Date: Sunday, January 4, 2009 — Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Location: Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK
Web: http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/conservation/conferences/vmsg/
Contact: Rebecca Dolling (rdolling@bournemouth.ac.uk)
Includes the following sessions:
Intraplate Magmatism
Chairs: Kathryn Goodenough (kmgo@bgs.ac.uk), Godfrey Fitton (godfrey.fitton@ed.ac.uk)
Ascent and Emplacement of Magmas
Chair: Carl Stevenson (c.t.stevenson@bham.ac.uk)
Date: Sunday, April 19, 2009 — Friday, April 24, 2009
Location: Austria Center Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Web: http://meetings.copernicus.org/egu2009/index.html
Includes the following sessions:
Session GMPV1: Complex Processes in Magmatic and Volcanic Systems: Experiment, Theory and Modelling
Convenors: Paulo Papale (papale@dst.unipi.it), Ciro Del Negro, Donald Dingwell, Michael Manga
Magmatic and volcanic processes are being increasingly unveiled as long as theoretical models, numerical codes, and advanced experiments are developed and applied to a variety of test cases and conditions. Several aspects concerning the chemical and physical state and evolution of magmas before, during and after eruptions can now be understood, and complex processes can be described and predicted. At the same time, as long as our knowledge improves, new challenges emerge, requiring more sophisticated approaches and instruments. This session invites contributions focusing on advancements in experimental, theoretical, and numerical work aimed at describing any aspect of the complex processes characterizing magma evolution and eruption dynamics, including, but not restricted to, the followings: multicomponent chemical equilibria and kinetics, complex magma rheology, deep magma dynamics, magma chamber formation and dynamics, separation and dynamics of the gas phase, geothermal system chemistry and dynamics, crack formation and dyke injection, magma-rock interaction (either chemical or mechanical), magma ascent and fragmentation, volcanic conduit and vent dynamics, dynamics of lava fountains, strombolian eruptions, supersonic jets and volcanic plumes, generation and dynamics of lava flows and pyroclastic flows, etc. Constraints given to the above processes through a variety of techniques including analysis and inversion of geochemical and geophysical signals, analytical work on the eruption products, etc. are encouraged. Contributions either dealing with specific cases or presenting the results of parametric studies are welcome.
Date: Sunday, May 24, 2009 — Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Location: Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Canada
Web: http://www.jointassembly2009.ca/welcome_english.html
Includes the following sessions:
Session GA08: Frontiers in Precambrian Geodynamics
Convenors: Phil McCausland (pmccausl@uwo.ca), Richard Ernst (richard.ernst@ernstgeosciences.com), Wouter Bleeker (wbleeker@nrcan.gc.ca), Lauri Pesonen (lauri.pesonen@helsinki.fi)
The Precambrian Earth is increasingly being seen as a planet that is recognizably Earthlike, but one in which sometimes extreme circumstances prevailed. There is therefore great opportunity to understand fundamental physical aspects of the Earth’s geodynamic processes through investigating Precambrian events. This session calls for contributions on the Precambrian record of Earth’s paleogeodynamic evolution obtained through paleomagnetism, magmatic events, sedimentology, geochronology, geochemistry and isotope geochemistry as well as insights derived from theory and modeling. A central focus of this session is Earth's paleogeography through the Precambrian, as the ultimate record and ground truth against which to test our understanding of first-order geodynamic processes such as true polar wander (TPW) and supercontinental assembly and dispersal.
This session is convened in honour of the many Precambrian contributions of Henry Halls (U of Toronto), both as a researcher and as a mentor.
Session GA11: The Iapetus Plume Event and Ediacaran Palaeogeography
Convenors: Phil McCausland (pmccausl@uwo.ca), Henry Halls (henry.halls@utoronto.ca), Michael Higgins (michael_higgins@ugac.ca)
The Ediacaran Period, from ~615 to 543 Ma was a time of profound change for the Earth. It appears to have been a time of rapidly growing complexity in metazoan life and of extreme climates. A major tool for unravelling the paleogeographic context for these events should be paleomagnetism, yet it seems unusually difficult to resolve continental configurations during the Ediacaran. Paleomagnetic results available thus far imply apparent motions for some continents that are too rapid to be accomplished by plate tectonics, leading to proposals for large-scale True Polar Wander (TPW) during this period. The Iapetus Plume in eastern Laurentia has been invoked as a possible driver for TPW and also as a pinning point argument against TPW. This session brings together paleomagnetists, geochronologists, tectonicists and petrologists to focus on the Iapetus plume event, the enigmatic Laurentian paleomagnetic results obtained from Ediacaran units and the wider problem of Ediacaran paleogeography. Papers are solicited on any related aspect within the stated time frame, but special emphasis will be placed on understanding the timing, geochemistry and geodynamic features of the Iapetus plume that spawned the Grenville dyke swarm, the Sept Iles intrusive suite, and other alkali and kimberlitic units.
Session V07: Intraplate Volcanic Fields: From Source to Eruption and Techniques for Identifying Patterns of Behaviour
Convenors: Mandie Hintz (arl6@buffalo.edu), Sara Hanson-Hedgecock (sedjat@earthlink.net)
Continental intraplate volcanic fields are characterized by a wide array of eruptive styles and products that are widely distributed across the continents in a variety of tectonic regimes. These volcanic fields occur in virtually all tectonic environments, from extensional (Black Rock Volcanic Field, Utah, USA) to compressional (Michoacán-Guanajuato Volcanic Field, Mexico) and strike-slip (San Quintín Volcanic Field, Baja, Mexico). A field may span from several hundred km2 to more than several thousand km2 and may include anywhere from several volcanic vents to hundreds. This session is dedicated to increasing the fundamental understanding of the patterns of behavior in intraplate volcanic fields through field-based geologic, geophysical, and geochemical investigations. Also of interest are the development of analogue and mathematical models of magmatic, tectonic, and eruption processes, as well as the application of statistics and pattern recognition techniques to volcanic data processing. We hope that the contributions made to this session will aid in our understanding of intraplate source regions and augment our ability to forecast eruptive behavior to mitigate hazards.
Date: Sunday, June 21, 2009 — Friday, June 26, 2009
Location: Congress Centre, Davos, Switzerland
Web: http://www.goldschmidt2009.org/index
Includes the following sessions:
Session 03b: Origin of Hotspots and Flood Basalts
Convenors: Nick Arndt (nicholas.arndt@ujf-grenoble.fr), Cinzia Farnetarni
The aim of this session is to provide a coherent view of thermal and thermochemical instabilities in the deep mantle and their evolution during mantle upwelling, and the petrological and tectonic processes that result in the formation and emplacement of magmas in oceanic islands and continental intraplate settings. Understanding these processes requires contributions from petrologists, geochemists, tectonicians and geophysicists. We invite contributions discussing the dynamics of the source regions of plumes and their mineralogical and chemical compositions, the melting processes and their control on magma compositions, the extent to which melting anomalies reflect excess fertility in the mantle rather than excess mantle temperatures, and finally, the interaction between magma and wall rocks during passage to the surface.
Session 04d: Magma Generation and Evolution and Global Tectonis – A Symposium in Honour of Peter J Wyllie for his Life-Long Contributions to Understanding How the Earth Works by means of Experimental Petrology
Convenors: Yaoling Niu (yaoling.niu@durham.ac.uk), Marjorie Wilson (m.wilson@earth.leeds.ac.uk), Ed Stolper (ems@expet.gps.caltech.edu), Hans Keppler (hans.keppler@uni-bayreuth.de)
Magma generation and evolution are the most effective mechanisms that have led to chemical differentiation of the earth through its history. Our current understanding of magmatism owes much to experimental petrology, including the more than 300 original research contributions by Peter Wyllie and his co-authors. Peter correctly recognized in early days the significance of volatiles in magma genesis in all geological environments. Remarkably, when the plate tectonics theory was still in its infancy, Peter effectively brought that theory to classrooms through his book "The Dynamic Earth", which lucidly explains why volcanoes occur where they do. This symposium honors Peter's contributions and brings together scientists from many parts of the world to discuss their new research on magma generation and evolution. Topics include observations, experimental petrology, igneous geochemistry, and modelling with emphasis on the use of petrology and geochemistry as a means to understanding the working of our planet.
Session 05b: What is the Evidence for Geochemical and Mass Transfer between Mantle and Crust and Back?
Convenors: Mihai Ducea (ducea@geo.arizona.edu), Julian Pearce (pearceja@cf.ac.uk)
Crustal growth can be represented as a box model in which material is transferred in both directions between mantle and crustal reservoirs. Understanding the rates and mechanisms of mass transfer between these reservoirs, and their changes with time, is a minimum requirement for developing a quantitative model of crustal growth. This session focuses on the evidence for these rates and mechanisms. In terms of crustal inputs, we are particularly interested in evidence for the magnitudes and compositions of crustal additions through mantle plume and volcanic arc activity. In terms of outputs, we are particularly interested in geochemical and geophysical evidence for crustal delamination and for the return of crustal materials to the deep mantle via subduction zones. We also encourage contributors to address some of the controversies in crustal growth, which might include the following. What is the role of adakitic and boninitic magmas in crustal growth? Which contributed more to crustal growth: – plumes or subduction? If crustal growth is episodic, what caused the episodicity? How and when does continental crust delaminate and what is the fate of delamination products? What do OIBs tell us about crust-to-mantle transfer and its evolution with time? What fraction of subducted crustal material is returned to the mantle? We look forward to a lively discussion of these and other issues.
Session 10e: Large-Scale Tectonic Controls on Fertility of Magmatic Suites for Ore Genesis
Convenors: Jim Mungall (mungall@geology.utoronto.ca), Steve Barnes (steve.barnes@csiro.au)
This session will focus on the petrogenetic processes that dictate the potential for a magma to become the progenitor of an ore deposit, rather than on the ore deposits themselves. All deposit types - whether magmatic or hydrothermal in origin - whose main fluxes of economic elements are derived from magmas constitute suitable topics. Examples include the conditions required to generate U-rich S-type granites in collisional zones, the origins of the magma parental to the numerous deposit types found in the Bushveld complex, or the optimal conditions for the formation of Au-rich magmas in volcanic arcs.
Date: Monday, July 6, 2009 — Saturday, July 11, 2009
Location: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia
Web: http://www.geomorphology2009.com/
Includes the following sessions:
Volcanic Geomorphology
Convenors: Karoly Nemeth (k.nemeth@massey.ac.nz), Jean-Claude Thouret (j.c.thouret@opgc.univ-bpclermont.fr), Bernie Joyce (ebj@unimelb.edu.au)
Volcanic processes are inherently complex and diverse resulting in extreme variations in morphology and the volcanoes effect on the surrounding environment. Volcanoes resulting from either a single event or longer lasting volcanic processes have the ability to alter their surrounding environment. In addition, volcanic activity is considered to be significant factor in climate change both locally and globally. These changes can alter human social evolution, and therefore volcanism can play an important role in human communities on the daily basis. This multidisciplinary session calls for papers dealing with every aspect of volcanism, both physical and social geographically.
Classical studies in geomorphology, such as morphological evolution and geochronology of volcanic reliefs, as well as morphotectonics, morphometry, have demonstrated to be vitally important in understanding many aspects of volcanic processes. The use of new techniques (morphometry, DEM, fractal, regoliths and soils analyses) to date volcanic landforms have proven to be powerful tools to the understanding of volcanic impact in landscape evolution, and short- and long-term erosion of volcanoes and/or their environment. Geoarchaeology and social study methods, including the collection of oral traditions, illustrate the affect volcanism has on human societies. The evolution of sub-oceanic and oceanic volcanoes, and their morphological evolution and submarine sedimentation, are considered to be new trends in volcanic geomorphology research. Detailed studies of eruptive history from sedimentology, physical volcanology geochronology, and geochemistry have also led to the development of realistic, probabilistic models for future eruption activity. Erosion on volcanic slopes and in watersheds has also recently acquired extensive research interest. Quantitative sediment budget and erosion rates in watersheds on active volcanoes have helped refine short term erosion processes. Repeated patterns in volcanic flank instability, mass flows (debris avalanches, debris flows, and mudflows) and resulting natural hazards such as tsunamis may be controlled by external factors. These volcanic events greatly impact the natural and human environment. Interaction of the hydrosphere (glacier, subsurface and surface water) and volcanic activity resulting in phreatomagmatism is considered to be highly hazardous phenomena and generate unique depositional record and volcanic landforms. Hazard-mapping methods and advanced hazard and risk assessment in populated areas on and around active volcanoes have significant social geography aspects and therefore those researches are also welcome in this session.
The session will focus and call contributions centred around four major aspects:
Date: Thursday, August 6, 2009 — Sunday, August 9, 2009
Location: Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
Web: http://lip-asia.igm.nsc.ru/index.php?lang=english
Contact: Evgeniy Naumov (LIP-asia@igm.nsc.ru)
The conference is focused on the following topics:
Date: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 — Thursday, September 3, 2009
Location: Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
Organisers: Andrew Kerr (kerra@cf.ac.uk), Jim Pindell, Alan Hastie (hastiear1@cf.ac.uk), Iain Neill (neilli@cf.ac.uk)