Magmartic Workshop in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

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This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a field seminar or workshop to examine fundamental aspects of magmatic processes using the Ferrar Supergroup sills in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The most challenging aspect of understanding planetary magmatism is that so little of the integrated nature of the full magmatic life cycle can be directly examined in any realistic context. Planetary magmatism itself is an integrated, multifaceted process involving a spectrum of interleaved chemical and physical processes. These physical processes are responsible for the chemical transformation of the initial primitive magma into the final evolved erupted product. Each essential physical component can be found well exposed somewhere on Earth, and these components have been studied piece by piece for nearly a century. But is has proven singularly elusive to find and study any reasonable example of the entire process itself in a fully integrated true spatial context. The Ferrar dolerites of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (McM-DV) exhibit in exquisite exposures the detailed three-dimensional structure and evolutionary development of an extensive magmatic system, which formed within Earth?s upper crust some 180 m.y. ago. The McM-DV magmatic system contains, on a manageable scale, all the essential features of major magmatic systems, which elsewhere in the world are commonly seen only in a piecemeal fashion. This system is a unique and an invaluable laboratory in which to study first hand the dynamics of planetary magmatism. Because this unusual area is so inaccessible to most researchers, it is proposed to hold a field workshop here to introduce other researchers to the wonders of the McM-DV field relations, to stimulate cutting edge research, and also to delineate the many fundamental and unsolved problems posed by this magmatic system.A two-week field and laboratory event involving 20-25 researchers will be conducted to study the magmatic processes of the McM-DV magmatic system as a centerpiece to understanding the fundamental mechanics and development of magmatic systems in the most general sense. A working conference is envisioned with sessions split between discussions and laboratory work at McMurdo in the Crary Laboratory and fieldwork in the Dry Valleys. Four magmatic processes will be considered by four research modules:1. Magma Transport and Differentiation in a Mush Column (East Bull Pass)2. Crystal Transport and Sorting in Ponded Magma (East Dais)3. Solidification Front Instability (SFI) in Sills (Pandora's Spire/Solitary Rocks)4. Mechanics of Sill Emplacement (Victoria Valley and East Wright Valley)To provide the widest possible impact on research, both in real time and the long term, participants will be spread among five groups: 1) Researchers working on other parts of the Ferrar system; 2) Senior researchers of layered intrusions and basaltic sills worldwide; 3) Young researchers studying magmatic processes; 4) Researchers of ocean ridge magma chambers and melt sheets; 5) Graduate students in igneous petrology. The involvement of undergraduates is also a real possibility.The bringing together of these workers is intended as a catalyst to enunciating a specific fundamental theme common to all magmatic processes, to understanding the regional dynamics of the Ferrar-Transantarctic magmatic province, and to stimulating strong scientists to new horizons of creativity through exposure to a singular, world class field area.