Volumes, Timescales and Frequency of Magmatic Processes in the Earth’s Lithosphere

When, where and for how long magmas are stored within the Earth and how they contribute to the crustal chemical, physical and thermal architecture remain important challenges in geosciences. Magmatic bodies have been detected with a wide range of geophysical approaches; however, the volumes, mechanics, chemical signatures and evolution of these bodies remain poorly constrained. Unravelling the architecture and dynamics of the Earth’s lithosphere and answering such fundamental questions as:
- How do we detect magmatic bodies, and determine their volume and geometry?
- How can we quantify chemical, mechanical and thermal processes that operate within these magmas?
- How can we determine the frequency of magma injections/pulses and melt extraction events?
- How do we read the record preserved in minerals, glasses and melts, or in volatile emissions to constrain the timescales and location of magmatic processes?

This requires investigating the different geochemical, mechanical, and thermal combinations controlled by magma transport, emplacement, storage, and fluxes. Resolving these questions therefore needs cross-disciplinary interactions and collaborations linking field geologists, geochemists, petrologists, volcanologists, geophysicists, and numerical modelers. We encourage researchers in this area to consider contributing to our Research Topic.