Education B.S. Geology Natural Science, 2005, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA Current Research Calibration of Rutile (U-Th)/He Thermochronology: thermal evolution of the KTB drill hole, Germany by analysis of rutile combined with He diffusion experiments on the adjacent Bohemian Massif. My current research involves the development of the rutile as a (U-Th)/He thermochronometer. Calibration of rutile (TiO2) will provide access to the thermal history of alkali-rich magmatic rocks, sedimentary deposits and high-grade metamorphic rocks (blueschists, eclogites and granulites). Its presence as an accessory mineral in the KTB drill hole, Germany will be utilitzed to calibrate rutile in a metamorphic lithology. The geologic setting, temperature profile and thermal history of the KTB drill hole are well established, providing an ideal vertical profile to compare our rutile results to previous studies. Helium diffusion experiments will also be performed on two different metamorphic localities, which are adjacent to the KTB drill hole in the Bohemian Massif. These experiments will determine the diffusivity, activation energy and closure temperature of rutile. Past Research My undergraduate research was a comprehensive study of felsic volcanic deposits on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Petrologic, geochemical and age data of the localities were utilized to characterize the volcanic rocks in a regional setting as well as in larger paleo-tectonic reconstructions. The volcanic deposits were characterized as adakites, which are a fingerprint for the subduction of a spreading ridge and evidence for the presence of a slab window. The geochronological data of the samples (43-47 Ma) provided ages of the adakite deposition as well as the geographical position of the slab window. The adakites represent the southernmost adakite activity in the region and may correspond to the change from shallow to steep subduction in the Pacific Northwest. Publications Wolfe, M. and Tepper, J., 2004, Felsic Eocene volcanics on the Olympic Peninsula and their implication for ridge subduction: GSA Abstracts and Programs, v. 36, p. 223. Hahn, M., Graettinger, A., Gustafson, J., Ponzini, C., Wolfe, M., Peters, R., Stein, K., and Tepper, J., 2004, Eocene Pyroclastic Deposits at Chimacum, Washington: Adakite Magmatism in the Cascadia Forearc: GSA Abstracts and Programs, v. 36, p. 69. Last updated 31 October 2006. |
