Jin Zhang
  • Associate Professor
  • Mineral Physics
  • Earth’s Interior
  • Planetary Science

Research Interests

I am high pressure-temperature mineral physicist. My research focuses on the compositions, structures, and dynamics of the Earth and other planets through high pressure (P)-temperature (T) experiments. My primary research tool is Brillouin spectroscopy for in situ sound velocity measurements of Earth and planetary materials, which are essential for interpreting various geophysical/geochemical observations in the planetary interiors. I also conduct experiments at various synchrotron facilities such as Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. I am interested in petrology and volcanology problems as well, such as high pressure-temperature phase equilibria of various mantle candidate rocks, magma viscosity, volatile storage and transport in the deep Earth. I have minor interest in material sciences too.

Research Websites


Research Focus

  • Mineral Physics
  • Earth’s Interior
  • Planetary Science

Educational Background

  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Ph.D. in Geology (mineral physics focus), Aug. 2014  
  • Nanjing University; B.S. in Geology, Jun. 2008

Awards & Honors

  • COMPRES distinguished Lecturer (2020-2021)

  • National Science Foundation CAREER award (2019)

Selected Publications

  • Journal Articles (# postdoc associate authors; *graduate student authors; **undergraduate and high school student authors)

    • *Zhou, W.-Y., Olson, P., Shearer, C., Agee, C., Townsend, J., *Hao, M., #Hou, M. and Zhang, J.S. (2022), High pressure-temperature phase equilibrium studies on Martian basalts: implications for the failure of plate tectonics on Mars, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 594, 117751. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117751.
    • *Zhou, W-Y., *Hao, M., Zhang, J.S., Chen, B., Wang, R., Schmandt, B. (2022), Constraining Composition and Temperature Variations in the Mantle Transition Zone, Nat. Commun. 13(1), 1-9, doi:10.1038/s41467-022-28709-7.
    • #Hou, M., *Zhou, W.-Y., *Hao, M., Hua, F. T., Kung, J., Zhang, D., Dera, P. and Zhang, J.S.(2022) Effect of structural water on the elasticity of orthopyroxene, Am. Min.107 (4), 703–708. doi: 10.2138/am-2021-7843
    • *Zhou, W-Y., Zhang, J.S., Huang, Q., Lai, X, Chen, B., Dera, P., Schmandt, B. (2022), High pressure-temperature single-crystal elasticity of ringwoodite: Implications for detecting the 520 discontinuity and metastable ringwoodite at depths greater than 660 km, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 579, 117359. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117359
    • Zhang, J. S., T. Irifune, *M. Hao, D. Zhang, Y. Hu, S. Tkachev, P. Dera, **J. Chen, Y.-B. Jiang, A. Brearley, J. D. Bass, Prakapenka, V. (2021), Grain size dependent high-pressure elastic properties of ultrafine micro/nanocrystalline grossular,  Sci. Rep. 11, 22481. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-01960-6
    • Zhang, H., Schmandt, B., Zhang, J.S.(2021) Localized anisotropy in the mantle transition zone due to flow through slab gaps, Geophys. Res. Lett. 48(10), e2021GL092712.doi: 10.1029/2021GL092712
    • *Hao, M., Zhang, J.S., *Zhou, W.-Y., and Wang, Q. (2021) Seismic visibility of eclogite in the Earth’s upper mantle – implications from high pressure-temperature single-crystal elasticity of omphacite, Geophys. Res. 126(5), e2021JB021683. doi:10.1029/2021JB021683
    • *Zhou, W.-Y., *Ren, Z., Zhang, J.S., Chen, B., *Hao, M., Ohuchi, T., Miyagi, L., Zhang, D., and Schmandt, B. (2021) The H2O-Fe#-Pressure dependent single-crystal elastic properties of wadsleyite: Implications for the seismic anisotropy in the upper Mantle Transition Zone, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 565, 116955. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2021.116955
    • *Hao, M., Zhang, J. S., **Pierotti, C., *Zhou, W.-Y., Zhang, D., Dera, P. (2020) The seismically fastest chemical heterogeneity in the Earth’s deep upper mantle—implications from single-crystal thermal elastic properties of jadeite, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 543, 116345. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116345
    • Lai, X., Zhu, F., Zhang, J. S., Zhang, D., Tkachev, S., Prakapenka,V.B., Chen, B. (2020) Externally-heated diamond anvil cell for synthesis and elasticity determination of single-crystal ice at high pressure-temperature condition, J. Vis. Exp. 160, e61389. doi: 10.3791/61389
    • **Mans, W., Zhang, J. S., *Hao, M., Smyth, J.R., Zhang, D., Finkelstein, G., Dera, P. (2019) Hydrogen effect on the sound velocities of upper mantle omphacite, Minerals. 9 (11), 690. doi: 10.3390/min9110690.
    • Zhang, J. S., *Hao, M., *Ren, Z., and Chen, B. (2019), The extreme acoustic anisotropy and fast sound velocities of high-pressure ice polymorphs at Mbar pressure, Appl. Phys. Lett. 114, 191903. doi: 10.1063/1.5096989
    • Hu, Y., Kiefer, B., Plonka, A., Parise, J.B., Zhang, J.S., Manghnani., M.H., Sahu, B.N., Dera, P. (2019), Compressional behavior of end-member and aluminous iron-bearing diopside at high pressure from single crystal X-ray diffraction and first-principles calculations, Phys. Chem. Miner. 46(10), 977-986. doi: 10.1007/s00269-019-01056-8
    • *Hao, M. **Pierotti, C., Sergey Tkachev, Vitali Prakapenka and Zhang, J.S. (2019), The single-crystal elastic properties of the jadeite-diopside solid solution and their implications for the composition dependent seismic properties of eclogite, Am. Min. 104 (7), 1016-1021. doi: 10.2138/am-2019-6990 
    • *Hao, M., Zhang, J.S., **Pierotti, E. C., *Ren, Z., Zhang, D. (2019), High-pressure single-crystal elasticity and thermal equation of state of omphacite and their implications for the seismic properties of eclogite in the Earth’s interior., J. Geophys. Res. 124, 2368– 2377. doi:10.1029/2018JB016964
    • Zhang, J. S., Bass, J. D. and B.Schmandt (2018), Single-crystal elasticity change across the olivine-wadsleyite transition and its implications for the composition and dynamics near the 410 discontinuity, J. Geophys. Res. 123, 2674-2684. doi: 10.1002/2017JB015339.
    • Xu, J., Zhang, D., Dera, P., Zhang, J.S., Hu, Y., Guo, X., Zhou, W. (2018), and D. Fan, Phase transitions in orthoenstatite and subduction zone dynamics: effects of water and transition metal ions, J. Geophys. Res. 123, 2723-2737. doi: 1002/2017JB015169.
    • Zhang, D, Dera, P., Eng, P.J., Stubbs, J.E., Zhang, J. S., Prakapenka, V.B., Rivers, M. L. (2017), High pressure single crystal diffraction at PX^2, J Vis Exp. J Vis Exp. 119, e54660.
    • Zhang, J. S., Hu,Y., Shelton, H., Kung, J. and P. Dera (2017), Single crystal X-ray diffraction study of Fe2SiO4 fayalite up to 31 GPa, Phys. Chem. Miner. 44, 171-179. doi: 10.1007/s00269-016-0846-1
    • Zhang, J. S. and J. D. Bass (2016), Sound velocities of olivine at high pressures and temperatures, and the composition of Earth's upper mantle, Geophys. Res. Lett. 43, 9611–9618. doi: 10.1002/2016GL069949
    • Zhang, J. S. and J. D. Bass (2016), Single crystal elasticity of natural Fe-bearing orthoenstatite across a high-pressure phase transition, Geophys. Res. Lett. 43, 8473–8481. doi: 10.1002/2016GL069963
    • Zhang, J. S., Bass, J.D. and G. Zhu (2015), Single-crystal Brillouin spectroscopy with laser-heating and variable q, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 86, 063905. doi: 10.1063/1.4922634
    • Liu, L. and S. Zhang (2015), Differential contraction of subducted lithosphere layers generates deep earthquake generation, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 421, 98. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2015.03.053
    • Zhang, J. S., Shieh, S., Bass, J.D., Dera, P. and V. B. Prakapenka (2014), High-pressure single-crystal elasticity study of CO2 across phase I-III transition, Appl. Phys. Lett. 104, 141901. doi:10.1063/1.4870526
    • Wu, S., Zhu, G., Zhang, J. S., Banerjee, D., Bass, J. D., Ling, C., Yano, K (2014), Anisotropic Lattice Expansion of Three dimensional Colloidal Crystals and Its Impact on Hypersonic Phonon Band Gaps, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.16, 8921-8926. doi: 10.1039/C4CP00498A
    • Zhang, J. S., Reynard, B., Montagnac, G, and J. D.Bass (2014), Pressure-induced Pbca-P21/c phase transition of natural orthoenstatite: high temperature effect and its geophysical implications, Phys.Earth Planet. Int. 228, 150-159. doi: 10.1016/j.pepi.2013.09.008
    • Zhu, G., Swinteck, N.Z., Wu, S., Zhang, J. S., Pan, H., Bass, J. D., Deymier, P. A., Banerjee, D. and K. Yano (2013), Direct observation of phononic dispersion of a three-dimensional solid/solid hypersonic colloidal crystal, Phys. Rev. B. 88, 144307. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.144307
    • Zhang, J. S., Reynard, B., Montagnac, G., Wang, R. and J. D.Bass (2013), Pressure-induced Pbca-P21/c phase transition of natural orthoenstatite: Compositional effect and its geophysical implications, Am. Mineral. 98, 986-992. doi:10.2138/am.2013.4345
    • Zhang, J. S., P. Dera, and J. D. Bass (2012), A new high-pressure phase transition in natural Fe-bearing orthoenstatite, Am. Mineral. 97, 1070–1074. doi:10.2138/am.2012.4072
    • Zhang, J. S., J. D. Bass, T. Taniguchi, A. F. Goncharov, Y.-Y. Chang and S. D. Jacobsen (2011), Elasticity of cubic boron nitride under ambient conditions, J. Appl. Phys. 109, 06352. doi:10.1063/1.3561496


  • Book Chapters

    • Bass, J.D. and J. S. Zhang (2015), Techniques for measuring high P/T elasticity. In Price, G.D., Ed., Treatise on Geophysics (2nd edition)-Mineral Physics, 293-312. Elsevier, Amsterdam. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53802-4.00037-3.