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| Don Francis |
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Don Francis
Full Professor and Dawson Chair
Email Don Francis
Tel: 514.398.4885
Earth & Planetary Sciences
3450 University St.
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H3A 2A7
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Degrees:
B.Sc., McGill, 1968; M.Sc. British Columbia, 1971; Ph.D., MIT, 1974
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Current/Recent Grads:
Hartzler (M.Sc.), Miskovic (M.Sc.), Stefan (M.Sc.), Modeland (PhD.); Abraham (Ph.D. '02), Maurice (M.Sc. '01), Resnick (M.Sc. '03), Schmidberger (Ph.D. '02), Stewart (M.Sc. '02)
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Research Interests:
Exploring the nature of the Earth's upper mantle and the processes within it which give rise to basaltic volcanism on both the Earth and the other terrestrial planets. My approach focuses on geochemical studies of successions of picritic to alkaline basalts and suites of xenoliths in alkaline lavas and kimberlies. These rock suites represent, respectively, primary liquids derived from the Earth's mantle and actural fragments of the upper mantle. My methodology combines field work, chemical analysis, and computer modelling techniques. In the long term, by undertaking studies of basaltic magmatism ranging in age form the recent to the Precambrian, I hope to contribute to our understanding of the temporal evolution of basaltic volcanism and the upper mantle over the history of the Earth.
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Subjects Taught:
igneous petrology, cosmochemistry, petrology, spectroscopy of minerals
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Publications
- Yaxley, G.M., Kamenetsky, V.S., Kamenetsky, M., Norman, M.D., and Francis, D., (2004). Origins of compositional heterogeneity in olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the Baffin Island picrites. Contributions Mineralogy Petrology, 148, 426-442
- Kent, A.J.R., Stolper, E.M., Francis, D., Woodhead, J., Frei, R. and Eiler, J., (2004). Mantle heterogeneity during the formation of the North Atlantic Igneous Province: constraints from trace elements and Sr-Nd-Os-O isotope systematics of Baffin Island picrites. Geochemistry, Geophysics, and Geosystems, 5, Q11004
- Modeland, S., Francis, D. and Hynes, A., (2003). Enriched mantle components in Proterozoic continental-flood basalts of the Cape Smith foldbelt, northern Quebec. Lithos, 71, 1-17
- Schmidberger, S.S., Simonetti, A. and Francis, D., (2003). Small-scale Sr isotope investigation of clinopyroxenes from peridotite xenoliths by laser ablation MC-ICP-MS - implications for mantle metasomatism. Chem. Geol., 199, 317-329
- Francis, D., (2003). Cratonic mantle roots, remnants of a more chondritic Archean mantle?. Lithos, 71, 135-152
- Maurice, C., Francis, D. and Madore, L., (2003). Constraints on early Archean crustal extraction and tholeiitic-komatiitic volcanism in greenstone belts of the Northern Superior Province. Can. J. Earth. Sci., 40, 431-445
- Schmidberger, S.S., Simonetti, A, Francis, D. and Gariepy, C., (2002). Probing Archean lithosphere using the Lu-Hf isotope systematics of peridotite xenoliths from Somerset Island kimberlites, Canada. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 197, 245-259
- Peslier, A.H., Francis, D. and Ludden, J., (2002). The lithospheric mantle beneath continental margins: melting and melt-rock reaction in Canadian Cordillera xenoliths. J. Petrol., 43, 2013-2047
- Schmidberger, S.S., Simonetti. A. and Francis, D., (2001). Sr-Nd-Pb isotope systematics of mantle xenoliths from Somerset Island kimberlites: Evidence for lithosphere stratification beneath Arctic Canada. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 65, 4243-4255
- Abraham, A.C., Francis, D., and Polvé, M., (2001). Recent alkaline basalts as probes of the lithospheric mantle roots of the northern Canadian Cordillera. Chemical Geology, 175, 361-386
- Schmidberger, S.S. and Francis, D., (2001). Constraints on trace element metasomatism of Archean mantle roots, Arctic Canada. J. Petrol., 42, 1095-1117
- Peslier, A.H., Reisberg, L., Ludden, J., and Francis, D., (2000). Os isotopic systematics in mantle xenoliths; age constraints on the Canadian Cordilleran lithosphere. Chemical Geology, 166, 85-101
- Francis, D., Scowen, P., Panneton, G. and Doig, R., (2000). Contrasting Si-saturation in troctolite-anorthosite intrusions along the Manicouagan corridor of the Abitibi-Grenville transect. Can. J. Earth Sci., 37, 271-289
- Peslier, A.H., Reisberg, L., Ludden, J. and Francis, D., (2000). Re-Os constraints on harzburgite and lherzolite formation in the lithospheric mantle: A study of Northern Canadian Cordillera xenoliths. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 64, 3061-3071
- Peslier, A.H., Reisberg, L., Ludden, J. and Francis, D., (2000). Os isotopic systematics in mantle xenoliths; age constraints on the Canadian Cordillera lithosphere. Chem. Geol., 166, 85-101
- Schmidberg, S.S., and Francis, D., (1999). Nature of the mantle roots beneath the North American craton: Mantle xenolith evidence from Somerset Island kimberlites. Lithos, 48, 195-216
- Francis, D., Ludden, J., Johnston, R., and Davis, W., (1999). Picrite evidence for more Fe in archean mantle reservoirs. EPSL , 167, 197-213
- Lang, S., Francis, D., Ludden, J., Frederiksen, A., and Bostock, M., (1998). Xenolith evidence for lithospheric melting above anomalously hot mantle under the northern Canadian Cordillera. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 131, 39-53
- Johnston, S.T., Wynne, P.J., Francis, D., Hart, C.J.R., Enkin, R.J. and Engebretson, D.C., (1996). Yellowstone in Yukon: The Late Cretaceous Carmacks Group. Geology, 24, 997-1000
- Carignan, J., Ludden, J. and Francis D., (1996). On the recent enrichment of subcontinental lithosphere: A detailed U-Pb study of spiner lherzolite xenoliths, Yukon, Canada. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 60, 4241-4252
- Francis, D. and Ludden, J., (1995). The signature of amphibole in mafic alkaline lavas, a study in the northen Canadian Cordillera. Journal of Petrology, 36, 44197
- Francis, D., (1995). Implication of picritic lavas for the mantle sources of terrestrial volcanism. Lithos, 34, 89-105
- Charland, A., Francis, D. and Ludden, J., (1995). The relationship between hawaiites and alkaline olivine basalts in the Itcha Mountains volcanic complex, central British Columbia. Contrib. Petrol., 121, 289-302
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