About
Pronunciation: RAH-bert HOHL-der
In my research, I combine innovative analytical approaches to geochronology (particularly LA-ICP-MS) with petrology, mineralogy, high-temperature geochemistry, field work, and numerical modeling. I strive to understand the evolution of Earth’s continents by constraining the time scales, length scales, and magnitudes of heat and mass transfer in the crust. Driving questions of my research include: What are the timescales and drivers of metamorphism—particularly at extreme temperatures and pressures—and what do they reveal about plate tectonics and the evolution of orogenic belts? When and how did modern plate tectonics develop? How did tectonism change over Earth's history? What processes are recorded by geo- and petrochronometers, including the U–Pb system in zircon, monazite, titanite, and carbonate rocks and minerals? Previous field seasons have been carried out in Norway, Madagascar, Austria+Czech Republic, southwestern USA, upper Midwest USA, Southern Victorialand (Transantarctic Mountains), Scotland+Shetland, and Maryland USA.
