Ph.D. (ANU, 1996)
Senior Staff Scientist, Member of the Professional Staff
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
Caltech 170-25, Pasadena, CA 91125
chi@gps.caltech.edu
626 395 6253
(office: 051 Arms)
626 395 6126 (lab: 052 Arms)
Research Interests: Nano-mineralogy investigation of earth and planetary materials; discovery and characterization of new minerals formed in the early solar system; electron beam methods.
Nano-mineralogy research by Chi Ma, in collaboration with George Rossman, was featured in an article "The Secret Lives of Minerals" in Engineering and Science (Vol. 70, No.1), a Caltech quarterly journal.
New Minerals Discovered:
from Earth to the Solar Nebula
IMA 2006-040, barioperovskite, BaTiO3, in benitoite from California
IMA 2007-027, allendeite, Sc4Zr3O12, from Allende meteorite
IMA 2007-029, hexamolybdenum, (Mo,Ru,Fe)
IMA 2007-033, monipite, MoNiP
IMA 2008-016, tistarite, Ti2O3
IMA 2008-030, davisite, CaScAlSiO6
IMA 2008-042a, grossmanite, CaTi3+AlSiO6
(All approved by IMA-CNMNC)