Fengke Cao
Ph.D. candidate
Geology and Planetary Science
I'm a Ph.D. candidate from Western University. I am now working on the Martian regolith breccia meteorites, which came from the uppermost part of Mars. My research is focusing on the mineralogy and shock effects of these rocks using multiple techniques including in-situ micro-XRD, Raman, and EPMA.
I am also working on the experimentally shocked plagioclase samples using the micro-XRD method. I have established a calibration curve that can be applied to estimate the initial shock pressures recorded by the plagioclase minerals in meteorites and terrestrial rocks.
I was supposed to graduate in May 2022. I am looking for a postdoc position and please contact me if you have any open postdoc positions. Thanks a lot.
Research Interests
I am very interested in research about Martian meteorites and Mars exploration. I am currently working on multiple projects and all are related to Mars exploration. I am trying to decipher Mars-related puzzles from different views and scales using multiple techniques, such as micro-XRD, Raman, EPMA, XRF, and SEM.
My current research mainly includes two parts. One is about the mineralogy and shock effects in Martian breccia meteorites and the second one is about the calibration work on experimentally shocked plagioclase minerals.
If you want to know more about my research, please click the following button.
Publications
F. Cao, R. Flemming, M. Izawa, S. Jaret, J. Johnson, "Micro X-ray diffraction characteristics of experimentally shocked andesine anorthosite", GAC-MAC (2021)
F. Cao, R. Flemming, M. Izawa, T. Moriguti, C. Agee, "shock-induced deformation of pyroxene in Martian Regolith Breccias", GAC-MAC (2021)
F. Cao, R. Flemming, M. Izawa, C. Agee, "Mineralogy, Petrology, and Geochemistry of Martian Regolith Breccias: Insights into the Martian Crust", Goldschmidt (2021)