Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i, USA
Welcome!
I am a geoscientist with a background in both chemistry and geology. I study how small changes in the chemical make-up of rocks can change their physical properties. Right now, I examine how the uppermost part of Earth’s mantle deforms, and how this affects plate tectonics.
Currently, I am a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, working in the Rock Rheology Laboratory at the University of Oxford with Professor Lars Hansen.
The “smaller is stronger” phenomenon is back with a new experiment type! Also some cool cyclical loading tests to look at what happens after the first time the rock yields.
Explaining the formation of an unusual olivine orientation distribution using modeling and both experimental and natural samples.
Case studies of field work being used to constrain how different types of deformation processes proceed.
The "smaller is stronger" phenomenon explains why experiments on olivine strength disagree with each other and implies tectonic plates are relatively weak.
A description of new standard material for measuring very small amounts of water in minerals from the interior of the Earth using SIMS. Also includes detailed methodology.
An experimental study of how carbon-bearing species are dissolved in simple melts.