James A. D. Connolly

Bio: James A. D. Connolly is an academic researcher from ETH Zurich. The author has contributed to research in topics: Mantle (geology) & Subduction. The author has an hindex of 61, co-authored 141 publications receiving 12948 citations. Previous affiliations of James A. D. Connolly include Yonsei University & Pennsylvania State University.

The geodynamic equation of state: What and how

Abstract: [1] Geodynamic models commonly assume equations of state as a function of pressure and temperature. This form is legitimate for homogenous materials, but it is impossible to formulate a general equation of state for a polyphase aggregate, e.g., a rock, as a function of pressure and temperature because these variables cannot distinguish all possible states of the aggregate. In consequence, the governing equations of a geodynamic model based on a pressure-temperature equation of state are singular at the conditions of low-order phase transformations. An equation of state as a function of specific entropy, specific volume, and chemical composition eliminates this difficulty and, additionally, leads to a robust formulation of the energy and mass conservation equations. In this formulation, energy and mass conservation furnish evolution equations for entropy and volume and the equation of state serves as an update rule for temperature and pressure. Although this formulation is straightforward, the computation of phase equilibria as a function of entropy and volume is challenging because the equations of state for individual phases are usually expressed as a function of temperature and pressure. This challenge can be met by an algorithm in which continuous equations of state are approximated by a series of discrete states: a representation that reduces the phase equilibrium problem to a linear optimization problem that is independent of the functional form used for the equations of state of individual phases. Because the efficiency of the optimization decays as an exponential function of the dimension of the function to be optimized, direct solution of the linearized optimization problem is impractical. Successive linear programming alleviates this difficulty. A pragmatic alternative to optimization as an explicit function of entropy and volume is to calculate phase relations over the range of pressure-temperature conditions of interest. Numerical interpolation can then be used to generate tables for any thermodynamic property as a function of any choice of independent variables. Regardless of the independent variables of the governing equations, a consistent definition of pressure, and the coupling of equilibrium kinetics to deformation, is only possible if the continuity equation accounts for dilational strain.

Metamorphic devolatilization of subducted marine sediments and the transport of volatiles into the Earth's mantle

Abstract: Volatiles, most notably CO2, are recycled back into the Earth's interior at subduction zones1,2 The amount of CO2 emitted from arc volcanism appears to be less than that subducted, which implies that a significant amount of CO2 either is released before reaching the depth at which arc magmas are generated or is subducted to deeper depths Few high-pressure experimental studies3,4,5 have addressed this problem and therefore metamorphic decarbonation in subduction zones remains largely unquantified, despite its importance to arc magmatism, palaeoatmospheric CO2 concentrations and the global carbon cycle6 Here we present computed phase equilibria to quantify the evolution of CO2 and H2O through the subduction-zone metamorphism of carbonate-bearing marine sediments (which are considered to be a major source for CO2 released by arc volcanoes6) Our analysis indicates that siliceous limestones undergo negligible devolatilization under subduction-zone conditions Along high-temperature geotherms clay-rich marls completely devolatilize before reaching the depths at which arc magmatism is generated, but along low-temperature geotherms, they undergo virtually no devolatilization And from 80 to 180 km depth, little devolatilization occurs for all carbonate-bearing marine sediments Infiltration of H2O-rich fluids therefore seems essential to promote subarc decarbonation of most marine sediments In the absence of such infiltration, volatiles retained within marine sediments may explain the apparent discrepancy between subducted and volcanic volatile fluxes and represent a mechanism for return of carbon to the Earth's mantle

An internally consistent thermodynamic data set for phases of petrological interest

Abstract: The thermodynamic properties of 154 mineral end-members, 13 silicate liquid end-members and 22 aqueous fluid species are presented in a revised and updated data set. The use of a temperature-dependent thermal expansion and bulk modulus, and the use of high-pressure equations of state for solids and fluids, allows calculation of mineral–fluid equilibria to 100 kbar pressure or higher. A pressure-dependent Landau model for order–disorder permits extension of disordering transitions to high pressures, and, in particular, allows the alpha–beta quartz transition to be handled more satisfactorily. Several melt end-members have been included to enable calculation of simple phase equilibria and as a first stage in developing melt mixing models in NCKFMASH. The simple aqueous species density model has been extended to enable speciation calculations and mineral solubility determination involving minerals and aqueous species at high temperatures and pressures. The data set has also been improved by incorporation of many new phase equilibrium constraints, calorimetric studies and new measurements of molar volume, thermal expansion and compressibility. This has led to a significant improvement in the level of agreement with the available experimental phase equilibria, and to greater flexibility in calculation of complex mineral equilibria. It is also shown that there is very good agreement between the data set and the most recent available calorimetric data.

Linear and nonlinear waves, by G. B. Whitham. Pp.636. £50. 1999. ISBN 0 471 35942 4 (Wiley).

Abstract: to be done in this area. Face recognition is a problem that scarcely clamoured for attention before the computer age but, having surfaced, has involved a wide range of techniques and has attracted the attention of some fine minds (David Mumford was a Fields Medallist in 1974). This singular application of mathematical modelling to a messy applied problem of obvious utility and importance but with no unique solution is a pretty one to share with students: perhaps, returning to the source of our opening quotation, we may invert Duncan's earlier observation, 'There is an art to find the mind's construction in the face!'.

Handbook of Chemistry and Physics

Abstract: There is a special reason for reviewing this book at this time: it is the 50th edition of a compendium that is known and used frequently in most chemical and physical laboratories in many parts of the world. Surely, a publication that has been published for 56 years, withstanding the vagaries of science in this century, must have had something to offer. There is another reason: while the book is a standard fixture in most chemical and physical laboratories, including those in medical centers, it is not as frequently seen in the laboratories of physician's offices (those either in solo or group practice). I believe that the Handbook can be useful in those laboratories. One of the reasons, among others, is that the various basic items of information it offers may be helpful in new tests, either physical or chemical, which are continuously being published. The basic information may relate

Trace element signature of subduction-zone fluids, melts and supercritical liquids at 120–180 km depth

Abstract: Fluids and melts liberated from subducting oceanic crust recycle lithophile elements back into the mantle wedge, facilitate melting and ultimately lead to prolific subduction-zone arc volcanism1,2 The nature and composition of the mobile phases generated in the subducting slab at high pressures have, however, remained largely unknown3,4,5,6,7 Here we report direct LA-ICPMS measurements of the composition of fluids and melts equilibrated with a basaltic eclogite at pressures equivalent to depths in the Earth of 120–180 km and temperatures of 700–1,200 °C The resultant liquid/mineral partition coefficients constrain the recycling rates of key elements The dichotomy of dehydration versus melting at 120 km depth is expressed through contrasting behaviour of many trace elements (U/Th, Sr, Ba, Be and the light rare-earth elements) At pressures equivalent to 180 km depth, however, a supercritical liquid with melt-like solubilities for the investigated trace elements is observed, even at low temperatures This mobilizes most of the key trace elements (except the heavy rare-earth elements, Y and Sc) and thus limits fluid-phase transfer of geochemical signatures in subduction zones to pressures less than 6 GPa