CAREER: Experimental Studies of Mantle Melting

这份职业建议书包括一个旨在了解地幔融化关键方面的高压实验项目和一个课程开发项目，该项目将使用MILTS算法向地质学、地球物理学和地质工程专业的本科生介绍正向建模作为一种研究和教育工具。这些实验包括研究石榴石辉石岩的部分熔体是否在低熔体分数下相互连接，改进了对干燥橄榄岩和橄榄岩固相线温度-压力位置的测定，并改进了角闪石和名义上无水硅酸盐中含有H2O的橄榄岩的固相线位置，以及通过测量在压力高达5 Gpa时与硅酸盐液体平衡的橄榄石的H含量来研究水不饱和镁铁质岩浆中水逸度与溶解H2O的关系。所有这三项研究都试图提高我们对洋脊下和岛弧下熔融的地球动力学和地球化学后果的理解，并将提高对不同地幔成分对熔融过程的影响的理解。该计划的教育部分包括开发岩石学高级课程的教程和实验室练习，并使用岩石学相平衡程序Melts。这些练习将构成密歇根大学为期两周的实验室单元，并将强调作为科学工具的正向建模和假设检验，以及帮助加深对讲座中讨论的岩石学主题的理解。此外，教程和资源共享将有助于向邻近学院和大学的岩石学教师以及整个地球科学界传播这些课程的发展。

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.