Petrology and Petrogenesis
Research groups
Mantle Xenoliths
- Mantle xenoliths, pieces of rock carried to the surface by volcanoes, are the only way to see the deep rocky interior of the Earth, called the mantle, directly.
- The Natural History Museum has a particularly fine collection of mantle xenoliths, based on the Nixon collection
Current research projects include:
- Mantle xenoliths from the Cape Verde Islands. Liz Evans' PhD topic.
- An electron microprobe study of mantle xenoliths from the Solomon Islands,being carried by Dave Smith.
- A trace element study of eclogite xenoliths from Obnazhonaya, Russia, in collaboration with Gabor Dobosi, Hungary.
- A study of mantle xenoliths from the Vesuvius and Vulture volcanoes, Italy in order to compare the lithospheric mantle and mantle metasomatism in these two areas of Italy, in collaboration with Rosa Scippa, University G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy.
Lherzolite xenolith, Vesuvius, Italy
Contact Frances Wall for more information
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