Prof Adrian Finch
Professor
Research areas
I am Professor of Geology at the University of St Andrews, specialising in the mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry of rift-related magmas and focussing particularly on the metal resources that can be found within them. My research focusses on describing the mineral deposits which form in rift environments, which include rare earths, niobium and tantalum. I work by explaining the shape and grade of the deposit and by developing models of how they formed. I have worked on alkaline rocks from all over the world (Mongolia to Malawi to Greenland) with a particular reputation for fieldwork in the Arctic.
I have been an advisor to decision makers, including, for example, the Government Office in Science at Westminster (GOScience) on resource issues and member of the University advisory panel on Sustainability. I am a member of the St Andrews Centre for Energy Ethics. I consult to exploration companies and my geochemical work is underpinned by access to some of the best analytical facilities available worldwide.
I have a BSc degree from University of Durham and a PhD in mineralogy and petrology from the University of Edinburgh. I was awarded a personal fellowship from the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2000. I am a Fellow of the Geological Society, the Society of Economic Geologists and a Fellow of the Mineralogical Society.
PhD supervision
- Curtis Rooks
- Anna Szreter
Selected publications
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Open access
Insights into the response of coral biomineralisation to environmental change from aragonite precipitations in vitro
Castillo Alvarez, M. C., Penkman, K., Kröger, R., Finch, A. A., Clog, M., Brasier, A., Still, J. & Allison, N., 1 Jan 2024, In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 364, p. 184-194 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Alkaline-silicate REE-HFSE systems
Beard, C. D., Goodenough, K. M., Borst, A. M., Wall, F., Siegfried, P. R., Deady, E. A., Pohl, C., Hutchison, W., Finch, A. A., Walter, B. F., Elliott, H. A. L. & Brauch, K., 1 Feb 2023, In: Economic Geology. 118, 1, p. 177-208 32 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Comments on the Scottish Government’s Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan: Response ID: ANON JDU2 DSGY C
Field, S., Finch, A. A., Gardiner, N. J., High, M. M., Hogan, J., Krishnan Jagadamma, L. & Skrzypek, E., Sept 2023Research output: Book/Report › Other report
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Open access
Lanthanide and yttrium substitution in natural fluorite
Horsburgh, N. J., Finch, A. A. & Friis, H., 27 Apr 2023, In: Physics and Chemistry of Minerals. 50, 14 p., 15.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
The response of coral skeletal nano-structure and hardness to ocean acidification conditions
Tan, C. D., Haehner, G., Fitzer, S., Cole, C. S., Finch, A. A., Hintz, C. J., Hintz, K. & Allison, N., 2 Aug 2023, In: Royal Society Open Science. 10, 8, 15 p., 230248.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Effects of seawater pCO2 on the skeletal morphology of massive Porites spp. corals
Allison, N., Ross, P., Brasier, A., Cieminska, N., Lopez Martin, N., Cole, C., Hintz, C., Hintz, K. & Finch, A. A., 10 May 2022, In: Marine Biology. 169, 11 p., 73.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Optimising a method for aragonite precipitation in simulated biogenic calcification media
Kellock, C., Castillo Alvarez, M. C., Finch, A. A., Penkman, K., Kröger, R., Clog, M. & Allison, N., 2 Dec 2022, In: PLoS ONE. 17, 20, 18 p., e0278627.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Quantifying metasomatic high-field-strength and rare-earth element transport from alkaline magmas
Sokół, K., Finch, A. A., Hutchison, W., Cloutier, J., Borst, A. M. & Humphreys, M. C. S., 1 Mar 2022, In: Geology. 50, 3, p. 305-310 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Exploring sources of variation in thermoluminescence emissions and anomalous fading in alkali feldspars
Riedesel, S., Bell, A. M. T., Duller, G. A. T., Finch, A. A., Jain, M., King, G. E., Pearce, N. J. & Roberts, H. M., 5 Feb 2021, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Radiation Measurements. 141, 13 p., 106541.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Mantle sources and magma evolution in Europe's largest rare earth element belt (Gardar Province, SW Greenland): new insights from sulfur isotopes
Hutchison, W., Finch, A. A., Borst, A. M., Marks, M. A. W., Upton, B. G. J., Zerkle, A. L., Stüeken, E. E. & Boyce, A. J., 15 Aug 2021, In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 568, 16 p., 117034.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review