Washington University 

Prof. Ghislaine Crozaz

Ghislaine Crozaz received both undergraduate degree and Ph.D. at the University of Brussels, Belgium. Presently, she is Professor Emerita of Geochemistry in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department of Washington University. Crozaz is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Meteoritical Society, a Member of various societies, and has served on many national committees. Apart from enjoying the thrill of research, she has most enjoyed training, and interacting with, an exciting group of gifted graduate students whose postgraduate accomplishments are for her a constant source of pleasure.

Over the years, her research interests have ranged widely. At a time when women were not yet allowed in Antarctica, she developed a dating method for polar glaciers, based on the radioactive decay of Pb-210, and studied the natural and artificial radioactivity of the atmosphere and its precipitations. This led to the determination of the snow accumulation rates at more than 80 stations on the Antarctic ice sheet, a prerequisite to understanding the dynamics, mass and heat budgets of this continent. She then analyzed Mn-53 in Antarctic ice to measure the influx of interplanetary dust on Earth. Although determined to investigate meteorites that fascinated her because they contain so many clues as to what happened early in the history of the solar system, she got temporarily sidetracked into studying the Apollo lunar samples and the effects of cosmic ray bombardment to understand the dynamics of the lunar regolith. The nuclear particle track technique she used for this purpose also allowed her to get constraints on the thermal history of meteorites and to determine U and Th distributions in these objects. Her interest in using trace element distributions and isotopic systematics to decipher the origin and evolution of meteorites was stimulated by the development of the ion microprobe that first allowed to make in-situ measurements on a microscopic scale. Since, she has exploited the capabilities of this instrumentation to study meteorites, lunar and terrestrial samples and... finally got the chance to go to Antarctica and participate in two meteorite recovery expeditions.

Research Interests

Lately, Ghislaine Crozaz was mainly interested in understanding the origin of meteorites of different types. To this end, she and her associates used the capabilities of the ion microprobe to determine the trace element concentrations and the isotopic make up of a variety of meteoritic components. Some of their recent publications include:

Wadhwa M., Crozaz G., and Barrat J-A. (2004) Trace element distributions in the Yamato 000593/000749, NWA 817 and NWA 998 nakhlites: Implications for their petrogenesis and mantle sources on Mars. Ant. Met. Res. 17, 97-116.

Crozaz G., Floss C. and Wadhwa M. (2003) Chemical alteration and REE mobilization in meteorites from hot and cold deserts. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 67, 4727-4741.

Floss C., Crozaz G., McKay G., Mikouchi T. and Killgore M. (2003) Petrogenesis of angrites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 67, 4775-4789.

Wadhwa M., Lentz R. C. F., McSween H.Y., Jr., and Crozaz G. (2001) A petrologic and trace element study of Dar al Gani 476 and Dar al Gani 489: Twin meteorites with affinities to basaltic and lherzolitic shergottites. Meteoritics & Planet. Sci 36, 195-208.

Guan, Y., and G. Crozaz (2000) LREE-enrichments in ureilites: a detailed ion microprobe study. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 35, 131-144.

Floss C., Crozaz G, Yamaguchi A. and Keil K. (2000) Trace element constraints on the origins of highly metamorphosed Antarctic eucrites. Antarct. Meteorite Res 13, 222-237.

Wadhwa M., McKay G. and Crozaz G. (1999) Trace element distributions in Yamato-793605, a chip off the "Martian lherzolite" block. Antarct. Meteorite Res. 12, 168-182.

Hsu W. and Crozaz G. (1998) Mineral chemistry and the origin of enstatite in unequilibrated enstatite chondrites. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 62, 1993-2004.

Contact

Ghislaine Crozaz
Dept. of Earth & Planetary Sciences
Campus Box 1169
Washington University
1 Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA

Phone in Brussels: 02/660 65 13
19, av. du Martin-Pecheur, B. 35
1170 Bruxelles, Belgium

Phone: (314) 935-6257
Fax: (314) 935-4083
Email: gcw@wuphys.wustl.edu
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