Primary research interests are in the area of economic geology, particularly the geology, geochemistry, and genesis of ore deposits, including aspects of exploration for, development of, and environmental issues associated with, these deposits.
I have also become very interested in both teaching and research in trying to enhance the balance that needs to exist between the unfortunately polarized positions of some environmentalists and some mining concerns. My work to date has mostly dealt with copper, molybdenum, gold, lead, and zinc deposits, but my interests span all types of economically valuable deposits, including coal, oil, natural gas, and even geological building materials like sand and gravel or building stone.