Katherine Kelley

Katherine Kelley is a Professor of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, where she directs the Micro-Analytical Geochemistry Lab and curates the Marine Geological Samples Laboratory. Her research focuses on geochemical exchanges at tectonic plate boundaries, particularly how volcanic activity reveals mantle composition and melting dynamics influenced by subducted oceanic crust and volatiles.

• PhD in Earth Sciences, Boston University (2004)
• BA in Geology, Macalester College (1997)
• Fulbright grant for volcanism studies in the Philippines (1997-98)

Her work integrates high-temperature geochemistry, subduction zone dynamics, and volatile element cycling, with emphasis on iron oxidation states, water transport, and continental crust formation. She employs synchrotron XANES, LA-ICP-MS, and FTIR techniques to analyze volcanic glasses, minerals, and experimental samples.

Recent publications highlight redox heterogeneity in mid-ocean ridge basalts (2013), mantle carbon inventory studies (2019), and Aleutian arc magma differentiation (2019). Her lab investigates tectonic-volcanic relationships through projects like the 2015 Aleutians expedition and ultra-deep arc crust drilling initiatives.

• 2019 NSF GeoPRISMS funding for Aleutian redox studies
• Deep Carbon Observatory (Sloan Foundation) support for mantle carbon research

Kelley teaches courses including Subduction Zones and High-Temperature Geochemistry, and mentors graduate students in petrology and geochemical analysis. Lab alumni include PhD recipients Maryjo Brounce (2014) and Marion Lytle (2013), and MS graduates Zoe Gentes (2015) and Megan Lubetkin (2019).