Staff profiles
Bruce MountainLead Scientist - Experimental Geochemistry Lab (Wairakei)
Biography
Bruce Mountain has 20 year's experience in geothermal and mineral chemistry, and a background in geological engineering. He has published more than 40 publications in the areas of geothermal and hydrothermal chemistry, mineralisation and geomicrobiology research. His current interests include experimental hydrothermal geochemistry related to geothermal systems and ore-forming environment, and temperature stability of organic molecules in geothermal environments. Additionally, Bruce provides advice on sampling and analysis of geochemical samples, and develops methods for the analysis of geothermal samples.
Qualifications
- PhD, Geochemistry
- MSc, Mineral Exploration
- BSc, Geological Engineering
Areas of expertise
- Geochemist: Geomicrobiology
- Geology: Mesothermal gold mineralisation
- Geology: Metallic minerals
- Geology: Geochemistry
- Geochemist: Geothermal chemistry
- Geochemist: Hydrothermal chemistry
Major Publications
See all publications
- Solubility of quartz in supercritical water from 375 °C to 600 °C and 200270 bar, The Journal of Supercritical Fluids 196: article 105883. DOI: 10.1016/j.supflu.2023.105883.
- Fluid-rock interaction during low-salinity water flooding of North Sea chalks, Journal of petroleum science and engineering 214: article 110484. DOI: 10.1016/j.petrol.2022.110484.
- The stability of polyaromatic naphthalene sulfonates in hydrothermal solutions to 330 °C at equilibrium saturated vapour pressure, Geothermics 104: article 102437. DOI: 10.1016/j.geothermics.2022.102437.
- Equilibrium and kinetic controls on molecular hydrogen abundance and hydrogen isotope fractionation in hydrothermal fluids, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 579: article 117338. DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117338.
- Numerical geochemical modelling of basalt-water interaction under subcritical conditions, Geothermics 105: article 102520. DOI: 10.1016/j.geothermics.2022.102520.
- 1,5-Naphthalene disulfonate stability and breakdown kinetics in aqueous solutions under geothermal conditions, Geothermics 91: article 102038. DOI: 10.1016/j.geothermics.2020.102038.
- Antimony(III) Speciation in Hydrosulfide Solutions from 70 to 400 °c and up to 300 bar, ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 3(6): p. 1058-1072. DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.8b00211.
- Abiogenesis not required to explain the origin of volcanic-hydrothermal hydrocarbons, Geochemical Perspectives Letters 11: p. 23-27. DOI: 10.7185/geochemlet.1920.
- Antimony(III) sulfide complexes in aqueous solutions at 30°C : a solubility and XAS study, Chemical Geology 476: p. 233-247. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2017.11.020.
- Temperature and pH control on lipid composition of silica sinters from diverse hot springs in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand, Extremophiles 19(2): p. 327-344. DOI: 10.1007/s00792-014-0719-9.
- Experimental simulation of greywacke-fluid interaction under geothermal conditions, Geothermics 47: p. 27-39. DOI: 10.1016/j.geothermics.2012.11.003.
- Reflectance spectra diversity of silica-rich materials : sensitivity to environment and implications for detections on Mars, Icarus 223: p. 499-533. DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2012.09.021.
- Relationship between lipid distribution and geochemical environment within Champagne Pool, Waiotapu, New Zealand, Organic geochemistry 42(10): p. 1203-1215. DOI: 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2011.08.006.
- Preservation of microbial lipids in geothermal sinters, Astrobiology 11(3): p. 259-274.
- Experimental evaluation of the fluid-mineral fractionation of Cu isotopes at 250oC and 300oC, Chemical Geology 286(3/4): p. 229-239. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2011.05.008.
- Role of hydrology in the formation of Co-rich Mn crusts from the equatorial N Pacific, equatorial S Indian Ocean and the NE Atlantic Ocean, Resource geology 60(2): p. 165-177.
- Encapsulated in silica : genome, proteome and physiology of the thermophilic bacterium Anoxybacillus flavithermus WKI, Genome Biology 9(11): DOI: 10.1186/gb-2008-9-11-r161.
- Microbial membrane lipids in active and inactive sinters from Champagne Pool, New Zealand : elucidating past geothermal chemistry and microbiology, Organic geochemistry 39(8): p. 1024-1028. DOI: 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2008.04.016.
- Complete genome sequence of the extremely acidophilic methanotroph isolate V4, Methylacidiphilum infernorum : a representative of the bacterial phylum Verrucomicrobia, Biology Direct 3(26): DOI: 10.1186/1745-6150-3-26.
- Silicifying biofilm exopolymers on a hot-spring microstromatolite : templating nanometer-thick laminae, Astrobiology 8(4): p. 747-770.
- Culture-independent characterization of a novel microbial community at a hydrothermal vent at Brothers volcano, Kermadec Arc, New Zealand, Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth 113: B08S06. DOI: 10.1029/2007JB005477.
- Relating microbial community and physicochemical parameters of a hot spring : Champagne Pool, Wai-o-tapu, New Zealand, Geomicrobiology Journal 25(7/8): p. 441-453.
- Isolation of novel bacteria, including a candidate division, from geothermal soils in New Zealand, Environmental Microbiology 10(8): p. 2030-2041. DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01621.x.
- Bacteriohopanepolyol signatures of cyanobacterial and methanotrophic bacterial populations recorded in a geothermal vent sinter, Organic geochemistry 39(8): p. 1020-1023. DOI: 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2008.04.014.
- Methane oxidation by an extremely acidophilic bacterium of the phylum Verrucomicrobia, Nature 450(7171): p. 879-882. DOI: 10.1038/nature06411.
- Composition and implications of diverse lipids in New Zealand geothermal sinters, Geobiology 4(2): p. 71-92. DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4669.2006.00069.x.