REU: Kinetic Studies of Geological Processes

首席研究员将开发新的方法来预测造岩矿物的扩散动力学数据，测量有助于预测能力的特定阳离子扩散动力学，并收集新的氧扩散数据以澄清文献中的矛盾。这项工作的一个目标是建立一个框架，允许计算任何特定矿物在给定的一组物理条件下的扩散系数，进而开发一个数据库，可用于解决尚无扩散数据的一系列问题。还将试图在合理的理论基础上理解扩散数据。研究成果将在地质年代学、变质岩石学等许多地质学领域有着广泛的应用。

The principal investigator will develop new means to predict diffusion kinetics data for rock-forming minerals, measure specific cation diffusion kinetics useful for predictive capabilities, and collect new oxygen diffusion data to clarify contradictions in the literature. One objective of this work is to establish a framework that permits computation of a diffusion coefficient for any particular mineral under a given set of physical conditions, and in turn develop a data base that can be used to solve a range of problems for which diffusion data are not yet available. An attempt also will be made to understand the diffusion data on a sound theoretical basis. Results will have wide application in geochronology, metamorphic petrology, and many other areas of geology.