Department of Geology and Geophysics People

Additional Information

Equipment in the Experimental Petrology facility includes high temperature furnaces and pressure lines capable of bringing natural and synthetic samples to magmatic conditions. Intensive conditions can be modulated to study the chemical reactions occuring during magma accumulation, interaction, equilibration, and ascent in volcanic conduits. Work that Julia and graduate student, Carrie Brugger, are undertaking concentrates on dynamic aspects of magma transport and determining the kinetics of magmatic processes. A CAREER award from the National Science Foundation is supporting these studies.  Undergraduate Lisa Tatsumi is studying the temperature dependence of the hornblende breakdown reaction.  This reaction is employed as a magma ascent spedometer at active volcanoes such as Mount St. Helens and Soufriere Hills Volcano.  It will see expanded application with further calibration using experimental studies.  With postdoctoral researcher Julie Bowles and collaborator Stefanie Brachfeld, Hammer is also developing research interests in planetary petrology, focusing on Mars.  An experimental study of crystallization kinetics of Fe-rich magmas, supported by NASA's Mars Fundamental Research Program is yielding insights into the magnetic properties of the Martian crust. This study is also relevant to the interpretation of cooling history preserved in a newly discovered Martian meteorite MIL 03346.  Owen Neill, MSc candidate, has recently joined the group, and will be focusing on understanding the plumbing system of Bezymianny Volcano in the Kamchatkan Peninsula.

Research Fields: Volcanology, Experimental Petrology