University of St Andrews
 
 

School of Geography & Geosciences
Department of Earth Sciences

Department of
Earth Sciences

 
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tel: +44 01334 463947
fax: +44 01334 463949
email: Ed.Stephens@st-andrews.ac.uk
room: C24 Bute

Dr Ed Stephens

Senior Research Fellow in Earth Sciences


 

I took my BSc in geology at the University of Wales and went on to complete a PhD in geochemistry on igneous rocks. This was followed by a period as NERC Research Fellow at St Andrews after which I was appointed to a lectureship in the same university.

Underpinning my research is the use of mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of rocks and environmental materials to model earth internal and surface processes, in particular those involving mass transfer. Recently these tools have been applied to reassessing the geothermal potential of Scotland, long regarded as barren but now known to have some attractive prospects. This experience is being extended to other countries.

The processes by which plants, in particular leaf materials, sequester substantial quantities of carbon dioxide in the form of oxalate biominerals may have relevance to novel strategies for carbon sequestration. We are also investigating the chemical composition of leaf materials, in particular heavy metals and their speciation.

I established and have been responsible for the X-ray and microprobe laboratories, and more recently was involved in developing the ICP-MS facility. Accurate analytical data are fundamental to my type of research and we strive to ensure that the labs generate data of the highest possible quality for the available instrumentation.

 

 

Recent Publications

Donaldson, MP & Stephens, E 2010, ' Environmental Pollen Trapped by Tobacco Leaf as Indicators of the Provenance of Counterfeit Cigarette Products: A Preliminary Investigation and Test of Concept ', JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES , vol 55, no. 3, pp. 738-741.
O'Connor, RJ, Li, Q, Stephens, WE, Hammond, D, Elton-Marshall, T, Cummings, KM, Giovino, GA & Fong, GT 2010, ' Cigarettes sold in China: design, emissions and metals ', Tobacco Control , vol 19, pp. -.
Francis, SM, Stephens, WE & Richardson, NV 2009, ' X-ray photoelectron and infrared spectroscopies of quartz samples of contrasting toxicity ', Environmental Health , vol 8, no. Suppl 1, pp. S4.
Neill, I & Stephens, E 2009, ' The Cluanie granodiorite, NW Highlands of Scotland: a late Caledonian pluton of trondhjemitic affinity ', Scottish Journal of Geology , vol 45, pp. 117-130.
Ugidos, JM, Stephens, E, Carnicero, A & Ellam, RM 2009, ' A reactive assimilation model for regional-scale cordierite-bearing granitoids: geochemical evidence from the Late Variscan granites of the Central Iberian Zone, Spain ', Earth and Environmental Science Transactions Of The Royal Society Of Edinburgh , vol 99, pp. 225-250.
Stephens, WE 2007, ' Dependence of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide yields on physical parameters: implications for exposure, emissions control and monitoring ', Tobacco Control , vol 16, no. 3, pp. 170-176.
Bird, MI , Boobyer, EM, Bryant, C, Lewis, HA, Paz, V & Stephens, WE 2007, ' A long record of environmental change from bat guano deposits in Makangit Cave, Palawan, Philippines ', Earth and Environmental Science Transactions Of The Royal Society Of Edinburgh , vol 98, pp. 59-69.
Martinez-Monasterio, E, Duck, RW, Stephens, WE & Walden, J 2006, ' Sediment provenance in the River Eden catchment, Scotland, using chemical characterization of Fe-Ti oxide minerals and magnetic measurements ', Scottish Journal of Geology , vol 42, pp. 137-148.
Stephens, WE, Calder, A & Newton, J 2005, ' Source and health implications of high toxic metal concentrations in illicit tobacco products ', Environmental Science and Technology , vol 39, no. 2, pp. 479-488.
Lowry, D, Boyce, AJ , Fallick, AE , Stephens, E & Grassineau, NV 2005, ' Terrane and basement discrimination in northern Britain using sulphur isotopes and mineralogy of ore deposits ', ASPECTS OF THE TECTONIC EVOLUTION OF CHINA , vol 248, pp. 133-151.
Ishirara, S & Stephens, WE 2005 , Origins of Granites, Geological Society of London.
Stephens, WE 2004, ' Is the geological history of quartz an important factor in silica-related disease? ', Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta , vol 68, no. 11 Supplement, pp. A530-A530.
Stephens, WE & Calder, A 2004, ' Analysis of non-organic elements in plant foliage using polarised X-ray fluorescence spectrometry ', Analytica Chimica Acta , vol 527, no. 1, pp. 89-96.
Stephens, E & Harley, SL 2004, ' Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth sciences - Preface ', Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences , vol 95, pp. VVI.
Stephens, WE Minerals and Health .
Stephens, WE 2004, ' Is the geological history of quartz a key factor in silica-related disease? ', Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta , vol 68, pp. A530.
Stephens, WE & Calder, A 2003, ' Inorganic geochemistry and mineralogy of tobacco: Changes on combustion with health implications ', Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta , vol 67, no. 18 Supplement, pp. A448-A448.
Lowry, D, Boyce, A, Fallick, A, Stephens, WE, Hall, A & Grassineau, N Sulphur isotope signatures of Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic terranes of Northern Britain - environments of formation .
Stephens, WE Minerals, tobacco and smoking-related disease .
Stephens, WE , Donaldson, CH & Ellam, R 2003, ' The Silhouette and Ile du Nord alkaline complexes, Seychelles ', in T Rämö, P RKousen, L Lauri & J Karhu (eds) , Granitic systems - State of the Art and Future Avenues Helsinki University Press, pp. 100-101.
Dept. of Earth Sciences
Irvine Building
University of St Andrews
St Andrews
KY16 9AL, Scotland UK
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