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
Mineral Resource Assessment Training
Magmas to Metals: Melt Inclusion Insights into the Formation of Critical Element-Bearing Ore Deposits
Tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California - Geodatabase
Tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California - Simulation results
Melt inclusion and mineral geochemical analyses supporting the evaluation of petrogenesis, degassing, and metallogenic potential of mid-Cenozoic rhyolite magmas in northern Nevada, USA
Geochemical data used in the tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California
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
Geochemistry, geochronology, and isotope geochemistry data for zircons and zircon-hosted melt and mineral inclusions in the St. Francois Mountains terrane, Missouri
Critical minerals in Climax-type magmatic-hydrothermal systems
Today’s global economy is challenged to meet the growing demand for commodities used in existing and emerging advanced technologies. Critical minerals are commodities found in a wide variety of ore deposits that are vital to the economic or national security of individual nations that are vulnerable to supply disruption. The U.S. Geological Survey is striving to advance understanding of critical m
Eocene magma plumbing system beneath Cortez Hills Carlin-type gold deposit, Nevada: Is there a deep-seated pluton?
Tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California
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
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
Indium: bringing liquid-crystal displays into focus
Germanium: giving microelectronics an efficiency boost
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
Time scales of porphyry Cu deposit formation: insights from titanium diffusion in quartz
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
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.
Science and Products
Mineral Resource Assessment Training
Magmas to Metals: Melt Inclusion Insights into the Formation of Critical Element-Bearing Ore Deposits
Tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California - Geodatabase
Tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California - Simulation results
Melt inclusion and mineral geochemical analyses supporting the evaluation of petrogenesis, degassing, and metallogenic potential of mid-Cenozoic rhyolite magmas in northern Nevada, USA
Geochemical data used in the tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California
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
Geochemistry, geochronology, and isotope geochemistry data for zircons and zircon-hosted melt and mineral inclusions in the St. Francois Mountains terrane, Missouri
Critical minerals in Climax-type magmatic-hydrothermal systems
Today’s global economy is challenged to meet the growing demand for commodities used in existing and emerging advanced technologies. Critical minerals are commodities found in a wide variety of ore deposits that are vital to the economic or national security of individual nations that are vulnerable to supply disruption. The U.S. Geological Survey is striving to advance understanding of critical m
Eocene magma plumbing system beneath Cortez Hills Carlin-type gold deposit, Nevada: Is there a deep-seated pluton?
Tungsten skarn mineral resource assessment of the Great Basin region of western Nevada and eastern California
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
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
Indium: bringing liquid-crystal displays into focus
Germanium: giving microelectronics an efficiency boost
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
Time scales of porphyry Cu deposit formation: insights from titanium diffusion in quartz
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
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.