GMPV
Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology

Minerals

Machine Learning and Volcanic Crystals: a journey with Corin Jorgenson into Random Forest Thermobarometry

September 15, 2022
Frontpage_CorinJorgenson_Thermobarometry

Thermobarometry: a bit of background Being able to understand the eruptive style of a volcano, how the eruptive behavior can evolve over time and managing to better interpret the signals that a volcanic system gives us before an eruption are of fundamental importance for mitigating the risk associated with eruptive activities. In this context, it is extremely important to understand trans-crustal ...[Read More]

Is garnet going to be your best date?

August 25, 2022
Is garnet going to be your best date?
Garnet from a mafic granulite. Credit: Barbara Kunz in Imaggeo (https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/804/)

For geochronologists it is all about precision and accuracy. For petrochronologists it is more about precise positioning of those ages to trace back the evolution of a rock. For many, it is not just about getting a crystallisation or metamorphic age, it is about knowing when and at what conditions a given rock experienced certain petrogenetic processes. As we progressed from geochronology to petro ...[Read More]

5 things I learnt from 2 months at sea with the International Ocean Discovery Program

July 13, 2022
Photo of sunset behind the drilling vessel JOIDES resolution
Sunset over the South Atlantic behind the research vessel JOIDES Resolution during our transit back to port

This year I was lucky enough to be part of International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 390 – South Atlantic Transect I – aboard the research vessel JOIDES Resolution which spent two months, from April to June, out in the South Atlantic, drilling into and sampling the upper oceanic crust and sediments. I sailed as a petrologist and was responsible for describing how the basa ...[Read More]

The strangest rock you’ve probably never heard of

March 9, 2022
The strangest rock you’ve probably never heard of

In this blog I’m going to talk a bit about one of my favourite rocks – the strangest rock you’ve probably never heard of – listvenite. Listvenite (sometimes spelt listwanite or listwaenite) is the product of a chemical reaction between peridotite and carbon dioxide, and it is truly strange! I first came across listvenites working on the Semail Ophiolite, Oman, during my PhD. The Semail Ophiolite i ...[Read More]