Dr. Edmond Mathez's expertise lies in igneous petrology and geochemistry. He studies the thermodynamics and high-temperature geochemistry of the volatile elements, platinum group elements (PGEs), and sulfide systems, and the geochemistry of carbon. One main line of his research concerns the solidification behavior of large basaltic magma chambers. Dr. Mathez's second main field of research concerns the geochemistry of carbon, which includes everything from its behavior in the deep earth and during volcanic eruption to how it is distributed in crustal rocks. Currently, Mathez and his colleagues are studying how and when carbon forms on crack surfaces in rocks and if this may be related to earthquake precursory electrical phenomena.