Lecturer - Geochemistry
Overview
I am a sedimentary geochemist, and I work on a variety of problems in sedimentary geology, paleoclimate, and basin analysis through the use of stable isotope geochemistry. My specialty is carbonate clumped isotope thermometry, though I use a variety of techniques in my work. Several areas of active research are outlined below.
Clumped Isotope Reordering and Basin Analysis
Currently I am investigating clumped isotope reordering - the change that occurs in a sample's clumped isotope value as a result of solid-state diffusion of 18O and/or 13C within the crystal lattice of a carbonate mineral. This is important to understand for two reasons. First, if we are trying to get accurate paleoclimate data using clumped isotope paleothermometry, we need to know what conditions (burial depth and heating) allow for primary signals, and under which conditions the primary signal is lost. Second, if we know the kinetics of clumped isotope reordering, we can then apply that knowledge to understand past heat flow in a basin. Combined with a stratigraphic column and burial history for a body of rock, we can reconstruct geothermal gradients, and evaluate tectonic/basin models based on whether they could produce the required heat flux to match observed clumped isotope values.
For this project, I am conducting heating experiments on a variety of carbonate minerals to define their reordering kinetics. As different minerals have different kinetics, some minerals appear to be more resistant to reordering (good for paleoclimate!), while others reorder faster and at lower temperatures (bad for paleoclimate!). When multiple mineralogies are present, a detailed burial heating model may be constructed incorporating information from each carbonate mineralogy. As a pilot study, we have applied this technique to core materials in the Permian Basin of West Texas. Results show that paired calcite-dolomite clumped isotopes yield reconstructed geothermal gradients similar to vitrinite reflectance, with the benefit that they can be applied to any carbonate present in the core.
Carbonate Sedimentation and Diagenesis
Carbonate sedimentation and diagenesis is one of my active research areas, with a focus on understanding how and if clumped isotopes recorded accurate temperatures in diagenetic environments. A large portion of this work has been in Bermuda, but I've been involved in several other projects where I have applied clumped isotopes to sedimentological problems. Clumped isotopes are useful here as it turns out they do record the temperature of formation in most cases, and can be applied to a variety of problems, such as contemporary dolomite formation, or the temperature of formation of otherwise engimatic carbonate textures, such as 'beef' calcites.
Paleoclimate Research
I have been interested in paleoclimate since I took my first geology class at Northwestern. Since then, I've worked on a variety of timescales and systems, but the common theme has been the application of clumped isotopes. Clumped isotopes are a wonderful tool for paleoclimate research in situations where the water oxygen isotope composition is uncertain, such as terrestrial and lacustrine settings, deep time where even the oxygen isotopic composition of the ocean is uncertain, or even in (relatively) more modern systems that might be affected by runoff or glacial meltwater. For example, samples I originally collected in Bermuda for a study on diagenesis eventually led to a paleoclimate study, where it was discovered that meltwater from the last glacial maximum may have temporarily but severely affect ocean circulation and temperature as far south as Bermuda (Winkelstern et al., 2017). I've also long been fascinated by the Neoproterozoic, as this was a highly dynamic time in Earth history, featuring the snowball earth glaciations, massive carbon isotope excursions, and the appearance of the first metazoans (possibly linked?), and am interested in developing research in this area.
Degrees and Positions Held
2008 B.A. Geological Sciences and Integrated Sciences (Honors), Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
2014 Ph.D. Geology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
2014-2017 Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
2017-2019 Berg-Hughes Postdoctoral Fellow, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
2019-Present Lecturer in Geochemistry, University of Queensland
Research Interests
- Stable Isotope Geochemistry
- Sedimentary Geology
- Paleoclimate
- Carbonate Geochemistry
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Michigan
Publications
-
Journal Article: Clumped isotope reordering kinetics in strontianite and witherite: Experiments and first-principles simulations
Sun, Zeyang, Perez-Beltran, Saul, Zaheer, Wasif, Defliese, William F., Banerjee, Sarbajit and Grossman, Ethan L. (2023). Clumped isotope reordering kinetics in strontianite and witherite: Experiments and first-principles simulations. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 624 118467, 118467. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118467
-
Journal Article: δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>18</sup>O heterogeneities in carbonates: Nonlinear mixing in the application of dual‐carbonate‐clumped isotope thermometer
White, Jackson H. and Defliese, William F. (2023). δ13C and δ18O heterogeneities in carbonates: Nonlinear mixing in the application of dual‐carbonate‐clumped isotope thermometer. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 37 (21) e9627. doi: 10.1002/rcm.9627
-
Journal Article: Density functional theory and ab initio molecular dynamics reveal atomistic mechanisms for carbonate clumped isotope reordering
Perez-Beltran, Saul, Zaheer, Wasif, Sun, Zeyang, Defliese, William F., Banerjee, Sarbajit and Grossman, Ethan L. (2023). Density functional theory and ab initio molecular dynamics reveal atomistic mechanisms for carbonate clumped isotope reordering. Science Advances, 9 (26) eadf1701, 1-10. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adf1701
Grants
-
Halogens in coral as paleoenvironmental proxies
(2023–2024) Australian National University
-
The halogen composition of subducting oceanic sediments
(2022) Australian National University
-
(2020–2022) Australian National University
Supervision
-
Indian summer monsoon variability during the past ten thousand years
Doctor Philosophy
-
Diffusion rates of 13C-18O clumping in dolomite and high Mg/Mn calcite
Doctor Philosophy
-
Recycling halogens and noble gases in sediments and meta-sediments
Doctor Philosophy
Publications
Journal Article
-
Sun, Zeyang, Perez-Beltran, Saul, Zaheer, Wasif, Defliese, William F., Banerjee, Sarbajit and Grossman, Ethan L. (2023). Clumped isotope reordering kinetics in strontianite and witherite: Experiments and first-principles simulations. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 624 118467, 118467. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118467
-
White, Jackson H. and Defliese, William F. (2023). δ13C and δ18O heterogeneities in carbonates: Nonlinear mixing in the application of dual‐carbonate‐clumped isotope thermometer. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 37 (21) e9627. doi: 10.1002/rcm.9627
-
Perez-Beltran, Saul, Zaheer, Wasif, Sun, Zeyang, Defliese, William F., Banerjee, Sarbajit and Grossman, Ethan L. (2023). Density functional theory and ab initio molecular dynamics reveal atomistic mechanisms for carbonate clumped isotope reordering. Science Advances, 9 (26) eadf1701, 1-10. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adf1701
-
Kendrick, Mark A., Plümper, Oliver, Zhao, Jian-Xin, Feng, Yuexing, Defliese, William F., Müller, Inigo A. and Ziegler, Martin (2022). Exhumation and carbonation of the Atlantis Bank core complex constrained by in situ U-Pb dating and Δ47 thermometry of calcite veins, SW Indian Ridge. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 584 117474, 117474. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117474
-
Upadhyay, Deepshikha, Lucarelli, Jamie, Arnold, Alexandrea, Flores, Randy, Bricker, Hayley, Ulrich, Robert N., Jesmok, Gregory, Santi, Lauren, Defliese, William, Eagle, Robert A., Carroll, Hannah M., Bateman, Jesse Bloom, Petryshyn, Victoria, Loyd, Sean J., Tang, Jianwu, Priyadarshi, Antra, Elliott, Ben and Tripati, Aradhna (2021). Carbonate clumped isotope analysis (Δ47) of 21 carbonate standards determined via gas-source isotope-ratio mass spectrometry on four instrumental configurations using carbonate-based standardization and multiyear data sets. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 35 (17) e9143, 1-24. doi: 10.1002/rcm.9143
-
Savard, Martine M., Jautzy, Josué J., Lavoie, Denis, Dhillon, Ryan S. and Defliese, William F. (2021). Clumped and oxygen isotopes reveal differential disequilibrium in the formation of carbonates from marine methane seeps. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 298, 43-54. doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2021.01.041
-
The impact of Snowball Earth glaciation on ocean water δ18O values
Defliese, William F. (2021). The impact of Snowball Earth glaciation on ocean water δ18O values. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 554 116661, 116661. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116661
-
Clumped isotope geothermometry of an Ordovician carbonate mound, Hudson Bay Basin
Jautzy, Josué J., Savard, Martine M., Lavoie, Denis, Ardakani, Omid H., Dhillon, Ryan S., Defliese, William F. and Castagner, Ariane (2020). Clumped isotope geothermometry of an Ordovician carbonate mound, Hudson Bay Basin. Journal of the Geological Society, 178 (1) jgs2020. doi: 10.1144/jgs2020-102
-
Defliese, William F. and Tripati, Aradhna (2020). Analytical effects on clumped isotope thermometry: comparison of a common sample set analyzed using multiple instruments, types of standards, and standardization windows. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 34 (8) e8666, e8666. doi: 10.1002/rcm.8666
-
Chang, Biao, Defliese, William F., Li, Chao, Huang, Junhua, Tripati, Aradhna and Algeo, Thomas J. (2020). Effects of different constants and standards on the reproducibility of carbonate clumped isotope (Δ47) measurements: insights from a long-term dataset. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 34 (8) e8678, e8678. doi: 10.1002/rcm.8678
-
Naylor, H. Nathan, Defliese, William F., Grossman, Ethan L. and Maupin, Christopher R. (2019). Investigation of the thermal history of the Delaware Basin (West Texas, USA) using carbonate clumped isotope thermometry. Basin Research, 32 (5) bre.12419, 1150-1165. doi: 10.1111/bre.12419
-
Petersen, S. V., Defliese, W. F., Saenger, C., Daëron, M., Huntington, K. W., John, C. M., Kelson, J. R., Bernasconi, S. M., Colman, A. S., Kluge, T., Olack, G. A., Schauer, A. J., Bajnai, D., Bonifacie, M., Breitenbach, S. F. M., Fiebig, J., Fernandez, A. B., Henkes, G. A., Hodell, D., Katz, A., Kele, S., Lohmann, K. C., Passey, B. H., Peral, M. Y., Petrizzo, D. A., Rosenheim, B. E., Tripati, A., Venturelli, R., Young, E. D. and Winkelstern, I. Z. (2019). Effects of improved 17 O correction on interlaboratory agreement in clumped isotope calibrations, estimates of mineral‐specific offsets, and temperature dependence of acid digestion fractionation. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 20 (7) 2018GC008127, 3495-3519. doi: 10.1029/2018gc008127
-
Sample, James C., Torres, Marta E., Fisher, Andrew, Hong, Wei-Li, Destrigneville, Christine, Defliese, William F. and Tripati, Aradhna E. (2017). Geochemical constraints on the temperature and timing of carbonate formation and lithification in the Nankai Trough, NanTroSEIZE transect. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 198, 92-114. doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2016.10.013
-
Meltwater pulse recorded in last interglacial mollusk shells from Bermuda
Winkelstern, Ian Z., Rowe, Mark P., Lohmann, Kyger C., Defliese, William F., Petersen, Sierra V. and Brewer, Aaron W. (2017). Meltwater pulse recorded in last interglacial mollusk shells from Bermuda. Paleoceanography, 32 (2), 132-145. doi: 10.1002/2016pa003014
-
Loyd, S. J., Sample, J., Tripati, R. E., Defliese, W. F., Brooks, K., Hovland, M., Torres, M., Marlow, J., Hancock, L. G., Martin, R., Lyons, T. and Tripati, A. E. (2016). Methane seep carbonates yield clumped isotope signatures out of equilibrium with formation temperatures. Nature Communications, 7 (1) 12274. doi: 10.1038/ncomms12274
-
Evaluation of meteoric calcite cements as a proxy material for mass-47 clumped isotope thermometry
Defliese, William F. and Lohmann, Kyger C (2016). Evaluation of meteoric calcite cements as a proxy material for mass-47 clumped isotope thermometry. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 173, 126-141. doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2015.10.022
-
Horton, Travis W., Defliese, William F., Tripati, Aradhna K. and Oze, Christopher (2016). Evaporation induced O-18 and C-13 enrichment in lake systems: A global perspective on hydrologic balance effects. Quaternary Science Reviews, 131, 365-379. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.06.030
-
Non-linear mixing effects on mass-47 CO2 clumped isotope thermometry: Patterns and implications
Defliese, William F. and Lohmann, Kyger C. (2015). Non-linear mixing effects on mass-47 CO2 clumped isotope thermometry: Patterns and implications. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 29 (9), 901-909. doi: 10.1002/rcm.7175
-
Defliese, William F., Hren, Michael T. and Lohmann, Kyger C. (2015). Compositional and temperature effects of phosphoric acid fractionation on Delta(47) analysis and implications for discrepant calibrations. Chemical Geology, 396, 51-60. doi: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2014.12.018
Grants (Administered at UQ)
-
Halogens in coral as paleoenvironmental proxies
(2023–2024) Australian National University
-
The halogen composition of subducting oceanic sediments
(2022) Australian National University
-
(2020–2022) Australian National University
PhD and MPhil Supervision
Current Supervision
-
Indian summer monsoon variability during the past ten thousand years
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
-
Diffusion rates of 13C-18O clumping in dolomite and high Mg/Mn calcite
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
-
Recycling halogens and noble gases in sediments and meta-sediments
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
