Job title: PhD Student
Phone: 64 9 373 7599 ext 88824
Office: Rm 1016, Building 301, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland
Postal: School of Environment, The University of Auckland, Private Bag   92019, Auckland
Email: l.mcgee@auckland.ac.nz

MSci (hons) Geoscience, Durham University

- November 2008-present (estimated finish, 2012): PhD project: Magmatic processes in the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand, Auckland University. Supervised by Ian Smith, Jan Lindsay and Colin Wilson

Project description

My project investigates the magmatic processes operating in small scale basaltic volcanic fields, through the geochemistry of the lavas in the Auckland Volcanic Field. Auckland is one of the most well-sampled volcanic fields in the world, providing the perfect opportunity to investigate the mantle dynamics and effect of the crust in small scale systems such as this.

A large part of my research has so far involved investigating the mantle dynamics of Rangitoto volcano(the most recent volcanic eruption in Auckland) with the use of Uranium series isotopes (at Macquarie University, Sydney), and this is being added to with uranium series data from another Auckland volcano. This isotopic work is being supplemented by Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes at Victoria Universityof Wellington, which I am in the process of obtaining.

I am also using whole rock major and trace element chemistry and mineral major element chemistry to look into reasons behind the incredible variety ofchemical compositions and trends in seemingly monotonous basaltic rocks, working from a whole-volcanic-field-scale down to single-volcano-scale

Above left: Me on Motukorea volcano (Auckland), logging and taking stratigraphically controlled samples of the tuff sequence. Above right: Rangitoto volcano looking NW from Motukorea

Other academic activities

-I have been an undergraduate demonstrator in the second and third year petrology classes at Auckland University for the last two years, and last year was heavily involved in the restructuring/rewriting of practical classes for this

-At the end of 2010 I applied for a grant from the university with my supervisor to collect rocks from all over New Zealand to improve practical teaching of rocks and minerals at undergraduate level, and was in charge of organising and running the trips, implementing the money and deciding how this was best spent

 

- September 2004- July 2008: MSci (hons) Geoscience, Durham University. Final year project: Effects of partial melting on crustal xenoliths from the Wudalianchi volcanic field, NE China. Supervised by Jon Davidson (currently being written up for publication)

Affiliations

• The Geochemical Society
• The Geological Society of New Zealand (GSNZ)
• DEtermining Volcanic Risk in Auckland (DEVORA) - a joint UoA/GNS project

Other interests

Hiking, rock climbing, archaeology, knitting obscure objects and terrible jumpers, playing the bassoon

Published papers

McGee, L.E., Beier, C., Smith, I.E.M. and Turner, S.P. (2011). Dynamics of melting beneath a small scale basaltic system: a U-Th–Ra study from Rangitoto volcano, Auckland volcanic field, New Zealand. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. DOI: 10.1007/s00410-011-0611-x

 

Conference papers

McGee, L.E., Beier, C., Smith, I.E.M. and Turner, S.P. 2010. Magma plumbing systems in the Auckland Volcanic Field: A uranium series perspective (poster presentation): GeoNZ, Auckland, New Zealand

McGee, L.E., Beier, C., Smith, I.E.M. and Turner, S.P. 2009. Conduit dynamics and plumbing systems at Rangitoto volcano, Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand (oral presentation): AGU fall meeting, San Francisco

McGee, L.E., Smith, I.E.M, Lindsay, J.M., Wilson, C.J. and Blake, S. 2009. Geochemical variations and the inner workings of monogenetic basaltic fields (oral presentation): New Zealand Geosciences, Oamaru, New Zealand

McGee, L.E., Smith, I.E.M and Lindsay, J.M. 2009. Geochemical variations and the inner workings of monogenetic basaltic fields: a case study from Auckland (oral presentation): 250^th Anniversary of Volcán Jorullo’s birth in Michoacán, México