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Dr. Knut Metzler

Current affiliations

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Research Focus

  • Formation of solids in the early solar system
    The collapse of a part of an interstellar molecular cloud marks the beginning of our solar system. The size of the dust grains contained in this gas cloud was on the order of nanometers to micrometers. From the collapsing cloud a protoplanetary accretion disk formed around a central protostar, our early sun. Later on, the planets and asteroids formed within this disk from parts of the gas; and dust mixture. The process of the transition from micrometer-sized grains to millimeter; to meter-sized bodies is not well understood yet. Fortunately, a large variety of these early solids can be found in the asteroidal rocks, which fall to us on Earth as chondritic meteorites and are available for scientific study in order to clarify this question.
  • Accretionary structures in primitive meteorites
  • Extraterrestrial breccias
  • Nuclear tracks by cosmic radiation in meteoritic minerals

Academic Education

since 1990PhD in Planetology, Institut für Planetologie, WWU Münster "Petrographic and michochemical investigations on the history of accretion and evolution of chondritic parent bodies using the example of CM chondrites".
since 1986Diploma in Mineralogy, Institut für Mineralogie, WWU Münster "Texture and composition of lithic clasts in polymict achondritic breccias"
since 1982Intermediate diploma in Mineralogy, Institut für Mineralogie, WWU Münster
1986 - 1990PhD study, Institut für Planetologie, WWU Münster
1978 - 1986Study of Mineralogy, Institut für Mineralogie, WWU Münster

Work Experience

since 2011Research scientist, Institut für Planetologie, WWU Münster
1996 - 2010Branch manager (private companies in the field of waste management and environmental remediation), Hamm, Münster
1994 - 1995Chief curator for the rock, mineral, and meteorite collections at the Museum für Naturkunde, Humboldt-Universität Berlin
1990 - 1993Research Scientist, Institut für Planetologie, WWU Münster
1986 - 1990Research Scientist (part time work), Institut für Planetologie, WWU Münster

Functions and Memberships

since 1986Member of the Meteoritical Society
05/2013 - 12/2018Worldwide coordinator of the Meteoritical Society for dense meteorite collection areas (DCAs)
01/2013 - 12/2018Member of the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society

Publications

The Loongana (CL) group of carbonaceous chondrites
Metzler K, Hezel D C, Barosch J, Wölfer E, Schneider J M, Hellmann J L, Berndt J, Stracke A, Gattacceca J, Greenwood R C, Franchi I A, Burkhardt C, Kleine T (2021)
In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 304, 1-31. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2021.04.007
Research article (journal) | Peer reviewed | Published
Hf-W chronology of a macrochondrule from the L5/6 chondrite Northwest Africa 8192
Hellmann J L, Kruijer T S, Metzler K, Patzek M, Pack A, Berndt J, Kleine T (2020)
In: Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 55(10), 2241-2255. doi:10.1111/maps.13571
Research article (journal) | Peer reviewed | Published
Best practices for the use of meteorite names in publications
Heck P R, Herd C, Grossman J N, Badjukov D, Bouvier A, Bullock E, Chennaoui‐Aoudjehane H, Debaille V, Dunn T L, Ebel D S, Ferrière L, Garvie L, Gattacceca J, Gounelle M, Herd R, Ireland T, Jacquet E, Macke R J, McCoy T, McCubbin F M, Mikouchi T, Metzler K, Roskosz M, Smith C, Wadhwa M, Welzenbach‐Fries L., Yada T, Yamaguchi A, Zeigler R A, Zolensky M (2019)
In: ((Bitte Journal prüfen)), 54(7), 1397-1400. doi:10.1111/maps.13291
Research article (journal) | Peer reviewed | Published
The presolar grain inventory of fine-grained chondrule rims in the Mighei-type (CM) chondrites
Leitner J, Metzler K., Vollmer C, Floss C, Haenecour P, Kodolanyi J, Harries D, Hoppe P (2019)
In: ((Bitte Journal prüfen)), 54. doi:10.1111/maps.13412
Research article (journal) | Peer reviewed | Published
Various size-sorting processes for millimeter-sized particles in the Sun´s protoplanetary disk? Evidence from chondrules in ordinary chondrites
Metzler K, Hezel D C, Nellesen J (2019)
In: ((Bitte Journal prüfen)), 887(2). doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab58d0
Research article (journal) | Peer reviewed | Published
Show all publications (72)

Projects

True (3D) chondrule size distributions: Basic data for the reconstruction of chondrule formation and asteroid accretion
Duration: 01/01/2017 - 31/12/2019
Funded by: DFG - Individual Grants Programme
Type of project: Individual project
SPP 1385 - Subproject: High-temperature chondrule accretion in primitive chondrites and its relevance for theories of chondrule formation and planetary…
Duration: 01/03/2014 - 28/02/2016 | 3rd Funding period
Funded by: DFG - Priority Programme
Type of project: Subproject in DFG-joint project hosted outside University of Münster
SPP 1385 - Subproject: High-temperature condrule accretion in primitive chondrites and its relevance for theories of chondrule formation and planetary…
Duration: 01/03/2012 - 28/02/2014 | 2nd Funding period
Funded by: DFG - Priority Programme
Type of project: Subproject in DFG-joint project hosted outside University of Münster
SPP 1385 - WP: High-temperature chondrule accretion in primitive chondrites and its relevance for theories of chondrule formation and planetary accretion (1st…
Duration: 02/05/2011 - 29/02/2012 | 1st Funding period
Funded by: DFG - Priority Programme
Type of project: Subproject in DFG-joint project hosted outside University of Münster