PhD: The Temporal Evolution of the Iceland Plume

Supervisors: Nicky White, John Maclennan and Bryan Lovell

 

Research Interests

My current research focuses on the temporal record of the Icelandic plume, and exploring how plume fluctuations, or 'pulses', have moderated the evolution of sedimentary basins flanking the North Atlantic Ocean.

There is convincing evidence that vertical motions with amplitudes of  hundreds of metres have been driven by temperature anomalies which travel up the plume conduit beneath Iceland, and then flow sideways beneath the fringing continental margins.  Such uplift events exert a controlling effect upon ocean circulation patterns and sediment distribution in the North Atlantic. 

V-Shaped Ridges

The V-shaped ridges, which straddle the mid oceanic ridges on either side of Iceland, are an important window into transient convective circulation. It is now clear that transient convective circulation plays a key role in the history of vertical movements within sedimentary basins and on passive margins which fringe the North Atlantic Ocean. Surprisingly, we know very little about these important V-shaped ridges: the most recent regional seismic reflection profiles were acquired in the 1960s. During the Summer of 2010, the University of Cambridge and the National Oceanographic Centre, Southampton acquired over 3000 km of seismic reflection data across the oceanic basin South of Iceland. The cornerstones of this programme are two 1000 km long flowlines which traverse the entire oceanic basin from the Hatton margin to Greenland.

 

 

 Short-wavelength gravity field of the North Atlantic, highlighting the V-shaped ridges south of Iceland.  Black lines = 2D seismic data acquired in 2010.

Using both both these newly acquired and pre-existing seismic, gravity and magnetic datasets I am developing a chronology of plume activity, which will provide  a framework into which further geological observations can be placed. 

 


Publications: 2006-Present

Last updated on 06-Feb-12 14:58