Volcanoes in 4D: Imaging Magmatic Processes with the ESRF Instrument Fleet

The ESRF provides an exceptional experimental “fleet” to study volcanic and igneous processes directly in 3D and 4D, under realistic conditions. By combining high-flux phase-contrast tomography (XCT), high-energy imaging and diffraction (XRD), and microbeam chemical/mineral mapping (µXRF/µXANES/µXRD), we can link composition, texture, porosity and strain in a fully non-destructive workflow, from sub-micron structures to meter scales and for  evolving dynamic sample.

A key asset is the ability to cover both extremes of dynamics: ultra-fast 4D imaging for transient, non-reproducible events (fragmentation, bubble/melt interactions, rapid damage or reactive infiltration), or long-duration time-lapse experiments tracking slow kinetics over days to months (crystallization, dissolution–precipitation, sealing, weakening). These studies are enabled by a broad portfolio of in situ environments at ESRF (heating, controlled atmosphere, reactive-flow, pressure/temperature and deformation rigs), coupled with robust reconstruction, quantitative segmentation, and AI-assisted analysis.

Access is supported through community frameworks and community BAG-style access, including CHRONOS for long-duration, repeatable time-lapse campaigns, and the geoscience BAG (NEXUS) to streamline proposals, beamtime coordination, and cross-beamline workflows. We welcome projects ready to exploit this “microseconds-to-months” capability and to co-build the next generation of 4D protocols for volcanic and magmatic research.