9419373 Schiffman This award provides one-half the funding for the upgrade of an electron microprobe system housed and operated in the Department of Geology at the University of California at Davis. The institution is committed to providing the remaining funds necessary to carry out the project. The upgrade will consist of replacing the operating system computer and making improvements to the machine's imaging system. The upgrade is necessary to carry out a number of research and teaching projects requiring the analytical capabilities of a modern electron microprobe. Research topics include hydrothermal metamorphism of clay minerals in the oceanic crust and terrestrial geothermal systems, the metamorphic geology of accretionary prisms and forearc regions in Alaska and South America, low-grade metamorphism in the Sierra Nevada and Franciscan complexes, phase equilibria and kinetics of silicate systems at elevated temperatures and pressures, properties of silicate melts. In addition, the electron microprobe at UC-Davis is used by students and staff from the departments of chemistry, material sciences, soils, and the School of Veterinary Medicine. ***
