Seminar Details

Seminar Lab Date: March 9, 2026

Seminar Lab Subject: Geologic Hydrogen, Abiotic Methane, and Volume Changes Associated with Aqueous Alteration of Mantle Rocks in Submarine Environments (V)

Seminar Lab Presenter: Frieder Klein, Ph.D., Associate Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

Seminar Lab Location:

Virtual lecture 7:00 PM CT.

Participation instructions will be e-mailed to GSM members. If you are not a member of GSM and wish to attend this free seminar online, register as follows by 8 AM CT Monday, Mar 9: Go to the Contact menu above and select “Ask GSM”. In the form that appears, enter your name and e-mail address. Enter “Mar 9 lecture” in the subject line. In the message body, please enter the city and state or country from which you will view the seminar. You will receive instructions by e-mail prior to the lecture. Check your spam folder if the instructions do not appear in your in-box at least one hour prior to the lecture.

Seminar Lab Detail:

Summary: Rocks from Earth’s mantle are widespread at slow- and ultraslow-spreading mid-ocean ridges, oceanic transform faults, magma-poor continental margins, and subduction zones. Where they are exposed to (sea-)water, they can undergo a series of chemical reactions to form a rock referred to as serpentinite, a rock that plays a key role in the global water cycle. However, whether the formation of serpentinite, i.e. serpentinization, is associated with a volume increase of 40 percent or the export of 30 percent of its original mass has remained hotly debated. Serpentinization is also considered one of the largest sources of geologic hydrogen and abiotic methane, critical energy sources for microbes inhabiting the deep subseafloor biosphere. However, the conditions of abiotic methane formation and subseafloor life remain enigmatic. This presentation will provide a broad overview of these topics and present some of the recent findings relevant one of the most ancient and influential hydrothermal processes in diverse submarine environments.  

Biography: Frieder Klein is a petrologist who studies fluid-rock interactions in submarine environments using a combination of field observations, hydrothermal laboratory experiments, microanalytical techniques, and thermodynamic modeling. He studied at the Philipps University of Marburg and the University of Bremen in Germany where he earned his Ph.D. in 2009 working with Wolfgang Bach. He held postdoctoral positions in Granada (Spain), Woods Hole (MA), and Boulder (CO) before joining the scientific staff at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 2011. His research concerns the aqueous alteration of mafic and ultramafic rocks, focusing on serpentinization, geologic carbon sequestration, abiotic organic synthesis, and alkalinity formation in submarine settings on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system.