Magma transport and storage through the Earth’s crust

Volcanoes are the lifeblood of the planet; the earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and crust are all made of materials that were delivered from the mantle to the surface through volcanoes. Fluids in the lithosphere directly influence magmatism, especially at subduction zones where most explosive volcanic eruptions take place. This combination of magmatism and a shallow water cycle promotes life, plate tectonics, weathering-climate feedbacks, and the formation of economically critical ore deposits.

My research group is focused on answering one of the most important questions in earth science: How are magmas and fluids transported and stored throughout the crust and how do they interact?

Our primary methods of research include:

• Field-based geological investigations

• Development of physics-based models

• Integration of geophysical and geological data through numerical models