Solid State Geochemistry: High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy of Minerals

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This project is dedicated to the study, at the finest microscope scale attainable, of minerals and their deviations from structural and chemical ideality. Electron-beam techniques will be applied, including high-resolution transmission and analytical electron microscopy as well as scanning probe microscopy (scanning tunneling and atomic force) to study localized regions of structural and chemical disorder in minerals. Such regions are common and provide insights into (a) the origin and geologic history of the host minerals, which act as recorders of uncompleted reactions; and (b) reaction mechanisms such as occur during metamorphism, diagenesis, and weathering. The PI and team plan specifically to study layer silicate minerals (including mixed-layer chlorite/smectite and corrensite; berthierine, Fe-rich chlorite, and mixed layer intermediates; and a unique fibrous mica), and C-60 and other fullerenes found in nature. They also will explore the use of advanced techniques such as TEM cathodoluminescence, high-angle annular dark-field compositional mapping, scanning probe microscopy, and ultra-high resolution electron microscopes as applicable to the study of minerals