Greg Druschel

1
GEO 135Introduction to Geochemistry

• Greg Druschel
• 321 Delehanty Hall
• Gregory.Druschel_at_uvm.edu

2
Course Goals

• At the end of this course
• You will be able to utilize thermodynamic to
  determine if individual reactions are
  feasible/important under any given condition
• You will be able to design a sampling protocol,
  analyze key chemical components, apply
  thermodynamic or kinetic models, and test
  hypotheses concerning the mobility of elements in
  any setting
• You will be able to appreciate both the dynamics
  and complexity of geochemistry yet utilize what
  you know to ascertain processes important in the
  stability, movement, and reactivity of elements
  in the earth

3
What is Geochemistry??

• Victor Goldschmidt defined the study of
  geochemistry as the laws governing the
  distribution of the chemical elements and their
  isotopes throughout the earth
• What does that mean?
• We are interested in understanding the different
  ways in which elements move ? whether in the
  core, mantle, crust, oceans, sediments, air,
  space, or other planets

4
b
Light ? photochemical rxns, phototrophic
organisms??
O2 diffusion
FeS2 3.5 O2 H2O ? Fe2 2 SO42- 2 H
Bacteria/ archea ? Fe oxidizers, S oxidizers
Fe2 O2 H ? Fe3OOH 2 H
H SO42- lt -- gt HSO4-
CH2O FeOOH ? Fe2 CO2
CH2O SO42- ? HS- CO2
5
Field Geochemistry

• Scale Where and when do you take a sample??

6
Field Notebook

• Need to record all observations, measurements,
  and sampling locations/times
• Get something weatherproof (Write-in-the rain
  notebooks work great)