Anthony Koppers
Associate Professor in MG&G, COAS, Oregon State University
Head Database Manager and Webmaster, EarthRef.org


Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
  • B.Sc. in Geology, Cum Laude, 1987 - 1988
  • M.Sc. in Isotope Geology, Petrology and Structural Geology, Honors, 1988 - 1993
  • Ph.D. in 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology, Plate Tectonics and Mantle Geochemistry, 1993 - 1998
  • Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
  • Ph.D. Researcher, September 1993 - October 1998
  • Research Associate, May 1998 - October 1998
  • Scripps Institution of Oceanography
  • Visiting NATO scholar, October 1998 - October 1999
  • Post Doctoral Researcher, October 1999 - September 2001
  • Assistant Project Scientist, September 2001 - September 2003
  • Assistant Research Geophysicist, September 2003 - June 2006
  • Associate Research Geophysicist, July 2006 - February 2007
  • Research Associate, March 2007 - Present
  • COAS, Oregon State University
  • Associate Professor Marine Geology & Geophysics, March 2007 - Present
  • Organization Geochemical Earth Reference Model Workshop, La Jolla, March 2001
  • Organization Paleomagnetic Workshop Workshop, La Jolla, March 2002
  • Organization Geochemical Earth Reference Model Workshop, Lyon, France, May 2003
  • Organization Seamount Biogeosciences Workshop, La Jolla, March 2006
  • Organization Geochemical Earth Reference Model Workshop, New York, May 2006
  • Webmaster and Database Management for EarthRef.org, 2000 – present
  • GERM Editor for Database Management and Cyberinfrastructure, 2001 – present
  • Radiometric Taskforce (member) International Commission on Stratigraphy, 2002 – present
  • MagIC Metadata Committee (chair) for the Paleomagnetic Archival Group, 2002 – present
  • AGU Index Committee (member) for the Volcanology-Geochemistry-Petrology, 2003 – 2005
  • Seamount Biogeosciences Network (co-director), 2005 – present
  • COAS Noble Gas Mass Spectrometry Lab (co-director), 2007 – present
  • Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
  • A.A.P. Koppers, 1992. On the Migmatites of the West Uusimaa Granulite Complex, SW Finland. M.Sc. Thesis, Free University Amsterdam, Department Petrology and Isotope Geology.
  • A.A.P. Koppers, 1992. P-T-t Paths in Metamorphic Belts: obtaining Prograde and Peak Metamorphic P-T-t Conditions from Garnets. M.Sc. Thesis, Free University Amsterdam, Department Petrology and Isotope Geology.
  • A.A.P. Koppers, 1993. Isotopic Characterization of Oceanic Basalts and Identification of their Mantle Components. M.Sc. Thesis, Free University Amsterdam, Department Petrology and Isotope Geology.
  • A.A.P. Koppers, 1998. Geochronology and Isotope Geochemistry of Western Pacific Seamounts: Implications for Absolute Pacific Plate motions and the motion of Hotspots. Ph.D. Thesis, Free University Amsterdam, Department Petrology and Isotope Geology, 263 pages. See the summary at the bottom of this page ...
  • 1995 - 1999
  • A.A.P. Koppers, H. Staudigel, D.M. Christie, J.J. Dieu and M.S. Pringle, 1995, Sr-Nd-Pb Isotope Geochemistry of Leg 144 West Pacific Guyots: Implications for the Geochemical Evolution of the "SOPITA" Mantle Anomaly. in: Haggerty, J.A., I. Premoli-Silva, F. Rack, M.K. McNutt (Editors). Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, 144, 535-545.
  • J.R. Wijbrans, M.S. Pringle, A.A.P. Koppers and R. Scheveers, 1995, Argon Geochronology of Small Samples using the VULKAAN argon laserprobe. Proceedings Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, 98: 185-218.
  • A.A.P. Koppers, H. Staudigel, J.R. Wijbrans and M.S. Pringle, 1998, The Magellan seamount trail: implications for Cretaceous hotspot volcanism and absolute Pacific plate motion. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 163: 53-68.
  • 2000 - 2004
  • A.A.P. Koppers, H. Staudigel and J.R. Wijbrans, 2000, Dating Crystalline Groundmass separates of Altered Cretaceous Seamount Basalts by the 40Ar/39Ar Incremental Heating Technique. Chemical Geology, 166: 139-158.
  • W.W. Sager and A.A.P. Koppers, 2000, Rapid Late Cretaceous polar wander of the Pacific plate: a true polar wander event? Science, 287: 455-459.
  • S.R. Hart, H. Staudigel, A.A.P. Koppers, J. Blusztajn, E. T. Baker, R. Workman, M. Jackson, E. Hauri, M. Kurz, K. Sims, D. Fornari, A. Saal and S. Lyons, 2000, Vailulu'u Undersea Volcano: The New Samoa. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Vol 1, Papernumber 2000GC000108.
  • A.A.P. Koppers, J. Phipps Morgan, W.J. Morgan, H. Staudigel, 2001, Testing the fixed hotspot hypothesis using 40Ar/39Ar age progressions along seamount trails. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 185: 237-252.
  • A.A.P. Koppers, 2002, ArArCALC -- software for 40Ar/39Ar age calculations. Computers and Geosciences. 28, 605-619. (http://earthref.org/tools/ararcalc.htm)
  • P. Solheid, C. Constable, A.A.P. Koppers, M. Jackson, and S. Banerjee, Research-oriented database for rock and paleomagnetism to be developed. EOS 83-48: 560, News Item 26 November 2002.
  • H. Staudigel, J. Helly, A.A.P. Koppers, H. Shaw, B. McDonough, A. Hofmann, C. Langmuir, K. Lehnert, B. Sarbas, L. Derry, and A. Zindler, 2003, Electronic data publication in geochemistry. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems: paper number: 2002GC000314.
  • J. Helly, H. Staudigel, A.A.P. Koppers, 2003, Scalable models of data sharing in Earth sciences. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems: paper number: 2002GC000318.
  • L. Tauxe, C. Constable, C.L. Johnson, A.A.P. Koppers, W.R. Miller, and H. Staudigel, 2003, Paleomagnetism of the southwestern U.S.A. recorded by 0-5 Ma igneous rocks. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems: paper number: 2002GC000343.
  • A.A.P. Koppers, H. Staudigel, M.S. Pringle, J.R. Wijbrans, 2003, Short-lived and discontinuous intra-plate volcanism in the South Pacific: hotspots or extensional volcanism? Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems: paper number: 2003GC000533.
  • S.R. Hart, H., Staudigel, R. Workman, A.A.P. Koppers, A.P. Girard, 2003. A fluorescein tracer release experiment in the hydrothermally active crater of Vailulu’u volcano, Samoa. Journal of Geophysical Research: paper number: 2002JB001902. 11 pp.
  • H. Staudigel, S. Hart, A.A.P. Koppers, C. Constable, M. Kurz, R. Workman, E. Baker, 2003. Hydrothermal venting at Vailulu’u seamount: the smoking end of the Samoan chain. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems: paper number: 2002GC000314. 17 pp.
  • A.A.P. Koppers, H. Staudigel, R.A. Duncan, 2003. High resolution 40Ar/39Ar dating of the oldest oceanic basement basalts in the western Pacific basin. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems: paper number: 2003GC000574. 22 pp.
  • A.A.P. Koppers, R.A. Duncan, B. Steinberger, 2004. Implications of a nonlinear 40Ar/39Ar age progression along the Louisville seamount trail for models of fixed and moving hotspots. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems: paper number: 2003GC000671. 22 pp.
  • 2005 - 2008
  • A.A.P. Koppers, H. Staudigel, 2005. Asynchronous Bends in Pacific Seamount Trails: A Case for Extensional Volcanism? Science 307: 904-907.
  • H. Staudigel, S.R. Hart, A. Pile, B.E. Bailey, E.T. Baker, S. Brooke, D.P. Connelly, L. Haucke, C.R. German, I. Hudson, D. Jones, A.A.P. Koppers, J. Konter, R. Lee, T.W. Pietsch, B.M. Tebo, A.S. Templeton, R. Zierenberg, C.M. Young, 2006. Vailulu’u Seamount, Samoa: Life and Death on an Active Submarine Volcano. Proceedings National Academy of Sciences, 103(17), 6448-6453. ARTICLE# 06-00830.
  • N. Hirano and A.A.P. Koppers, 2007. Response [3] to Another Nail in Which Coffin? Science 315(5808), 40.
  • M. Jackson, S.R. Hart, A.A.P. Koppers, H. Staudigel, J. Konter,  J. Blusztajn, M. Kurz, J.A. Russell, 2007. The return of subducted continental crust in Samoan lavas. Nature 448, 684-687, doi:10.1038/nature06048.
  • A.A.P. Koppers, J.A. Russell, M. Jackson, H. Staudigel, J. Konter, S.R. Hart, 2008. Samoa reinstated as a primary hotspot trail. Geology 36(6), 435-438, doi:10.1130/G24630A.1.
  • N. Hirano, A.A.P. Koppers, A. Takahashi, T. Fujiwara and M. Nakanishi, 2008 Seamounts, knolls and petit-spot monogenetic volcanoes on the subducting Pacific Plate. Basin Research (In Press).
  • A.A.P. Koppers (2008). Pacific Region. In: Encyclopedia of Islands, G. R. and D.A. Clague, Berkeley, University of California Press (In Press).
  • K.P. Lawrence, L. Tauxe, H. Staudigel, C.G. Constable, A.A.P. Koppers, W.C. McIntosh and C.L. Johnson, 2008. Paleomagnetic Field Properties Near the Southern Hemisphere Tangent Cylinder. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems (Under Review).
  • J.G. Konter, B.B. Hanan, J. Blichert-Toft, A.A.P. Koppers, T. Plank and H. Staudigel, 2008. One hundred million years of mantle geochemical history suggest the retiring of mantle plumes is premature. Earth and Planetary Science Letters (Under Review).
  • 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology and Isotope Geochemistry of the West Pacific Seamount Province: Implications for Absolute Pacific Plate Motion and the Motion of Hotspots (1998)
    by Anthony A.P. Koppers
    Laboratory of Isotope Geology
    Department of Petrology and Isotope Geology
    Faculty of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit
    De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam
    The Netherlands.
    Supervisors
  • Hubert Staudigel (Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
  • Jan Wijbrans (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
  • Committee
  • Bob Duncan (Oregon State University)
  • Jason Phipps Morgan (Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
  • Malcolm Pringle (SURCC)
  • Gareth Davies (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
  • Financial Support
  • Netherlands Foundation of Earth Sciences Research (GOA). Part of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research (NWO). Project 750.60.005
  • National Science Foundation (NSF). Project OCE 91-02183
  • Summary and Scope
  • Hotspots and the associated intra-plate volcanism producing seamount trails are amongst the most significant observations supporting plate tectonics. The azimuths and age progressions of these seamount trails provide the only means to determine absolute plate motions with respect to an independent reference frame of “fixed” hotspots. However, the fixity and continuity of hotspots are not truly established since most seamount trails older than 25 Ma only have been studied on a reconnaissance level. Many questions remain about hotspot volcanism, concerning (1) the volcanic processes producing seamount edifices, (2) the timing, typical time ranges and possible quiescent periods in volcanic activity, (3) the time-space relationships within seamount trails and the modeled absolute plate motion from these trails, (4) the consequences of the crossing of younger hotspot trails over older hotspot trails, (5) the isotopic and geochemical evolution of hotspots, and (6) the fixity, continuity and longevity of individual hotspots.




  • In this thesis, nine seamount trails of the West Pacific Seamount Province (WPSP) are the focus of a study of their 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope geochemistry. This group of seamount trails ranges in age from 70 to 140 Ma and will be used to analyze (1) Cretaceous hotspot volcanism in the Pacific, (2) the tectonic and geochemical relationship between the WPSP hotspots and the currently-active hotspots in the South Pacific Isotopic and Thermal Anomaly (SOPITA), and (3) the stage poles of absolute Pacific plate motion for the last 140 Myr. In these analyses, in particular, the (non-)fixity and longevity of these Pacific hotspots will be addressed.
  • ALIA Expedition around Samoa
    Abstract
    Related Publications
    ERDA Data Files
    Participants
    News Archive
    R/V Kilo Moana

    FeMO2 Dive Cruise 2007
    The Iron-Oxidizing Microbial Observatory (FeMO) uses the Loihi Seamount as a natural laboratory for studies of Earth's rust-forming microbial inhabitants to address the basic questions of who they are, how fast do they grow and form rust, where and why do they do it, and what are their environmental impacts?

    Vailulu'u Web Page
    To the Eastside of Ta'u Island an active underwater volcano, named Vailulu'u, is present. This unique seamount already has been the subject of three previous seagoing cruises. Read more about the outcome of these cruises ...

    40Ar/39Ar Geochronology Software
    The program ArArCALC provides an interactive interface to data reduction in 40Ar/39Ar geochronology using Excel 2000-XP-2003 ...

    COAS 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology Laboratory
    Geochronology is continually evolving and growing more precise, with studies focusing on the ages of MORB, OIB, lunar and planetary rocks, hydrothermal minerals, and clays. Employed in this lab is the 40Ar/39Ar dating method using an MAP 215-50 rare gas mass spectrometer for analysis and a resistance furnace or laser for gas extraction ...

    TnT2000 Software
    TnT2000 is a MATLAB toolbox for modeling both simple and sophisticated scenarios that mimic the geochemical differentiation of the Earth ...

    Hawaiian Volcanoes Field Trips
    Syllabus 2005 Trip
    Participants 2004 Trip
    Daily Reports Image Galleries
    The Rock Saw
    Anthony gets to work cutting the rocks from dredge 127.  Each sample has to be cut into various shapes for processing, and this is the saw we use to do it.

    Slicing through the Clear Waters
    The clear water around Wallis island makes it easy to see the unique shape of the Kilo Moana's bow.

    Video Archive
    Participant
  • Melville, AVON Leg 2, Gilbert and Tokelau Seamounts, January - March 1999
  • Melville, AVON Leg 3, Samoan Hotspot and the Vailulu'u Underwater Volcano, March 1999
  • Coastguard Polar Sea, DEEPFREEZE, Vailulu’u Seamount Revisited, March 2001
  • R/V Kilo Moana, KM0506/ALIA Expedition, Vailulu’u and the Samoan Hotspot, April 2005
  • R/V Kilo Moana, FeMO2 Expedition, JASON on Loihi Seamount, October 2007
  • Co-Principal Investigator
  • R/V Revelle, AMAT Leg 2, IODP Site Survey, Louisville Seamounts, January - March 2006
  • Onshore Scientist
  • ODP Guyot and Atoll Drilling Legs 143 and 144, Isotope Geochemistry
  • ODP Mariana Trench Leg 185, 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology
  • ODP Shatsky Rise Leg 191, 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology
  • Researchers
  • Cathy Constable
  • Bob Duncan
  • Jeff Gee
  • Stan Hart
  • John Helly
  • Cathy Manduca
  • John Mahoney
  • Chris Massell Symons
  • Jason Phipps Morgan
  • Will Sager
  • Hubert Staudigel
  • Lisa Tauxe
  • Dave Graham
  • Roger Nielsen
  • Adam Kent
  • Nick Pisias
  • Graduate Students
  • Jamie Russell (masters)
  • Lynn Oschmann
  • Post Doctoral Researchers
  • Naoto Hirano
  • Thesis and Post Doctoral Advisers of Anthony Koppers
  • Henk Helmers (M.Sc.)
  • Jan Wijbrans (Ph.D.)
  • Hubert Staudigel (Ph.D. and post-doctoral)
  • Jason Phipps Morgan (post-doctoral)
  •  

     

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