Kenneth W. Christle

Ken is a Ph.D. student in the Institute for Geochemistry and Petrology (IGP) at ETH Zürich working with Olivier Bachmann and Whitney Behr. He completed his B.S. in Geology at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst in 2007 where he utilised EPMA and XRF to analyze lava flow samples produced by Hekla Volcano in Iceland to identify the petrologic evolution of this system over the historic record (1104 – 2000). Ken also holds an M.S. in Geology from the University at Buffalo (SUNY) in 2012, where he studied the formation mechanism of unusual lava flow features, known as lava pillars, produced during the 1783-84 Lakagígur eruption in Iceland. His Ph.D. focuses on: 1) characterizing the mechanism for separating crystals and melt in silicic systems, and 2) testing the TitaniQ geothermometer in silicic systems. Ken’s research interests are primarily based around tackling volcanic processes and their products with a multi-directional approach. Ken has recently attained his FAA Part 107 UAS Pilot’s License to utilise this new, quickly-developing, tool.

More information can be found at Ken’s webpage.

Current project affiliations: Ti-in-Quartz equilibration with the presence of melt