Bart Cannon   

Curriculum Vitae, Publications and Professional Experience  

Bart Cannon is chief analyst at Cannon Microprobe, a materials characterization laboratory in Seattle, Washington.  Beginning in 1984 he has been responsible for the operation, maintenance and technology innovation for the laboratory's analytical instruments.  These instruments include an ARL SEMQ electron microprobe, a Cambridge S-250 scanning electron microscope and a modernized G.E. XRD-6 x-ray diffractometer.

Mr. Cannon's specialty is the identification of natural mineral grains.  He has been involved in that activity since 1962 and has achieved a worldwide reputation for contributions in the mineral sciences, including the discovery of five new minerals.  One of them, “cannonite” is named in his honor.

In 1975 he authored the book "Minerals of Washington".   During the intervening time he has developed a database focused upon Washington State mineralogy.  This database utilizes the instrumentation which has become available following the time of publication of the first edition of “Minerals of Washington”.  The database will be the basis for the second edition of “Minerals of Washington” which is in preparation for printing.

Cannon’s academic and professional experience in the earth, botanical, materials and soil sciences has furnished him with a broad base of scientific understanding which combines with his instrumentation skills to provide his customers with competent analytical services in a wide range of applications.

The majority of his laboratory's customers are large mining companies, government agencies and major environmental consulting firms.  Most of the lab's activities relate to ore mineralogy, extractive metallurgy, and toxic materials characterization for the mining and the environmental remediation industries.

Mr. Cannon has customized his principal instrument, an ARL SEMQ electron microprobe, for high sample throughput.  Six real-time audio rate meters provide a Geiger counter like response for any six elements to which the SEMQ’s wavelength sprectrometers are tuned to.  The instrument configuration is tailored for the mining industry's demands, but is also well suited for analytical schemes required in the environmental, forensic and materials analysis fields.

Mr. Cannon excels in devising effective and novel methods of sample preparation.  Successful sample preparation is often the single most important step in obtaining useful analytical information.   His instrumentation innovations for microanalysis include the development of fiber optic coupled YAG Ce++ electron scintillators for full television rate scanning electron microscope image acquisition.   He is also the inventor of the "Microscope Marker-Drill" which enables light microscope grain marking, sample coring and grain drilling.

C U R R I C U L U M    V I T A E  = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Summer of 1964   Mineral identification and specimen preparation for museum sales counter at Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills , Michigan .

Summer of 1967 and 1968 – Field Assistant to Robert J. Stull in Stull’s Ph.D. thesis on the geology of the Golden Horn Batholith in the North Cascades of Washington State.

Summer of 1968  - Field Assistant to Tom Patton, geologist for Westland Copper Mines on their Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River porphyry copper project.

Summers of 1969, 1970, 1971 – Mineral exploration field worker for Western Nuclear and Nuclear Dyanamics in Washington State , Nevada and Oregon .

Summer of 1972  -  Field Work for Senior Thesis at the University of  Washington .

1973 – 1984  -  Owner of Cannon Minerals.  Field collecting, mining and identification of exotic and rare mineral species for sales to museums and institutions.  X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe and ore microscope analysis were employed to verify the identity of rare and difficult to characterize mineral species.

May 1974 to September 1975  Research associate for Dr. Richard Fleming at the University of Washington Institute for Environmental Studies.  Projects included ecological gradient studies of vegetation associations in the north cascades of Washington , sea-cliff retreat at Discovery Park in Seattle , and human impact studies on alpine plant associations in Mt. Ranier National Park .   Mr. Cannon's project responsibilities were plant taxonomy, site selection, soil characterization and correlation of the local geology as it related to soil parent material and geomorphology.

October 1975 - October 1976  Authored book, "Minerals of Washington".  An alphabetical listing and description of 400 mineral species occurring in Washington State .  Illustrated by the author using and pen and ink line drawings.

September 1981 - March 1982   Research Associate for Dr. Fiorenzo C. Ugolini, University of Washington Department of Forest Sciences.  Temporary position for establishment of soil monitoring stations on Mt. St. Helens debris flow.  Mr. Cannon participated in developing the methods used in remote stations for the extraction and collection of soil solutions associated with Mt. St. Helens pyroclastics flows.

1984 to the Present   Chief Analyst of Cannon Microprobe, a minerals and materials characterization laboratory.

EXPERTISE  = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Electron microprobe analysis and scanning electron microscopy.  Conventional and novel methods in instrumentation, operation and sample preparation for analysis of metals, minerals, soils, ceramics and some plastics.

* Mineralogy of ores, mine tailings, soils and asbestos minerals.

* X-ray diffractometry of minerals.

* X-ray microanalysis of contamination of electronic components and soils.

* X-ray microanalysis of paints and coatings

EDUCATION   = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

June 1973   B.S. Environmental Science, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Washington , Seattle , WA .

Sept 1973 - May 1974   Post graduate studies, Soil Science Labs, University of Washington Department of Forest Sciences.

Continuing Education:

1974 through 1976   Weekly seminars on paleoecology presented by the University of Washington Department of Quaternary Studies.

1981   Scientific Illustration, a course presented by the University of Washington Health Sciences Department.

1981   Paleoecology of the Desert Southwest, University of Washington Quaternary Studies graduate school course taught by Dr. Geoff Spalding.

1985   Electron Microprobe Analysis:  University of Washington Geological Sciences graduate school course.

MEMBERSHIPS  = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Northwest Mining Association, Microbeam Analysis Society, Friends of Mineralogy.

PUBLICATIONS  and  PRESENTATIONS  = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Holopervasion of the Chelan, Skagit and Okanogan County Tri-Section , 1973.  University of Washington unpublished “senior” thesis, 145 pages.  Integrated study of the geology, botany and soils of an intersection of climate zones and geological materials.  The theme of the project relates to the geological controls for the distribution of plants and animals in a specific area.  Methods include palynology, soil genesis, plant taxonomy, plant ecology.

Sea Cliff Retreat at Discovery Park, 1975, Discovery Park Reference Paper ( Seattle , WA ), 1975, 12 pages.  Dr. Richard Fleming and Bart Cannon.

Minerals of Washington, 1975 Cordilleran Press, 184 pages.  Alphabetical listing and description of the mineral species occurring in Washington State . 

Vegetation Structure in the Alpine Lakes Region of Washington State : Classification of Vegetation On Granitic Rocks, Syesis, Vol 9, 1976.  Cannon was not an author, but was the principle field consultant for site selection and plant taxonomy for the study.

Assessment of Human Impact on Ecology and Vegetation in the Climbing Zones in Mount Rainier National Park .   United States National Park Service, Internal Report, April 1977. Contract CX-9000 -6-0017.  Robert L. Gara, University of Washington, Principal Investigator, Richard Fleming Author, University of Washington Department of Environmental Studies.   Cannon was principle field consultant.

Zekzerite: a new lithium, sodium zirconium silicate related to tahualite and the osumilite group, American Mineralogist, Vol. 62, pages 416-420, 1977.  With Pete J. Dunn, Roland C. Rouse and Joseph Nelen.

Mineral Illustration,  Part of a display of scientific illustrators in the Seattle area presented at the Pacific Northwest Science Center , 1981.

Mineral Illustrations, 1976 through 1999.  Line drawings of mineral species have appeared in numerous issues of the Mineralogical Record, and as accompaniment to text for articles described above and below in the American Mineralogist and Mineralogical Magazine.

Schultenite from King County , Washington , USA ;  a second occurrence, and review, Mineralogical Magazine Vol. 49, pages 65-69, 1985.  With R. Falls, and J.A.Mandarino.

Platinum Group Minerals of the J&M Reef, Stillwater Complex, Montana , Special Report for the Stillwater Mining Co., 1986.

Electron Microprobe Analysis of Minerals, A presentation for the Northwest Chapter of the Friends of Mineralogy, 1986.

Scanning Electron Microscopy of Minerals, A presentation for the Northwest Chapter of the Friends of Mineralogy, 1987.

Mineral Photography, Color photographs of mineral species for the Washington Issue of Rocks and Minerals Magazine, June 1991.  

The Vesper Peak Garnet Deposit, Snohomish County , Washington , Rocks and Minerals Magazine, September, 1991.

Native Mercurian-Silver, Silver, and Gold Nuggets from Hunter Creek, Alaska, with Robert Forbes, Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Short Notes on Alaskan Geology 1991, Professional Report 111, pp 41-44, 1991,

Mummeite: a New Member of the Pavonite Homologous series from Alaska Mine, Colorado, Moller, Sven and Makovicky, Emil, Neues Jahrbuch Mineralogie, Jg. 1992 pp 555-572. (Cannon contributed type material)

Cannonite, Bi2O(OH)2SO4, a new mineral from Marysvale, Utah, USA, by Stanley, C.J., Roberts, A.C., Harris, D.C., Criddle, A.J., Szymanski, J.T. in Mineralogical Magazine, Vol 56, pp 605-609, 1992. (Cannon contributed type material)

Preliminary Study of Minerals in Tacoma Smelter Slags,  by Lasmanis, Raymond,  Norman , David K. and Bart Cannon in Washington Geology Vol 25, No. 3 September, 1997

Mineralogical Study of Borehole MW-206 Asarco Smelter Site, Tacoma Washington , by Dr. David Frank, Bart Cannon.  Publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10. October, 1998.

Mineralogical Study of Boreholes B98-13 and B98-12 Frontier Hard Chrome Site, Vancouver, Washington, by Dr. David Frank and Bart Cannon, U.S. EPA Region 10, August 1999.  

The Skarns of Washington State, by Bart Cannon, in September 2004 Bulletin, Friends of Mineralogy, Pacific Northwest Chapter

Unique W-Rich Alloy of Os and Ir and Associated Fe-Rich Alloy of Os,Ru and Ir from California, by Andrei Barkov, Michael E. Fleet, Robert F. Martin, Mark N. Feinglos and Bart Cannon in The American Mineralogist, Volume 91, pages 191-195, 2006

The True Nature of Horsfordite,   by Mark N. Feinglos, Benjamin Bartlett Cannon 5th, Franklin H. Cocks.  In Canadian Mineralogist, Vol. 44. pp 409-413 2006.

Minerals of Washington , 2nd Edition. In preparation, by Bart Cannon, August 2006

 

SPECIAL LICENSES   = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Explosives Purchasing and User's license.

CANNON MICROPROBE      Bart Cannon, Chief Analyst  = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Cannon Microprobe is a materials characterization laboratory with special expertise in geological materials.   Cannon microprobe has full sample preparation and analysis capabilities for scanning electron microscopy, x-ray microanalysis and x-ray diffraction analysis.  The company's most important analytical equipment includes an ARL SEMQ scanning electron microscope / electron microprobe; a modernized G.E. x-ray diffractometer;  and a Cambridge S-250 scanning electron microscope.   Support equipment includes diamond saws, polishing laps, stereo and petrographic microscopes and a vacuum evaporator.

The ARL SEMQ is an extremely powerful instrument. Some of its features are listed below.

* 6 high sensitivity wavelength dispersive full scanning x-ray spectrometers. 

* NiC x-ray diffractor for excellent light element detection.

* Digital back scattered electron imaging system.

* Kevex / PGT  MCA 4000 energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer.

* Full television rate Robinson backscattered electron detector.

* Ocean Optics UV-VIS-NIR HR 2000  - 5 micron spot, beam co-axial cathodoluminescence spectrophotometer. 

* Audio rate meters for each spectrometer give realtime alert to elements of interest.

* Beam co-axial high and low power transmitted and reflected visual light optics.

* TV rate video noise reduction.

* Continuous VHS tape recording of SEM image with a toggle to record EDS screen.

* 4" x 4" x 10" maximum sample size.

* Foot controlled beam ramp killer.  Instantly collapses scan to point mode.

Efficient and accurate microanalysis absolutely requires BOTH wavelength and energy dispersive x-ray spectrometers and fast, television rate scanning electron microscope imaging mode.  In survey mode the wavelength spectrometers exhibit two orders of magnitude lower detection limits (0.01 wt%) than energy dispersive spectrometers.  In many cases a thin contamination film simply can not be detected by the energy dispersive only systems of most scanning electron micrscopes.  For rapid microanalytical survey of large sample areas Cannon Microprobe's SEMQ is the most effective instrument on the planet.

Current Projects

Cannon Microprobe is establishing itself as a repository of reference specimens of inorganic materials.  The emphasis is on those materials which are suitable for use as x-ray microanalysis standards such as natural and synthetic minerals and alloys.  The existing database can be inspected at:   XRay_Spectra