Callum J. Hetherington, PhD
The mineral science of crustal processes
ABOUT ME
Our team is interested in the origins of mineral textures and their application to understanding the petrology and geochemistry of crustal rocks. Research seeks to understand processes and we use field localities in Europe, North America and southern Africa. In the laboratory we use whole-rock and in situ micro-analysis techniques coupled with optical and electron microscopy to characterize textures and compositional signatures of Earth materials,
I support several professional societies, am an Associate Editor to The American Mineralogist and regularly review for international journals and funding agencies. I am also the Director of College of Arts & Sciences Microscopy, a service center that supports research and education at TTU.
Research students in the team are current working on the origins of magnetite-zones and layers in the Bushveld Complex, South Africa, and, the origins of the Harding Pegmatite magmas.
NEWS
October 2025 - Many congratulations to Dr. Maria Van Nostrand who successfully defended her dissertation studying igneous and metamorphic perspectives of amphibole from rocks in the Deadman Peak Pluton of the Klamath Mountains, and, the meta-amphibolite rocks of Cerro Colorado, New Mexico. Maria return to campus and was hooded in December 2025 commencement ceremonies
October 2025 - Danielle Spencer defended her dissertation on the utilization of apatite for deciphering magma-chamber processes.
August 2024 - Hetherington received $192,194.00 from the National Science Foundation for his role in the Rural S-STEM Investigations Network Groups (RISING), which is a S-STEM HUB program coordinated by colleagues at Mississippi State University.
South Plains STEM Scholars (SPSS)
Hetherington is the lead Principal Investigator on the National Science Foundation sponsored SPSS program that is funded by a S-STEM award.
The program is recruiting new students to join a program to harness the strengths of rural communities in America. Participants may receive scholarships up to $5,000 per year for 4 years, access to internship and research opportunities and will recieve dedicated peer and fauclty mentoring to promote their success. Learn more at: