Dr Andrew Miles

I am an igneous petrologist and geochemist specialising in the formation of magmatic metal deposits, including lithium pegmatites, copper porphyries, and epithermal gold systems. I joined the University of Leicester in 2017, having previously served as a Senior Lecturer at Kingston University London. I completed my PhD at the University of Edinburgh, following an MSci and BA at the University of Cambridge. I currently serve as Course Director for the Geology degree programme and am a former Postgraduate Tutor within the School of Geography, Geology and the Environment.

My research focuses on the magmatic processes that control the formation of sustainable mineral resources and materials. In particular, I investigate the geological and chemical mechanisms that lead to the enrichment of critical metals such as copper, gold, and lithium in magmatic systems. Together with my postgraduate students, we identify diagnostic chemical “fingerprints” preserved in common rock-forming minerals that can serve as pathfinders to economic ore deposits. These mineral signatures provide key insights into the magmatic and hydrothermal processes that drive the formation of epithermal gold systems, porphyry copper deposits, and lithium-bearing pegmatites - all of which represent vital sources of metals for the global green energy transition.

I have been part of major UKRI-funded research consortia that explore these processes, including the From Arc Magmas to Ore Deposits project - a multidisciplinary collaboration between multiple academic institutions and industry investigating the origins of magmatic copper deposits. I am one of two Leicester academics leading a £1 million industry-funded research partnership focused on one of Africa’s foremost Iron-Oxide-Copper-Gold (IOCG) deposits in Zambia.

I work in partnerships with national geological surveys in the UK (BGS), Brazil (SGB), and Canada (Manitoba Geological Survey) to examine the formation of lithium pegmatites and their role as key sources of lithium hydroxide for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

Beyond mineral systems, my broader field and research interests encompass the links between magmatism, tectonics, and fluid processes - investigating how these same fundamental mechanisms influence both ore formation and volcanic hazards. 

1. Berry., J., Miles, A.J., Holwell., D.H., Smith, D., 2025. Sulfide saturation and dissolution in mid-crustal magma chambers: insights from the Colorado Minera Belt., Submitted to Econ Geol.
2. Stonadge, G., Miles., A.J., Smith, D., Large, S., Knott, T., 2025 Apatite inclusions in amphibole: A combined host and inclusion approach to tracing magma and fluid evolution. Submitted to American Mineralogist.
3. Stonadge, G., Miles., A.J., Smith, D., Large, S., Knott, T., 2023 The volatile record of volcanic apatite and its implications for the formation of porphyry copper deposits. Geology, 51 (12), 1158-1162.
4. Satow, C., Pyle, D.M., Miles, A.J., Gudmundsson, A., Gertisser, R., Bronk Ramsey, C Bazargan, M., Wulf, A., Hardiman, M., 2021, Eruptive activity of the Santorini volcano controlled by sea-level rise and fall. Nature Geoscience.14(8), 586-592.
5. Brugge, E., Wilkinson, J.J., and Miles, A.J., Buret, Y 2020. Apatite as a tracer of magmatic and hydrothermal processes in copper porphyry deposits. In review (Geology)
6. Stokes, T.N., Bromiley, G.D., Potts, N.J., Saunders, K.E., Miles, A.J., EIMF., 2019, The effect of melt composition and oxygen fugacity on manganese partitioning between apatite and silicate melt. Chemical Geology, 506, 162-174.
7. Woodcock, Miles, A.J., N.H., Soper, N.J., 2019, Age of the Acadian deformation and Devonian granites in northern England reviewed. PYGS, 64(2), 232-252.
8. Miles, A.J., and Woodcock, N.H., 2018. A combined geochronological approach to investigating long lived granite magmatism, the Shap granite, UK. Lithos, 304, 245-257.
9. Brugge, E., Wilkinson, J.J., Miles, A.J., 2017, Fingerprinting fertile porphyry magmas using apatite. Applied Earth Sciences, 126 (2), 46-47.
10. Miles, A.J., Graham, C.M., Gillespie, M.R., Hawkesworth, C.J., Hinton, R.W., 2016, Reply to comment by Marks et al. (2016) on 'Apatite: A new redox proxy for silicic magmas?' Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v.183, p. 271-273.
11. Miles, A.J., Woodcock, N.H., Hawkesworth, C.J., 2016, Tectonic controls on post-subduction granite genesis and emplacement: the Late Caledonian suite of Britain and Ireland: Gondwana Research, v.39, p. 250-260.
12. Jarvis, I., Gröcke, D., Laurin, J., Selby, D., Roest-Ellis, S., Miles, A.J., Lingnum, J., Gale, A., Kennedy, J., 2016, Paired carbon stable-isotope records for the Cenomanian Stage (100.5-93.9 Ma): correlation tool and Late Cretaceous pCO2 record? EGU 2016 (Abstract)
13. Miles, A.J., Graham, C.M., Gillespie, M.R., Hawkesworth, C.J., Hinton, R.W. 2014, Apatite: A new redox proxy for silicic magmas? Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 132, p. 101-119.
14. Miles, A.J., Graham, C.M., Gillespie, M.R., Hawkesworth, C.J., Dhuime, B., Hinton, R.W. 2014, Using zircon isotope compositions to constrain crustal structure and pluton evolution in a complex lithotectonic terrane: the Iapetus Suture Zone in northern Britain: Journal of Petrology, v. 166, P. 1-19.
15. Miles, A.J., Graham, C.M., Hawkesworth, C.J., Gillespie, M.R., Hinton, R.W., EIMF, 2013, Evidence for distinct stages of magma history recorded by the compositions of accessory apatite and zircon: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, v. 166, p. 1-19.
16. Miles, A.J., and Cartwright, J.A., 2010, Hybrid flow sills: A new mode of igneous sheet intrusion: Geology, v. 38, p. 343-346.
17. Herbert, S., Gibson, S.A., Norman, D.B., Geist, D.G., Estes, G., Grant, T and Miles, A.J., 2009, Into the field again: re-examining Charles Darwin's 1835 geological work on Isla Santiago (James Island) in the Galapagos Archipelago: Earth Sciences History, 28 (1). pp. 1-31.

I am interested in supervising and collaborating on projects that involve the following:

1. Mineral Resources

2. Copper porphyries

3. Lithium pegmatites

4. Tectonics and magmatism

5. Volcanism

My current and present postgraduate students include: 

• Ms Beth Frangleton (Leicester) Set in Stone: Understanding Ancient Farming Communities through Dartmoor’s Prehistoric Monuments (NERC Centa PhD (Second supervisor)
• Ms Sofia Chinaglia (Leicester) Petrogenesis of lithium pegmatites and their associated metasomatism in the Minas Gerais region of Brazil and the Winnipeg River-Cat Lake pegmatite field in Manitoba, Canada (Future 100 PhD, first supervisor)
• Mr Sam Bright (Leicester) Orogenic granites: Windows into Caledonian crustal evolution (Midlands four cities PhD, co-supervisor)

Completed

• Dr George Stonadge (Leicester) - Accessory minerals as fertility indicators in porphyry copper deposit formation. (NERC CENTA DTP) First supervisor.

• Dr Jessica Berry (Leicester) - An accessory mineral approach to understanding post-subduction magmatism and mineralisation (NERC Case, Zeiss). First supervisor.
• Dr Yannick Withoos (Leicester) - Hazardous explosive eruptions at a flooded caldera volcano, Philippines (NERC CENTA). Second supervisor.
• Dr Emily Brugge (Imperial) - Apatite as a probe of porphyry (NERC CASE, Rio Tinto) Second supervisor.

• Dr Tom Stokes (University of Edinburgh, 2014-2018) A new tool for determining oxidation state of the interiors of Earth, Moon and Mars (Second supervisor).
• Dr Philip Bird (Kingston University, 2013 - 2016) The world class Kibali orogenic gold deposit (Second supervisor).
• Dr David Holder (Kingston University, 2012-2016) Geological fluid and geochemical controls and exploration criteria for epithermal gold in the Certej mineral district of Western Romania (Second supervisor).

As Course Director for the Geology degree programme, I leads the design, delivery, and assessment of our Geology degree program. I ensures academic quality and compliance with university standards, supports teaching staff, oversees curriculum development and promotes an engaging learning environment for students. I lead three of our field trips and teach on the following modules:

GL110 - From Core to Crust

GL1100 - Tutorials

GL2100 - Geological Field Skills

GL2103 - Magmatic and Metamorphic Processes

GL3070 - Physical Volcanology

GL3118 - Crustal Dynamics

GL3072 - Dissertations

GL4105 - Advanced Fieldwork

GL4017 - Hot Topics

Magmas volcanoes

PhD (Edinburgh)

BA/MSci (Cambridge)