Acquisition of a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer to Map Water in the Earth's Mantle

该合同的目的是购买一台傅立叶变换红外光谱仪（FTIR）及其附带的显微镜，以分析地球深处岩石中矿物质中的微量水。我们的星球在太阳系中是独一无二的，因为它有很多水，是一个有生命的星球，有活跃的构造。这个FTIR将允许PI的Peslier和Meen估计上地幔中存在多少水，地球上地幔层在10-30公里到410公里之间，那里是大多数火山和板块构造活动的起源。水在这些现象中起着至关重要的作用，例如，通过使岩石在较低的温度下融化（与岩浆产生有关）和促进岩石变形（与地球动力学有关）。了解存在的水量及其位置对于正确解释地幔的地震和电导率“远程”成像也很重要。FTIR将成为PI Peslier的主要研究分析工具。它将位于休斯顿大学德克萨斯超导中心的材料表征设施中，并将提供给与pi合作的地球科学系的教师和学生。从长远来看，FTIR将成为哈佛大学地球科学系和化学系学生通过分析技术课程和他们自己的研究生项目的重要教学工具。

The purpose of this award is to purchase a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) with attached microscope to analyze tiny amounts of water in minerals from rocks deep in the Earth. Our planet is unique in the solar system in that it has a lot of water and is a living planet with active tectonics. This FTIR will allow PI's Peslier and Meen to estimate how much water is present in the upper mantle, the Earth's layer between 10-30 km and 410 km, where most volcanic and plate tectonic activities originate. Water plays a crucial role in these phenomena, for example, by allowing the melting of rocks at lower temperatures (a link to magma generation) and by facilitating deformation of rocks (a link to geodynamics). Knowledge of the amount of water present and its location are also important in correct interpretation of seismic and electric conductivity "remote" imaging of the Earth's mantle. The FTIR will be the main research analytical tool of PI Peslier. It will be located in the Material Characterization Facility of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston, and will be made available to faculty and their students from the Geosciences Department collaborating with the PIs. In the long run, the FTIR will become a key teaching tool for students in the Departments of Geosciences and Chemistry of U.H. through an analytical-techniques course and through their own graduate projects.