US-France Cooperative Research: Experimental Measurements of the Diffusion Coefficients in Minerals of the Transition Zone of the Earth's Mantle

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0233152LiebermannThis three-year award for US-France collaboration in earth sciences involves Robert Liebermann of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Frederic Bejina and Olivier Jaoul at the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France. The project focuses on the measurement of diffusion coefficients in high-pressure minerals, which constitute the transition zone of the Earth's interior. Specifically, the investigators will measure silicon diffusion in stishovite and magnesium diffusion in wadsleyite. The measurements of these diffusion coefficients are critical to understanding point defect chemistry of high-pressure minerals. In turn, this will elucidate kinetic processes occurring in the deep interior of the Earth. The US and French investigators will conduct diffusion experiments on materials at the High Pressure laboratory at Stony Brook. The materials will then be analyzed by nuclear microanalysis techniques using a Van De Graaf accelerator in France. This award represents the US side of parallel proposals to the NSF and the CNRS. NSF will cover travel funds and living expenses for the US investigator. The CNRS will support visits by French researchers and students to the United States.