Magmatic processes, quantitative approaches to igneous petrology.
Research Area
Prof Maclennan studies the physics of magmatic processes and the role that these processes play in the Earth system. His work combines fieldwork in modern and ancient volcanic provinces, state-of-the-art microanalytical geochemistry, quantitative AI-assisted petrography and computational modelling of magma physics. Many of his key papers have been focussed on Icelandic volcanoes, with the aim of developing approaches and conceptual models that are globally applicable to volcanism at mid-ocean ridges, ocean islands and continental rift zones. Over the last decade his focus has been on developing methods for quantifying the timescales of magmatic processes. The principal targets have been obtaining estimates of the rates of magma ascent and the pre-eruptive storage time of magma. These attributes of the magmatic system help us to understand the physical characteristics of magma storage zones and the mechanisms that lead to eruption. Please refer to my Google Scholar profile for more detailed information.
Project Interests
We are keen to push forward new approaches in diffusion chronometry and to understand the link between magmatic timescales recorded in crystals and those provided by geophysical monitoring of volcanoes. We also continue to develop machine-learning approaches to automatically quantify textures and compositional variation in igneous rocks, and have numerous potential applications and techniques to develop. The immediate targets of such work would likely focus on Icelandic examples (e.g. Fagradalsfjall, Sundnúksgigar, Laki) but can easily be applied to other settings (Hawaii, Galapagos, ophiolites, large mafic intrusions).
