can break in a solid, brittle-like
manner when forced to flow quickly under large stresses. After breaking,
they can flow, heal, and anneal again when the stresses applied to them are
removed. In the Earthâ??s crust and for silicic magmas, this
breaking-and-healing is thought to occur repeatedly as magmas make their
way to erupt at the surface, and fracture-formation at shallow levels could
be a key outgassing mode. Indeed, the formation of fractures may be the
source mechanism of certain types of repetitive volcano-seismicity. From an
experimental point of view, the dynamics of this fracturing and healing
process has been investigated for single-phase melts, or for a limited
range of multiphase materials or for complex natural volcanic rocks and
magmas. We are now ready to map the material failure envelope across the
multiphase map systematically.
The PhD candidate will draw on expertise developed by the
supervisor team and collaborators in producing reproducible samples of
synthetic magma containing varying proportions of crystals, melt and gas
phases. They will use a high-temperature, uniaxial press at the
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) to deform these bespoke samples at
different temperatures and under different stresses. Importantly, they will
monitor the acoustic, mechanical, and strain response of the materials *in
situ* using the data acquisition system in-house at LMU. The result will be
a map of when and how magma fails, which will then be applied carefully to
magma ascent conditions in the Earthâ??s crust.
The student will join a vibrant, world-leading volcanology
group at LMU which has over 20 yearsâ?? experience in the materials approach
to understanding planetary volcanism. The city of Munich is a hub for
Bavarian culture and provides easy access to the spectacular European Alps.
This project is part of a large project funded by the European Research
Council to better understand volcanic eruptions through innovative
experimentation. Therefore, the candidate will be a part of a cohort of new
students and researchers with a common overarching aim.
*Essential criteria*
- A post-graduate degree (e.g. MSc) in a relevant subject (e.g. geoscience,
geology, or a STEM subject).
- Experience or a passion for hands-on laboratory work.
- Science communication skills in English (written or verbal).
*Desirable criteria*
- Code-development experience and data management/processing skills.
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