Research Interests
My research focuses on the experimental investigation of the interaction of hot fluids and oceanic lithosphere, specifically the kinetics of hydrothermal alteration of mafic and ultramafic rocks. I use a Bassett-type hydrothermal diamond anvil cell (HDAC) to conduct experiments on the system MgO-SiO2-H2O (± FeO, HCl, O2 and CO2) to simulate the metasomatic alteration of ultramafic rocks by silica-rich fluids in greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphism. The rate and extent of hydration reactions of mafic and ultramafic rocks and the textures produced by alteration are poorly understood. Hydration experiments performed in this study have produced fibrous talc and fibrous anthophyllite. The high aspect ratio nature of these minerals, combined with the power of real-time observation of the HDAC, allows for the visual estimation of fiber growth rates. Topics also addressed in my research include the effects of the activity of water, oxygen fugacity and Fe/Mg ratio on the kinetics and textures of the products of hydration reactions in the chemical system.
GEOL 110: Physical Geology Laboratory (Spring 2010)
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RYAN KERRIGAN