HIGH-RESOLUTION CRYSTAL CLOCKS FOR MAGMATISM AND VOLCANISM: ADVANCES AND CHALLENGES OF DIFFUSION CHRONOMETRY
Time is a key parameter in understanding the evolution of a system (e.g., Earth’s lithosphere, sub-surface magma bodies, and climate). The past two decades of advances in diffusion chronometry have shown that minerals in igneous rocks are reliable time capsules of magmatic processes. In other words, every crystal can be a clock. Existing crystal clocks can determine durations of magmatic processes ranging from minutes to millions of years, complementing ages resolvable with classic radiometric dating methods. The approaches will continue to thrive with fast development of in situ analysis techniques allowing sub-micrometer high-precision chemical analyses of tiny crystals and experimental investigations of diffusion mechanisms and rates. Studies using crystal clocks will help understand the evolution of small-large, mafic-felsic magmatic systems and improve volcanic eruption forecast, thus of great scientific and societal significances. In this seminar I will introduce the principles of diffusion chronometry, potential sources of errors in the time estimates, and applications of crystal clocks in studies of magmatism and volcanism on Earth and beyond.
Additional information: Prof. Weiran LI , weiranli@hku.hk