Research
|Petrology
Petrology
covers a wide spectrum of fundamental problems that overlap with
Physical Geochemistry, Geophysics, Tectonics, and Mineralogy. Current
research deals with both terrestrial and planetary problems in the
following areas.
- Diffusion
kinetics, thermobarometry, and tectono-metamorphic processes: fundamental
aspects and applications
- Crystal
kinetics (diffusion and order-disorder) and thermodynamic studies
of planetary materials, and applications to the thermal history
of meteorite parent bodies
- Closure-temperatures
and age profiles of minerals in cooling geochronological systems,
which are essential for the proper interpretation of mineral ages
in relation to the peak thermal condition (e.g peak metamorphism),
and which also permit simultaneous retrieval of cooling rate
- Experimental
and theoretical studies of the energetic properties (thermodynamic,
crystal chemical, diffusion, and order-disorder) of minerals
- Subduction
zone dynamics: Interplay among the thermal and mineralogical processes
in the subduction zone environments
- Mineral
stabilities in the Earth's interior
- Trace
element evolution of magmas incorporating the diffusion kinetic
and dynamic effects, and their applications to the understanding
of the source region of magma generation, extent of partial melting,
and magma dynamics.
Faculty
Jibamitra
Ganguly - Petrology, geochemistry
Faculty
with related interests
Mark
Barton - Economic geology, geochemistry, petrology
Robert
Downs - Mineralogy, crystallography
Mike
Drake - Planetary geochemistry
Mihai
Ducea - Tectonics
Jonathon
Patchett - Isotope geochemistry
Peter
Reiners - Tectonics, radiogenic isotopes, and geomorphology
Joaquin
Ruiz - Geochemistry
Researchers
Xiaoyu Zhang - Petrology
Facilities, Equipment, and Resources
- Two
piston-cylinder apparatii, one of which has a kiloton force capacity
(and can be converted to a multianvil press for experiments to
the pressure of ~ 15 GPa)
- Facilities
for insitu differential thermal analysis (DTA) studies to determine
melting temperature as a function of pressure, compressibility
measurements, and controlled heating-cooling experiments
- Hydrothermal
apparatii for experiments at low pressure, including rapid quench
experiments
- Controlled
gas atmosphere furnaces with controlled heating-cooling facilities
- Thermogravimetric
setup for insitu reaction kinetic study by continuous monitoring
of weight loss
- Powder
x-ray diffractometer
- Thin
film deposition set up
- Mineral
Physics Laboratory: 2 four-circle single crystal x-ray diffractometers,
Raman spectroscope, Diamond cells
- Chemistry
Department: an area detector single crystal diffractometer
- Planetary
Science: multi-anvil press, Electron microprobe
- Arizona
State University: Ion probe
|
