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Unraveling timescales of magmatic processes through diffusion modeling: Insights from diverse volcanic contexts

Helena Albert 1,2, Fidel Costa3, Andrea Di Muro4

  • Affiliations: 1Department of Mineralogy, Petrology and Applied Geology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 2Geomodels Research Institute, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 3Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Universite Paris Cite, CNRS, France; 4Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon: Terre, Planètes et Environnement, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France 

  • Presentation type: Talk [Invited]

  • Presentation time: Tuesday 15:45 - 16:00, Room R380

  • Programme No: 1.3.5

  • Theme 1 > Session 3

Abstract

Diffusion modeling in zoned crystals provides a powerful tool for quantifying the timing of magmatic processes across diverse volcanic systems. By focusing on olivine, we explore a variety of processes constrained through crystal zoning patterns, including dike propagation dynamics, magma mixing, magma storage, and mush generation. These insights are critical for understanding volcanic unrest and eruption forecasting. The versatility of diffusion chronology is illustrated by three representative cases. At Paricutin (Mexico), olivine zoning in the early tephra captures the thermochemical gradients and timescales associated with dike propagation, shedding light on the dynamic conditions at the dike tip during the initial stages of magma ascent and the transition to steady magma flow. At Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion), olivine and melt inclusions record the temporal coupling between shallow magma storage, the generation of a crystal mush, and lateral magma transport, offering insights into the processes leading up to the caldera collapse in 2007. Finally, in the Canary Islands, olivine crystals from monogenetic eruptions reveal several pre-eruptive mixing events, enabling correlations with seismic unrest data. Moreover, comparing timescales derived from multiple eruptions has allowed us to propose a general model, wherein early intrusions create thermal pathways that facilitate later eruptions. This framework integrates geochemical, petrological, and unrest data to identify recurring timescales of unrest on the order of years, months, and days preceding monogenetic eruptions. This work has been partially financed by the grant PID2023-151693NA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.