Stephen Parman
Stephen Parman
Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences
Overview
I received my Ph.D. in Geology and Geochemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2001. I came to Brown after three years as Lecturer at Durham University, Great Britain. I am considered a leading expert on the behavior of volatiles in the Earth's interior. My work on water in early Earth magmas is providing new insights into the thermal evolution of the Earth. Likewise, my recent research on noble gas solubility in the mantle is challenging the existing models of mantle structure and evolution.
Brown Affiliations
Research Areas
On the Web
Publications
| Waterton, Pedro, Pearson, D. Graham, Kjarsgaard, Bruce, Hulbert, Larry, Locock, Andrew, Parman, Stephen, Davis, Bill. "Age, origin, and thermal evolution of the ultra-fresh ~1.9Ga Winnipegosis Komatiites, Manitoba, Canada." Lithos, vol. 268-271, 2017, pp. 114-130. |
| Cannon, Kevin M., Parman, Stephen W., Mustard, John F. "Primordial clays on Mars formed beneath a steam or supercritical atmosphere." Nature, vol. 552, no. 7683, 2017, pp. 88-91. |
| Parman, S. W., Diercks, D. R., Gorman, B. P., Cooper, R. F. "Atom probe tomography of isoferroplatinum." American Mineralogist, vol. 100, no. 4, 2015, pp. 852-860. |
| Jackson, Colin R.M., Parman, Stephen W., Kelley, Simon P., Cooper, Reid F. "Light noble gas dissolution into ring structure-bearing materials and lattice influences on noble gas recycling." Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 159, 2015, pp. 1-15. |
| Roberts, N. M. W., Van Kranendonk, M. J., Parman, S., Clift, P. D. "Continent formation through time." Geological Society, London, Special Publications, vol. 389, no. 1, 2014, pp. 1-16. |
| Prissel, T.C., Parman, S.W., Jackson, C.R.M., Rutherford, M.J., Hess, P.C., Head, J.W., Cheek, L., Dhingra, D., Pieters, C.M. "Pink Moon: The petrogenesis of pink spinel anorthosites and implications concerning Mg-suite magmatism." Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 403, 2014, pp. 144-156. |
| Pieters, C. M., Hanna, K. D., Cheek, L., Dhingra, D., Prissel, T., Jackson, C., Moriarty, D., Parman, S., Taylor, L. A. "The distribution of Mg-spinel across the Moon and constraints on crustal origin." American Mineralogist, vol. 99, no. 10, 2014, pp. 1893-1910. |
| Jackson, C. R. M., Cheek, L. C., Williams, K. B., Hanna, K. D., Pieters, C. M., Parman, S. W., Cooper, R. F., Dyar, M. D., Nelms, M., Salvatore, M. R. "Visible-infrared spectral properties of iron-bearing aluminate spinel under lunar-like redox conditions." American Mineralogist, vol. 99, no. 10, 2014, pp. 1821-1833. |
| Jackson C, Cheek L, Williams K, Donaldson Hanna K, Pieters C, Parman S, Cooper R, Dyar D, Nelms M, Salvatore M. "Visible-infrared spectral properties of iron- bearing aluminate spinel under lunar-like redox conditions." Amer Mineral, vol. 99, 2014, pp. 1821-1833. |
| Jackson, Colin R.M., Parman, Stephen W., Kelley, Simon P., Cooper, Reid F. "Constraints on light noble gas partitioning at the conditions of spinel-peridotite melting." Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 384, 2013, pp. 178-187. |
| Jackson, Colin R. M., Parman, Stephen W., Kelley, Simon P., Cooper, Reid F. "Noble gas transport into the mantle facilitated by high solubility in amphibole." Nature Geoscience, vol. 6, no. 7, 2013, pp. 562-565. |
| Coggon, J.A., Nowell, G.M., Pearson, D.G., Oberthür, T., Lorand, J.-P., Melcher, F., Parman, S.W. "The 190Pt–186Os decay system applied to dating platinum-group element mineralization of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa." Chemical Geology, vol. 302-303, 2012, pp. 48-60. |
| Coggon, J. A., Nowell, G. M., Pearson, D. G., Parman, S. W. "Application of the 190Pt-186Os Isotope System to Dating Platinum Mineralization and Ophiolite Formation: An Example from the Meratus Mountains, Borneo." Economic Geology, vol. 106, no. 1, 2011, pp. 93-117. |
| Parman, S. W., Grove, T. L., Kelley, K. A., Plank, T. "Along-Arc Variations in the Pre-Eruptive H2O Contents of Mariana Arc Magmas Inferred from Fractionation Paths." Journal of Petrology, vol. 52, no. 2, 2010, pp. 257-278. |
| Cooper, Lauren B., Plank, Terry, Arculus, Richard J., Hauri, Erik H., Hall, Paul S., Parman, Stephen W. "High-Ca boninites from the active Tonga Arc." J. Geophys. Res., vol. 115, no. B10, 2010. |
| Kelley, K. A., Plank, T., Newman, S., Stolper, E. M., Grove, T. L., Parman, S., Hauri, E. H. "Mantle Melting as a Function of Water Content beneath the Mariana Arc." Journal of Petrology, vol. 51, no. 8, 2010, pp. 1711-1738. |
| Luguet, A., Graham Pearson, D., Nowell, G. M., Dreher, S. T., Coggon, J. A., Spetsius, Z. V., Parman, S. W. "Enriched Pt-Re-Os Isotope Systematics in Plume Lavas Explained by Metasomatic Sulfides." Science, vol. 319, no. 5862, 2008, pp. 453-456. |
| Nowell, G.M., Pearson, D.G., Parman, S.W., Luguet, A., Hanski, E. "Precise and accurate 186Os/188Os and 187Os/188Os measurements by Multi-collector Plasma Ionisation Mass Spectrometry, part II: Laser ablation and its application to single-grain Pt–Os and Re–Os geochronology." Chemical Geology, vol. 248, no. 3-4, 2008, pp. 394-426. |
| Martin, Paula, Hunen, Jeroen van, Parman, Stephen, Davidson, Jon. "Why does plate tectonics occur only on Earth?." Physics Education, vol. 43, no. 2, 2008, pp. 144-150. |
| Pearson, D. G., Parman, S. W., Nowell, G. M. "A link between large mantle melting events and continent growth seen in osmium isotopes." J. Geophys. Res., vol. 449, no. 7159, 2007, pp. 202-205. |
| Parman, S. W. "Helium isotopic evidence for episodic mantle melting and crustal growth." J. Geophys. Res., vol. 446, no. 7138, 2007, pp. 900-903. |
| Langmuir, C., Bezos, A., Escrig, S., Parman, S. "Hydrous mantle melting at ridges and back-arc basins." Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 70, no. 18, 2006, pp. A341. |
| Parman, S.W. "The helium isotopic evolution of the earth." Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 70, no. 18, 2006, pp. A472. |
| GROVE, T, CHATTERJEE, N, PARMAN, S, MEDARD, E. "The influence of H2O on mantle wedge melting." Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 249, no. 1-2, 2006, pp. 74-89. |
| Parman, Stephen W., Kurz, Mark D., Hart, Stanley R., Grove, Timothy L. "Helium solubility in olivine and implications for high 3He/4He in ocean island basalts." J. Geophys. Res., vol. 437, no. 7062, 2005, pp. 1140-1143. |
| Parman, S. W. "A subduction origin for komatiites and cratonic lithospheric mantle." South African Journal of Geology, vol. 107, no. 1-2, 2004, pp. 107-118. |
| Parman, Stephen W. "Harzburgite melting with and without H 2 O: Experimental data and predictive modeling." J. Geophys. Res., vol. 109, no. B2, 2004. |
| Grove, Timothy L., Baker, Michael B., Price, Richard C., Parman, Stephen W., Elkins-Tanton, Linda T., Chatterjee, Nilanjan, M�ntener, Othmar. "Magnesian andesite and dacite lavas from Mt. Shasta, northern California: products of fractional crystallization of H2O-rich mantle melts." Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, vol. 148, no. 5, 2004, pp. 542-565. |
| Grove, T.L, Parman, S.W. "Thermal evolution of the Earth as recorded by komatiites." Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 219, no. 3-4, 2004, pp. 173-187. |
Research
Research Overview
Research Statement
Ever improving analytical methods are yielding a detailed record of the long-term evolution of the Earth and planets. Understanding and interpreting this record requires an equally detailed knowledge of the chemical behavior of materials. Thus experiments and geochemical analyses are intimately linked. When combined, the two are a powerful tool for probing our planet's past.
Funded Research
NSF-MRI (PI: A Saal, CoPI: S Parman) laser-ablation multicollector ICP-MS.
Salomon (PI: S Parman, CoPI: R Cooper) Atom Probe Tomography of Geological Materials.
Curriculum Development Grant (PI: S Parman) Development of Freshman Seminar on Diamonds.
NERC Did catastrophic melting events dominate the early evolution of the atmosphere, oceans and solid earth? PI: Parman, CoIs: D Pearson, G Nowell, Project Partners: P Kelemen, E Hanski, A Kontinen, H Pritchard
NERC Noble gas partitioning experiments: analyses co-investigators: Funds to analyze noble gas partitioning experiments run at Bayreuth. PI: S Parman, CoIs: S Kelley, C Ballentine
EUFP6 infrastructure access grant (5 weeks of experimental time at the Bayreuth Geoinstitut) Development of methods to measure noble gas partitioning at mantle pressures. PI: S Parman, Project Partners: C McCammon, D Frost
NERC Melting processes in infant subduction zones: HFSE fractionation in boninites PI: S Parman, Project Partner: K Kelley
Nuffield Fellowship - Experimental investigation of noble gas partitioning. PI: S Parman
Scholarly Work
Coggon J, Nowell G, Pearson D, and Parman S (2009), Application of the 190Pt-186Os isotope system to dating platinum mineralisation and ophiolite formation - An example from the Meratus Mountains, Borneo, Economic Geology, submitted
Cooper S, Plank T, Arculus R, Hauri E, Hall P, and Parman S (2009) Boninites from the modern Tonga arc, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, submitted
Kelley K, Plank T, Newman S, Stolper E, Grove T, Parman S, and Hauri E (2009) Mantle melting as a function of water content beneath the Mariana arc, J Petrology, submitted
Parman S, Grove T, Kelley K, and Plank T (2009) Along-Arc Variations in the Pre-Eruptive H2O Contents of Magmas Inferred from Fractionation Paths, J Petrology, submitted
Nowell GM, Pearson DG, Parman SW & Luguet A (2008). Precise and accurate 186Os/188Os and 187Os/188Os measurements by Multi-Collector Plasma Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) part II: laser ablation analyses. Chemical Geology 248: 394-426.
Luguet A, Pearson DG, Nowell GM, Dreher ST, Coggon JA, Spetsius ZV and Parman SW (2008). Enriched Pt-Re-Os isotope systematics in plume lavas explained by metasomatic sulfides. Science 319: 453-456.
Parman SW (2007) Helium Isotopic Evidence for Episodic Mantle Melting and Crustal Growth. Nature, 446: 900-903.
Pearson DG, Parman SW, Nowell G. Osmium isotopes show a link between major mantle melting events and continent growth (2007). Nature, 449, 202-205.
Grove TL, Chatterjee N, Parman SW, Medard E. and (2006) The influence of H2O on mantle wedge melting. EPSL 249: 79-89.
Langmuir C, Bezos A, Escrig S, Parman SW (2006). Chemical systematics and hydrous melting of the mantle in Back-Arc Basins. AGU Geophysical Monographs 166: 87-146.
Grove TL, Baker MB, Price RC, Parman SW, Elkins-Tanton LT, Chatterjee N and Muntener O (2005) Magnesian andesite and dacite lavas from Mt. Shasta, northern California: products of fractional crystallization of H2O-rich mantle melts. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 148, 542-565.
Parman SW and Grove TL (2005), Komatiites in the plume debate. In Plates, Plumes, and Paradigms (eds. Foulger, G.R., J.H. Natland, D.C. Presnall and D.L. Anderson) GSA Special Publ. 388, 249-256.
Parman SW, Kurz MD, Hart SR and Grove TL (2005) Helium solubility in olivine and implications for high 3He/4He in ocean island basalts. Nature 437, 1140-1143.
Background
Education and Training
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | PhD | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 1994 | BA | Harvard University |
Honors and Awards
2007: Houtermans Medal European Association of Geochemists, Young Scientist Award
2006-2007: MSA Distinguished Lecture Series
Affiliations
Collaborators
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Cooper, Reid | Professor Emeritus of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences |
| Padture, Nitin | Otis Everett Randall University Professor of Engineering |
Teaching
Teaching Overview
GEOL 1060H: First Year Seminar: Diamonds
GEOL 1960-H: The Early Earth
GEOL 2430: Igneous Petrology
ADVISING:
Current Graduate Students:
John Krantz
Tabb Prissel
Sicheng Wang
Teaching
| EEPS 0010 - Face of the Earth |
| EEPS 0160I - Diamonds |
| EEPS 1420 - Petrology |
| EEPS 2430 - Igneous Petrology |
| EEPS 2920R - Evolution of the Moon |
| GEOL 0010 - Face of the Earth |
| GEOL 0230 - Geochemistry: Earth and Planetary Materials and Processes |
| GEOL 1960H - The Early Earth |
| GEOL 2430 - Igneous Petrology |