Thermal and physical evolution of magmatic systems and its control on volcanic activity (Invited)

Multiple evidences from fieldwork, thermal modeling and geochemistry suggest that magmatic systems are assembled over timescales of hundredths of thousands to millions of years via the periodic transfer of magma from depth. The rate and periodicity of magma injection control the likelihood of generating a magmatic reservoir containing eruptible magma, the ratio between the eruptible and non-eruptible magma and finally, the frequency and magnitude of eventual volcanic eruptions. I will review some techniques we recently developed to quantify the volume of potentially eruptible magma stored in crustal magmatic reservoirs from the study of plutonic bodies today exposed at the surface. In these studies we combine field measurements with petrology, rheology, and thermal modeling to determine the thermal evolution and timescale of assembly of crustal intrusions, and the long-term fluxes of magma in the Earth crust. To characterize the relationship between the rate of magma transfer in the crust and volcanic activity, we performed thermal and mechanical modeling in combination with Monte Carlo simulations to identify the conditions required for volcanic activity to occur. The result permit to estimate the relative volumes of erupted and intruded magma and the frequency at which volcanic eruptions of different magnitude may occur. The comparison between our results and data collected for volcanic eruptions at the global scale are in agreement, which suggest the model capture the basic factors controlling volcanic activity. The continuing multidisciplinary effort of our community to the study of magmatic and volcanic systems is fundamental to unravel the link between transfer and accumulation of magma in the crust and volcanic eruptions.