Julian Wolf
Julian Wolf
Chair of Endogenous Geodynamics
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Project: Magma Generation and Evolution in the Aegean Volcanic Arc – Implications for Crustal Growth and Arc Migration
The subduction of the African Plate beneath Europe in the Aegean region provides an excellent natural laboratory for observing and studying modern subduction processes and for improving our understanding of plate tectonics. Since the Cretaceous, the African Plate has been subducting beneath the Eurasian Plate. Extension of the overriding lithosphere, caused by the southward retreat of the trench and rollback of the African Plate, has led to intensified magmatic activity that follows the retreating trench. These volcanoes often erupt lavas with highly variable compositions, particularly with respect to potassium content. This variability is likely related to differing amounts of subducted sedimentary material, which commonly vary within a single subduction system such as the Aegean Arc.
The isotopic signatures of the mantle that are added to the continental crust are particularly variable. Processes such as the accretion and partial recycling of large volumes of continental sediments are thought to be responsible for these chemical variations. Sediments, for example, contain high concentrations of Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb, and even a small contribution of sedimentary material can significantly modify the radiogenic isotope composition of the mantle. However, in the Aegean region it remains unclear where and how the mixing of mantle and crustal components occurs within the subduction zone.
To better understand the petrogenesis of the various magmas in the Aegean Arc, it is essential to determine their primary compositions and to investigate their temporal and spatial relationships with tectonic processes. Precise dating of compositionally distinct volcanic phases within the Aegean Arc is crucial for correlating magmatic activity with geodynamic events.
Funding: DFG-project
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Julian-Wolf-15