Thermobarometry Problem Set

Jane Selverstone

University of New Mexico

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Scientific Accuracy
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This page first made public: Jun 11, 2008

Summary

This homework assignment gives students first-hand experience with thermobarometric calculations. Because many of my students are math challenged, I give them a choice of solving the equations by hand or with Excel. They must first look at mineral compositions and make predictions regarding relative pressures, then calculate conditions for two sets of compositions, and finally use the P-T results to evaluate a tectonic hypothesis. The "thinking" questions are very open ended and can involve discussion of diffusion, heat flow, and tectonic settings.

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Context

Audience

This activity is designed for a sophomore or junior level petrology course for geoscience majors.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

How the activity is situated in the course

This course is a stand-alone exercise.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

This activity is designed to help students perform thermobarometric calculations by hand or using Exel in order to gain a better understanding of minerals and P-Ts.