Dr. Zachary Eriksen

Data-driven perspectives on mantle geochemistry

At the broadest scale, I am fascinated by Earth’s crust-mantle system and how variations in the processes and rates of mass cycling between Earth’s surface and interior have shaped its evolution over time. As a mantle geochemist, I study how magmatism and crustal recycling—the major drivers of element cycling between the mantle and crust—manifest as chemical and physical heterogeneity in the mantle. I use the elemental and isotopic compositions of mantle-derived basalts to indirectly sample this heterogeneity. My research integrates large geochemical databases with multivariate statistics and machine learning to quantitatively test process-based hypotheses for the origin of mantle heterogeneity—locally and globally—and to link geochemical signals with geophysical observables. I complement this approach with laboratory-based methods development, applying novel geochemical tools such as stable isotopes to probe these same processes.