Undergraduate Course: Volcanic and Magmatic Processes (EASC10132)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Volcanoes, the surface expression of Earth's internal magmatic systems, are among the most powerful and dynamic forces shaping our planet. They influence landscapes, climate, ecosystems and human society. This course offers a unique opportunity to explore the dynamics of magmatic and volcanic systems, develop cutting-edge analytical skills, and tackle the scientific challenges of understanding, monitoring and mitigating volcanic hazards. Students will be prepared to contribute to an exciting and impactful field within Earth Sciences and beyond.
Our understanding of the physical processes operating at active volcanoes underpins our ability to interpret the geological record of past eruptions and forecast future hazards. This course provides a quantitative journey at the forefront of modern volcanology, exploring magma genesis and petrogenesis, magma transport within volcanic plumbing systems, and the dynamics of explosive eruptions.
Students will build a strong foundation in the fundamental processes that govern igneous petrology and volcanology. With a strong emphasis on practical and transferable skills, students will conduct analogue laboratory experiments, run computational models, apply state-of-the-art data analysis techniques, and complete an integrative, capstone assessment.
The course combines self-directed and collaborative learning. Students will analyse and critically evaluate research papers, leading group discussions, and engage directly with expert volcanologists and geochemists to explore the latest advances across diverse areas of research. |
| Course description |
Volcanic and Magmatic Processes
This course will provide students with a rigorous and comprehensive grounding in the mechanisms of magma genesis, eruption processes, volcano monitoring, and hazard assessment. It will be taught by five staff, who together form an exceptionally strong and complementary team of experts spanning a wide range of volcanological and geochemical topics. A core aim is to develop a robust quantitative understanding of Earth processes alongside a portfolio of highly transferable analytical and problem-solving skills.
The course is structured around four key themes, spanning the formation, evolution and transport of magmas through to volcanic eruptions and their associated hazards. Lectures are integrated around a set of carefully selected case-study volcanoes, through which students will apply core scientific principles to real-world systems, drawing on both geochemical and physical perspectives.
Magma Genesis (Fitton and Hastie) - The nature of volcanic eruptions is firmly rooted in igneous petrogenesis. This section explores how and where magmas form, how they ascend and differentiate, and how variations in magmatic composition influence eruptive style and intensity.
Fundamental Processes of Magma Rheology and Eruption Dynamics (Breard) - This theme focuses on the physical controls on magma ascent and eruption, including magma rheology, fragmentation processes, and the transitions between effusive and explosive behaviour. Students will develop a quantitative understanding of the multiphase processes that govern eruption dynamics.
Tracking Magma and Monitoring Volcanic Activity (Bell) - This component explores how geophysical and remote sensing techniques, including seismicity, ground deformation, and gas emissions, are used to detect and track magma movement at depth, interpret unrest signals, forecast eruptions, and strengthen early warning systems.
Volcanic Hazards and Risks, (Calder) - Examining key eruptions that have shaped our understanding of volcanic hazards and risk, from lava flows to ash plumes, pyroclastic density currents and lahars. Students will learn how hazard assessments are conducted, how hazard maps are developed and used, and how volcanic risk is conceptualised, quantified, and communicated to diverse stakeholders.
The course will develop students' awareness of four cross-cutting themes that are central to modern volcanology research and also provide advanced transferable skill sets:
(A) petrological and geochemical data analysis;
(B) fundamental multiphase flow dynamics explored through scaling analysis, analogue experiments and numerical modelling;
(C) geophysical monitoring and data processing, including volcano seismology and ground deformation analysis; and;
(D) volcanic hazard assessments and risk evaluation
Teaching will include lectures and extensive hands-on practical training, both in computing laboratories and in the analogue experiment laboratory (the Geophysical Flow Laboratory). The course is designed to cultivate highly transferable quantitative skills, including time-series analysis, numerical modelling, and experimental methods, that are applicable across the Earth Sciences and wider STEM disciplines.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Students are expected to have:
a basic understanding of the plate tectonic context for different styles of volcanism (rift vs hot spot vs arc).
numeracy skills appropriate to Honours level, including confidence with graphs, simple equations, and data interpretation.
No prior experience of geochemistry, numerical modelling or coding is assumed.
These skills may have been developed through a wide range of prior courses at SCQF Levels 8&9 and do not need to come from a specific named course. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 4,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 18,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
154 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% coursework«br /»
«br /»
1. Portfolio of the written up practical assignments from the three practical sessions (25, 25, & 25%). See above for the topics covered by each practical and the nature of the write-ups required. (These components will together assess LO3, LO4, LO5)«br /»
2. Group presentation in week 10, 15+5 min question group presentation (group mark and then peer moderated to provide an individual mark) (25%). The group presentation theme will be chosen from one of the topics of the class discussion sessions (This will assess LO1, LO2) |
| Feedback |
We have embedded structured opportunities for dialogue, reflection, and feedforward throughout the taught, practical, group discussion and seminar style components of the course.
The following points highlight the areas in the course where students will receive feedback from the teaching staff, as well opportunities for peer leaning:
Both personal and group discussion, reflection and oral feedback: There will be plenty opportunity for prompting questions, discussion, reflection, and feedback during the practical classes where staff will lead the students through the methods for undertaking the practical assignments. This will be a feedback-rich environment.
Short reflective prompts: The briefs provided for the class discussion sessions at the end of each week will involve short reflective prompts to surface developing understanding and encourage students to articulate and share how their thinking is evolving. It will also allow students to compare alternative perspectives (peer learning) in an informal setting.
Written feedback on the writing: Write-ups of the practical work will be marked and feedback will be provided on part I of each practical, so that feedback can be incorporated in part II of each practical. Students will be asked to evidence how they have addressed and acted on previous feedback in their part II write-ups.
Verbal feedback on presentation prep: There will be a chance to get feedback on the presentation (content and style) during a preparation session in week 10 ahead of the oral presentations. Students will be expected to have addresses this feedback in the final presentations.
Verbal and written feedback: Students will be provided verbal feedback and reflective questions immediate after their final presentations in week 10, as well as written feedback on feedback sheets. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Integrate and critically connect processes operating across the entire volcanic system, from melt generation and storage in the crust and mantle to eruption dynamics, hazard development, and risk assessment.
- Critically appraise, compare, and apply physical models of volcanic activity, encompassing subsurface magma transport, conduit flow processes, and subaerial eruption dynamics.
- Process, analyse, and interpret complex geological and geophysical datasets associated with volcanic unrest and eruption, using quantitative and computational approaches.
- Synthesize experimental, geological, and geochemical evidence to reconstruct and interpret the processes driving past eruptions, and assess their broader implications.
- Evaluate volcanic hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and risk across diverse volcanic systems, and critically assess approaches to hazard assessment and risk mitigation.
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Reading List
The main class texts will be:
The Encyclopaedia of Volcanoes (Edition 2 or 3) and
Gill, R. and Fitton, J.G. 2022. Igneous Rocks and Processes: A Practical Guide, Wiley-Blackwell, ISBN-13: 978-1119455660
Each lecture will also include a short list of journal articles that will be provided on a folder in Learn. Students will be expected to undertake reading for both the discussion sessions as well as the practicals. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The following list details the principal activities in the course and lists the skills embedded for each one.
1. Comprehensive understanding of key current research topics in magmatic and volcanic processes, including their broader context within volcanic systems and, where relevant, an introductory understanding of their societal impacts (Curiosity, Critical Thinking, Cultural Sensitivity)
2. Familiarity with a wide range of volcanology research along with the methods and approaches commonly used to advance the field (Curiosity; Data and Digital Literacy).
3. Experience in executing a practical (experimental or modelling) to study a specific issue using professional-level research methods (Problem Solving: Data and Digital Literacy; Collaboration). But also working with experimental 'messy' data and incomplete data which will encourage students to be comfortable with uncertainty (Resilience).
4. Proficiency and confidence in delivering and presenting the findings of practical exercises through written reports (Communication, Collaboration), through group discussion of complex topics (Communication, Collaboration), presenting a review of the literature through group oral presentations (Communication, Collaboration).
5. Development of skills related to exercising critical judgement with regard to knowledge in the field through critical review of existing literature for the discussion sessions which involve sharing understanding of complex problems (Critical Thinking, Curiosity, Collaboration); for the practicals (Problem Solving, Curiosity, Collaboration); and for the presentations (Critical Thinking, Reflection, Curiosity, Collaboration).
6. Development of understanding of applied volcanology and the complexity related to assessing hazards and risk for volcanoes in diverse socio-economical environments (Cultural Sensitivity, Benefits of Interdisciplinarity, Reflection). |
| Keywords | magma,geochemistry,hazards,rheology,numerical modelling,explosive eruptions,volcanic eruptions |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Eliza Calder
Tel: (0131 6)50 4910
Email: Eliza.Calder@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Rebecca Steele
Tel:
Email: Rebecca.Steele@ed.ac.uk |
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