OxTalks will soon move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events.' There will be a need for an OxTalks freeze. This was previously planned for Friday 14th November – a new date will be shared as soon as it is available (full details will be available on the Staff Gateway).
In the meantime, the OxTalks site will remain active and events will continue to be published.
If staff have any questions about the Oxford Events launch, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
Unraveling dynamics of volcano-magmatic systems remains a great challenge due to absence of direct observations of magma formation, storage or eruptions. Recent advances in analyzing minerals like zircon or plagioclase offer a window into these hidden processes.
Zircon, a remarkably resistant mineral, can grow for many thousands of years within slowly cooling magma chambers. Despite this slow crystallization, these crystals retain signatures of disequilibrium trace element partitioning (e.g., Hf, Y, U, Th) and Zr isotopic fractionation due to diffusion. Simulation of these processes transforms zircon crystals to thermometers and clocks, recording the thermal evolution of individual magma parcels.
Plagioclase, another key witness, offers insights into pre-eruptive magma ascent and storage conditions. Core-to-rim variations in Anorthite content, Sr, and Ba concentrations reflect changes in pressure and temperature providing valuable clues about the complex dynamics leading up to an eruption.
