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Geoscience: Overview

Geoscience Projects

Pyrite Sphalerite Galena_edited.png
Garnet Sillimanite Schist 1_edited.png

Top: Exhalative massive sulphide mineralisation. Beige is quartz, yellows are pyrite and pyrrhotite, purples are sphalerite and galena. 

Bottom: Garnet sillimanite schist. Brown is biotite, blue is sillimanite, red is garnet.

The versatility of automated mineralogy means that our analysis can be applied to a diverse range of disciplines including igneous and metamorphic petrology, sedimentary petrography, environmental and forensic geoscience amongst a host of others. Indeed, automated mineralogy is the core analytical method in many of the commercial and academic geoscience projects that we are involved in (see Publications below).  

Projects can be commercially focused (e.g. paragenetic and provenance studies) or more detailed academic investigations (e.g. characterization of volcanic aerosol particulates, or arsenic precipitation on contaminated industrial buildings).

We actively support academia through discounted analysis rates, consultancy, and mentoring.

Please contact us for further information on how we can assist your projects and research.

Geoscience: Publications

Publications

Vidence is proud to work closely with our industry and academic partners on a range of projects. Our team actively participates in, and supports, research in a range of has subject areas from sedimentology through to archaeology. A selection of publications that our team has been involved with are listed below and cover three main areas:

Oil and Gas

Industrial, Environmental, and Forensic Geoscience

Archaeology

We thank all of the authors and co-authors involved and look forward to collaborating on future projects. 

Publications: Oil and Gas

Oil and Gas

Petrophysical properties of a siltstone reservoir-An example from the Montney Formation, western Canada

Noga Vaisblat, Nicholas B Harris, Korhan Ayranci, Rick Chalaturnyk, Matthew Power, Cory Twemlow, Nik Minion 2022

Marine and Petroleum Geology 136, 105431

Compositional and diagenetic evolution of a siltstone, with implications for reservoir quality; an example from the Lower Triassic Montney Formation in western Canada

Noga Vaisblat, Nicholas B Harris, Korhan Ayranci, Matthew Power, Chris DeBhur, David L Bish, Rick Chalaturnyk, Federico Krause, Vincent Crombez, Tristan Euzen, Sebastien Rohais 2021

Marine and Petroleum Geology 129, 105066

3D stratigraphic architecture, sedimentary budget, and sources of the Lower and Middle Triassic strata of western Canada: evidence for a major basin structural reorganization

V Crombez, S Rohais, F Baudin, T Euzen, JP Zonneveld, M Power 2020

Petroleum Geoscience 26 (3), 462-479

Well Correlation in Complex Stratigraphic Settings with Automated Cuttings Mineralogy, an Example from West Africa

D Brethaut, C Rigollet, V Vernain-Perriot, K de Vries, M Power 2018

80th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2018 (1), 1-5

Distribution of Sedimentary Heterogeneities in Shale Plays: Insight From Sequence Stratigraphy, Multi-Proxies Analysis and Stratigraphic Modeling of the Montney and Doig Formations (Trias, Alberta-British Columbia, Canada)

Vincent Crombez*, Sebastien Rohais, François Baudin, Tristan Euzen, Benoit Chauveau, Stanislas Pauthier, Laurent Riquer, Benoit Caron, Matthew Power, Noga Vaisblat, Nicholas Harris, Tiffany Playter 2015

International Conference and Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia 13-16 September 2015

Shale geomechanics-A nano-indentation application

M De Block, D Bonijoly, A Hofmann, M Power, C Rigollet, M Simpson 2014

76th EAGE Conference and Exhibition-Workshops, cp-401-00011

The comparison of QEMSCAN and XRD analysis in the mineralogical characterisation of unconventional reservoirs: The benefits of an integrated approach

MR Power, S Burns 2013

AAPG Search and Discovery Article 90187 presented at the CSPG/CSEG/CWLS GeoConvention

Advanced reservoir characterization: key to unlocking gas resources of the Upper Mannville incised valley systems (Lower Cretaceous, West-central Alberta), Abstract

T Euzen, M Power, J Sliwinski, R Lenormand, R Deschamps, O Durand 2010

Abstract, CSPG CSEG CWLS Joint Annual Convention, Calgary, 10-14

Diagenetic evolution of incised channel sandstones: Implications for reservoir characterisation of the Lower Carboniferous Marar Formation, Ghadames Basin, Western Libya

S Fröhlich, J Redfern, L Petitpierre, JD Marshall, M Power, PV Grech 2010

Journal of Petroleum Geology 33 (1), 3-18

Publications: General

Industrial, Environmental, and Forensic Geoscience

The Recycling of End-of-Life Lithium-Ion Batteries and the Phase Characterisation of Black Mass

Laurance Donnelly, Duncan Pirrie, Matthew Power, Ian Corfe, Jukka Kuva, Sari Lukkari, Yann Lahaye, Xuan Liu, Quentin Dehaine, Ester M Jolis, Alan Butcher 2023

Recycling 8 (4), 59

The sampling and phase characterisation of black mass

Laurance Donnelly, Duncan Pirrie, Matthew Power, Ian J Corfe, Jukka Kuva, Sari Lukkari, Yann Lahaye, Xuan Liu, Alan R Butcher

TOS forum

Issues and opportunities in urban forensic geology

A Ruffell, D Pirrie, MR Power 2013

Geological Society, London, Special Publications 384 (1), 147-161

Automated forensic soil mineral analysis; testing the potential of lithotyping

D Pirrie, GK Rollinson, MR Power, J Webb 2013

Geological Society, London, Special Publications 384 (1), 47-64

Size distributions of fine silicate and other particles in Masaya's volcanic plume

RS Martin, TA Mather, DM Pyle, M Power, VI Tsanev, C Oppenheimer, AG Allen, CJ Horwell, EPW Ward 2009

Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 114 (D9)

Automated SEM-EDS (QEMSCAN®) mineral analysis in forensic soil investigations: testing instrumental reproducibility

Duncan Pirrie, Matthew R Power, Gavyn K Rollinson, Patricia EJ Wiltshire, Julia Newberry, Holly E Campbell 2009

Criminal and environmental soil forensics, 411-430

Composition‐resolved size distributions of volcanic aerosols in the Mt. Etna plumes

RS Martin, TA Mather, DM Pyle, M Power, AG Allen, A Aiuppa, CJ Horwell, EPW Ward 2008

Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 113 (D17)

The mineralogy of efflorescence on As calciner buildings in SW England

MR Power, D Pirrie, GS Camm, JCØ Andersen 2009

Mineralogical Magazine 73 (1), 27-42

Rapid quantitative mineral and phase analysis using automated scanning electron microscopy (QemSCAN); potential applications in forensic geoscience

D Pirrie, AR Butcher, MR Power, P Gottlieb, GL Miller 2004

Geological Society, London, Special Publications 232 (1), 123-136

Publications: Archaeology

Archaeology

The Stonehenge Altar Stone was probably not sourced from the Old Red Sandstone of the Anglo-Welsh Basin: Time to broaden our geographic and stratigraphic horizons?

Richard E Bevins, Nick JG Pearce, Rob A Ixer, Duncan Pirrie, Sergio Andò, Stephen Hillier, Peter Turner, Matthew Power 2023

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 51, 104215

Assessing the authenticity of a sample taken from the Altar Stone at Stonehenge in 1844 using portable XRF and automated SEM-EDS

RE Bevins, NJG Pearce, D Pirrie, RA Ixer, S Hillier, P Turner, M Power 2023

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 49, 103973

Petrological and geochemical characterisation of the sarsen stones at Stonehenge

David J Nash, T Jake R Ciborowski, Timothy Darvill, Mike Parker Pearson, J Stewart Ullyott, Magret Damaschke, Jane A Evans, Steven Goderis, Susan Greaney, Jennifer M Huggett, Robert A Ixer, Duncan Pirrie, Matthew R Power, Tobias Salge, Neil Wilkinson 2021

Plos one 16 (8), e0254760

Alteration fabrics and mineralogy as provenance indicators; the Stonehenge bluestone dolerites and their enigmatic “spots”

RE Bevins, RA Ixer, D Pirrie, MR Power, T Cotterell, AG Tindle 2021

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 36, 102826

Constraining the provenance of the Stonehenge ‘Altar Stone’: Evidence from automated mineralogy and U–Pb zircon age dating

RE Bevins, D Pirrie, RA Ixer, H O'Brien, MP Pearson, MR Power, RK Shail 2020

Journal of Archaeological Science 120, 105188

No provenance is better than wrong provenance: Milford Haven and the Stonehenge sandstones

R Ixer, R Bevins, D Pirrie, P Turner, M Power 2020

Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine 113, 1-15

Alternative Altar Stones? Carbonate-cemented micaceous sandstones from the Stonehenge landscape

RA Ixer, RE Bevins, P Turner, M Power, D Pirrie 2019

Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine 112, 1-13

Bronze Age Carian Iasos

P Belli, M Bichler, J Hilditch, CJ Knappett, D Pirrie, M Power, JH Sterba 2012

Archaeologica 166, 1-220

Mineralogical analysis and provenancing of ancient ceramics using automated SEM-EDS analysis (QEMSCAN®): a pilot study on LB I pottery from Akrotiri, Thera

C Knappett, D Pirrie, MR Power, I Nikolakopoulou, J Hilditch, GK Rollinson 2011

Journal of Archaeological Science 38 (2), 219-232

Egyptian eye cosmetics (“Kohls”): Past and present

AD Hardy, RI Walton, R Vaishnay, KA Myers, MR Power, D Pirrie 2006

Physical techniques in the study of art, archaeology and cultural heritage

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