Acasta Gneiss with Annie Bauer

 A lot of people, including many non-geologists (even Beyoncé), are aware of the famous detrital Hadean zircons from the Jack Hills of Western Australia, which represent the oldest terrestrial minerals yet found (up to 4.37 Ga). The oldest crystalline basement rocks are arguably an equally important source of information regarding Earth’s earliest history. During my […]

Aqueous Geochemistry and Microbial Coalbed Methane in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming and Montana with Dan Ritter

When most people think of methane production and aqueous geochemistry, they probably think of shale gas. However, about 8% of the natural gas produced United States in a year comes from coalbeds. In the Powder River Basin, the majority of the natural gas is produced by groups of microorganisms that break down the coal and […]