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Dr Julia Semprich

Julia in Iceland among rocks using a field spectrometer.

Profile summary

  • Research Staff
  • Research Fellow
  • Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
  • School of Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences
  • julia.semprich

Professional biography

I am a petrologist and planetary scientist studying processes in the crust and mantle of rocky planets in our and other solar systems and implications for their habitability. As a Research Fellow in AstrobiologyOU at the Open University, my research is focused on understanding the role of fluids in the crust of terrestrial planets, particularly Mars and Venus. Prior to that I was the Graham Ryder Fellow at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston studying hydrothermal alteration in the martian crust and surface alteration of Venus. As a post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Campinas, I studied the formation of Earth's Archean crust using petrological and trace element models. I received my PhD in Geosciences at the University of Oslo, Norway.

 

2020 - present: Research Fellow, AstrobiologyOU, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

2018-2019: Graham Ryder Fellow, Lunar and Planetary Institute, USRA, Houston, Texas, USA

2017: Visiting Fellow - The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

2014-2016: Post-doctoral Research Fellow, University of Campinas, Brazil

2013: PhD in Geosciences, University of Oslo, Norway

Research interests

My research interests centre around processes in the crust and mantle of terrestrial (Earth-like) planets in our Solar System and beyond and specifically the role of fluids in planetary evolution from crust formation to alteration. I used a combination of approaches including modelling, field measurements, analytical work, and experimental approaches to understand metamorphic and magmatic processes in the crust and their implication for habitable environments.

Venus is our closest neighbour and very similar in size and mass to Earth and yet has taken a fundamentally different evolutionary parth. While Eath has surface water and hosts life, the conditions on Venus are caustic with temperatures resembling a pizza oven (~470 °C), pressures of 90 bars, and a CO2-dominated atmosphere. There are some indicators, however,  that Venus may have had more water in the past and could have been more hospitable. In my research I use models and experiments to better understand how the venusian crust formed which included understanding the role of water. This is particularly exciting since several mission will be exploring Venus in the late 2020s and early 2030s such as NASA's DAVINCI and VERITAS missions, and ESA's EnVision mission. I am a Co-I on the EnVision mission's VenSpec Suite, a multispectral imaging system that will measure atmorpheric, thermal, and compositional signanatures to search for volcanic activiy and compile a global map of the composition of the venusian surface.

In many ways, Mars is the opposite of Venus. It is only about half the size of Earth and has a very thin atmosphere, resulting in extreme fluctuations in surface temperatures which are predominantly too low for surface water to exist at present. Decades of Mars science has shown evidence of long-lasting water activity with two NASA rovers Curiosity and Perserverance still exploring different parts of the planet. While the surface may presently not be a habitable environment, conditions in the subsurface could be much more favorable for microbial communities. I study fluid-rock interactions in hydrothermal systems, where fluids are heated up by either volcanic activity or meteorite impacts and could provide the temperatures and nutrients to created habitable subsurface environments on Mars. My approach combines modelling with an analogue hydrothermal system in Vatnajöjull National Park, Iceland (see header image). The anaologue site is composed of a sequence of mainly basaltic rocks formed by a central volcano around 5-6 million years ago and was then exposed to hot fluids forming new minerals deposited as veins. The goal of the field work is to characterise the hydrothermal minerals and understand the extent of the alteration, which can then be compared to observations from Mars.

The differences recorded in terrestrial planets in our Solar System suggests that planets in other solar systems can form and evolve in a variety of settings. I am interested in the role of water and other fluids in the formation and evolution of planetary crusts in various settings, the implications for habitble world, and how they can be detected by observations and measurements.

Teaching interests

I am a member of the module team for S209 Earth Science specialising in igneous and metamorphic petrology. I am specifically interested in making geology more accessible in the form of virtual field trips and in the OU's extended reality studios. Together with a drone team, we have created a 3-D model of part of the field area in Iceland.

 

Impact and engagement

2024-2025 Distinguished Lecturer for the Mineralogical Society of America.

The future of Venus research, Glasgow Science festival.

15 minutes on Mars interactive (OpenLearn)

The serach for water on Mars (OpenLearn)

Milton Keynes International Festival, 2023, Cabaret of Ideas.

Bang Goes DG 2022 and 2023. 

Bluedot festival 2023.

Publications

Askival: An altered feldspathic cumulate sample in Gale crater (2023-01)
Bowden, Donald Lewis; Bridges, John C.; Cousin, Agnes; Rapin, William; Semprich, Julia; Gasnault, Olivier; Forni, Olivier; Gasda, Patrick; Das, Debarati; Payré, Valerie; Sautter, Violaine; Bedford, Candice C.; Wiens, Roger C.; Pinet, Patrick and Frydenvang, Jens
Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 58(1) (pp. 41-62)

A dunite fragment in meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 11421: A piece of the Moon’s mantle (2023)
Treiman, Allan H. and Semprich, Julia
American Mineralogist, 108(12) (pp. 2182-2192)

Constraints on the formation of carbonates and low‐grade metamorphic phases in the Martian crust as a function of H2O‐CO2 fluids (2022-01)
Semprich, Julia; Filiberto, Justin; Treiman, Allan H. and Schwenzer, Susanne P.
Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 57(1) (pp. 77-104)

High‐pressure metamorphic mineralogy of the Martian crust with implications for density and seismic profiles (2020-07)
Semprich, Julia and Filiberto, Justin
Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 55(7) (pp. 1600-1614)

Venus: A phase equilibria approach to model surface alteration as a function of rock composition, oxygen- and sulfur fugacities (2020)
Semprich, Julia; Filiberto, Justin and Treiman, Allan H.
Icarus, 346, Article 113779

Mesoarchaean (2820 Ma) high-pressure mafic granulite at Uauá, São Francisco Craton, Brazil, and its potential significance for the assembly of Archaean supercratons (2019-09-01)
Oliveira, Elson P.; Talavera, Cristina; Windley, Brian F.; Zhao, Lei; Semprich, Julia J.; McNaughton, Neal J.; Amaral, Wagner S.; Sombini, Gabriel; Navarro, Margareth and Silva, Dailto
Precambrian Research, 331, Article 105366

Phase Equilibria Modeling of Low-grade Metamorphic Martian Rocks (2019-03)
Semprich, J.; Schwenzer, S. P.; Treiman, A. H. and Filiberto, J.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 124(3) (pp. 681-702)

Geochronological and geochemical evidences for extension-related Neoarchean granitoids in the southern São Francisco Craton, Brazil (2017-06)
Moreno, J.A.; Baldim, M.R.; Semprich, J.; Oliveira, E.P.; Verma, S. and Teixeira, W.
Precambrian Research, 294 (pp. 322-343)

Phase equilibria and trace element modeling of Archean sanukitoid melts (2015-10)
Semprich, Julia; Moreno, Juan Antonio and Oliveira, Elson Paiva
Precambrian Research, 269 (pp. 122-138)

Geophysical-petrological modeling of the lithosphere beneath the Cantabrian Mountains and the North-Iberian margin: geodynamic implications (2015-08-01)
Pedreira, David; Afonso, Juan Carlos; Pulgar, Javier A.; Gallastegui, Jorge; Carballo, Alberto; Fernàndez, Manel; Garcia-Castellanos, Daniel; Jiménez-Munt, Ivone; Semprich, Julia and García-Moreno, Olga
Lithos, 230 (pp. 46-68)

Effect of small-scale heterogeneities on interpretation of crustal compositions exemplified by a layered anorthosite (2015-02)
Semprich, J. and Vrijmoed, J.C.
Lithos, 216-217 (pp. 298-314)

Inhibited eclogitization and consequences for geophysical rock properties and delamination models: Constraints from cratonic lower crustal xenoliths (2014-03)
Semprich, J. and Simon, N.S.C.
Gondwana Research, 25(2) (pp. 668-684)

Density variations in the thickened crust as a function of pressure, temperature, and composition (2010-10)
Semprich, Julia; Simon, Nina S. C. and Podladchikov, Yuri Yu.
International Journal of Earth Sciences, 99(7) (pp. 1487-1510)

The Archaean Karelia and Belomorian Provinces, Fennoscandian Shield (2014)
Hölttä, Pentti; Heilimo, Esa; Huhma, Hannu; Kontinen, Asko; Mertanen, Satu; Mikkola, Perttu; Paavola, Jorma; Peltonen, Petri; Semprich, Julia; Slabunov, Alexander and Sorjonen-Ward, Peter
In: Dilek, Y and Furnes, H eds. Evolution of Archean Crust and Early Life (pp. 55-102)
Publisher : Springer | Published : Dordrecht

Influence of Thermal Gradient and Water Content on the Composition of Venusian Basalts (2024)
Semprich, Julia
In : Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (11-15 Mar 2024, The Woodlands, Houston, Texas)

Modeling Melt Fractionation in the Venusian Mantle and Implications for Basalt Composition (2024)
Semprich, Julia
In : Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (11-15 Mar 2024, The Woodlands, Houston, Texas)

Compositional Variation of Venusian Melts as A Function of Thermal Gradient and Protolith (2023)
Semprich, Julia and Filiberto, Justin
In : 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (13-17 Mar 2023, Houston, TX, USA)

From Geitafell Volcano (Iceland) to Mars: Hydrothermal Alteration of Basalt to Constrain Subsurface Fluid Pathways (2023)
Semprich, Julia
In : 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (13-17 Mar 2023, Houston, TX, USA)

Unraveling Venus' Geological Past: Linking Melt Compositions to Reservoir and Depth (2023)
Semprich, Julia
In : Venus as a System Conference (1-3 Nov 2003, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, New Mexico)

Modelling possible chemical evolution pathways during crystallisation and re-mobilisation of brines in Europa’s ice shell (2023)
Fox-Powell, Mark; Wolfenbarger, Natalie; Buffo, Jacob; Semprich, Julia and Ramkissoon, Nisha
In : Workshop on the Origins and Habitability of the Galilean Moons (24-26 Oct 2023, Marseille, France)

Modelling possible chemical evolution pathways during freezing of Europa’s ice shell (2023)
Fox-Powell, Mark; Wolfenbarger, Natalie; Buffo, Jacob; Semprich, Julia and Ramkissoon, Nisha
In : 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (13-17 Mar 2023, Houston, TX, USA)

Density Variations as a Function of Compostion in the Venusian Crust: Implications for Tesserae Formation (2022-03)
Baker, Aedan; Semprich, Julia; Schwenzer, Susanne; Greenwood, Richard C. and Filiberto, Justin
In : 53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (7-11 Mar 2022, Houston, TX)

Modeling the crystallization of Martian igneous compositions (2022)
Semprich, Julia and Filiberto, Justin
In : 53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (7-11 Mar 2022, Houston, TX, USA)

Brine evolution and transport-driven fractionation of ocean fluids within Europa’s icy shell (2021)
Fox-Powell, Mark; Buffo, Jacob; Wolfenbarger, Natalie; Semprich, Julia; Ramkissoon, Nisha; Vance, Steven; Schwenzer, Susanne and Pearson, Victoria
In : 52nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2021 (15-19 Mar 2021, Online)