JOHN R BOWMAN portrait
  • Professor Emeritus, Geology & Geophysics
801-581-7250

Research Statement

My primary research interests center on fluid-rock interactions and the mechanisms and rates of reaction during metamorphism of crustal rocks. I am also interested in applications of geothermobarometry in metamorphic systems. More recently, in collaboration with colleagues here at Utah and other institutions, I have gotten interested in the utility of accessory phases such as zircon as monitors of the thermal and compositional evolution of crust over time, and in the mechanisms and timescales of assembly of igneous intrusions. My approach to research is multi-disciplinary, combining field observations, petrography, chemical and stable isotope analysis (mass spectrometry, electron microprobe), thermodynamic calculations and heat/mass transport modeling. These approaches have been amplified recently with quantitative textural analyses including measurements of crystal size distributions (CSD) and spatial dispositions, and ion microprobe (SIMS) analyses of isotopes (U, Pb, O) and trace elements (Ti, REE).