Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing Systems

Understanding Magma Transport, Storage, and Evolution in the Earth's Crust

Steffi Burchardt

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9780128097502
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Geophysics

Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing Systems: Understanding Magma Transport, Storage, and Evolution in the Earth's Crust synthesizes research from various geoscience disciplines to examine volcanic and igneous plumbing systems (VIPS) in-depth. VIPS comprise a network of magma transport and storage features in the Earth's crust. These features include dykes, sills and larger magma bodies that form the pathway and supply system of magma beneath active volcanoes. Combining basic principles with world-class research and informative illustrations, this unique reference presents a holistic view of each topic covered, including magma transport, magma chambers, tectonics and volcanism.

Addressing a variety of approaches to these topics, this book offers researchers and academics in the Earth Science fields, such as geophysics, volcanology and igneous petrology the information they need to apply the information to their own disciplines.

• Provides an easily understandable overview of current research on volcanic and igneous plumbing systems
• Includes full color illustrations to increase understanding
• Covers fundamental information needed to optimize comprehension
• Features a field example from world-class research in each chapter, including photographs and maps

Chapter 1

Introduction to Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing Systems—Developing a Discipline and Common Concepts

Steffi Burchardt Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

Abstract

The study of volcanic and igneous plumbing systems (VIPS) is a field of research situated between volcanology, igneous petrology and geochemistry, structural geology, geophysics, and volcano geodesy. The position of VIPS studies among these other disciplines reflects the historical development of the Earth sciences, in general. Today, VIPS studies emerge as a distinct field that unites research on magma transport and storage using a vast repertoire of methods and approaches to characterise the complex physical and chemical processes associated with the ascent and storage of magma. This book attempts to provide a common platform for holistic research on VIPSs by summarising our current collective understanding. This introduction gives an overview of the history of research and common concepts and summarises the chapters in this book that follow the way of magma from the upper mantle and lower Earth’s crust to the surface.

Keywords

igneous petrology

magma chambers

plutons

science history

volcanic and igneous plumbing systems

volcanology

Contents

1. 1.1 Introduction
2. 1.2 Developing A Scientific Discipline
3. 1.3 The History of Research on Magmatic Systems
4. 1.4 Conflicting Perspectives: Of Balloons, Blobs and Mush
5. 1.5 Overview of Contributions in This Book
6. 1.6 Concluding Remarks
7. References

1.1. Introduction

Volcanoes are, in every respect, fascinating: they form breathtaking landscapes and provide billions of people with living space, fertile ground, energy and mineral resources. Volcanoes were most certainly a cradle for the development and evolution of life on Earth, but their vigorous nature has also brought countless species close to or beyond extinction. To understand the inner workings of volcanoes in order to ultimately be able to interpret their behaviour and mitigate volcanic hazards is a motivation that unites all volcanologists. Volcanology is traditionally the study of volcanic eruptions, eruptive products (rocks) and landforms with the ultimate goal to understand volcanic phenomena and predict volcanic eruptions.

However, an essential puzzle piece in understanding volcano behaviour is hidden beneath the volcanic edifice: the volcanic and igneous plumbing system (VIPS; also known as magma plumbing system). The VIPS comprises the network of magma production, storage and transport channels and chambers underlying volcanic regions in all tectonic settings (Fig. 1.1). Where magma is produced, and how it rises and stalls on its way to the Earth’s surface controls, to a large extent, when, how, where and for how long a volcano will erupt. Studying VIPS is therefore key to interpret volcano behaviour.

Figure 1.1 Schematic sketch of the VIPS, the network of magma transport channels and storage chambers from the Earth’s mantle to the surface.
Different types of magma bodies exist, and their formation and shape depend on, for example, the tectonic setting, the amount of magma available and the properties of the magma and the surrounding rocks.

Many active volcanoes are currently studied and monitored with a variety of geological, geochemical, geophysical and geodetic techniques. However, none of these techniques delivers a direct or complete picture of the VIPS, but each sheds light on some particular characteristics of magma transport and storage beneath volcanoes. In combination, these techniques help to interpret what is going on in the subsurface prior to, during and after a volcanic eruption (Burchardt and Galland, 2016).

This book summarises what we currently know about magma transport and storage in VIPSs, building on various methods from the fields of, for example, structural geology, igneous petrology, geodesy and geophysics. By combining results from multiple disciplines, common concepts emerge and reveal the processes that occur while magma makes its way through the crust. In this chapter, I outline how the study of VIPS relates to other scientific disciplines (Section 1.2) and how it developed historically (Section 1.3). I also summarise how our knowledge on VIPS has evolved (Section 1.4) and give an overview of the chapters of this book (Section 1.5).

1.2. Developing A Scientific Discipline

The study of VIPSs has traditionally not been its own, defined scientific discipline, which is directly tied to the historical development of the Earth sciences as a whole (Burchardt and Galland, 2016). Instead, VIPS studies remained undefined in the scientific landscape in the grey zone between the fields of volcanology, igneous petrology and geochemistry and pluton studies, all of which focus on magmatism from different perspectives. While volcanology targets near-surface and surface magmatic phenomena in both active and extinct volcanoes, pluton studies look at the structure, timing and development of magmatic intrusions that are now exposed at the Earth’s surface but were formed at depth in the geological past. Igneous petrology and geochemistry are closely tied to both volcanology and pluton studies and focus on the formation and evolution of magmatic rocks through detailed analyses and models of their composition. All three of these research fields benefited from methodological advances, such as high-precision seismometry, microscopy and geochronology, and developed in parallel their specific classifications and terminology, sometimes even for the same features (Burchardt and Galland, 2016).

Volcanology and igneous petrology developed into established research fields with dedicated university programs and departments, organizations (e.g. International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior [IAVCEI]), scientific journals (e.g. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, Journal of Petrology), conferences (e.g. the annual assembly of the Volcanic and Magmatic Studies Group (VMSG), the Goldschmidt...