I am a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oregon. My group designs new experimental methods and mathematical models to interpret isotopic and chemical variations in geologic materials. The lab projects we are working on include:
Our field areas include:
Stable isotopes in carbonate minerals are widely used to infer paleo-environmental conditions. Oxygen isotopes, for example, record the temperature of carbonate formation. Although these types of proxies work in many settings, there are important details that need to be worked out to fully capitalize on stable isotope measurements. We grow calcite and other minerals in the lab from aqueous solution to figure out what environmental variables in addition to temperature are recorded in the oxygen, carbon, and clumped isotope composition of carbonates.
Crystal and bubble shapes in magma are sensitive to temperature, pressure, and magma ascent rate. We simulate volcanic conditions in the lab by heating/cooling and compressing/decompressing magma to figure out how textures in volcanic rocks are created by non-observable processes in the subsurface. The photo is a pumice created by undergraduate Eamonn Needham.
Bubbles are generally thought to grow as magma rises. Measurements on natural samples suggest that the picture is more complicated. We grow bubbles, sinter ash, and study pyroclasts from volcanoes in Oregon and California to better understand what happens in volcanic conduits when magma rises through the shallow crust.
Magmatic-hydrothermal fluids in the crust transport and deposit ore metals in some settings, and in other settings, they feed hot water into high-temperature geothermal systems used to produce electricity. Exactly how minerals precipitate in these environments is not well understood because we cannot directly observe the processes. We grow crystals in the lab under controlled conditions so that we can figure out how and where they form in natural hydrothermal systems.
A key assumption in many geochronological studies is that minerals retain the parent and daughter nuclides throughout their existence. Diffusive separation of the parent and daughter isotopes, which can occur when a rock is subjected to reheating events or during the initial cooling of a rock, can give rise to apparent ages that can be too old or too young. We applied these principles to understand why Lu-Hf ages of eucrite meteorites from the asteroid Vesta appeared to (erroneously) pre-date the age of the solar system.
The goal of stable isotope geochemistry is to interpret variations in isotopic abundances that are observed in nature. This requires an understanding of how isotopes are separated during diffusion, chemical reactions, and partitioning between phases. We are measuring small differences in the diffusivities of isotopes to figure out how cations diffuse in liquids and to predict where and when diffusion is responsible for stable isotope variations in nature.
We're always going down new rabbit holes and undergrads are encouraged to participate. Current and past undergrads have worked on dendritic crystal growth, travertine formation, the Soret effect, magma decompression experiments, and ash sintering experiments. Many of the projects involve hands-on experience with high-temperature, high-pressure experimental apparatuses and high-tech instrumentation housed in the CAMCOR facility.
If you're trying to decide which graduate school you'd like to attend, here are some reasons why you should choose the University of Oregon in Eugene.
I'm looking for graduate students to join my group. If you're interested in attending graduate school at UO please send me an email with a copy of your CV and a statement of why you're interested in working with me. Our graduate student applicant pool is very competitive and I'm particularly interested in taking students that have ideas of what they'd like to work on and why we'd be a good fit. There are currently no funded postdoctoral positions availale but if you're interested in writing a proposal to come to Oregon please let me know.
We're a big department at 20 faculty members and 40 graduate students, but we're not too big. You'll still get regular attention from your advisor, have the chance to interact with all faculty members, and there's a healthy graduate community to support you in your research endeavors. Many of our recent graduates have gone on to prestigious postdocs at national institutions, such as the USGS, or to other top rated Earth science programs while others acquire faculty positions at schools throughout the US.
Eugene is a big-small town. You can find world class fly fishing along the Willamette river, rafting swimming or tubing on the McKenzie, golf in Eugene (Laurelwood) or any of the fine courses nearby (I like Diamond Woods and Tokatee). There are local farmers markets in Eugene on the weekends or you can go to the farm if you prefer. Oregon beer is legendary. You'll have the opportunity to choose from a dozen local breweries in town, or if beer doesn't suit your fancy, the Willamette Valley is up and coming a Pinot noir powerhouse, with several wineries within a few miles of town. For a good time, you can also check out the Oregon Country Fair, the Bach Festival, and Saturday market.
An hour drive west of Eugene, you'll find the breathtaking Oregon coast where you can dive, fish, surf, and eat local, all in a day trip. An hour to the east are the Cascades. You can see the Three Sisters volcanoes from Eugene and both downhill and cross country skiing are slightly over an hour away. Two hours north, you'll find Portland, OR. A beer, dub-step, and hipster mecca, you'll need to make a pilgrimage north at some point, if not for Portland itself, to ski above the clouds at Mt. Hood or tour the spectacular waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge. Two plus hours south is Crater Lake National Park. You'll have your choice of stratovolcanoes, from Mt. Shasta in northern California, to Mt. St. Helens just north of the Oregon-Washinton border....there's plenty to climb and study. The Rogue, McKenzie, and Umpqua rivers are also fun to raft and most are available as day trips. If you like to rock climb, you'll find no shortage of places to do so (Smith rock, near Bend, OR, is well known as the place where sport climbing was invented).
James M. Watkins
Professor
Department of Earth Sciences
1272 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
Office: Cascade 205A
Email: watkins4@uoregon.edu