Facilities

The Rock and Mineral Physics Lab at the University of Minnesota houses a range of equipment for performing rock deformation experiments at extreme conditions. Our primary apparatus are two gas-medium Paterson apparatus for high-temperature and high-pressure experiments. We also have equipment for high-temperature, room-pressure experiments and a variety of equipment for preparing samples for experiments and subsequent microstructural characterization.

In 2017, the Rock and Mineral Physics Lab relocated from Kohltoff Hall to join the School of Earth and Environmental Science as part of a major renovation of Tate Hall. Look through the media below to tour our equipment and new lab space.

Our group members also use equipment external to the Rock and Mineral Physics Lab, including electron microscopes at the Characterization Facility, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and the Deformation-DIA at Argonne National Lab.

Video tour of the Rock and Mineral Physics Lab

Paterson Apparatus (PI-10)

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Paterson Apparatus (PI-3)

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Gas-mixing furnaces

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Uniaxial creep rig

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Sample preparation and characterization

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