Simon Chenery

British Geological Survey

Author Statistics

Papers

Citation

H-Index

i-10 index

Research Trends

Author Order

Document Type

Co-Authors

Melanie J. Leng

British Geological Survey

T. J. Shepherd

Newcastle University

Matthew Horstwood

British Geological Survey

Jane Evans

British Geological Survey

María Izquierdo

Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research

Babette Hoogakker

Heriot-Watt University

A.M. Tye

British Geological Survey

Christopher H. Vane

British Geological Survey

Helge Winkelbauer

Heriot-Watt University

Michael J. Watts

British Geological Survey

Cooperative Institutions

British Geological Survey

University of Nottingham

University of Leicester

Natural Environment Research Council

University of Oxford

Oxford Archaeology

Loughborough University

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Durham University

University of Leeds

Author Statistics

Papers

Citation

H-Index

i-10 index

Research Field

A Boat Load of Vikings?

Journal of the North Atlantic (2014)

Carolyn Chenery Jane Evans David Score Angela Boyle Simon Chenery

The isotope composition of tooth enamel and associated dentine and lead concentration was analyzed for strontium and oxygen (enamel) and carbon and nitrogen (dentine) from ten skulls taken from a burial pit found on the Chalk at Ridgeway Hill north of Weymouth, Dorset, on the south coast of England. These individuals are a subset of the 51 men in this pit, all of whom had been decapitated. The results from the ten individuals show that they were a diverse group of individuals. ATMS radiocarbon dating of three individuals gave dates that are statistically consistent and their weighted mean, when calibrated, provides a date range of AD 970–1025 (93% probability). The oxygen isotope composition ranges between 13.7‰ SMOW and 16.5‰SMOW, which result in drinking-water values between -15.4‰ SMOW and -9.2‰ VSMOW using the adapted Levinson calculation. They were raised in a climate that is colder than that of Britain, and one man has a signature that is consistent with an Arctic origin. The 87Sr/86Sr isotope signature is also diverse, ranging between 0.71013 and 0.72051. Whereas the high value is typical in areas of ancient cratonic rocks underlying much of Scandinavia, the lower values are less diagnostic and could indicate either a coastal origin or a childhood spent in an area underlain by geologically younger rocks. The dietary signature derived from C and N stable isotope analysis is more consistent with a Scandinavian than British diet for the period. Very low concentrations of lead (Pb) in these individuals indicates that lead was not bioavailable to the extent it was in contemporaneous Britain. We speculate that this group of men might represent the crew of a Scandinavian Viking raiding party that was captured and executed by local inhabitants from the Weymouth area.

Isotopic signature

Isotopes of strontium

Isotopes of nitrogen

Isotope Analysis

10.3721/037.002.sp704

Cite

Citations (29)

Late Cenozoic intensification of deoxygenation in the Pacific Ocean

Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2025)

Katrina Nilsson-Kerr Babette Hoogakker D Reyes-Macaya Helge Winkelbauer Elliott M. Hamilton

Deoxygenation

10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119253

Cite

Citations (0)

How cold were the Early Permian glacial tropics? Testing sea-surface temperature using the oxygen isotope composition of rigorously screened brachiopod shells

Journal of the Geological Society (2009)

Lucia Angiolini Flavio Jadoul Melanie J. Leng Michael H. Stephenson Jeremy Rushton

Abstract: Brachiopod carbonate from Early Permian brachiopod shells from low palaeolatitude north Iran and higher palaeolatitude Pakistan Karakorum were screened for diagenesis and analysed for oxygen isotope ratios to derive seawater palaeotemperatures. Screening techniques employed included SEM ultrastructural analysis, cathodoluminescence (CL), image analysis of CL images, trace-element (Sr, Mn, Fe) determinations, and carbon and oxygen stable-isotope determinations. The Karakorum shells were found to be diagenetically altered, but those from north Iran were judged to be pristine. Using data from pristine material, two distinct time slices were analysed: the early and middle Asselian. Two contrasting δ 18 O values for seawater (0‰ and +1.0‰ V-SMOW) were used to account for different extensions of the Gondwanan ice caps. The δ 18 O data from north Iran indicate a range of seawater temperatures from +24.3 to +30.3 °C (for δ 18 O seawater = 0‰ V-SMOW) or from +30.3 to +35.4 °C (for δ 18 O seawater = +1.0‰ V-SMOW) for the early Asselian. Results for δ 18 O from the middle Asselian indicate seawater temperatures of +24.4 to +28.0 °C (for δ 18 O seawater = 0‰) or +29.2 to +32.8 °C (for δ 18 O seawater = +1.0‰). The maximum calculated temperatures in the middle Asselian are about 2 °C lower than those for the early Asselian. The average temperature for both time slices is similar to modern tropical sea-surface temperatures, indicating that low-latitude Early Permian ocean waters in Iran did not undergo significant cooling during the final Glacial III episode of Gondwanan glaciation. This confirms other evidence based on biotic provinces, which suggests that during the Permo-Carboniferous glaciation, the low-latitude warm belt became narrower and confined to the western Tethys and Cathaysian provinces, and was not subject to a reduction in temperature, but rather a reduction in size.

Paleoclimatology

10.1144/0016-76492008-096r

Cite

Citations (50)

Measuring reactive pools of Cd, Pb and Zn in coal fly ash from the UK using isotopic dilution assays

Applied Geochemistry (2013)

María Izquierdo A.M. Tye Simon Chenery

Isotope dilution

Dilution

Trace element

Aqua regia

Trace metal

10.1016/j.apgeochem.2013.01.013

Cite

Citations (11)

The morphologies and compositions of depleted uranium particles from an environmental case-study

Mineralogical Magazine (2009)

Nicholas S. Lloyd J. Frederick W. Mosselmans Randall R. Parrish Simon Chenery S. V. Hainsworth

Abstract Uraniferous particles from contaminated environmental samples were analysed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDXA) and microfocus extended X-ray absorption fine structure (mEXAFS) spectroscopy. The particles of interest are uranium oxides, which were released into the environment by the combustion of scrap depleted uranium (DU) metal at a factory in Colonie, New York, USA. Most of the identified particles appear to have primary, ‘as emitted’ morphologies; some have evidence of minor dissolution, including corrosion pitting. Polycrystalline and often hollow microscopic spheres were identified, which are similar to particles produced by DU munitions impacting armoured targets. They are attributed to the autothermic oxidation of melt droplets. The compositions of the analysed spheres are dominated by UO 2+x with variable amounts of U 3 O 8 , two of the least soluble and least bioaccessible phases of U. These particles, collected from dusts and soils, have survived more than 25 y in the terrestrial environment. This study further supports the case for using Colonie as an analogue for battlefield DU contamination.

Depleted Uranium

Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy

Uraninite

10.1180/minmag.2009.073.3.495

Cite

Citations (24)

Micro-chemical and Micro-Mineralogical Techniques for Sclerochronological Studies – Which One Should I Choose?

Simon Chenery Charlotte N. Colvin P. S. Freitas Philip R. Hollyman Andy Marriot

Source

Cite

Citations (0)

Electron microprobe and LA-ICP-MS study of monazite hydrothermal alteration:

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (2000)

Franck Poitrasson Simon Chenery T. J. Shepherd

Metamictization

Microprobe

10.1016/s0016-7037(00)00433-6

Cite

Citations (224)

Geochemical signature of superhigh organic sulphur Raša coals and the mobility of toxic trace elements from combustion products and polluted soils near the Plomin coal-fired power station in Croatia

Applied Geochemistry (2019)

Roy Nir Lieberman María Izquierdo Carmen Muñoz-Quirós Haim Cohen Simon Chenery

Slag (welding)

Trace element

10.1016/j.apgeochem.2019.104472

Cite

Citations (13)

Determination of zeolite-group mineral compositions by electron probe microanalysis

Mineralogical Magazine (2016)

L. S. Campbell John Charnock A. Dyer Stephen Hillier Simon Chenery

Abstract A new protocol for the quantitative determination of zeolite-group mineral compositions by electron probe microanalysis (wavelength-dispersive spectrometry) under ambient conditions, is presented. The method overcomes the most serious challenges for this mineral group, including new confidence in the fundamentally important Si-Al ratio. Development tests were undertaken on a set of natural zeolite candidate reference samples, representing the compositional extremes of Na, K, Cs, Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba zeolites, to demonstrate and assess the extent of beam interaction effects on each oxide component for each mineral. These tests highlight the variability and impact of component mobility due to beam interaction, and show that it can be minimized with recommended operating conditions of 15 kV, 2 nA, a defocused, 20 μm spot size, and element prioritizing with the spectrometer configuration. The protocol represents a pragmatic solution that works, but provides scope for additional optimization where required. Vital to the determination of high-quality results is the attention to careful preparations and the employment of strict criteria for data reduction and quality control, including the monitoring and removal of non-zeolitic contaminants from the data (mainly Fe and clay phases). Essential quality criteria include the zeolite-specific parameters of R value (Si/(Si + Al + Fe 3+ ), the ' E %' charge-balance calculation, and the weight percent of non-hydrous total oxides. When these criteria are applied in conjunction with the recommended analytical operating conditions, excellent inter-batch reproducibility is demonstrated. Application of the method to zeolites with complex solid-solution compositions is effective, enabling more precise geochemical discrimination for occurrence-composition studies. Phase validation for the reference set was conducted satisfactorily with the use of X-ray diffraction and laser-ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectroscopy.

Microanalysis

10.1180/minmag.2016.080.044

Cite

Citations (30)

Detrital Rutile Geochemistry and Thermometry as Guides to Provenance of Jurassic-Paleocene Sandstones of the Norwegian Sea

Journal of Sedimentary Research (2009)

A. C. Morton Simon Chenery

This paper explores the potential for use of rutile geochemistry as a provenance tracer in Jurassic-Paleocene sandstones in hydrocarbon exploration wells from the Norwegian Sea.Previous studies in this area, concentrating on provenance-sensitive heavy-mineral ratios, garnet geochemistry, tourmaline geochemistry, and detrital zircon geochronology, established the presence of five distinct sand types (MN1, MN2a, MN3, MN4, and MN5), sourced from different parts of the Norwegian and Greenland landmasses to the east and west of the basin.Approximately 50 rutile grains from two samples of each of these sand types have been analyzed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.Differences in Cr and Nb contents indicate that there are significant variations in the relative abundance of rutiles derived from metamafic and metapelitic sources, with Norwegian-sourced sandstones (MN1, MN3 and MN5) having higher proportions of metamafic rutile compared with Greenland-sourced sandstones (MN2a and MN4).Application of single-grain Zr-in-rutile geothermometry illustrates variations in metamorphic grade of the rutile sources.MN1 and MN5 rutiles were mainly derived from lower amphibolite-or eclogite-facies metapelitic rocks of the Caledonian Nappe Domain of mid-Norway, whereas MN3 rutiles were largely sourced from amphibolite-or eclogite-facies rocks of the Western Gneiss Region and adjacent parts of the Caledonian Nappe Domain, where metamafic gneisses and eclogites are widespread.Upper-amphibolite-facies metapelitic rocks, probably the Nathorst Land Group of East Greenland, were largely responsible for MN2a rutile assemblages.MN4 rutiles were mainly derived from granulitefacies metapelitic rocks, probably the Krummedal sequence of East Greenland.The development of rutile geochemistry as a provenance tracer is especially important given the stability of rutile in both diagenetic and surficial weathering conditions.The technique yields information that can be utilised to reveal the ultimate source-rock lithology and metamorphic facies, even in highly modified sandstones that may have lost most other provenance information.

Norwegian

Rutile

10.2110/jsr.2009.054

Cite

Citations (53)