Author: mpec

We just got back a first set of thin sections from our first batch of experiments and they look magnificent. Saleh deformed 50:50 and 70:30 mixtures of quartz and k-feldspar with a initial grain size of ≈10 µm at 800 MPa confining pressure and 750˚C.  Below is a optical micrograph of a 70:30 mixture where one can see the extension of the minor phase (qtz in this case) sub-parallel to the shear zone boundary. Alumina forcing blocks are white and the rock is darkish due to its fine grain size. We are very excited to study these rocks in the SEM to see more details at higher magnifications.

Matej gave a departmental seminar at Brown and enjoyed a thorough lab tour of the great rock deformation lab.

Matěj gave a talk at the seminar of University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia about reactive melt migration. It was a pleasure to visit and see all the experimental labs at UPenn.

Yesterday we have finished our first real rock experiment after a long time of testing and calibration of our deformation apparatus. Saleh masterfully prepared his first sample so that it survived all the pressurization with no problems. The sample is a 50:50 mixture of quartz and feldspar and it was hot-pressed at 1 GPa confining pressure and 900˚C for 10 hours.

 

We had a great time during the famous “Image Analysis in Geosciences” workshop which was run during the “Independent Activity Period” at MIT by Prof. Renée Heilbronner and Matěj. We had 7 participants from MIT/WHOI and 14 students from all around the world. A shout out for the most motivated traveler goes to Bhathiya who came all the way from Tohoku University in Japan.

The Boss came by and checked our calculations…

Two oral presentations will be given by the PecLab at AGU. Matej will talk about “The Influence of Lithology on the Formation of Reaction Infiltration Instabilities in Mantle Rocks” on Wednesday at 3:10 p.m.  Hamed will talk about “Supersonic Localized Excitations Mediate Dynamic Failure” on Friday at 3:25 p.m. Come and listen to some of our exciting new results!

Saleh and Emilie have finished all the steps necessary to prepare a sample assembly.  The first sample assembly is always more time consuming as one has to master many different skills from precious metal welding to salt pressing and drilling.

Proud experimentalists

Emilie prepares an alumina piston for cutting

Hamed supervises Saleh during parallel polishing of alumina pistons

Matej will give an invited talk about “Strain localization and partitioning in granitoid fault rocks deformed at elevated pressures and temperatures” on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. – come check it out if you are in Seattle!

Hamed will present a virtual poster at the NEW.mech conference on “Supersonic Localized Excitations Mediate Microscopic Dynamic Failure”. Stop by if you are in Cambridge.