Upgrade of an Internally Heated Pressure Vessel (IHPV) in the AMNH Earth and Planetary Sciences Department

American Museum Natural History, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

This grant will support the refurbishment of an internally heated high-pressure vessel (IHPV) acquired by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) from NASA. Experiments under deep earth conditions are the primary means of investigating chemical evolution of magmas under controlled conditions. The installation of this apparatus will provide much greater access for students participating in AMNH-sponsored high school, undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and teacher training programs. The additional IHPV access will also support AMNH and other, non-museum colleagues to enhance U.S. competitiveness in research in magmatic processes. The IHPV will be used to investigate melt-mineral-fluid phase equilibria and component partitioning behaviors in geologic systems under controlled conditions. The primary research objective is to obtain critical, missing knowledge to better address the compositional range of magmas that threaten society with eruptions or are part of hydrothermal mineralizing processes that produce metallic resources.