Spring 2008 Syllabus for Ge215: Topics in Advanced Petrology

Revision 4/1/08

Lecture Course in Phase Equilibria

Instructor: Paul Asimow, Asimow@gps.caltech.edu, x4133, 253 Arms

Course website: http://www.asimow.com/Ge215.html

Text: Ed Stolper’s notes from James B. Thompson’s GEOL253 at Harvard, ca. 1975, which are posted at http://www.asimow.com/ThermoPhaseEquilibria_JBT.pdf

PLEASE DO THE READING!

Collaboration Policy: same as Ge101, http://www.asimow.com/Ge101policysheet.pdf

Lectures: Monday 9 AM, Wednesday 9 AM and 4 PM, Friday 9 AM in 251 Arms

Grading: 100% Problem Sets (expecting five sets, i.e. one about every two weeks)

Week 1 (4/2A, 4/2P, 4/4) Thermodynamic Background (see also Ge212)

Reading: JBT pages 1-26

Terminology

The Laws of thermodynamics

Gibbs-Duhem Equation

Week 2 (4/7, 4/9A, 4/9P, 4/11) Component spaces and criteria for equilibrium

Reading: JBT pages 27-63

Problem Set #1 due 4/11

Choice of components

Transformation of components

Homogeneous equilibrium

Heterogeneous equilibrium

Phase rule

Week 3 (4/14, 4/16A, 4/16P, 4/18) Phase diagrams – one-component systems

Reading: JBT pages 64-86

E-S-V space

Critical points

Clausius-Clapeyron and generalizations; analytical treatment

First look at metastable extensions

Week 4 (4/21, 4/23A, 4/23P, 4/25) More one-component systems

Reading: JBT 87-92; Stolper and Asimow (2008)

Problem Set #2 due 4/25

Legendre transformations: F, H, G

G-P-T space; Schreinemakers I

H-S-P space and isentropic decompression I

F-V-T space

Week 5 (4/18, 4/30A, 4/30P, 5/2) Two-component systems

Reading: JBT 93-123; Zen (1966)

G-X diagrams and relationship to T-X and P-T spaces; Schreinemakers II

Univariant phenomena: 3-phase, coincidence, critical line

Invariant phenomena: 4-phase, singular point, critical end-point

Week 6 (5/5, 5/7A, 5/7P, 5/9) More two-component systems

Reading: JBT 124-167 (!); Asimow et al. (1997)

Problem Set #3 due 5/9

Analytical treatment

A variety of funny but possible configurations and degeneracies

S-X diagrams and isentropic decompression of loop and eutectic

H-X diagrams and energy-controlled processes

Week 7 (5/12, 5/14A, 5/14P, 5/16) Ternary Systems

Reading: JBT 168-197

G-X-X space, chemography, polythermal diagrams

Univariants: terminal and non-terminal, collinearity, coincidences, critical

Schreinemakers III

Week 8 (5/19, 5/21A, 5/21P; no lecture 5/23) More ternary systems

Reading: JBT 198-230

Problem Set #4 due 5/21 (Wednesday!)

Degeneracies and subsystems

Week 9 (no lecture 5/26; 5/28A, 5/28P, 5/30) Higher order systems

Reading: JBT 230-247

Problem Set #5 due 5/30 for seniors

Schreinemakers IV

Projection

Some metamorphic systems

Week 10 (optional, seniors excused! 6/2, 6/4A, 6/4P, 6/6) Solution theories and phase diagrams

Reading: Akber-Knutson et al. (2005)

Problem Set #5 due 6/6 for non-seniors

Henry and Raoult

Regular solutions

Extrapolating from incomplete data