Directors
Rob has over 35 years of research experience on fold-thrust systems, which began with field-based studies in the Moine Thrust Belt of NW Scotland and in the French Alps. This led to work in the Salt Range of Pakistan and in the NW Himalayas in general, then to the Apennines and Mahgrebian systems of Italy and the frontal structures of the Oman Mountains. Much of this work has been directed at using stratigraphic data from syn-kinematic deposits, to inform structural evolution in the underlying thrust belt. For the past two decades Rob has worked extensively on submarine thrust systems and on improving strategies for interpreting seismic data in these settings. Rob has published over 140 research papers, delivered short courses to industry all over the World. He is director of the Virtual Seismic Atlas, an open resource that shares geological interpretation of seismic data. In 2018 he was awarded the inaugural Dewey Medal of the Geological Society of London.
Clare has extensive research and industry experience in fold-thrust systems; completing research in the fold-thrust belts of the Greek Cyclades, the Alps, the NW Himalaya, and the Rockies; as well as the French sub-alpine chain, NW Highlands of Scotland, the Variscan of Pembrokeshire. She ties these outcrop based studies to work on the interpretation of fold-thrust structures in seismic image data. Her work includes fracture analysis related to stratigraphic controls and structural position, structural restoration and forward modelling, linking deformation phases and structures to fluid-flow, as well as developing best practice techniques for the structural characterisation of virtual outcrop models. Clare co-leads the open source virtual outcrop repository eRock launched in 2018. Prior to joining Aberdeen, Clare worked for Midland Valley as a structural geologist, both consulting and leading their knowledge team. Clare has delivered structural geology training globally for Midland Valley and FTRG. Clare is a leading researcher in defining uncertainties and recognising biases in seismic interpretation and structural model building and has worked with Total, BP, ConocoPhillips, Wintershall and Maersk on uncertainties in interpretation. In 2018 Clare was awarded a Royal Society of Edinburgh Research Sabbatical Award on geo-cognition.
The FTRG is about to launch FTRG phase 2, having completed a pathfinder and Phase 1. In Phase 1 FTRG employed PDRA Hannah Watkins and focused on the use of fold-thrust belt analogues from the Sub-Alpine Chain, France and the Sawtooth Range, Montana, working with Mark Cooper and Marian Warren, to inform sub-surface interpretations of the PNG fold-thrust belt. We have recently been working with geochemist David Muirhead to complete raman spectroscopy to determine maximum burial and carbon maturation in our fold-thrust belt analogues. A series of associated PhD students: Adam Cawood, Yuki Totake, and Lauren Kedar have added to FTRG research shared with sponsors. Links to peer reviewed scientific publications by FTRG can be found here, we also present at industry and academic conferences.