Volatile (CO2, H2O, S, Cl, F) Geochemistry
Volatile elements are essential in influencing the behavior of magmas and fluids, affecting eruptive behavior and element solubility. I use in-situ analytical techniques (e.g., Raman Spectroscopy, EPMA, SIMS, LA-ICP-MS) to constrain volatile concentrations in melt inclusions to understand their influence on volcanism, mineralization, and global volatile budgets
Fluid Inclusion Geobarometry
Present in nearly all geological environments and common rock-forming minerals, fluid inclusions preserve valuable information about the pressure (depth) and temperature of mineralization. I use these micron-sized inclusions of fluids to reconstruct the depth of magma chambers to reconstruct and better understand past geologic events using Raman Spectroscopy, Linkam Stage Experiments, and LA-ICP-MS.
Mineral Zoning: Hidden Critical Element Reservoirs
Critical elements, or “minerals”, are essential raw materials needed for manufacturing, technology, and infrastructure in our modern society. Due to their scarcity in the Earth’s crust, many of these elements are incorporated as trace impurities within minerals. I use trace element geochemistry (e.g., LA-ICP-MS) to map these impurities and track their abundances within zoned minerals to better understand the processes that lead to critical element-enriched mineralization.
Non-Destructive Mineralogy
Some geological specimens, for example, martian meteorites, are too precious to be modified for geochemical analysis. For these specimens, I have utilized FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) and nano-XCT (X-Ray Computed Tomography) to non-destructively obtain the modal mineralogy of meteorite NWA 2737 and individual melt inclusions to investigate parental martian magma compositions.
Tracking Ore Deposits through Isotope Geochemistry
To better understand critical element deposit formation, I am using isotope geochemistry to track the sources of ore-forming fluids and volatiles as a Postdoctoral Scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
Microbe-Mineral Interactions
As part of my postdoctoral research at Cornell University, I am working alongside my collaborators at Cornell University, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Michigan State University to create a Microbe-Mineral Atlas. My role on the team has been to lead and organize field campaigns to underground and open-pit mines across the United States and characterize the mineralogy and geochemistry of aseptically collected samples before and after microbial experiments using XRD and SEM-EDS. So far, our sampled sites include REE, PGE, SEDEX, and polymetallic porphyry copper deposits.