Ethan F. Baxter
Assistant Professor
Office: STO B45
Phone: 617-358-2844
efb@bu.edu
Ethan's Homepage
Tectonic - Lithospheric Processes Research Page
Classes: ES 222,
ES 302,
ES 571
| Ph.D. | 2000 | University of California, Berkeley |
| B.S. | 1995 | Yale University |
Prof. Baxter's research involves applications of geochemistry, geochronology, and petrology designed to understand and quantify the rates and timescales of geological processes effecting the evolution of the Earth's crust and mantle. Interests include high-temperature reaction kinetics in varied geological environments (i.e. orogenic belts, subduction zones, contact aureoles), the rates and geochemical consequences of mass transport in the evolving crust, the timing and duration of mountain building and metamorphism in collisional environments, and the development of new methodologies to better apply and interpret geochronological data (using, for example, the Sm/Nd, Rb/Sr, K/Ar, or U-Th/He isotopic systems) in studies of crustal and mantle evolution. Prof. Baxter's research includes both field and laboratory based analysis.
Selected Publications
Baxter, E.F., Asimow, P.D and Farley, K.A. 2007. Grain boundary partitioning of Ar and He. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 71, p.434-451.
Watson, E.B., Baxter, E.F., 2007. Frontiers: Diffusion in the Solid Earth. EPSL. 253, 307-327.
Baxter, E.F. and DePaolo, D.J. (2004). Can metamorphic reactions proceed faster than bulk strain? Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 146, p. 657-670.
Baxter, E.F. (2003). Quantification of the factors controlling the presence of excess 40Ar and 4He. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 216, p. 619-634.
Baxter, E.F. (2003). Natural Constraints on Metamorphic Reaction Rates. in Geochronology - linking the isotopic record with petrology and textures. eds. Vance, Muller & Villa. Geological Society of London, Special Publication, 220, p. 183-202.