Lobanov-Rostovsky Lecture in Planetary Geology

Inaugurated in 2013 in recognition of the support given by Mr Nikita Lobanov-Rostovsky (BA Geology, Christ Church 1955) to the Department through the endowment of the Lobanov-Rostovsky Associate Professor in Earth Sciences, this annual public lecture examines the fundamental questions of the origin of planets, formation and deformation and geology on a global scale.

Bernie Wood, Professor of Mineralogy

Geochemical evidence for how the Earth accreted and differentiated

Bernie’s research is in experimental petrology, aimed at experimentally simulating conditions within the Earth in order to understand fundamental petrological and geochemical processes.

The principal evidence for the earliest history of the Earth comes from the chemical and isotopic compositions of the silicate mantle and crust, collectively called the “Bulk Silicate Earth”(BSE). BSE is depleted in siderophile (iron-loving) elements such as Ni, Co, Au and Pt relative to undifferentiated meteorites because these elements were partitioned into the core. How they partitioned provides a wealth of information about the state of the early Earth. There are also isotopic differences between silicate Earth and meteorites which can be used to constrain the timescales of accretion, the timing of the moon-forming impact and the changing composition of the Earth as it grew from smaller bodies. The aim of this talk is to draw together these disparate data into a coherent view of the first 150 M.yr of Earth history.

This seminar forms part of the annual series of Lobanov-Rostovsky Lectures in Planetary Geology, and as such is open to alumni and members of the public. Click here find out more about past speakers and watch their recorded lectures.

Don Porcelli is the Lobanov-Rostovsky Associate Professor in Earth Sciences and is the organiser of this series of lectures. If you are interested in finding out more about the lectures, please contact Don directly on donald.porcelli@earth.ox.ac.uk.

You can also attend this event virtually:

Zoom Meeting Join Link: https://zoom.us/j/93933893041?pwd=dXVuR2FXZzIzc2U4eVltSytMZjlzQT09

Meeting ID: 939 3389 3041 (Passcode: 084082)