VOLFLANK · Dating flank collapses on volcanic ocean islands
FP7 — People (Marie Curie Actions)
- Duration
- 2009-03-25 → 2012-03-24
- EU contribution
- €45,000
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- MC-ERG
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Dating flank collapses on volcanic ocean islands
The VolFlank ERG was set up in order to study and accurately date volcano flank collapses on volcanic oceanic islands. Two state of the art radiometric dating techniques available in the Noble Gas Laboratory of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA) were set up and applied. New analytical techniques were developed in Zircon (U-Th)/He dating. The application of the zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He dating technique was successfully tested in a PhD research project carried out in the Balkan area. Main aim of this PhD study was to understand the mechanics of the formation of the southeastern part of the Panonian basin, the Dinarides in terms of coupling between basin subsidence and coeval orogenic exhumation. Prior to initiating the second phase (sampling campaign on the Azores to date ocean island collapse), Dr Foeken resigned and the project was discontinued.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The growth and formation of young (Quaternary) ocean islands volcanoes is often governed by episodic build up (volcanic eruptions) and destruction (landslides or collapsing of part of the volcano flank). The mega-tsunamis that can be triggered by flank collapses could result in ocean-wide destruction, and constraining the age and frequency at which flank collapses occur is therefore of fundamental importance. The processes leading up to, and actual flank collapse itself, are poorly understood with internal (changes in magma chamber systematics, shift in stress field, gravitational instability, etc) and external (changes in climate, sea-level, groundwater table, etc) processes proposed. The lack of understanding follows directly from the absence of absolute age constraints. Conventional dating methods (e.g., radiocarbon and 40Ar/39Ar) are often insufficient as rocks lack suitable material (charcoals) or are too young to be dated precisely. We propose two alternative dating methods, namely cosmogenic 3He exposure dating on olivines and pyroxenes as well as (U-Th)/He dating on apatite, zircon and titanite. The unparalleled time scales at which these combined methods can be applied will shed important new insights in the Quaternary growth history and destruction of ocean island volcanoes.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- VERENIGING VOOR CHRISTELIJK HOGER ONDERWIJS WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK EN PATIENTENZORG · AmsterdamCoordinatorNetherlands
- STICHTING VU · AmsterdamNetherlands
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union