(Photo by courtesy of Prof. Ling)
The Solar System
L19 EPSc 171A
Survey of the star, planets and satellites of our solar system. Includes results from Apollo manned missions to the Moon and spacecraft missions to the planets and their major satellites. Present ideas about the age, formation, and early history of the sun, Earth, Moon and meteorites.
Meteorites
L19 EPSc 571
Classification of meteorites and review of their properties. Implications for planetary compositions and the formation of the solar system. Radiometric dating and the chronology of the solar system. Irradiation effects. Isotopic anomalies and the search for preserved interstellar grains in primitive meteorites.
Stable Isotope Geochemistry
L19 EPSc 446
This course will focus on the principles of equilibrium and kinetic isotopic fractionation and the applications of traditional isotopes (H, C, N, O, and S isotopes). Topics include distribution of isotopes in natural systems, geothermometry and paleotemperatures, mass spectrometry, isotope hydrology and ice cores, fluid-rock interaction, igneous rocks and meteorites. Applications include both high-temperature igneous differentiation and low-temperature environments.
Advances in Stable Isotope Geochemistry
L19 EPSc 566
The development of non-traditional isotope geochemistry (Li, B, Mg, Si, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Se, Rb, Sr, Nd, Mo, Cd, Ba, Hg, Tl and U stable isotopes) in the past decade has greatly expanded our understanding in many facets of Earth and planetary sciences. This course will survey these new isotope systems in both high-temperature and low-temperature systems. It aims to help students understand the wide applications of these new isotopes in tracing chemical, biological and physical processes to study the origin of the solar system, the formation of planetary bodies, the differentiation of mantle and core, the evolution of the crust, the changes of paleoclimate, the global geochemical cycle of elements, and the genesis of natural resources.