Dr. Hetherington's funding
Current Funding
NSF-EAR-1119454: Trace element mobility in the sub-solidus: accessory mineral stability, fluids and the role of the rock. (Funding period: August 2011-July 2014, total award $189, 159) (NSF abstract).
Dr. Hetherington's Research
For detailed information on some of these projects please follow the following links:
Research in Applied Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
Research in Mineralogy and Crystallography
There are several active projects in the fields of applied mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry, including:
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Protracted peraluminous magmatism in the Great Basin Region - The Ruby Mountain - East Humboldt Range, Nevada.
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Intrusive mafic and ultramafic magmatism during the accretion and construction of an active continental margin - the Rouge-Chetco Complex, Klamath Mountains, Oregon.
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Accessory mineral behavior during carbonatite magmatism.
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Role of lithology and fluid composition in accessory mineral texture development and implications for mass transport.
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Dissolution-reprcipitation reactions in accessory minerals, particularly monazite, xenotime and zircon.
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The application of U-Pb geochronology to exotic and heavy/rare element mineral phases.
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Equilibrium/Disequilibrium reactions in heavy-element enriched pegmatites.
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Cathodoluminescence of REE-minerals and fluid-reaction pathways: causes and consequences.
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Synthesis and development of REE-Th-U-Pb crystals for applications in electronprobe chemical dating.
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Advanced spectroscopy of Ba-dioctahedral micas.
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The role of accessory mineral assemblages in constraining provenance of clastic sedimentary rocks.
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The provenance of hafted greenstone axes in the Mimbres Region, SW New Mexico.
Fieldwork for these projects is carried out in Nevada and Oregon, as well as further afield in places such as Norway, Switzerland, and Canada.
The research is conducted with collaborators in Wyoming, London (Ontario), Massachusetts, Krakow (Poland), Turku (Finland), Beauvais (France), Pretoria (South Africa), Potsdam (Germany) and Oslo (Norway).
Research Opportunities for Graduate & Undergraduates.
I am always delighted to hear from students who are interested in joining our new, but rapidly expanding and dynamic mineralogy research group at Texas Tech. I currently advise with two graduate students and four undergraduate students, and actively work with several other students in the department on mineral science related topics.
Every student with whom I work is invited to participate in weekly group meetings where a variety of topics are discussed including recent results and research progress, recent literature and analytical and laboratory challenges.
Perspective students are encouraged to contact me to discuss their interests or one of the existing projects. For well qualified students there are a variety of funding opportunities available.