Current Projects
Redox Conditions of Aleutian Arc Magmas and Continental Crust
This project is examining olivine-hosted glass inclusions as probes of pre-eruptive magmatic volatile contents and redox conditions, to test the influence of magmatic redox and volatile content on the evolution of calc-alkaline differentiation trends and the creation of continental crust. We will be visiting the western Aleutians in fall 2015 to collect samples for this project. This work is collaborative with Liz Cottrell (Smithsonian Institution) and is funded by the National Science Foundation GeoPRISMS program.
Carbon Inventory of Oceanic Basalts and the Upper Mantle
This project is examining dissolved volatiles and trace elements in volcanic glass from submarine lavas along the global mid-ocean ridge system, with the goal of estimating the carbon content of the Earth’s upper mantle, and how carbon cycles through the Earth at mid-ocean ridges. This project is collaborative with Erik Hauri (Carnegie Institution), Liz Cottrell (Smithsonian Institution), and is supporting Post-Doctoral Fellow Marion Le Voyer. This work is supported by the Deep Carbon Observatory (Sloan Foundation).
Iron Speciation in Glasses by µ-XANES
We determine redox conditions of natural magmas and experimental glasses by measuring Fe speciation using X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure (XANES) spectroscopy, a synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence technique with micron-scale spatial resolution. Our work uses national synchrotron facilities and beam time awards from the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Lab, and the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Lab.
Acquisition of a new FTIR Spectrometer
In summer 2013, the Kelley Lab welcomed the installation of a new Thermo Nicolet iS50 Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectrometer and Continuum microscope for the analysis of dissolved H2O and CO2 in glasses. This instrument purchase was funded by the National Science Foundation.
Mariana Fore-Arc Tectonics
In 2011-2012, we sailed aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson to investigate the tectonics of a rift in the Mariana forearc, south of Guam, that is opening perpendicular to the trench and has been recently magmatically active. These rift volcanics sample the mantle wedge unusually close to the trench, and provide a unique view into the fluids released by the subducted plate at shallow depths. This work is collaborative with Bob Stern (Univ. of Texas) and Fernando Martinez (Hawaii) and is funded by the National Science Foundation.
Ultra-Deep Drilling into Arc Crust
We are working towards drilling a 5 km deep hole into the heart of the Izu-Bonin arc, to discover the origins of Earth’s continental crust. This work will use the Japanese drilling vessel Chikyu to recover rocks from deep within the arc crust.
Geochemistry of Plume-Influenced Spreading Centers
The Marine Geological Samples Laboratory (MGSL) at GSO houses an unparalleled collection of seafloor dredges from plume-influenced spreading centers, including sections of the Mid-Atlantic ridge, the East Pacific rise, the Galápagos spreading center, and the Gulf of Aden. These samples represent the rich legacy of marine geological studies at GSO, and we are working to build upon that legacy through continued study.