The East African Institute for Fundamental Research (EAIFR) and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) wish to inform those who may be interested of a GEO@EAIFR webinar. This seminar will take place on October 24, 2024 and will be broadcast live on ZOOM. It will also be recorded and later posted on the ICTP-EAIFR YouTube channel, where one can find the previous recorded GEO@EAIFR webinars. Below all the details:

Speaker: Dr. James Muirhead, Senior Lecturer at University of Auckland (New Zealand).

Title: Impact of magmatism, volatiles and climate on continental rift processes

When: October 24, 2024 at 11:00 am (Kigali time).

Register in advance for this meeting by clicking here.

All are very welcome.

Abstract: This presentation explores a range of top-down and bottom-up processes that impact rift basin faulting and the development of continental rift systems as they evolve from early-stage basins (<10 Ma) to their more evolved (>10 Ma) expressions. The spatio-temporal distribution of faulting in the early-stage Natron-Magadi basin and evolved Lake Turkana Rift of the East African Rift System reveal the critical role of magmatism and magmatic volatile release for focusing fault strain into either border faults or axial fault systems as these rift basins develop. Additionally, climate-induced lake level changes in the Lake Turkana Rift produce a detectable change in the rate of rift faulting. Numerical model results suggest that changes in magma chamber pressures in response to reduced lake loading play the dominant role in driving this faulting behaviour, revealing that climate-tectonic interactions are enhanced within continental rift systems experiencing active magmatism.

Biography:  Dr. James Muirhead is Senior Lecturer at University of Auckland, whose research explores magmatic-tectonic interactions from the perspective of a structural geologist. His work investigates the development of continental rift systems, and since 2012 has explored rifting processes in the East African Rift System using a variety of field, seismic reflection and remote-sensing techniques.