Modeling timescales of magmatic processes

Volcanoes have complex structures making magmas able to interact with the crust and differentiate at several levels of the feeding system during their ascent from the source zone towards the surface. It is often difficult to assess the relative role of evolutionary processes such as fractional crystallization, crustal assimilation and magma mixing between variously evolved magmas. Whole rock compositions that we study through classic geochemical approaches are the superimposition of several of these processes, so that tracking magma evolution might become a hard task. For this reason, we are dedicating during the last years endeavors in the field of in situ investigations primarily on phenocryst zoning patterns in volcanic rocks, which have been proved to be a powerful tool for deciphering the dynamics and timescales of volcanic processes within the plumbing system.

This traineeship position is specifically aimed at acquiring the fundamentals of diffusion modelling in magmatic and volcanic processes by simulating the relaxation time of low diffusion elements such as Fe and Mg in olivines or Sr and Ba in feldspars. At the end of the period, the trainee should have independence in developing diffusion models in volcanic crystals to get information on the timescales of magmatic processes, with specific application to volcanic rocks of Mt. Etna volcano.