Alfredo Camacho

Biography

I am interested in the theoretical and practical use of geochronology to constrain cooling histories and the rates of tectonic processes. I study the spatial and temporal relations among shearing and fluid flow in subducting zones where rapid burial advects cold material into the mantle by addressing the following questions: What are the characteristics of the fluids and where do they originate, Can phase transformations occur under dry conditions or is a fluid always required, What are the durations of thermal pulses associated with the advection of heat by fluids or shear heating, and Are exhumation histories diagnostic of the burial process, that is, are the cooling data, typically collected from metamorphic terrains that represent rapidly subducted crust, unique? Because I rely on the isotopic system to constrain duration I am also interested in addressing the fundamental processes that Affect isotopic ages, including: Geological conditions that influence the mobility of isotopes, Chemical factors that control the retentivity of minerals, Diffusion mechanisms, and Partitioning of isotopes between minerals.

Research Interest

Origins and characteristics of fluids Phase transformations Durations of thermal pulses associated with the advection of heat Exhumation histories