Studies of the Earth's Deep Interior
Research groups in the Department of Geology address a variety of aspects of the Earth's interior. Prof. Jay Bass uses a variety of sophisticated techniques (including diamond anvils, Brillouin Spectroscopy, and the Advanced Photon Source) to characterize mineral phases that exist in the mantle, and to interpret the mantle‘s chemical composition. Prof. Bass in an active participant in the COnsortium for Material Properties Research in Earth Sciences (COMPRES) initiative. Prof. Xiaodong Song studies the structure and dynamics of the planet‘s interior by studying travel times of seismic waves. Song and his co-workers have monitored the motion of the Earth‘s inner core, resulting in publications that have demonstrated that the Earth‘s inner core rotates faster than its mantle. Prof. Wang-Ping Chen's research projects address the tectonic setting of earthquake sources and the anisotropy in the mantle. Prof. Jie Li uses diamond anvils and a multi-anvil press to analyze and understand the composition of the mantle and core. Her experiments investigate phase relations, chemical equilibrium, and the physical properties of Earth and planetary materials under high pressure and high temperature. These results are then combined with seismic observations, cosmochemical constraints, and dynamic models. Profs. C-Y Chen and Craig Lundstrom investigate the formation of partial melts in the Earth's mantle.
- Prof. Jay Bass mineral physics, mantle mineralogy, effects of shock waves, Brillouin Spectroscopy
- Prof. Jie Li Experimental geochemistry and mineral physics
- Prof. C.-Y. Chen petrology, hotspots
- Prof. W.-P. Chen seismology and tectonics
- Prof. Xiaodong Song seismology, deep-Earth structure
- Prof. Craig Lundstrom, mid ocean ridge basalts,
