Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing Systems:Understanding Magma Transport, Storage, and Evolution in the Earth’s Crust

Volcanoes are some of the most fascinating features not only on the earth but also on some of its counterparts in our own solar system. For example, Olympus Mons on the Mars is the tallest yet known volcano in our solar system with a height almost three times that of the Mount Everest. Volcanoes are regarded to be the cradle for the development and evolution of life on the earth as well as edifices which have brought countless species (including giant dinosaurs) close to and/or complete extinction.