Diffusion Workshop – 06-10 October 2025
We would like to draw your attention to a short course on the
Application of diffusion studies to the determination of timescales in geochemistry and petrology (diffusion chronometry / geospeedometry)
to be held at the, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany. The course is part of the collaborative Research Unit (FOR 2881), organized jointly by the universities of Bochum and Hannover and will be run by staff members of the two institutions.
About the Workshop
Content: This course is designed for petrologists, geochemists, volcanologists, and planetary scientists interested in extracting timescale information from rocks. Such information might include the residence times of magmas in reservoirs, the cooling or exhumation rates of rocks, the durations of terrestrial and extraterrestrial metamorphism (e.g., meteorite parent bodies), the duration of fluid flow (e.g., metasomatism by fluids/melts in the crust or mantle), and the evaluation and application of closure temperatures. The focus will be on high-temperature processes, making it relevant for those interested in high-temperature thermochronometry, diffusion chronometry, and geospeedometry. The course will run from Monday (06 October) till Friday (10 October), with a combination of lectures to introduce the topic and accompanying hands-on practical exercises. A more detailed course schedule and program will follow soon on our webpage
Goals and expected profile of participants: Previous experience with numerical modelling or programming is not required, but an interest in learning the rudiments of these tools is. One of the objectives of the course, however, is to demonstrate how much it is possible to accomplish without any or with very little programming. The basic information on diffusion that is required for carrying out such calculations will be provided, but this is not a course designed to cover all aspects of diffusion in minerals and melts.
In addition to instruction via lectures, a major component of the course will be hands on training to enable participants to “do your own” modelling. Participants will be expected to bring their own laptop computers with Excel and MATLAB installed on those. Knowledge of MATLAB is not required – instructions will be provided during the course. All instruction and exercises will be in English.
The course material will be designed for graduate students or postdocs starting off in the fields mentioned above, but participants with all levels of experience and expertise are welcome.
