Emily First
Assistant Professor of Geology
Mineralogy & Petrology, Volcanology, Planetary Science
Olin-Rice Science Center, 113
(651) 696-6415
[email protected]
she/her
Website:
My research broadly focuses on volcanoes and magmas on Earth and other planetary bodies. As an experimental petrologist, I use high temperature聽and/or pressure laboratory experiments to learn about melting, crystallization, diffusion, and other processes relevant to the behavior of volcanic systems. In some cases, I design experiments to聽constrain the聽temperature and depth of magma stored beneath a volcano. In other instances, experiments can place聽constraints on how fast a lava flow聽cooled. I also examine more fundamental topics, including the kinetics of crystal growth and the effects of thermodynamic聽variables like temperature and redox state on magma crystallization. My research areas (via lab work and occasionally in the field) have included Hawaii, Chile, Mars, the Moon, and exoplanets! I am excited to be teaching several related courses, including Mineralogy (GEOL 250), Volcanoes (GEOL 194), and more to come.