Dr Nicholas Tailby

Lecturer in Geology - School of Environmental and Rural Science

Biography

Nick is a Lecturer in Geology who likes to combine (a) experimental work to grow minerals under controlled conditions, and (b) the study of natural rocks to investigate how minerals respond to environmental conditions (e.g., pressure-temperature-partial pressure). What this means, in a practical sense, is that I like to combine the fields of thermodynamics and kinetics. Thermodynamics essentially controls the chemical response of a mineral as it approaches equilibrium, while kinetics controls the fidelity of a given mineral composition as the system undergoes perturbation/change. This basically summarises what I find to be among the most useful skills in applied geology – how we understand and use mineral compositions to make meaningful inferences about how/when/why specific rocks are formed.

Qualifications

BSc (Hons, 1st), Australian National University
PhD (Sc), Australian National University

Primary Research Area/s

Geochemistry; Petrology; Geology

Research Interests

A large portion of my research is geared towards understanding how we can use minerals (including but not limited quartz, zircon, apatite, garnet, biotite, plagioclase) as indicators for geological environments, particularly within the continental crust. Some of this research relates to classic themes like thermobarometry. To give a specific example, I’m currently studying quartz phenocrysts from several volcanic eruptions. The chemistry of these quartz crystals allows us to calculate pre-eruptive conditions in the magma chamber prior to eruption. This type of work can be used to calculate what triggers large-scale volcanic eruptions. In this example, the eruption was almost certainly driven by an influx of new, hot, and mafic melt. By studying zonation profiles in these quartz crystals we not only get a sense of crystallization temperatures, but by studying diffusion interfaces we can also calculate how long these lavas stayed hot (spoiler – these systems are very ephemeral).

Another research theme I generally like to pursue is the use of polyvalent elements to understand redox conditions observed in different geological environments. Classic examples of this type of work include research into zircons from locations like the Bishop Tuff (California) or Jack Hills (Western Australia). From these localities we can deduce something about the redox conditions in both ancient (i.e., Hadean) or modern volcanic systems. More recently my research has focused on developing redox sensors for other common minerals – like apatite.

In summary, I am genuinely interested in contributing to any research program that involves geochemistry and/or petrology (doesn’t matter to me particularly if it’s hard or soft rock). I try to keep my door open, so if you want to discuss potential projects, feel free to drop by!

Publications

Tailby, N.D., Trail, D., Watson, E.B., Lanzirotti, A., Newville, M. and Wang, Y. 2023. Eu speciation in apatite at 1 bar: an experimental study of valence-state partitioning by XANES, lattice strain and Eu/Eu* in basaltic systems. In press. http://www.minsocam.org/MSA/Ammin/AM_Preprints/8388TailbyPreprint.pdf

Ebadi, R., Mathur, A., Tanin, E.H., Tailby, N.D., Marshall, M.C., Ravi, A., Trubko, R., Fu, R.R., Phillips, D.F., Rajendran, S and Walsworth, R.L. 2021. Ultra-heavy dark matter search with electron microscopy of geological quartz. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.104.015041

Jaret, S., Tailby, N.D., Hammond, K., Rasbury, E., Wooton, K, DiPadova, E., Smith, L., Smith, R., Yuan, V. and Jaffe, N. 2021. Provenance and tectonic history of the metamorphic rocks of Central Park and New York City. The Geological Society of America, Field Guide 61. https://doi.org/10.1130/2020.0061(02)

Tailby, N.D., Cherniak D.J. and Watson, E.B. 2018. Al diffusion in quartz. Am. Mineral., 103, 839-847. https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2018-5613

Ackerson, M.J., Mysen, B., Tailby, N.D. and Watson, E.B. 2018. Low-temperature crystallization of granites and the implications for crustal magmatism. Nature, 559, 94-97. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0264-2

Trail, D., Tailby, N.D., Wang, Y., Harrison, T.M. and Boehnke, P. 2017. Aluminum in zircon as evidence for peraluminous and metaluminous melts from the Hadean to present. Geochem. Geophy. Geosy. 18, 1580-1593. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GC006794

Ackerson, M.R., Tailby, N.D., Watson, E.B. 2017. Experimental investigation into the substitution mechanisms and solubility of Ti in garnet. Am. Mineral., 102, 158-172. https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2017-5632

Weiss, B.P., Maloof, A.C., Tailby, N.D., Ramezani, J., Fu, R., Hanus, V., Trail, D., Watson, E.B., Harrison, T.M., Bowring, S.A., Kirschvink, J.L., Swanson-Hysell, N.L., and Coe, R.S. (2015). Pervasive remagnetization of detrital zircon host rocks in the Jack Hills, Western Australia and implications for records of the early geodynamo. Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 430, 115-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.07.067

Ackerson, M.R., Tailby, N.D., Watson, E.B. (2015). Trace elements in quartz shed light on sediment provenance. Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 16, 1894-1904. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GC005896

Trail, D., Tailby, N.D., Sochko, M., Ackerson, M.R. (2015). Possible biosphere-lithosphere interactions preserved in igneous zircons and implications for Hadean Earth. Astrobiology, 15, 575-586. https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2014.1248

Trail, D., Tailby, N.D., Lanzirotti, A., Newville, M., Thomas, J.B., Watson, E.B. (2015). Redox evolution of silicic magmas: insights from XANES measurements of Ce valence in Bishop Tuff zircons. Chem. Geol., 402, 77-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2015.02.033

Evans, K.A., Dyar, M., Reddy, S., Lanzirotti, A., Adams, D. and Tailby, N.D. (2014). The relationship between crystal orientation and XANES in biotite. Am. Mineral., 99, 443-457. https://doi.org/10.2138/am.2014.4222

Trail, D., Watson, E.B., and Tailby, N.D. (2013). Insights into the Hadean Earth from zircon experimental studies. Journal of the Geological Society of India, 81, 605-636. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-013-0084-9

Trail, D., Watson, E.B., and Tailby, N.D. (2012). Ce and Eu anomalies in zircon as proxies for the oxidation state of magmas. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 97, 70-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2012.08.032

Trail, D., Watson, E.B., and Tailby, N.D. (2011). The oxidation state of Hadean magmas and implications for early Earth’s atmosphere. Nature, 480, 79-82. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10655

Tailby, N.D., Walker, A.M., Berry, A.J., Hermann, J., Evans, K.A., Mavrogenes, J.A., O‘Neill, H.S.C., Rodina, I.S., Soldatov, A.V., Rubatto, D., and Sutton, S.R. (2011). Ti site occupancy in zircon. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 73, 905-921. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2010.11.004

Evans, K.A., Gordon, R.A., Mavrogenes, J.A., and Tailby, N.D. (2009). The effect of CO₂ on the speciation of RbBr solution at temperatures to 579 ˚C and pressures to 0.26 GPa. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 73, 2631-2644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2009.02.011

Memberships

Geological Society of Australia
Mineralogical Society of America