Paul D. Asimow
Eleanor and John R. McMillan Professor of Geology and Geochemistry
Research Options
Research Areas
Profile
Thermodynamic and kinetic models of magmatic processes including adiabatic mantle melting and melt transport; the role of water in petrologic and geodynamic behavior of the mantle; melting and differentiation in the deep mantle and the early earth; experimental investigation of silicate and metallic liquids and minerals under static and dynamic high pressure; petrologic and geodynamic processes at mid-ocean ridges and back-arc basins.
To learn about the Caltech shock wave laboratory, see the Lindhurst Laboratory of Experimental Geophysics website.
If you are looking for the alphaMELTS software package, see MAGMASOURCE.
If you want to learn about thermodynamic Phase Equilibria, visit my interactive online curriculum for visualization of free energy relationships in binary and ternary systems.
PI Viewpoint by Prof. Paul D. Asimow, February 20, 2017: "I stand with the Association of American Universities to urge a permanent end to the recent exehttps://lindhurstlab.caltech.edu/cutive order -- and any future action by the current Administration -- that would bar individuals from certain countries from entering or returning to the United States of America. Previous administrations' visa policies have achieved their security goals while welcoming talented individuals from all parts of the world to study, teach, and carry out research in the USA. It is essential to our nation's well-being and to the progress of science in the USA and the world that this continues without interruption. International researchers — including undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and visiting scientists — are encouraged to apply to work with me and with my group to create knowledge that illuminates our planet and benefits all of humanity."
Igneous Petrology and Mineral Physics
My group and I investigate the melting and crystallization of rocks and the influence of magmatic processes on the interiors of terrestrial planets (mostly Earth...). This research combines thermodynamic and quantum modeling, experimental investigation by static and shockwave techniques, and analysis of actual rocks from the world's oceans. The goal of all these studies is to characterize the mineralogy and melting of the top and bottom of earth's mantle, the
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James B. Macelwane Medal of the AGU
Frank Wigglesworth Clarke Medal of the Geochemical Society
Richard P. Feynman prize for excellence in teaching at Caltech
Fellow of the American Geophysical Union
Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America
Publications
For PDF reprints of papers that may not be available from the links below, see my page at CaltechAUTHORS
Instructor: Asimow
Instructors: Asimow, Ehlmann, Jackson
Instructor: Asimow
Instructor: Asimow
Instructors: Asimow, Ehlmann, Jackson
Instructor: Asimow
Instructor: Asimow