Internet Resources

CVD Anvil

This image is of a diamond anvil used in high pressure deformation experiments. This particular diamond was created using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. These artificial diamonds have ...

Links to Mineral Physics

This chart shows how mineral physics can be an important part of both research and education across the geology curriculum.

Poster - New Research Directions in High-Pressure Mineral Physics

Large image showing recent research in mineral physics and advances in technology. Features detailed diagrams of various equipment and a short explanation of mineral physics' goals.

Water in the Mantle

This schematic shows a cross-section of the planet and how water can migrate through the deep interior of the Earth. Blue arrows indicate a movement of water downward, yellow arrows indicated ...

High-Pressure Instrumentation

This diagram associates parts of the Earth's interior with particular kinds of experimental apparatus which can recreate it's pressure and temperature conditions.

Historical Views of the Earth

This composite image shows how conception of the deep interior of the planet has changed over the last ~350 years.

Current and Future Directions in High-Pressure Mineral Physics

The cover of the report "Current and Future Directions in High-Pressure Mineral Physics," showing the layers of the Earth and high-pressure equipment.

The Earth's Mantle

This illustration from Kellog, Hader, and van der Hilst (1999) shows their vision of a chemically stratified mantle perturbed by the downgoing subducted slabs of oceanic lithospere (blue).

D-DIA Apparatus

This image is a schematic of a D-DIA apparatus used for mineral deformation experiments at high temperature and pressure.

Kirscher's Earth Stucture

Athanasius Kircher's 1665 conception of the Earth's interior.

Geotherm with Pressure-Temperature Ranges Accessible by Static Techniques

This graph shows a geotherm together with the temperature and pressure ranges over which certain experimental methods are useful.

Ultrasonic Measurements Under Transition Zone Conditions

This image presents a schematic of the experimental setup used by Wang and Li (2003) to conduct ultrasonic measurements of sample deformation under transition zone conditions.

Mineralogy of Earth's Structure

Cartoon cross section of a subduction zone showing the principal mineralogy of the upper 800 km of Earth's mantle. Arc volcanism at the surface is depicted, as are upper mantle earthquakes (red dots ...

Pressure-Temperature Conditions Achievable in the Lab

Pressure-temperature conditions achievable in the laboratory for studies of the plastic behavior of materials, in comparison with the conditions inside the Earth [geotherm]

Earth Structure Cutaway

Cutaway drawing of the Earth's structure.

Teaching Mineralogy from the Core to the Crust
This Journal of Geoscience Education article discusses revising the typical sequence of a mineralogy course in order to enhance retention of information and facilitate learning. Beginning with the ...

Velocity structure of the Yellowstone hot spot from teleseismic tomography: Evidence for an upper mantle plume
This journal article uses modern seismic tomographic imaging and thorough analysis of related data to identify the source of volcanism for the Yellowstone hotspot. The study deployed a dense array of ...

The earth's mantle is solid: teachers' misconceptions about the Earth and plate tectonics
Many science teachers who are asked questions about the scientific background to plate tectonics, get the answers wrong. This is not surprising because rarely have they received teaching in Earth ...

Mantle plumes - both deep and shallow

This webpage summarizes a 2004 paper published in the journal Science by Montelli and others suggesting that some mantle plumes are "deep" (interpreted to originate ...

Primer on Gravity and Magnetics

This web page explains the goals and benefits of studying gravity and magnetic data to understand subsurface geology of the Earth. It discusses uses of gravity and magnetic measurements in providing ...