KALMAR - A Russian-German Collaborative Project in the Kurile-Kamchatka and Aleutian Marginal Sea - Island Arc Systems

KALMAR is a Russian-German collaborative project that investigates the triple junction of the Kurile- Kamchatka and Aleutian Island Arc system. This system is seismically and volcanically the most active subduction zone on Earth with an ongoing eruption record in the Kamchatka volcanic front since the Pleistocene. The amount and explosivity of the eruptions point towards a significant influence of fluids in the subducted crust and upper mantle on the composition of the magmas and the volcanological evolution. The significant release of climate-relevant magmatic gases is related to the most active volcanoes associated with the Kamchatka-Aleutian-Triple Junction. In order to better understand the processes that control the subduction, KALMAR investigates the geodynamic-volcanic-magmatic and the oceanographic-climatic evolution of the Kurile-Kamchatka-Aleutean Arc system in five closely coupled subprojects. The subprojects address the processes involved in a wide range of geophysical, tectonic, volcanological and petrological processes as well as paleo-oceanographic and climate research from land and marine sites. The different scientific approaches will enable us to better understand the input and output into the subduction factory and their effects on the global climate. Here we present an overview of the work done within KALMAR; specific research focuses within the project are presented in various sessions of the AGU 2008 Fall Meeting.