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Michael C. Rowe

Postdoctoral Scholar
Visiting Asst. Prof.
University of Iowa
Department of Geoscience
121 Trowbridge Hall
Iowa City, IA 52242
michael-rowe at uiowa.edu
Research Interests:
Broadly speaking my background is in igneous and experimental petrology, and analytical geochemistry. I’ve worked on a wide range of projects (see separate page) reflecting my diverse interests ranging from magma genesis in subduction zones and continental rifts to magma mixing and the generation of large volcanic fields to volatile transport within shallow magmatic systems.

A key tool of my research is the use of melt inclusions, small pockets of melt trapped within crystallizing minerals (upper right picture). I use melt inclusions as a tool to measure oxidation state and volatile contents (S, Cl, CO2, H2O) of magmas, and to examine the diversity of melt compositions recorded within single lavas.

Currently there are two main focuses to my research:

  1. Volatiles in magmas, from subduction zone to shallow (<4km) magmatic processes. Volatiles in magmas are important in a wide range of geologic processes such as magma genesis, deposition of economically important ore metals and environmental change.
  2. The role of crust in generating compositional diversity in “primitive” basalts, and in the development of large volcanic centers.