Petrology

Work group

The Petrology workgroup at the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy has a broad interest in the origin of magmatic and metamorphic rocks. Past projects, led by Prof. Dr. Reiner Kleinschrodt, have focused on rocks of the lower continental crust, with study areas in northern Italy, Sri Lanka, southern India (see photograph). Current projects, led by Dr. Yannick Bussweiler, deal with various intracontinental volcanic rocks (such as kimberlites and alkali basalts) and their mantle xenoliths (fragments of the Earth’s mantle transported to the surface by deep volcanoes).

Petrological studies combine various analytical methods to understand magmatic, metamorphic, and metasomatic processes. These methods include optical polarization microscopy for studying the mineralogy and texture of the rock, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) for quantifying the major and minor element composition of minerals, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) for quantifying the trace element composition of minerals. For radiogenic and stable isotope measurements, the Petrology group has access to the state-of-the-art facilities of the Geo-/Cosmochemistry group.

Moreover, the Petrology group benefits from access to the extensive collection of minerals and rocks in the GeoMuseum for teaching and research purposes.

Teaching

• Magmatic and metamorphic petrology and introduction to ore deposits (BSc)
• Analytical methods for minerals and rocks (BSc)
• Current questions in petrology (MSc)
• Field practicals and excursions (e.g. Eifel, Siebengebirge, and Southern Germany)