HotStuff - Magma reservoir lifetime of the Ciomadul long-dormant volcano, eastern-central Europe - Réka Lukács

We are pleased to announce a HotStuff seminar by Réka Lukács on the topic of: Magma reservoir lifetime of the Ciomadul long-dormant volcano, eastern-central Europe.

Abstract:

Ciomadul is the youngest volcano in eastern-central Europe located in Romania. Although its last eruption occurred at ca. 30 ka, there are independent indications for a high-crystallinity magma reservoir persisting beneath the volcano until present. In order to further test the hypothesis of long-lived melt presence and to better constrain the nature and timescales associated with the subvolcanic magma storage system, over 500 zircon U-Th and U-Pb spot ages (crystal interiors and outer surfaces) were interpreted from dacitic rocks of the most productive eruptive period. The zircon age spectra, combined with textural data, point to a prolonged (several 100’s kyr) residence in a highly crystalline mush state. Zircon crystallization model calculations constrained by thermal modelling imply an average rate of magma input of about 1.3 ×10−4km3/yr over 2 Myr. The model calculations suggest that a crystal mush zone of about 35 km3 is still present within the subvolcanic magma reservoir. Importantly, the Ciomadul plumbing system thus remains thermally primed and renewed magma injection could lead to rapid reawakening and eruption of the apparently inactive volcano.