Project Grant 2427328

Award Date 12/15/24
Completion Date 11/30/27
Dollars Obligated $465K
Federal Grant Program
47.050
Assistance Type
Project Grant
Place of Performance
Socorro, NM 87801, USA

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant, awarded under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050), supports the development of a new solution model for igneous biotite mineralogy. The project team from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech) will conduct high-temperature and high-pressure experiments to study the composition of biotite and related minerals, fluids, and glasses. The goal is to create a new thermodynamic model for biotite that can be used to determine pre-eruptive temperature, pressure, oxygen fugacity, and water content in volcanic systems.

The $465,220 award will fund this 3-year collaborative research project, training a PhD student, postdoctoral fellow, and undergraduate students in advanced analytical techniques. The work also includes a partnership with an elementary school literacy program to generate science-themed educational materials. The new biotite solution model will be implemented in the open-source MELTS thermodynamic modeling software, making it widely accessible to the geoscience community.

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