The members of the department are engaged in a variety of research activities, and often collaborate with other scientists from around the world. Take a look at the topics in geology that we find exciting, or walk through our labs

Minerals & Gems

• Identifying Sources among Burmese Rubies
• Guatemalan Jade
• The "Subway Rider" model applied to potassium-rich clinopyroxenes
• Conventional and micromineral crystallography

Meteorites

• Chondritic meteorites and the early history of the earth
• Silicate inclusions in iron meteorites
• The significance of enstatite-bearing chondritic and achondritic meteorites

Mineral Deposits

• Chlorine in biotite and amphibole of the Black Rock Forest
• The chemistry of magmas trapped in crystals
• How much chlorine dissolves in magmas?
• The nature of tin deposits
• Making oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridges

Petrology

• The Upper Zone and Roof of the Bushveld Complex
• Understanding the geochemistry of platinum
• Carbon and the electrical conductivity of rocks
• The significance of moissanite (SiC) in the mantle
• See Ed Mathez 's research site for references and more information.