The transcrustal magmatic systems that underlie volcanoes originate in the mantle, but the mantle supply of magma remains enigmatic. Geophysical imaging techniques provide tools to address fundamental questions about magma plumbing systems, but reconciling these geophysical pictures with the physical properties of the rocks and magmas they portray is difficult. To address these dual challenges, 69 scientists participated in a focused Workshop on Mantle Magma Supply and Imaging Magmatic Systems at Subduction Zones and Beyond. The workshop took place at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory on June 3-5, and was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, and co-sponsored by SZ4D. An early career researcher pre-workshop symposium took place on June 2.

The Early Career Researcher pre-workshop symposium including small group discussions and tutorials. In collaboration with SZ4grads, mentoring match-ups also took place throughout the workshop.

In addition to underscoring the large range in existing estimates of mantle supply, the workshop identified strong potential in combining constraints on mantle supply from multiple datasets including gas emissions, field geology, geochronology, geochemistry, and heat flow to improve quantification of the variations in mantle supply in space and time. New geophysical techniques have the potential to resolve a range of magmatic processes, from fluid exsolution to variable depths of magma storage along arcs, but imaging magma in the deep crust and mantle remains an outstanding challenge. Geodynamic models of fluid and magma migration may benefit from advances exceeding the disaggregation limit, allowing better synthesis of and constraints on observations.

Small group breakouts and interactive activities facilitated discussion of magma from the mantle to the crust.

Interdisciplinary groups are continuing to collaborate after the workshop to pursue projects related to magma supply and geophysical imaging. Discussions of imaging will be synthesized to guide the development of SZ4D’s planned VolcArray. A key outcome of the workshop is a new geophysical model intercomparison initiative that aims to benchmark imaging of transcrustal magmatic systems using a combination of seismic, electromagnetic, and gravity data. A session focused on mantle supply, “V014: Magmas Arising: Tracking Magma Supply from Mantle to Surface at Subduction Zones and Beyond” welcomes your abstract submissions for AGU 2024!

Workshop group photo!