Aqueous Geochemistry and Mineralogy
The Aqueous Geochemistry and Mineralogy Group, led by Professor Jeff Catalano, studies the geochemistry and mineralogy of terrestrial and planetary aquatic systems. Their interests span the fields of Environmental Biogeochemistry, Planetary Geochemistry, and Geobiology. The group investigates processes that control the distribution and cycling of major and trace elements in modern and ancient systems. These processes are controlled by chemical interactions between water and rocks, organic matter, and organisms. The goal of the group is to understand geochemical phenomena such as biogeochemical element cycling, contaminant fate, and mineral weathering and transformations on Earth, Mars, and other planetary bodies. To accomplish these goals, they apply laboratory-based analytical, microscopy, and isotopic tools, synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopic and scattering methods, and geochemical modeling techniques.
