GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES AT BROWN UNIVERSITY
Geochemistry

Igneous and metamorphic events are emphasized in studies of the behavior of elements and nuclides during the process of rock and mineral formation. Kinetic studies include diffusion and exchange of elements and isotopes in a fluid system (hydrothermal or magmatic), and application of oxygen and cation diffusion kinetics to cooling rates (and associated uplift and denudation rates) of igneous and metamorphic rocks in the Alps, Rockies, and New England. Geochronological methods are being developed to determine the ages and thermal histories of deformational events in the orogenic belt. Trace element and isotope geochemical studies are used to reconstruct the evolution of plutonic rock systems.