Geoscience Projects
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.
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:
Industrial, Environmental, and Forensic Geoscience
We thank all of the authors and co-authors involved and look forward to collaborating on future projects.
Oil and Gas
Rock compositional control on geomechanical properties of the Montney Formation, Western Canadian Basin
Noga Vaisblat, Nicholas B Harris, Korhan Ayranci, Rick Chalaturnyk, Matthew Power 2024
Bulletin of Canadian Energy Geoscience 71, 143-170
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
Industrial, Environmental, and Forensic Geoscience
Mining metal from waste
Duncan Pirrie, Laurance Donnelly, Matthew Power, Alan Butcher, Andrew Menzies, Ester Jolis, Ben Wilson 2026
Geology Today, 42 (1), 15-26
Characterization of a precipitate sludge from a sulfuric acid plant
Simonn Michaux, Alan Butcher, Duncan Pirrie, Jarno Mäkinen, Mari Lundström, Petri Latostenmaa, Jesal Hirani, Jesal, Nikolaos Apeiranthitis, Tero Korhonen, Matthew Power 2026
Minerals Engineering, 236, 109915
Phase Characterisation for Recycling of Shredded Waste Printed Circuit Boards
Laurance Donnelly, Duncan Pirrie, Matthew Power, Andrew Menzies 2025
Recycling, 10 (4), 157
Remagnetisation of the Caerfai Group (lower Cambrian, SW Wales) in hot geothermal fluids during Caledonian (pre-Acadian) metamorphism
Peter Turner, Rob Ixer, Duncan Pirrie, Matthew Power 2024
Tectonophysics, 891, 230532
Mechanical and microstructural investigation of geopolymer concrete incorporating recycled waste plastic aggregate
Blessing Adeleke, John Kinuthia, Jonathan Oti, Duncan Pirrie, Matthew Power 2024
Materials, 17 (6), 1340
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
Archaeology
William Cunnington's 1884 Stonehenge lithologies revisited
Rob Ixer, Richard Bevins, Duncan Pirrie, Matthew Power; Nick Pearce 2025
Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine
Automated SEM-EDS mineralogical characterisation of archaeological pottery from Luxmanda and Mumba Rockshelter, Tanzania
Ombori, Titus Luomba; Pirrie, Duncan; Power, Matthew R; Skilling, Ian; Gidna, Agness O; Mabulla, Audax ZP; Bushozi, Pastory M; Prendergast, Mary E; Grillo, Katherine M 2025
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 67, 105369
The enigmatic ‘Newall boulder’excavated at Stonehenge in 1924: New data and correcting the record
Bevins, Richard E; Pearce, Nick JG; Ixer, Rob A; Scourse, James; Daw, Tim; Pearson, Mike Parker; Pitts, Mike; Field, David; Pirrie, Duncan; Saunders, Ian 2025
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 66, 105303
Exotic granodiorite lithics from Structure 5 at West Kennet, Avebury World Heritage Site, Wiltshire, UK
Ixer, RA; Bevins, RE; Pearce, NJG; Pirrie, Duncan; Pollard, Josh; Finlay, Alex; Power, Matthew; Patience, Ian 2025
Wiltshire Archaeological & Natura l History Magazine, 118, 1-18
Lithological and geochemical characterization of ‘adinole’artefacts from cave deposits in southwest Wales: A material of choice during the late Middle to Upper Palaeolithic
Bevins, Richard; Walker, Elizabeth A; Pearce, Nick; Pirrie, Duncan; Ixer, Rob; Saunders, Ian; Power, Matthew 2025
Quaternary Environments and Humans, 3 (1), 100058
Was the Stonehenge Altar Stone from Orkney? Investigating the mineralogy and geochemistry of Orcadian Old Red sandstones and Neolithic circle monuments
Bevins, Richard; Pearce, Nick; Hillier, Stephen; Pirrie, Duncan; Ixer, Rob A; Andò, Sergio; Barbarano, Marta; Power, Matthew; Turner, Peter; Bevins, R 2024
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 58, 104738
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
R 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