CAREER: Experimental Studies of Mantle Melting

本职业计划书包括一个高压实验项目，旨在了解地幔融化的关键方面，以及一个课程开发项目，该项目将使用melt算法向本科地质学、地球物理学和地质工程专业的学生介绍正演建模，作为一种研究和教育工具。实验包括研究石榴石辉石岩的部分熔体在低熔体分数下是否相互连接，改进了对干燥橄榄岩、角蚀孔和名义上无水硅酸盐中含有H2O的橄榄岩的固相温度-压力位置的测定。通过测量压力高达5 GPa的橄榄石与硅酸盐液体平衡的H含量，研究了水不饱和基性岩浆中水逸度与溶解H2O的关系。所有三项研究都试图提高我们对海洋脊和岛弧下融化的地球动力学和地球化学后果的理解，并将提高对变化的地幔成分对融化过程的影响的理解。该计划的教育部分包括为高年级的岩石学课程开发指导和实验室练习，并使用岩石相平衡程序，即melt。这些练习将构成UM为期两周的实验室单元，并将强调正演建模和假设检验作为科学工具，并有助于更深入地理解讲座中讨论的岩石学主题。此外，教程和资源共享将有助于将这些课程发展传播给邻近学院和大学教授岩石学的教师以及整个地球科学社区。

This CAREER proposal consists of a program of high pressure experiments aimed at understanding key aspects of mantle melting and a curriculum development project that will use the MELTS algorithm to introduce undergraduate geology, geophysics, and geological engineering majors to forward modeling as a research and educational tool. The experiments include investigation of whether partial melts of garnet pyroxenite interconnect at low melt fraction, improved determinations of the temperature-pressure location of the solidus for dry peridotite and for peridotite with H2O contained within amphibole and within nominally anhydrous silicates, and a study of the relationship between water fugacity and dissolved H2O in water-undersaturated mafic magmas by measuring the H content of olivine equilibrated with silicate liquids at pressures up to 5 GPa. All three studies seek to improve our understanding of the geodynamic and geochemical consequences of melting beneath oceanic ridges and beneath island arcs, and will improve understanding of the effects of variable mantle composition on melting processes. The education portion of the plan involves development of a tutorial and laboratory exercises for an upper division course in petrology and using the petrologic phase equilibria program, MELTS. The exercises will constitute a two week unit of laboratories at UM and wil emphasize forward modeling and hypothesis testing as scientific tools as well as aid in a deeper understanding of petrologic topics discussed in lectures. Additionally, tutorials and resource-sharing will aid dissemination of these curricular developments to faculty teaching petrology at neighboring colleges and universities and to the geoscience community at large.