RAPID - High precision radiometric dating of Axial Seamount 2015 eruption products with 210Po-210Pb

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

Our knowledge of the inner workings of volcanoes, magma ascent rates, and the sequence of events leading up to a volcanic eruption is still rudimentary for undersea volcanoes. In the Spring of 2015, just after installation of Ocean Observatory Initiative (OOI), a new; NSF-funded; cabled undersea observatory, a major eruptive event happened at Axial Volcano, an edifice just off the coast of the Northwestern US on the Juan de Fuca mid-ocean ridge spreading center. Samples of the associated lavas, collected just shortly after the eruption hold the potential to dramatically improve our understanding of undersea volcanic processes. This research takes advantage of this unique opportunity to carry out analyses of Po210, a very short lived radioactive isotope, which allows high resolution dating that can tell over what period of time the lavas were erupted. Additional Uranium series isotope analyses allow estimates to also be made about magma ascent rates, better helping us understand the eruption process and mechanisms of the Axial eruption. These data, along with independently collected major and trace element geochemical data and geophysical data that will be combined to answer questions about the Axial magmatic system and magma migration pathways leading to eruption. Broader impacts of the work include public release of data, support of an early career researcher, public outreach via social media, and support of an institution in an EPSCoR state.