Fidel COSTA
Fidel Costa is a Principal Investigator at Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) and Chair of the Nanyang Technological University’s Asian School of the Environment, where he is Professor.
Fidel is an igneous petrologist and geochemist specialising in volcanic processes. He has been involved in developing new geochronological methods to determine the rates of volcanic and magmatic processes occurring on human time scales.
He studied Earth Sciences at the University of Barcelona and received his PhD from the University of Geneva. He was Marie Curie Fellow at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and subsequently held positions as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Ruhr-University in Bochum and Ramon y Cajal Fellow at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Barcelona.
In August 2019 Fidel was appointed Interim Director of EOS and in the same year he was appointed the Provost’s Chair in Earth Sciences at the University. Prior academic achievements include the National Research Foundation Investigatorship (2017), Fellow of the University Scholars Program (2015), and the prestigious Wager Medal presented by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (2013).
Throughout his academic career, Fidel has authored or co-authored more than 70 research papers published in peer-reviewed journals. He is currently Associate Editor of Frontiers in Earth Sciences and the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. In previous years he was Associate Editor of American Mineralogist (2013-2017), Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (2014), and Geologica Acta (2009-2017).
In his roles at EOS and ASE, he has supervised eight post-doctoral fellows and 13 PhD students, 10 of whom have graduated and currently hold research positions at EOS and other institutions.
- 1995-1999 Ph.D. in Earth Sciences, Department of Mineralogy, University of Geneva, Switzerland. “The petrology and geochemistry of diverse crustal xenoliths, Tatara-San Pedro Volcanic Complex, Chilean Andes”. Advisors: Prof. Michael Dungan (Department of Mineralogy, University of Geneva) and Prof. Bradley Singer (Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, USA).
- 1989-1994 Bachelor degree in Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona (Spain).
- 2020-present: Chair, Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- 2019-2020: Designate Interim Director, Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- 2019-present: Provost’s Chair in Earth Sciences, Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- 2018: Associate Chair (Faculty) of the Asian School of the Environment. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- 2017-present: National Research Foundation Investigator (Singapore)
- 2017-2018: Acting Chair of Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- 2015-2016: Associate Chair (Faculty) of Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- 2015-present: Associate Professor and Principal Investigator at the Earth Observatory of Singapore. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- 2010-2015: Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator at the Earth Observatory of Singapore. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- 2006-2010: Ramon y Cajal Research Fellowship at the CSIC, Institut de Ciences de la Terra 'Jaume Almera', Barcelona, Spain
- 2002-2006: Post-doctoral position at the Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Geophysik, Ruhr-Universitat, Bochum, Germany
- 2000-2002: Marie-Curie Research Fellowship at the Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans-CNRS, France
- 1999-2000: Post-doctoral position at the Department of Mineralogy of the University of Geneva, Switzerland
- 1995-1999: PhD thesis research funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation
- 1994-1995: Employee of the Spanish Geological Survey (ITGE). Detailed mapping and characterization of mineral deposits. Metalogenetic map, sheet 25 (Figueres), 1:200,000
Service as editor and associate editor for international journals
- 2018-present: Associate Editor of Frontiers in Earth Sciences,
- 2018-present: Associate Editor of Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research
- 2016-present: Associate Editorof ‘Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana’
- 2009-2017: Associate Editor of ‘Geologica Acta’
- 2012-2014: Associate Editor of ‘Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems’ (AGU journal)
- 2013-2017: Associate Editor of 'American Mineralogist' (MSA journal)
Session chairman/(special) session organizer in conferences
- Theme coordinator (06: Magmas and Volcanoes) of 15 sessions at the Goldschmidt Geochemistry Conference 2019 August (Barcelona, Spain).
- Co-convener: Session SE18: Linking Numerical, Analytical and Experimental Modelling with Remote and Local Volcano Monitoring Data, Asia Oceania Geosciences Society 2019, Singapore
- Co-organizer: SessionS-VC39, Pre-eruptive magmatic processes: petrologic analyses, experimental simulations and dynamics modeling at the Japanese Geological Union, Chiba, May 2018
- Co-organizer: Chapman Conference (AGU) Merging Geophysical, Petrochronologic, and Modeling Perspectives of Large Silicic Magma Systems. Chile, January 2018
- Co-convener: Session V13F: Crystal Records of the Timescales and Thermal Evolution of Plutonic, Hydrothermal, and Volcanic System, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, 2016 (San Francisco, USA)
- Co-convener of Symposium 8e: Crystallization Histories and Degassing: From Melt Inclusions to Plumbing Systems. 26th Annual Goldschmidt Conference, 2016
- Co-convener: Session V12B. Petrologic Insights on Magmatic Processes Controlling Shifts in Eruption Style, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, 2012 (San Francisco, USA)
- Co-convener: Session SE105-107 Magmatic Processes and Possible Links to Volcano Monitoring Data, Asia Oceania Geosciences Society 2012, Singapore.
- Co-convener: Session SE52 Volatiles in Volcanic Processes, Asia Oceania Geosciences Society 2011 (Taipei, Taiwan)
- Co-convener: Session Time-scales of Magmatic Processes and Volcanological Implications, IUGG-IAVCEI Conference, 2011 (Melbourne, Australia)
- Co-convener: Symposium ‘5h Kinetics of Metamorphic and Igneous Processes’, 19th Annual Goldschmidt Conference, 2009 (Davos, Switzerland)
- Co-convener: Symposium ''V38: Minerals, Inclusions and Volcanic Processes: Crystal-scale records of magma dynamics'', American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, 2008 (San Francisco, USA)
- Co-organizer: Geological Society of America Field Forum 'Assessing the state of our knowledge of continental arc volcanism: The Tatara-San Pedro complex, 36 oS, Andean Southern Volcanic Zone' Chile, 2007
- Co-convener: Symposium 'Links between radioactive isotopes and diffusion modelling to constrain the timescales of magmatic processes' 17th Annual Goldschmidt Conference, 2007 (Koln, Germany)
- Co-convener: Symposium 'Will the real phenocrysts please stand up?', American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, 2005, (San Francisco, USA)
- 2018/2019: Summer semester 2019. Co-teaching Introduction to Volcanology (3 AUs)
- 2018/2019: Winter semester 2018. Lead “Independent Studies” class for graduatestudents on volcano monitoring tools (3 AUs)
- 2018/2019: Winter semester 2018. Coordinator and main instructor of undergraduatecourse ES3003 “Introduction to Geochemistry” (3 AUs)
- 2017/2018: Winter semester 2017. Co-teaching of undergraduate course ES3003“Introduction toGeochemistry” (3 AUs)
- 2016/2017: Summer semester 2017. Co-teaching of new undergraduate course“Advanced Field Geology”. (4 AUs)
- 2016/2017: Winter semester 2016. Independent Studies class for graduate students onthermodynamics and kinetics of magmatic systems (3 AUs)
- 2016/2017: Winter semester 2016. Co-teaching of undergraduate course “Introductionto Geochemistry” (3 AUs)
- 2015/2016: Summer semester 2016. Teaching of new undergraduate course EarthMaterials (4 AUs)
- 2014/2015: Summer semester 2015. Co-Teaching of a new graduate courseVolcanology (3 AUs)
- 2014/2015: Winter semester 2014. Teaching undergraduate course SP004 Planet Earth(3 AUs), within the University Scholars Program. Taught two separate classes, equivalent to teaching two semestersat once.
- 2013/2014: Winter semester 2013. Teaching a new undergraduate course SP004,Planet Earth (3 AUs), within the University Scholars Program. Taught two separate classes, equivalent to teaching two semesters at once.
- 2011/2012: Summer semester 2012; Teaching of graduate course (3 AUs) ES 7005,‘Foundations of Earth Sciences’
- 2010/2011: Summer semester 2011; Teaching a new graduate course (3 AUs) ES 7005,‘Foundations of Earth Sciences’
- 2013 Wager Medal, by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (awarded on 20th July 2013, Kagoshima, Japan).
Publications:
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Linking fluid dynamics and olivine crystal scale zoning during simulated magma intrusion. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology . 176(6), (2020).
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Cascading Partial Rupture of the Flores Thrust during the 2018 Lombok Earthquake Sequence, Indonesia. Seismological Research Letters. (2020).
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Crystals reveal magma convection and melt transport in dyke-fed eruptions. Scientific Reports. 10, (2020).
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Multicomponent diffusion of F, Cl and OH in apatite with application to magma ascent rates. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 550, (2020).
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A thermodynamic model for F-Cl-OH partitioning between silicate melts and apatite including non-ideal mixing with application to constraining melt volatile budgets. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 269, 203-222. (2020).
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Diffusion chronometry and the timescales of magmatic processes. Nature Reviews Earth and Environment. (2020).
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WOVOdat – the global volcano unrest database aimed at improving eruption forecasts. Disaster Prevention and Management. 28(6), 738-751 . (2019).
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Data from past eruptions could reduce future volcano hazards. Eos 100. (2019).
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Magma interactions, crystal mush formation, timescales, and unrest during caldera collapse and lateral eruption at ocean island basaltic volcanoes (Piton de la Fournaise, La Reunion). Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 515, 187-199. (2019).
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Petrochronologic perspective on rhyolite volcano unrest at Laguna del Maule, Chile. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 493, 57-70. (2018).
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CEmin: A MATLAB-Based Software for Computational Phenocryst Extraction and Statistical Petrology. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems. 19(4), 1378-1392. (2018).
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Multiple timescale constraints for high-flux magma chamber assembly prior to the Late Bronze Age eruption of Santorini (Greece). Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. 173(9), (2018).
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Necking and fracking may explain stationary seismicity and full degassing in volcanic silicic spine extrusion. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 503, 47-57. (2018).
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Lithium diffusion in olivine records magmatic priming of explosive basaltic eruptions. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 500, 127-135. (2018).
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Crystal and melt inclusion timescales reveal the evolution of magma migration before eruption. Nature Communications. 9, (2018).
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Timescales of mixing and storage for Keanakako` i Tephra magmas (1500-1820 CE), Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. 172(9), (2017).
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Unraveling the presence of multiple plagioclase populations and identification of representative two-dimensional sections using a statistical and numerical approach. American Mineralogist. 102(9), 1894-1905. (2017).
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Response to Comment on "Rapid cooling and cold storage in a silicic magma reservoir recorded in individual crystals". Science. 358(6370), (2017).
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Storage and Eruption of Silicic Magma across the Transition from Dominantly Effusive to Caldera-forming States at an Arc Volcano (Santorini, Greece). Journal of Petrology. 58(12), 2429-2464. (2017).
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Rapid cooling and cold storage in a silicic magma reservoir recorded in individual crystals. Science. 356(6343), 1154-1156. (2017).
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Evaluation of the effects of 3D diffusion, crystal geometry, and initial conditions on retrieved time-scales from Fe-Mg zoning in natural oriented orthopyroxene crystals. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta . 196, 271-288. (2017).
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Metasomatic Reaction Phenomena from Entrainment to Surface Cooling: Evidence from Mantle Peridotite Xenoliths from Bulgaria. Journal of Petrology. 58(3), 599-640. (2017).
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WOVOdat - An online, growing library of worldwide volcanic unrest. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 345, 184-199. (2017).
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Years to weeks of seismic unrest and magmatic intrusions precede monogenetic eruptions. Geology. 44(3), 211-214. (2016).
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Do olivines faithfully record magmatic events?. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. 171(56), (2016).
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The timing of compositionally-zoned magma reservoirs and mafic 'priming' weeks before the 1912 Novarupta-Katmai rhyolite eruption. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 451, 125-137. (2016).
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How do olivines record magmatic events? Insights from major and trace element zoning. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. 171(6), (2016).
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A 5000-year record of multiple highly explosive mafic eruptions from Gunung Agung (Bali, Indonesia): implications for eruption frequency and volcanic hazards. Bulletin of Volcanology. 77(7), 1-15. (2015).
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Volcaniclastic stratigraphy of Gede Volcano, West Java, Indonesia: How it erupted and when. Journal Of Volcanology And Geothermal Research. 301, 238-252. (2015).
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Accuracy of timescales retrieved from diffusion modeling in olivine: A 3D perspective. American Mineralogist. 100(10), 2026-2042. (2015).
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Fractal degassing from Erebus and Mayon volcanoes revealed by a new method to monitor H2O emission cycles. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 120(5), 2988-3002. (2015).
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Mafic magma replenishment, unrest and eruption in a caldera setting: insights from the 2006 eruption of Rabaul (Papua New Guinea). Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 422(1), 17-39. (2015).
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Degassing during quiescence as a trigger of magma ascent and volcanic eruptions. Scientific Reports. 5, (2015).
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Timing of Magmatic Processes and Unrest Associated with Mafic Historical Monogenetic Eruptions in Tenerife Island. Journal of Petrology. 56(10), (2015).
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On depressurization of volcanic magma reservoirs by passive degassing. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 119(12), 8667–8687. (2014).
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An analysis of the issuance of volcanic alert levels during volcanic crisis. Journal of Applied Volcanology. 3(14), (2014).
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Locating magma reservoirs using InSAR and petrology before and during the 2011–2012 Cordón Caulle silicic eruption. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 395, (2014).
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Magmatic processes and associated timescales leading to the January 1835 eruption of Cosigüina volcano, Nicaragua. Journal of Petrology. 55(6), 1173-1201. (2014).
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An analysis of the issuance of volcanic alert levels during volcanic crises. Journal of Applied Volcanology. 3, 14-26. (2014).
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Petrological insights into the storage conditions, and magmatic processes that yielded the centennial 2010 Merapi explosive eruption. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 261, 209-235. (2013).
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DIPRA:A user-friendly program to model multi-element diffusion in olivine with applications to timescales of magmatic processes. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 14(2), 422-431. (2013).
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Compositionally zoned crystals and real-time degassing data reveal changes in magma transfer dynamics during the 2006 summit eruptive episodes of Mt. Etna. Bulletin of Volcanology. 75, 1-14. (2013).
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Correlation of magma evolution and geophysical monitoring at El Hierro (Canary Islands) 2011-2012 submarine eruption. Journal of Petrology. 54, 1349-1373. (2013).
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Storage conditions and eruptive dynamics of central versus flank eruptions in volcanic islands: The case of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 260, 62-79. (2013).
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Decadal to monthly timescales of magma transfer and reservoir growth at a caldera volcano. Nature. 482, 77-80. (2012).
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The 2010 explosive eruption of Java's Merapi volcano-A '100-year' event. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 241, 121-135. (2012).
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Dynamic plumbing system beneath volcanoes revealed by kinetic modeling, and the connection to monitoring data: An example from Mt. Etna. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 308, 11-22. (2011).
Pages
Publications:
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Time scales of the processes related to the 2007 caldera-forming eruption of Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion Island). 14th Annual Asia Oceania Geosciences Meeting. (2017).
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WOVOdat – A Worlwide Volcano Unrest Database – aimed at improving eruption forecasts. Cities on Volcanoes 9. (2016).
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WOVOdat as localhost volcano monitoring database for crisis response. Cities on Volcanoes 9. (2016).
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Tiny crystals give away the where and when of magma ascent. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. (2016).
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Understanding the monotonous life of open vent mafic volcanoes. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. (2016).
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Linking repose, intrusion and unrest times at openly degassing volcanoes. Cities on Volcanoes. (2016).
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An active volcano - where scientists and teachers cause explosive inquiry-based learning to erupt. AOGS-AGU Joint Assembly. (2012).