Upgrading of high-pressure experimental petrology laboratory at University of New Mexico

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EAR-0446524DraperSupport from NSF's Instruments and Facilities element will be used to upgrade the high-pressure facility at the University of New Mexico. The existing multi-anvil press will be refurbished to correct some minor problems, and additional streamlining of its operational procedures will take place. An existing, smaller press will be converted to a second multi-anvil, and a piston-cylinder frame acquired from the University of Oregon will be fitted with new components to bring it into service. At the completion of this work, the lab's capacity to reach pressures appropriate for studying petrological processes in the deep interiors of the Earth, Moon, and Mars will be doubled. The new piston-cylinder will also allow us access to lower pressures relevant to mid- to deep-crustal to upper-mantle processes applicable to both terrestrial and martian studies. The lab supports two principal investigators and several graduate students, with plans for a new postdoctoral scientist as well. These upgrades will yield a robust facility with a long projected lifespan of productive work in studying planetary interiors.