First PhD paper published! Exploring rift geodynamics in Ethiopia through olivine-spinel Al-exchange thermometry and rare-earth element distributions. Summary in replies! With @David Ferguson @Simon Matthews @amdemichael zafu @Earth & Environment et al. in #EPSL doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl… 1/7

The Ethiopian Rift and Afar Rift are places where the Earth is ripping itself apart to make new ocean basins. This process is geologically tumultuous and involves a lot of seismic activity and volcanism, but what role does magmatic activity play in Ethiopian rifting? 2/7

To gauge this, we need to understand how the mantle, the part of the Earth 30 km below the surface crust, thermally behaves under the Rift. We use olivine and spinel, two minerals that crystallise early from basalts, to estimate temperatures of mantle-derived magmas. 3/7

We also use the trace element geochemistry of basalt lavas to determine the conditions of the melting mantle. These temperatures and compositions are combined with seismic observations of the crust under Ethiopia to constrain how the Ethiopian mantle melts. 4/7

Mantle melting is calculated via pyMelt, a Python module described here: doi.org/10.31223/X5JP7X. By running lots of pyMelt calculations we can estimate the mantle conditions that best reproduce the geophysics and lava geochemistry observed in Ethiopia. 5/7

We discover that the Ethiopian mantle is hotter than ‘ambient’ mantle, and that some melting under Ethiopia occurs at depths to match lava compositions. The main differences between the Ethiopian Rift and Afar Rift are depth of melting and possible mantle composition. 6/7

This paper is #OpenAccess via @NERC SPHERES DTP @NERC Panorama DTP. PyMelt, featuring my chemistry engine contributions, can be found on @Simon Matthews GitHub github.com/simonwmatthews…. Supported by @Volcanology @ Leeds @RocksMeltsFluids @IGTLeeds 7/7