In this course, students get a deeper knowledge about metamorphic processes. They will work on specific case studies using optical mineralogy to describe the rock microstructures and interpret their evolution. They will learn how to quantify the metamorphic conditions and discuss the uncertainties of such methods. The language of this course is English.
The responsible person for this course is Lucie Tajcmanova.
In this course, students learn how to quantify processes in metamorphic and magmatic rocks using modern tools for phase equilibria modelling and diffusion. They will apply their knowledge of thermodynamics and rocks microstructures to perform forward and inverse models using those tools. The skills are obtained via working on real case studies and little research projects either individually or in small groups. The course deepens the understanding of the rock forming processes in general. The language of this course is English.
This course is offered internationally within the 4EU+ alliance umbrella.
The responsible person for this course is Lucie Tajcmanova.
This course is in 3. semester of the Bsc curriculum. Students learn basics of equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermodynamics applied to earth science problems. While solving the case studies or earth science relevant exercises, the students also learn programing in Matlab. The language of this course is, besides Matlab, English.
The responsible person for this course is Lucie Tajcmanova.
This course is in the 2. semester in the Bsc curriculum and provides a basic introduction to the symmetry elements, crystal chemistry and their physical properties. The language of this course is English.
The responsible person for this course is Lucie Tajcmanova.
This course is one of the key courses during the first year in the Bsc. curriculum. Students learn the basics about minerals and rocks, about their physical and chemical properties, how the rocks and minerals form and how to recognize them. The language of this course is German.
The responsible person for this course is Sebastian Cionoiu.
Deviations from lithostatic pressure: Fact of Fiction? This question has been a “hot-topic” in the geology community especially in the last 15 years. It is also a title of the special issue in Journal of Metamorphic Geology, which Lucie Tajcmanova edited.
Geologists commonly assume that pressures obtained from pressure-temperature (P-T) estimates of metamorphic assemblages are equal to lithostatic pressures. The lithostatic pressure is the pressure resulting only from the mass of the overburden rock and is equivalent to the hydrostatic pressure in fluids at rest. The lithostatic assumption is a simplification that can, to a certain degree, restrict our understanding of lithospheric processes. However, it is convenient because pressure can then be directly converted into a burial depth by assuming typical densities for crustal and mantle rocks.
Interestingly, pressure variation can develop in all materials, including rocks, due to deformation. In fact, the topography and variations in rock properties lead to a development of tectonic overpressure (i.e. where the pressure (mean stress) is higher than the lithostatic pressure) or its opposite case, underpressure. Such pressure anomalies are not associated with a particular depth. The deviation does not have to be extreme; over and under pressure can be just few MPa (i.e. much smaller than the uncertainties related to petrological estimates).
Our group has spent last decade developing quantification tools for systems under pressure gradients. It involves an equilibrium thermodynamic formulation for systems under pressure gradients or a coupled model for chemical diffusion and mechanical deformation in analogy to the studies of poroelasticity and thermoelasticity. With the new approaches, we can numerically simulate the effect of chemical diffusion on the development of a pressure gradient across a mineral grain and vice versa. Furthermore, by combining direct stress measurements by Raman spectroscopy and mechanical solutions for stress relaxation in a mineral, we were able to develop a unique method that allows stress relaxation to be calculated directly from natural samples.
More to this topic and the relevant references can be found in papers in the Publications section on this web page.
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!
