Group members

Projects

Sediment transfer pathways in marine basins

Phytogeography of the Late Cretaceous - Paleogene mid-high latitude N Hemisphere floras provide a key to tracing NE Atlantic marine basin sediment provenance. Locations in Alaska, southern Siberia, Greenland and Europe are also included. This research has attracted funding from Sindri and the hydrocarbon industry. Benefits of this work include an understanding of the influence of volcanism on sediment transportation in marine basins, and its likely effects on hydrocarbon reservoir quality. Part of this work was presented as an invited paper at the 6th Petroleum Geology Conference (2003). These principle research areas involve collaboration with ecologists, petroleum geologists, sedimentologists, seismic stratigraphers, isotope geochemists, igneous petrologists and structural geologists from institiutions in Europe and North America. Several further manuscripts resulting from this research are in preparation.

Paleobathymetric modelling

A current project funded by Statoil Norway is examining freshwater plume derived nutrient influx impact on phytoplankton populations as a proxy for water depth. This currently funds a postdoctoral researcher jointly with the University of Oslo. Further funding for this research has been awarded from the Faroes Exploration Partnership for modelling of paleobathymeties in the Paleocene of the NE Atlantic.

Spatio-temporal facies and biofacies trends

Using excellent exposures of aggradational marginal marine facies in the Jurassic of Argentina and the Cenozoic of Alaska. This project is developing facies characterisation through integration of sedimentological, ichnological, macrofossil palynological and geochemical data. This work will greatly improve the petroleum geologist's ability to integrate two basic subsurface exploration datasets through reference to a field-based template-sedimentary facies and palynology-in a sedimentary succession that is analogous to prospective fluvial-shallow marine reservoirs.

Large Igneous Provinces; impact on biota and climate

Research in this area is centred around the study of environmental systems in large igneous provinces. This includes the use of palaeobotanical, stratigraphical and sedimentological data to identify biotic responses to ecosystem disturbance within, and extrinsic to large igneous provinces. This work involves field mapping, sedimentology, sequence stratigraphical and paleobotanical analysis. Research locations include east and west Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Hebrides (within the North Atlantic Igneous Province), the Deccan Traps of India, Turkmenistan, and the Columbia River in North America. Interaction with hydrocarbon operators is essential to this research, providing both funding, and a source of offshore borehole material. This work is supported by two grants from Sindri, Statoil, Jarðfoðisavnið (Faroe Islands Geological Survey), and by the award of a NERC research grant.

Providing a timeline framework for NE Atlantic Exploration

In collaboration with Open University, we are examining disparities in dating between magnetobiostratigraphical events and isotopic ages within the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP). This project is funded by the Faroes Exploration Partnership, and will integrate biostratigraphical and isotopic dating techniques in a number of key locations across the NAIP. This research is vital to the effective application of detailed basin and thermal models in North Atlantic hydrocarbon exploration

Other Links

Micropalaeontology Research Lab Database (account required)