Conference: Workshop to catalyze understanding of mantle magma supply at subduction zones & beyond

This grant will support a focused multidisciplinary workshop to advance understanding of the supply of mantle-derived magma to volcanic systems. The 3-day workshop will bring together ~50 petrologists, seismologists, volcanologists, field geophysicists, and geodynamicists, with the goal of catalyzing cross-disciplinary efforts to explore how mantle melting processes impact transcrustal magmatic systems and surface eruptions. A pre-workshop, half-day program for early career researchers aims to enhance training and career development for the next generation of scientists. Mantle magma supply is the starting point for building magmatic systems and is a key control on the magma recharge that initiates many volcanic eruptions. Yet, the supply rate of melt and volatiles from the mantle to the crust remains one of the most challenging parameters to constrain in magmatic systems. This workshop aims to galvanize synthesis of recent scientific advances in geophysics, gas geochemistry, geology, and geodynamic modeling that provide new methods to quantify mantle magma supply. Intensive work to understand mantle supply is critical to efforts such as the Subduction Zones in 4D initiative (SZ4D), a large-scale community effort in Earth sciences to probe the processes that underlie subduction zone hazards. Key outcomes of the workshop will include new interdisciplinary scientific collaborations to quantify and model mantle magma supply and forward-looking recommendations for instrument deployment and prioritization in the context of magma imageability. Broader impacts include advancing understanding of magma supply beyond traditional disciplinary perspectives; and pre- and syn-workshop activities focused on early career researcher engagement, training, and career development. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.