Paul Sylvester

Sylvester earned his Bachelor's (B.S.) in Geology from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, in 1978, and his Doctorate (PhD) in Geochemistry from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, in 1984.

Sylvester started his career as a Research Associate at NASA Johnson Space Center in the mid-1980s, later becoming a Research Management Associate at NASA Headquarters. From 1998 to 2004, he served as Associate Professor and, from 2004 to 2014, as Full Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland. During this time, he was the Principal Investigator at the Inco Innovation Centre as well, a role he held from 2005 to 2014. He holds an appointment as Principal Investigator at the TTU MILL Mineral Isotope Laser Laboratory and, since 2014, has been a Professor and the Endowed Pevehouse Chair at Texas Tech University.{{cite web|url=https://www.depts.ttu.edu/geosciences/geo/AcademicsResearch/geochemistry.php|title=Geochemistry - Faculty}}

Sylvester has applied microbeam techniques like LA-ICP-MS and automated mineralogy (Mineral Liberation Analysis) to study the elemental and isotopic compositions of minerals, focusing on Earth's early crust, meteorites, impact melts, metal ores, and sedimentary rock provenance.

Sylvester studied alkaline granites in post-collisional environments like the Alaskan Cordillera and Arabian-Nubian Shield, linking them to anorogenic and volcanic arc granites, and suggesting formation through crustal anatexis.{{cite web|url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/629302|title=Post-Collisional Alkaline Granites}} He examined the effects of collision pressures on granite formation, revealing smaller, cooler granites in high-pressure settings like the Himalayas and larger, hotter ones in high-temperature environments like the Lachlan Fold Belt, with distinct geochemical signatures based on protolith type.{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0024493798000243|title=Post-collisional strongly peraluminous granites}} Collaboratively, he developed methods for high-precision elemental analysis using ICP-MS to trace geochemical variations, supporting research on high-field strength element fractionation during the partial melting of the mantle wedge.{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0009254196001003|title=A simple method for the precise determination of ≥ 40 trace elements in geological samples by ICPMS using enriched isotope internal standardisation}}

Furthermore, he refined U–Pb zircon dating with LA-ICP-MS to near-SIMS (secondary-ion mass spectrometry) precision, applying it to detrital zircons from the Ulven Group (western Norway) and revealing a mix of Archean, Proterozoic, and early Ordovician zircons.{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0009254101003412|title=U–Pb dating of detrital zircons for sediment provenance studies—a comparison of laser ablation ICPMS and SIMS techniques}} His work established LA-ICPMS as a viable alternative to SIMS for zircon geochronology,{{cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235344495_9_Present_Trends_and_the_Future_of_Zircon_in_Geochronology_Laser_Ablation_ICPMS|title=Present Trends and the Future of Zircon in Geochronology: Laser Ablation ICPMS}} with further analysis of Zircon 91500 confirming its utility in calibrating rare earth elements.{{cite web|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1751-908X.2004.tb01041.x|title=Further Characterisation of the 91500 Zircon Crystal}} His research also demonstrated the potential of apatite for sedimentary provenance analysis,{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0009254110004031|title=U–Pb and Th–Pb dating of apatite by LA-ICPMS}} improved U-(Th-)Pb geochronology standards for zircon, monazite, and titanite, refining uncertainty propagation and data calibration{{cite web|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1751-908X.2016.00379.x|title=Community-Derived Standards for LA-ICP-MS U-(Th-)Pb Geochronology – Uncertainty Propagation, Age Interpretation and Data Reporting}} and showed how in situ analyses of Pb-isotope ratios in feldspar can be a powerful tool for understanding magmatic processes.{{cite web|url=https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2010/ja/c002729d/unauth|title= Accuracy and precision of non-matrix-matched calibration for lead isotope ratio measurements of lead-poor minerals by LA-MC-ICPMS}}

Sylvester's work encompassed the isotopic study of meteorites, the effects of impact melting, and the formation of early solar system materials. He utilized laser ablation MC-ICP-MS to analyze Fe isotopic variations in iron meteorites and sulfides, demonstrating its ability to detect subtle differences in small samples.{{cite web|url=https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2005/ja/b412169d/unauth|title=Analysis of Fe isotopes in sulfides and iron meteorites by laser ablation high-mass resolution multi-collector ICP mass spectrometry}} His comparative studies on impact melting revealed distinct compositions in melt products from sedimentary and crystalline targets,{{cite web|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2008.tb00654.x|title=The effect of target lithology on the products of impact melting}} while his research on unequilibrated ordinary chondrites suggested their formation as rapidly quenched liquids shaped by varied histories in the solar nebula.{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0019103507002783|title=The origin of non-porphyritic pyroxene chondrules in UOCs: Liquid solar nebula condensates?}} Among other works, he edited a special issue of Tectonophysics titled "Continent Formation, Growth and Recycling," which explored perspectives on continental formation, growth, and recycling through numerical models, geochronologic and isotopic studies, and global crustal growth models.{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040195100000536?via%3Dihub|title=Continent formation, growth and recycling}}

Sylvester edited the book Laser-ablation-ICPMS in the Earth Sciences: Principles and Applications (2001) for the Mineralogical Association of Canada short course series, which Philip E. Janney reviewed, stating, "I was very impressed by the depth and scope of the book."{{cite web|url=https://www.geochemsoc.org/files/1913/4436/8118/gn109.pdf|title=THE GEOCHEMICAL NEWS - Newsletter of The Geochemical Society in cooperation with The European Association of Geochemistry}} In 2023, he was guest editor of Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research's issue highlighting innovations in LA-ICP-MS methods, instrumentation, and reference materials, sparked by the pandemic's disruptions and opportunities in research.{{cite web|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)1751-908X.LA-ICP-MS_methods_and_materials|title=Emerging methods, instrumentation, software and reference materials for LA-ICP-MS}}

• 2013 – Fellow, Mineralogical Society of America
• 2013 – Fellow, Geological Society of America
• 2024 – Fellow, Society of Economic Geologists

• Sylvester, P. J. (1989). Post-collisional alkaline granites. The Journal of Geology, 97(3), 261–280.
• Eggins, S. M., Woodhead, J. D., Kinsley, L. P. J., Mortimer, G. E., Sylvester, P., McCulloch, M. T., ... & Handler, M. R. (1997). A simple method for the precise determination of≥ 40 trace elements in geological samples by ICPMS using enriched isotope internal standardisation. Chemical geology, 134(4), 311–326.
• Sylvester, P. J. (1998). Post-collisional strongly peraluminous granites. lithos, 45(1–4), 29–44.
• Wiedenbeck, M., Hanchar, J. M., Peck, W. H., Sylvester, P., Valley, J., Whitehouse, M., ... & Zheng, Y. F. (2004). Further characterisation of the 91500 zircon crystal. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 28(1), 9-39.
• Horstwood, M. S., Košler, J., Gehrels, G., Jackson, S. E., McLean, N. M., Paton, C., ... & Schoene, B. (2016). Community‐derived standards for LA‐ICP‐MS U‐(Th‐) Pb geochronology–Uncertainty propagation, age interpretation and data reporting. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 40(3), 311–332.

• Continent Formation, Growth and Recycling (2000) ISBN 9780444506221
• Laser-ablation-ICPMS in the Earth Sciences: Current Practices and Outstanding Issues (2008) ISBN 90921294498

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Category:American geochemists

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