Continental Crust Formation

Half of Earth's radioactive heat producing elements like U, Th and K have migrated into the continental crust over the course of Earth's history.  However, the crust makes up less than 0.5 % of the Earth. Primary magmas are generated in the mantle and eventually migrate to the Earth's surface, cooling, crystallizing and differentiating into a wide diversity of magma types.  Felsic liquids rise to the surface and mafic cumulates are left behind in the lower crust.  What are the mass fluxes of juvenile crust formation, felsic liquids and cumulates?  How do these processes distribute various elements throughout the Earth?  How have these processes changed with time?  Our research on this topic is based on field work, geochemistry and geochemical and geodynamic modeling.  We have focused much of our efforts in understanding the deep structure of volcanic arcs in the Phanerozoic. 

Future directions: the origin of A-type granites and their significance to continent stabilization in the Archean; cycling of sulfur and chalcophile elements during continent formation.