Kira is a Research Oceanographer with the U.S. Geological Survey. She studies minerals that form in the deep ocean, especially focusing on ferromanganese crusts, manganese nodules, and phosphorites. The chemical composition of these deposits reveals information about ocean chemistry from the past, as far as 70 million years ago for the oldest ferromanganese crust deposits that have been scavenging elements from seawater during their extremely slow precipitation. Each of these mineral types are also enriched in rare and/or valuable metals to varying degrees, and they are therefore being analyzed for their potential as a mineral resource, especially to support advancing computer and green technologies. Kira works to determine the distribution of deep-sea minerals; the consistency of their composition in different regions, oceanographic settings, and water depths; and their formation mechanisms, in order to better understand where deposits of interest for scientific study or potential mineral resources can be found. She also investigates the relationship of different metal enrichments to the co-located biological communities, utilizing a multidisciplinary approach to holistically examine marine mineral and concomitant ecosystem resources, in order to inform decisions about their valuation and potential exploitation.
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