| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 30, 2010 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 5, 2014 |
| Award Number: | 1019770 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Jennifer Wade
jwade@nsf.gov (703)292-4739 EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2010 |
| End Date: | May 31, 2016 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $649,742.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $517,238.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2012 = $132,504.00 FY 2013 = $131,063.00 FY 2014 = $133,273.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
300 TURNER ST NW BLACKSBURG VA US 24060-3359 (540)231-5281 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
300 TURNER ST NW BLACKSBURG VA US 24060-3359 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Petrology and Geochemistry |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001112DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001213DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001314DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001415DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Natural fluids that occur in the Earth affect many processes, including the formation of valuable ores of metals, the generation and accumulation of petroleum, the explosivity of volcanic eruptions, and can trigger large earthquakes. The compositions of these fluids vary widely depending on the environment in which they occur. Recent advances in the ability to analyze natural fluids from deep in the earth have shown that salts containing significant amounts of iron are common in fluids from many environments. In order to fully appreciate and understand the important role that iron-bearing fluids play in various geological processes, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the physical and chemical properties of the fluids over the range of temperatures, pressures and compositions representative of the different geological environments in which these fluids occur. This information, in turn, helps geologists to better explore for valuable metallic and energy resources required by modern society, and helps volcanologists and seismologists to better assess risks associated with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
This project represents an experimental study to determine the phase equilibrium, volumetric and thermodynamic properties of fluids in the systems H2O-NaCl-CaCl2-FeCl2 and H2O-NaCl-KCl-FeCl2 over a range of pressure and temperature conditions appropriate to crustal magmatichydrothermal systems, and to develop numerical models to interpret microthermometric data obtained from natural fluid inclusions. This project represents a logical next step in improving our ability to understand increasingly more complex fluids that are representative of naturally occurring fluids. Specifically, this work will determine the location of the two-fluid phase field (i.e., limits of immiscibility) as a function of pressure, temperature and fluid composition (PTX), as well as the compositions of coexisting phases in the two-phase (liquid + vapor) field. The location of the critical point and the locus of P-T points along the critical isochore, isochores in the one-phase fluid fields, and low temperature phase equilibria required to interpret fluid compositions based on fluid inclusion microthermometry will also be determined. These new data will significantly advance current understanding of crustal magmatic hydrothermal systems and provide basic experimental data that may be used to estimate thermodynamic properties of complex aqueous fluids at elevated temperatures and pressures.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Most of the metals that are required by modern society to manufacture the myriad of devices used to improve quality of life, advance safety and security, and to provide health care, transportation and housing are generated through extraction of resources from naturally-occurring mineral deposits. As population increases and the amounts of metals needed increase, more efficient methods to explore for and extract resources from the Earth must be developed. This, in turn, requires that we develop a more complete understanding of the various physical and chemical processes required to scavenge metals from rocks and concentrate them to produce economic deposits. Magmatic-hydrothermal fluids that occur deep in the Earth are the transporting agent for most metals. In this project experiments were conducted to better understand the behavior of such fluids at temperatures and pressures found in ore-forming environments.
One of the most common and important elements in ore fluids is iron, yet few data are available on the properties of iron-bearing fluids at high temperature and pressure. In this project experiments were conducted to address this shortfall, and data were generated that now can be used to constrain the history of naturally occurring samples obtained from mineral deposits. Specifically, most minerals contain small droplets of fluid, referred to as fluid inclusions, that were enclosed in the mineral as it formed at high temperature and pressure deep in the Earth. In the past, interpretation of data obtained from the inclusions during laboratory analysis was limited owing to the paucity of information for iron-rich aqueous fluids. The results of this project now permit a more rigorous and defensible interpretation which, in turn, leads to a better understanding of the physical and chemical environment associated with ore formation. Geologists who work in the minerals industry will be able to apply these results to improve exploration success and assure that metals needed for modern society to advance will be available for future generations.
Last Modified: 07/24/2017
Modified by: Robert J Bodnar
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