Petrology of the deep Earth (177526-WS 24/25)

The course covers the following topics:

• The physical state of all relevant layers of Earth, from the deep crust to the Earth’s core.
• Major rock-forming phases, phase relations at high pressures and high temperatures.
• The effect of pressure, temperature and oxygen fugacity on phase relations and the equation of state
of high-pressure phases (e.g. ringwoodite, bridgmanite).
• The role of chemical and physical heterogeneities.
• Volatile cycles, i.e. carbon, water, sulfur.
• Modes of chemical exchange between the different mantle layers. Discussing the question of
layered vs. whole mantle convection.
• Reading and understanding research papers.