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Contact:Lunar and Planetary Lab |
Dr. Drake's research program is centered on understanding the accretion of planetary bodies, and the formation and evolution of the terrestrial planets, satellites, and asteroids. The techniques of geochemistry are applied to unravel the formation of planetary cores, the evolution of primordial magma oceans, and the outgassing of planetary atmospheres. Laboratory experiments simulate the physical and chemical conditions deep inside rocky bodies. Chemical and isotopic analyses of lunar samples, meteorites, and terrestrial rocks are used to infer the states of planetary bodies 4.5 Ga ago. Chemical thermodynamic and numerical calculations apply the results of laboratory simulations to the interpretation of these ancient geochemical "fingerprints" in terms of the accretion and primordial differentiation of planetary bodies.
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