Adventures in Chemical Synthesis: An Oxyhydrogen Torch, Luminous Silica Glass, and Surprise Orthosilicates

Jan. 22, 2016 by

Chemical synthesis can be fun! No, really. Doing solid state chemistry in the lab can be an adventure, and sometimes you can even make some compounds that you didn’t know

Experimental Petrology In Action: Quenching a TZM-type Pressure Vessel Run at 900 °C and 1,000 bar

Sep. 17, 2015 by

A short video of what it looks like to quench an experiment run in a TZM-type (MHC) pressure vessel. This particular run, performed at the USGS Menlo Park (California), was

How To Detect Earthquakes With a SHRIMP Ion Microprobe

Jul. 21, 2015 by

On July 21st, 2015 at 2:41:14 local time, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in Fremont, California. This is the story of how the chemical analysis of a volcanic rock from

The Star Trek Art Show at the End of the World

Jun. 11, 2013 by

When wondering around central Paris, one may not expect to stumble upon a Geek haven filled with sci-fi merchandise, steam-punk design, a time lord inspired ceiling mural, and plenty of

New Tool for Petrologists: Calculate fO2 Buffer

May. 29, 2013 by

There’s a simple new excel spreadsheet available on the Tools for Petrologists page. The tool Calculate fO2 Buffer allows you to determine the “delta” of a several oxygen fugacity buffers

Correction to Glass Density Calc in Tools for Petrologists

May. 23, 2013 by

I’ve discovered an error in the Glass Density Calc spreadsheet, posted on the Tools for Petrologists page. The original version of the spreadsheet, used to calculate the density of a

New Tool For Petrologists: Link to the Giordano Viscosity Model

Oct. 2, 2012 by

I’ve discovered another very nifty tool for you all and it’s posted in the Tools For Petrologists section of this site. The model of Giordano, Russell, and Dingwell to calculate

New Tool for Petrologists – Glass Density Calc

Sep. 14, 2012 by

Yet another update to the Tools for Petrologists page this week with the Glass Density Calc tool. This Excel spreadsheet allows you to input the composition of your silicate glass

Connecting to Your Rovio Wi-Fi Robot Ad-Hoc with Linux

Sep. 14, 2012 by

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am going to attempt to drive my Rovio wireless robot camera into (or at least near to) a lava lake. Specifically, I

New Tool for Petrologists – Oxide to Element Conversion Tool

Sep. 10, 2012 by

I’ve just updated the Tools for Petrologists page with a new conversion tool. It’s the Oxide to Element Conversion Tool, an Excel spreadsheet that will convert composition values from wt%