Azzurra Zucchini, Catherine McCammon, Paola Comodi and Mainak Mookherjee (contact: azzurra.zucchini@unipg.it)

Processes operating in the Earth are often controlled by atomistic scale dynamics in the minerals, melts, and fluids. How the Earth's engine works and how it may evolve in the future depends on the nature of minerals and related phases and their response to changes in pressure, temperature, fluid compositions and so on. Laboratory based experiments and computational mineral sciences provide valuable clue to the HP-HT mineral physics. A good synergy between the computational mineral sciences and the experimental approaches is crucial for the better understanding of the principles underlying the mineralogical processes. This session will present a snapshot of current research, particularly focusing on experimental and computational studies applied to the understanding of the behaviour of Earth Materials at ambient and non ambient conditions.

The Keynote speakers will be Marc Blanchard (UPMC - Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France) and Hauke Marquardt (Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth, Germany)