I spent the Summer of 2004 and 2005 working in David Kohlstedt's lab at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. This research turned into my senior thesis at Cornell and I'm continuing to work on it in the hopes of getting a publication. This research aims to quantify the effect that surface tension plays in redistributing silicate melt (magma) in Earth's upper mantle. As the Earth's mantle convects (resulting in plate tectonics) sections of mantle (usually sections rising toward the surface of the Earth) partially melt. Several different forces cause the melt to migrate, in most cases, upward. The surface tension (aka capillary force) is generally a weak force compared to differential stress (which squeezes melt out of one area and into another) and buoyancy forces operating in Earth's interior. However, when only a small amount of melt (~2vol%) is present, capillary forces can resist these other forces.

For a more detailed synopsis of this work, see my Minnesota Research Page.
2004 AGU Poster
2006 LPSC Poster: Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston, TX.
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