Title: Windows into the Core: Experimental Insights into Light Elements, Fe Alloys, and Planetary Interiors
Abstract: The metallic cores of Earth and other rocky planets are among the most inaccessible regions to study. Experimental techniques enable us to recreate these extreme pressures and temperatures in the laboratory, thereby opening windows into planetary interiors. In this talk, I will highlight three complementary approaches, large-volume presses, diamond anvil cells, and shock experiments, commonly used to study planetary interiors. For example, multi-anvil studies of Fe alloys show how light elements depress melting and may drive processes such as “iron snow” in planetary interiors. Diamond anvil cell experiments extend to 100s GPa, revealing the density, melting point, elasticity, spin states, and structural behavior of Fe–light element alloys. While modified diamond anvil experiments and shock experiments provide experimental access to inner core P-T conditions. Together these experimental analogs help answer fundamental questions: How do cores crystallize and power planetary dynamos? How does core composition control magnetic field longevity and the transfer of heat to the mantle? These experiments advance our understanding of core chemistry and dynamics by taking small samples and state-of-the-art tools to explore some of the most inaccessible regions of planetary interiors.
Biography: Allison Pease is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. Her research uses high-pressure experimental techniques to investigate the chemistry, structure, and dynamics of planetary cores and mantles. Her work aims to connect laboratory measurements to seismological observations and planetary evolution, providing new insights into the processes that shape Earth and other rocky worlds.
To join virtually: Zoom
Contact: apease13@asu.edu
Website: allisonpease.com
Recording: Zoom Recording (will be available within a week after the seminar)