2014-2015 Distinguished Lecturer – Eric Hellebrand

Melt supply and crustal thickness can vary along slow-spreading ridges, as suggested by common exposures of serpentinized mantle peridotites on the ocean floor. An unexpected large fraction of these residues of partial melting contains evidence of ancient melt extraction unrelated to recent upwelling under the mid-ocean ridges, as well as chemical isolation on a billion year timescale. In this lecture, we will evaluate the geological and geochemical evidence for the widespread distribution of this refractory mantle component, and explore the role that this melting-suppressing material may have during crustal accretion processes at mid-ocean ridges.

Dr. Hellebrand’s research focuses on melting in the oceanic mantle and formation of the lower oceanic crust. He participated as igneous petrologist on IODP Expedition 305 to the Atlantis Massif.

LECTURE SCHEDULE

October 8, 2014 – Idaho State University (Pocatello, ID)
October 9, 2014 – University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
October 24, 2014 – University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
March 27, 2015 – Ohio University (Athens, OH)
April 23-24, 2015 – University of Wisconsin-River Falls (River Falls, WI)
April 30, 2015 – University of Minnesota-Duluth (Duluth, MN)