Euan J. F. Mutch is an igneous petrologist and volcanologist whose research combines strong expertise in experimental petrology, geochemical microanalysis and state-of-the-art numerical modelling to understand the generation, storage and eruption of magma on Earth and other planetary bodies.
Prior to joining NTU and EOS, Euan was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University in the city of New York, where he conducted research into understanding the origin of high-calcium melt inclusions and the diversity of melts feeding arc volcanoes. He also completed a postdoctoral position at the University of Maryland where he developed novel 3D models of water loss from olivine-hosted melt inclusions, in order to understand magma decompression happening hours to minutes before eruptions.
He graduated with a Masters in Geology from the University of Bristol (2014), and a PhD from the University of Cambridge (2019). During his PhD, he developed DFENS (Diffusion chronometry using Finite Elements and Nested Sampling) which is a Bayesian Inversion method for estimating diffusion timescales with a more robust estimate of uncertainties.
Euan’s main research focus is to use crystal archives to understand the physico-chemical processes that operate in crystal mushes and transcrustal magmatic systems, by:
1. Studying the diffusion of major and trace elements in silicate minerals and melts in order to understand the timescales of magmatic processes, such as magma storage and magma ascent. This timescale information can be used to reconcile geochemical and geophysical observations to help understand processes that underpin eruption precursors.
2. Using high pressure and temperature experiments and mineral chemistry to constrain the pressure-temperature conditions of magma storage in order to reconstruct the architecture and thermal evolution of magma plumbing systems.
3. Using melt inclusion records and hydrous minerals to understand volatile budgets of volcanic eruptions in order to understand their influence on eruptive style in addition to understanding broader volatile cycling between the surface and the deep Earth.
4. Understanding how volcanic systems respond to regional tectonics and climate change.
Euan is a Principal Investigator of Component B of the EOS programme 'Integrating Volcano and Earthquake Science and Technology (InVEST) in Southeast Asia', which aims to understand the tectonic controls on the storage conditions, locations, and sizes of large explosive eruptions in Southeast Asia from local to regional scales.