PhD project at LMU Munich on the response of volatile-bearing magma to decompression – from foaming to fragmentation

A DFG-funded PhD position is available in the experimental volcanology group at LMU Munich, Germany. The project investigates how hydrated silicic magma in a shallow reservoir responds to decompression and maps out its ‘eruptability’. This project is planned against the backdrop of the ICDP Krafla Magma Drilling Project (KMDP).
We are seeking an outstanding and highly motivated candidate. He/she will experimentally explore the response of volatile-bearing silicic magma to various decompression regimes (fast/ slow) and map the transitions from ‘nothing’ to minor nucleation to explosive foaming and eventually fragmentation. The experiments will be conducted under P-T conditions relevant to KMDP where rhyolitic melts was found in about 2 km beneath Krafla caldera and spans the range of 800-920°C & 16-55 MPa. In case of fragmentation and ejection, thermal analysis will be applied to constrain the cooling history; further size and morphology of the clasts will be analysed.
Candidates should have a MSc in a relevant area (petrology, volcanology, geology, mineralogy, geophysics, Earth sciences); experience in laboratory work will be advantageous.

For further information please contact Bettina Scheu (b.scheu@lmu.de)

To apply, send one PDF including your CV, a research statement, an academic transcript and contact information for 2 referees to Bettina Scheu (b.scheu@lmu.de). The research statement should include a description of undergraduate research projects/studies undertaken as well as future research interests.

Evaluation of the applications will start 18.07.2016, until the position is filled. The project start is anticipated for autumn/winter 2016.

Best regards,

Bettina Scheu / Don Dingwell

LMU München, Germany
http://www.en.mineralogie.geowissenschaften.uni-muenchen.de/index.html