Programme for Summer Semester 2024

25.04.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

Prof. Dr. Jessica Agarwal (TU Braunschweig)

Active Asteroids

Small solar system bodies such as asteroids, comets, and Transneptunian Objects are thought to be remainders of the planetesimal formation process in the young solar system. Out of this population, the asteroids are located closest to the Sun, on stable orbits between those of Mars and Jupiter. In this main asteroid belt, temperatures are too high for surface ice to be preserved over solar system time scales, hence most asteroids at most times have a rocky-looking surface and appear star-like in a telescope. However, over the past decades, a few dozens of asteroids have been found to emit dust, forming prominent tails similar to comets. These objects are now called "active asteroids". In this talk I will introduce the different processes that are thought to trigger and/or sustain dust and gas emission ("activity") from asteroids, the astronomical methods we use to study them, and illustrate this with examples.

Vita: My research interests focus on small solar system bodies and the dust they emit into interplanetary space, using both astronomical telescopes and data from spacecraft. I obtained my PhD from Heidelberg university in 2007, having analysed the emission of large dust particles from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the target of ESA's Rosetta mission. During postdoctoral stays at ESA/ESTEC in the Netherlands, at Postdam university and at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen, I extended my research to dust from a broader range of solar system bodies, including the active asteroids. Currently I hold a (tenure-tracked) professorship at the TU Braunschweig, funded by the Lichtenberg Programme of the Volkswagen Foundation.

(Image credit: Max Fuhrmann, TUB)

Invited by: Juergen Schmidt

02.05.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

Prof. Dr. Jens Gutzmer (TU Bergakademie Freiberg)

Copper - a prime example for opportunities and limits of a Circular Economy

With a production of ca. 27 Mt of refined metal in 2023, Cu takes fourth place among the metals most widely used by society. Its importance is expected to rise dramatically in response to the roll-out of renewable energy systems, electrification and digitalization. But where will this copper come from ? Will recycling be able to cover the demand ? What role will primary resources have to play ? Can we cover some of our demand from domestic resources ? These pertinent questions will be discussed in this seminar.

Vita: Jens Gutzmer graduated from the TU Clausthal (Germany) in 1992 with a diploma in Mineralogy and Economic Geology, followed by a PhD in Geology from the Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg (South Africa) in 1996. He is founding director of the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology in Germany and Professor of Economic Geology and Geometallurgy at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. As a visiting professor at the University of Johannesburg he maintains a link to South Africa. Most of his recent research has focused on geometallurgy and mineral systems analysis.  

Invited by: Timm John

16.05.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

Prof. Dr. Johnathan Bedford 

GPS/GNSS for geophysical applications (preliminary title)

23.05.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

Dr. Hauke Hussmann (DLR Berlin)

Exploring the Icy Moons of Jupiter with the Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA)

Abstract: TBD

Invited by: Frank Postberg

30.05.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

Julie Fosdick (U Connecticut) 

06.06.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

13.06.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

Dr. Pilar Madrigal Quesada (GEOMAR Kiel)

Non-hotspot seamounts: Where do they fit in our current plate tectonic model?

Abstract: TBD

Invited by: Elis Hoffmann

20.06.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

Prof. Dr. Xiao-Ming Liu (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

My Geochemical Adventures on Earth's Surface

Discover how novel isotopes like lithium and potassium unlock Earth's dynamic geochemistry! This seminar explores chemical weathering, reverse weathering, and their profound impacts on Earth's evolution. From the volcanic slopes of Hawaii to the ancient oceans of the Permian-Triassic, we'll delve into isotope geochemistry and its power to reveal transformative environmental and climate shifts.

Bio: Prof. Xiao-Ming Liu earned her undergraduate degrees in Geology from the University of Waterloo and the China University of Geosciences (Beijing) in 2007. After completing her Master's in 2009 and Ph.D. in 2013 at the University of Maryland, she conducted research as a Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Institution for Science until 2015. Prof. Liu then joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was promoted to Associate Professor in 2021. Her research explores non-traditional stable isotope cycling in critical zones, terrestrial chemical weathering, fluid-rock interactions during subduction and metamorphism, and the global cycling of trace metal elements. Prof. Liu's research contributions have earned her numerous awards, including the NSF Career Award, the GSA MGPV Early Career Award, and the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award. She also serves as an Associate Editor for Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.

Invited by: Harry Becker

27.06.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

Prof. Dr. Paola Manzotti (Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University)

Continental Subduction in the Western Alps: Facts and Theories

Abstract: TBD

Invited by: Jan Pleuger

04.07.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

Dr. Scott D. King (Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, USA)

Surprisingly Stable Mantle Plumes and Coronae Clustering on Venus 

Coronae are crown-like, tectono-volcanic features found on Venus. Coronae formation models invoke warm upwelling mantle diapers impinging on the base of the lithosphere. With >500 coronae it is difficult to imagine that each is linked to a unique mantle plume. In this talk, I will explore the connection between coronae, diapers, and mantle plumes. My hypothesis is that a plume anchored in the lower mantle will give rise to clusters of upper mantle diapers. The clusters I find resemble a pattern of stable plumes (surprisingly stable plumes) that are found in geodynamic models. I will discuss the implications of stable plumes and coronae clusters for the evolution of Venus.

Vita: My research focuses on the interior evolution of the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. I use numerical models along with the global gravity and topography to test hypotheses regarding the formation and evolution of features on and within terrestrial planets. I obtained my PhD from Caltech in 1990 working on subduction zones. As a postdoc at Scripps Institution of Oceanography I inverted for mantle viscosity constrained by the geoid. Over the years, I’ve expanded my research to Mars, Mercury, and Venus. I’ve been a member of the Dawn at Ceres and InSight mission science teams and I’m currently a member of the VenSAR instrument team. VenSAR is the NASA contributed SAR for the upcoming ESA EnVision mission to Venus.

Invited by: Lena Noack

11.07.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

Dr. Christopher Hamann (Museum für Naturkunde Berlin)

18.07.2024

13:15, Lecture hall C.011

Dr. Georg Feulner (PIK Potsdam)

From the young sun to present-day climate change

Abstract: TBD

Invited by: Lena Noack

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