MeltTransport · Melt Transportation in the Earth's Crust: An Experimental and Numerical Evaluation of Natural Materials
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-09-01 → 2023-08-31
- EU contribution
- €212,934
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Melt Transportation in the Earth's Crust: An Experimental and Numerical Evaluation of Natural Materials
Rocks that have once been melted are subject to changes both chemically and physically and as these changes occur in an open system it is not possible to properly assess what their original nature use to be, particularly through geological time. The process of partial melting, a long-standing geological problem, is deeply rooted in the evolution of our planet, plate tectonics, how rocks deform at high temperatures, the formation or localisation of mineral resources as well as in natural hazards such as earthquakes. The MeltTransport project investigated melt bearing rocks from Norway, Scotland and South Harris in the Outer Hebrides using detailed multidisciplinary analysis to identify structures, chemical features and processes that can be developed into future geological tools to assess the volume of melt and evolution of rocks that have been or have once contained molten rock. Through the formation of such tools we will be able to better interpret the geological record, as well as better predict and locate melt-related processes. We will also get closer to being able to quantify the amount of melt those rocks once contained as opposed to an estimate allowing more accurate constraints on geological history and related processes.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The Earth’s continental crust is compositionally layered, hosts natural resources and energy sources sustaining our civilization and represents an important record of the Earth through geological time. A fundamental control on the structure and heterogeneity of the Earth’s continental crust is the formation, migration and emplacement of fully and/or partially molten rocks. The upper crust is richer in silica than in the lower crust and these rocks is where many of the elements that are essential for life are concentrated. The required chemical differentiation and measured geochemical signatures suggests they must be sourced from melting of lower crustal and mantle environments. This requires melt transfer through the lower and middle crust. However, compared to the generation of melts, the transport and accumulation of such melts is still poorly documented and understood. The movement of melts in the crust is responsible for mineral resource formation, hazards (e.g. earthquakes, volcanic eruptions) and is a fundamental enabler of plate tectonics – a feature that is unique to Earth. The ‘MeltTransport’ project will interrogate natural examples of melt migration and accumulation using an innovative combination of multidisciplinary techniques and state-of-the-art analytical facilities, including a one-of-a-kind experimental apparatus, to provide new insights into this fundamental process. This project will investigate melting processes through three main methods: (1) quantitative microstructural and chemical characterisation, (2) physical experimentation and (3) numerical modelling. This combination of methods will permit visualisation and quantification of (i) how the interaction between melts and the host rock (melt–rock) varies with different pressure/temperature/deformation scenarios, (ii) the formation of microstructures and features during melt extraction/migration/emplacement, and (iii) geochemical characteristics associated with particular microstructures.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS · LeedsCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union