1. Biomineralization in foraminifera and corals: Physiology, cellular mechanisms and their implications for paleoceanographic interpretations.
2. Marine aspects of the global carbon cycle, particularly photosynthesis and calcification in corals and foraminifera in view of ocean acidification.
3. Biogeochemistry of stable carbon isotopes in marine and aquatic systems.
4. Development of new tools for paleoceanography and paleolimnology using stable isotopes and trace elements.
5. Carbon and nutrient cycling in coral reefs in view of global change.

Research Students 

Adam Levi (PhD Student)

Sharon Ram (PhD Student)

Contact Information

Jonathan Erez | jonathan.erez@mail.huji.ac.il | 972-2-65-84882

Our research focuses on the signal transfer between the modern atmosphere and oceans to the geological record, the impact of abrupt events on primary and export production in the oceans, trace element cycles, and reconstruction of Quaternary paleoclimate from lacustrine and marine archives. We combine between time series of modern marine and terrigenous particulate fluxes, coeval seawater compositions, and biogeochemical cycles in the oceans (see the REDMAST project).

Research Studants

Dr. Clara Flintrop - postdoc

Gil Lapid - Ph.D. Student

Noy Levy - Ph.D. Student (Supervised jointly with Dr. Ralf Schiebel from Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany)

Efraim Brill - M.Sc. Student

Aden Clarfield - M.Sc. Student

Lea Sivan - M.Sc. Student

Contact Information

Adi Torfstein | adi.torf@mail.huji.ac.il

Lab Manager - Sigalit Amiran-Kan

Our research group focuses on the recycling of volatiles such as carbon and hydrogen from the surface to the deep Earth and their relation to the evolution of oceanic and continental crust through time.  We combine petrologic, geochemical, and spectroscopic work to study the igneous samples that cover the spectrum of mantle compositional ‘flavors’, as monitors of deep Earth processes.

In particular, we work with diamonds and specialize in the analyses of their microinclusions. Such inclusions contain the most pristine samples of deep carbon- and water-rich (C-O-H) mantle fluids. Their high volatile content, strong enrichment in incompatible elements, and possible relation to subduction processes, make them a key player in the global circulation of volatiles. They elucidate the origin of various types of deep mantle fluids, the relationship between them and their host diamonds, and the metasomatic processes that led to their formation. 

The long-term intent is to remedy the full spectrum of deep mantle carbon- and water-rich (C-O-H) fluids, provide a first-order understanding of the role of such fluids in transporting volatiles and incompatible elements between mantle and crustal reservoirs, and link tectonic events in the shallow continental crust and chemical events involving C-O-H fluids in the deep mantle.

Research Methods

We combine petrographic, geochemical and spectroscopic work using various analytical capabilities including LA-ICP-MS, EPMA, TEM, TIMS and Raman and infrared spectroscopy, to study the minerals and fluids trapped in diamonds and the composition of igneous magmas.

Research Studants

Yael Kempe (PhD student)

Sharon Viater (MSc student)

Miriam Sokol (MSc student)

 Pazi Shacham (volunteer)

Contact Information

Yaakov Weiss | yakov.weiss@mail.huji.ac.il

Lab Manager - Ofir Tirosh | ofirtirosh@gmail.com

 

My research involves the application of trace-element ratios and Sr, Nd, Pb, Mo and Fe isotopic compositions to follow the fate of metals in the environment, in archaeological artifacts and in humans. The clean lab and our sensitive analytical instruments enable me and my students to study small-samples and/or materials with low elemental concentrations (e.g., dust samples, teeth and brain). Currently, my group is involved in research projects centering around:

1. Records of aeolian, fluvial and lacustrine sediments as tracers of paleo-environment conditions and sediment sources.
2. Tracing metal artifacts in antiquity.
3. The dark side of ancient metallurgy: Measuring toxic metals and metallic isotopes (and aDNA) in human populations and in artifacts to trace the impact of early industries through time.
4.  The association between elemental anomalies in the human brain and mental diseases.

We carry out these projects in collaboration with researchers from the Hebrew University (Earth Science, Archaeology, Medicine), the Geological Survey of Israel, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, The Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University, Haifa University, GFZ - Potsdam, Germany, Columbia University, University of California San Diego, University of Michigan, and the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

Research Studants: 

Yafit Schnell Ben-Avraham (PhD. Studant)

Sharon Ram (PhD. Studant)

Contact Information:

yigal.erel@mail.huji.ac.il

My research focuses on global climate change and the use of isotope geochemistry to understand climatic and atmospheric processes. I am interested in the parameters and mechanisms that control paleotemperature proxies; in particuler, my group develops and uses the novel proxy carbonate clumped isotopes. We examine biological parameters that affect clumped isotopes and develop its use in new archive materials; we study the effect of non equilibrium processes on clumped isotopes and oxygen isotopes. We apply clumped isotpes to reconstruct paleotemperature and paleo-rainfall in different time periods during the Cenzoic. I am also interested in the use of isotopes to understand the modern carbon cycle and the effect of the biosphere of atmospheric chemistry.

What is clumped isotopes geochemistry?

Analysis of an isotopic composition is a measurement of the relative abundance of a heavy, rare, isotope within a group of molecules. The term ‘clumped isotopes’ refers to the natural abundance of molecules containing two heavy isotopes, such as ¹³C¹⁸O¹⁶O, and is a measure of the preference of two heavy isotopes to clump together into a chemical bond. This preference is temperature dependent with the isotopes distributed randomly among all molecules at very high temperatures and are clustered together into a more ordered system at low temperatures.

This results in an isotopic parameter, ∆₄₇, that can record the temperature in which these bonds were formed. ‘Clumped isotopes’ measurements are currently applied for ¹³C-¹⁸O bonds in CO₂ molecules that are extracted either from carbonate minerals or from the atmosphere. In carbonates ‘clumped isotopes’ are used to determine the formation temperature of the mineral with most applications associated with reconstruction of past climatic conditions. In atmospheric CO₂ it is used as a tracer for partitioning and quantifying the different CO₂ sources and sinks of the global carbon cycle.

Research Studants 

Ahinoam Assor (MSc. Studant)

Yael Tal (MSc. Studant)

Contact Information 

Hagit Affek |  Hagit.Affek@mail.huji.ac.il | 972-2-6584654

The combination of experimental petrology and thermodynamic modeling provides powerful insights into the igneous and metamorphic processes by which Earth and other planets evolved.  My research involves the development of experimental techniques together with modeling of the experimental data to constrain the nature of both terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments through the study of synthetic analogs. 

The topics I am currently involved with:

Melt and fluid compositions in equilibrium with mantle material. Aqueous fluids play an important role in melting and metasomatism of the Earth’s mantle; I study the role of volatiles (H₂O, CO₂, etc.) in dehydration/hydration and melting processes in the mantle.

The evolution of meteorite groups. Samples delivered to the Earth as meteorites provide us with a unique opportunity to study the timing and the processes by which our solar system formed and evolved.  I combine both experimental and analytical methods to understand the formation conditions of different groups of meteorites.

Research Studants 

Dr. Amit Meltzer (Post-doc)

Stav Gitler  (PhD. Studant)

Husam Tufjaji (MSc. Studant)

Michael Piven (MSc. Studant)

Contact Information 

Ronit Kessel | ronit.kessel@mail.huji.ac.il 

Our environment is shaped by the interaction between water and rock. This interaction has a crucial impact on a range of diverse processes, such as the way landscapes develop and erode, the spread of contaminants in groundwater, and the storage of carbon dioxide in subsurface reservoirs. In my group, we study these processes using a combination of cutting edge lab technology, state-of-the-art modeling, and field work. Current research projects include:

• Developing new methods for carbon storage
• Mitigating contaminant transport in aquifers
• Quantifying weathering in carbonate rocks

Students in my team are part of a dynamic research program that is pioneering new projects at the interface between hydrology, geology, and geochemistry. Scholarships are available for creative and talented candidates with backgrounds in Earth Sciences and Natural Sciences. 

Research Students 

Moshe Eliyahu (Lab manager) 

Dr. Rolando Carbonari (Post-doc) 

Roni Grayevsky (PhD Studant) 

Tomer Ben-David (MSc Studant) 

Hadar Kravitz (MSc Studant) 

 

Contact Details 

Simon Emmanuel | simon.emmanuel@mail.huji.ac.il 

Moshe Eliyahu | moshe.eliyahu4@mail.huji.ac.il 

Earth Surface Geochemistry

Research Studants 

Daniel Freedberg (MSc studant)

Contact Details

 

Netta Shalev | netta.shalev@mail.huji.ac.il

 

As a marine biogeochemist, my interest revolves around the interactions between organisms and their environment, with emphasis on trace metal bioavailability to phytoplankton and redox transformations. I am intrigued by the fact that microorganisms, striving to acquire nutrients and protect themselves from external stressors, actively modify their chemical milieu and in turn influence the biogeochemical cycles of trace and major elements in the ocean. I study fundamental processes and mechanisms by combining field and laboratory measurements and experiments.

Ongoing and future projects:

• Dust as a source of iron to Trichodesmium, a globally significant phytoplankton
• Bioavailability of iron to phytoplankton

Research Studants 

Dr. Coco Koedooder (Post-doc) 

Dr.  Futing Zhang (Post-doc) 

Anna-Neva Visser (Post-doc) 

Siyuan Wang (PhD Studant)

Contact Details 

Yeala Shaked | yeala.shaked@mail.huji.ac.il

Organic geochemistry and biogeochemistry, stable isotopes, sulfur cycle, organic-inorganic interactions

Research Studants 

PhD Ilya Kutuzov (Post-doc)  

Yafit Schnell Ben-Avraham (PhD Studant)

Hadar Cohen Saadon (PhD Studant)

Chen Davidson (PhD Studant)

Sutapa Patra (PhD Studant)

Vasileia Chatzi (MSc Studant)

Michal Krasna (MSc Studant)

Noam Mizrahi (MSc Studant)

 

Contact Details

Alon Amrani |  alon.amrani@mail.huji.ac.il | Room 204 North | 972-2-65-85477

 

I'm interested in the interactions among Earth internal processes (tectonic and magmatic), surface processes (erosion and weathering), and their role in the rock cycle, global climate, and the emergence and evolution of life. Over geological time, variations in the style and rate of tectonic activity, climate and ecology alter the compositions of rocks, ocean and atmosphere, and may register as variations in the texture and composition of sedimentary rocks and minerals. In recent years, my research has been focused on the development of new approaches to translate measured geochemical signals in such materials (e.g., clumped-isotope signals measured in carbonate minerals) to quantitative constraints on thermal, compositional and deformational histories of surface, sedimentary basins and metamorphic environments. I have been applying these approaches to study open and closed system reactions during the exhumation of the metamorphic core complex in Naxos (Greece), reconstruct the oxygen isotope composition of the Phanerozoic Ocean, constrain the uplift and exhumation history of the Colorado Plateau, and study the relationship between uplift and exhumation of the Himalaya and the Indian Monsoon intensity, and its potential effect on global climate.

Ongoing and future projects:

The Precambrian growth and stabilization of the continental lithosphere and its hypothetical role in the Oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere, global climate, and evolution of life.

Reconstructing the oxygen isotope composition of the Precambrian Ocean as a proxy for the proportions of weathering and hydrothermal alteration reactions in deep-time. 

Developing new carbonate clumped-isotope based analytical and modeling tools aimed to refine thermal compositional and deformational histories of sedimentary basins and metamorphic environments.

Test alternative hypotheses for the ‘Dolomite-Problem’ and the study the relationship between dolomitization and the Ocean Mg/Ca ratio in the geological past.

Test various hypotheses linking tectonic uplift and exhumation of the Himalayas to the Indian Monsoon intensity and Cenozoic global cooling.

Research Studants

Nathalie Neagu (PhD)

Shlomit Frumkin (MSc)

Daniel Freedberg (MSc)

Contact Information 

Uri Ryb | uri.ryb@mail.huji.ac.il | 972-2-6584668+