Applied Petrology
Master course offered in the summer semester
This module consists of two courses: (a) Experimental petrology provides insights into experimental approaches to simulate magmatic and hydrothermal processes and its application to petrogenetic problems, and (b) Ore-forming processes gives an overview of the mechanisms of formation of mineral deposits and the mobility of metals in melts and fluids. The module is designed for master students in mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry, and the attendees will acquire state-of-the-art knowledge of petrogenetic and mineral-forming processes and will be able to evaluate and interpret origin of igneous rocks and ore mineralization using microanalytical and experimental methods.
Instructors: Dr. Lennart Fischer, Dr. Malte Junge
Course format: 4 hr weekly
Course contents
Experimental petrology
- Introduction into magmatic and hydrothermal processes and overview of experimental techniques
- High pressure, high temperature: multianvil, piston cylinder, mantle melting, crystallization, partition coefficients, phase stabilities
- Fluids and immiscibility: internally heated pressure vessel, decompression and degassing, solubility, H2O-CO2 in melts, sulphide melts, H2O-NaCl
- Hydrothermal systems: cold-seal pressure vessel, fluid-rock interaction, dissolution-precipitation processes
- One atmosphere apparatus: gas mixing furnace, oxygen fugacity, application to pro-cesses at elevated pressures
- Utility and applications of petrological modeling programs and geothermobarometry
Ore-forming processes
- Introduction and definition of ore deposit geology
- Magmatic ore systems: differentiation of silicate melts, silicate-sulfide immiscibility and ore formation
- Magmatic-hydrothermal systems: mobility of metals in fluids, fluid inclusion analytics
- Hydrothermal systems in sedimentary environments
- Supergene processes and element transport
- Case studies and methods applied in ore geology
Course materials are provided in the on-line university system (ILIAS)