Dr William McMahon

No other minerals attract as great an interest as clays. Being formed from different weathered rocks under immensely variable conditions, clays differ in both mineral type and origin. Whilst techniques to separate clay assemblages by mineral type are widely established, criteria to differentiate clay minerals of varying origin have only recently been achieved. This is in part thanks to a new generation of electron imaging and mapping tools, optimized for the analysis of fine-grained minerals. This key breakthrough now promises to revolutionise the study of Earth’s most commonly available geo-material.

I am utilizing advances in electron microscopy, and the establishment of criteria to separate clay assemblages within mudrocks, to: 1) understand how rock weathering has changed across geological timescales as a consequence of biological evolution; and 2) consider how temporal variabilities in the availability of clay has impacted life’s early fossil record.

Media coverage:

• Martian sedimentary rocks (interview on Fox News): https://video.foxnews.com/v/6154722649001#sp=show-clips
• Earth's earliest forest (article on BBC News): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68500649
• Largest ever millipede fossil (article on BBC News): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59734747
• Ediacaran life (interview on Evolution Soup): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwbIYg7HY6s
• The search for life on Mars (interview on The Naked Scientists): https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/naked-scientists-podcast/qa-how-will-astronauts-shower-moon

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=4FQTLwcAAAAJ&hl=en

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/William-Mcmahon-4