Volcanic-plutonic connection and timescales of magmatic processes in the crust
I am interested in understanding how magma are emplaced in the upper-crust and what is happening in magma reservoirs beneath volcanoes. I couple zircon ages and geochemistry with phase equilibrium modeling, thermal modeling, and petrological observations in order to evaluate emplacement rate and storage conditions in the sub-volcanic reservoir, as well as what triggers volcanic eruptions. It is my conviction that a careful evaluation of both the plutonic and volcanic end-members is required in order to understand the mechanisms and magnitudes of volcanic eruptions. I also firmly believe that further progress in reliably deciphering magmatic processes require versatility in analytical methods and interdisciplinary approaches; for example, combining geochemistry/geochronology with geophysical methods and/or modeling to obtain a better understanding of the state of active magma chambers.
Formation and early evolution of the Moon
I am currently working on projects involving lunar zircons brought back by the Apollo missions. I am trying to constrain the formation and early history of the Moon by coupling isotope geochemistry and trace element measurements in these zircons using a large array of analytical method (SIMS, MC-ICP-MS and ID-TIMS). My collaborators and I recently pioneered the first Apollo zircon high-precision geochronology by ID-TIMS, which allowed us to pin for the first time a minimum age for the Moon formation, which has major implications for our understanding of the early evolution of the Earth (check out some of the press coverage here). I am currently investigating the early impact history of the Moon. Determining the flux and timing of asteroid-sized bodies in the inner solar system is critical to models of planetary dynamics and has implications for the habitability of the Early Earth.
Early evolution of the solar system and formation of rocky planets
I also work on meteorite samples from early differentiated bodies such as Vesta. My main target in these rocks is the mineral zircon, that can anchor in time the processes that formed and affected those first planetary bodies. I couple a large array of analytical methods (SIMS, MC-ICP-MS, ID-TIMS, LA-ICP-MS, EPMA) to determine the age (U-Pb) and the chemical processes recorded by trace elements (such REE, Ti, Al, Lu-Hf, ...) within those old (4.5 Ga) zircon grains.