My Research
I am a petrologist on a quest to quantify the history of Earth’s atmosphere. A major issue for my research is that air does not precipitate a rock-forming mineral phases, meaning that there is no direct evidence to interrogate – such as a rock record. To circumvent this issue, I develop and lead an innovative array of indirect theoretical, analytical, and experimental approaches to understand the nature of long-term tectonic fluxes which govern how the interior of our planet influences the chemistry of our atmosphere.
To date, my research has generated new insights into how nitrogen- and carbon-bearing compounds are stored and cycled throughout the planet, I have drawn new links between the planet-wide carbon cycle and diamond-formation, and I have quantitatively shown how plate tectonics has altered the chemistry of Earth’s atmosphere.
I am currently working on a variety of projects with a variety of people. Below I list of my publications according to the theme of the science (Google Scholar Page).
Academic Publications (peer reviewed)
Boocock, TJ., Mikhail, S., Boyce, AJ., Prytulak, J., Savage, PS., Stüeken, ES. 2023. A primary magmatic source of nitrogen to the Earth’s crust. Nature Geoscience
Jacob, D.E., Mikhail, S., 2022. Polycrystalline diamonds – snapshots of rapid and episodic diamond formation in the lithospheric mantle. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry
Mikhail, S., Rinaldi, M., Mare, E.R., Sverjensky, D.A. 2021. A genetic metasomatic link between eclogitic and peridotitic diamond inclusions. Geochemical Perspectives Letters
Stüeken, E.E., Boocock, T., Szilas, K., Mikhail, S., Gardiner, N.J. 2021. Reconstructing nitrogen sources to Earth's earliest biosphere at 3.7 Ga. Frontiers in Earth Science
Stüeken, E.E., Boocock, T.J., Robinson, A., Mikhail, S., Johnson, B.W. 2021. Hydrothermal recycling of sedimentary ammonium into oceanic crust and the Archean ocean at 3.24 Ga. Geology
Byrne, P.K., Foley, B.J., Violay, M.E.S., Heap, M.J., Mikhail, S. 2021. The Effects of Planetary and Stellar Parameters on Brittle Lithospheric Thickness. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Boocock. T.J., Mikhail, S., Prytulak, J., Di Rocco, T., Stüeken., E.E. 2020. Nitrogen mass fraction and stable isotope ratios for fourteen geological reference materials: Evaluating the applicability of Elemental Analyser versus Sealed Tube Combustion methods. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research
Cousins, C.R., Mikhail, S., Foucher, F., Steele, A., Westall., F. 2020. Metamorphic evolution of carbonate-hosted microbial biosignatures. Geochemical Perspectives Letters
McCammon, C., Bureau, H., Cleaves II, H.J., Cottrell, E., Dorfman, S.M., Kellogg, L.H., Li, J., Mikhail, S., Moussallam, Y., Sanloup, C., Thomson, A.R., Brovarone, A.V. 2020. Deep Earth Carbon Reactions Through Time and Space. American Mineralogist
Mikhail, S., Füri, E. 2019. On the origin(s) and evolution of Earth’s carbon. Elements
Mikhail, S., Crosby, J.C., Stuart, F.M., DiNicola, L., Abernethy, F.A.J. 2019. A secretive mechanical exchange between mantle and crustal volatiles revealed by helium isotopes in 13C-depleted diamonds. Geochemical Perspective Letters
Shirey, S.B., Pearson, D.G., Walter, M.J., Aulbach, S., Brenker, F.E., Bureau, H., Burnham, A.D., Cartigny, P., Chacko, T., Frost, D.J., Hauri, E.H., Jacob, D.E., Jacobsen, S.D., Kohn, S.C., Luth, R.W., Mikhail, S., Navon, O., Nestola, F., Nimis, P., Smit, K.V., Smith, E.N., Stachel, T., Stagno, V., Steele, A., Thomassot, E., Thomson, A.R., Weiss, Y. 2019. Diamonds and the Mantle Geodynamics of Carbon: Deep Mantle Carbon Evolution from the Diamond Record. In Orcutt, B., Daniel, I., and Dasgupta, R. (Eds.) Deep Carbon: Past to Present. Cambridge University Press (Invited Contribution)
Mikhail, S., McCubbin, F.M., Jenner, F.E., Shirey, S.B., Rumble, D., Bowden, R. 2019. Diamondites: Evidence for a distinct tectono-thermal diamond-forming event beneath the Kaapvaal craton. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology
Broadley, M.W., Kagi, H., Burgess, R., Zedgenizov, D., Mikhail, S., Almayrac, M., Ragozin, A., Pomazansky, B., Sumino, B. 2018. Plume-lithosphere interaction, and the formation of fibrous diamonds. Geochemical Perspectives Letters
Mikhail, S., Barry, P.H., Sverjensky, D.A. 2017. The relationship between mantle pH and the deep nitrogen cycle. Geochimica Cosmochimica et Acta
Heap, M.J., Byrne, P.K., Mikhail, S. 2017. Low surface gravitational acceleration of Mars results in a thick and weak lithosphere: Implications for topography, volcanism, and hydrology. Icarus
Mikhail, S., Heap, M.J. 2017. Hot climate inhibits volcanism on Venus: constraints from rock deformation experiments and argon isotope geochemistry. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors
Zerkle, A.L., Mikhail, S. 2017. The Geobiological Nitrogen Cycle: From Microbes to the Mantle. Geobiology
Smith, C.B., Walter, M.J, Bulanova, G.P., Mikhail, S., Burnham, A.D., Gobbo, L., Kohn, S.C. 2016. Diamonds from Dachine, French Guiana: a unique record of Early Proterozoic subduction. Lithos
Mikhail, S., Howell, D. 2016. A petrological assessment of diamond as a recorder of the mantle nitrogen cycle. American Mineralogist
Howell, D., Stern, R.A., Griffin, W.L., Southworth, R., Mikhail, S., Satchel, T. 2015. Nitrogen isotope systematics and origins of mixed-habit diamonds. Geochimica Cosmochimica et Acta
McCubbin, F.M., Vander Kaaden, K.E., Tartèse, R., Whitson, E.S., Anand, M., Franchi, I.A., Mikhail, S., Ustunisik, G., Hauri, E.H., Wang, J., Boyce, J.W. 2015. Experimental investigation of F, Cl, and OH partitioning between apatite and Fe-rich basaltic melt at 1.5 GPa and 950-1000 °C. American Mineralogist
Mikhail, S., Guillermier, C., Franchi, I.A., Beard, A.D., Verchovsky, A.B., Wood, I., Jones, A.P., Mileage, H.J. 2014. Empirical evidence for the fractionation of carbon isotopes between diamond and iron carbide from the Earth’s mantle. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems
Mikhail, S., Howell, D., Hutchison, M., Verchovsky, A.B., Warburton, P., Southworth, R., Thompson, A.R., Jones, A.P., Mileage, H.J. 2014. Constraining the internal variability of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in diamonds. Chemical Geology
Bulanova, G., Wiggers de Vries, D., Pearson, D.G., Beard, A., Mikhail, S., Smelov, A.R., Davies, G.R. 2014. Carbon recycling and polygenetic origin of eclogitic diamonds recorded by a single crystal from the Mir pipe (Yakutia). Chemical Geology
Mikhail, S., McCubbin, F.M., Howell, D. 2014. Evidence for multiple diamondite-forming events in the mantle. American Mineralogist
Mikhail, S., Sverjensky, D.A. 2014. Nitrogen speciation in upper mantle fluids and the origin of Earth’s nitrogen-rich atmosphere. Nature Geoscience
Mikhail, S., Kurat, G., Dubosi, G., Verchovsky, A.B., Jones, A.P., Mileage, H.J. 2013. Peridotitic and websteritic diamondites provide new information regarding mantle melting and metasomatism induced through the subduction of crustal volatiles. Geochimica Cosmochimica et Acta