Dr. Fred Gaidies

Research
I am the leader of the research group in metamorphic petrology at Carleton University. Our research focuses on a better understanding of the mechanisms and rates of fundamental rock-forming processes, such as nucleation, crystal growth and chemical diffusion and how they depend on changes of pressure, temperature and chemical environment with time during rock evolution. We are especially interested in the kinetics of these processes and how they contribute to the mineral content, mineral chemistry and microstructure of a rock. Using state-of-the-art techniques, such as high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography (XR-µCT) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), we study features such as the chemical zoning of crystals, or the size and spatial distribution of mineral grains in rocks, and compare these findings with results obtained through numerical simulations. For more information, please visit www.teamgar.net.

Teaching
I teach undergraduate classes on mineralogy and petrology, metamorphic petrology, and field geology and graduate courses on the kinetics and thermodynamics of mineral reactions.