Lapworth Lecture - Decoding Fluid Dynamics of Magma Bodies with Rock Microstructure

Plutonic rocks can form parts of volcanic plumbing systems or, independently, represent magma reservoirs within the crust. Although often described as “failed volcanoes,” these bodies hold key insights not only into how large magma bodies form and cool, but also into how buoyant melt is extracted from a crystal-rich framework into melt-dominated accumulations, and how magmatic ore deposits form.

One way to quantify rock microstructure is through Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), which allows us to study how crystals are oriented within a rock and whether they show evidence of deformation. When combined with mineral chemistry, EBSD provides a powerful tool for decoding the thermal and mechanical evolution of large magma bodies.

In this Lapworth Lecture, Dr Zoja Vukmanovic will present several examples from layered mafic intrusions (the Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland; the Stillwater Complex, USA) and Proterozoic massif-type anorthosite (the Kunene Complex, Angola). These examples will demonstrate how quantitative microstructural analysis can be used to reconstruct the cooling and movement of large magma bodies as they migrate through the crust.

About Zoja

Dr Zoja Vukmanovic is a Lecturer in Geology and Georesources at the University of East Anglia. She obtained her PhD in 2014 at the University of Western Australia, where she studied komatiite‑ and layered intrusion‑hosted ore deposits. Zoja combines textural and microstructural analyses (EBSD) with geochemistry and field observations to understand the cooling of large magma bodies, their emplacement, and the subsolidus processes that subsequently affect them.

Her research also focuses on the role of magma dynamics in the concentration of mineral deposits. For several years, she worked on the largest platinum deposit in the world—the Bushveld Complex in South Africa—as well as the Skaergaard Intrusion in South Greenland. Her most recent research direction focuses on the evolution of massif‑type anorthosites.

This lecture is free and open to everyone.