Magma forensics at New Zealand’s supervolcanoes
Principal investigators: Prof C.J.N. Wilson and Prof. J.A. Baker (Victoria University of Wellington, NZ)
Associate investigators: Dr. D. Morgan (Leeds), Dr. B.L.A. Charlier (OU), Dr. D. Pyle (Oxford), Dr. R. Wysoczanski (VUW)
Sponsor: Marsden Fund of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Value: Co-ordination, travel and accommodation for Dr. D. Morgan.
Dates: 2009-2012
Summary
New Zealand’s Taupo Volcanic Zone hosts the most prolific record of >450 km3 (magma) young supereruptions on Earth. This project will study four of the resulting huge deposits, combining field-based knowledge with cutting-edge micro-analytical techniques to measure the chemical and isotopic characteristics of minerals and glasses within the quenched eruption products (pumice). From these measurements we will establish how and where such huge volumes of magma were created and stored in the sub-surface magma bodies. Deposits of preceding and following smaller eruptions will be studied to monitor the growth and subsequent demise of the super-sized magma bodies. Techniques developed by us for modelling compositional variations within crystals will be used to estimate time scales of the subsurface processes, from the tens of thousands of years (or more) over which the magma bodies were assembled, down to the days or weeks over which the final conditions for eruption were established. This project will address fundamental questions on the rates and sizes of large-scale silicic volcanism in New Zealand, and will be linked with other global studies to provide insights into supervolcanoes worldwide.