Donald J. DePaolo
Encyclopedia
Donald J. DePaolo is an American professor of geochemistry in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at the University of California, Berkeley and Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environmental Sciences at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
(LBNL) [1]. Upon his arrival in Berkeley Dr. DePaolo established and directs the Center for Isotope Geochemistry, a joint research facility between LBNL and UC Berkeley [2]. In 1998 he was made the Class of 1951 Professor of Geochemistry and served as chair of the department from 1990 to 1993. From 1998-2006 DePaolo served as Geochemistry Department Head at LBNL, in 2007 he became Earth Sciences Division Director and from 2010-2011 he served as Acting Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environmental Sciences before accepting the position permanently on April 1, 2011. In Spring of 2009, DePaolo became the Director of the Center for Nanoscale Control of Geologic CO2 (EFRC) [3].
and neodymium
isotope ratios to constrain the age and chemical evolution of rocks. DePaolo and his then advisor Gerald Wasserburg made the first Nd isotope measurements on terrestrial igneous rocks [5]. An important byproduct of this work was the development of epsilon notation
(ε), with which initial 143Nd/144Nd values could be distinguished from the chondritic uniform reservoir (CHUR) in parts per ten thousand. Key principles of the Nd isotope system were laid out in his 1988 book, Neodymium Isotope Geochemistry: An Introduction.
DePaolo’s work has since led to significant advances in using various isotope systems to constrain rates of metamorphic processes [6], quantify continental weathering and elemental seawater budgets through geologic time [7][8], and model fluid-rock interactions [9]. As principal investigator of the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project (HSDP), DePaolo and coworkers sampled the flank of Mauna Kea
volcano to a depth of several kilometers. Major findings included a determination of the geochemical structure of the Hawaiian mantle plume [10]. DePaolo’s recent research provides a framework for understanding the partitioning of stable isotopes during mineral growth, with a focus on isotopes of calcium
[11].
Career
DePaolo received his B.S. degree with Honors in Geology from SUNY Binghamton in 1973 and earned his Ph.D. in geology with a minor in chemistry under Gerald Wasserburg at the California Institute of Technology in 1978. In the same year DePaolo began an assistant professorship at the University of California Los Angeles Department of Geology and Geochemistry and subsequently earned his associate (1981–1983) and full professorship (1983–1988). In 1988 he began his term as Professor of Geochemistry at the University of California Berkeley in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, with a joint appointment as a Faculty Scientist in the Earth Sciences Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
(LBNL) [1]. Upon his arrival in Berkeley Dr. DePaolo established and directs the Center for Isotope Geochemistry, a joint research facility between LBNL and UC Berkeley [2]. In 1998 he was made the Class of 1951 Professor of Geochemistry and served as chair of the department from 1990 to 1993. From 1998-2006 DePaolo served as Geochemistry Department Head at LBNL, in 2007 he became Earth Sciences Division Director and from 2010-2011 he served as Acting Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environmental Sciences before accepting the position permanently on April 1, 2011. In Spring of 2009, DePaolo became the Director of the Center for Nanoscale Control of Geologic CO2 (EFRC) [3].
Research Interests
DePaolo has coauthored over 170 peer-reviewed articles and reviews. His research interests focus on using naturally-occurring isotope variations to explore questions such as- Origin of the deep-source Hawaiian plume and other hotspots and theories on mantle dynamics [4]
- Tracking fluids moving through groundwater systems, with application to tracing contaminants
- Understanding isotopic fractionation of molten materials
- Magma chamber processes and life cycles of volcanoes
- Isotopic evidence that may lead to detecting life on other planets
- Chronology studies of of both difficult-to-date young volcanic rocks and ancient continental rocks
- Isotopic composition of old ocean sediments, with implications for climate shifts
Major Contributions
In his early career, DePaolo pioneered the use of samariumSamarium
Samarium is a chemical element with the symbol Sm, atomic number 62 and atomic weight 150.36. It is a moderately hard silvery metal which readily oxidizes in air. Being a typical member of the lanthanide series, samarium usually assumes the oxidation state +3...
and neodymium
Neodymium
Neodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60. It is a soft silvery metal that tarnishes in air. Neodymium was discovered in 1885 by the Austrian chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach. It is present in significant quantities in the ore minerals monazite and bastnäsite...
isotope ratios to constrain the age and chemical evolution of rocks. DePaolo and his then advisor Gerald Wasserburg made the first Nd isotope measurements on terrestrial igneous rocks [5]. An important byproduct of this work was the development of epsilon notation
Samarium-neodymium dating
Samarium-neodymium dating is useful for determining the age relationships of rocks and meteorites, based on decay of a long-lived samarium isotope to a radiogenic neodymium isotope. Nd isotope ratios are used to provide information on the source of igneous melts as well as to provide age data...
(ε), with which initial 143Nd/144Nd values could be distinguished from the chondritic uniform reservoir (CHUR) in parts per ten thousand. Key principles of the Nd isotope system were laid out in his 1988 book, Neodymium Isotope Geochemistry: An Introduction.
DePaolo’s work has since led to significant advances in using various isotope systems to constrain rates of metamorphic processes [6], quantify continental weathering and elemental seawater budgets through geologic time [7][8], and model fluid-rock interactions [9]. As principal investigator of the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project (HSDP), DePaolo and coworkers sampled the flank of Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea is a volcano on the island of Hawaii. Standing above sea level, its peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii. However, much of the mountain is under water; when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is over tall—significantly taller than Mount Everest...
volcano to a depth of several kilometers. Major findings included a determination of the geochemical structure of the Hawaiian mantle plume [10]. DePaolo’s recent research provides a framework for understanding the partitioning of stable isotopes during mineral growth, with a focus on isotopes of calcium
Isotopes of calcium
Calcium has a total of 24 isotopes, from 34Ca to 57Ca. There are five observationally stable isotopes , plus one isotope with such a long half-life that for all practical purposes it can be considered stable...
[11].
Recent Service
- 2008 DOE/Basic Energy Sciences/BESAC subcommittee on New Era Science
- 2005-2008 Chair NRC Committee on Grand Research Questions in Earth Sciences
- 2003-2008 NSF Continental Dynamics Panel, EAR
- 2004-2008 Science Advisory Committee SAFOD
- 2007-2010 Day Medal Committee, GSA
- 2002- Board of Directors, Berkeley Geochronology Center
- 2005-2008 CIDER steering Committee
Special Awards and Honors
- 2009 Fellow, American Association by the Advancement of Science
- 2000 Harold Urey Medal, European Assoc. of Geochemistry
- 2000 John Simon Guggenheim Fellow
- 1999 Arthur L. Day MedalArthur L. Day MedalThe Arthur L. Day Medal is a prize awarded by the Geological Society of America, established in 1948 by Arthur Louis Day for "outstanding distinction in contributing to geologic knowledge through the application of physics and chemistry to the solution of geologic problems"....
, Geol. S - 1997-98 Miller Research Professor, U.C. Berkeley
- 1997 Geochemistry Fellow, Geochem. Soc. and EAG
- 1997 Fellow, Geological Soc. Am
- 1994-95 Fulbright Senior Scholar, Australia National University
- 1994 Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 1993 Member, National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
- 1992 Fellow, California Academy of SciencesCalifornia Academy of SciencesThe California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
- 1987 Mineralogical Society of America Award
- 1987 Fellow, Mineralogical Society of America
- 1983 J.B. MacElwane Award, American Geophysical Union
- 1983 Fellow, American Geophysical Union
- 1978 F.W. Clarke Medal, Geochemical Society
External links
- [1] DePaolo's UC-Berkeley webpage
- [2] Center for Isotope Geochemistry
- [3] Center for Nanoscale Control of Geologic CO2
- [4] HSDP
- [5] Nd Isotopic Variations and Petrogenetic Models
- [6] Rates of Tectonometamorphic Processes from Rubidium and Strontium Isotopes in Garnet
- [7] Seawater Strontium Isotopic Variations from 2.5 Million Years Ago to the Present
- [8] Isotopic Evidence for Variations in the Marine Calcium Cycle Over the Cenozoic
- [9] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V66-4J2W0N0-1&_user=4420&_coverDate=03%2F01%2F2006&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=gateway&_origin=gateway&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1715993594&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000059607&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=4420&md5=482b621d4b20a62c67c2a5719715cb97&searchtype=aIsotopic effects in fracture-dominated reactive fluid–rock systems]
- [10] Deep Drilling into a Mantle Plume Volcano
- [11] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V66-51K9963-1&_user=4420&_coverDate=02%2F15%2F2011&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=gateway&_origin=gateway&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1715995883&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000059607&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=4420&md5=0a6366502b64842b8a8f93fb38892977&searchtype=aSurface kinetic model for isotopic and trace element fractionation during precipitation of calcite from aqueous solutions]