Mantle and Magmatic Processes

Have you ever wondered what the Earth’s mantle is made of, how it melts to generate magma, why the magma erupts where it does and why magmas erupting in different tectonic settings have different compositions? This course will provide answers to these questions and many more. It will examine the nature, origin, and interpretation of igneous rocks and mineral assemblages, as well as the magmatic processes that have produced these materials. Additionally, students will develop an understanding of the petrological evolution of the crustal lithosphere within a modern plate dynamic framework. Case studies will be used from across the globe to provide examples of various magmatic systems, but there will be a particular emphasis on those from the Pacific island nations, including Aotearoa New Zealand. Students taking this course will receive a broad grounding in the experimental, petrographical and geochemical aspects of igneous petrogenesis and magmatic processes. This will be achieved in two lectures and one laboratory class each week, along with half a day of fieldwork to collect geochemical data and a subsequent laboratory class to describe, evaluate interpret those data. Students will be expected to set their work in the context of the broader published literature. Completion of activities in each lecture, marked output from lab classes and a discussion in which the student demonstrates the level of their understanding of key concepts will contribute to the course mark.