Wed 2nd April

12 – 1 pm

Rm 312.222

Greg Lester

Curtin Applied Geology

Trace element partitioning between immiscible silicate melts with H2O, P, S, F, and Cl: The effects of anions on metal, REE and HFSE partitioning during silicate melt un-mixing. Implications for the concentration and transport of economically desirable elements

Abstract

In silicate melts, anion and anion forming elements (AAFEs) such as phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, fluorine, oxygen and hydrogen are commonly observed in structural complexes with transitional metals, REE and HFSE. Thus, (AAFEs) affect solubility, transport and the partitioning of metals in magmatic-hydrothermal systems and play a critical role in the genesis of some ore deposit types. Trace element partitioning behavior in silicate melts as a function of AAFE has been determined through the experimental study of silicate melt un-mixing and the results quantify the relative associations of AAFE with a wide range of elements of both scientific and economic interest.

Biographical Details

Gregory Lester holds a PhD in economic geology from Queens University in Kingston, Canada, an M.A. in igneous petrology (Binghamton University) and a M.Sc. in geochemistry (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute).  Greg has worked on; the petrology of the Grenville orogeny, as an economic geologist in industry, and is currently working as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Curtin University School of Applied Geology high temperature/pressure experimental geochemistry laboratory.