Emeritus Faculty Members

Education

• B.Sc., University of Alberta (1970)
• Ph.D., University of Edinburgh (1975)

Teaching

• Undergraduate: Introduction to Geology, Mineralogy, Petrology, Major Events in Earth History
• Graduate: Igneous Petrology, Structure and Formation of the Earth

Research

Petrology and geochemistry of Earth's crust and mantle 

Honors

D.Sc., University of Edinburgh (2023)

 Mountain Cloudburst – Claude Herzberg 2024

Selected Publications

• Korenaga, J. and Herzberg, C. (2026).  Mantle thermal histories require robust temperature estimates—and more: Reply to Ganne and Mitchell,  Earth and Planetary Sciences Letters 691, 120194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2026.120194.
• Korenaga, J. and Herzberg, C. (2026) Thermal history of Earth’s mantle: Implications for Earth system evolution and lessons from recent studies. Frontiers Paper, Earth and Planetary Sciences Letters 683, 119958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2026.119958.
• Hernandez‐Montenegro, J. D., Asimow, P.D., Herzberg, C. T. (2024). Estimating primary magmas from Mars with PRIMARSMELT: Implications for the petrogenesis of some Martian rocks and the thermal evolution of Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 129, e2024JE008508.
• Herzberg, C. T., Asimow, P. D., Hernández-Montenegro, J. D. (2023). The Meaning of Pressure for Primary Magmas: New Insights From PRIMELT3-P. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 24, e2022GC010657.
• Herzberg, C. (2022). Understanding the Paleoproterozoic Circum-Superior Large Igneous Province constrains the thermal properties of Earth’s mantle through time. Precambrian Research, 375, 106671.
• Herzberg, C. (2022). Thermal history of the Earth: Reply to “Less is not always more: A more inclusive data-filtering approach to secular mantle cooling” by Ross N. Mitchell and Jérôme Ganne, Precambrian Res., 381, 106844.
• Herzberg, C. (2019). Origin of high-Mg bimineralic eclogite xenoliths in kimberlite: A comment on a paper by Aulbach and Arndt (2019), Earth and Planetary Science. Letters, 510, pp. 231-233.
• Herzberg, C. (2016). Petrological evidence from komatiites for an early Earth carbon and water cycle. Journal of Petrology, 57, 2271-2288.
• Gavrilenko, M., Herzberg, C., Vidito, C., Carr, M.J., Tenner, T. and Ozerov, A. (2016). A calcium-in-olivine geohygrometer and its application to subduction zone magmatism. Journal of Petrology 57, 1811-1832.
• Claude Herzberg, Christopher Vidito, and Natalie A. Starkey (2016). Nickel-cobalt contents of olivine record origins of mantle peridotite and related rocks. American Mineralogist 101, 1952-1966.
• Trela, J., Vidito, C., Gazel, E., Herzberg, C., Class, C. Whalen, W., Jicha, B., Bizimis, M. and Alvarado, G. (2015). Recycled crust in the Galapagos plume source at 70 Ma: implications for plume evolution. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 425, 268-277.
• Herzberg, C. and Asimow, P.D. (2015). PRIMELT3 MEGA.XLSM software for Primary Magma Calculation: Peridotite Primary Magma MgO Contents from the Liquidus to the Solidus. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 16, 563-578, doi:10.1002/2014G005631. PRIMELT3 MEGA
• Herzberg, C., Cabral, R.A., Jackson, M.D., Vidito, C., Day, J.M.D., Hauri, E. (2014). Phantom Archean crust in Mangaia hotspot lavas and the meaning of heterogeneous mantle. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 396, 97-106.
• Herzberg, C. and Rudnick, R. (2012). Formation of cratonic mantle: an integrated thermal and petrological model. Lithos 4, 14-19.
• Herzberg, C. (2011). Identification of Source Lithology in the Hawaiian and Canary Islands: Implications for Origins. Journal of Petrology 52, 113-146.
• Herzberg, C., Condie, K., and Korenaga, J., (2010). Thermal history of the Earth and its petrological expression: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 292, p. 79-88.
• Herzberg, C. and Gazel, E. (2009). Petrological Evidence for Secular Cooling in Mantle Plumes, Nature, 458, 619-622.
• Herzberg, C. and Asimow P.D. (2008). Petrology of some oceanic island basalts: PRIMELT2.XLS software for primary magma calculation, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 8, doi:10.1029GC002057.
• Herzberg C., Asimow P.D., Arndt N., Niu Y., Lesher C.M., Fitton J.G., Cheadle M.J., Saunders A.D. (2007). Temperatures in Ambient Mantle and Plumes: Constraints from Basalts, Picrites and Komatiites, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 8, doi:10.1029GC001390.
• Herzberg, C. (2006). Petrology and thermal structure of the Hawaiian plume from Mauna Kea volcano. Nature 444, 605-609.
• Herzberg, C. (2004). Geodynamic information in peridotite petrology. Journal of Petrology 45, 2507-2530.
• Herzberg, C. (2004). Partial crystallization of mid-ocean ridge basalts in the crust and mantle. Journal of Petrology 45, 2389-2405.
• Herzberg, C. and O'Hara, M.J. (2002). Plume-associated ultramafic magmas of Phanerozoic age. Journal of Petrology 43, 1857-1883.
• Herzberg, C., Ratteron, P., and Zhang, J. (2000) New experimental observations on the anhydrous solidus for peridotite KLB-1. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (G-Cubed) 1, Paper number 2000GC000089.
• Herzberg, C. and Zhang, J. (1996) Melting experiments on anhydrous peridotite KLB-1: Compositions of magmas in the upper mantle and transition zone. Journal of Geophysical Research 101, 8271-8295.
• Zhang, J. and Herzberg, C.T. (1994) Melting experiments on anhydrous peridotite KLB-1 from 5.0 to 22.5 GPa, Journal of Geophysical Research 99, 17,729-17,742.
• Herzberg, C.T. (1993) Lithosphere peridotites of the Kaapvaal craton. Earth and Planetary Sciences Letters 120, 13-29.
• Herzberg, C.T. (1992) Depth and degree of melting of komatiites. Journal of Geophysical Research 97, 4521-4540, 1992.
• Herzberg, C.T., Fyfe, W.S. and Carr, M.J. (1983) Density constraints on the formation of the continental Moho and crust. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 84, 1-5.