Department of Geosciences

Distinguished Professor Lindsley's research interests aim at understanding the origin and conditions of formation of a variety of rocks and minerals. An important aspect of this work is the calibration of various geothermometers and geobarometers. 

Petrologist Donald Lindsley uses the tools of experimental, theoretical, and field petrology to investigate a range of petrological and mineralogical problems.  His most active interest at present is studying the origin and evolution of intraplate magmas, especially testing the hypothesis that fractional crystallization can account for much of the diversity of both oceanic and continental intraplate magma suites.  He and colleagues perform fractional crystallization experiments on selected natural and synthetic rock compositions at a variety of pressures, oxygen fugacities, and volatile contents in attempts to duplicate the compositional trends found in nature.  He retains an active interest in the origin of Proterozoic massif anorthosites plus the associated magmatic kindred, with special emphasis on the Laramie Anorthosite Complex of SE Wyoming.  He also continues to be interested in the application of mineral equilibria to the calibration of various geothermometers and geobarometers.

Selected Publications

Whitaker, M. L., H. Nekvasil, D. H. Lindsley and M. McCurry (2008). Can crystallization of olivine tholeiite give rise to potassic rhyolites? - an experimental investigation. Bulletin of Volcanology 70: 417-434.

McCubbin, F. M., H. E. Mason, H. Park, B. L. Phillips, J. B. Parise, H. Nekvasil and D. H. Lindsley (2008). Synthesis and characterization of low OH- Fluor-chlorapatite: a single-crystal XRD and NMR spectroscopic study. American Mineralogist 93: 210-216.

Pang, K.-N., M.-F. Zhou, D. Lindsley, D. Zhao and J. Malpas (2008). Origin of Fe-Ti Oxide Ores in Mafic Intrusions: Evidence from the Panzhihua Intrusion, SW China. Journal of Petrology 49(2): 295-313.

McCubbin, F.M., Nekvasil, H., Harrington, A.D., Elardo, S.M., and Lindsley, D.H. (2008) Compositional diversity and stratification of the Martian crust: Inferences from crystallization experiments on the picrobasalt Humphrey from Gusev Crater, Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets, 113, E11013.

Nekvasil, H., McCubbin, F.M., Harrington, A.D., Elardo, S.M., and Lindsley, D.H. (2009) Linking the Chassigny meteorite and the Martian surface rock Backstay: Insights into igneous crustal differentiation processes on Mars. Meteoritics and Planetary Science,   44, 853-869.

McCubbin, F. M., Tosca, N. J., Smirnov, A., Nekvasil, H., Steele, A., Fries, M., and Lindsley, D. H., 2009. Hydrothermal jarosite and hematite in a pyroxene-hosted melt inclusion of Martian meteorite Miller Range (MIL) 03346: Implications for magmatic-hydrothermal fluids on Mars.   Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta   73, 4907-4917.

Dyar, M.D., Sklute, E.C., Menzies, O.N., Bland, P.A., Lindsley, D., Glotch, T., Land, M.D., Schaefer, M.W., Wopenka, B., Klima, R., Bishop, J. L. Hiroi, T., Pieters, C., and Sunshine, J. (2009) Spectroscopic characteristics of synthetic olivine: An integrated multi-wavelength and multi-technique approach. American Mineralogist, 94, 883-898.

McCubbin, F.M., Smirnov A., Nekvasil H., Lindsley D.H., Wang J., and Hauri E.H. (2010) Hydrous magmatism on Mars: A source of water for the surface and subsurface during the Amazonian. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 292. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2010.01.028, 132–138

Frost , C.D., Frost , B.R., Linds ley , D.H., Chamber lain, K.R., Swapp , S.M., and Scoates, J.S. (2010): Geochemical and isotopic evolution of the anorthositic plutons of the Laramie Anorthosite Complex: explanations for variations in silica activity and oxygen fugacity in anorthosites. Canadian Mineralogist, 48, 925-946.

Scoates, J. S., Lindsley, D. H, and Frost, B. R. (2010): Magmatic and structural evolution of an anorthositic magma chamber: the Poe Mountain intrusion, Laramie anorthosite complex, Wyoming (USA). Canadian Mineralogist, 48, 851-885.

Lindsley, D. H., Frost, B. R., Frost, C. D., and Scoates, J. S. (2010) Petrology, Geochemistry, and Structure of the Chugwater Anorthosite, Laramie Anorthosite Complex, S. E. Wyoming, USA., Canadian Mineralogist, 48, 887-923.

Harrington, A.D., McCubbin, F.M., Nekvasil, H., Elardo, S.M., and Lindsley, D.H. (in prep) Experimental crystallization of Irvine: Insights into a potential martian analog to terrestrial tholeiite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.

Francis M. McCubbin, Bradley L. Jolliff, Hanna Nekvasil, Paul K. Carpenter, Ryan A. Zeigler, Andrew Steele, Stephen M. Elardo, Donald H. Lindsley (2011) Fluorine and chlorine abundances in lunar apatite: Implications for heterogeneous distributions of magmatic volatiles in the lunar interior.   Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 75, 5073-5093.

Ustinisik, Gokce, Nekvasil, Hanna, Lindsley, Donald (2011) Differential degassing of H2O, Cl, F, and S: Potential effects on lunar apatite. American Mineralogist, 96, 1650-1653.