I'm interested in the processes that occur during the
interaction between a mineral and fluid. These processes are at
the heart of many environmental questions (e.g., health effects
of minerals; mobility and toxicity of metals in the environment;
etc.) as well as of many geological questions (e.g., hydrothermal
alteration; metasomatism; etc.)
I've used transmission electron microscopy and X-ray
diffraction to investigate mineral structures and microstructures
associated with mineral-fluid interactions, including the
smectite-to-illite reaction; hydrothermal alteration of basalts,
gabbros, and granites; the formation of fluid inclusions in
turbid feldspar and turbid diamond; the formation of desert
varnish; and the maturation of opal.
Much of my current interest involves environmental mineralogy
pertaining to low temperature mineral-fluid interactions. In
addition to my interest in the mineralogical mechanisms for
disease, I'm also interested in the interaction between metals
and mineral surfaces. In particular, both of these issues involve
problems related to ion exchange and oxidation-reduction. Along
these lines, I'm interested in the mechanisms and rates of redox
processes at the mineral-fluid interface.