Dennis Bird
Professor of Geological Sciences, Emeritus
Earth & Planetary Sciences
Academic Appointments
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Emeritus Faculty, Acad Council, Earth & Planetary Sciences
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Affiliate, Precourt Institute for Energy
Administrative Appointments
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Surveyor, U.S. Forest Service (1968 - 1971)
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Field Geologist, Denver, U.S. Geological Survey (1972 - 1972)
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona (1978 - 1980)
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Lecturer, Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona (1980 - 1981)
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Research Associate, Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona (1981 - 1982)
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Assistant Professor of Geology, Stanford University (1982 - 1989)
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Associate Professor of Geology, Stanford University (1989 - 1993)
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Associate Professor of Geological & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University (1993 - 1998)
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Professor of Geological & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University (1998 - Present)
Honors & Awards
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Arthur L. Coggins Research Fellow, Department of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (1974)
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Grant-in-Aid Recipient, American Association of Petroleum Geologists (1974)
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School of Earth Sciences Teaching Award, Stanford University (1990)
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Fellow, Mineralogical Society of America (2001)
Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations
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Member, School and Earth Sciences Geobiology search Committee, Stanford University (2011 - 2012)
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Member, I-Earth Committee, Stanford University (2008 - 2010)
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Member, Writing and Rhetoric Governance Board, Stanford University (2006 - 2012)
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Member, Graduate Admissions Committee (GES), Stanford University (2004 - 2007)
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Undergraduate Program Director (GES), Stanford University (2002 - 2012)
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Fellow, Mineralogical Society of America (2001 - 2001)
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Member, Undergraduate Planning Committee, Stanford University (2000 - 2001)
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Member, Graduate Admissions Committee, Stanford University (1996 - 2000)
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Member, Geohistory and Geology display Committee for Geology Corner, Stanford University (1995 - 1996)
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Member, Mudd, Gamble Ore Deposits Fund Committee, Stanford University (1994 - 2000)
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Member, Howard Fund committee, Stanford University (1994 - 2000)
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Member, Lawton and Jenkins Fund Committee, Stanford University (1994 - 2000)
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Member, GES 1 (Planet Earth) Committee, Stanford University (1994 - 2001)
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Chairman, G&ES Undergraduate Committee, Stanford University (1994 - 1999)
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Co-Chair, G&ES Undergraduate Affairs, Stanford University (1993 - 2000)
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Faculty advisor, Stanford Outdoor Education Program, Stanford University (1992 - 2014)
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Member, Advisory Board, Stanford Center of Teaching and Learning, Stanford University (1988 - 2001)
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Associate editor, American Journal Science (1987 - Present)
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Chairman, G&ES Shell Foundation Fund Committee, Stanford University (1986 - 1996)
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Member, Writing and Rhetoric Requirement Governance Board, Stanford University (2014 - Present)
Professional Education
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Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, Geology (1978)
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M.S., University of California, Riverside, Geology (1975)
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B.S., University of California, Riverside, Geology (1971)
Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Research
My students and I study chemical and physical processes related to water-rock reaction in Earth's crust, and the geologic consequences of life's metabolic processes. As theoretical geochemists, we investigate the properties of solution-mineral reactions to predict the nature of elemental mass transfer by reactive fluids in weathering, diagenetic, hydrothermal, and metamorphic environments. Recent efforts focus on the environmental geochemistry of chromium and arsenic, CO2 sequestration in large igneous provinces, paleoclimate proxies preserved in weathered basaltic tephras of the North Atlantic Igneous Province, and exhumation rates of ultra-high pressure metamorphic rocks of China. Our geobiology efforts focus on the geologic consequences of the photosynthesis on early Earth, specifically processes leading to the rise of continents, and in historic times, the effects of synpandemic fire suppression and reforestation in tropical Americans on atmospheric CO2 during European conquest.
Teaching
I teach courses for graduate and undergraduate students on the geochemical thermodynamics of water-rock reactions relevant to understanding transport of elements of environmental concern, and to understanding diagenetic, hydrothermal, metamorphic, and igneous processes in Earth's crust. I teach a lower division undergraduate seminar on the geologic background and environmental impact of the California Gold Rush, a class that satisfies the university second year Writing and Rhetoric Requirement (WRR2), and I co-teach the Senior Seminar in GES, which satisfies the Writing in the Major requirement (WIM) for our undergraduates. For the past 22 years I have been the faculty advisor for Stanford's Outdoor Education Program (OEP), a group of student instructors who teach the Wilderness Skills Class in GES (GES 7A[Fall], 7B[Winter], and 7C[Spring])
Professional Activities
Associate editor, American Journal Science (1987-present); fellow, Mineralogical Society of America (2001); School of Earth Sciences Teaching Award (1990); GES Undergraduate Program Director (2002-2012); member, Stanford University Writing and Rhetoric Governance Board (2006-2012); member, GES Graduate Admissions Committee (2005-06)
All Publications
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Geochemistry of CO2-rich waters in Iceland
CHEMICAL GEOLOGY
2016; 444: 158-179
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.09.002
View details for Web of Science ID 000388776800014
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Clumped-isotope thermometry of magnesium carbonates in ultramafic rocks
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
2016; 193: 222-250
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.gca.2016.08.003
View details for Web of Science ID 000385507900013
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Aluminous gneiss derived by weathering of basaltic source rocks in the Neoarchean Storo Supracrustal Belt, southern West Greenland
CHEMICAL GEOLOGY
2016; 441: 63-80
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.08.013
View details for Web of Science ID 000384057800006
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Hydrogeology of the Krafla geothermal system, northeast Iceland
GEOFLUIDS
2016; 16 (1): 175-197
View details for DOI 10.1111/gfl.12142
View details for Web of Science ID 000370072700010
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A spatially resolved surface kinetic model for forsterite dissolution
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
2016; 174: 313-334
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.gca.2015.11.019
View details for Web of Science ID 000368819800021
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Sedimentary reservoir oxidation during geologic CO2 sequestration
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
2015; 155: 30-46
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.gca.2015.02.001
View details for Web of Science ID 000351732800003
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Sedimentary reservoir oxidation during geologic CO2 sequestration
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
2015; 155: 30-46
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.gca.2015.02.001
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Olivine dissolution and carbonation under conditions relevant for in situ carbon storage
CHEMICAL GEOLOGY
2014; 373: 93-105
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2014.02.026
View details for Web of Science ID 000334737200009
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Stable isotopes of hydrothermal minerals as tracers for geothermal fluids in Iceland
GEOTHERMICS
2014; 49: 99-110
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.geothermics.2013.05.005
View details for Web of Science ID 000329559900014
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BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON THE SOURCE OF GEONEUTRINOS
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MODERN PHYSICS A
2013; 28 (30)
View details for DOI 10.1142/S0217751X13300470
View details for Web of Science ID 000329056700001
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KARRAT ISFJORD: A NEWLY DISCOVERED PALEOPROTEROZOIC CARBONATITE-SOURCED REF DEPOSIT, CENTRAL WEST GREENLAND
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY
2013; 108 (6): 1471-1488
View details for Web of Science ID 000323470700012
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Evolution of low-O-18 Icelandic crust
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
2013; 374: 47-59
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.epsl.2013.04.043
View details for Web of Science ID 000324663700005
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Composition and origin of rhyolite melt intersected by drilling in the Krafla geothermal field, Iceland
CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY
2013; 165 (2): 327-347
View details for DOI 10.1007/s00410-012-0811-z
View details for Web of Science ID 000313867700006
- Stable Isotopes of Hydrothermal Minerals as Tracers for Geothermal Fluids in Iceland Geothermics 2013
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Isotope composition and volume of Earth's early oceans
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
2012; 109 (12): 4371-4376
Abstract
Oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of Earth's seawater are controlled by volatile fluxes among mantle, lithospheric (oceanic and continental crust), and atmospheric reservoirs. Throughout geologic time the oxygen mass budget was likely conserved within these Earth system reservoirs, but hydrogen's was not, as it can escape to space. Isotopic properties of serpentine from the approximately 3.8 Ga Isua Supracrustal Belt in West Greenland are used to characterize hydrogen and oxygen isotope compositions of ancient seawater. Archaean oceans were depleted in deuterium [expressed as δD relative to Vienna standard mean ocean water (VSMOW)] by at most 25 ± 5‰, but oxygen isotope ratios were comparable to modern oceans. Mass balance of the global hydrogen budget constrains the contribution of continental growth and planetary hydrogen loss to the secular evolution of hydrogen isotope ratios in Earth's oceans. Our calculations predict that the oceans of early Earth were up to 26% more voluminous, and atmospheric CH(4) and CO(2) concentrations determined from limits on hydrogen escape to space are consistent with clement conditions on Archaean Earth.
View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.1115705109
View details for Web of Science ID 000301712600014
View details for PubMedID 22392985
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3311330
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Paleontology of Earth's Mantle
ANNUAL REVIEW OF EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES, VOL 40
2012; 40: 277-300
View details for DOI 10.1146/annurev-earth-092611-090602
View details for Web of Science ID 000307961500013
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Serpentinite and the dawn of life
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
2011; 366 (1580): 2857-2869
Abstract
Submarine hydrothermal vents above serpentinite produce chemical potential gradients of aqueous and ionic hydrogen, thus providing a very attractive venue for the origin of life. This environment was most favourable before Earth's massive CO(2) atmosphere was subducted into the mantle, which occurred tens to approximately 100 Myr after the moon-forming impact; thermophile to clement conditions persisted for several million years while atmospheric pCO(2) dropped from approximately 25 bar to below 1 bar. The ocean was weakly acid (pH ∼ 6), and a large pH gradient existed for nascent life with pH 9-11 fluids venting from serpentinite on the seafloor. Total CO(2) in water was significant so the vent environment was not carbon limited. Biologically important phosphate and Fe(II) were somewhat soluble during this period, which occurred well before the earliest record of preserved surface rocks approximately 3.8 billion years ago (Ga) when photosynthetic life teemed on the Earth and the oceanic pH was the modern value of approximately 8. Serpentinite existed by 3.9 Ga, but older rocks that might retain evidence of its presence have not been found. Earth's sequesters extensive evidence of Archaean and younger subducted biological material, but has yet to be exploited for the Hadean record.
View details for DOI 10.1098/rstb.2011.0129
View details for Web of Science ID 000294993100002
View details for PubMedID 21930576
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3158911
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Neotropical human-landscape interactions, fire, and atmospheric CO2 during European conquest
HOLOCENE
2011; 21 (5): 853-864
View details for DOI 10.1177/0959683611404578
View details for Web of Science ID 000293265900013
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Origin of a rhyolite that intruded a geothermal well while drilling at the Krafla volcano, Iceland
GEOLOGY
2011; 39 (3): 231-234
View details for DOI 10.1130/G31393.1
View details for Web of Science ID 000287374900012
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No climate paradox under the faint early Sun
NATURE
2010; 464 (7289): 744-U117
Abstract
Environmental niches in which life first emerged and later evolved on the Earth have undergone dramatic changes in response to evolving tectonic/geochemical cycles and to biologic interventions, as well as increases in the Sun's luminosity of about 25 to 30 per cent over the Earth's history. It has been inferred that the greenhouse effect of atmospheric CO(2) and/or CH(4) compensated for the lower solar luminosity and dictated an Archaean climate in which liquid water was stable in the hydrosphere. Here we demonstrate, however, that the mineralogy of Archaean sediments, particularly the ubiquitous presence of mixed-valence Fe(II-III) oxides (magnetite) in banded iron formations is inconsistent with such high concentrations of greenhouse gases and the metabolic constraints of extant methanogens. Prompted by this, and the absence of geologic evidence for very high greenhouse-gas concentrations, we hypothesize that a lower albedo on the Earth, owing to considerably less continental area and to the lack of biologically induced cloud condensation nuclei, made an important contribution to moderating surface temperature in the Archaean eon. Our model calculations suggest that the lower albedo of the early Earth provided environmental conditions above the freezing point of water, thus alleviating the need for extreme greenhouse-gas concentrations to satisfy the faint early Sun paradox.
View details for DOI 10.1038/nature08955
View details for Web of Science ID 000276205000042
View details for PubMedID 20360739
- Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP): Hydrothermal minerals record CO2 partial pressures in the Reykjanes Geothermal System, Iceland Proceeding World Geothermal Congress 2010
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The Columbian Encounter and the Little Ice Age: Abrupt Land Use Change, Fire, and Greenhouse Forcing
ANNALS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHERS
2010; 100 (4): 755-771
View details for Web of Science ID 000284418100005
- Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP): Stable isotope evidence of fluid evolution in Icelandic Geothermal Systems Proceeding World Geothermal Congress 2010: 25–29
- Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP): Arsenic distribution and mobility in active and fossil geothermal systems in Iceland Proceeding World Geothermal Congress 2010: 25–29
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Geochemical Evolution of a High Arsenic, Alkaline Pit-Lake in the Mother Lode Gold District, California
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY
2009; 104 (8): 1171-1211
View details for Web of Science ID 000274499700005
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Processes controlling Sr in surface and ground waters of Tertiary tholeiitic flood basalts in Northern Iceland
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
2009; 73 (22): 6727-6746
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.gca.2009.08.025
View details for Web of Science ID 000273416700004
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HYDROTHERMAL MINERALS RECORD CO2 PARTIAL PRESSURES IN THE REYKJANES GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM, ICELAND
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
2009; 309 (9): 788-833
View details for DOI 10.2475/09.2009.02
View details for Web of Science ID 000273502700002
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Isotopic constraints on ice age fluids in active geothermal systems: Reykjanes, Iceland
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
2009; 73 (15): 4468-4488
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.gca.2009.03.033
View details for Web of Science ID 000267876200012
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Paragneiss zircon geochronology and trace element geochemistry, North Qaidam HP/UHP terrane, western China
8th International Eclogite Conference
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. 2009: 298–309
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jseaes.2008.12.007
View details for Web of Science ID 000266895800008
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Peptide Synthesis in Early Earth Hydrothermal Systems
ASTROBIOLOGY
2009; 9 (2): 141-146
Abstract
We report here results from experiments and thermodynamic calculations that demonstrate a rapid, temperature-enhanced synthesis of oligopeptides from the condensation of aqueous glycine. Experiments were conducted in custom-made hydrothermal reactors, and organic compounds were characterized with ultraviolet-visible procedures. A comparison of peptide yields at 260 degrees C with those obtained at more moderate temperatures (160 degrees C) gives evidence of a significant (13 kJ . mol(-1)) exergonic shift. In contrast to previous hydrothermal studies, we demonstrate that peptide synthesis is favored in hydrothermal fluids and that rates of peptide hydrolysis are controlled by the stability of the parent amino acid, with a critical dependence on reactor surface composition. From our study, we predict that rapid recycling of product peptides from cool into near-supercritical fluids in mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal systems will enhance peptide chain elongation. It is anticipated that the abundant hydrothermal systems on early Earth could have provided a substantial source of biomolecules required for the origin of life.
View details for DOI 10.1089/ast.2008.0166
View details for Web of Science ID 000265707200001
View details for PubMedID 19371157
- The Iceland Deep Drilling Project: Stable isotope constraints of fluid source and evolution in Icelandic geothermal systems Proceeding Geothermal Resources Council 2009
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Evolutionary ecology during the rise of dioxygen in the Earth's atmosphere
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
2008; 363 (1504): 2651-2664
Abstract
Pre-photosynthetic niches were meagre with a productivity of much less than 10(-4) of modern photosynthesis. Serpentinization, arc volcanism and ridge-axis volcanism reliably provided H(2). Methanogens and acetogens reacted CO(2) with H(2) to obtain energy and make organic matter. These skills pre-adapted a bacterium for anoxygenic photosynthesis, probably starting with H(2) in lieu of an oxygen 'acceptor'. Use of ferrous iron and sulphide followed as abundant oxygen acceptors, allowing productivity to approach modern levels. The 'photobacterium' proliferated rooting much of the bacterial tree. Land photosynthetic microbes faced a dearth of oxygen acceptors and nutrients. A consortium of photosynthetic and soil bacteria aided weathering and access to ferrous iron. Biologically enhanced weathering led to the formation of shales and, ultimately, to granitic rocks. Already oxidized iron-poor sedimentary rocks and low-iron granites provided scant oxygen acceptors, as did freshwater in their drainages. Cyanobacteria evolved dioxygen production that relieved them of these vicissitudes. They did not immediately dominate the planet. Eventually, anoxygenic and oxygenic photosynthesis oxidized much of the Earth's crust and supplied sulphate to the ocean. Anoxygenic photosynthesis remained important until there was enough O(2) in downwelling seawater to quantitatively oxidize massive sulphides at mid-ocean ridge axes.
View details for DOI 10.1098/rstb.2008.0018
View details for Web of Science ID 000257571100004
View details for PubMedID 18468980
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC2606762
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An hydrothermal experimental study of the cobalt-cobalt oxide redox buffer
CHEMICAL GEOLOGY
2008; 252 (3-4): 136-144
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2008.02.005
View details for Web of Science ID 000257974500003
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Effects of syn-pandemic fire reduction and reforestation in the tropical Americas on atmospheric CO2 during European conquest
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
2008; 264 (1-2): 25-38
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.palaeo.2008.03.008
View details for Web of Science ID 000258017600003
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Chronology of gold mineralization in the Sierra Nevada Foothills from Ar-40/Ar-39 dating of Mariposite
INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY REVIEW
2008; 50 (6): 503-518
View details for DOI 10.2747/0020-6814.50.6.503
View details for Web of Science ID 000256394300001
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High- and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism in the North Qaidam and South Altyn Terranes, western China
INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY REVIEW
2007; 49 (11): 969-995
View details for Web of Science ID 000250449600001
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Niches of the pre-photosynthetic biosphere and geologic preservation of Earth's earliest ecology
GEOBIOLOGY
2007; 5 (2): 101-117
View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1472-4669.2007.00105.x
View details for Web of Science ID 000247529000002
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Genesis of hexavalent chromium from natural sources in soil and groundwater
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
2007; 104 (16): 6544-6549
Abstract
Naturally occurring Cr(VI) has recently been reported in ground and surface waters. Rock strata rich in Cr(III)-bearing minerals, in particular chromite, are universally found in these areas that occur near convergent plate margins. Here we report experiments demonstrating accelerated dissolution of chromite and subsequent oxidation of Cr(III) to aqueous Cr(VI) in the presence of birnessite, a common manganese mineral, explaining the generation of Cr(VI) by a Cr(III)-bearing mineral considered geochemically inert. Our results demonstrate that Cr(III) within ultramafic- and serpentinite-derived soils/sediments can be oxidized and dissolved through natural processes, leading to hazardous levels of aqueous Cr(VI) in surface and groundwater.
View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0701085104
View details for Web of Science ID 000245869200012
View details for PubMedID 17420454
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC1871822
- Niches of the pre-photosynthetic biosphere and geologic preservation of Earth's earliest ecology Geobiology 2007; 5 (2): 101-117
- Placer diamonds in unconsolidated sands of the Cretaceous Atane Fm, Disko Island, West Greenland Report of the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland 2007; 2007/13: 1-62
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A tribute to Charles Kent Brooks
LITHOS
2006; 92 (1-2): VII-XI
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.lithos.2006.03.041
View details for Web of Science ID 000242321800001
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CO2 metasomatism in a basalt-hosted petroleum reservoir, Nuussuaq, West Greenland
Symposium in Honor of Charles Kent Brooks
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 2006: 55–82
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.lithos.2006.04.002
View details for Web of Science ID 000242321800005
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Regional very low-grade metamorphism of basaltic lavas, Disko-Nuussuaq region, West Greenland
Symposium in Honor of Charles Kent Brooks
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 2006: 33–54
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.lithos.2006.03.028
View details for Web of Science ID 000242321800004
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Age and duration of eclogite-facies metamorphism, North Qaidam HP/UHP terrane, western China
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
2006; 306 (9): 683-711
View details for DOI 10.2475/09.2006.01
View details for Web of Science ID 000244139500001
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Geochronology and tectonic significance of Middle Proterozoic granitic orthogneiss, North Qaidam HP/UHP terrane, Western China
7th International Eclogite Conference
SPRINGER WIEN. 2006: 227–41
View details for DOI 10.1007/s00710-006-0149-1
View details for Web of Science ID 000241174000012
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The rise of continents - An essay on the geologic consequences of photosynthesis
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
2006; 232 (2-4): 99-113
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.01.007
View details for Web of Science ID 000236519100002
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Arsenic speciation in synthetic jarosite
Annual Meeting of the Geological-Society-of-America
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 2005: 473–98
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2004.06.046
View details for Web of Science ID 000227797200021
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H-2-rich fluids from serpentinization: Geochemical and biotic implications
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
2004; 101 (35): 12818-12823
Abstract
Metamorphic hydration and oxidation of ultramafic rocks produces serpentinites, composed of serpentine group minerals and varying amounts of brucite, magnetite, and/or FeNi alloys. These minerals buffer metamorphic fluids to extremely reducing conditions that are capable of producing hydrogen gas. Awaruite, FeNi3, forms early in this process when the serpentinite minerals are Fe-rich. Olivine with the current mantle Fe/Mg ratio was oxidized during serpentinization after the Moon-forming impact. This process formed some of the ferric iron in the Earth's mantle. For the rest of Earth's history, serpentinites covered only a small fraction of the Earth's surface but were an important prebiotic and biotic environment. Extant methanogens react H2 with CO2 to form methane. This is a likely habitable environment on large silicate planets. The catalytic properties of FeNi3 allow complex organic compounds to form within serpentinite and, when mixed with atmospherically produced complex organic matter and waters that circulated through basalts, constitutes an attractive prebiotic substrate. Conversely, inorganic catalysis of methane by FeNi3 competes with nascent and extant life.
View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0405289101
View details for Web of Science ID 000223694700010
View details for PubMedID 15326313
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A lower limit for atmospheric carbon dioxide levels 3.2 billion years ago
NATURE
2004; 428 (6984): 736-738
Abstract
The quantification of greenhouse gases present in the Archaean atmosphere is critical for understanding the evolution of atmospheric oxygen, surface temperatures and the conditions for life on early Earth. For instance, it has been argued that small changes in the balance between two potential greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane, may have dictated the feedback cycle involving organic haze production and global cooling. Climate models have focused on carbon dioxide as the greenhouse gas responsible for maintaining above-freezing surface temperatures during a time of low solar luminosity. However, the analysis of 2.75-billion-year (Gyr)-old palaeosols--soil samples preserved in the geologic record--have recently provided an upper constraint on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels well below that required in most climate models to prevent the Earth's surface from freezing. This finding prompted many to look towards methane as an additional greenhouse gas to satisfy climate models. Here we use model equilibrium reactions for weathering rinds on 3.2-Gyr-old river gravels to show that the presence of iron-rich carbonate relative to common clay minerals requires a minimum partial pressure of carbon dioxide several times higher than present-day values. Unless actual carbon dioxide levels were considerably greater than this, climate models predict that additional greenhouse gases would still need to have a role in maintaining above-freezing surface temperatures.
View details for DOI 10.1038/nature02471
View details for Web of Science ID 000220823800035
View details for PubMedID 15085128
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Experimental determination of thermodynamic properties of ion-exchange in heulandite: Binary ion-exchange experiments at 55 and 85 degrees C involving Ca2+, Sr2+, Na+, and K+
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
2004; 304 (4): 287-332
View details for Web of Science ID 000222614800001
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Chrominium geochemistry of serpentine soils
INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY REVIEW
2004; 46 (2): 97-126
View details for Web of Science ID 000220348700001
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Chromium geochemistry in serpentinized ultramafic rocks and serpentine soils from the Franciscan Complex of California
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
2004; 304 (1): 67-101
View details for Web of Science ID 000189188000003
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Epidote in geothermal systems
EPIDOTES
2004; 56: 235-300
View details for Web of Science ID 000222684900006
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Hydrogen-bonded water in laumontite II: Experimental determination of site-specific thermodynamic properties of hydration of the W1 and W5 sites
AMERICAN MINERALOGIST
2003; 88 (7): 1060-1072
View details for Web of Science ID 000184045300015
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Si-Al disorder and solid solutions in analcime, chabazite, and wairakite
AMERICAN MINERALOGIST
2003; 88 (2-3): 410-423
View details for Web of Science ID 000180922300017
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Hydrogen-bonded water in laumontite I: X-ray powder diffraction study of water site occupancy and structural changes in laumontite during room-temperature isothermal hydration/dehydration
AMERICAN MINERALOGIST
2003; 88 (2-3): 277-287
View details for Web of Science ID 000180922300004
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Volcanic stratigraphy of the southern Prinsen af Wales Bjerge region, East Greenland
Geological Society of London, Special Publication, North Atlantic Igneous Province: Stratigraphy, tectonics, volcanic and magmatic processes
2002; 197: 183-218
View details for DOI 10.1144/GSL.SP.2002.197.01.08
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Geochemical and mineralogical controls on trace element release from the Penn Mine base-metal slag dump, California
APPLIED GEOCHEMISTRY
2001; 16 (14): 1567-1593
View details for Web of Science ID 000170841300001
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Geological constraints on the thermodynamic properties of the stilbite-stellerite solid solution in low-grade metabasalts
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
2001; 65 (21): 3993-4008
View details for Web of Science ID 000172225600021
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Pyroclastic deposits within the East Greenland Tertiary flood basalts
JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
2001; 158: 269-284
View details for Web of Science ID 000167377600008
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Partial dehydration of laumontite: thermodynamic constraints and petrogenetic implications
MINERALOGICAL MAGAZINE
2001; 65 (1): 59-70
View details for Web of Science ID 000167080400004
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Arsenic speciation in pyrite and secondary weathering phases, Mother Lode Gold District, Tuolumne County, California
APPLIED GEOCHEMISTRY
2000; 15 (8): 1219-1244
View details for Web of Science ID 000087506000009
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A gold- and platinum-mineralized layer in gabbros of the Kap Edvard Holm complex: Field, petrologic, and geochemical relations
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY AND THE BULLETIN OF THE SOCIETY OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGISTS
2000; 95 (5): 945-970
View details for Web of Science ID 000088682300002
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Legacy of the California Gold Rush: Environmental geochemistry of arsenic in the southern Mother Lode Gold District
INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY REVIEW
2000; 42 (5): 385-415
View details for Web of Science ID 000087124200001
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Formation of wehrlites through dehydration of metabasalt xenoliths in layered gabbros of the Noe-Nygaard Intrusion, Southeast Greenland
GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE
2000; 137 (2): 109-128
View details for Web of Science ID 000087547100001
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Zeolite parageneses in the north Atlantic igneous province: Implications for geotectonics and groundwater quality of basaltic crust
INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY REVIEW
2000; 42 (1): 15-44
View details for Web of Science ID 000085568400002
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Effects of H2O on phase relations during crystallization of gabbros in the Kap Edvard Helm Complex, East Greenland
JOURNAL OF PETROLOGY
1999; 40 (6): 1037-1064
View details for Web of Science ID 000080941100008
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Porosity evolution and mineral paragenesis during low-grade metamorphism of basaltic lavas at Teigarhorn, eastern Iceland
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
1999; 299 (6): 467-501
View details for Web of Science ID 000084022400002
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Clays and zeolites record alteration history at Teigarhorn, eastern Iceland
5th International Symposium on Geochemistry of the Earth Surface
A A BALKEMA PUBLISHERS. 1999: 377–380
View details for Web of Science ID 000082439800090
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Ar-40-Ar-39 geochronology of Tertiary mafic intrusions along the East Greenland rifted margin: Relation to flood basalts and the Iceland hotspot track
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
1998; 156 (1-2): 75-88
View details for Web of Science ID 000072931800007
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Timing and structural relations of regional zeolite zones in basalts of the East Greenland continental margin
GEOLOGY
1997; 25 (9): 803-806
View details for Web of Science ID A1997XX22100009
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Gold and platinum-group element mineralization in the Kruuse Fjord Gabbro complex, East Greenland
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY AND THE BULLETIN OF THE SOCIETY OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGISTS
1997; 92 (4): 490-501
View details for Web of Science ID A1997XW59900007
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Petrology and geochemistry of the Kruuse Fjord Gabbro Complex, east Greenland
GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE
1997; 134 (1): 67-89
View details for Web of Science ID A1997WG85000005
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Dehydration, partial melting, and assimilation of metabasaltic xenoliths in gabbros of the Kap Edvard Holm Complex, East Greenland
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
1996; 296 (4): 333-393
View details for Web of Science ID A1996UF85800001
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IMPRINT OF METEORIC WATER ON THE STABLE-ISOTOPE COMPOSITIONS OF IGNEOUS AND SECONDARY MINERALS, KAP-EDVARD-HOLM-COMPLEX, EAST GREENLAND
CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY
1995; 121 (1): 74-86
View details for Web of Science ID A1995RR44800006
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A GOLD-BEARING HORIZON IN THE KAP EDVARD HOLM COMPLEX, EAST GREENLAND
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY AND THE BULLETIN OF THE SOCIETY OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGISTS
1995; 90 (5): 1288-1300
View details for Web of Science ID A1995TH19400015
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A gold-bearing horizon in the Kap Edvard Holm Complex, East Greenland
Economic Geology,
1995; 90: 1288-1300
View details for DOI 10.2113/gsecongeo.90.5.1288
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TERTIARY PLUTONS MONITOR CLIMATE-CHANGE IN EAST GREENLAND
GEOLOGY
1994; 22 (9): 775-778
View details for Web of Science ID A1994PE29200002
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HYDROTHERMALLY ALTERED DOLERITE DYKES IN EAST GREENLAND - IMPLICATIONS FOR CA-METASOMATISM OF BASALTIC PROTOLITHS
CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY
1994; 116 (4): 420-432
View details for Web of Science ID A1994NN38500005
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Porosity, permeability and basalt metamorphism
Geological Society of America Special Paper
1994; 296: 123-140
View details for DOI 10.1130/SPE296-p123
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MISSING MINERAL ZONES IN CONTACT METAMORPHOSED BASALTS
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
1993; 293 (9): 894-938
View details for Web of Science ID A1993MG72700002
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AL-FE3+ AND F-OH SUBSTITUTIONS IN TITANITE AND CONSTRAINTS ON THEIR P-T DEPENDENCE
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MINERALOGY
1993; 5 (2): 219-231
View details for Web of Science ID A1993KY92100004
- Variables controlling epidote composition Abhandlungen der Geologischen Bundesanstalt v.293 edited by Hock, V., Koller, F. 1993: 17–25
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CI-BEARING AMPHIBOLE IN THE SALTON-SEA GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM, CALIFORNIA
CANADIAN MINERALOGIST
1992; 30: 1077-1092
View details for Web of Science ID A1992KW49000009
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METHANE-BEARING, AQUEOUS, SALINE SOLUTIONS IN THE SKAERGAARD INTRUSION, EAST-GREENLAND
CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY
1992; 112 (2-3): 428-437
View details for Web of Science ID A1992JW67200022
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AN OCEAN-RIDGE TYPE MAGMA CHAMBER AT A PASSIVE VOLCANIC, CONTINENTAL-MARGIN - THE KAP-EDVARD-HOLM LAYERED GABBRO COMPLEX, EAST GREENLAND
GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE
1992; 129 (4): 437-456
View details for Web of Science ID A1992JH52000005
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EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF MASS-TRANSFER ALBITE, CAAL-SILICATES, AND AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
1992; 292 (1): 21-57
View details for Web of Science ID A1992HB23600002
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DEPENDENCE OF HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION ON ROCK TEXTURE AND MICROPOROSITY IN MAFIC CRYSTALLINE ROCKS
7TH INTERNATIONAL SYMP ON WATER-ROCK INTERACTION ( WRI-7 )
A A BALKEMA. 1992: 1477–1480
View details for Web of Science ID A1992BW43V00320
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ENHANCEMENT OF POROSITY IN GABBROS BY DIKE INTRUSION
7TH INTERNATIONAL SYMP ON WATER-ROCK INTERACTION ( WRI-7 )
A A BALKEMA. 1992: 1533–1536
View details for Web of Science ID A1992BW43V00333
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A GOLD-BEARING HORIZON IN THE SKAERGAARD INTRUSION, EAST-GREENLAND
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY AND THE BULLETIN OF THE SOCIETY OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGISTS
1991; 86 (5): 1083-1092
View details for Web of Science ID A1991GB17700012
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OXYGEN-ISOTOPE EXCHANGE AND MINERAL ALTERATION IN GABBROS OF THE LOWER LAYERED SERIES, KAP EDVARD HOLM COMPLEX, EAST GREENLAND
GEOLOGY
1991; 19 (8): 819-822
View details for Web of Science ID A1991GA30600013
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POROSITY EVOLUTION AND FLUID-FLOW IN THE BASALTS OF THE SKAERGAARD MAGMA-HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM, EAST GREENLAND
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
1991; 291 (3): 201-257
View details for Web of Science ID A1991FB18000001
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FLUORIAN GARNETS FROM THE HOST ROCKS OF THE SKAERGAARD INTRUSION - IMPLICATIONS FOR METAMORPHIC FLUID COMPOSITION
AMERICAN MINERALOGIST
1990; 75 (7-8): 859-873
View details for Web of Science ID A1990EB09500016
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CHEMICAL MODIFICATION OF EAST GREENLAND TERTIARY MAGMAS BY 2-LIQUID INTERDIFFUSION
GEOLOGY
1989; 17 (7): 626-629
View details for Web of Science ID A1989AF28500011
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PROGRADE PHASE-RELATIONS IN THE STATE 2-14 WELL METASANDSTONES, SALTON-SEA GEOTHERMAL-FIELD, CALIFORNIA
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH AND PLANETS
1988; 93 (B11): 13081-13103
View details for Web of Science ID A1988Q743000011
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EPIDOTE-BEARING VEINS IN THE STATE 2-14 DRILL HOLE - IMPLICATIONS FOR HYDROTHERMAL FLUID COMPOSITION
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH AND PLANETS
1988; 93 (B11): 13123-13133
View details for Web of Science ID A1988Q743000013
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COMPOSITIONAL, ORDER-DISORDER, AND STABLE ISOTOPE CHARACTERISTICS OF AL-FE EPIDOTE, STATE 2-14 DRILL HOLE, SALTON-SEA GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH AND PLANETS
1988; 93 (B11): 13135-13144
View details for Web of Science ID A1988Q743000014
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HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION OF TERTIARY LAYERED GABBROS, EAST GREENLAND
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
1988; 288 (5): 405-457
View details for Web of Science ID A1988N343700001
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PREHNITE EPIDOTE PHASE-RELATIONS IN THE NORDRE APUTITEQ AND KRUUSE FJORD LAYERED GABBROS, EAST GREENLAND
JOURNAL OF PETROLOGY
1987; 28 (6): 1193-1218
View details for Web of Science ID A1987L932500008
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VARIATION IN SERICITE COMPOSITIONS FROM FRACTURE-ZONES WITHIN THE COSO HOT-SPRINGS GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
1987; 51 (5): 1245-1256
View details for Web of Science ID A1987H383600019
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HYDRATION OF CORUNDUM-BEARING XENOLITHS IN THE QORQUT GRANITE COMPLEX, GODTHABSFJORD, WEST GREENLAND
AMERICAN MINERALOGIST
1987; 72 (1-2): 29-38
View details for Web of Science ID A1987G351900003
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FRACTURE PROPAGATION ASSOCIATED WITH DIKE EMPLACEMENT AT THE SKAERGAARD INTRUSION, EAST GREENLAND
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY
1987; 9 (1): 71-86
View details for Web of Science ID A1987G171000007
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MINERALOGY AND GEOCHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF THE LITTLE 3 PEGMATITE-APLITE LAYERED INTRUSIVE, RAMONA, CALIFORNIA
AMERICAN MINERALOGIST
1986; 71 (3-4): 406-427
View details for Web of Science ID A1986C098000014
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HYDROTHERMAL CLINOPYROXENES OF THE SKAERGAARD INTRUSION
CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY
1986; 92 (4): 437-447
View details for Web of Science ID A1986C049700003
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HYDROTHERMAL MINERALOGY OF CALCAREOUS SANDSTONES FROM THE COLORADO RIVER DELTA IN THE CERRO PRIETO GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM, BAJA-CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MINERALOGICAL MAGAZINE
1985; 49 (352): 435-449
View details for Web of Science ID A1985AQN7500014
- Geologic field studies of the Miki Fjord area, East Greenland Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark 1985; 34: 219-236
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THE GEOMETRY AND HIGH-TEMPERATURE BRITTLE DEFORMATION OF THE SKAERGAARD INTRUSION
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH
1984; 89 (NB12): 178-192
View details for Web of Science ID A1984TR49000028
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ACTIVE METASOMATISM IN THE CERRO-PRIETO GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM, BAJA-CALIFORNIA, MEXICO - A TELESCOPED LOW-PRESSURE, LOW-TEMPERATURE METAMORPHIC FACIES SERIES
GEOLOGY
1984; 12 (1): 12-15
View details for Web of Science ID A1984SA69500004
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CALC-SILICATE MINERALIZATION IN ACTIVE GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY
1984; 79 (4): 671-695
View details for Web of Science ID A1984SY01900004
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HYDROTHERMAL FLOW REGIME AND MAGMATIC HEAT-SOURCE OF THE CERRO PRIETO GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM, BAJA-CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
GEOTHERMICS
1984; 13 (1-2): 27-47
View details for Web of Science ID A1984RV28400004
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THEORETICAL PREDICTION OF PHASE-RELATIONS AMONG AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS AND MINERALS - SALTON-SEA GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
1981; 45 (9): 1479-1493
View details for Web of Science ID A1981MJ31700007
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CHEMICAL INTERACTION OF AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS WITH EPIDOTE-FELDSPAR MINERAL ASSEMBLAGES IN GEOLOGIC SYSTEMS .2. EQUILIBRIUM CONSTRAINTS IN METAMORPHIC-GEOTHERMAL PROCESSES
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
1981; 281 (5): 576-614
View details for Web of Science ID A1981LN70300004
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CHEMICAL INTERACTION OF AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS WITH EPIDOTE-FELDSPAR MINERAL ASSEMBLAGES IN GEOLOGIC SYSTEMS .1. THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF PHASE-RELATIONS IN THE SYSTEM CAO-FEO-FE2O3-AL2O3-SIO2-H2O-CO2
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
1980; 280 (9): 907-941
View details for Web of Science ID A1980KQ83700004
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SUMMARY AND CRITIQUE OF THE THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF ROCK-FORMING MINERALS
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
1978; 278: 1-229
View details for Web of Science ID A1978GD95900001