Professional Background

• Assistant Professor, Geoscience Department, University of Nevada, Las Vegas: January 2009 - Present

• NASA Postdoctoral Fellow, NASA Postdoctoral Program, NASA Johnson Space Center: 2007-2008

Education

• Ph.D., Dual-Title Ph.D. Degree Program in Geosciences and Astrobiology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA: 2007

• Sc.B., Geology-Chemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI: 2000
*Honors, Magna Cum Laude

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Teaching

Assistant Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• GEOL 110: Global Warming

Teaching Assistant, Pennsylvania State University

• GEOSC 40: The Sea Around Us
• GEOSC 413: Techniques in Environmental Geochemistry

Adjunct Faculty, Boise State University

• MATH 025: Elementary Algebra

Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Brown University

• CHEM 21: Introductory Chemistry
• GEO 23: Geochemistry

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Research Interests

Weathering plays a key role in many critical processes on Earth, including the formation of soils, the control of atmospheric CO2 concentrations over geological time scales, and water quality. Yet field weathering rates remain difficult to predict even when laboratory rates have been measured, and the effect of factors such as biological interactions, physical erosion, and climate are poorly understood. It is imperative to better understand this "Critical Zone" upon which life depends.

The study of soil-forming processes and water-rock interactions may also yield significant information about the aqueous history of Mars, and the potential for life, past or present, on that planet. Despite extensive evidence for water on the surface of Mars, it is not clear how long water was present as a liquid. Observations of weathering products and the existence of primary minerals may provide some constraints for the presence and duration of liquid water. Therefore an understanding of weathering under Mars-like conditions may help elucidate observations from the surface of Mars.

My research focuses on water-rock interactions, and chemical weathering, to try to better understand these processes both on Earth and on Mars. I use a combination of laboratory experiments, field work, and modeling to try to better understand chemical weathering and water-rock interactions.

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Student Projects

I am currently looking for students to work with at both the MS and PhD levels.  I have listed some potential projects below.  If you are interested
in any of these, or have a project in mind, please contact me: elisabeth.hausrath@unlv.edu

•Experiments, modeling, and fieldwork to interpret data from the Mars Exploration Rovers, Phoenix Lander, and the Mars Science Laboratory (scheduled to launch in 2011).

•Analysis of the impact of microbe-mineral interactions on mineral dissolution and precipitation, and elemental cycling.

•Weathering rind and rock coating formation under conditions relevant to arid terrestrial and Martian environments. Analysis of samples from the American west and/or Antarctica. Naturally weathered samples could be combined with modeling, laboratory experiments, and burial experiments.

•Dissolution and precipitation rates of soil-forming secondary minerals, e.g. including laboratory, field, and modeling components.

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Selected Publications

Journal Articles

Hausrath, E.M., Golden, D.C., Morris, R.V., and Ming, D.W. (in prep) Interpreting phosphate mobility on Mars (In prep for Journal of Geophysical Research)

Hausrath, E.M., A.K. Navarre-Sitchler, P.B. Sak, B.M. Peightal, J.Z. Williams, E. Cabret, S.L. Brantley (in prep) Soil profiles as indicators of mineral weathering rates in basalts (In prep for Chemical Geology)

Hausrath, E.M., Neaman, A., Brantley, S.L. (2009) Elemental release rates from dissolving basalt and granite with and without organic ligands. American Journal of Science, v. 309, p. 633-660

Hausrath, E.M., Treiman, A.H., Vicenzi, E., Bish, D.L., Blake, D., Sarrazin, P., Hoehler, T., Midtkandl, I., Steele, A., and Brantley, S.L. (2008) Short- and long-term olivine weathering in Svalbard: Implications for Mars. Astrobiology, v. 8 (6), p. 1079-1092

Hausrath, E.M., Navarre-Sitchler, A.K., Sak, P., Steefel, C. and Brantley, S.L. (2008) Basalt weathering rates on Earth and the duration of liquid water on the plains of Gusev Crater, Mars. Geology, v. 36, p. 67-70

Liermann, L.J., Hausrath, E.M., Anbar, A.D. and Brantley, S.L. (2007)  Assimilatory and dissimilatory processes of microorganisms affecting metals in the environment.  J. Anal. At. Spectrom, v. 22, p. 867 - 877

Hausrath, E.M., Liermann, L.J., House, C.H., Ferry, J.G., and Brantley, S.L. (2007) The effect of methanogen growth on mineral substrates: Will Ni markers of methanogen-based communities be detectable in the rock record? Geobiology, v. 5, p. 49-61

Book Appendices and Extended Abstracts

Hausrath, E.M., A.C. Golden, C. Galindo, B. Sutter, R.V. Morris, and D.W. Ming (2009) Column experiments to interpret weathering in Columbia Hills. Lunar and Planetary Science conference XXXX, Abstract # 2423

Bandstra J.Z., Buss H.L., Campen R.K., Liermann L.J., Moore J., Hausrath E.M., Navarre-Sitchler A.K., Jang J-H. and Brantley S.L. (2008) Appendix: Compilation of mineral dissolution rates. In Kinetics of Water-Rock Interaction (eds. S. L. Brantley, J. D. Kubicki and A. F. White), Springer, New York 

Hausrath, E.M., Navarre-Sitchler, A.K., Moore, J., Sak, P.B., Brantley, S.L., Golden, D.C., Sutter, B., Schröder, C., Socki, R., Morris, R.V., Ming, D.W. (2008) Mars sample return: The value of depth profiles. Ground truth from Mars: Science payoff from a sample return mission, April 21-23, 2008, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Hausrath, E.M., Golden, D.C., Morris, R.V., and Ming, D.W. (2008) Acid vapor weathering of apatite and implications for Mars. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference XXXIX, Abstract #2350

Hausrath, E.M., A.K. Navarre-Sitchler, P.B. Sak, and S.L. Brantley (2007) What can we learn from depth profiles on Mars? Lunar and Planetary Science Conference XXXVIII, Abstract #2075

Bish, D.L., D. Blake, P. Sarrazin, A. Treiman, T. Hoehler, E.M. Hausrath, I. Midtkandl, A. Steele (2007) Field XRD/XRF mineral analyses by the MSL CheMin instrument. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference XXXVIII, Abstract #1163

Hausrath E. M., Brantley S. L., and AMASE (2005) Basalt weathering rates in a Mars analog environment: Clues to the duration of water on Mars? Lunar and Planetary Science Conference XXXVI, Abstract #2339

Hausrath E. M., Liermann L. J., and Brantley S. L. (2004) Enhanced dissolution in the presence of methanogens. Water Rock Interactions, 1123-1125

Hausrath, E.M., Liermann, L.J., and Brantley, S.L. (2003) Enhanced nickel release in the presence of methanogens: Evidence for a nickel binding ligand? 226th meeting of the American Chemical Society, New York City, NY

Barrash, W., Knoll, M.D., Hyndman, D., Clemo, T., and Hausrath, E.M. (2003) Tracer/time-lapse radar imaging test at the boise hydrogeophysical research site. SAGEEP'03 Symposium on the Applications of Geophysics to Environmental and Engineering Problems, April 6-10, 2003, San Antonio, TX, p.163-174

Abstracts and Other Publications

Hausrath, E.M., Golden, D.C., Morris, R.V., and Ming, D.W. (2008) Phosphate alteration on Mars. Goldschmidt Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Hausrath, E.M, Navarre-Sitchler, A.K, Sak, P.B., Steefel, C., and Brantley, S.L. (2007) Basalt weathering rates on Earth and the duration of water on Mars. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 71 (15S) A387

Fletcher, R., Hausrath, E., Navarre-Sitchler, A., Peightal, B., and Brantley, S. (2007) The weathering engine conveyor belt and corestone size distributions. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 71 (15S) A285

Navarre-Sitchler, A., Steefel, C., Hausrath, E., and Brantley, S. (2007) Influence of porosity on basalt weathering rates from the clast to the watershed scale. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 71 (15S) A707

Peightal, Brian Mark, Navarre-Sitchler, Alexis K., Hausrath, Elisabeth M., Brantley, Susan L. (2007) Soil profiles as indicators of mineral weathering rates in basalt. Northeastern Section GSA, Durham, New Hampshire

Hausrath, E.M., Sak, P.B., Navarre-Sitchler, A.K., Williams, J.Z., Cabret, E.J., and Brantley, S.L. (2006) Gradients in mineralogy and element composition at the bedrock-regolith interface record mineral reaction and transport rates. GSA Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Brantley S. L., Fletcher R. C., Buss H., Moore J., Hausrath E., Navarre A., Lebedeva M., and White A. F. (2006) Weathering from the soil profile to the watershed: What controls the weathering advance rate? Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 70 (18, Supplement 1), 1

Hausrath, E.M., Navarre, A.K., Steefel, C.I., and Brantley, S.L. (2006) Reactive transport modeling of basalt weathering under Mars-like conditions. Astrobiology Science Conference, Washington, DC

Brantley, S.L., Liermann, L. J., and Hausrath, E.M. (2006) Investigating the potential for trace metal biosignatures in the rock record. Astrobiology Science Conference, Washington, DC

Sak, P., Hausrath, E.M., Navarre, A.K., and Brantley, S.L. (2005) The persistence of rock-forming minerals in the soil environment. Earth Systems Processes 2, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Hausrath E. M., Neaman A., and Brantley S. L. (2005) Basalt and granite dissolution rates in the presence of citrate. Goldschmidt Conference, Moscow, Idaho

Hausrath E. M., Neaman A., and Brantley S. L. (2005) Trace element mobility in the presence of organic acids: A potential "organomarker"? NASA Astrobiology Institute 2005 Biennial Meeting, 286

Hausrath, E.M., Liermann, L.J., and Brantley, S.L. (2004) Influence of methanogens on mineral weathering. Astrobiology Science Conference, NASA, Ames

Oldenborger, G., Buursink, M., Moret, G., Goldstein, S., Johnson, T., Reboulet, E., Hughes, C., and Hausrath, E. (2002) Tracer/time-lapse imaging test at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site (abs.). Inland Northwest Research Alliance, Subsurface Science Symposium, 13-16 October 2002, Boise, Idaho

Hausrath, E.M., Barrash, W., and Reboulet, E.C. (2002) Water Sampling and analysis for the tracer/time-lapse radar imaging test at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site. Report to EPA for Grant X-970085-01-0 and to the U.S. Army Research Office for Grant DAAH04-96-1-0318, Center for Geophysical Investigation of the Shallow Subsurface Technical Report BSU CGISS 0203, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, 86 p

Barrash, W., Clemo, T., Hyndman, D.W., Reboulet, E., and Hausrath, E.M. (2002) Tracer/time-lapse radar imaging test: Design, operation, and preliminary results. Report to EPA for Grant X-970085-01-0 and to the U.S. Army Research Office for Grant DAAH04-96-1-0318, Center for Geophysical Investigation of the Shallow Subsurface Technical Report BSU CGISS 0202, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, 120 p

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Selected Honors

• NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship: 2007-2008
• NSF Graduate Fellowship: 2004-2007
• Conoco Phillips Graduate Fellowship: 2006
• NASA Astrobiology Institute Research Scholarship: 2005
• Hiroshi and Koya Ohmoto Scholarship: 2005
• Centennial Research Award in Earth and Mineral Sciences: 2005
• Arnulf I. Muan Graduate Fellowship: 2004-2005
• Honorable Mention NSF: 2003
• Hiroshi and Koya Ohmoto Scholarship: 2003
• Biogeochemical Research Initiative for Education Fellow: 2003
• Wilson Research Award: 2002
• University Fellowship: 2002

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Students

Christopher Adcock (Ph.D): Chris's research focuses on the interpretation of evidence of chemical alteration on Mars. His project includes a combination of kinetic dissolution experiments and modeling to better interpret observations and the implications for the climate history, and evidence of aqueous alteration, on that planet.

Julie Baumeister (MS): Julie's MS thesis focuses on the dissolution rates and weathering products of ultramafic minerals as a function of climate and scale. Studying the dissolution of olivine in Lunar Crater, NV, and Twin Sisters, Washington, will help better understand Critical Zone processes and the impact of ultramafic alteration on the carbon cycle.

Jason Cornell (Independent study): Jason's independent study is examining the alteration of P-rich basalts in the Mars analog environment, Craters of the Moon, Idaho. His work will help better understand alteration of phosphate-rich rocks on Mars such as Wishstone and Watchtower class rocks examined by the MER rovers.

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