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Physico-chemical Mineralogy / Experimental Petrology and Geochemistry

Dr. Christopher Beyer

Research Scientist
Experimental Petrology Lab Manager

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Dr. Christopher Beyer

Research Profile

 

I am interested in the formation and cycling of carbon, sulfur and halogens in the sublithospheric mantle and how they interact with the silicate mantle and contribute to mantle heterogeneities. My research focuses on how bulk rock compositions and redox conditions affect the mobility and partitioning of these elements and how the residual silicates are modified by the interaction with the metasomatic agents.

My research is complemented by looking at the diffusive behavior of elements in mantle phases to figure out how efficient heterogeneities are compensated by diffusion processes and how diffusion-recrystallization processes modify the composition of rock-forming minerals.

To accomplish these goals, I use mainly chemical data obtained from high-pressure and high-temperature experiments.

Lastly, I am keen on improving experimental techniques to enhance the reproducibility of experiments and to open up new possibilities to answer pending questions in earth sciences.


Current Projects

 

For the following current projects, I received third-party funding:

  • DFG project BE 6053/5-1 - Understanding matte and metallic melt mobility in mineralogically complex planetary interiors and their role in elemental cycling (until 2027)
  • DFG project BE 6053/1-1 - Diamond formation in Earth's mantle: Role of C-O-H fluid composition and host rock lithology (until 2023)
  • DFG project BE 6053/2-1 - Chemical and physical properties of magmatic sulfides and sulfide liquids at conditions of Earth’s deep upper mantle (until 2023)

Collaborations:

 

  • Dr. Jasper Berndt (WWU Münster)
  • Dr. Katharina Marquardt (Imperial College London)
  • Catherine McCammon, Ph.D. (University of Bayreuth)
  • Robert Myhill, Ph.D. (University of Bristol)
  • Robert Farla, Ph.D. (DESY Hamburg)
  • Dr. Christian Vollmer (WWU Münster)

Recent Publications

Beyer, C., Fonseca, R. O. C., Bissbort, T., Schröer, L., & Cnudde, V. (2024). Sulfide melt wetting properties in Earth's mantle: New constraints from combined 2D and 3D imaging. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 25(5), e2024GC011535. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GC011535

Fonseca, R.O.C, Beyer, C., Bissbort, T., Hartmann, R. and Schuth, S., (2024). Partitioning of highly siderophile elements between monosulfide solid solution and sulfide melt at high pressures. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 179(2), pp.1-17.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-023-02092-y

Beyer, C., Bissbort, T., Hartmann, R., Berndt, J., Klemme, S., & Fonseca, R. O. C. (2022). High-pressure phase relations in the system Fe–Ni–Cu–S up to 14 GPa: implications for the stability of sulfides in the earth’s upper mantle. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 177(10), 1-16.

Beyer, C., Kurnosov, A.V., Ballaran, T.B., Frost, D.J. High-pressure and high-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction of complex garnet solid solutions up to 16 GPa and 823 K. Phys Chem Minerals 48, 17 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-021-01139-5

Beyer, C., Chakraborty S. Internal stress-induced crystallization and diffusive transport in CaTiO3-PbTiO3 solid solutions: A new transport mechanism in geomaterials an its implications for thermobarometry, geochronology and geospeedometry. Am Min (2021) in press https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2021-7588.

Beyer, C., Myhill R., Marquardt, K., McCammon C.A. A reversed redox gradient in Earth`s mantle transition zone. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.(2021) 575, 117181

Beyer, C., Dohmen, R., Rogalla, D., Becker, H.-W., Marquardt, K., Vollmer, C., Hagemann, U., Hartmann, N., Chakraborty, S. (2019): Lead diffusion in CaTiO3: A combined study using Rutherford backscattering and TOF-SIMS for depth profiling to reveal the role of lattice strain in diffusion processes. American Mineralogist 104:4, 557-568

Beyer, C., Rosenthal, A., Myhill, R., Crichton, W. A., Yu, T., Wang, Y., Frost, D. J. (2018): Internally consistent pressure calibration of geobarometers applicable to the Earth’s upper mantle using in-situ XRD. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 221, 421-435

C. Beyer, D.J. Frost (2017): The depth of sub-lithospheric diamond formation and the redistribution of carbon in the deep mantle. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 461, 30-39

C. Beyer, S. Klemme, T. Grützner, T.R. Ireland, C. Magee, D.J. Frost (2016): Fluorine partitioning between eclogitic garnet, clinopyroxene and melt at upper mantle conditions. Chemical Geology 437, 88-97

Chantel, J., Manthilake, G., Frost, D. J., Beyer, C., Jing, Z., Wang, Y. (2016): Elastic wave velocities in polycrystalline Mg3Al2Si3O12 pyrope garnet to 24 GPa and 1300 K. American Mineralogist 101, 991- 997

Beyer, C., Frost, D. J., Miyajima, N. (2015): Experimental Calibration of a Garnet-Clinopyroxene Geobarometer for Mantle Eclogites. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 169(2), 1-21

Beyer, C., Berndt, J., Tappe, S., Klemme, S. (2013): Trace element partitioning between perovskite and kimberlite to carbonatite melt: New experimental constraints. Chemical Geology 353, 132 – 139

Beyer, C., Klemme, S., Wiedenbeck, M., Stracke, A., Vollmer, C. (2012): Fluorine in nominally fluorine-free mantle minerals: Experimental partitioning of F between olivine, orthopyroxene and silicate melts with implications for magmatic processes. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 337, 1 – 9

To see the rest of my publications please check out my Google Scholar page HERE
 


Teaching

MSc.:

 - Mantle Petrology (Summer Semester)

- Experimental Petrology (Winter Semester)

BSc.: 

Mineralogie (Summer Semester)

 


Education

 

  • 2006-2009 B.Sc. in Geosciences, WWU Münster
  • 2009-2011 M.Sc. (with distinction) in Geosciences, WWU Münster
  • 2011-2015 Dr. rer. nat. in Experimental Petrology, Bavarian Research Institute of Experimental Geochemistry and Geophysics, University of Bayreuth - Dissertation: Geobarometry, phase relations and elasticity of eclogite under conditions of Earth’s upper mantle

Positions

 

  • 10/2019 – present day
    Experimental Laboratory Manager, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Institute of Geology, Mineralogy and Geophysics, Bochum, Germany.
  • 03/2016 – 219
    Postdoctoral researcher, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Institute of Geology, Mineralogy and Geophysics, Bochum, Germany.
  • 08/2015 - 02/2016
    Postdoctoral researcher, University of Bayreuth, Bavarian Research Institute of Experimental Geochemistry and Geophysics, Germany.

 

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