GMPV
Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology

Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology

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]

Sedimentary Rocks – Insight Into The Past And Future Climate

and July 28, 2022
Sedimentary Rocks – Insight Into The Past And Future Climate
Faulted jaspilite banded iron formation (Image by James St. John, distributed via https://www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/14872822457)

In the recent past, a lot of effort has been directed toward evaluating the consequences of the rapidly rising global temperatures. Among them, one very alarming consequence is ocean acidification (Fauville et al, 2012; Gatusso et al, 2015). Ocean acidification is the direct result of atmospheric CO2 increase caused in part by anthropogenic activities such as burning fossil fuels for energy activi ...[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]

Living with a Volcano

and June 8, 2022
Living with a Volcano
Mount Nyiragongo Lava Lake, from Vulkane.net

Since ancient times, the growth of populations has been strongly combined with the presence of volcanoes, due to their ability to provide nutrients to soils (and so to agriculture) and resource extraction. One great example is described in our blog post about Volcanoes and wine. However, living near a volcano has its (obvious) drawbacks, starting with lava flows (see the recent Cumbre Vieja erupti ...[Read More]