Christopher OzeOccidental College · Department of Geology
Christopher Oze
PhD
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67
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
June 2019 - present
January 2016 - May 2019
November 2014 - February 2015
Publications
Publications (67)
Naturally occurring Cr(VI) has been ascribed to terrestrial Cr(III) oxidation by Mn (di)oxides, generated through reaction of Mn(II) with molecular oxygen (O 2). However, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) is a potential oxidant of Cr(III) that may form in serpentinization (high H 2 , low O 2) systems where chromite [i.e., the main mineralogical source of...
Hydrothermal systems develop via interspersed thermal events over tens to hundreds of thousands of years. The timing of how these systems evolve is commonly established via application of geochronology to a variety of phases and/or the indirect correlation of dated stratigraphy. Here we report ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar results from adularia extracted from a single...
The Berlins Porphyry located on the South Island of New Zealand provides an opportunity to examine iron concretions formed in a subterranean system. Specifically, an alteration zone within the Berlins Porphyry contains iron concretions similar to sedimentary biologically-mediated iron concretions. Here, we provide evidence for two sources of dissol...
Natural processes and anthropogenic activities may result in the formation and/or introduction of perchlorate (ClO4⁻) at elevated levels into the environment. Perchlorate in soil environments on Earth and potentially in Mars may modify the dynamics of metal release and their mobilization. Serpentine soils, known for their elevated metal concentrati...
The June 2011 eruption of Cordón Caulle volcano, Chile, dispersed tephra over ~350,000km², including productive agricultural land. This resulted in the death of nearly one million livestock. Two distinct environments were affected: a proximal temperate Andean setting, and the semi-arid Argentine steppe farther from the volcano. The purpose of this...
The development and properties of MgO-clay-based engineered M-S-H cement mortar and concrete with Martian regolith simulant filler is presented in this study. Engineering properties for the M-S-H cement include compressive strength, tensile strength, Poisson’s ratio, elastic modulus, bond strength, and incorporate durability indicators such as poro...
Continental ultramafic rock systems, through the process of serpentinization, provide chemical and biochemical pathways that lead to the production of methane. The extent to which rock-water-gas reactions and organisms supply methane in these systems is a matter of considerable discussion and debate. Deciphering the interplay of abiotic and microbi...
The possibility of life in the venusian clouds was proposed in the 1960s, and recently this hypothesis has been revived with the potential detection of phosphine (PH3) in Venus' atmosphere. These observations may have detected ∼5-20 ppb phosphine on Venus (Greaves et al., 2020), which raises questions about venusian atmospheric/geochemical processe...
The potential for using MgO and SiO 2 , recovered from olivine, was investigated for use as a cementitious binder system. The MgO to SiO 2 proportion for the binder was fixed at 1:1. The nature of the hydration products were characterized using a variety of techniques including isothermal calorimetry, XRD, FTIR, and SEM. The primary binding compone...
The long-term establishment of self-sufficient settlements on Mars will require the extensive use of in situ resources to construct habitats and infrastructure. Concrete is the most widely used construction material on Earth, and the vast majority of the necessary components are also readily available on the surface of Mars with little processing....
Global climate change related to anthropogenic CO 2 emissions is one of the most significant challenges for the future of human life on Earth. There are many potential options for reducing or even eliminating atmospheric CO 2 emissions including underground sequestration, carbon mineralization and ocean storage. One of the most promising materials...
Plant nutrients such as potassium (K) may be limited in soil systems and additions (i.e., fertilizer) are commonly required. Glaucony is a widely distributed and abundant marine-derived clay mineral present in soils worldwide which may serve as a source of potassium. The South Island of New Zealand contains numerous deposits of glaucony-rich rocks...
The eventual construction of infrastructure on the Moon and Mars will require innovative solutions in both structural design and material selection. While concrete has been used on Earth in various forms for over 2,000 years, it is also an ideal construction material for engineering on other planets. Virtually all of the materials required to make...
The French Creek Granite, New Zealand, is an alkaline intrusion with enrichment in rare earth elements (REE). Petrography and whole-rock geochemical signatures demonstrate that the c. 82–84-Ma French Creek Granite is a composite granitoid, dominated by a ferroan, weakly peraluminous biotite alkali feldspar granite to syenogranite, with subordinate...
The transformation of trace metals (TMs) in natural environmental systems has created significant concerns in recent decades. Ultramafic environments lead to potential risks to the agricultural products and, subsequently, to human health. This unique review presents geochemistry of ultramafic soils, TM fractionation (i.e. sequential and single extr...
The utilization of in situ resources will be critical to the success of any long-term manned missions to Mars. One of the many requirements will be the development of suitable materials for the construction of habitats and infrastructure. In this paper we present results on the development of a magnesium-based cementitious binder system, which coul...
In situ building materials and energy resources are necessary for the long-term human habitation of Mars. Olivine ((Mg,Fe)2SiO4) is a regionally abundant mineral on Mars and may potentially serve both purposes. Here we assess olivine hydrolysis (i.e., serpentinization) and related products including magnesite (MgCO3) as a means to produce a Mg-base...
Thermal springs present rare opportunities to locate and interpret the geological drivers of upper-crustal fluid flow. Interpreting the conditions through which crustal fluids are heated and released to the surface is important for advancing our understanding of crustal deformation and geothermal resource potential across tectonic contexts. In New...
Long-term human habitation of Mars will require in situ resources for construction and infrastructure development. In order to determine how to utilize in situ resources, such as Martian regolith, these materials need to be synthesized on Earth for testing and development. Here we address the process of synthesizing a targeted Martian simulant (i.e...
Silica-oversaturated, alkaline igneous complexes represent unusual magmas that are frequently enriched in rare earth elements (REEs) and high field strength elements. This often makes them a prospecting target for economic mineralisation of these unique metals, for which demand is exponentially increasing in the renewable energy, military and advan...
Detailed facies analyses of intra-arc basin stratigraphy provide spatial and temporal insights into the nature and timing of past volcanic, sedimentary and tectonic events. Rift and caldera basins hosting lakes in the central Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) continental arc preserve a sequence of locally and regionally sourced volcanic deposits and interb...
Perchlorate ( ) is a strong oxidizer and has gained significant attention due to its reactivity, occurrence, and persistence in surface water, groundwater, soil and food. Stable isotope techniques (i.e., (18O/16O and 17O/16O) and 37Cl/35Cl) facilitate the differentiation of naturally occurring perchlorate from anthropogenic perchlorate. At high eno...
Adularia and sanidine are polymorphs of potassium feldspar commonly present in felsic, hydrothermally altered volcanic deposits. Sanidine is a high-temperature volcanic mineral, whereas adularia forms post deposition by hydrothermal processes. Petrographically differentiating between these polymorphs in hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks may be...
Growing pressure on sustainable water resource allocation in the context of global development and rapid environmental change demands rigorous knowledge of how regional water cycles change through time. One of the most attractive and widely utilized approaches for gaining this knowledge is the analysis of lake carbonate stable isotopic compositions...
Serpentinization involves the hydrolysis and transformation of primary ferromagnesian minerals such as olivine ((Mg,Fe) 2 SiO 4) and pyroxenes ((Mg,Fe)SiO 3) to produce H 2-rich fluids and a variety of secondary minerals over a wide range of environmental conditions. The continual and elevated production of H 2 is capable of reducing carbon, thus i...
Martian regolith and rock may one day be used for building material to support long-term habitation on Mars. Despite several martian simulants being available, the capability of accurately matching a wide variety of reported grain size distributions coupled to the regolith’s chemical character for specific sites on Mars needs to be advanced before...
The quantification of heat and mass flow between deep reservoirs and the surface is important for understanding magmatic and hydrothermal systems. Here, we use high-resolution measurement of carbon dioxide flux (ϕCO2) and heat flow at the surface to characterize the mass (CO2 and steam) and heat released to the atmosphere from two magma-hydrotherma...
Diffuse soil CO2 flux surveys are a widely applied approach for delineating zones of elevated heat and mass transfer in areas with geothermal surface features including hot-springs, and mud pools, and geysers. However, many geothermal systems are capped by relatively impermeable layers that diminish the surface expression of potential resources pre...
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is an analytical technique utilized to measure the concentrations of H and C species in volcanic glasses. Water and CO2 are the most abundant volatile species in volcanic systems. Water is present in magmas in higher concentrations than CO2 and is also more soluble at lower pressures, and, therefore it...
Current and ancestral lakes within the central Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) provide depocentres for pyroclastic deposits, providing a reliable record of eruption history. These lakes can also be the source of explosive eruptions that directly feed pyroclast-rich density currents. The lithofacies characteristics of pyroclastic deposits allow discrimina...
Hydrous alteration of olivine is capable of producing molecular hydrogen (H2) over a wide variety of hydrothermal conditions. Although olivine hydrolysis (i.e., serpentinization) has commonly been assessed at elevated temperatures (>100oC), the nature of these reactions in relation to H2 production at lower temperatures has not been systematically...
Metal roofing material is commonly used for residential and industrial roofs in volcanically active areas. Increased corrosion of metal roofing from chemically reactive volcanic ash following ash deposition post-eruption is a major concern due to decreasing the function and stability of roofs. Currently, assessment of ash-induced corrosion is anecd...
Ultramafic rocks and their related soils (i.e., serpentine soils) are non-anthropogenic sources of metal contamination. Elevated concentrations of metals released from these soils into the surrounding areas and groundwater have ecological-, agricultural-, and human health-related consequences. Here we report the geochemistry of four different serpe...
Chromium is abundantly and primarily present as Cr(III) in ultramafic rocks and serpentine soils. Chromium(III) oxidation involving chromite (FeCr2O4) via interactions with birnessite has been shown to be a major pathway of Cr(VI) production in serpentine soils. Alternatively, Cr(III)-bearing silicates with less Cr(III) may provide higher Cr(VI) pr...
Crystal growth and crack development in cooling lava domes are both capable of redistributing and mobilizing water. Cracking and hydration decrease the stability of a dome, which may lead to hazards including partial dome collapse and block and ash flows. By examining the distribution of water around crystals and cracks, we identify and confine tem...
Ultramafic rocks and their related soils and sediments are non-anthropogenic sources of metal contaminants.
In the southeastern region of Sri Lanka, release of Ni and Mn into the surrounding areas and groundwater is
an ecological, agricultural and human health concern. Here, we investigate the release and fate of Ni and Mn
from serpentine sediment...
We appreciate the opportunity to clarify the supplementary use of field data used to investigate abiotic CH4 genesis in hydrothermal systems containing olivine (1, 2). We agree that laboratory experiments cannot replicate the complexity of natural systems. However, the scientific value of experimental studies is to simplify complex systems by first...
Laptop computers are vital components of critical infrastructure sectors and a common tool in broader society. As they become more widely used, their exposure to volcanic hazards will increase. Therefore, understanding how laptops will function in volcanic environments is necessary to provide suitable mitigation options. In this study, laptop compu...
Stable isotope-based proxy methods enhance our ability to interpret geodynamical histories for tectonic
provinces via paleoelevational reconstructions. These methods require that the unmodified isotopic composition of meteoric water is recorded by authigenic minerals, a critical assumption that has not been tested across wide-ranging environmental...
Molecular hydrogen (H(2)) is derived from the hydrothermal alteration of olivine-rich planetary crust. Abiotic and biotic processes consume H(2) to produce methane (CH(4)); however, the extent of either process is unknown. Here, we assess the temporal dependence and limit of abiotic CH(4) related to the presence and formation of mineral catalysts d...
Geochemical assessment of rocks and fluids enables improved drilling success and geothermal development. Hydrothermal carbonates are potential indicators of hydrothermal fluid source(s), fluid mixing processes and metasomatic/alteration temperatures. Here, we use core samples from the Ngatamariki Geothermal Field located in the Taupo Volcanic Zone,...
A significant challenge to geothermal exploration is accurate quantification of the heat and mass flow between deep reservoir(s) and the surface. Here, we use high resolution measurement of carbon dioxide (CO 2) flux and heat flow at the land surface to characterise the mass (CO 2 and steam) and heat released from the geothermal reservoir. Statisti...
A volcanic eruption ends when magma is sufficiently degassed. We aim to
understand the mechanisms of water exsolution to estimate how and when
eruptions terminate. In the late, effusive stage of a volcanic eruption
magma foams collapse, crystals start to grow and strain aligns bubbles
and microlites to flow bands. At low temperatures, diffusion rat...
Serpentinization is a geochemical process resulting in the inorganic synthesis of molecular hydrogen (H2) where H2 is capable of reducing carbon (i.e., CO2) to form methane (CH4). Although CH4 formation is thermodynamically favorable over a wide range of pressure and temperature, the rate of CH4 production via Fischer-Tropsch type (FTT) synthesis i...
Here we discuss the fate of subducting carbonates in forearcs and its implications towards the Sr budget of the oceans. Theoretical data on carbonate equilibria suggest that a large inventory of the subducting carbonates will undergo dissolution at relatively shallow levels (quartz and smectite-->illite transitions would dissolve sedimentary carbon...
Kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH)4) and gibbsite (Al(OH)3) are capable of forming in a variety of environments including anthropogenic solutions such as wine. Here, we evaluate the geochemistry of twelve white wines in order to assess the potential relationship between kaolinite/gibbsite saturation and minerality, a common wine descriptor used to express the...
Serpentinization of forsteritic olivine results in the inorganic synthesis of molecular hydrogen (H2) in ultramafic hydrothermal systems (e.g., mid-ocean ridge and forearc environments). Inorganic carbon in those hydrothermal systems may react with H2 to produce methane (CH4) and other hydrocarbons or react with dissolved metal ions to form carbona...
Chrysotile and tremolite asbestos represent two mineralogical categories of regulated asbestos commonly evaluated in epidemiological, toxicological, and pathological studies. Lung and digestive fluids are undersaturated with respect to chrysotile and tremolite asbestos (i.e. dissolution is thermodynamically favorable), where the dissolution kinetic...
Serpentine soils derived from the weathering of ultramafic rocks and their metamorphic derivatives (serpentinites) are chemically prohibitive for vegetative growth. Evaluating how serpentine vegetation is able to persist under these chemical conditions is difficult to ascertain due to the numerous factors (climate, relief, time, water availability,...
Serpentinization (olivine hydrolysis) is the primary process contributing to abiotic generation of elemental hydrogen (H2) in active mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal systems and forearc environments. Carbon dioxide in these types of systems reacts with serpentinization-derived H2 to produce methane (CH4) and with cations in seawater (Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+)...
Chrysotile and tremolite asbestos represent two mineralogical categories
of regulated asbestos commonly evaluated in epidemiological,
toxicological, and pathological studies. Lung and digestive fluids are
undersaturated with respect to chrysotile and tremolite asbestos (i.e.
dissolution is thermodynamically favorable), where the dissolution
kinetic...
Naturally occurring Cr(VI) has recently been reported in ground and surface waters. Rock strata rich in Cr(III)-bearing minerals, in particular chromite, are universally found in these areas that occur near convergent plate margins. Here we report experiments demonstrating accelerated dissolution of chromite and subsequent oxidation of Cr(III) to a...
The near-surface inorganic synthesis of molecular hydrogen (H2) is a fundamental process relevant to the origins and to the sustenance of early life on Earth and potentially other planets. Hydrogen production through the decomposition of water is thought to be a principal reaction that occurs during hydrothermal alteration of olivine, an iron–magne...
The geochemical formation of molecular hydrogen (H2) is a fundamental process relevant to the inorganic synthesis of organic compounds, the origins of early life, and as an energy source for a broad array of chemosynthetic organisms. Perhaps the most important reaction capable of producing copious amounts of H2 near terrestrial planetary surfaces i...
Spatial variability of methane (CH4) on Mars suggests the presence of localized subsurface sources. Here, we show that olivine hydration in the Martian regolith and crust may be a major CH4 source, which contributed significantly to the warming of early Mars. Methane production is kinetically and thermodynamically favored during low-T aqueous alter...
Dense blue glassy pahoehoe occurs on the lower Kalapana flow field of Hawaii as limited breakouts at the base of tumuli and pressure rises or in localized depressions. Dense blue glassy pahoehoe differs from the more abundant spongy pahoehoe in that it has a distinctive silvery blue color, a poorly vesiculated glassy outer selvage, and lower extrus...
Serpentine soils derived from the weathering of ultramafic rocks, mainly ophiolitic serpentinites, are typically characterized by Cr concentrations in excess of 200 mg kg, comparatively higher than non-serpentine soils. We review the chemistry of Cr in serpentine soils and their protoliths, focusing on serpentine soils collected from New Caledonia,...
Weathering of ultramafic rocks and serpentinites in the Franciscan Complex of California produces serpentine soils containing high concentrations of Cr as well as other potentially toxic elements including Ni, Co, and Mn. Chromium concentrations in serpentine soils from Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in the Central Coast Range are as high as 4,76...
Chromium release and oxidation from chromite is a potential environmental hazard in sediments and soils and a pathway for soil development (weathering of primary minerals) related to ultramafic rocks and their metamorphic derivatives (serpentinites). Birnessite is a common pedologic mineral in these sediments and soils capable of oxidizing aqueous...
Weathering of ultramafic rocks and their metamorphic equivalents (serpentinites) in the Franciscan Formation of California produces serpentine soils containing high concentrations of chromium as well as potentially toxic elements such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese. Chromium concentrations in serpentine soils from Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve...