About
Background & Profile
Kenji Shimizu
Senior Researcher
Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research
JAMSTEC
I am a senior researcher at the Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research (KOCHI), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). My research centers on the behavior of volatile elements — including water (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), sulfur, fluorine, and chlorine — in Earth's interior, with the goal of understanding their origin and deep-Earth cycling.
My primary analytical tool is Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), a microbeam technique that enables in situ isotope ratio and trace-element measurements at the scale of individual minerals, volcanic glasses, and melt inclusions. These tiny "time capsules" trapped within crystals preserve geochemical records of magmas before they degas, making them indispensable archives of the deep volatile budget.
My work spans a wide range of geological systems: subduction zones and arc volcanoes (constraining volatile fluxes and slab-derived contributions), mid-ocean ridges and oceanic plateaus (reconstructing mantle heterogeneity and plume dynamics), and ancient komatiites (tracing early Earth geodynamics). More recently, I have extended my interest to the hydrogen isotope (δD) systematics of magmatic systems, using SIMS-based water and hydrogen measurements to trace the fate of subducted lithosphere into the mantle transition zone.
I am also involved in developing analytical protocols and reference materials for volatile measurement by SIMS, including fluorine, chlorine, sulfur, and water in silicate glasses — work that supports the broader geochemical community.
