High Pressure Geology and Volcanology 2
Carbonatitic magmas have in the past been erupted from many different volcanoes, but at present day there is only one active volcano in the world that erupts this unique magma composition: Oldoinyo Lengai in northern Tanzania.
Carbonatites behave very different from other types of magmas. First, of all the magmas are approximately 480 to 580°C hot, which is 200 to 300°C colder than any other magma in the world. Secondly, the lavas are fast-flowing and can reach speeds up to several metres per second on the steep sides of the volcano.
Our group studies the physical and chemical conditions of magmatic processes in the Earth’s interior, in the Moon and in the inner planets by using experiments.
What happens in a magma chamber before a volcano erupts? How does the core-mantle boundary look like?