Estibalitz Ukar

My research integrates small-scale structural petrology with large-scale deformation and fluid-rock interactions in the upper crust. My background is in subduction zone tectonics and metamorphism, and I am fascinated by any combination of deformation and petrology. I earned my B.S. in Geology from the University of the Basque Country (Spain) and my Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, where I specialized in the deformation and metamorphism of high-pressure/low-temperature rocks (blueschists) in subduction zones. I later shifted my focus to fractured sedimentary rocks, investigating their chemical-mechanical interactions and fluid-flow properties within the FRAC IA consortium.

My current work brings these themes together, combining my interest in hard rocks and fractures with a mission to advance sustainable geoscience. I am particularly focused on the potential of (ultra)mafic rocks to address energy and climate-related challenges: (1) as a source of clean, renewable, carbon-free natural hydrogen, (2) as a sink to securely and permanently trapping CO2 through carbon mineralization, and (3) as a source of critical metals to support clean energy technologies. I also direct the Zeiss Sigma high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) facility at the e-IMAGE laboratory at the Bureau of Economic Geology.