Research in Mineralogy and Petrology
Overview
Faculty and students in the department conduct research in the fields of igneous and metamorphic petrology, mineralogy and crystallography. Much of the research is field-oriented with current projects working in the Klamath Mountains (California & Oregon), the Ruby Mountains (Nevada), the Caledonides of central Norway, the Seiland and Tysfjord regions of north Norway, various ophiolites and oceanic spreading centers, as well as west Texas and eastern New Mexico.
The Min-Pet group also holds various informal discussions, seminars, and group meetings.
Faculty members in the Mineralogy and Petrology group include:
Dr. Cal Barnes, Professor. Petrology & geochemistry of igneous & metamorphic rocks. Email: cal.barnes@ttu.edu
Dr. Melanie Barnes, Application of LA-ICP-MS to Earth Materials. Email: melanie.barnes@ttu.edu
Dr. Callum Hetherington, Assistant Professor. Mineralogy, geochemistry, and micro-analytical study of igneous & metamorphic rocks. Email: callum.hetherington@ttu.edu
Dr. Hal Karlsson, Associate Professor. Stable isotope geochemistry. Email: hal.karlsson@ttu.edu
Dr. Moira Ridley, Professor. Aqueous Geochemistry. Email: moira.ridley@ttu.edu
Dr. Aaron Yoshinobu, Associate Professor. Microstructural evolution of the lithosphere, structural petrology of arc and ophiolite/oceanic spreading centers. Email: aaron.yoshinobu@ttu.edu
Research is conducted utilizing in-house laboratory facilities including:
- The Laboratory for Aqueous Geochemistry
- TTU GeoAnalytical Laboratory for Major & Trace Element ICP Analysis & Laser-Ablation ICP-Mass Spectrometry
- The Laboratory for Stable Isotope Geochemistry
- Petrographic Laboratories for Microstructural Analysis & Image Analysis
In addition, faculty & students regularly utilize the Imaging Center of Texas Tech University, a laboratory housing TEM, SEM, EBSD, and related instruments for image analysis and microscopy.
Courses in Mineralogy and Petrology include:
- GEOL 2303 Earth Materials
- GEOL 4320 Optical Mineralogy
- GEOL 4321 Igneous and Metamorphic Petrography
- GEOL 5300 Independent Studies in Geology (Metamorphic Petrology)
- GEOL 5303 Advanced Igneous Petrology
- GEOL 5361 Advaned Structural Geology (Rheology & Deformation Mechanisms in Earth Systems)
Ongoing research in Mineralogy and petrology