AFAR (10)
Ongoing projects
Magma-salt interaction in Afar, study of Gada Ale volcano. Investigators: Emma Watts (University of Southampton, UK), Craig Magee, Ben Van Wyk de Vries, Christophe Galerne, and Carolina Pagli
Geochemical, petrographic and remote sensing study of Dama Ali volcano. Investigators: Gianmaria Tortelli (University of Florence, Italy), Carolina Pagli, and Anna Gioncada
Ceramic and obsidian research in the East African Rift: Territories and exchange. Investigators: Lamya Khalidi and Marzia Gabriele (Université Côte d'Azur, CEPAM, France), Anna Gioncada and Carolina Pagli
Past projects
Geochemical and petrographic characterization and dating of the Stratoid Series (Afar, Ethiopia). PhD project by Gianmaria Tortelli (University of Pisa, Italy). PhD supervisors: Anna Gioncada, Carolina Pagli, and Derek Keir
Spatial variation in the Afar plume from trace elements and isotope measurements (St, Nd and Pb). PhD project by Emma Watts (University of Southampton, UK). PhD supervisors and collaborators: Thomas Gernon, Derek Keir and Carolina Pagli
Volcanic and geochemical evolution of the Northern Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). PhD project by Rihannon Rees (University of Southampton, UK). PhD supervisors and collaborators: Thomas Gernon, Derek Keir and Carolina Pagli
Characterization of the erupted products of Alu-Dalafilla to constrain the magmatic plumbing of the volcano. PhD project by Emma Watts (University of Southampton, UK). PhD supervisors and collaborators: Thomas Gernon, Derek Keir, Carolina Pagli and Anna Gioncada
Studio dei prodotti vulcanici di due centri mafici monogenetici del complesso di Afdera, Afar (Etiopia). B.Sc. project by Diego Parrini, 2019. B.Sc. supervisors: Anna Gioncada, Carolina Pagli, and Simone Costa
Il vulcano Ma'alata e le sue relazioni con i segmetni di rift in Afar: Un approccio sismico, vulcanologico, geochimico e petrologico. M.Sc. project by Gianmaria Tortelli (University of Pisa). M.Sc. supervisors: Mauro Rosi, Anna Gioncada, and Carolina Pagli
Il Vulcano Afdera (Afar, Ethiopia): analisi petrografiche e microanalitiche. B.Sc. project by A. Ottaviani, 2017. B.Sc. supervisors: Anna Gioncada and Carolina Pagli
Caratterizzazione vulcanologica e strutturale del vulcano Afdera (Afar rift, Ethiopia). B.Sc. project by Miriana Pastano (University of Pisa). B.Sc. supervisors: Carolina Pagli and Anna Gioncada
Chronological interpretation of the Alu-Dalafilla lavas. M.Sc. project by Jasmin Jarman (University of Southampton, UK). M.Sc. supervisor and collaborators: Derek Keir and Carolina Pagli
Analisi petrografiche di lave dei vulcani Afdera, Ale Bagu e Hayli Gubbi dalle campionature degli anni ’70 in Afar settentrionale. B.Sc. project by Ilaria Tubia (University of Pisa). B.Sc. Supervisors: Carolina Pagli and Anna Gioncada.
Publications supported by the Afar Repository project
Tortelli, G., Gioncada, A., Pagli, C. et al. From melt- to crystal-rich magmatic systems during rift localization: Insights from mineral chemistry in Central Afar (Ethiopia). Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 179, 87, 2024. Link to article
Watts E. J., T. M. Gernon, R. N. Taylor, D. Keir, C. Pagli, Magmatic evolution during proto-oceanic rifting at Alu, Dalafilla and Borale Volcanoes (Afar) determined by trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope geochemistry, Lithos, 456–457, 107311, 2023. Link to article
Rees R., T. M. Gernon, D. Keir, R. N. Taylor, C. Pagli, The spatial and volcanic evolution of Ayelu, Abida and Yangudi volcanoes in the Northern Main Ethiopian Rift – Southern Afar, Ethiopia, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 107846, 2023. Link to article
Tortelli G., A. Gioncada, C. Pagli, E. Braschi, E. F. Gebru and D. Keir, Constraints on the magma source and rift evolution from geochemistry of the Stratoid flood basalts (Afar, Ethiopia), Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 23, e2022GC010434, 2022. Link to the article
Tortelli G., A. Gioncada, C. Pagli, M. Rosi, L. De Dosso and D. Keir, Evidence of active magmatic rifting at the Ma’Alalta volcanic field (Afar, Ethiopia), Bulletin of Volcanology 83, 38, 2021. Link to the article
Watts E., T.E. Gernon, R. Taylor, D. Keir, M. Siegburg, J. Jarman, C. Pagli and A. Gioncada, Evolution of the Alu-Dalafilla and Borale volcanoes, Afar, Ethiopia, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 107094, 2020. Link to the article
The Afar Rift
Afar has been created by the separation of the Nubian, Arabian, and Somalian Plates during the past 30 Ma (Fig. 1) [Barberi and Varet, 1977; Courtillot, 1980; Ebinger et al., 2010]. Extension occurs along three rift branches, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). Current full spreading velocities are 18 mm/yr between Nubia and Arabia, 16 mm/yr for the Somalian–Arabian Plates, and 6 mm/yr for Nubia–Somalia [McClusky et al., 2010; Saria et al., 2014; Vigny et al., 2006].
The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden rifts are extending in a NE-SW direction, and are effectively decoupled from the much slower, E-W extension in the MER. Rifting along the southern Red Sea started at ~30 Ma after a major pulse of flood magmatism. Extension was initially accommodated on large border faults (thick black lines in Fig. 1) but later (last ~4 Ma) it localized to < 30 km-wide, ~50 km-long axial magmatic segments, which mark the axis of the active plate boundary from latitude ~15 to 12N in the Red Sea rift, and south of 11N in the MER (red fillings in Fig.1). Similar patterns occur in the Gulf of Aden rift (Asal-Ghoubbet rift) (Fig. 1). Between the clear segmentation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden rifts, from latitude 12 to 11N, mainly tectonic extensional rifts without recent (Holocene) volcanism occur (black lines in Fig. 1).
References
✔ Barberi, F., and J. Varet (1977), Volcanism of Afar - Small-Scale Plate Tectonics Implications, Geol Soc Am Bull, 88(9), 1251-1266.
✔ Courtillot, V. E. (1980), Opening of the Gulf of Aden and Afar by progressive tearing, Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 21(4), 343-350.
✔ Ebinger, C., A. Ayele, D. Keir, J. Rowland, G. Yirgu, T. Wright, M. Belachew, and I. Hamling (2010), Length and Timescales of Rift Faulting and Magma Intrusion: The Afar Rifting Cycle from 2005 to Present, Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 38(1), 439-466.
✔ McClusky, S., et al. (2010), Kinematics of the southern Red Sea-Afar Triple Junction and implications for plate dynamics, Geophys Res Lett, 37.
✔ Saria, E., E. Calais, D. S. Stamps, D. Delvaux, and C. J. H. Hartnady (2014), Present-day kinematics of the East African Rift, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 119(4), 3584-3600.
✔ Vigny, C., P. Huchon, J. C. Ruegg, K. Khanbari, and L. M. Asfaw (2006), Confirmation of Arabia plate slow motion by new GPS data in Yemen, J Geophys Res-Sol Ea, 111(B2).
Data request
The Afar repository is stored at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Pisa, where it can be accessed by scientists upon request.
A data request defining the aim of the project, proposed analyses, name of the applicant, requested data as well as the time-frame of the project should be sent to Carolina Pagli (Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.) and/or Anna Gioncada (Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.). If the persons doing the analyses are different from the applicant then the names should also be specified. An additional document with the CV of the applicant and its most relevant publications may be requested. All data requests will be assessed within a maximum of a week. Successful requests will be granted access to the samples, the original sampling location maps and field notes if available. The Afar repository project does not contribute financial support to the accepted requests. Use of the Afar repository samples is granted solely for research purposes or for the study of green energy hence applications aimed at oil exploration or mining of minerals will not be considered.
The data request should state if researchers at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa will be involved in the work and if the local laboratories will be used. Whenever local labs are available we invite applicants to use them, however, samples will be shipped to labs elsewhere, including abroad. If local reserchers from the Department of Earth Sciences are not involved in the work, a copy of all analyses should be sent as soon as are carried out to Carolina Pagli (Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.) and/or Anna Gioncada (Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.). Irrispective of the involvment of the local researchers, all analyses will be embargoed for 36 months and if not published in an international journal then will be made available to the scientific community by publishing on this webpage.
Applicants of succesfull data requests are welcome to Pisa to collect the rocks. All shipping will be covered by the applicant.
Due to limited quantities of rocks and their uniqueness, it is important to minimize competing research efforts. Therefore, data requests that pursue aims analogous to other projects will be rejected. Before submitting a data request we suggest the applicant consult Our Projects page.
All residual sample materials should be returned to the Afar Repository.
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Prof. Carolina Pagli |
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Prof. Anna Gioncada |
Prof. Emeritus Roberto Santacroce |
Prof. Mauro Rosi |
The Afar repository project is an on-going effort aiming at creating an online archive of the rocks and thin sections that were originally collected in the Afar rift in the 70’s by several Franch-Italian expeditions. The purpose of creating the archive is to make this unique collection available to scientists internationally to aid their research on rifting processes and on the Afar region.
The scientists that collected the samples in the 70’s are Franco Barberi, Enrico Bonatti, Mario Di Paola, Giorgio Marinelli, Roberto Santacroce, Haroun Tazieff, Jaques Varet, Gaetano Ferrara, Sergio Borsi, A. Gadalia, Jean-Louis Cheminée, Francoise Gasse, Michel Treuil, O. Richard, Laurent Stieltjes, J. Demange, Gaetano Giglia and Roberto Cioni. The Afar repository project was born in 2014 from an idea of Luca Lupi, Mauro Rosi and Roberto Santacroce and an initial financial support by Stratex Int. PLC. The support offered from all the people involved in the expeditions to Afar, their institutions and Stratex Int. PLC. is much appreciated.
The collection comprises 2055 rock samples and 9501 thin sections from the three rift arms of the Afar triple junction. The digitalization of the orignal sampling maps and approximate sampling locations was completed by Laura De Dosso in 2017. Since then, sample locations have been progressively updated and precise locations of samples in northern MER south of latitude 11°N, in Central Afar, at Ma'alalta, at Afdera, at the Erta Ale lava lake, at Alu-Dalafilla, and at Borale were obtained by Carolina Pagli and her students and collaborators, the work is still in progress.
Access to the repository and data analyses
The Afar repository is stored at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Pisa, where it can be accessed by scientists upon request. Analyses of rock samples can be carried in the Pisa laboratories or abroad upon request (see Apply for data).
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The Afar repository consists of over 2000 rocks and 9000 thin sections originally collected by French-Italian missions in the Afar rift in the 1970’s and now made available to scientists worldwide for research |
