| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 30, 2018 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | March 24, 2023 |
| Award Number: | 1820185 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Jennifer Wade
jwade@nsf.gov (703)292-4739 EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | June 15, 2018 |
| End Date: | May 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $153,187.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $183,140.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2019 = $29,953.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
6530 KISSENA BLVD FLUSHING NY US 11367-1575 (718)997-5400 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
65-30 Kissena Blvd Flushing NY US 11367-1575 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Petrology and Geochemistry |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Sulfur is the third most abundant volatile element in volcanic systems following water and CO2. Release of sulfur to the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions can perturb climate on a global scale and cause acid rain, resulting in significant environmental impact. The eruption of Mt. Samalas on Lombok Island, Indonesia, in 1257 generated the largest volcanic sulfur emission event of the last 2000 years. This event is coincident with a multi-year global cooling event around the beginning of the "Little Ice Age." The central research question of this project is: how did this volcano build up so much eruptible sulfur? The scientist participants will test hypotheses of sulfur enrichment mechanisms by probing deep into sulfur's properties and behavior within sulfides, apatites, and volcanic glasses (rapidly cooled melts) from pumice samples from this eruption. The project will utilize the most advanced analytical techniques to investigate sulfur chemistry, many of which were developed recently by participants on the research team. This project will yield new insights into the capability of magmatic systems beneath volcanoes to accumulate reservoirs of eruptible sulfur large enough to create significant global environmental impacts. This work will support several early-career researchers, and will engage a diverse group of undergraduate students to participate at City University of New York (CUNY) and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).
The project exploits the complex geochemical behavior of sulfur to track its movement from the liquid phase (silicate melt) into solid (mineral) and gas phases in magmatic systems. Sulfur is a polyvalent element that can change its valence state from S2- to S6+ over a narrow redox range relevant for terrestrial magmatic systems. This makes sulfur an excellent tracer for changes in magma redox conditions that may have played a critical role in the transport, enrichment, and release of sulfur during the 1257 Mt. Samalas eruption. The involved magmatic processes (e.g., degassing) should lead to predictable fractionations of sulfur isotopes in glasses and minerals, which will further constrain the dynamics of sulfur build-up at Samalas. The valence states of sulfur in minerals and glasses will be determined via X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, whereas sulfur isotope ratios will be measured by secondary ionization mass spectrometry (SIMS). This dovetailing of redox and isotope studies is a powerful new approach to addressing sulfur-related science questions. This project will serve as a blueprint for future studies of other volcanic systems and will have implications for magmatic sulfide ore-forming processes and crustal magma evolution of interest to the broader Earth science community.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
What controls the behavior and accumulation of sulfur in large magma reservoirs and, therefore, its subsequent release in climate-impacting volcanic eruptions? This project focused on this intriguing question, taking Mount Samalas (Indonesia) as a case study. In 1257 CE, this volcano awoke violently, producing one of the largest eruptions of the last 10,000 years globally, and released a prodigious amount of sulfur to the stratosphere, which led to perturbations of Earth's climate. We collected geochemical data from pumice samples of the 1257 eruption to track the evolution of sulfur in the pre-eruptive magma reservoir and identify the factors that favored buildup of unusually large amounts of sulfur. We find that sulfur was initially present in both reduced and oxidized forms in the magma, and that the magma reservoir grew by progressive recharge in the lead up to the 1257 eruption. Based on calculations, we show that the intermediate oxidation state of sulfur and the gradual influx of new magma were key ingredients to promote sulfur accumulation at Mount Samalas. These findings have broad implications for our understanding of large volcanic eruptions and their potential consequences for the climate system. This project supported training of a postdoctoral scientist and two undergraduate students at Queens College, City University of New York, and involved international collaborations. Results were disseminated in 5 conference presentations and 3 manuscripts are in preparation for publication.
Last Modified: 09/27/2024
Modified by: Marc-Antoine Longpre
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