What controls magma storage depths? Comparing volcanoes along the Taupō Volcanic Zone, Aotearoa New Zealand

Volcanologists lack accurate magma storage depths, a fundamental control on volcanic unrest signals and eruptive behaviour. This gap hinders volcano monitoring efforts and means that the physical controls on the depths at which magmas are stored before eruptions are debated, especially for arc volcanoes. The pronounced diversity of volcanoes and crustal variations along the Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ) in Aotearoa New Zealand provide the ideal natural laboratory to understand the controls on magma storage depths. 
This PhD project will constrain magma storage depths for volcanoes along the TVZ via new analyses of the volatile content of melt inclusions: the most accurate geochemical technique available for determining magma storage depths. By modelling magma properties during ascent and comparing magma storage depths constrained using both geophysical and geochemical techniques within the TVZ to other arcs globally, this project will test current competing hypotheses on the factors controlling magma storage depths. Ultimately, the project will derive a holistic understanding of the interplay between magmatic and crustal properties and where magmas are stored prior to eruption. This project is in collaboration with Earth Sciences New Zealand: Aotearoa New Zealand’s institute tasked with monitoring its volcanoes and increasing understanding of geological processes. Staff from ESNZ will help the student connect with relevant iwi (Indigenous Māori tribes) about the project and its progress.