Novel isotopic window into old crust: tracing Earth’s tectonic regime through the evolution of its continental crust
| Dates: | 5 February 2020 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 14:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Adults, Alumni, Current University students |
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| Speaker: | Dr Marc-Alban Millet |
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Dr Marc-Alban Millet, Cardiff University, joins us for a Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences seminar. Abstract below.
The extraction of the continental crust from the mantle, and its subsequent maturation, has defined the chemistry of the Earth’s surface through the transfer of water and other volatiles from the mantle to the atmosphere and hydrosphere and the release of bio-essential elements into the oceans. Determining how Earth’s crust has developed through geological history is therefore essential to understanding how Earth has evolved into how a habitable planet. However, despite decades of research, it is still unclear in which tectonic setting the bulk of the continental crust was formed and, in particular, when plate tectonic as we know it today started operating. In this talk, I will introduce a novel geochemical tracer purpose designed to study the generation of crust-forming magmas: the stable isotope composition of titanium. I will then show how this novel isotope system can be used to infer the tectonic setting of continent formation in the Archean and the controls on the overall evolution of the Upper Continental Crust through time.
Speaker
Dr Marc-Alban Millet
Organisation: Cardiff University
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
G.03
Williamson Building
Manchester
