Visualising magma plumbing systems in 4D

Abstract

Significant advances have been made in using a wide variety of geophysical techniques to track melt migration, image the structure of active and ancient magma plumbing systems, and constrain emplacement mechanics. In particular, integrating traditional petrological and geochemical results with such geophysical data and modelling has afforded exciting insights into the development of entire magmatic systems. However, divisions between the scales and physical settings over which these methods are applied remain. To characterise these differences and promote the benefits of further combining geophysical, petrological, and geochemical datasets, I discuss how geophysical techniques can be utilised to provide structural context and place physical constraint to the chemical evolution of magma plumbing systems. I am no expert in many geophysical techniques and thus lean on the work of many others, showcasing the importance of collaboration to pushing the boundaries of our science. Here, I will examine on what we can do with some geophysical and geodetic techniques, whilst importantly highlighting what we cannot do with them, and discuss how their application can help us solve some of the key questions within our field. Overall, I hope to show that approaching problems concerning magma plumbing systems from an integrated petrological, geochemical, and geophysical perspective, brought together with various modelling methods, will yield important scientific advances and provide exciting future opportunities for the entire volcanological community.