Dr Henrietta Cathey

Biography

Prior to joining the Central Analytical Research Facility (CARF) at QUT in 2015, I held positions as Research Assistant Professor in the LeRoy Eyring Center for Solid State Science at Arizona State University (2013-2015), and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Utah (2009-2012). Broadly, my research interests lie in igneous petrology and volcanology, and the application of microanalytical techniques to quantify the elemental and isotopic compositions of rocks and minerals. An early interest in the relationship of igneous magmatism to the origins of continental crust led to study of the life-cycles of large continental volcanic systems that produce voluminous explosive eruptions. The track of the Yellowstone hotspot in the central Snake River Plain of southern Idaho, USA – where the passage of the North American continent over a mantle hotspot has left the deposits of numerous volcanic supereruptions – has been the locus for my research. With the aim of constraining timescales, identifying the source materials for melting, and deciphering processes involved in the accumulation and storage of large bodies of pre-eruptive magma, I use a variety of micro-analytical techniques to decipher the information stored in the minerals and glass of silicic tuffs and lavas. As an outgrowth of this research, I maintain an active interest in using the field-emission electron microprobe for quantitative analysis of small particles (natural and synthetic) at the sub-micron level.