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- Third Party Resource Title: MATLAB Diffusion Models
- Third Party Resource Link: https://serc.carleton.edu/teaching_computation/workshop_2019/activities/230782.html
- Description: This activity is part of a larger module that introduces students to two different ways to model chemical diffusion in minerals: 1) 1D diffusion in Excel using finite differences and 2) 1D diffusion in MATLAB using the same equations. It is designed to help students apply diffusion equations derived previously in class to understand natural zonation of elements in minerals. The students build the model first in Excel, and then in MATLAB to obtain the timescales of diffusive re-equilibration related to magma storage and transport at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i. The major goals are to help students transition from visual platforms (e.g., Excel) to writing computer code (e.g., in MATLAB), implementing for loops for iterative calculations, and thinking about how the geologic parameters (temperature, pressure, fO2) affect the model results.
- Publish Year: 2019
- Institution: University of Delaware
