Pilar Madrigal

is a postdoctoral researcher working on the PRE-Collapse Project as an igneous geologist and geochemist. She is currently processing and analyzing dredged samples retrieved during the Meteor Cruise M198 expedition. These samples, collected from the submarine slopes offshore of the Etna volcano, consist of lavas and volcaniclastic rocks. Determining their ages and compositions is crucial for understanding the tectonic and magmatic processes involved in their formation.

The texture and composition of these igneous samples are a key focus of the PRE-Collapse Project, as they provide insights into the composition and age of the geological units that form the eastern flank of the Etna volcano. This research also contributes to a broader understanding of Etna’s overall tectono-magmatic evolution.

Pilar’s research interests center on understanding Earth’s mantle processes and their influence on surface volcanism. Her expertise includes topics such as melt generation and transport, the origin and geochemical evolution of mantle heterogeneities, subduction processes, serpentinization, and intraplate magmatism.

In her previous project, ISOSEA, funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions of the European Commission, she investigated the geochemistry of isolated seamounts on the Pacific Plate, using them as windows into the geochemical heterogeneities of Earth’s upper mantle.

Research Interests

Geochemistry and Petrology of ophiolites
Petrogenesis of non-hotspot seamounts
Mid-Ocean Ridge magmatism

Intraplate magmatism: geochemistry and geochronology of hotspots and oceanic island basalts (OIBs)
Petrogenesis of Large Igneous Provinces
Plume-Ridge Interaction

Contact:

RD4 Dynamics of the Ocean Floor - Marine Geodynamics

phone: +49 431 600-2650

email: pmadrigalquesada@geomar.d

room: Room: 224, building 12

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Wischhofstr. 1-3
24148 Kiel
Germany

https://www.geomar.de/pmadrigalquesada

CV

Dr. Pilar Madrigal Quesada

Higher Education

2012-2016 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Ph.D. in Geosciences, Department of Geosciences.

2006-2011 University of Costa Rica, Central American School of Geology.

Bachelor of Geology.

Professional and Academic experience

Fall 2023 – Present Marie Skłodowska Curie Postdoctoral Fellow, Horizon Europe. Project No. 101065667 – ISOSEA at GEOMAR.

Fall 2016 – Fall 2023 Associate Professor and Researcher at the Central American School of Geology of the University of Costa Rica.

Research projects

Spring 2023 -2025 Horizon Europe. Project No. 101065667 – ISOSEA: “Isolated Seamounts as Windows into Upper Mantle Geochemical Heterogeneity”

Spring 2021- 2022 Principal Investigator. Project No. 113-C1-149: “Basaltic intrusions from the Santa Elena Ophiolite: a window into mantle geochemical processes.”

Spring 2019 - 2022 Principal Investigator. Project No. 816-B9-195: “Use of Raman Spectroscopy for fluid inclusion analyses in volcanic materials”. Registered to CICIMA, University of Costa Rica.

Spring 2017 - 2022 Principal Investigator. Project No. 113-B8-141: “Arc to intraplate magmatic transition: the geochemical evolution of the mantle beneath the Costa Rican back-arc”. Registered to RSN, University of Costa Rica.

Principal Investigator. Project No. 830-B8-065: “Sedimentological and geochemical analysis of the Suretka Formation: the remnants of the Miocene magmatic arc of Costa Rica”. Registered to CICG, University of Costa Rica.

Research Expeditions

· RV SONNE SO307: Thermal versus compositional causes of bathymetric highs: The Madagascar Ridge, MADAGASCAR (12.09.2024 - 28.10.2024). Durban (Südafrika) - Durban (Südafrika)

Technical Skills

· Mass spectrometry experience using LA-ICPMS (Agilent 7500ce), multi-collector ICPMS (Neptune Plus Thermo Scientific), Electron Microprobe (Cameca SX50), XRF (Bruker, S8Tiger), and TIMS (VG Sector 54).

· Management of the Scanning Electron Microscopy (JEOL JSM-IT500) at the Materials Science and Engineering Research Center (CICIMA), University of Costa Rica (March 2021 to March 2023)

· Mass spectroscopy experience using micro-Raman (WITEC Alpha300) Materials Science and Engineering Research Center (CICIMA), University of Costa Rica.

· Laboratory management experience including sample collection, organization, and supply maintenance.

· Rock sample preparation for multiple analyses (crushing, powdering, polishing), and glass disk preparation with a LeNeo fluxer for XRF and LA-ICPMS analyses.

· Sample digestion and column chromatography in clean laboratory for radiogenic isotopes analysis (Nd, Pb, Sr) performed at the Center for Elemental Mass Spectrometry at the University of South Carolina, and at the Isotope Geochemistry Lab at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

· Use and maintenance of petrographic microscopes for mineral and rock identification.

· Petrographic analyses and classification.

· Excellent field skills: use of Brunton compass, GPS, and field gear.

· Software skills: Microsoft Office, R and R Studio, QGIS, Phyton, IgPet, Rhyolite and alphaMelts. Experience using open-access databases like RRUFF, Georoc, and PetDB.

Teaching Experience

Courses from the Bachelor in Geology curriculum at the University of Costa Rica

Fall 2016 to 2022

Introduction to Geochemistry (G-0018), Optic Mineralogy (G-0034), Applied Geochemistry (G-0016), Igneous and Metamorphic Petrography (G-4115)

Field Camp II (G-5116)

Honors and Awards

2017 Bruno Martinelli Travel Fellowship. American Geophysical Union.

2016 Best-rated Professor of the Geology Department. Fall 2016 evaluation. Central American School of Geology, University of Costa Rica.

2016 Cooperative Institute for Dynamic Earth Research (CIDER). Research Grant. Collaborative Project: “Slab Metastability in the Mantle Transition Zone: A Collaborative Geodynamic, Petrologic, and Seismological Approach”

2015 American Geophysical Union. General Fall Meeting Student Travel Grant.

2015 Geological Society of America. Graduate Student Research Grant. Project: “Preservation of an oceanic core complex: evidence from gabbroic melts intruding the Santa Elena Ophiolite, Costa Rica”.

2013 Southeastern section of the Geological Society of America. Graduate Student Research Grant. Project: “The 110 Ma Costa Rican pillow basalt suite: evidence of the pre-Caribbean Large Igneous Province oceanic basement?”.

2013 Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech. Aubrey E. and Eula H. Orange Award in Geosciences.

2013 National Science Council of Costa Rica. Graduate Education Incentive Fund 2013 No. FI-157-2013 ($90.000).

Languages

Spanish Native language.

English Fluent; excellent writing and presentation skills.

German Beginner

Publications

Madrigal, P., Hoernle, K., Jicha, B.R., Timm, C., Garbe-Schönberg, D., Sager, W.W., Hauff, F., Portnyagin, M., Yogodzinski, G. (2025). Early Emperor seamount evolution and geotectonics of the northwestern Pacific plate. Geology. https://doi.org/10.1130/G53477.1

Jenniskens, P., Soto, G.J., Goncalves Silva, G., Lücke, O., Madrigal, P., Ballestero, T., Salas Matamoros, C., Ruiz Cubillo, P., Cardozo Mourao, D., Cabo Winter, O., Sfair, R., Tillier, C.E., Albers, J., Garvie, L.A.J., Ziegler, K., Yin, Q.-Z., Sanborn, M.E., Busemann, H., Riebe, M.E.I., Welten, K.C., Caffee, M.W., Laubenstein, M., Robertson, D.K. and Nesvorny, D. (2025), Orbit, meteoroid size, and cosmic ray exposure history of the Aguas Zarcas CM2 breccia. Meteorit Planet Sci. https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14337

Guadamuz, D. A., Obando-Acuña, L. G., Murillo-Maikut, S. & Madrigal, P. (2023). Calidad cerámica de los suelos en la zona Chorotega, Santa Cruz y Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Revista Geológica de América Central 68, 1–20.

Solano, J.P., Aguilar, A.T., Madrigal, P., Pérez, W., Vargas, C.A., Chavarría, M.M., & Denyer, P. (2021). Geological background and structure of the northwestern coastline of Costa Rica. Revista De Biología Tropical, 69 (Suppl.2), S36-S59.

Soto G. J., Madrigal P., Lücke O., Garvie L., Ziegler K. Aguas Zarcas. In: Gattacceca J., McCubbin F. M., Bouvier A., Grossman J. N. (2020). Meteoritical Bulletin 108. Meteoritics and Planetary Science 55: 1146–1150.

Lücke, O.H., Madrigal, P., Soto, G. (2019). The Aguas Zarcas carbonaceous chondrite: bolide, fall and recovery of an extraordinary CM2 type meteorite. Revista Geológica de América Central (61), 9-22.

Madrigal P., Gazel, E., & Denyer, P. (2019). Capítulo II: Petrogénesis Ignea del Basamento. En: Perspectiva geológica del Noroeste de Costa Rica. Editor: Percy Denyer. Editorial Universidad de Costa Rica, 347 páginas.

DeVitre, C. L., Gazel, E., Allison, C. M., Soto, G., Madrigal, P., Alvarado, G. E., & Lücke, O. H. (2019). Multi-stage chaotic magma mixing at Turrialba volcano. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 381, 330-346.

Solano, J. P., Denyer, P., Pérez, W., Lücke, O. H., & Madrigal, P. (2019). Formación Bagaces: caracterización de sus unidades para la identificación de depósitos y litofacies. Revista Geológica de América Central (60), 7-39

Madrigal, P., Lücke, O.H. (2017). Petrographic analysis of the volcanic bombs and blocks from Poás Volcano: April-June 2017 eruptive period. Revista Geológica de América Central, 149-159.

Madrigal, P., Gazel, E., Flores, K.E., Bizimis, M., Jicha, B. (2016). Record of massive upwellings from the Pacific large low shear velocity province. Nature Communications 7, 13309.

Madrigal, P., Gazel, E., Denyer, P., Smith, I., Jicha, B., Flores, K., Coleman, D., Snow, J., (2015). A melt-focusing zone in the lithospheric mantle preserved in the Santa Elena Ophiolite, Costa Rica. Lithos 230, 189-205.

Schwarzenbach, E., Gill, B., Gazel, E., Madrigal, P., (2016.). Sulfur and carbon geochemistry of a continental site of serpentinization: Comparing hydrothermal and surficial processes during peridotite alteration. Lithos 252–253, 92-108.

Conference Abstracts:

Madrigal, P., Hoernle, K., Hauff, F., Frick, D. Geochemical and morphological aspects of the Mid-Pacific Mountains: insights into Pacific Plate Evolution. Poster presentation AGU Fall Meeting 2024, Washington, DC.

Madrigal, P., Hoernle, K., Jicha, B. R., Portnyagin, M., Hauff, F., Yogodzinski, G. & Werner, R. Filling the Gap: Age and Geochemical Evolution of the Early Emperor Seamount Chain. Poster presentation AGU Fall Meeting 2023, San Francisco, CA.

Madrigal P., Lücke, O.H., Guerrero, R., Avendaño-Soto, E. Raman Spectroscopy applied to the study of Earth materials. Oral presentation, 5th Geological Congress of the University of Costa Rica, 2021

Madrigal P., Lücke, O.H., Soto, G.J. The Aguas Zarcas carbonaceous chondrite: fall and recovery of an extraordinary CM2 type meteorite. Oral presentation, 3rd Geological Congress of the University of Costa Rica, 2019.

Madrigal P., Gazel E., Flores, K., Jicha, B., Bizimis, M. Plume-Ridge Interaction during Large-Igneous Province formation. Oral presentation, AGU Fall Meeting 2018, Washington DC.

Madrigal P., Gazel, E. The isotopic record from monogenetic seamounts: Insights into recycling time scales in the Upper Mantle. Poster presentation, AGU Fall Meeting 2017, New Orleans, LA.

Lücke, O., Madrigal, P. Morphological and petrographic analysis of the volcanic products (ashes, bombs and blocks) from Poás Volcano: April-June 2017 eruptive period. Poster presentation, AGU Fall Meeting 2017, New Orleans, LA.

Madrigal P., Gazel E., Flores, K., Jicha, B., Bizimis, M. A complete record of the Pacific LLSVP upwellings in the Cretaceous. Poster presentation, CIDER Summer Program 2016, Santa Barbara, CA.

Madrigal P., Gazel E., Flores, K., Jicha, B., Bizimis, M. A complete record of the Pacific LLSVP upwellings in the Cretaceous. Poster presentation, CIDER Summer Program 2016, Santa Barbara, CA.

Madrigal P., Gazel E., Flores, K., Jicha, B., Bizimis, M. Record of the Pacific LLSVP upwellings preserved in the Cretaceous Large Igneous Provinces. Poster presentation, AGU Fall Meeting 2015, San Francisco, CA.