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Department of Earth Sciences

 

Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) image of the Odessa IAB iron meteorite, showing the internal Widmanstätten microstructure formed during slow cooling of the metal over millions of years in the interior of the meteorite's parent asteroid.

Mineral Sciences research seeks to understand the fundamental properties and behaviour of minerals in the natural environment, and apply this knowledge to answer important questions about the Earth and beyond. Our research focusses on the structure, dynamics and properties of crystalline solids from the Earth's core to the biosphere, and how these properties impact upon broader Earth and environmental processes. The Mineral Sciences group collaborates closely with colleagues from Geophysics, Paleobiology, Petrology, Geochemistry and Climate on a diverse range of topics, from the use of magnetic proxies to trace biogeochemical processes in modern and ancient sedimentary environments to the use of meteorites to understand the thermal evolution of small planetary bodies in the early Solar System (right).

We have a wide range of in-house experimental facilities for the study of minerals and their properties, including world-leading laboratories for microscopy, diffraction and spectroscopy. We use national and international facilities for neutron scattering, synchrotron X-ray diffraction and supercomputing, and collaborate extensively with the Departments of Physics, Materials Science, Chemistry and Mathematics in Cambridge. The group houses the NanoPaleoMagnetism and Elasticity laboratories for the study of magnetic and elastic properties over a wide range of temperatures, frequencies and applied magnetic/electric fields, the NMR laboratory for the study of nuclear materials, and extensive facilities for the study of minerals and high temperatures and pressures.

Topics of current research include:

  • Rock magnetism, paleomagnetism and environmental magnetism.
  • Elasticity and anelasticity of minerals in Earth's crust, mantle and core.
  • Advanced materials for nuclear waste encapsulation.
  • Mineral-water interactions at extreme conditions.
  • Synchrotron-based spectroscopy and magnetic imaging of minerals at the nanoscale.
  • Multi-scale, multi-dimensional and multi-modal imaging of minerals using X-ray and electron tomography.
  • Biomineralisation and paleoclimate proxies.
  • Nonlinear mechanical properties of mixed-phase systems.
  • Phase transitions in multiferroic materials, metal organic framework structures and unconventional superconductors.
  • Properties and dynamics of transformation microstructures for potential device materials.
  • Neutron, infrared and Raman spectroscopy of molecular processes in minerals.

We welcome applications from students with backgrounds in geology, physics, chemistry, mathematics and materials science. Applications for PhD projects can be made either through the Cambridge Earth System Science NERC DTP or the Imperial, Cambridge, Open University EPSRC CDT in Nuclear Energy.

 

Recent publications in this area.


People specializing in this area

Academic Staff
Name Office phone Email address
Dr Oscar Branson +44 (0) 1223 333427 ob266@cam.ac.uk
Professor Ian Farnan +44 (0) 1223 333431 if203@cam.ac.uk
Professor Richard Harrison +44 (0) 1223 333475 rjh40@esc.cam.ac.uk
Professor Emilie Ringe +44 (0) 1223 764919 er407@cam.ac.uk
Professor Nicholas Tosca +44 (0) 1223 330670 njt41@cam.ac.uk
Dr David Wallis dw584@cam.ac.uk
Research Staff
Name Office phone Email address
Dr Charles D. Beard cdb53@cam.ac.uk
Dr Sheng Fan sf726@cam.ac.uk
Dr Thomas Goût tlg29@cam.ac.uk
Dr. Clancy Zhijian Jiang +44 (0) 1223 333474 zj259@cam.ac.uk
Dr Po-Yen Tung pyt21@cam.ac.uk
Dr Craig Walton crw59@cam.ac.uk
Harison Wiesman hsw42@cam.ac.uk
Research Students
Name Office phone Email address
Amy Chen +44 (0) 1223 768357 allc2@cam.ac.uk
Daniel-James Maguire +44 (0) 1223 368357 djm254@cam.ac.uk
Emma Perry +44 (0) 1223 368357 etp22@cam.ac.uk
Hassan Aftab Sheikh has57@cam.ac.uk
Emeritus and College Teaching Staff
Name Office phone Email address
Professor Michael A. Carpenter +44 (0) 1223 333483 mc43@esc.cam.ac.uk
Professor Ekhard Salje +44 (0) 1223 768321 es10002@cam.ac.uk
All members of the Department
Name Office phone Email address
Dr Charles D. Beard cdb53@cam.ac.uk
Dr Oscar Branson +44 (0) 1223 333427 ob266@cam.ac.uk
Professor Michael A. Carpenter +44 (0) 1223 333483 mc43@esc.cam.ac.uk
Amy Chen +44 (0) 1223 768357 allc2@cam.ac.uk
Dr Sheng Fan sf726@cam.ac.uk
Professor Ian Farnan +44 (0) 1223 333431 if203@cam.ac.uk
Dr Thomas Goût tlg29@cam.ac.uk
Professor Richard Harrison +44 (0) 1223 333475 rjh40@esc.cam.ac.uk
Dr. Clancy Zhijian Jiang +44 (0) 1223 333474 zj259@cam.ac.uk
Daniel-James Maguire +44 (0) 1223 368357 djm254@cam.ac.uk
Emma Perry +44 (0) 1223 368357 etp22@cam.ac.uk
Professor Emilie Ringe +44 (0) 1223 764919 er407@cam.ac.uk
Professor Ekhard Salje +44 (0) 1223 768321 es10002@cam.ac.uk
Hassan Aftab Sheikh has57@cam.ac.uk
Professor Nicholas Tosca +44 (0) 1223 330670 njt41@cam.ac.uk
Dr Po-Yen Tung pyt21@cam.ac.uk
Dr David Wallis dw584@cam.ac.uk
Dr Craig Walton crw59@cam.ac.uk
Harison Wiesman hsw42@cam.ac.uk