Geology Department Postgraduate Web Pages
Name: Clare Stead
Contact Details
Tel: +353 (0)1 8961363
Fax: +353 (0)1 6711199
Email: steadcv@tcd.ie
Title of Project
Cryptic Metasomatism
Project details
Cryptic metasomatism is a process that is often used to explain differences between the bulk-rock trace element budget and the sum of contributions from the constituent minerals in peridotite xenoliths. Although widely referenced, the process of cryptic metasomatism remains enigmatic. This project aims to explore the process of cryptic metasomatism in peridotite xenoliths by analogy with microtextures in migmatites and nanometer scale observations of grain boundaries. The work will focus on rapidly exhumed samples to ensure minimal effects of equilibration and recrystallization during the prolonged mantle storage. The xenoliths in question will be collected from Kimberly, South Africa.
Name of supervisor
Postgraduate personal details
I graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2013 with a B.A in Earth Sciences. For my dissertation I investigated new emitters for Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry. Through that project I gained experience in isotope geochemistry and sample preparation in a clean lab. My PhD research will expand my interest in geochemistry that developed during my undergraduate degree.
Project Start Date
September 2013
Funding
Postgraduate Research Studentship Award, Trinity College Dublin