Penrose Conference Scheduled
Evolution of Ocean Island Volcanoes
Anyone going to Galapagos should check out Galápagos Travel's Web Site
June 4-12, 1998
A Geological Society of America Penrose Conference, "Evolution of Ocean Island Volcanoes," will be held June 4-12 in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. The conference is being cosponsored by the Charles Darwin Foundation and IAVCEI.
Volcanism associated with ocean islands changes in several ways with time. In most archipelagos, the eruptive styles of individual volcanoes vary temporally, giving rise to different types of deposits as the volcano emerges above the sea, reaches a peak in activity, and dies. At most volcanoes, the variation in eruptive style is accompanied by systematic changes in the petrologic, trace element, and isotopic compositions of the magmas. These changes at individual archipelagos lend critical insight into geodynamic processes such as the interaction between mantle plumes and their surroundings, the amount and rate of melt production, and the degree of chemical heterogeneity of the mantle source. Despite their common characteristics, different archipelagos display utterly distinct evolutionary styles, which suggests that differences in tectonic setting, plume dynamism, or both can lead to variations in the evolutionary development of individual ocean islands.
The purpose of the conference is to convene a broad spectrum of specialists who have worked on different aspects of many different islands to compare common patterns, highlight unique styles of evolutionary change, and assess models for the causes of the patterns of evolutionary change. The major questions to be addressed by the conference are:
I. How do different volcanoes in different island chains evolve volcanologically, petrologically, geochemically, and tectonically?
II. What are the common and unique patterns at different volcanoes?
III. How do the different styles of evolution relate to differences in tectonic setting, ocean basins, sources, and strengths of the hotspots?
IV. How does the evolution of ocean island volcanoes help constrain models of the deep earth (e.g. mantle plumes)?
V. Are there alternatives to the mantle plume theory that better explain ocean-island volcanism?
The conference will be held in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, a locale virtually synonymous with evolution. Participants will depart Quito, Ecuador on June 4, 1998 and fly to San Cristobal Island, where they will be picked up by the tourist ships Corinthian and San Jose. The first 5 days of the conference will be touring from these boats, examining Galápagos volcanoes in various stages of evolution, with talks and discussion sessions in the mornings and evenings. The preliminary itinerary for the field trip will take the conference from the oldest part of the archipelago (San Cristobal and Espanola Islands) to active volcanoes (Sierra Negra and Santiago). There will be abundant opportunity to observe and photograph the wildlife for which the archipelago is renowned. On June 8, the participants will disembark to Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, home of the host institution, the Charles Darwin Research Station. Three days of oral presentations, poster sessions, and discussions will focus on current research and future directions that will lead to holistic models of how oceanic volcanoes change with time.
Owing to the uniquely field-intensive aspect of this Penrose conference, it should be emphasized that in order to get the most out of the conference, participants will need to be reasonably fit (able to walk 2 miles and ascend 1000 feet in the sun) and tolerant of equatorial heat. The conference facilities are primitive by many standards as well, without air conditioning. The boat and hotel facilities are superb yet informal.
The conference will be limited to 60 participants, who will be selected to represent a broad range of disciplines and with knowledge of diverse geologic settings. We will be able to subsidize travel for several strongly-qualified graduate students and scientists from developing countries. The registration fee, which will cover boat travel, lodging in Puerto Ayora, and meals exclusive of dinners in Puerto Ayora, is expected to be in the neighborhood of $1180. We expect group airline fares to be available from Miami for approximately $750.
Co-conveners are: Dennis Geist, Geology Dept., University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, dgeist@uidaho.edu, fax 208-885-5724, phone 208-885-6491; Karen Harpp, Chemistry Department, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI 54912, Karen.Harpp@lawrence.edu, fax 414-832-6962, phone 414-832-6729; Wendy Bohrson, Dept. Geological Sciences, UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, bohrson@magic.geol.ucsb.edu, fax 805-893-2314, phone 805-893-8782. Email inquiries are preferred by all of the co-conveners.
Application deadline is January 1, 1998. Formal invitations will be mailed by Feb. 1, 1998. Three paper copies of applications should be sent to Dennis Geist and consist of a brief curriculum vitae (e.g. NSF form 1362), a cover letter indicating your interest and experience, need and justification for financial support, and the subject of proposed poster presentations.
Return to Geist's Home Page
Hits. Starting 7/17/97