As an Economic Geologist and Geochemist, I aim to understand how metals move and become concentrated within Earth’s crust. My Economic Geology and Geochemistry (EG/G) research group at Auburn investigates the formation and alteration history of metal (ore) deposits by using both field-based and experimental methods. I am particularly interested in using isotopes to track ore-forming processes, especially transition metal stable isotope systems. We study a wide variety of ore deposit types but are most often focused on high-temperature (magmatic/hydrothermal) systems.

The in-house analytical facilities and equipment that the EG/G group runs or helps manage include petrographic microscopes and a laser ablation system (Elemental Scientific Lasers NWR 193) coupled to an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (Agilent 7900). For isotope analyses, we are fortunate to collaborate regularly with scientists at external laboratories. At Auburn, we also run 6 Waspaloy cold-seal pressure vessels in a high-temperature experimental petrology lab designed to simulate the conditions within and near a magma chamber.

I am always looking for motivated undergraduate students who have completed Dynamic Earth (GEOL 1100) to assist with research activities in the EG/G lab.

Unfortunately, I do not have any openings for new graduate students at this time.

At Auburn, I teach the following courses:

GEOL 3550 Field Methods (non-lead co-instructor)

GEOL 3650 Advanced Field Geology

GEOL 4210 Economic Geology (undergraduate)

GEOL 7400 Advanced Economic Geology (graduate, every other year)

GEOL 7450 Mineral Resources and the Environment (graduate, every other year)

1. King-Doonan E.K., Bilenker L.D. (corresponding author), Weis D., Fourny A., Patton G., Zhao Y. (2024) A systematic investigation of self-induced matrix effects for iron isotopes during MC-ICP-MS analysis of pure Fe and reference material solutions. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, https://doi.org/10.1111/ggr.12541.
2. Reich M., Simon A.C., Barra F., Palma G., Hou T., Bilenker L.D. (2022) Formation of iron oxide-apatite deposits, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-022-00335-3.
3. Brueckner S.M., Kline A.K., Bilenker L.D., Poole J., Whitney M.S. (2021) Mineral chemistry and sulfur isotope geochemistry from tonalite-hosted, gold-bearing quartz veins at Hog Mountain, southwestern Appalachians: Implications for mechanism of gold precipitation, Economic Geology, v. 116, doi:10.5382/econgeo.4786.
4. Bilenker L.D., Scoates J.S., Weis D., Perry E. (2018) The application of stable Fe isotopes to magmatic sulfide systems: constraints on the Fe isotope composition of magmatic pyrrhotite. Economic Geology, Scientific Communications 113, 1181-1192, doi: 10.5382/econgeo.2018.4586.
5. Bilenker L.D., Simon A.C., Reich M., Lundstrom C.C. (2016) Fe-O stable isotope pairs elucidate a high-temperature origin of Chilean iron oxide-apatite deposits. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 177, 94-104, doi:10.1016/j.gca.2016.01.009.