SEMINAR IN TECTONOPHYSICS

When continents stretch and rift, magmas rise from the mantle, leading to widespread volcanism.
This seminar explores:
• how mantle temperature, water content and decompression drive magma formation
• the role of the lithosphere
• temporal and spatial relationship between volcanism and extension
• the importance of pre-existing structures and tectonic history
• the interactions with asthenosphere flow or plumes
• how magma ascends through the crust and erupts in extending regions
The course will include both fundamental concepts, and examples from the Western US, East Africa and Southwest Pacific back-arc basins, focusing on observational geology, petrology, geophysics, and geodynamic models.