Alan S. Kornacki

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Alan Stanley Kornacki (born May 4, 1952, in Bayonne, New Jersey) is an American geologist and retired Army colonel, currently the Senior Staff Geochemist at Shell International Exploration and Production Inc. [1]

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He received a B.S. in geology from the University of Missouri–Rolla in 1974 before completing his M.S. and Ph.D. in geology at Harvard University in 1984 on a Graduate Research Fellowship. His dissertation focused on refractory inclusions in carbonaceous chondrites.

He began a career in the petroleum industry in 1985 when he joined Shell USA. In 1981, he was awarded the Nininger Meteorite Award, and in 2008, he was awarded a professional degree by the University of Missouri–Rolla. [2]

Kornacki's research includes the characterization of wax from deep-water crude oil, an important obstacle in modern drilling and refining technology, and his research on new sources of hydrocarbons such as oil shale.[ citation needed ]

Selected publications

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chondrule</span> Round grain found in chondrites, stony meteorites

A chondrule is a round grain found in a chondrite. Chondrules form as molten or partially molten droplets in space before being accreted to their parent asteroids. Because chondrites represent one of the oldest solid materials within the Solar System and are believed to be the building blocks of the planetary system, it follows that an understanding of the formation of chondrules is important to understand the initial development of the planetary system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calcium–aluminium-rich inclusion</span> Asteroid with an inclusion with high quantities of calcium and aluminium

A calcium–aluminium-rich inclusion or Ca–Al-rich inclusion (CAI) is a submillimeter- to centimeter-sized light-colored calcium- and aluminium-rich inclusion found in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. The four CAIs that have been dated using the Pb-Pb chronometer yield a weighted mean age of 4567.30 ± 0.16 Myr. As CAIs are the oldest dated solids, this age is commonly used to define the age of the Solar System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presolar grains</span> Very old dust in space

Presolar grains are interstellar solid matter in the form of tiny solid grains that originated at a time before the Sun was formed. Presolar grains formed within outflowing and cooling gases from earlier presolar stars. The study of presolar grains is typically considered part of the field of cosmochemistry and meteoritics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chondrite</span> Class of stony meteorites made of round grains

A chondrite is a stony (non-metallic) meteorite that has not been modified, by either melting or differentiation of the parent body. They are formed when various types of dust and small grains in the early Solar System accreted to form primitive asteroids. Some such bodies that are captured in the planet's gravity well become the most common type of meteorite by arriving on a trajectory toward the planet's surface. Estimates for their contribution to the total meteorite population vary between 85.7% and 86.2%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbonaceous chondrite</span> Class of chondritic meteorites

Carbonaceous chondrites or C chondrites are a class of chondritic meteorites comprising at least 8 known groups and many ungrouped meteorites. They include some of the most primitive known meteorites. The C chondrites represent only a small proportion (4.6%) of meteorite falls.

Kaidun is a meteorite that fell on 3 December 1980 on a Soviet military base near what is now Al-Khuraybah in Yemen. A fireball was observed travelling from the northwest to the southeast, and a single stone weighing about 2 kilograms (4.4 lb) was recovered from a small impact pit. It has been suggested that Kaidun originated from the Martian moon of Phobos, but this is disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allende meteorite</span> CV3 carbonaceous chondrite meteorite

The Allende meteorite is the largest carbonaceous chondrite ever found on Earth. The fireball was witnessed at 01:05 on February 8, 1969, falling over the Mexican state of Chihuahua. After it broke up in the atmosphere, an extensive search for pieces was conducted and over 2 tonnes were recovered. The availability of large quantities of samples of the scientifically important chondrite class has enabled numerous investigations by many scientists; it is often described as "the best-studied meteorite in history." The Allende meteorite has abundant, large calcium–aluminium-rich inclusions (CAI), which are among the oldest objects formed in the Solar System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enstatite chondrite</span> Rare type of meteorite

Enstatite chondrites are a rare form of meteorite, rich in the mineral enstatite. Only about 200 E-Type chondrites are currently known, comprising about 2% of the chondrites that fall on Earth. There are two main subtypes: EH and EL, classified based on their iron content.

CI chondrites, also called C1 chondrites or Ivuna-type carbonaceous chondrites, are a group of rare carbonaceous chondrite, a type of stony meteorite. They are named after the Ivuna meteorite, the type specimen. CI chondrites have been recovered in France, Canada, India, and Tanzania. Their overall chemical composition closely resembles the elemental composition of the Sun, more so than any other type of meteorite.

This is a glossary of terms used in meteoritics, the science of meteorites.

Allendeite, Sc4Zr3O12, is an oxide mineral. Allendeite was discovered in a small ultrarefractory inclusion within the Allende meteorite. This inclusion has been named ACM-1. It is one of several scandium rich minerals that have been found in meteorites. Allendeite is trigonal, with a calculated density of 4.84 g/cm3. The new mineral was found along with hexamolybdenum. These minerals, are believed to demonstrate conditions during the early stages of the Solar System, as is the case with many CV3 carbonaceous chondrites such as the Allende meteorite. It is named after the Allende meteorite that fell in 1969 near Pueblito de Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Hexamolybdenum is a molybdenum dominant alloy discovered during a nanomineralogy investigation of the Allende meteorite. Hexamolybdenum was discovered in a small ultrarefractory inclusion within the Allende meteorite. This inclusion has been named ACM-1. Hexamolybdenum is hexagonal, with a calculated density of 11.90 g/cm3. The new mineral was found along with allendeite. These minerals, are believed to demonstrate conditions during the early stages of the Solar System, as is the case with many CV3 carbonaceous chondrites such as the Allende meteorite. Hexamolybdenum lies on a continuum of high-temperature alloys that are found in meteorites and allows a link between osmium, ruthenium, and iron rich meteoritic alloys. The name hexamolybdenum refers to the crystal symmetry and the molybdenum rich composition. The Allende meteorite fell in 1969 near Pueblito de Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Extinct isotopes of superheavy elements are isotopes of superheavy elements whose half-lives were too short to have lasted through the formation of the Solar System, and because they are not replenished by natural processes, can nowadays only be found as their decay products trapped within sediment and meteorite samples dating billions of years ago.

Robert Norman Clayton was a Canadian-American chemist and academic. He was the Enrico Fermi Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Chicago. Clayton studied cosmochemistry and held a joint appointment in the university's geophysical sciences department. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and was named a fellow of several academic societies, including the Royal Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toshiko Mayeda</span> Japanese American chemist

Toshiko K. Mayeda was a Japanese American chemist who worked at the Enrico Fermi Institute in the University of Chicago. She worked on climate science and meteorites from 1958 to 2004.

Asteroidal water is water or water precursor deposits such as hydroxide (OH) that exist in asteroids. The "snow line" of the Solar System lies outside of the main asteroid belt, and the majority of water is expected in minor planets. Nevertheless, a significant amount of water is also found inside the snow line, including in near-earth objects (NEOs).

The K/U Ratio is the ratio of a slightly volatile element, potassium (K), to a highly refractory element, uranium (U). It is a useful way to measure the presence of volatile elements on planetary surfaces. The K/U ratio helps explain the evolution of the planetary system and the origin of Earth's moon.

CM chondrites are a group of chondritic meteorites which resemble their type specimen, the Mighei meteorite. The CM is the most commonly recovered group of the 'carbonaceous chondrite' class of meteorites, though all are rarer in collections than ordinary chondrites.

Gas-rich meteorites are meteorites with high levels of primordial gases, such as helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and sometimes other elements. Though these gases are present "in virtually all meteorites," the Fayetteville meteorite has ~2,000,000 x10−8 ccSTP/g helium, or ~2% helium by volume equivalent. In comparison, background level is a few ppm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaba meteorite</span> Meteorite that hit Kaba, Hungary in 1857

The Kaba meteorite, a 2,601 kilogram stone, struck the outskirts of the Hungarian town of Kaba on 15 April 1857 at around 10 pm. The roughly loaf-shaped meteorite has a maximum diameter of 16.4 centimeters, a minimum diameter of 10 centimeters and a height of 10.8 centimeters. Its mass on the ground must have been about 4 kilograms. Its official name as recorded in the Meteoritical Bulletin is Kaba.

References

  1. "...like putting a brick on a balloon full of water," says Alan Kornacki, an exploration geologist at Shell. "The water wants to burst upward...", http://www.texasmonthly.com/1996-02-01/feature4.php
  2. Missouri S T to award honorary professional degrees (2008), http://news.mst.edu/people/2008/prodegreesmay08.html