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William Benzel

William Benzel is a Physical Scientist with the Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center.

My graduate work focused on geologic membranes trying to understand fluid flow in basins and evaluate methods to isolate hazardous materials, such as nuclear wastes injected in deep wells. While working in the oil industry, I continued my studies in fluid flow through geologic materials working on methods to improve oil production. I moved on to work in the mining industry, supporting efforts to locate and process gold ore as well as studying world-wide talc deposits for hazardous contaminants. Since joining the USGS, I support two Teams (GGGSC and CERSC) providing mineralogy and material characterization. My research efforts are focused on improving quantitative mineralogy by combining and rectifying X-ray diffraction scans with chemical data sets.