Mineralogy, Petrology & Geochemistry

The Section for Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München covers a broad spectrum of geoscientific research performed in four fields of expertise:

Planet Earth – Evolution in Space and Time

The chemical differentiation of planets in time and space are quantified through the study of Earth and Planetary materials. The primary tools are high pressure- high temperature experiments, and isotopic age dating.

Geomaterials – The Nature of Rock

Inferences about the pressure-temperature-time history of metamorphic rocks are derived from physicochemical characterization of rocks in terms of their age, mineralogy, chemistry, texture, structure and geological environment. The tools are field-based mapping campaigns and microscopic microanalytical investigation.

Melting the Earth - Magma Dynamics

The physico-chemical investigation of the generation, transport and eruption of magma (molten rock). The primary approaches are experimental including magma rheology, fragmentation, and thermal analysis.

Experimental Volcanology – Processes and Hazards

The eruption of magma from the depth to the surface of Earth is the subject of volcanology. Under well-defined laboratory conditions we recreate eruptive conditions for historic eruptions. The ash clouds generated are captured in tanks and analyzed in detail.

Dynamic Earth - tracing geological processes with geochemical tools

We use the chemical and isotopic composition of rocks, minerals, and fossils to decipher the geological history of our planet. Geochemistry is by nature an interdisciplinary science and provides clues to almost the entire spectrum of geoscientific challenges in fields such as plate tectonics, global geochemical cycles, and environmental change.

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