Yan Hu

Assistant Professor

Isotope Geochemistry, Cosmochemistry, Meteorites, Igneous Processes, Subduction Zone Processes

Email: yan.hu@unlv.edu

Personal Website
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Education:

Ph.D. in Isotope Geochemistry, University of Washington (2018)
M.S. in Geochemistry, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2012)
B.E. in Gemology & Materials Science, China University of Geosciences, Beijing (2009)

Research interests:

My overarching research goal is to further our understanding of how planets formed and became habitable. Specifically, I focus on two integral aspects of this fundamental question, which are (1) how planets acquired their volatile elements and (2) how subduction zone processes regulate the chemical evolution of Earth’s crust-mantle system and help stabilize Earth’s climate. My research involves field sampling, chromatography separation of the target element, high-precision isotopic analysis, and developing isotopic standards and novel isotopic tracers.

Selected publications:

Hu, Y., Moynier, F. and Yang, X. (2023) Volatile-depletion processing of the building blocks of Earth and Mars as recorded by potassium isotopes. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 620, 118319.

Hu, Y., Moynier, F. and Bizzarro, M. (2022) Potassium isotope heterogeneity in the early Solar System controlled by extensive evaporation and partial recondensation. Nature Communications, doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-35362-7.

Hu, Y., Teng, F.-Z., Plank, T. and Chauvel, C. (2020) Potassium isotopic heterogeneity in subducting oceanic plates. Science Advances, 6: eabb2472.

Hu, Y., Teng, F.-Z., Plank, T. and Huang, K.-J. (2017) Magnesium isotopic composition of subducting marine sediments. Chemical Geology 466, 15-31. [Invited research article]

Hu, Y., Teng, F.-Z., Zhang, H.-F., Xiao, Y. and Su, B.-X. (2016) Metasomatism-induced mantle magnesium isotopic heterogeneity: Evidence from pyroxenites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 185, 88-111.