Petrological-geophysical imaging of post-collisional volcanism: a record of lithospheric mantle evolution in the Vrancea Area

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Max Moorkamp
• Subject Area: Geophysics
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 570436389

Volcanic eruptions pose a significant threat to human life and economic well-being, especially in tectonic settings where water-rich magmas are produced. While hydrous arc magmatism has been the focus of studies for decades, volcanic activity that persists beyond active subduction, in post-collisional settings, is much less understood but is just as hazardous and potentially more complex. The goal of this project is to advance our understanding of post-collisional volcanic systems, the fundamental forces driving their magmatic activity and their development in time, in order to assess lithospheric mantle evolution and future eruptive activity. To achieve this, we propose an integrated geophysical-petrochronological approach to one of the most geodynamically active areas of Europe: the broader Vrancea region in Romania. This includes three very different magmatic provinces located in close vicinity to each-other: the adakitic Ciomadul volcano, the Na-alkalic Persani basaltic volcanic field, and the calc-alkaline South Harghita volcanoes. These represent multiple temporal stages of magmatism, partly overlapping in time, with Ciomadul currently being a dormant volcano and a nascent magmatic province potentially forming southeast of this volcano. We will achieve our goals by conducting a multi-scale magnetotelluric survey to image the magmatic systems from the shallow crust down to the asthenosphere boundary, quantitatively integrating the models with existing geophysical data, and we will perform a thorough petrological, geochemical and geochronological characterization of the eruptive material that links magmatic evolution and eruption frequency with changes in the mantle source. This will give an overview of how the post-collisional system has evolved during the last 3 million years, connecting different types of magma generation with their tectonic drivers, and it will reveal the current state and potential evolution paths of this still active magmatic province.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Czech Republic, Switzerland
• Partner Organisation: Czech Science Foundation; Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (SNF)
• Cooperation Partners: Dr. Graham Hill; Dr. Razvan-Gabriel Popa