Research

I study the geochemical compositions of Hawaiian volcanoes to understand and characterize the mantle heterogeneities that are feeding the Hawaiian mantle plume. I work with large sample databases created from open source data to interpret large-scale trends within the Hawaiian Islands.

  

Left to right: Eldfell volcano in the Westman Islands, Iceland / Geology field school in Oliver, BC, Canada / The boundary between the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plates in Thingvellir National Park, Iceland

 

Teaching

EOSC 220 - Introductory Mineralogy

EOSC 333 - Elemental and Isotopic Geochemistry

EOSC 515 - Graduate Seminar Course (Peer Co-Coordinator)

EOSC 111 - Laboratory Exploration of Planet Earth

University of British Columbia - Master of Science in Geological Sciences

  • Vancouver, BC, Canada (2024-Present)
  • Supervised by Dominique Weis
  • Laboratory Research Assistant at the Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research
  • Awards: Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Graduate Scholarship (2025), GSA Graduate Student Research grant (2025), British Columbia Graduate Scholarship (2025)

University of British Columbia - Bachelor of Science in Geological Sciences

  • Vancouver, BC, Canada (2019-2024)
  • Undergraduate Thesis, 'Deciphering the Source and Composition of Hawai'i Deep Mantle Source Heterogeneities: The Trace Element Perspective', Supervised by Dominique Weis (2023-2024)

Thistlethwaite, E., Weis, D., Williamson, N.M.B. Oral Presentation: The Trace Element Perspective on the Composition of Deep Mantle Heterogeneities in the Hawaiian Plume Source. Goldschmidt Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, July 2025.

Williamson, N. M. B., Weis, D., Thistlethwaite, E., Harrison, L. N., Armstrong, C., Scoates, J. S., & Garcia, M. O. (2025). Heterogeneous enriched geochemical compositions in Hawaiian lavas: Contributions from recycled continental materials in the Loa source of the Hawaiian plume. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 397, 75-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2025.03.012

Williamson, N.M.B., Weis, D., Harrison, L.N., Armstrong, C., Thistlethwaite, E., Scoates, J.S., Garcia, M.O. Invited Talk: Origin of ‘enriched mantle I’ (EM-I) compositions in Hawai‘i: insights from Ko‘olau-Makapu‘u. Goldschmidt Conference, Chicago, USA, Aug 2024.

Thistlethwaite, E. 2024. Deciphering the Source and Composition of Hawai’i Deep Mantle Source Heterogeneities : The Trace Element Perspective [Undergraduate Thesis - University of British Columbia]. UBC Library Open Collections.

Thistlethwaite, E. Abstract and Poster Presentation: Deciphering the Source and Composition of Deep Mantle Heterogeneities using Trace Element Compositions in Hawai‘i Volcanoes, Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference, Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research. Vancouver, BC, Mar 2024.