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Celestine Mercer

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.

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 Students

National Association of Geoscience Teachers-USGS Interns, 2018, 2014

St. Lawrence University Summer Internship Program, 2017

Denver Mayor's Program Intern, 2014

Lunar & Planetary Institute Intern, 2011

Denver Inclusion Analysis Laboratory

  • Bruker 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 currently in development and 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°C.
  • 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".

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D., Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, 2009

  • B.A., Physics, Oberlin College, 2002

Science and Products

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USGS science for a changing world

Mineral Resource Assessment Training

The USGS Mineral Resources Program conducts mineral resource assessments and is training USGS scientists in how to conduct these assessments for future work. As a practical exercise, the scientists will conduct an assessment for tungsten in the U.S.
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
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Mineral Resource Assessment Training

The USGS Mineral Resources Program conducts mineral resource assessments and is training USGS scientists in how to conduct these assessments for future work. As a practical exercise, the scientists will conduct an assessment for tungsten in the U.S.
Learn More
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SEM image of melt inclusions

Magmas to Metals: Melt Inclusion Insights into the Formation of Critical Element-Bearing Ore Deposits

This project applies innovative melt inclusion and mineralogical techniques to characterize several distinctive magma types occurring together with prodigious, critical rare earth elements (REE) and gold-(antimony-tellurium) ore deposits within the U.S. We will characterize the pre-eruptive/pre-emplacement magmatic conditions in several districts. The goal is to determine the role of magmatism in...
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
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Magmas to Metals: Melt Inclusion Insights into the Formation of Critical Element-Bearing Ore Deposits

This project applies innovative melt inclusion and mineralogical techniques to characterize several distinctive magma types occurring together with prodigious, critical rare earth elements (REE) and gold-(antimony-tellurium) ore deposits within the U.S. We will characterize the pre-eruptive/pre-emplacement magmatic conditions in several districts. The goal is to determine the role of magmatism in...
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Tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California - Geodatabase

A mineral resource assessment for tungsten, a critical mineral commodity (see 'Related External Resources' section below) for the United States, was carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for a portion of the Great Basin region, in western Nevada and eastern California, between latitudes 36N and 42N and longitudes 116W and 120W. This study (Lederer and others, in review) integrates data
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California - Simulation results

The dataset consists of the input data, parameters, and results output from mineral resource assessment calculations.
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Melt inclusion and mineral geochemical analyses supporting the evaluation of petrogenesis, degassing, and metallogenic potential of mid-Cenozoic rhyolite magmas in northern Nevada, USA

This data release presents geochemical analyses of silicate melt inclusions, host quartz phenocrysts, and biotite phenocrysts in samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from mid-Cenozoic rhyolitic rocks from northern Nevada. Igneous intrusions and volcanic rocks in this study encompass nineteen rhyolitic samples from five magmatic centers across northeastern Nevada. Rhyolites were e
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Geochemical data used in the tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has undertaken a mineral resources assessment for tungsten for a portion of the Great Basin in parts of western Nevada and east-central California. This data release provides the Great Basin Tungsten Database: the geospatial and geologic data, and results of chemical analyses for 46,955 samples collected in the assessment area, extracted from the USGS National Geo
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Geochemical data supporting a comparison of apatite between regional magmatism and the Pea Ridge Iron Oxide-Apatite-Rare Earth Element (IOA-REE) and Boss Iron Oxide-Copper-Cobalt-Gold-REE Deposits (IOCG) deposits, southeastern Missouri, USA

This data release presents high-spatial resolution geochemical analyses collected from Mesoproterozoic apatite crystals in igneous rocks from the St. Francois Mountains terrane and coeval ore rocks from the Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite-rare earth element (IOA-REE) and Boss iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits. These deposits are located in the southeast Missouri iron metallogenic province. These
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Geochemistry, geochronology, and isotope geochemistry data for zircons and zircon-hosted melt and mineral inclusions in the St. Francois Mountains terrane, Missouri

This dataset contains geochemical, geochronologic, and isotopic data collected for zircons and zircon-hosted melt and mineral inclusions in the St. Francois Mountains terrane, southeast Missouri, USA.
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Eocene magma plumbing system beneath Cortez Hills Carlin-type gold deposit, Nevada: Is there a deep-seated pluton?

The magmatic-hydrothermal conceptual model for Carlin-type gold deposit genesis calls upon deep-seated Eocene plutons as the primary source of gold-bearing fluids. However, geophysical surveys, geologic mapping, drilling, geochronology, isotopic tracers, and fluid inclusion chemistry have returned ambiguous evidence for the existence of such plutons. The high-grade Cortez Hills gold deposit in nor
Authors
Celestine N. Mercer
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California

A new quantitative mineral resource assessment for tungsten, a critical mineral commodity with highly concentrated production and a moderate risk of global supply disruption, was conducted for the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California. This assessment was part of a larger effort focusing on three regions in the United States and represents the first study of domestic tungsten
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Graham W. Lederer, Federico Solano, Joshua Aaron Coyan, Kevin Denton, Kathryn E. Watts, Celestine N. Mercer, Damon Bickerstaff, Matthew Granitto
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Zircon-hosted melt inclusion record of silicic magmatism in the Mesoproterozoic St. Francois Mountains terrane, Missouri: Origin of the Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite rare earth element deposit and implications for regional crustal pathways of mineralizatio

Voluminous silicic magmatism was coeval with iron ore mineralization in the St. Francois Mountains terrane in southeast Missouri, part of the broader Mesoproterozoic Granite-Rhyolite province along the eastern margin of Laurentia. Some of the iron deposits contain extraordinary endowments of critical elements, such as the Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite (IOA) deposit, which has an average grade of ~1
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Kathryn E. Watts, Celestine N. Mercer
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Apatite trace element geochemistry and cathodoluminescent textures—Acomparison between regional magmatism and the Pea Ridge IOA-REE andBoss IOCG deposits, southeastern Missouri iron metallogenic province, USA

The southeast Missouri iron metallogenic province contains a remarkable wealth of historically important Fe, Cu, Au, and rare earth element (REE) deposits including the Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite-rare earth element (IOA-REE) deposit and the Boss iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposit. These deposits are coeval with silicic and intermediate composition magmatism in the St. Francois Mountains terra
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Celestine N. Mercer, Kathryn E. Watts, Juliane Gross
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Indium: bringing liquid-crystal displays into focus

Introduction Indium is rare in the Earth’s crust. The continental crust contains an average of about 50 parts per billion of indium, whereas the oceanic crust contains about 72 parts per billion, which is similar to meteoritic abundances and comparable to the crustal abundance of silver. Indium minerals are rare in nature and only 12 indium minerals are known. In its elemental form, indium is a so
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Celestine N. Mercer
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Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Germanium: giving microelectronics an efficiency boost

Introduction Germanium is a rare element but is present in trace quantities in most rock types because of its affinity for iron- and organic-bearing materials. The average germanium content of the Earth is about 14 parts per million, but the majority of germanium resides within the Earth’s core (37 parts per million) while the Earth’s crust contains only about 1.5 parts per million. Germanium does
Authors
Celestine N. Mercer
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Pre-eruptive conditions of the Hideaway Park topaz rhyolite: Insights into metal source and evolution of magma parental to the Henderson porphyry molybdenum deposit, Colorado

The Hideaway Park tuff is the only preserved extrusive volcanic unit related to the Red Mountain intrusive complex, which produced the world-class Henderson porphyry Mo deposit. Located within the Colorado Mineral Belt, USA, Henderson is the second largest Climax-type Mo deposit in the world, and is therefore an excellent location to investigate magmatic processes leading to Climax-type Mo mineral
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Celestine N. Mercer, Albert H. Hofstra, Todor I. Todorov, Julie Roberge, Alain Burgisser, David T. Adams, Michael A. Cosca
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Denver Microbeam Laboratory

Time scales of porphyry Cu deposit formation: insights from titanium diffusion in quartz

Porphyry dikes and hydrothermal veins from the porphyry Cu-Mo deposit at Butte, Montana, contain multiple generations of quartz that are distinct in scanning electron microscope-cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL) images and in Ti concentrations. A comparison of microprobe trace element profiles and maps to SEM-CL images shows that the concentration of Ti in quartz correlates positively with CL brightnes
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Celestine N. Mercer, Mark H. Reed, Cameron M. Mercer
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Silicate melt inclusion evidence for extreme pre-eruptive enrichment and post-eruptive depletion of lithium in silicic volcanic rocks of the western United States: implications for the origin of lithium-rich brines

To evaluate whether anatectic and/or highly fractionated lithophile element-enriched rhyolite tuffs deposited in arid lacustrine basins lose enough lithium during eruption, lithification, and weathering to generate significant Li brine resources, pre-eruptive melt compositions, preserved in inclusions, and the magnitude of post-eruptive Li depletions, evident in host rhyolites, were documented at
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Albert H. Hofstra, T.I. Todorov, C.N. Mercer, D.T. Adams, E.E. Marsh
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Roberge J., Guilbaud, M-N., Mercer C.N., and Reyes-Luna P. (2014) Insight on monogenetic eruption processes at Pelagatos volcano, Sierra Chichinautzin, Mexico: a combined melt inclusion and physical volcanology study. In: Zellmer G.F., Edmonds M., and Straub S.M. (eds), The Role of Volatiles in the Genesis, Evolution and Eruption of Arc Magmas,Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 410, 20 p., https://doi.org/10.1144/SP410.12.
Gross J., Treiman A.H., and Mercer C.N. (2014) Lunar feldspathic meteorites: constraints on the geology of the lunar highlands, and the origin of the lunar crust. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 388, 318-328, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.12.006.
Mercer C.N. and Reed M.H. (2013) Porphyry-Cu-Mo Stockwork Formation by Dynamic, Transient Hydrothermal Pulses: Mineralogic Insights From the Deposit at Butte, Montana. Economic Geology, 108, 1347-1377, https://doi.org/10.2113/econgeo.108.6.1347.
Mercer C.N., Treiman A.H., and Joy K.H. (2013) New lunar meteorite Northwest Africa 2996: A window into farside lithologies and petrogenesis. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 48(2), 289-315, https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.12056.
Kring D.A., Abramov O., Galenas M.G., Joy K.H., Kramer G.Y., Mercer C.N., Nahm A.L., Niihara T., Ohman T., Rapp J.F., Shaner A.J., Simmons S., Weller M.B., and White O.L. (2011) Lunar Analogue Training at Meteor Crater, Arizona & the San Francisco Volcanic Field, Arizona, Lunar and Planetary Institute Contribution Series, 1618, https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11753/770.
Mercer C.N. (2009) Mineralogical indicators of magmatic and hydrothermal processes in continental arc crust. Dissertation thesis, University of Oregon, 177 p.
Mercer C.N. and Johnston A.D. (2008) Experimental Studies of the P-T-H2O Near-Liquidus Phase Relations of Basaltic Andesite From North Sister Volcano, High Oregon Cascades: Constraints on Lower-Crustal Mineral Assemblages. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 155(5), 571-592, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-007-0259-8.
Castro J.M. and Mercer C.N. (2004) Microlite textures and volatile contents of obsidian from the Inyo volcanic chain, California. Geophysical Research Letters, 31(L18605), https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020489.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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USGS Awardees of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

The U.S. Geological Survey is celebrating the success of eight distinguished researchers who are recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for...

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Magmas to Metals

No one wants to have an active volcano in their backyard (just ask Dionisio Pulido), but ancient eroded volcanoes can sometimes be literal goldmines...

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