Geological Oceanography Tracing sand to its source can lead to unique insight into sedimentary processes. As director of the electron microprobe and x-ray lab, Dr. Darby applies new approaches to the old problem of provenance determination. Research funded by NSF and ONR is revealing new information about ice-rafting in the Arctic Ocean and high latitude glaciations using probe analyses of detrital Fe-oxide grains. Similar analyses on the Atlantic Shelf helped to establish the importance of the Hudson River as a sand source in the recent past and is helping us understand the origin of valuable coastal Ti placers.
Research Interests
Dr. Darby has worked extensively on the deep-sea sediments of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas. He uses the chemical and mineralogical fingerprint of Fe oxide grains to trace them to their source areas. He has also worked on the shelf and coastal sediments of the eastern U.S. and on gold placer deposits in southwestern Columbia.
