Quantification of the Eruptive Flux Along the Western Mexican Volcanic Arc

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Lange9909567The goal of grant EAR-9909567 is to take advantage of recent improvements in the precision and automation of 40Ar/39Ar geochronology to perform an intensive dating program of Quaternary volcanic products along the western Mexican volcanic arc. In addition, we will use field measurements and topographic maps to quantify the volume of magma erupted over the last 1 Myr. The climate and infrastructure within this 200 km arc segment, render it among the best in the world for accurately quantifying the volume of erupted magma over this time period. Our primary aim is to obtain a quantitative history of the eruptive flux, in terms of the volume and relative proportion of magma type erupted along the strike of the arc. We will test whether the volcanic output varies as a function of crustal thickness, rate of slab subduction, age of subducted slab, and degree of lithospheric extension.