Events

UTIG Discussion Hour: Kaitlin Schaible (UTIG)

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Estibalitz Ukar

The Green Rock Revolution: The Role of (Ultra)Mafic Rocks in the Energy Transition by Dr. Estibalitz Ukar

Abstract: Driven by the urgent need to mitigate climate change and transition towards low-carbon energy sources, the global energy landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. Amidst this shift, mafic and ultramafic rocks have emerged as potential game-changers, offering promising solutions to several critical challenges facing the energy transition. In this talk, I will explore the multifaceted role of (ultra)mafic rocks in facilitating this transition, including: 1) serving as a source of clean, renewable, carbon-free natural hydrogen, 2) acting as a sink to permanently and securely trap large amounts of CO2 in mineral form through carbon mineralization, and 3) providing valuable mineral resources, including nickel, cobalt, and magnesium, which are essential components of batteries and other renewable energy technologies. Through three recently funded DOE projects, we are exploring ways to combine these technologies and leverage the unique properties of ultramafic rocks to address climate change mitigation, sustainable mining, and renewable energy production.

UTIG Seminar Series: Chuanming Liu, UT Austin

NOTE: WE WILL BE IN THE BUREAU OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGY MAIN CONFERENCE ROOM, BEG 1.202

Speaker: Chuanming Liu, Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow, UT Jackson School of Geosciences, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics

Host: Thorsten Becker

Title: Crustal and Upper Mantle Seismic Anisotropy Across Alaska and the Juan de Fuca Plate from Surface Wave Observations

Abstract: As one of the world’s most tectonically active convergent regions, Alaska and the Aleutian subduction zone have experienced a wide range of past and present-day tectonic processes. Within the continent, tectonic features deep within the lithosphere are invisible at the surface but can be revealed through observations of seismic anisotropy. In the case of the oceanic plate and subduction zone, seismic anisotropy can help us understand the physical properties of plate and directions of mantle flow. In this talk, I will discuss the depth variation of seismic anisotropy and its implications for deep crustal deformation in the Alaskan continent and explore the depth-dependent azimuthal anisotropy features beneath the Aleutian subduction zone and the Juan de Fuca plate.

UTIG Discussion Hour: Soraya Alfred (UTIG)

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Crispin Little

The Evolution of Hydrothermal Vent Communities: A 3.77 (or possibly 4.28) Billion Year History by Dr. Crispin Little, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds

Abstract: Over the past 40 years our understanding of the diversity of life in the deep sea has been revolutionized by the discovery of dense communities of large animals living at chemosynthetic environments. These communities can be found at hydrothermal vents, methane seeps and organic-falls (sunken dead large marine animals and wood) where the energy source at the base of the ecosystem is chemical (chemosynthetic), rather than coming from the sunlight falling on the upper layers of the ocean (photosynthetic). These chemicals are reduced compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide and methane, which is then oxidized by microbial organisms to produce energy (chemosynthesis). Many of the animals that dominate the biomass at modern chemosynthetic environments have symbiotic relationships with these microbes (chemosymbiosis), and this allows these animals to grow very fast and to large sizes, compared to their relatives in other marine environments. These animals include bivalves, gastropods and tube worms. Fossil vent communities are found in two different rock types in the geological record: volcanogenic massive sulfides (VMS), which formed at high-temperature vents, and jaspers (iron-silica rocks), which formed at low- temperature, sulfide-poor vents. Animal fossils can be found in VMS deposits from the Silurian period onwards, although there are some enigmatic structures from Cambrian vents, which might have had an animal origin. Microbial fossils have been discovered in VMS deposits all the way back to the Paleo-archaean era (3.235 billion years ago) and in jaspers to the Eo-archaean (3.770, or possibly 4.280 billion years ago), with the latter being (possibly) the oldest organisms yet discovered on Earth. These very early dates help to corroborate ideas that terrestrial life may have started at hydrothermal vents. The evidence also suggests that life may have been possible on Mars during its equivalent aged warmer period, and that life may be present at putative hydrothermal sites on the icy moons with liquid oceans (e.g. Europa and Enceladus).

UTIG Seminar Series: Emma "Mickey" MacKie, University of Florida

Speaker: Emma “Mickey” MacKie, Assistant Professor, Geological Sciences, University of Florida

Host: Duncan Young

Title: Integrating geological realism into subglacial investigations

Abstract: The conditions beneath ice sheets play an important role in governing ice sheet behavior and determining their vulnerability to climate change. However, these subglacial conditions are challenging to resolve at the scale and resolution required to capture critical basal processes. Geostatistical simulation can be used to address this challenge by providing a mechanism for filling gaps in observations, introducing geologically realistic textures into models of the subsurface, and quantifying uncertainty. Furthermore, geostatistical simulation can be used within a Markov Chain Monte Carlo framework to produce more rigorous geophysical inversions for basal conditions. These approaches present new opportunities for resolving basal conditions and provide insights into the dynamic behavior of our ice sheets.

UTIG Seminar Series: Crispin Little, University of Leeds

UTIG Discussion Hour: Medha Prakash (UTIG)

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Rose Cory

The Role of Iron in The Degradation of Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Arctic by Dr. Rose Cory, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan

Abstract: Current estimates are that 5–15% of the tremendous pool of organic carbon stored in permafrost soils could be emitted as greenhouse gases by 2100 given the current trajectory of climate change, resulting in an additional one third degree Celsius of warming everywhere on Earth (i.e., Arctic amplification of climate change). However, the degree to which climate change will be amplified by greenhouse gases released from thawing permafrost is highly uncertain in large part due to insufficient understanding of the processes that degrade dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to carbon dioxide (CO2). Our work has shown that DOC degradation is tightly coupled to iron redox cycling in permafrost soils of the Arctic and in the surface waters draining these soils. For example, in waterlogged soils, redox reactions of iron produce reactive oxygen species (e.g., the hydroxyl radical) that oxidize DOC. On a landscape scale, the hydroxyl radical produced by iron redox cycling can oxidize as much DOC to CO2 as does microbial respiration of DOC in arctic surface waters. Upon export of dissolved iron and DOC from permafrost soils to sunlit surface waters, iron likely catalyzes the sunlight-driven (photochemical) oxidation of DOC to CO2. As a consequence, current estimates of additional global warming from the permafrost carbon feedback may be too low by ~ 14%.

UTIG Seminar Series: Tanner Mills, UTIG

Speaker: Tanner Mills, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics

Host: Peter Flemings

Title: Predicting greenhouse gas fluxes to the atmosphere from thawing permafrost

Abstract: Arctic permafrost is thawing at rapid rates, which threatens to expose large stores of soil organic carbon to microbial degradation. As microbes utilize this carbon source, they produce greenhouse gasses (GHGs; CO2 and CH4) that can be emitted to the atmosphere and act as a positive feedback during future global temperature increases. While the permafrost carbon feedback has received much attention in the literature, little is known about the multiphase flow properties and the temperature dependence of microbial GHG production rates in thawing permafrost, both of which are essential for predicting GHG emissions from permafrost in the future. Flow experiments of synthetic and natural permafrost specimens under frozen conditions and incubations of permafrost samples are being performed to better understand the effective and relative permeabilities and GHG production rates of thawing permafrost soils. These data will be integral in providing new source terms for permafrost and global carbon models.

Master's Thesis Presentations

The Master of Science (MS) degree at the Jackson School of Geosciences is considered to be the professional degree for a career in the Geosciences. This degree is the foundation for students pursuing employment in the petroleum industry, environmental and hydrogeological fields, state and federal government agencies, and other related geoscience fields. Some students also use the MS degree as preparation for pursuing a Ph.D.

The Energy & Earth Resources Interdisciplinary program provides the opportunity for students to prepare themselves in management, finance, economics, law and policy leading to analytical and leadership positions in resource-related fields. The private sector and government organizations face a growing need for professionals that can plan, evaluate, and manage complex resource projects, commonly international in scope, which often include partners with a variety of professional backgrounds.

As requirements for these degrees, students must present a professional talk on Master’s Thesis Presentations.

Hot Science - Cool Talks: "Humans vs AI"

Advancements in AI have unleashed astonishing capabilities, but it is not magic. Peter Stone reveals his insights into cutting-edge AI and robotics and explores how they may reshape our world. Someday these technologies could win the World Cup, and they are already outperforming the best humans at complex tasks like high-speed racing.

Planetary Habitability Seminar Series

UT Center for Planetary Systems Habitability Seminar Series. See website for speaker schedule and more details: View Events

Join remotely: https://utexas.zoom.us/j/94052130734

In person: Classroom 15.216B, Physics, Math and Astronomy Bldg.

UT Austin, Department of Astronomy

2515 Speedway, Stop C1400

Austin, Texas 78712-1205

UTIG Discussion Hour: Nicholas Montiel - PhD Talk (UTIG)

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Richard Taylor

Adapting to the Amplification of Climate Extremes Through Freshwater Capture: Evidence from the Tropics by Dr. Richard Taylor, Department of Geography, University College London

Abstract: In low-income countries of the tropics undergoing rapid growth, global warming presents challenges to the expansion and sustainability of water supplies required to advance progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Substantial uncertainty persists in projections of precipitation under climate change. A widely observed impact, pronounced in the tropics, is the intensification of precipitation comprising a transition towards fewer but heavier rainfalls. How does this transition impact terrestrial water balances? How might these changes influence freshwater demand? I will interrogate these questions and review mounting empirical evidence from the tropics of the resilience to climate change of groundwater resources, which act as a natural inter-annual store of freshwater supporting adaptation to the amplification climate extremes. Presented evidence includes case studies and local-to-regional scale analyses from tropical Africa and the Bengal Basin of South Asia. Outcomes emphasize the interconnected nature of surface water and groundwater as well as the value of groundwater as a natural, distributed store of freshwater. This insight provides a platform to explore more equitable and sustainable water development pathways resilient to climate change.

UTIG Seminar Series: Cornelia Rasmussen, UTIG

Speaker: Cornelia Rasmussen, Research Associate, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics

Host: Krista Soderlund

Title: The Emerging Field Of Position-Specific Isotope Analysis: Applications in chemical forensics, exobiology, geo- and environmental sciences

Abstract: Complex organics can be found all over our solar system and within each living thing on our planet, be it as part of its physiology or as a contaminant. However, different processes can lead to the formation of chemical identical molecules. This makes answering a number of scientific questions challenging. One example is distinguishing between biotic and abiotic molecules, hence hindering life detection on early Earth but especially on other planetary bodies, such as on Mars, Titan, Enceladus and on meteorites where organics have been detected. Moreover, tracing molecules as they move through the environment can be demanding, yet is essential in studying the flow of organic molecules as well as correlating pollutants with their source.

Novel tools to address these challenges are currently being developed. Especially, the emerging field of position-specific isotope analysis is beginning to grant access to the unique intramolecular carbon (13C/12C) isotope fingerprint preserved in complex molecules. This fingerprint can be applied in various scientific disciplines, ranging from forensics to exobiology, geo- and environmental sciences, including geo health.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) has the potential to become a key player in this research area, as it allows the analysis of organics within complex mixtures, all without the need to fragment the molecule into single carbon units or the combustion of the molecule of interest.

We have been developing several NMR tools that allow us to investigate the intramolecular carbon isotope distribution within various molecule classes and to test the central hypothesis that the position-specific carbon isotope distribution within complex organics depends on a molecule’s source and formation history.

Planetary Habitability Seminar Series

UT Center for Planetary Systems Habitability Seminar Series. See website for speaker schedule and more details: View Events

Join remotely: https://utexas.zoom.us/j/94052130734

In person: Classroom 15.216B, Physics, Math and Astronomy Bldg.

UT Austin, Department of Astronomy

2515 Speedway, Stop C1400

Austin, Texas 78712-1205

UTIG Discussion Hour: Kristian Chan - PhD Talk (UTIG)