STATEMENT OF RESEARCH

My research efforts focus on two major areas of isotope geology: applying geochronology and radiogenic isotope tracer studies to problems in tectonics and igneous and metamorphic petrology; and advancing our understanding of the commonly complex behaviour of the U-Pb system in zircon, one of the premier geochronology minerals.

Recent geologic/tectonic studies with students and post-docs have concentrated on Mesozoic rocks of the Cordillera in the western U.S. and British Columbia. Recent studies on zircons concentrate on understanding fine-scale structures, especially zoning, within individual zircon crystals, and its significance for the isotopic systematics of zircons.

Teaching at the undergraduate level includes Geochronology and Isotope Geochemistry. I like to bring the latest research results into these classes, and give the students a flavor of how this type of research is done. I also teach Physical Geology, which I regard as an important opportunity to provide predominantly non-science majors with a solid understanding of not only geology, but science in general.