This National Science Foundation Project Grant award of $261,152 will fund a collaborative research project to study reaction pathways in oceanic serpentinites through laboratory experiments from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2025. The University of Colorado at Boulder will receive the award under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) to conduct quantitative analyses of the alteration of seafloor mantle rocks through serpentinization reactions with seawater.
The research aims to better understand the underlying processes of serpentinization by systematically exploring the succession of chemical reactions recorded in altered mantle rocks. Through integrating chemical, isotopic, and quantitative mineralogical analyses with theoretical modeling, the researchers will reconstruct original mineral proportions and infer relative dissolution rates and chemical fluxes. Models developed based on rock compositions, alteration temperature, surface areas, and distinct mineral dissolution rates will be tested against the rock record to provide insight into fluid composition evolution associated with specific combinations of conditions. The project also includes training undergraduate students in relevant fields and broadly disseminating results.