Current Group Members
Dr Joshua Garber (Post-doc Fellow, Jan 2018-)
My current research (with Andy Smye and Maureen Feineman) focuses on mass transfer in subduction zones, with a particular focus on subducted metasediments and metabasalts of the W. Alps. I use LA-ICPMS, EPMA, and Raman spectroscopy as tools to interrogate the petrology, geochemistry, and geochronology of these rocks, with the aim of uncovering precise P-T-t histories of distinct packages, understanding how metamorphism and metasomatism interact during subduction, and determining how trace-element and major-element records of metamorphic reactions complement each other. Other on-going research includes i) understanding continental subduction in the Western Gneiss Region, Norway; ii) investigating the timing and physical conditions of subduction initiation beneath the Semail Ophiolite, Oman; iii) evaluating geochemical proxies for felsic crust in early Earth sediments; and iv) “petrochronology” – tying isotopic dates to a geochemical or petrological process with complementary trace-element, isotopic, and textural information – with a specific focus on titanite
Jake Cipar (PhD student, Fall 2018-)
I completed my B.S. at Penn State and am staying here to pursue a Master’s. I’m really excited about lots of different geologic questions, but particularly interested in what small-scale petrologic observations tell us about tectonic-scale processes. My current project is focused on understanding how mantle thinning promotes regional high-temperature metamorphism in the lower crust. To this end, I’m working on generating high-resolution pressure-temperature-time records from young (<10 Ma) lower crustal xenoliths from the Rio Grande extensional province.
Charlotte Connop (PhD student, Fall 2019-)
“I received my B.S. in Earth and Environmental Science from the University of Michigan in 2018, and now I am in the PhD program here at Penn State. I’m currently working on two different projects looking at high-temperature metamorphism within the continental crust. The first project is focused on a Variscan-aged sequence of mid-crustal rocks in the Pyrenees with an extremely high temperature gradient. This research will lead to a better understanding of the pressure-temperature evolution of extended continental crust. I’m also working on Lu-Hf in garnet geochronology in rocks from the Ivrea-Verbano Zone, Italy.”
Hailey Mundell (MS student, Fall 2019-)
Hailey is working on the nexus between metamorphism, fluid-flow and deformation; she is characterizing a suite of mafic eclogites from the Eastern Alps with a spectacular record of high-pressure fluid flow.
Former Group Members
Marit Wyatt (MS student)
Now pursuing a PhD at Yale
Graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.S. with honors in 2017; M.S. thesis focused on monazite petrochronology of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone.
Spencer Seman (TIMS laboratory manager, 2016-2018)
Now at The Field Museum, Chicago
During his time at Penn State, Spencer established high-precision Rb-Sr multimineral geochronology and worked on the Voltri eclogites, Western Alps.
Undergraduate Research Students
Morgan Richards (2019-): senior thesis on EBSD characterization of quartz fabrics in lower crustal xenoliths from Rio Grande
James Kane (2019-): research intern working on K-Ar mass balance model of lower crustal recycling (w/ Brad Foley)
Yihua Li (2017-18): senior thesis on titanite geochemistry from the Alps
Megan Deabreu (2017-18): senior thesis on detrital zircon age spectra from the Ivrea-Verbano Zone
Hannah Patel (2017-18): research internship on phase equilbria of lower crustal metapelites from Kilbourne Hole
Ian Wolfe (2016-17): senior thesis on Ti-in-quartz thermometry across the Alta Stock contact aureole
Jake Cipar (2016-18): research intern studying Cr-Al diffusion in spinel peridotites from the Lanzo massif, Alps