LIMBIC - LInking Magma Batch Intrusion to the Construction of geothermal systems and mineral deposits

The recent realisation that large, molten magma chambers are extremely rare and that magma chambers instead form by the amalgamation of small magma pulses over long time obviously changes our view of the prerequisites for large volcanic eruptions.

However, we need to better understand the consequences of pulsed magma emplacement for the transport of fluids, elements, and heat, because magmatic fluid circulation systems are the source of geothermal energy and mineral deposits.

I propose to study magma pulses and the related fluid transport in a fossil magma chamber in the framework of a PhD project and in collaboration with experts on magma transport, mineral deposits, and cutting-edge mapping techniques.

Together we will combine techniques from the fields of structural geology, igneous and ore geochemistry, and reservoir modelling.

Our aim is to deliver a better understanding of, and quantitative data on, magma pulse volumes, shapes, and mechanisms of emplacement, as well as the transport of fluids and magmatic elements through pathways created by the magma pulses.

The results of this project will not only explain how the emplacement of magma pulses links with fluid, heat, and element transport, but in the long run also improve exploration for geothermal energy and mineral deposits.