Stewart Lab

About

My group uses the rock record to investigate processes that occurred deep in Earth’s crust and throughout the billions of years of our planet’s history. I am particularly interested in metamorphic reactions that release or sequester CO₂ and other volatiles, interacting with the global carbon cycle, and helping to maintain Earth’s long term habitability.

Our work is rooted in direct observation of the rock record including field work, petrography, and geochemical characterization. Rather than focusing on a particular analytical method, we employ different techniques as needed, including stable/radiogenic isotope mass spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence, microprobe analysis, and more. Most of our work also involves thermodynamic modeling (e.g., pseudosections).

Group Members

• 
• Emily Stewart, PhD
• Assistant Professor of Geology
• CV
• Google Scholar
• emstewart[at]fsu[dot]edu

• 
• Lindsi Allman, PhD Student

• 
• Sayantan Saha, PhD Student

• 
• Kanwa Sengupta, PhD Student

• 
• Christopher Julian, MS Student

• 
• Miles Kelsey, Post-Baccalaureate Researcher
• 
• Madison Walker, Undergraduate

• 
• This could be you! Reach out to discuss opportunities at FSU.

Alumni

• 
• Isabelle Barta BS '23, now MS Student at Auburn Univ.

• 
• Malia Hallway, Undergraduate 2021-2022

Opportunities

I am always looking for outstanding group members at every level, from undergraduate up to graduate students and postdocs. I am especially committed to empowering people of color, women, and LGBTQ+, disabled, or otherwise marginalized students and researchers.

Graduate Students I am always happy to hear from outstanding prospective graduate students. Students may be funded through a combination of internal fellowships, research assistantships, or graduate teaching positions. See the Research Tab for detail on ongoing projects, or click here to learn more about degree programs at FSU.

Undergraduate Opportunities are available for undergraduate students to get involved, whether through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program UROP or informally. Do you have a background in chemistry OR programming OR earth science and an interest in learning new skills? Send me an email to discuss possible research projects.

Research

Decarbonation in Deep Time

How much CO₂ can metamorphic decarbonation release, and has that changed over the course of Earth history? This project will examine the Central Metasedimentary Belt in Ontario, Canada. Deposited as sediments more than 1.2 billion years ago, and metamorphosed ~200 million years later, these rocks record both surface and deep crustal processes that may have looked very different from the modern Earth. We will conduct field work, chemical analysis, and numerical modeling to explore the ways in which rock metamorphism affected the global carbon cycle in deep time. This work is now funded through a National Science Foundation Petrology and Geochemistry research grant!

Catastrophic Contact Metamorphism

Could rock metamorphism drive mass extinction? It has been proposed that rapid heating of carbon-rich sediments could have led to global warming and extinction at more than one point in Earth history. We will explore this possibility. Initial proof-of-concept work will focus on sills of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province that are buried about a mile beneath our feet in northern Florida. We will use the extensive collection of drill cores and thin sections available at the Florida Geologic Survey to examine this otherwise hidden history of deep carbon release. This work is now supported through an American Chemical Society --- Petroleum Research Fund grant!

More

I am always looking to develop new projects related to volatile cycling, metamorphism, and other crustal processes. Don’t hesitate to reach out about other ideas or research opportunities at Florida State University.

Elements

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