Dr. Ananya Mallik, a geoscientist from the University of Arizona, has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate the amount of nitrogen in the continental crust. The project aims to determine how much nitrogen is stored in the continental crust and to better understand the nitrogen content of primitive arc magmas. This research could help scientists understand how nitrogen moves between the Earth's surface and interior.

Key aspects of the grant:

- The project will analyze samples from two locations in California and Arizona to determine the nitrogen abundance in the continental crust.
- Nitrogen partitioning experiments will be conducted between lower crustal cumulate minerals and arc melt to determine the nitrogen content of primitive arc magmas.
- A summer camp for high school students from Tucson Unified School District will be held to inspire interest in geosciences and promote workforce development.
- The research could help scientists understand the role of the continental crust in storing nitrogen and the nitrogen fluxes between different subduction zone reservoirs.

Ananya Mallik, a geoscientist from the University of Arizona, has been awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation to study the fate of carbonate platforms that have been pushed into the Earth during subduction. The project aims to understand how much carbon is returned to the Earth's surface from volcanic outgassing and how much stays in the mantle. Mallik's team will analyze geochemical fingerprints of subducted marbles and volcanic products in the Carpathian region and conduct lab experiments to model what happens to the carbon in the Earth's mantle.

- The study will test whether subducted marbles are the source of volcanic rocks in the Carpathian region.
- Lab experiments will model the behavior of carbonate in the Earth's mantle and the possible formation of magma.
- The team will produce a mini documentary on carbon's journey from the Earth's surface to its interior and back, promoting it through social media and local organizations.
- The research will improve our understanding of carbon cycling between the Earth's surface and interior and its implications for the global carbon budget.