I am a high temperature geochemist with a background in volcanology and igneous geology. I use isotopes to constrain Earth System and planetary processes related to magmas and am currently interested in the processes of metal transport in active systems, ranging from transport of Cu through arc systems, to metals in meteorites, and in ore deposits.                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                           Research themes

Monogenetic and arc volcanism - How do volcanic deposits reflect magma genesis and ascent?

Basalt geochemistry - what does it tell us about the mantle source and how melts are released?

Mantle heterogeneity - how heterogeneous is the mantle really and on what temporal and spatial scale?

Uranium series chemistry (U-Th-Ra-210Pb isotopes) to address timescale questions in igneous systems related to processes

Ore deposits - (Cu isotopes) What can Cu isotopes tell us about how metals are transported from magmas into sites of enrichment?

Planetary science - In the past 2 years I have been getting into meteorite and tektite research through supervision of honours and PhD projects, applying igneous techniques to meteorite samples to understand about metal enrichments and depletions.

Much of my research since my MSci in the UK has centred around using the compositions of basalts erupted in small eruptive volcanic centres to understand the composition of the mantle, the way in which it melts and how these are reflected in small-scale volcanic deposits. My PhD work at the University of Auckland (supervised by Ian Smith and Jan Lindsay) focussed on the melting processes which have given rise to a city of miniature, Quaternary-age volcanoes: the Auckland Volcanic Field. During this time I studied the field using several key examples, and worked on its possible end-member basalt compositions with the use of radiogenic and U-series isotopes and major and trace element modelling. 

‘Monogenetic’ certainly doesn’t mean ‘monotonous’!

In my 3-year postdoc at the University of Chile (in addition to trialling U-Th dating on geothermal carbonates, as part of my project with the Andean Geothermal Centre of Excellence) I continued the theme of small volume basalts after being awarded a 3-year grant from the government. This time the volcanoes were in a far more complex arc context and in close proximity to large, active stratovolcanoes (the Pucon small eruptive centres close to Villarrica volcano, the Carran-Los Venados field close to Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano and the Antillanca volcanic complex, all in the Southern Volcanic Zone of Chile). I worked with Macquarie University in the U-series area of this project which provided important information on competing tectonic and source component-related signatures. I still continue to work with researchers from the Universidad Mayor and SERNAGEOMIN (the geological survey of Chile) and Liverpool University on several volcanology-related projects in different areas of Southern Chile.

During my 2.5 year postdoc at Macquarie University I worked on what triggers explosive eruptions, applying the short lived isotopes of ²¹⁰Pb and ²²⁶Ra (in the Uranium series decay chain) to recently erupted rocks from Soufriere Hills volcano in the Caribbean to examine the idea that volatile exchange is a major driver of explosive volcanism. 

I am now working on a number of projects involving Cu isotopes, including:

Combining isotopic techniques of U-series with Cu isotopes, to try and understand better the timescales of metal transport in active magmatic systems

Applying Cu isotopes to meteorite and tektite samples to better understand volatilisation, and dispersion of metals in the early solar system

In addition to supervising various students in both mineral exploration studies (applying Cu isotopes to deposits to understand 'fingerprints' and pathways of metals and fluids, or the transport of Cu up through the crust), as well as more classic igneous and volcanology projects in using Australian, New Zealand and Chilean sample sets.