Research Interests
Glaciovolcanism:
I have spent much of the last ten years studying deposits formed by volcanic
eruptions beneath, against and possibly on top of glaciers. Most of my
research in this field has been in Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province
of northwestern British Columbia, Canada, although I have also visited
glaciovolcanic deposits in Iceland and Hawaii. My main interests are 1)
to document and understand the behavior of peralkaline lava-ice interaction
at volcanoes such as Hoodoo Mountain, 2) to use glaciovolcanic deposits
regionally to help constrain long term climate change in continental environments,
and 3) to examine possible connections between glacial ice fluctuations
and triggering of volcanic eruptions.
Magma assimilation:
Magmatic assimilation is a complex process by which magmas incorporate
foreign materials, changing the magma's physical state (e.g. Temperature)
and chemical composition. I have worked with Kelly Russell (U.B.C.) to
develop models for predicting the rates at which foreign solids will react
with magmas, as well as trying to understand the physical and chemical
signals of magmatic assimilation. Many people now feel that open system
processes like assimilation and magma mixing are the most fundamental
means by which magmas diversify. We have recently proposed a model for
the production of trachyte/phonolite via assimilation of alkali-rich Stikine
Terrane lithosphere by alkali olivine basaltic magmas at Hoodoo Mountain
in the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province and are in the process of
further testing the model at Hoodoo as well as applying the model to other
alkaline centers in the NCVP such as Mount Edziza and Level Mountain.
Tectonics and Lithospheric Magmatism:
I am also keenly interested in the connections between extensional tectonics
and magmatic processes. My research in northern BC has focused on two
aspects of these connections: 1) studies of lithospheric xenoliths brought
to the surface by young volcanism, and 2) broad-scale connections between
tectonic forces and initiation of magmatic activity.
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