Research opportunities

FlexPet Lab

 
 


The La Rodde mine was an important producer of Sb with lesser Pb, Cu and Ag in the 19th century. The mine is located in a stream valley with the ore accessed by drifts and shafts on either side of this valley. The site is currently abandoned and tailing is present in the valley and on the slopes. A systematic grid sampling of soil was performed around the mine site as part of the 2018 Massif Central fieldschool with the aim of mapping out the spatial distribution of elements. Preliminary data obtained in the field show high concentrations of Sb, Pb, As, Ag and Cu linked to ore veins. There is local decoupling of Sb and Pb, in agreement with the occurrence of both semseyite (Sb+Pb) and stibnite (Sb) veins. The boundary between Celoux orthogneiss and biotite-sillimanite paragneiss was moreover identified from changes in Cr and V. This project will analyse the soil samples for a much wider suite of elements to map their spatial distribution, and to understand the relative importance of ore veins, geology and topography on element concentrations and distribution.


 

Geochemical mapping of an abandoned Sb-Pb mine in the French Massif Central (BSc)

I have a number of student research opportunities available in my group, and these are detailed below. Projects are generally a combination of experiments, modeling and work on natural samples, although the focus varies. In addition, I am always open to research proposals in the broad area of my research interests. If you would like more information on any of these projects, please send me an email.

This list is not exhaustive, and if you have other research ideas that you think would interest me, send me an email ! Contact details are here.

Additional undergraduate research opportunities

  1. ‣Crystal growth causes of colour and compositional heterogeneity in tourmaline (co-supervised by Jeanne Paquette)

  2. ‣Gypsum-fluid element partitioning: an experimental study with applications to Mars (co-supervised by Kim Berlo)

  3. ‣Ruby formation in impure limestones: pegmatite-triggered or purely metamorphic

  4. ‣P-T and fO2 formation conditions for the Gorob meta-pelites, Namibia

  5. ‣Constructing an internally consistent thermodynamic database for borosilicate minerals

  6. ‣Identifying and dating sulfate minerals in phreatic deposits of Kawah Ijen volcano, Indonesia to obtain a better eruption history (co-supervised by Kim Berlo)