Adrian Castro
Assistant Professor of Geosciences
Research Interests: I'm a metamorphic petrologist and geochemist interested in metamorphic phase equilibria, chemical kinetics, convergent tectonics, and subduction zone dynamics.
I'm a metamorphic petrologist and geochemist interested in metamorphic phase equilibria, chemical kinetics, convergent tectonics, and subduction zone dynamics. Essentially, I'm interested in how mountains are formed and how the materials that make up the crust are recycled back into the Earth. I employ thermodynamic modeling, Raman spectroscopy and good old fashioned petrography (along with other tools) to constrain the conditions of fluid production during subduction and the petrologic and structural evolution of mountain belts.
My courses are classically grounded, but forward looking. I incorporate hands-on lab work with long term collaborative projects to help students build critical thinking skills that help them solve geological and real life problems. I teach courses in the realm of “hard rocks” including Volcanology, Earth Materials, and Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. I’m interested in developing senior theses with any students interested in tectonics, earth materials and metamorphic petrology!
Current and upcoming courses
Earth Materials with Laboratory
GEOS203
This course provides those interested in any aspect of the Earth Sciences with the base necessary to understand the physical and chemical properties of Earth Materials (e.g. minerals and rocks). The primary focus of this course is to understand the concept of optical and chemical mineralogy in the broad context of the geosciences, but the environmental and human health applications of Earth Materials will also be explored. Our primary tools will be field and hand sample observations, petrographic analysis of minerals in thin section, and x-ray and electron beam based analytical techniques.