Research interests
Introduction
I currently have a broad research profile covering the following general areas of interest:
- The mineralogy and petrology of kimberlite, carbonatite and ultramafic intrusions and their xenoliths.
- Chemical determination of inclusions in diamond (carbides) and carbonado (nitride phases).
- Analysis of exotic fragments (granitic rocks and opal) in ureilitic meteorites.
- Geochemical analysis of accretionary lapilli generated within pyroclastic density currents.
I act as a principal investigator on inpidual projects within the areas of my research. Highlights of my research include the development of new microprobe techniques to allow for the chemical determination of subsurface silicate/oxide and carbide microinclusions in diamonds. This resulted in the discovery of three new nitrite mineral phases in carbonado diamond and the confirmation of iron carbide inclusions in terrestrial diamonds.
New nitride minerals on a broken surface of a carbonado diamond.
Banded opal fragments in ureilite ETT83309. (BSE image)
I am also interested in the complex interplay between ignimbrite lithofacies and the unravelling of eruption dynamics. Recently I have been involved in proposing a new model which suggests some accretionary lapilli are generated within pyroclastic density currents. This model is based on noting subtle "fingerprinted" geochemical trends within cores to rims of inpidual lapillus and from noting up section geochemical groundmass variations.
At present the model has been tested in the ancient BIPIP terraines but there are worldwide implications and it needs to be tested with modern analogues.
An accretionary lapillus (1 cm in diameter) with concentric layers from core to rim, Torrin, Isle of Skye. Image courtesy of Simon Drake.
Current PhD students
Mr Simon Drake
- Silicic pyroclastic density deposits from the Isle of Skye, NW Scotland and associated Palaeogene evolution of the Skye central complex. Co-supervisor Dr David Brown, University of Glasgow
Student achievements
- Transferred from MPhil to PhD August 2011, expected PhD completion Spring 2012.
- Simon Drake is part of a group that has been awarded a grant by the NERC Isotope Geosciences Facilities Steering Committee IP-1207-1110 to analyse and date zircons within Skye ignimbrites. The project is entitled "Ignimbrite magmatism in the British Palaeogene Igneous Province: assessing the frequency of large-volume silicic eruptions".
- Simon has been also elected student representative for the Volcanic and Magmatic Studies Group (VMSG) and will serve as a committee member for 2011. http://www.vmsg.org.uk/
- Simon Drake won the prestigious Bob Hunter prize for the best student talk at the Volcanic and Magmatic Studies Group (VMSG) conference in Glasgow 2010.
Mr John Cuningham
- The occurrence of accretionary lapilli in a deep marine environment in `Eua, Tonga, SW Pacific.
Student achievements
- PhD completed Autumn 2011.
