Alex McCoy-West
- alex.mccoywest@jcu.edu.au
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4171-9276- Senior Lecturer, Exploration Geochemistry
- College of Science & Engineering
Projects
11
Publications
34
Awards
5
Contact Details
Senior Lecturer, Geochemistry
Biography
Dr. Alex McCoy-West research focuses on using a wide range of geochemical tools to understand the processes involved in the formation, differentiation and evolution of the terrestrial planets and their major geochemical reservoirs. He is a geologist and geochemist with expertise in a large range of radiogenic (Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb-Os) and novel stable (Fe, Zn, Mo, and Nd) isotope systems.
His major scientific achievements include using Mo isotopes to demonstrate that twice the volume of the continental crust today was generated in the first billion years of Earth’s history, implying rapid crustal growth and destruction on the early Earth (McCoy-West et al., Nature Geoscience 2019). Dr. McCoy-West has been pioneering the development of double-spike neodymium (Nd) stable isotope analyses, the first measurements of this kind in the world (McCoy-West et al., EPSL, 2017). This powerful technique has many future applications as from a single measurement it simultaneously allows constraints to be placed on both the source or age of a material and the processes involved in its formation.
Dr. McCoy-West's current research focus is placing new constraints on continental emergence (when Earth's contienents emerged from the ocean). A multiple isotope record will be generated from Banded Iron Formations to track changes in the weathering flux and chemistry of Earth’s earliest oceans. He also continues to research and collaborate on a wide selection of projects using non-traditional stable isotopes to explore planetary formation, early crustal growth, igneous rocks, hydrothermal systems, weathering processes and mineralization.
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Research
Research Interests
- Novel stable isotopes, Radiogenic isotopes,
- Planetary formation, Continental growth
- Ore deposit formation, Igneous petrology
- Mass spectrometry, Geochemical modelling
Projects
Frantz Magnetic Separator
01 Jun 2025 - 31 Dec 2025
High-throughput neutron tomography core scanner for critical minerals resources
01 Jan 2025 - 30 Jan 2029
Optimising the geophysical ore body model to aid in the discovery of new critical mineral deposits
01 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2027
Emerging technologies for advanced geochemical exploration undercover
01 Jan 2025 - 01 Jan 2029
Fingerprinting environmentally sustainable ores using neodymium isotopes (Old ID 27841)
01 Sep 2022 - 30 Jun 2026
Development of in situ Sr isotope analyses in shark vertebrae (Old ID 27633)
01 Jan 2022 - 31 Mar 2023
Linking continental emergence and climatic evolution on the Early Earth (Old ID 26941)
01 May 2021 - 29 May 2025
Teaching
Research Advisor Accreditation
Advisor Type
Primary
Research Advisor Accreditation
Role
Chair; Independent Academic
Taught Modules
2023
[EA3800] Earth and Environmental GeochemistryCoordinator, Lecturer
2025
2022
[EA2900] Introductory Field GeologyCoordinator
2023
[EA1110] Evolution of the EarthCoordinator, Lecturer
2025
[EA5330] Introductory Outback Field GeologyCoordinator
2023
[EA5046] Geochemistry of the Earth and EnvironmentCoordinator, Lecturer
2026
[EA5046] Earth and Environmental GeochemistryCoordinator, Lecturer
2024
[EA5330] Introductory Outback Field MappingCoordinator
2024
[EA3800] Geochemistry of the Earth and EnvironmentCoordinator, Lecturer
2026
2022
[EA5046] Earth and Environmental GeochemistryCoordinator, Lecturer
2025
[EA2900] Introductory Outback Field MappingCoordinator, Lecturer
2024
[EA1110] Evolution of the EarthCoordinator, Lecturer
2026
[EA3800] Earth and Environmental GeochemistryCoordinator, Lecturer
2024
2023
Current JCU Research Students
Tracking fluvial responses to climate fluctuations in the Late Triassic Bowen Basin, Australia
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
Tectono-sedimentary investigation of the Triassic system, northern Bowen basin, Australia
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
Taxonomic review and palaeoecology of Cretaceous elasmosaurid plesiosaurs from Queensland, Australia
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
Groundwater flow and reactive transport modelling for copper exploration: An isotopic approach
Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering and Related Technologies)
Timing, mineralogy and genesis of Iron Sulfide Copper-Gold deposits from Cloncurry District, Mount Isa Inlier.
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
Formation and REE endowment of copper-gold-iron mineralization deposits of Cloncurry District, Australia: Insights from geochemistry and geochronology
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
Analogous application of contaminant transport processes in aquifers, identification of unknown contaminant sources and, AI/Machine learning tools for efficient location and extent of mineral deposits under uncertain conditions
Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering and Related Technologies)
Understanding Rare Earth Elements Mineralization and Extraction
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
Rare Earth Element Geochemistry, Mineralisation Characteristics and Evolution of Sybella Domain Granitoids, Mount Isa Province
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
Development of methodology utilizing isotope signatures in groundwater and inverse source characterization techniques for copper mineral deposits.
Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering and Related Technologies)
Tracking temporal variations in the Hamersley group Banded Iron-formations insights from coupled radiogenic and stable isotope compositions
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
Investigating rare earth element (REE) ion adsorption clay deposit formation through REE geochemistry and stable neodymium isotopes
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
Completed JCU Research Students
Exploring stable isotope fractionation of rare Earth elements between Earth???s reservoirs
Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)- 2026
Current Honours and External Research Students
Using Molybdenum isotopes to understand crustal evolution
PHD- 2022
Completed Honours and External Research Students
Tracing rare earth element mobility during hypogene upgrading and supergene weathering of the Weld Range BIF
HONOURS
The genesis of Archean TTGs: Insights from rare earth element systematics
PHD
Evolution of Earth’s surface: Modelling crustal volume on the early Earth
HONOURS
Silver isotope analysis of gold-silver alloys with applications to mineral deposit genesis
PHD
Activities
Education
Awards
Other Activities
Associations
Geochemical Society
2026
Employment
Research Fellow, Monash Universiy
2018 - 2021
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Durham University
2016 - 2018
DECRA Fellow, James Cook University
2021 - 2025
Lecturer, Geochemistry, James Cook University
2023 - 2024
Languages
Committees
James Cook University Research Committee
2023 - 2026
Output
Scipione, Matthew; Vaucher, Romain; Roberts, Eric; McCoy-West, Alex J.; Esterle, Joan; Turner, Ashten; Knutsen, Espen (2026) 'Shifting the Paradigm: Redefining the Chronostratigraphy of the Triassic Rewan Group, Bowen Basin, Australia'. Basin Research, 38 . [DOI]
Welter Gabas, R.A.; McCoy-West, A.; Shahbaz, K.; Sanislav, I.; McCoy-West, H.; Vamvounis, G. (2026) 'Advancements in rare earth element (REE) extraction using green technologies: Practical strategies to adopt in the Australian context'. Minerals Engineering, 248 . [DOI]
Nestmeyer, Mark; McCoy-West, Alex J. (2025) 'Quantifying mass-dependent isotope fractionation and nuclear field shift effects for the light rare Earth elements in hydrous systems'. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 388 :236-252. [DOI]
Zhao, Xiao-Chen; Yan, Shuang; Niu, He Cai; Yang, Wu Bin; Li, Ning-Bo; Li, Jie; Zhang, Le; McCoy-West, Alex J. (2025) 'Molybdenum isotopes demonstrate that multistage upgrading is required to generate heavy rare earth element–enriched carbonatites'. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 137 (3/4):1855-1871. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Manestar, Grace N.; Lewis, Hilary M.K.; McCoy-West, Alex; Naidoo, Nishen; Makart, Stefan; Thompson, Ondrea; Mahan, Brandon (2025) 'A workflow-optimized protocol for accelerated sample preparation and automated Sr separation from natural waters for 87Sr/86Sr determination'. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 40 (7):1666-1677. [DOI]
Willis, Anna; Pradier, Baptiste; Rogers, Laura; Halcrow, Siân; Kleffmann, Torsten; Cali, Joe; Koutamanis, Dafne; Mahan, Brandon; McCoy-West, Alex; Oo, U Saw Naing; Oo, Daw Kay Thwe; Pryce, T.O. (2025) 'Living in the middle of the edge: an insight into ancient subsistence practices in Myanmar'. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 17 . [DOI]
Kaufmann, Anne K.C.; McCoy-West, Alex J. (2025) 'Combined Stable and Radiogenic Nd Isotope Characterisation of Sedimentary and Iron Formation Reference Materials by Double Spike MC‐ICP‐MS'. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 50 (1):221-240. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
McCoy-West, Alex J.; Koutamanis, Dafne; Leduc, Evelyne M.S.; Mahan, Brandon (2025) 'Geochemical and isotopic (O-Fe-Sr-Nd) characterization of reference materials relevant to environmental impact assessments'. Advances in Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, 1 (2). [DOI]
Zircon U–Pb emplacement ages of intrusions in the Mary Kathleen Domain, Mount Isa Inlier, Australia
2025
Cocker, H.A.; Sanislav, I.; Dirks, P.; McCoy-West, A. (2025) 'Zircon U–Pb emplacement ages of intrusions in the Mary Kathleen Domain, Mount Isa Inlier, Australia'. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, . [DOI]
Russo, Samantha C.; González-Álvarez, Ignacio; Cocker, Helen A.; McCoy-West, Alex J. (2025) 'The fundamentals of rare earth element ion adsorption clay deposits: A mineral systems approach for exploration'. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 278 . [DOI]
Russo, Samantha C.; McCoy-West, Alex J.; Duuring, Paul (2024) 'The potential for reconstructing primary ocean chemistry from hypogene and supergene altered banded iron formations: An example from Weld Range, Western Australia'. Precambrian Research, 413 . [DOI]
Mahan, Brandon; Hu, Yan; Lahoud, Esther; Nestmeyer, Mark; McCoy-West, Alex; Manestar, Grace; Fowler, Christopher; Bush, Ashley I.; Moynier, Frédéric (2024) 'Stable potassium isotope ratios in human blood serum towards biomarker development in Alzheimer's disease'. Metallomics, 16 (9). [DOI]
McCoy-West, Alex J.; Davis, Alison M.; Wainwright, Ashlea N.; Tomkins, Andrew G. (2024) 'Simplifying silver isotope analysis of metallic samples: using silver nitrate precipitation to avoid perilous chloride formation'. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 39 (3):780-790. [DOI]
Moyen, J.F.; McCoy-West, A.J.; Bruand, E.; Millet, M.A.; Nebel, O.; Cawood, P.A.; Saji, N.; Ladwig, A.; Klaver, Martijn; Elburg, M. (2024) 'Felsic crust development in the Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa: A reference sample collection to investigate a billion years of geological history'. Earth-Science Reviews, 250 . [DOI]
Martin, David McB; Mukherjee, Indrani; McCoy-West, Alex J.; Howard, Heather M. (2024) 'A proposed chronostratigraphic Archean–Proterozoic boundary: Insights from the Australian stratigraphic record'. Precambrian Research, 406 . [DOI]
Pogge von Strandmann, Philip A.E.; Cosford, Lara R.; Liu, Chun Yao; Liu, Xianyi; Krause, Alexander J.; Wilson, David J.; He, Xiaoqing; McCoy-West, Alex J.; Gislason, Sigurður R.; Burton, Kevin W. (2023) 'Assessing hydrological controls on the lithium isotope weathering tracer'. Chemical Geology, 642 . [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
McCoy-West, A.J.; Mortimer, N.; Burton, K.W.; Ireland, T.R.; Cawood, P.A. (2022) 'Re-initiation of plutonism at the Gondwana margin after a magmatic hiatus: the bimodal Permian-Triassic Longwood Suite, New Zealand'. Gondwana Research, 105 :432-449. [DOI]
Qian, Shengping; Salters, Vincent; McCoy-West, Alex J.; Wu, Jonny; Rose-Koga, Estelle F.; Nichols, Alexander R.L.; Zhang, Le; Zhou, Huaiyang; Hoernle, Kaj (2022) 'Highly heterogeneous mantle caused by recycling of oceanic lithosphere from the mantle transition zone'. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 593 . [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
McCoy-West, Alex J.; Burton, Kevin W.; Millet, Marc-Alban; Cawood, Peter A. (2021) 'The chondritic neodymium stable isotope composition of the Earth inferred from mid-ocean ridge, ocean island and arc basalts'. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 293 :575-597. [DOI]
McCoy-West, Alex J.; Millet, Marc-Alban; Nowell, Geoff M.; Nebel, Oliver; Burton, Kevin W. (2020) 'Simultaneous measurement of neodymium stable and radiogenic isotopes from a single aliquot using a double spike'. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 35 (2):388-402. [DOI]
Horan, K.; Hilton, R.G.; McCoy-West, A.J.; Selby, D.; Tipper, E.T.; Hawley, S.; Burton, K.W. (2020) 'Unravelling the controls on the molybdenum isotope ratios of river waters'. Geochemical Perspectives Letters, 13 . [DOI]
McCoy-West, Alex J.; Millet, Marc-Alban; Burton, Kevin W. (2020) 'The neodymium stable isotope composition of the oceanic crust: reconciling the mismatch between erupted mid-ocean ridge basalts and lower crustal gabbros'. Frontiers in Earth Science, 8 . [DOI]
McCoy-West, Alex J.; Chowdhury, Priyadarshi; Burton, Kevin W.; Sossi, Paolo; Nowell, Geoff M.; Fitton, J. Godfrey; Kerr, Andrew C.; Cawood, Peter A.; Williams, Helen M. (2019) 'Extensive crustal extraction in Earth’s early history inferred from molybdenum isotopes'. Nature Geoscience, 12 :946-951. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Controlling mechanisms for molybdenum isotope fractionation in porphyry deposits: the Qulong example
2019
Li, Yang; McCoy-West, Alex J.; Zhang, Shuang; Selby, David; Burton, Kevin W.; Horan, Kate (2019) 'Controlling mechanisms for molybdenum isotope fractionation in porphyry deposits: the Qulong example'. Economic Geology, 114 (5):981-992. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
McCoy-West, Alex J.; Fitton, J. Godfrey; Pons, Marie-Laure; Inglis, Edward C.; Williams, Helen M. (2018) 'The Fe and Zn isotope composition of deep mantle source regions: insights from Baffin Island picrites'. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 238 :542-562. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Neely, Rebecca A.; Gislason, Sigurdur R.; Ólafsson, Magnus; McCoy-West, Alex J.; Pearce, Christopher R.; Burton, Kevin W. (2018) 'Molybdenum isotope behaviour in groundwaters and terrestrial hydrothermal systems, Iceland'. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 486 :108-118. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
McCoy-West, Alex J.; Millet, Marc-Alban; Burton, Kevin W. (2017) 'The neodymium stable isotope composition of the silicate Earth and chondrites'. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 480 :121-132. [DOI]
Inglis, Edward C.; Debret, Baptiste; Burton, Kevin W.; Millet, Marc-Albarn; Pons, Marie-Laure; Dale, Christopher W.; Bouilhol, Pierre; Cooper, Matthew; Nowell, Geoff M.; McCoy-West, Alexander; Williams, Helen M. (2017) 'The behavior of iron and zinc stable isotopes accompanying the subduction of mafic oceanic crust: a case study from Western Alpine ophiolites'. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 18 (7):2562-2579. [DOI]
McCoy-West, Alex J.; Bennett, Vickie C.; Amelin, Yuri (2016) 'Rapid Cenozoic ingrowth of isotopic signatures simulating HIMU in ancient lithospheric mantle: distinguishing source from process'. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 187 :79-101. [DOI]
McCoy-West, Alex J.; Bennett, Vickie C.; O'Neill, Hugh St.C.; Hermann, Jörg; Puchtel, Igor S. (2015) 'The interplay between melting, refertilization and carbonatite metasomatism in off-cratonic lithospheric mantle under Zealandia: An integrated major, trace and platinum group element study'. Journal of Petrology, 56 (3):563-604. [DOI]
McCoy-West, A.J.; Mortimer, N.; Ireland, T.R. (2014) 'U-Pb geochronology of Permian plutonic rocks, Longwood Range, New Zealand: Implications for Median Batholith-Brook Street Terrane relations'. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 57 (1):65-85. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
McCoy-West, Alex; Bennett, Vickie C.; Puchtel, Igor S.; Walker, Richard J. (2013) 'Extreme persistence of cratonic lithosphere in the southwest Pacific: Paleoproterozoic Os isotopic signatures in Zealandia'. Geology, 41 (2):231-234. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
McCoy-West, Alex J.; Baker, Joel A.; Faure, Kevin; Wysoczanski, Richard (2010) 'Petrogenesis and Origins of Mid-Cretaceous Continental Intraplate Volcanism in Marlborough, New Zealand: Implications for the Long-lived HIMU Magmatic Mega-province of the SW Pacific'. Journal of Petrology, 51 (10):2003-2045. [DOI]
Journal Publication
ResearchOnline@JCU
Giuliani, Andrea; Tappe, Sebastian; Rooney, Tyrone O.; McCoy-West, Alexander; Yaxley, Gregory M.; Mezger, Klaus (2017) 'Editorial: the role of intraplate magmas and their inclusions in Earth's mantle evolution' Chemical Geology, 455 :1-5. [DOI]
Journal Contribution
ResearchOnline@JCU