Magma tipping points and copper mineralization in modern subduction zones

Speaker: Dr Nicholas Barber (Washington and Lee University)
Series: Department of Earth Sciences Seminars (downtown)

Copper, recently classified as a "critical mineral" by the USGS, is one of the most vital building blocks of the green energy transition. Decades of both basic and applied research have illuminated the primary mechanisms driving porphyry copper deposit (PCD) formation. These advances, alongside a thorough exploration of recently active and modern subduction zones, have provided a firm basis for understanding key features of PCD genesis. However, the discovery of new deposits has lagged the soaring demand for copper, raising questions about where new sources of this vital renewable energy constituent will be found. In this talk, I explore a series of hypotheses that relate more commonplace arc volcano processes to those leading to PCD formation. These processes involve both petrological and tectonic drivers of magma physiochemical evolution. I will show that modern volcanoes have much to tell us about where future PCD deposits may be found. Likewise, PCD's, which can be imagined as "failed eruptions" provide us an excellent opportunity to better understand magma "tipping points," that favor eruption, mineralization, or pluton formation.