Robert B. Cook
Department of Geosciences
Professor Emeritus
Department of Geosciences
Professor Emeritus
Research Areas:
Email: cookrob@auburn.edu
Professional Activities
Representative of higher education on the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Geologists
Executive Editor of Rocks and Minerals magazine
Research and Teaching Interests
Robert B. Cook teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Economic Geology, Igneous Petrology, and the Geology of Organic Matter. Emphasis is placed on the exploration, evaluation and development of metallic, industrial mineral and non-petroleum fuel resources and related environmental considerations. Dr. Cook's research interests include the development of geochemical exploration parameters for base and precious metals in deeply weathered terranes, mineral deposit evaluation, ore mineralogy, environmental geochemistry, water resources, and aggregate resources issues. His work has led to several discoveries of new, potentially economic mineral occurrences in the southeastern United States. Dr. Cook currently is involved with the development of a state-wide geochemical database, the description of Piedmont base- and precious-metal deposits, and petrographic quality-control issues and the integration of geologic models into mine planning in the aggregate industry. Other on-going projects deal with specific problems related to industrial contamination of shallow groundwater.
Selected Publications
- Sterling, J.W., Steltenpohl, M.G., and Cook, R.B., 2005, Geology of the southern exposures of the Brevard zone in the Red Hill Quadrangle near Martin dam, Alabama in Steltenpohl, M.G. (Ed.), Southernmost Appalachian Terranes, Alabama and Georgia, Field Guidebook for the Geological Society of America Southeastern Section 2005 Annual Meeting, p. 70-97.
- Leicht, W.C., and Cook, R.B., 2004, The Eagles Nest Mine, Placer County, California. Mineralogical Record, vol. 35, p. 65-72.
- Cook, R.B, and Pohwat, P., 2003, Llallagua, Bolivia: Mineralogical associations and habits exhibited by micromounts in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution). Mineralogical Record, vol. 34, p. 115.
- Turner, J.P., Saunders, J.A., and Cook, R.B., 2002, Petrographic evidence for amorphous silica precursors and geomicrobiologic processes in silicified and pyritized Holocene wood: Geological Society of America Annual Meeting Prorams with Abstract, p. 493.
- Cook, R.B., Nicolson, B.E., and Bruce, I.R., 2002, Reopening of the Tsumeb Mine, Namibia: Mineralogical Record, v. 33, p. 78.
Last updated: 10/10/2024