Experimental
Our research focuses on processes occurring inside of planetary bodies primarily using high pressure and temperature experiments. Using hydraulic presses, we simulate the conditions at depth to constrain what is happening in locations that are beyond our ability to sample in the rock record. Essentially, we make our own rocks. We use this information in conjunction with thermodynamic modeling and previous observations of natural samples to describe the history/evolution of the planet.
This group is headed by Megan Duncan.
Early Solar System
The formation conditions of planetary building blocks provide key information about the processes of the earliest Earth while it was still molten – its magma ocean phase. Coupled with analysis of natural samples, i.e., meteorites that represent rocky remnants of the building blocks of the planets, we work to better understand the processes that occurred very early in the Solar System that led to the formation of the planets. These studies are essential for understanding modern Earth and its differences from other planets. In particular, the distribution of the lighter elements (C, S, H, P, O) lends insight into the composition of our core, mantle, and crust today.
Deep Earth & Deep Time
The long-term geochemical evolution of the Earth is strongly tied to subduction zone processes. Subduction zones are complex systems whose deeper, sub-arc mantle and crustal processes are expressed in arc volcanism on the surface, which represents the mixed product of the subducted material, the mantle, and the crust, leaving the specifics chemical interactions at ~70–150 km depth to experimental petrologists. We study the high pressure products of subducted materials which yields understanding of the phase changes and/or the conditions for melting, the effect of the varied compositions of those deep melts, the potential impacts of those melts on the composition of the atmosphere, or the processes that occur on the slab in the deep mantle that control the long-term planetary element cycle.
Volatiles in Planetary Mantles
Volatile elements (C, H, S) play a key role in the thermochemical history of planets, which can be explored experimentally, and in collaboration with the geodynamic planetary group headed by Scott King. All terrestrial bodies contain some level of volatile elements, and understanding the roles that volatiles play in the interior processes throughout planetary history place key constraints on planetary evolution and habitability. These elements will affect all aspects of planetary interiors both chemical and physical, and we use experiments to constrain how the properties of minerals and melts change with depth, e.g., with equations of state.
