Jozua van Otterloo

PhD candidate

Qualifications:

BSc., MSc. (cum laude) VU Amsterdam

Project Title

Factors influencing the alternations in phreatomagmatic and magmatic explosive volcanism recorded in the volcanic complexes of Mt. Gambier and Mt. Schank, Newer Volcanics Province, Australia

Supervisor/s

Prof. Dr. Ray Cas and Dr. Heather Wright

Project details

The Newer Volcanics Province is a young (4.5 Ma - recent) basaltic plains province marked by extensive plains of lava flows and over 400 small point source volcanoes including lava shields, scoria cones and maars.

The volcanoes of Mount Gambier and Mount Schank in South Australia are the youngest of the volcanic province with an age of 4.5 ka to 20 ka. These volcanoes are characterised by maars and tuff cones formed due to phreatomagmatic processes, however inter-stratification between thick intervals of purely magmatic explosive and phreatomagmatic deposits is present, implying a link between magmatic volatiles and phreatomagmatic explosive fragmentation. For a better understanding of the origins and dynamics of such alternations and their relationships to the fuel-coolant interaction, the aims of this study are:

1) Determine the chronology of eruption events and the evolution of the Mount Gambier and Mount Schank volcanic centres;

2) Quantify the nature and scale of transitions between magmatic and phreatomagmatic deposits and pyroclast characteristics;

3) Evaluate the role of original magmatic volatiles in driving phreatomagmatic eruptions relative to fuel-coolant interaction, the effects on particle and deposit characteristics, and how these processes are represented in the geological record;

4) Determine the emplacement temperature of phreatomagmatic deposits as indication of thermal energy loss during magma-water interaction.

Research interests

• Physical processes in Earth Sciences
• Volcanology
• Sedimentology
• Structural geology and tectonics

Technical skills

• mapping and analysis of relationships in the field
• sandbox modelling
• XRD
• seismic interpretations

Computer skills

• ArcGIS
• MS Office Pro
• Matlab
• Kingdom Suite

Professional affiliations

• Koninklijk Nederlands Geologisch Mijnbouwkundig Genootschap (KNGMG)
• Geological Society of Australia (GSA)
• GSA Division of Victoria
• GSA Specialist Group of Volcanology (LAVA)
• International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI)

Personal interests

• Foreign languages and cultures
• Travelling
• Youth work