Member

OHFUJI, Hiroaki Professor Geosphere and Biosphere Science Group Office: Building 1, Faculty of Science-540 E-mail: HP:
Research Field Mineralogy, Crystal Science, Electron Microscopy Current Research Minerals are the smallest building blocks of our planet, Earth. In practice, however, what we typically observe in the field are “rocks”, which are aggregates of minerals, or “strata” and “rock bodies” formed through their layering. However, under the suitable conditions, minerals can preferentially form and concentrate, exhibiting a variety of crystal shapes and textures. In our laboratory, we use electron microscopy to investigate the microtextures and chemical compositions of natural and synthetic samples in detail down to the nanometer scale, in order to understand the origin and formation mechanism of minerals. Investigating the occurrence, genesis, and physicochemical properties of minerals leads to a better understanding of the mechanisms of geological phenomena at larger scales and helps to elucidate the underlying physical and chemical principles. We pursue the fundamental question of “why?” across a wide range of scales, from field surveys to micro- and nanoscale observations. By extrapolating information obtained at the local level to the macroscopic level, we aim to address unresolved problems and explore new research topics. Representative Publications 1. Kamada, T., Ohfuji, H. (2026) Pyrite formation in modern stromatolite at hot spring in Fukiagesawa, Osaki City, Miyagi, Japan. Journal of Mineralogical and Petrological Sciences, 121, 009. 2. Ohfuji, H., Irifune, T., Litasov, K. D., Yamashita, T., Isobe, F., Afanasiev, V.P., Pokhilenko, N.P. (2015) Natural occurrence of pure nano-polycrystalline diamond from impact carter. Scientific Reports, 5, 14702. 3. Ohfuji, H., Boyle, A.P., Prior, D., Rickard, D. (2005) Structure of framboidal pyrite: an electron backscatter diffraction study. American Mineralogist, 90, 1693-1704.

OHFUJI, Hiroaki

Professor
Geosphere and Biosphere Science Group

Office: Building 1, Faculty of Science-540
E-mail:
HP:

Research Field

Mineralogy, Crystal Science, Electron Microscopy

Current Research

Minerals are the smallest building blocks of our planet, Earth. In practice, however, what we typically observe in the field are “rocks”, which are aggregates of minerals, or “strata” and “rock bodies” formed through their layering. However, under the suitable conditions, minerals can preferentially form and concentrate, exhibiting a variety of crystal shapes and textures. In our laboratory, we use electron microscopy to investigate the microtextures and chemical compositions of natural and synthetic samples in detail down to the nanometer scale, in order to understand the origin and formation mechanism of minerals. Investigating the occurrence, genesis, and physicochemical properties of minerals leads to a better understanding of the mechanisms of geological phenomena at larger scales and helps to elucidate the underlying physical and chemical principles. We pursue the fundamental question of “why?” across a wide range of scales, from field surveys to micro- and nanoscale observations. By extrapolating information obtained at the local level to the macroscopic level, we aim to address unresolved problems and explore new research topics.

Representative Publications

1. Kamada, T., Ohfuji, H. (2026) Pyrite formation in modern stromatolite at hot spring in Fukiagesawa, Osaki City, Miyagi, Japan. Journal of Mineralogical and Petrological Sciences, 121, 009.
2. Ohfuji, H., Irifune, T., Litasov, K. D., Yamashita, T., Isobe, F., Afanasiev, V.P., Pokhilenko, N.P. (2015) Natural occurrence of pure nano-polycrystalline diamond from impact carter. Scientific Reports, 5, 14702.
3. Ohfuji, H., Boyle, A.P., Prior, D., Rickard, D. (2005) Structure of framboidal pyrite: an electron backscatter diffraction study. American Mineralogist, 90, 1693-1704.