Geology/Geochemistry Program

Research Interests
David I. Norman, Professor of Geochemistry


Norman with African students from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, University of London in the early 80s.Current Research Areas My fields of interest are ore deposits, environmental geochemistry, and gas geochemistry. My students and I have worked on problems involving genesis of ore deposits, gas chemistry of geothermal systems, architecture of geothermal systems, and geochemistry of ore fluids. Recently, I have worked on environmental problems related to groundwater flow. My favored methods for these studies are field mapping and fluid inclusion studies, including analysis of inclusion fluids, gases, and isotopes. However, other geochemical methods are used as called for by the problem.

I have a close association with geologists in Ghana, West Africa, and am now involved with studies of gold and diamond deposits there, along with an environmental study of arsenic contamination of surface waters.

Much of my time since graduate school has been devoted to analysis of fluid inclusion volatiles. Applications have been to determine the oxidation state and pH of inclusion fluids, trace types of waters in geothermal systems, study active geothermal systems, and conduct mineral exploration. One environmental application has been to use fluid inclusion gas chemistry to determine if groundwater flow has occurred at a potential hazardous waste disposal site.

The picture above was taken when the department was hosting a group of students from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, University of London in the early 80s. There were about a dozen UK students. I am pictured with the Africans in the group. We ran 4 joint tours of mines, 2 in the US and 2 in England, Spain, and Portugal.

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Last Updated: February 10, 2003