Author: mpec

This semester we used for the first time an on-line learning module developed in collaboration with MITx and Alejandra Quintanilla Terminel in the class 12.203/205 Mechanics of Earth. This on-line module will serve as a nucleus on which we will build a MOOC focused on rheology and experimental rock deformation in the future. Attached is a short intro video:

Cassandra and Matej are visiting Take Hiraga’s lab at the Earthquake Research Institute in Tokyo. Cassandra is learning how to sinter powders to form textually equilibrated partially molten rocks from Koizumi-san. This visit is generously supported by the MISTI Ulvac-Hyashi fund.

A new paper co-authored by Alejandra Quintanilla Terminel, Amanda Dillman, Matej Pec, Garrett Diedrich and David Kohlstedt entitled “Radial melt segregation during extrusion of partially molten rocks” just got published . We extruded partially molten rocks through a narrow channel approximating pipe-flow and observed how melt segregates close to the channel wall as predicted by the two-phase flow theory with viscous anisotropy. Check out the results here.

Claudio and Thomas – the lab manager and lab technician of the ETH Rock Deformation Lab – visited our lab for a week to check out the equipment and chat about various apparatus designs. It was great having them here, presenting our lab’s work  and hearing about all the exciting research going on in Zürich.

Assistant professor Yuval Boneh from Ben-Gurion University in Israel is visiting our lab to learn more about our tri-axial deformation apparatus and  te perform some experiments on the rheology of the subducting slabs. Yuvals stay is funded through MISTI-Israel awarded to Yuval and Matej. We are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration!

A new paper based on Hamed’s work entitled “Solitonic State in Microscopic Dynamic Failures” has just been published! Check it out

 

 

Matěj was selected for the Victor P. Starr Career Development Chair for the period of 2019 – 2021.  It is a great honor that will allow our group to pursue new scientific directions!

We had the great pleasure to host prof. Take Hiraga, Dr. Sanae Koizumi, Dr. Hatsuki Yamaouchi, Atsuro Okamoto and Yuto Sasaki from the Takei-Hiraga Lab at ERI, University of Tokyo.  After thorough lab tours and discussions of the experimental apparatuses available at MIT, we had a day loaded with talks and discussions about deformation of the Earth’s mantle. Matej and Cassandra will travel to Japan in June 2019 to visit the laboratories at ERI to learn more about the research being performed there, and learn how to manufacture dense nanocrystalline samples with well-controlled microstructures for starting materials. The trips are generously supported by MIST-ULVAC-Hayashi Seed Fund to Matej, Take and Yasuko.

We will hold the 4th joint MIT-Brown CORD meeting on Monday 12/17 at 12:00 in building 54-819 at MIT. The talk will be also broadcasted via webex – if you are interested in participating, please write me an e-mail.

We are getting ready for AGU in Washington D.C.

Cassandra and Emilie will attend the AGU workshop on MTEX and modelling of anisotropic properties. Cailey will give an invited talk on Wednesday 12/12 at 11:35 a.m. on “Fluid infiltration promotes both ductile and brittle deformation within the deep crust: Examples from Southwestern Montana and the Central Alps”. Hamed will present a poster on Tuesday 12/11 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on “Ultrasound Probes of the Damage Evolution in Impulsive Fragmentation of Rocks” and Matej will give an invited talk on Tuesday 12/11 at 4:15 p.m. on the “Deformation mechanisms at the base of the seismogenic layer” with data from Saleh, Hongyu and Hamed. If you are in D.C. come and see our presentations!