Magma plumbing system architecture and dynamics, a crystal perspective

Magmas on Earth are more or less crystallized and they may display a wide range of crystal type, sometimes referred as the crystal cargo. First, crystals may entrap silicate melt from magma reservoirs as melt inclusions, acting as witness of magma storage conditions at the time of their entrapment. By analyzing them carefully we can retrieve information on magma pounding zones and thus about the architecture of magma plumbing system through time as well as magma ascent path and degassing. Crystals act also as key archives of magmatic processes, enabling a deeper understanding of the physico-chemical conditions during magma evolution and its pathways through Earth's crust. In particular, crystals in disequilibrium emphasized have a relevant role as a witness to trace crystallization conditions and magmatic dynamics. As this session aims to explore the reconstruction of magmatic history through crystal studies, I will present recent results on crystal analyses, particularly linking melt inclusion composition, and crystal textures and compositions to specific processes such as fractionation, recharge, mixing, assimilation, and degassing. In addition, the use of crystals as chronometers, particularly through diffusion chronometry, provides valuable insights into the timescales of different magmatic processes, contributing to volcanic monitoring and eruption forecasting. The rise of diffusive chronometry has thus made it possible to better constrain the dynamics of magmatic systems, with its advantages and limitations. Given this approach, we can now move to interdisciplinary approaches integrating petrological and volcanological investigations and human and social science researches.