XU RESEARCH

Areas of interest

I am an economic geologist specializing in the geochemistry of critical metals and ore-forming processes. My research explores fundamental processes of metal transport and concentration in magmatic-hydrothermal systems. My research investigates high-temperature melts and fluids involved in mineralization within crustal environments, including porphyry, skarn, iron oxide–apatite (IOA), carbonatite, and pegmatite systems. I use fluid and melt inclusion analysis to examine the transport, enrichment, and deposition of metals. My work has redefined the origins of skarn and IOA deposits and introduced salt melts as a distinct type of geologic fluid. My current research concentrates on the geological processes responsible for the formation of critical mineral resources in Canada, particularly in British Columbiam with a particularfocus on:

• Ore-Forming Fluids: Unraveling the evolution and metal enrichment mechanisms in systems such as porphyry, skarn, and iron-oxide apatite (IOA) deposits.
• Critical Metal Geochemistry: Investigating the petrogenesis and mineralization processes of rare earth elements (REE) and rare metals in alkaline-carbonatite and pegmatite systems.
• Experimental Petrology: Conducting high-pressure-temperature experiments to simulate melt properties and metal partitioning behavior.

My research group will be equipped with a new, state-of-the-art experimental and analytical facility, including a confocal Raman spectrometer and specialized apparatus for melt-fluid inclusion studies and high-PT experiments.