What can mid-ocean ridge sediments tell us about deep-sea explosive volcanism? - Ryan Portner
Wednesday 15th June, 2016.
A long held debate in marine geology has pondered how the extreme environmental conditions of the deep seafloor restrict explosive eruptions and if such explosivity can occur at all. This debate is rooted in the physical and chemical characteristics of deep-sea sedimentary deposits. Recent submersible observation of an explosive eruption at 1200 mbsl has shed light on this topic, yet many uncertainties remain. The connections between volcaniclastic deposits sampled from the seafloor, and their transport processes, inferred eruption styles and underlying origins remains unclear. How magma composition, volatile contents and conduit processes influence eruption style is particularly important. This study will present results from several remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) mapping efforts on Axial Seamount of the Juan de Fuca mid-ocean spreading ridge.
Biography
My research is focused on physical and chemical Mid-ocean ridge processes, submarine volcanology and sedimentology. My roots are in land-based field work, but have moved into the marine realm for the last 5 years.
