EES Departmental Seminar: Dr. Corliss Kin I Sio
Corliss Kin I Sio
Assistant Professor
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Toronto
Mineral Society of America Distinguished Lecturer
Title: Enigmatic archives of magmatic processes: Decoding mineral zoning and melt inclusions with Fe-Mg isotopes
Abstract: Mineral zoning and melt inclusions reveal the inner workings of volcanoes. For example, mineral zoning may be used to infer the timescales of magmatic processes. Melt inclusions, on the other hand, may record primary melt compositions and depths of entrapment. Though potentially valuable, interpreting these magmatic archives is far from straightforward. Similar patterns of mineral zoning can result from crystal growth or chemical diffusion. Melt inclusions may incorporate disequilibrium compositions arising from boundary layer formation. I will demonstrate how stable isotopes can reveal the nature of these magmatic archives, allowing appropriate crystals and melt inclusions to be identified for diffusion chronometry and geobarometry studies. Stable isotopes are powerful discriminators of equilibrium versus kinetic processes, adding a dimension to petrologic studies that yields conclusive interpretations.
Bio: Corliss Kin I Sio graduated with a B.S. in Geology and went on to the University of Chicago for a Ph.D. in Geophysical Sciences. After graduating, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Carnegie Geophysical Laboratory, followed by a postdoctoral research position at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In 2019, Dr. Sio was promoted to a Research Scientist position at the same institution. Since July 2021, she has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto.
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