85 The Power of Hard Rocks: Driving the Energy Transition and Serving Society

This session examines how mafic and ultramafic rocks contribute to the energy transition by 1) generating hydrogen gas, 2) trapping CO2 through carbon mineralization, and 3) providing critical minerals for climate change mitigation and renewable energy production.

Monday, 20 October 2025
8:00 AM - 11:30 AM
HBGCC, 216AB

Participants

• Chair Esti Ukar
• Chair András Fall
• Chair Amy Moser
• Chair Besim Dragovic
• Chair Clementine Hamelin
• Chair Eirini Poulaki
• Chair Hannah Shabtian
• Chair Margo Odlum
• Chair Michelle Gevedon
• Chair Nikki Seymour
• Chair Tyler Grambling
• Chair Victor Guevara

Presentations

• 8:05 AM
  Petrology– Who Needs It? Applications of Petrology and Experimental Techniques to Geohazards, Critical Minerals and Carbon Capture, Uptake and Storage
  Laura Waters, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM and Magdalen Grismer, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM and Debarati Banerjee, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM and Nicole Hurtig, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM and Alexander Gysi, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM and Oscar Scholten, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM and Daniel Harlov, GeoForschungsZentrum, Section 3.6 Chemistry Earth Materials, Potsdam and Sai Wang, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
  414116 (Technical Sessions)
• 8:25 AM
  Assessing the Potential of Fluid Inclusion Degassing by Chemical and Mechanical Alteration of Exposed Rocks.
  Claudia Roig González, Università di Bologna, Bologna and Alberto Vitale Brovarone, Università di Bologna, Bologna
  414401 (Technical Sessions)
• 8:40 AM
  Evaluating the potential for basalt carbonation in the North Mountain Basalt, Atlantic Canada
  Benjamin Tutolo, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB and Bohyun Hwang, University of Calgary, Calgary and Adedapo Awolayo, McMaster University, Hamilton and Jianwei Tian, McMaster University, Hamilton and Naya Davidson-Lindfors, McMaster University, Hamltion and Julia Nielsen, McMaster University, Hamilton
  412835 (Technical Sessions)
• 9:00 AM
  Characterizing Subsurface Mafic and Ultramafic Rock Distributions and Volumes using Potential Field Data: Insights from Southeast Minnesota
  Rama Chandrudu Arasada, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, United States, Austin, Texas and Shuvajit Bhattacharya, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA, Austin, Texas and Esti Ukar, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
  412848 (Technical Sessions)
• 9:15 AM
  Nickel-Enhanced Hydrogen Generation During Low-Temperature Serpentinization: Insights from Synthetic Fluid Inclusion Microreactors
  András Fall, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas and Kyra Royer, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma and Hector Lamadrid, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma and Orsolya Gelencsér, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas and Tongwei Zhang, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas and Estibalitz Ukar, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas and Toti Larson, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
  414478 (Technical Sessions)
• 10:00 AM
  Mobilization and trapping of HREEs in mélange during collisional orogenesis, northeastern CT, USA: Implications for crustal HREE transport and mineralization
  Anne Haws, Yale University Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, New Haven, CT and Jay Ague, Yale University, New Haven, CT and Ethan Baxter, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA and Andrew Lonero, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA
  412620 (Technical Sessions)
• 10:20 AM
  Experimental Quantification of the Hydrogen Production Potential of a Silica Undersaturated Basalt From Central Texas
  Orsolya Gelencser, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas and Estibalitz Ukar, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas and András Fall, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas and Tongwei Zhang, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas and Toti Larson, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
  412279 (Technical Sessions)
• 10:35 AM
  Sourcing Cu and REE for Global Energy Needs: Deposit Variability and Mineralization Drivers in Chilean Iron Oxide-Copper-Gold Systems
  Nikki Seymour, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA and Irene del Real, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago and Rurik Romero, University of Chile, Santiago
  414597 (Technical Sessions)