This page is (constantly) under development...

Ongoing research projects (grouped by general topic):

Transport Properties of Fluid-Bearing Rocks (supported by the Department of Energy)

• permeability of synthetic rocks exhibiting equilibrium microstructure (with DA Wark and JD Price) 

• interfacial-energy driven infiltration of aqueous fluids into rocks (with M Nakamura)

• grain-boundary diffusion of CO₂ and H₂O molecules in rocks (with JD Price and DA Wark)

• grain-boundary diffusion of incompatible elements in polycrystalline aggregates (with DA Wark)

• nature of carbon in grain boundaries (with J Price and D Wark)

• interfacial energy anisotropy of rock-forming minerals (with JB Thomas and DA Wark)

• local (grain-scale) distribution of fluids and melts in polyphase aggregates (with T Yoshino, DA Wark and JD Price)

Geochemical and Petrologic Processes (supported by the National Science Foundation)

• isotopic (mass) fractionation accompanying diffusion in magmas (with LA Hayden and F Richter)

• diffusion of noble gases in minerals (with DJ Cherniak, JB Thomas and EF Baxter)

• characterization and modeling of multi-path diffusion in crystals (DJ Cherniak, EF Baxter and JB Thomas)

• modeling of diffusive closure (with DJ Cherniak)

• outgassing of the terrestrial planets (with DJ Cherniak and JB Thomas)

• diffusion of trace metals in iron meteorites (with H Watson, DJ Cherniak and JD Price)                        

• grain-boundary diffusion of highly incompatible siderophile elements in silicates and oxides (with LA Hayden)

• kinetic disequilibrium between calcite and seawater with respect to trace elements and stable isotopes (with R Gabitov)

Accessory Minerals (supported by the National Science Foundation)

• mineral thermometry involving Ti, Zr and Si substitutions (with DJ Cherniak, JB Thomas, DA Wark, JM Ferry)

• conditions on the Hadean and Archean Earth as gauged by the composition of ancient zircons (with D Trail, and TM Harrison) 

• diffusion of oxygen in monazite, titanite and zircon (with DJ Cherniak, M Nakamura and K Zhang)

• diffusion of Pb, U and Th in monazite (with DJ Cherniak and TM Harrison) 

• diffusion of high field-strength cations in zircon, rutile and quartz (with DJ Cherniak and DA Wark)

• solubility and diffusion behavior of H species in zircon

• diffusion of He in accessory minerals (DJ Cherniak and P Copeland)

• oxygen isotope fractionation between between zircon and rock-forming minerals (with D Trail and I Bindeman)

CO₂ sequestration (supported by the Department of Energy through collaboration with D Schrag of Harvard University)

• stability of CO₂ hydrate in carbonate-bearing marine sediments (with D Schrag, JB Thomas and K House)

• grain-scale distribution of liquid CO2 in sediments  (with D Schrag, JB Thomas and K House)

Helium thermochronology of carbonate minerals (supported by the National Science Foundation; collaborative with

P Copeland of the University of Houston)

• experimental characterization of He diffusion in calcite and other carbonates (with P Copeland)

• modeling of He diffusion behavior in carbonate-bearing geologic systems (with P Copeland)