J. Michael Brown
  Professor
  Office: ATG-220
     ESS Mailing Address
  Phone: 206-616-6058
  Fax: 206-543-0489 (shared)
  Email: brown @ ess.washington.edu
  Homepage: http://earthweb.ess.washington.edu/brown

  Research Groups: Astrobiology, Mineral Physics

Areas of Interest:
Experimental and theoretical mineral physics

Education:
Ph.D., Geophysics, University of Minnesota, 1980

Current Research Interests:
Our existence is by permission of the deep Earth. Cycling of water, carbon, and all other life essential nutrients involves the actions of plate tectonics. Our atmosphere and oceans depend on physical and chemical processes that extend throughout Earth's mantle. Our planet is 12,742 km in diameter. The deepest bore hole penetrates a mere 0.1% of this distance (to 12 km). In my research group, we investigate the properties of earth materials under a wide range of pressures and temperatures in order to better understand the processes occurring in the other 99.9% of Earth where geologic field trips are not yet possible.

Selected Publications:

Brown, J. M., The equation of state for iron to 450 GPa: Another high pressure phase?, Geophys. Res. Lett , 28, 4339-42, 2001

Vance, S., and J. M. Brown, Layering and double-diffusion style convection in Europa’s ocean, Icarus, 177 (2), 506–514, 2005

Brown, J.M., Abramson, E.H., Ross, R.L., Triclinic Elastic Constants for Low Albite, Phys Chem Minerals, 33, 256-265, 2006.

Vance, S., J. Harnmeijer, J. Kimura, H. Hussmann and J.M. Brown, Hydrothermal Systems in Small Ocean Planets, Astrobiology, 7, 987-1005, 2007

Crowhurst, J.C., J.M. Brown, A. Goncharov, S. Jacobsen, Elasticity of (Mg,Fe)O through the spin transition of iron in the lower mantle, Science, 319, 451-453, 2008

Vance, S, and J.M. Brown, Thermodynamic properties of aqueous MgSO4 to 800 MPa at temperatures from 20 to 100 C and concentrations to 2.5 mol kg1 from sound speeds, with applications to icy world oceans. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 110,176–189, 2013