© Lisa B. Kant, 2015. Updated January, 2016.
lkant@uwyo.edu
Lisa B. Kant
Research
I’m a PhD student advised by Dr. Kenneth
W. W. Sims. Currently, I focus on arc
magmatism in Ecuador. In an area about the
size of Nevada, 23 different volcanos were
active during the past 1000 years. During the
fall of 2015 four volcanos, Cotopaxi,
Reventador, Tungurahua, and Sangay, were all
active. Although volcanic activity is
commonplace in Ecuador, the hazards and
underlying magmatic systems are not well
understood. I will use U-series isotopes (238U-
>206Pb, 235U->207Pb and 232Th->208Pb)
along with other geochemical and isotopic
methods to determine the magma evolution
processes at work in Ecuador and the
timescales that they operate on.
I plan to apply the results of my research to
the bigger picture: understanding volcanic
hazards. The more we know about how
volcanos work, the more we know about their
hazards. Volcanic activity in Ecuador is frequent
yet poorly understood. This has dire
consequences, as volcanos in Ecuador often
threaten communities and critical infrastructure.
Reventador, July 2013 (Copyright Jeff Cundith 2013)
Lisa B. Kant
© Lisa Kant, 2015. Last Uptdated November 2015. lkant@uwyo.edu
My research focuses on arc magmatism in Ecuador. In an area
about the size of Nevada, 23 different volcanos were active during the
past 1000 years. During the fall of 2015 four volcanos, Cotopaxi,
Reventador, Tungurahua, and Sangay, were active. Although volcanic
activity is commonplace in Ecuador, the hazards and underlying
magmatic systems are not well understood. I will use U-series
isotopes along with other geochemical and isotopic methods to
determine the magma evolution processes at work in Ecuador and the
timescales that they operate on.
Ecuador is an exciting place to study arc magmatism. With thick
overlying continental crust, It is an ideal place to study the changes
that occur as basaltic, mantle derived melts ascend through and are
stored in the crust. In addition, “adakite-like” geochemical signatures
suggest mantle melting with residual garnet, and thermal conditions
that are unusual for subduction zones.
In addition I plan to apply the results of my research to the
bigger picture: understanding volcanic hazards. The more we know
about how volcanos work, the more we know about their hazards.
Volcanic activity in Ecuador is frequent yet poorly understood. This
has dire consequences, as volcanos often threaten communities and
critical infrastructure such as roads and oil pipelines.
Research
