Item talk:Q47997

usgs_staff_profile:

 meta:
   status_code: 200
   timestamp: '2023-09-30T16:59:22.319676'
   url: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/celestine-mercer
 profile:
   abstracts: []
   affiliations: []
   education:
   - Ph.D., Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, 2009
   - B.A., Physics, Oberlin College, 2002
   email: cmercer@usgs.gov
   expertise_terms:
   - mineral resources
   - inclusions
   honors: []
   intro_statements:
   - I am a Research Geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, CO. My areas
     of expertise include igneous petrology, economic geology, experimental petrology,
     geochemistry, and volcanology. I spearhead the melt inclusion analysis capabilities
     in the Denver Inclusion Analysis Laboratory.
   name: Celestine Mercer
   name_qualifier: null
   orcid: 0000-0001-8359-4147
   organization_link: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/gggsc
   organization_name: Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
   personal_statement: "I'm interested in applying melt inclusion studies and experimental\
     \ petrology to learn more about how metals are concentrated and partition from\
     \ magmas into ore-forming fluids that generate economic ore deposits.I am currently\
     \ investigating: (1) magmatic contributions to iron oxide-rare earth element\
     \ (IOA-RE) and iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposit genesis in the Missouri\
     \ iron province, (2) concentrations and partitioning of Li in highly evolved\
     \ rhyolites in the western US as a source for economic Li brines and clays,\
     \ (3) quantifying critical elements (Li, W, REE) in rift related volcanic systems,\
     \ and (4) testing the magmatic model for Carlin-type Au deposit genesis in Nevada.\
     \ I recently completed a 5-year project entitled \"Magmas to Metals\" focused\
     \ on melt inclusion and high-spatial resolution mineral geochemical analyses\
     \ to explore igneous systems related to IOA-REE and IOCG mineralization in the\
     \ St. Francois Mountains of SE Missouri.During my Ph.D. I used petrologic and\
     \ geochemical methods to investigate the magmatic-hydrothermal transition at\
     \ the porphyry-Cu-Mo deposit in Butte, Montana, and the crustal \"plumbing system\"\
     \ of a stratovolcano in the Cascades.Recent StudentsNational Association of\
     \ Geoscience Teachers-USGS Interns, 2018, 2014St. Lawrence University Summer\
     \ Internship Program, 2017Denver Mayor's Program Intern, 2014Lunar & Planetary\
     \ Institute Intern, 2011Denver Inclusion Analysis LaboratoryBruker Hyperion\
     \ 3000 FTIR microscope interfaced with Vertex 70 FTIR spectrometer.For quantification\
     \ and mapping of dissolved H and C species in volcanic glass or minerals.Melt\
     \ inclusion preparation equipment.Leica binocular microscope, Nikon petrographic\
     \ microscope, hot plates, grinding and polishing equipment.Rapid-quench cold-seal\
     \ apparatii with computer-controlled pressure and temperature cycling.These\
     \ devices are currentlyin developmentand will be well equipped for experimental\
     \ studies of upper-crustal magmatic-hydrothermal processes up to ~2 kbar (200\
     \ MPa; equivalent to ~6 km depth in the Earth) and ~850\xB0C.Ancillary experimental\
     \ equipment.The lab also contains all necessary sample preparation and support\
     \ equipment including a microwelder, microbalance, drying furnaces, etc."
   professional_experience:
   - Postdoctoral Fellow at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, TX, where
     I studied the petrogenesis of the Moon by examining lunar returned samples including
     a newly found lunar meteorite.
   - Visiting Professor at Colorado College from 2009-2010 where I taught Introductory
     Geology, Planetary Geology, Petrology, and "Bubbling Magmas, Hot Springs, and
     Colorado's Premier Ore Deposits".
   title: Research Geologist