New open access publication about sub-volcanic plumbing systems

A new open access research paper by UiB researcher Christian Haug Eide and co-authors was recently published in the Journal of the Geological Society. The article is about the magma-filled fractures, known as sill-complexes, which transfer magma through the crust to volcanoes. This article is the first to investigate large-scale geometries and controls on the development of mafic sill complexes in geological outcrops. This is important knowledge, as it helps us to understand how magma is transported through sub-volcanic plumbing systems, and how these plumbing systems develop. It can also help unravel how volcanism influences hydrocarbon systems in sedimentary basins, such as the Møre and Vøring basins on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, and in parts of the Barents Sea.

In order to understand the controls on how sill complexes develop, the authors used helicopter-mounted laser scanning and traditional field work in the remote cliffs of Jameson Land in Eastern Greenland.

The paper shows that in order to understand subvolcanic plumbing system, it is crucial to know the properties of the rocks the volcanic intrusions intrude into, the extent of mudstone intervals, and the timing of cementation of sandstones. Future work by this group will investigate how such intrusions are imaged in seismic data.

The open access paper can be downloaded by anyone from this link:

Eide, Christian Haug; Schofield, Nicholas; Jerram, Dougal A.; Howell, John A. 2016, Basin-scale architecture of deeply emplaced sill complexes: Jameson Land, East Greenland. Journal of the Geological Society. (OPEN ACCESS) https://dx.doi.org/10.1144/jgs2016-018