Research efforts have involved investigations of igneous and metamorphic rocks and processes, especially those that occur under pressure and temperature conditions representative of the earth’s lower crust and upper mantle. An experimental laboratory capable of reproducing pressure and temperature conditions representative of approximately 100 km depth within the earth has been established with funding primarily from NSF with some matching funds from Iowa State. Using this lab, investigations have been conducted into phase equilibrium relations of important mineral assemblages under actual earth conditions. Specific problems recently under investigation are: 1) experimental and theoretical study of phase relations of high-pressure transition-metal-free pyroxenes, 2) mineral-melt equilibria in silicate systems at low and high pressures, and 3) measurement of composition of the vapor phase in equilibrium with meteoritic material at high temperatures as an indicator of the composition of the solar nebula.
