Aims of Afar Rift Project

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Aims of the Afar Rift Project

1. Use geophysical techniques to develop a three-dimensional picture of the geological structure across the Afar region and to determine where magma forms and ponds within the earth.

2. Use geochemical techniques and petrological studies to determine the composition of magmas and how they evolve.

3. Use geochronological techniques and petrological studies to work out when previous eruptions have taken place and to determine the timescales over which magma evolution has occurred.

4. Use geodetic, seismic and remote sensing data to determine how the magma moves through the Earth.

5. To combine the results from the above to determine the mechanisms of magma movement that allow the lithosphere to extend, the crust to evolve and grow as the plate split apart.

Experimental Programme

Volcanic vent that opened September 26, 2006. The vent was about 500 m long. View to the south from the north end of the vent - notice the tunnel at the southern end. Notice the layers of ash that built up over a periods of days around the vent. The rocks in the foreground were blown out of the vent. Photo by Julie Rowland, University of Auckland