phd geology uk

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The PhD degree is the Department of Earth Sciences' principal research degree for postgraduate students. As a large and integrated department, the expertise and current research of our staff spans the breadth of Earth Sciences. We have 37 academic staff who are available to supervise PhD students. 

We welcome research enquiries from students who are currently working toward, or have acquired, first degrees in: Earth Science subjects, physics, chemistry, mathematics, material science, biology, or other related subjects.

The Department of Earth Sciences is a partner in two Doctoral Training Programmes (outlined below), who award research-council-funded studentships. Other studentships are available through different funding sources. 

If you wish to find out more about a project or the Department, or want to discuss devising your own project with us, then please contact a relevant member of academic staff —you can discover their interests on our Research pages .

Cambridge C-CLEAR DTP

The Cambridge Climate Life and Earth Doctoral Training Partnership (C-CLEAR DTP) awards around 12 3.5-year NERC-funded PhD studentships each year to start in October.

A wide range of projects are available, within seven world-class departments and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), under the broad themes of:

• Solid Earth and geological hazards Mineral physics, sedimentary and earth surface processes, geophysics, tectonics including earthquake hazards, mantle and core processes, volcanism and volcanic hazards.
• Climate change and environmental processes Atmospheric physics, atmospheric chemistry, climate processes, sea-level rise impacts, coastal flood and erosion hazards, palaeoclimate, solar-terrestrial processes, glaciology (land ice and sea ice), physical oceanography, carbon cycle and biogeochemistry.
• Biology and conservation Ecology, land use, population genetics, microbiology, physiology and adaptation, palaeobiology and conservation.

You can also search the complete list of PhD projects  (for October 2022) or view PhD projects within the Department of Earth Sciences .

For more information on this Doctoral Training Programme, including how to apply, please visit the  C-CLEAR DTP pages .

Cambridge AI4ER CDT

The Cambridge UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in the Application of Artificial Intelligence to the study of Environmental Risks (AI4ER)  offers around ten 4-year UKRI-funded PhD studentships each year to start in October. The programme comprises a one-year MRes (two terms taught, one term research), and a three-year PhD to apply AI methodologies.

A wide range of projects will be available under the broad themes of:

• Weather, climate, and air quality
• Natural hazards
• Natural resources (food, water and resource security, and biodiversity)

For more information on this Centre for Doctoral Training, including training structure and applying to the course, please visit the  AI4ER CDT pages .

Fully-funded studentships are also available at the  BPI Institute , and through the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Nuclear Energy Futures .

We are also happy to devise projects with you, particularly if the projects outlined above are not of interest and you have interests that we share. Explore our  Research pages to see which members of academic staff you would like to work with, and then contact them directly.

DTP studentships will be funded by UK research councils. Other studentships available in department will be funded by industry and several Cambridge Colleges. 

We also have a number of CASE awards, which involve direct links with industry partners.

Applications

Before applying, applicants are advised to contact the relevant member of academic staff for their chosen project to discuss your research interests.

To make a formal application for a PhD studentship, please go to the  University's Applicant Portal . When you complete the on-line application, you will have to indicate a college choice—it may help to discuss this choice with your prospective supervisor before submitting your application.

If you are applying from outside the UK, then please read our  PhD (Overseas Students)  page.

For questions related specifically to a project, please contact the relevant supervisor directly.

For more general information, please contact our  Postgraduate Admissions .

Quick links

Cambridge C-CLEAR DTP—Projects

EPSRC CDT in Nuclear Energy Futures

Postgraduate Admissions

Postgraduate Admissions—Applicant Portal

Postgraduate Admissions—Funding

Postgraduate Admissions—International

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Application options include:

Course Overview

The MPhil/PhD programme provides an excellent forum for students to develop and enhance their specialist, as well as more general transferable, research skills. The programme allows you to gain insight into different research methods and to acquire valuable experience both in carrying out large-scale research projects and in teaching.

An MPhil/PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation of 60,000 to 100,000 words. At Birkbeck, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year or two. You need to find a suitable academic supervisor at Birkbeck, who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research. Find out more about undertaking a research degree at Birkbeck .

Birkbeck shares resources, facilities and expertise in earth and planetary sciences with UCL’s Department of Earth Sciences, thus offering you access to a unique, world-class research environment .

Our key research interests include:

• Clastic sedimentology
• Earthquake geology
• Environmental geochemistry
• Geochemistry
• Geochronology
• Geomorphology
• Paleoenvironmental analysis
• Planetary geology
• Seismic hazards
• Volcanic hazards.

Key information

Geology mphil/phd: 7 years part-time, on campus, starting 2024-25.

• October 2024
• January 2025

Geology MPhil/PhD: 4 years full-time, on campus, starting 2024-25

Find another course:

• Birkbeck was ranked in the top 25 universities in the UK for its Earth Systems and Environmental Science research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
• Overall, Birkbeck's research excellence was  confirmed in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) with 83% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.
• We are a member of University Geoscience UK , the subject association of geoscience departments, with links to the Geological Society .

Entry Requirements

Good degree in science.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement,  we offer pre-sessional English courses, foundation programmes and language support services  to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our  English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country .

Visa and funding requirements

If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

• Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
• Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

International students who require a Student visa should apply for our full-time courses as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol as a student on Birkbeck's part-time courses (with the exception of some modules).

For full information, read our visa information for international students page .

Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country .

Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

Geology MPhil/PhD: 7 years part-time or 4 years full-time, on campus, starting in academic year 2024-25

Academic year 2024–25, starting october 2024, january 2025, april 2025.

Part-time home students: £2,539 per year Full-time home students: £4,786 per year Part-time international students : £7,525 per year Full-time international students: £14,885 per year

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the College Fees Policy .

If you’ve studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a discount on the tuition fee of this course.

Fees and finance

PhD students resident in England can apply for government loans of over £26,000 to cover the cost of tuition fees, maintenance and other study-related costs.

Flexible finance: pay your fees in monthly instalments at no extra cost . Enrol early to spread your costs and reduce your monthly payments.

We offer a range of studentships and funding options to support your research.

Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at Birkbeck.

International scholarships

We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. Discover if you are eligible for a scholarship .

Our research culture

As a research student, you will benefit from a vigorous programme of formal and informal research seminars, and close attention to research supervision. As well as working on your research project, you will also be encouraged to participate in a general training programme of lectures, workshops and seminars designed to provide methodological and theoretical frameworks for your research and structured according to Research Council guidelines. You will also be encouraged to attend lectures within the MRes programme and will have access to the Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network.

Our academic staff in earth and planetary sciences have close links to the Department of Earth Sciences at University College London (UCL) with whom we share some laboratories and collaborate on research. Well-established links with other London colleges and the Natural History Museum provide ready access to further facilities in the capital.

In addition to standard equipment such as EMP, SEM and XRD and generous networked computing facilities, Birkbeck has specialist laboratories and operates a worldwide fieldwork programme. Facilities such as the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) isotope geoscience laboratory at the British Geological Survey in Keyworth, ICP-MS facility at Kingston University and ICP-AES facility at Royal Holloway are also potentially available to research students. In the past, some research students have gone abroad to such places as Utrecht and Vienna to use specialist analytical facilities.

Read more about  our vibrant research culture .

Follow these steps to apply to an MPhil/PhD research degree at Birkbeck:

1. Check that you meet the entry requirements, including English language requirements, as described on this page.

2. Find a potential supervisor for your MPhil/PhD research. You can look at the Find a Supervisor area on this page for an overview, or  search our Experts’ Database  or  browse our staff pages  for more in-depth information. You may also find it helpful to  view the research projects of our current students .

3. Contact the academic member of staff - or the department they teach in - for an informal discussion about your research interests and to establish if they are willing and able to supervise your research. (Please note: finding a potential supervisor does not guarantee admission to the research degree, as this decision is made using your whole application.)  Find out more about the supervisory relationship and how your supervisor will support your research .

4. Draft a research proposal. This needs to demonstrate your knowledge of the field, the specific research questions you wish to pursue, and how your ideas will lead to the creation of new knowledge and understanding.  Find out more about writing a research proposal .

5. Apply directly to Birkbeck, using the online application link on this page. All research students are initially registered on an MPhil and then upgrade to a PhD after making sufficient progress.

Find out more about the application process, writing a research proposal and the timeframe . 

Application deadlines and interviews

You can apply at any time during the year. Entry months for the programme are October, January and April of each year.

If you wish to apply for funding, you will need to apply by certain deadlines. Consult the websites of relevant bodies for details.

Recent research topics.

• Igneous petrology and geochemistry
• Petrology and mineralogy of mantle and lower crustal xenoliths
• Geochemistry of peridotite massifs
• Palaeontology
• Echinoderm palaeoecology in Middle Jurassic marginal marine settings
• The effect of the end Cenomanian extinction event on high marine predator communities
• Designing tidal creeks for managed coastal defence
• Ground-penetrating radar applications in sedimentology
• Palaeoclimate controls on the formation of coastal dunes
• Sedimentary controls on the distribution of arsenic in the Ganges Brahmaputra Delta
• The evolution of coastal dunes in response to Holocene climate change
• Studies of displacement and strain along active normal fault zones in Italy and Greece

Apply for your course

Apply for your course using the apply now button in the key information section .

Finding a supervisor

A critical factor when applying for postgraduate study in geology is the correlation between the applicant’s intellectual and research interests and those of one or more potential supervisors.

Find out more about the research interests of our academic staff:

• Professor Ian A. Crawford, BSc, MSc, PhD : planetary geology and geochemistry.
• Professor Hilary Downes, BSc, MSc, PhD, CGeol : origin and evolution of igneous rocks; geochemistry and petrology of meteorites; lower crustal and mantle xenoliths.
• Philip Hopley, BSc, PhD : palaeoclimatology.
• Eleanor Jennings, PhD : geology, geochemistry, petrology, experimental petrology, planetary accretion.
• Professor Gerald P. Roberts, BSc, PhD : structural geology; earthquake geology and seismic hazards.
• Andrew Rushby, PhD : b iogeochemical controls on planetary habitability; terrestrial exoplanet characterisation, atmospheric dynamics, land/ocean/atmospheric feedbacks; biosignatures.
• Charles J. Underwood, BSc, PhD : palaeoenvironmental analysis, biostratigraphy and palaeoecology; taphonomy of graptolites; taxonomy and evolution of Mesozoic sharks and rays.

Earth Sciences MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

UCL Earth Sciences is engaged in world-class research into the processes at work on and within the Earth and other planets. The department has strong links with resources and hazard risk industries, with most graduates finding employment within academia or geoscience-related industries.

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25), programme starts, applications accepted.

• Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 1

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Our expertise spans the dynamics of the Earth and other planets, the materials they are composed of and their properties, present and past processes occurring at and below their surfaces, the evolution of life and the environment, and the applied geosciences of natural hazards, pollution and resources. Students pursuing a research degree in Earth Sciences will work in one or a combination of these areas.

Who this course is for

This programme is best suited to those seeking to continue their learning and professional development through undertaking independent research, including those aiming for an academic career or research project management in industry. The ability to think critically and to problem solve are especially useful attributes.

What this course will give you

UCL Earth Sciences is one of the leading Earth Sciences departments in the UK ranking 4th in the UK in the QS World University Rankings 2023 for Earth and Marine Sciences . World-class facilities are available to our students; these include the rock mechanics, micropalaeontology, and diamond anvil cell labs, the Hazard centre, NERC Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (hosted by the department), and many state-of-the-art geophysics and geochemistry laboratories. Graduate research students are given the opportunity to contribute and develop their communication and leadership skills as demonstrators, especially in laboratory and field classes. They acquire teaching skills through specially arranged training courses, and are encouraged to benefit from wider activities available to them at UCL.

The London NERC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) offers between 20 and 30 studentships each year in earth and environmental sciences. Its aim is to attain new standards of excellence in environmental science research training and deliver a transformative inter-disciplinary experience for PhD students in the heart of London. Our students will be trained during the first half-year by 9 of the world's leading research centres, before embarking on their specific projects in one of those institutions, including UCL. Please view the themes and associated PhD projects .

The foundation of your career

Many of our recent graduate research students have moved straight on to postdoctoral research positions at UCL and elsewhere that can then be used as a platform for beginning an academic career. Many others continue their research in government or non-governmental agencies as well as in industry.

Employability

Recent graduates have chosen either to pursue a career in academia as postdoctoral researchers, or seek employment in resource and hazard-risk industries. These have included positions as micropalaeontologists, geologists, hydrogeologists, stratigraphers, sedimentologists, and geophysicists, as well as remote sensing experts in the public (Environment Agency, National Physics Laboratory, NASA) and private sectors (Badley Ashton Reservoir Geoscience).

The department hosts cutting-edge facilities, including the UCL Hazard Centre, the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, a large suite of rock and ice physics laboratories, and the London Geochemistry and Isotope Centre. UCL Earth Sciences has strong links with resources and hazard risk industries, climate policy, and with the space sector including the UK's only NASA Regional Planetary Image Facility, Birkbeck's Planetary Sciences and UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL). The department and UCL maintain an alumni network where professional events are organised to help new graduates embark on their chosen career.

Teaching and learning

Our research degree programme is purely research-based.

The London NERC Doctoral Training Partnership is a partnership of eight prestigious research organisations across London, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. Our aim is to attain new standards of excellence in environmental science research training, and deliver a transformative inter-disciplinary experience for PhD students in the heart of London. We currently fund over 140 PhD students in the natural sciences. Find out more on the London NERC DTP website: https://london-nerc-dtp.org/.

Students are assessed through an upgrade report and viva between 9-18 months into the programme. Students are assessed by a final thesis and viva at the end of the PhD.

The research degree programme is a self-directed programme under the supervision of academic experts. You should manage your time for research activities by discussing with your supervisor(s). You can arrange a regular meeting with your supervisor(s). The supervisor meetings usually take place once per week, depending on the status of your research.

Research areas and structure

• Dynamics and evolution of the crust: rock mechanics; high-pressure/high-temperature mineralogy and geochemistry
• Environmental geochemistry: pollution; hydrogeology; hydrochemistry; water resources
• Natural hazards: assessment of hazard and risk posed by geological events
• Palaeoclimate, palaeobiology and palaeoenvironments: micropalaeontology; vertebrate palaeontology; the Earth’s past climates and environments
• Satellite observation and modelling of polar climate and change
• Structure, geodynamics and evolution of the Earth and planets.

Research environment

The Department of Earth Sciences is engaged in world-class research into the processes at work on and within the Earth and other planets. The department has strong links with resources and hazard risk industries , with most graduates finding employment within academia or geoscience-related industries.

The length of registration for the research degree programme may depend on types of funding received. It is normally between 3 and 4 years. If you are not ready to submit your thesis within this registered period, you may register as a completing research student (CRS) for one year to write up your thesis.  

You will be registered initially as a MPhil degree candidate. Around 9-12 months after your initial registration, you are expected to transfer to the PhD programme after a successful upgrade viva where your progress will be assessed by academic staff other than your primary supervisor.

You are assigned a research panel when you begin your research degree studies, comprising of your primary and secondary supervisor and a panel chair from a different research group. The panel provides support and monitors progress through a series of regular meetings.

You are encouraged to write up your research for peer-reviewed journals during the course of your PhD. You will have many opportunities to attend and present your research at international conferences in the UK and other countries.

The length of registration for the research degree programme may depend on types of funding received. It is normally 5 years. If you are not ready to submit your thesis within this registered period, you may register as a completing research student (CRS) for two year to write up your thesis.  

You will be registered initially as a MPhil degree candidate. Around 18-24 months after your initial registration, you are expected to transfer to the PhD programme after a successful upgrade viva where your progress will be assessed by academic staff other than your primary supervisor.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

T here are no programme-specific costs.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs .

Funding your studies

Our PhDs are funded by a variety of routes, but common ones include UK Research council funding (e.g. NERC, EPSRC, STFC), European funding (e.g. ERC), and collaborations co-sponsored by industrial partners (CASE awards); some PhD students also fund themselves. The cost of a PhD is in two parts: (a) fees and (b) stipend.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

CSC-UCL Joint Research Scholarship

Value: Fees, maintenance and travel (Duration of programme) Criteria Based on academic merit Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Deadlines and start dates are usually dictated by funding arrangements, so check with the department or academic unit to see if you need to consider these in your application preparation. In most cases you should identify and contact potential supervisors before making your application. For more information see our How to apply page.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Got questions get in touch.

Earth Sciences

[email protected]

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We have 55 Geology PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships in the UK

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Geology PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships in the UK

Low carbon cements for construction and encapsulation, phd research project.

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

This research project has funding attached. It is only available to UK citizens or those who have been resident in the UK for a period of 3 years or more. Some projects, which are funded by charities or by the universities themselves may have more stringent restrictions.

PhD in Mechanical Engineering - Performance of deep closed loop geothermal systems in unconventional settings

Funded phd project (european/uk students only).

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Investigation of fatigue microstructures by cyclic loading in engineering alloys

Self-funded phd students only.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Direct air capture of carbon dioxide; new materials and processes

Nature-based solution to mitigate subsidence hazards, building resilience to coastal flooding resulting from climatic changes: the application to decommissioning nda assets., quantification of carbon sequestration during enhanced weathering: a novel trace elemental and isotopic approach, phd studentship on past environmental change in the physical and geochemical sciences, funded phd project (students worldwide).

This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Understanding shale rock swelling for energy systems: novel integrated modelling and experimental approaches

Improved solution algorithms for efficient and robust computational fluid dynamics modelling, competition funded phd project (students worldwide).

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but potential funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

How do sandy clinoforms develop on the shelves of volcanic islands?

Flight mechanics and stability in birds during extreme manoeuvres of take-off and landing, exchange of water between the red sea and gulf of aden recorded at dsdp site 229, characterisation and modelling of veined rocks: integrity, deformation, and fluid flow, biotechnological synthesis of nanocatalysts from industrial wastewaters.

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Postgraduate Study - PhD and Research Degrees

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Research topics and degrees

• A thriving, diverse, and international postgraduate research community
• Exceptionally strong links with the international mining industry
• An outstanding research environment with state-of-the-art analytical facilities and laboratories
• Supervisors who are working at the cutting edge of their field
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Geology research pages

Web: Enquire online

Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

Web :  Enquire online Phone:  +44 (0)1326 371801

Top 5 in the UK for Geology

5th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024

Multidisciplinary expertise in mining and minerals engineering, geology and surveying

Leading research facilities include £2 million analytical mineralogy labs and an automated QEMSCAN scanning electron microscope

Based on our Penryn Campus in Cornwall, a beautiful and diverse county with amazing geosites on your doorstep

Research overview

As a Geology PhD student at the   Camborne School of Mines , you will lead research projects that have a significant impact on both your chosen field of study and wider society. We work on a variety of different topics including ore deposit geology, volcanology, palaeontology, palaeoclimate, and structural geology. We have strong links with the mining industry, and also with colleagues in the Geography and Biosciences departments to address issues of past environmental and ecological change.

Potential students with more of a focus on mining engineering, mineral processing, or the environmental impacts of mining may wish to investigate our   Mining and Minerals   PhD program instead.

Research Groups

Research groups at the Camborne School of Mines conduct research spanning the full range of the geosciences. Groups with a significant Geology focus include:

Active Earth

Our Active Earth research group encompasses multi-disciplinary exploration into volcanology, geophysics, natural hazards, and geothermal processes. We address global challenges around clean energy supply and hazard forecasting, risk, and resilience, while collaborating with industry partners, other research groups, and volcano observatories to deliver high-impact interdisciplinary projects.

Active Earth »

Ore deposits and critical metals

We work to promote sustainable development through future supplies of raw materials. We research the fundamental geological processes that form ore deposits and apply mineralogical studies to more efficient and environmentally friendly mineral processing and metals stewardship. We work particularly on:

• Critical metals: rare earths (REE), platinum group elements, niobium, tantalum, indium, tungsten, lithium.
• Granites and metamorphic rocks in South West England and associated ore deposits.
• Processes in large magma chambers such as the Skaergaard intrusion, Greenland.
• The Earth’s most unusual volcanoes that erupt carbonate (‘carbonatite’) magmas.

We have a Critical Metals Alliance with the   British Geological Survey .

Ore deposits and critical metals »

Deep time global change

The Deep Time Global Change group's interest lies in understanding the geological history and governing processes behind some of the major environmental changes that have affected the Earth through deep time. Our work spans the planetary realms from lithosphere to atmosphere, and an age range from the Precambrian to the Quaternary. We work with samples from cores and outcrops, collected as a result of field programmes or through participation in international scientific drilling programmes.

Deep time global change »

South West England research

Historically, Camborne School of Mines has worked closely on many major regional projects, and continues to play an integral role in further understanding the processes that led to the geological evolution of the region and formation of the world-class polymetallic orefield.

Active projects are centered on current global research trends:

• Critical metals and their association with granite magmatism and mineralisation
• Advanced geoscience modelling of SW England using the Tellus South West data
• Developing a strategy for improved targeting of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) energy resources in SW England
• Tectono-magmatic controls on granite pluton construction on the formation of the SW England metallogenic province
• Variscan/post-Variscan tectonic evolution
• Upper Palaeozoic stratigraphy and sedimentology
• Deep Digital Cornwall

South West England research »

Mining, environment and society

Research based mainly on environmental or social aspects of mining, such as environmental mineralogy, health and safety, mining-related policy, and social license to operate is grouped together here. Many of the large technical projects at Camborne School of Mines also contain environmental and social work packages.

Mining, environment and society »

Entry requirements

An appropriate degree in Geology or Mining or a related subject, normally at 2:1 level or above.

Requirements for international students

If you are an international student, please visit our  international equivalency pages  to enable you to see if your existing academic qualifications meet our entry requirements.

English language requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile E: view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country .

PhD and Research Programme application process

The information below applies to self-funded PhD, MPhil and Masters by Research applicants, but if you are applying for a funded PhD studentship, please follow the specific instructions related to that application.

• Pinpoint your PhD research area
• Investigate whether this area is available at Exeter
• Ensure that you meet our English language entry requirements (international students only)
• Construct and refine your PhD research proposal
• Approach your potential supervisor(s)

PhD studentships pages can be accessed in our Funding lists on Finance tabs under each research topic page, and are also available from the Postgraduate Research search results pages on this site, on the PhD projects tab.

Full details of the application process can be found on our  Apply now webpage .

Fees and funding

Fees 2024/25

Tuition fees per year 2024/25

• Home : £4,786 full-time;   £pro-rata part-time
• International : £28,500 full-time

For those studying for more than one year, our fees are expected to increase modestly in line with Consumer Price Inflation measured in December each year. More information can be found on our   Student Finance webpages .

Fees 2023/24

Tuition fees per year 2023/24

• Home : £4,712 full-time;   £pro-rata part-time
• International : £26,500 full-time

Fees 2022/23

Tuition fees per year 2022/23

• Home : £4,596 full-time;   £pro-rata part-time
• International : £24,500 full-time

Supervision

• We are continuously investing in growing and expanding our research expertise, awith a record of attracting major projects and talented individuals.
• Weekly gatherings take place over tea and cake, ensuring strong relationships are built with every member.
• In addition to your project supervisor, every student is assigned a mentor who falls outside your project for personal support and advice.

Find a supervisor

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• Geology and Earth Science PhD

Geology and earth science PhD

Geology and earth science have been an important research focus at the University of Brighton for more than 40 years.

From investigating the causes and timing of Phanerozoic Great Oxidation Event, to understanding carbonate mineralogy for CO 2  sequestration applications, our geology staff and PhD students are at the leading edge of fundamental and applied earth science research.

The majority of our work has real-world application. Data generated by researchers is being used, for example, to clean up metal contaminated environments, aid the exploration for critical mineral resources such as Rare Earth Elements, and to understand the sources of stones used in the construction of Stonehenge.

Our Geology and earth science PhD students have gone on to a variety of different roles following the successful completion of their research. These include academic posts as lecturers and postdoctoral research assistants at Brighton and elsewhere, plus research roles in, for example, the mining industry. Many have gone on to management positions in related areas such as environmental consultancy.

Apply to 'Environment' in the applicant portal

Key information

As a Geology and earth science PhD student at Brighton, you will benefit from:

• a supervisory team comprising two to three members of academic staff. Depending on your research specialism you may also have an additional external supervisor from another School, another research institution, or industry.
• desk space and access to a desktop PC, either in one of the postgraduate offices on the sixth floor of the award-winning Cockcroft Building, or within the adjacent Heavy Engineering Block.
• access to a range of electronic resources via the university’s Online Library, as well as to the physical book and journal collections housed within the Aldrich Library and other campus libraries.
• various state-of-the-art research facilities on the Moulsecoomb site, including specialist geochemical and geotechnical laboratories, microscopy laboratories (optical and scanning electron microscopes), microbial and water quality laboratories, hydraulic flumes, an experimental river basin, a water efficiency laboratory, and a concrete laboratory, as well as a large array of field equipment. All of these facilities are supported by a team of dedicated laboratory and workshop technicians.

Academic environment

The interdisciplinary ethos of the School of Applied Sciences provides an ideal home for this research. Based on the university’s Moulsecoomb Campus, research within the school has a common aim to address key environmental, social and resource issues, and deliver translational research with local, regional and international benefits. Our staff expertise spans a range of disciplines, including archaeology, built environment, civil engineering, environmental science, human and physical geography, and geology.

We provide PhD students with opportunities to work across the spectrum of geology and earth sciences, including research which straddles traditional disciplinary boundaries into, for example, archaeology, ecology or engineering. We believe that this interdisciplinary focus provides our students with an appreciation of real-world problems, and ensures that they are highly employable.

PhD students take an active role in a range of intellectual and social activities within the Schools. All postgraduate students working on ecology and environmental management topics are integrated into one or more of our research centres or research groups (see below). These provide you with opportunities to present ‘work in progress’ and network with other researchers.

We provide PhD students with opportunities to work across the spectrum of ecology and environmental management, including research which straddles traditional disciplinary boundaries into, for example, remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS). We believe that this interdisciplinary focus provides our students with an appreciation of real-world problems, and ensures that they are highly employable.

The Brighton Doctoral College offer a training programme for postgraduate researchers, covering research methods and transferable (including employability) skills. Attendance at appropriate modules within this programme is encouraged, as is contribution to the Schools’ various seminar series. Academic and technical staff also provide more subject-specific training.

Researchers within SET are engaged in work across a wide range of topic areas. We particularly welcome applications for Geology and earth science PhD research that aligns to current particular areas of specialism:

• Applied geochemistry
• Coastal neotectonics
• Contaminated land remediation
• Critical metal deposits
• Environmental change in deep time
• Environmental fate of metals
• Hydrogeology
• Igneous magmatism and petrology
• Mineral deposit genesis
• Sediment dynamics in fluvial, estuarine and coastal environments
• Sedimentary records of ancient fluvial systems
• Terrestrial geochemical sediments

More detail about each of these research themes and individual staff interests is provided under the following research centre and group pages:

• Applied Geosciences Research and Enterprise Group
• Past Human and Environment Dynamics Research and Enterprise Group
• Centre for Aquatic Environments

Some of our supervisors

Prof phil ashworth.

I will be delighted to supervise PhD students in river dynamics, sediment transport and morphological change in the world's largest rivers, flooding and river-floodplain connectivity and UAVs/drone applications in river mapping. An example of a recently completed PhD is 'Floodplain geomorphology and topography in large rivers' Strick, R.

Dr Heidi Burgess

For both MRes and PhD, I am particularly interested in supervising projects in the area of  intertidal, estuarine and riverine water / sediment interaction and climate. Examples of applications could include:

• Quantifying the impact that different types of Nature Based Solutions have on Riverine Flood Management.
• The impact that drainage systems have on the development of Managed Realignment sites and the colonisation by intertidal flora.
• How mycelium develops in newly inundated intertidal wetlands.
• Furthering the understanding into the processes of how terrestrial soil transforms into intertidal sediment when inundated by saline water.
• The impact of Coastal Managed and Managed Realignment design has on fish habitats and how engineering could be used to increase habitat suitability, impacting positively on fish stocks. (see: - MR Fish Geomorphology (ICECM 2019) (brighton.ac.uk))
• The impact of changing weather patterns on intertidal environments.
• Projects related to the CHASM project , particularly the sediment and hydro elements.

Along with any project which brings together the following elements: Natural Flood Management, habitat creation, eco-system services, impact of sea-level rise and impact on health and wellbeing.

Prof David Nash

I am interested in supervising PhD and MRes students in the following areas: reconstructing historical climate variability and change; arid geomorphology; environmental change in southern Africa; silcrete provenancing in archaeology.

Prof Martin Smith

PhD projects in geochemistry and mineralogy specifically applied to: ore deposit genesis and mineral exploration, critical metals and the environmental impacts of mining; Hydrogeology and the behaviour of nutrient and heavy metals (rural and urban environments); environmental controls on material corrosion.

I contribute to the Centre for Earth Observation Science (in terms of mineral resources, petrology and environmental geochemistry) and the Centre for Aquatic Environments (in terms of hydrogeology and hydrochemistry) and am happy to supervise projects in both these areas as part of the MRes Geosciences and Mres Aquatic Environments. Specific projects at present could include:

Synthesis and characterisation of REE-bearing clays.

Breakdown of sulphide minerals in the environment.

Geology and genesis of REE and other mineral deposits.

Weathering processes in REE mineralised carbonatites.

Microbial corrosion of steel in marine environments.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies of halogen-bearing silicates.

Unsaturated zone flow processes and groundwater chemistry.

Infiltration water quality from sustainable drainage systems.

For further supervisory staff including cross-disciplinary options, please visit  research staff on our research website.  

Making an application

You will apply to the University of Brighton through our online application portal. When you do, you will require a research proposal, references, a personal statement and a record of your education.

You will be asked whether you have discussed your research proposal and your suitability for doctoral study with a member of the University of Brighton staff. We recommend that all applications are made with the collaboration of at least one potential supervisor. Approaches to potential supervisors can be made directly through the details available online. If you are unsure, please do contact the Doctoral College for advice.

Please visit our How to apply for a PhD page for detailed information.

Sign in to our online application portal to begin.

Fees and funding

 Funding

Undertaking research study will require university fees as well as support for your research activities and plans for subsistence during full or part-time study.

Funding sources include self-funding, funding by an employer or industrial partners; there are competitive funding opportunities available in most disciplines through, for example, our own university studentships or national (UK) research councils. International students may have options from either their home-based research funding organisations or may be eligible for some UK funds.

Learn more about the funding opportunities available to you.

Tuition fees academic year 2024–25

Standard fees are listed below, but may vary depending on subject area. Some subject areas may charge bench fees/consumables; this will be decided as part of any offer made. Fees for UK and international/EU students on full-time and part-time courses are likely to incur a small inflation rise each year of a research programme.

Contact Brighton Doctoral College

To contact the Doctoral College at the University of Brighton we request an email in the first instance. Please visit our contact the Brighton Doctoral College page .

For supervisory contact, please see individual profile pages.

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Our research degrees

Explore our Masters by Research (MScR) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes.

There are a lot of preliminary questions to consider before applying for a research degree. Please make sure you read our information explaining the application process.

Application process

Masters by Research (MScR)

Masters by Research (MScR) offers you the opportunity to acquire research skills during a single year (full-time) of independent study.

Detailed information about each degree is available through our University Degree Finder:

• MScR Human Geography
• MScR Palaeontology and Geobiology
• MScR GeoSciences Individual Project 
• MScR GeoSciences Individual Project (Taught Pathway) 

 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Our Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes enable you to undertake an original research project under individual supervision. Your studies will take at least three years. To qualify for your doctorate, your thesis must be judged to represent an original contribution to knowledge.

Our degrees draw on the expertise of each of our three Research Institutes.

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Geology / Geoscience

PhD / MPhil

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'Geosystems' research in Geology / Geoscience combines expertise in geophysics, petrology, volcanology, sedimentology, structural geology and palaeontology.

Student testimonials

It draws together experts from three internationally recognised research groups:

• Applied and Environmental Geophysics Research Group
• Basin Dynamics Research Group
• Keele Petrology Group

The  Applied and Environmental Geophysics Research Group focuses on the application of geophysical techniques to engineering, environmental and archaeological problems.

Research by the  Basin Dynamics Research Group ranges from sedimentary basins, their controls, fill, and subsequent deformation and inversion, to exploration geoscience, palaeogeography, palaeoecology and biogeography.

The  Keele Petrology Group studies modern and ancient igneous (and metamorphic) systems, using a wide range of field, geochemical, isotopic, and quantitative textural techniques.

Our research is supported by the Research Councils UK, charities, as well as European and Industrial sponsors. The Basin Dynamics Research Group is a member of the  NERC Centre for Doctoral Training  (CDT) in Oil and Gas.

Research interests

Applied and Environmental Geophysics Research Group

• Forensic geoscience ( Dr Jamie Pringle , Dr Ian Stimpson )
• Archaeological and military geoscience ( Dr Jamie Pringle , Dr Ian Stimpson )
• Geotechnical site investigations ( Dr Jamie Pringle , Dr Ian Stimpson , Dr Glenda Jones )
• Biogeophysics and monitoring ( Dr Glenda Jones )
• Microseismic assessment/monitoring ( Dr Ian Stimpson )
• Geophysical investigations of glacial and peri-glacial landforms ( Dr Ian Stimpson )
• Wind turbine seismic monitoring ( Dr Ian Stimpson )

Basin Dynamics Research Group

• Structural geology, basin modelling & exploration-related research ( Dr Stuart Clarke , Dr Stuart Egan )
• Sedimentary provenance analysis (Dr Guido Meinhold)
• Palaeontology ( Dr Michael Montenari )
• Igneous petrology and volcanology ( Dr Ralf Gertisser )
• Igneous and metamorphic petrology (Dr Ralf Halama)

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Please submit your question in the form below and a member of our enquiries team will be in touch with you shortly.

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Earth Sciences PhD/ MPhil

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Our Earth Sciences PhD allows you to undertake research across a wide range of the earth sciences. Our research groups focus on the following themes: hydrogeology; palaeobiology and palaeoenvironments; palaeoclimatology and subsurface structure and properties.

We undertake research across a wide range of the earth sciences and are always pleased to discuss individual research proposals from students. Our research groups focus on the following themes: hydrogeology; palaeobiology and palaeoenvironments; palaeoclimatology and subsurface structure and properties.

Earth Sciences is a vibrant research and postgraduate teaching department with staff working on a broad range of research projects.

Past and current PhD students have been and are funded by the research councils, the petroleum industry, the water industry, the European Union, Nirex, the British Council and overseas governments.

You can study for a PhD on campus or by Distance Learning . 

Our research groups focus on the following themes:

Palaeobiology

Palaeoclimates, dynamic earth.

See the 'research interests' tab for more information.

The training opportunities at Birmingham give me the ideal preparation to develop a research career. As an Earth Sciences PhD student, I have learnt data collection and analytic skills relevant to my research topic. Supervisors are very supportive not only during the course of research, but also in preparing scientific publications and grant applications. We are encouraged to participate in academic conferences to exchange research ideas, as well as outreach activities to share our knowledge with the public. Overall, the experiences at Birmingham will put me in a good position to become a scientist. Fion Ma

Why study this course?

Fees for 2024/25.

• Code 0079: UK students £4,778 FT
• Code 0079: International students £27,360 FT only 
• Code 0080: UK students £2,389 PT
• Code 3935: MPhil UK students £4,778 FT
• Code 3935: MPhil International students £27,360 FT only 
• Code 3927: MPhil UK students 2,389 PT

Learn more about fees and funding .

Are you an international applicant?

Find out more about the deposit >> .

Scholarships and studentships

We are eligible to receive studentships from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), We also offer a number of our own postgraduate studentships, available to both home and overseas students.

The School is the lead institution for the NERC-funded CENTA Doctoral Training Centre, which funds between five and seven PhD UK/EU studentships at Birmingham each year.

• View all NERC CENTA funded PhD projects

International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home government.

How To Apply

• How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate research programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the research programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page . Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Our Standard Requirements

Entry on to the courses requires a 2:1 Honours degree in a relevant subject plus a relevant masters degree.

Learn more about entry requirements.

International Requirements

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 14/20 from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Argentinian university, with a promedio of at least 7.5, may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent

Applicants who hold a Masters degree will be considered for admission to PhD study.

Holders of a good four-year Diplomstudium/Magister or a Masters degree from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5 will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a good 5-year Specialist Diploma or 4-year Bachelor degree from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan, with a minimum GPA of 4/5 or 80% will be considered for entry to postgraduate taught programmes at the University of Birmingham.

For postgraduate research programmes applicants should have a good 5-year Specialist Diploma (completed after 1991), with a minimum grade point average of 4/5 or 80%, from a recognised higher education institution or a Masters or “Magistr Diplomu” or “Kandidat Nauk” from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0-3.3/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold a Masters degree from the University of Botswana with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (70%/B/'very good') will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Please note 4-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a Diploma of Higher Education. 5-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a British Bachelor (Ordinary) degree.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

A Licenciatura or Bacharelado degree from a recognised Brazilian university:

• A grade of 7.5/10 for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement
• A grade of 6.5/10for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement

Holders of a good Bachelors degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good post-2001 Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a minimum average of 14 out of 20 (or 70%) on a 4-year Licence, Bachelor degree or Diplôme d'Etudes Superieures de Commerce (DESC) or Diplôme d'Ingénieur or a Maîtrise will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Holders of a bachelor degree with honours from a recognised Canadian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A GPA of 3.0/4, 7.0/9 or 75% is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1.

Holders of the Licenciado or equivalent Professional Title from a recognised Chilean university will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD study will preferably hold a Magister degree or equivalent.

Students with a bachelor’s degree (4 years minimum) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. However please note that we will only consider students who meet the entry guidance below.  Please note: for the subject areas below we use the Shanghai Ranking 2022 (full table)  ,  Shanghai Ranking 2023 (full table) , and Shanghai Ranking of Chinese Art Universities 2023 .

需要具备学士学位（4年制）的申请人可申请研究生课程。请根据所申请的课程查看相应的入学要求。 请注意，中国院校名单参考 软科中国大学排名2022（总榜） ，  软科中国大学排名2023（总榜） ，以及 软科中国艺术类高校名单2023 。  

Business School    - MSc programmes (excluding MBA)  

商学院硕士课程（MBA除外）入学要求

School of Computer Science – all MSc programmes 计算机学院硕士课程入学要求

College of Social Sciences – courses listed below 社会科学 学院部分硕士课程入学要求 MA Education  (including all pathways) MSc TESOL Education MSc Public Management MA Global Public Policy MA Social Policy MA Sociology Department of Political Science and International Studies  全部硕士课程 International Development Department  全部硕士课程

  All other programmes (including MBA)   所有其他 硕士课程（包括 MBA）入学要求

Please note:

• Borderline cases: We may consider students with lower average score (within 5%) on a case-by-case basis if you have a relevant degree and very excellent grades in relevant subjects and/or relevant work experience. 如申请人均分低于相应录取要求（5%以内），但具有出色学术背景，优异的专业成绩，以及（或）相关的工作经验，部分课程将有可能单独酌情考虑。
• Please contact the China Recruitment Team for any questions on the above entry requirements. 如果您对录取要求有疑问，请联系伯明翰大学中国办公室   [email protected]

Holders of the Licenciado/Professional Title from a recognised Colombian university will be considered for our Postgraduate Diploma and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent.

Holders of a good bachelor degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Bacclaureus (Bachelors) from a recognised Croatian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 4.0 out of 5.0, vrlo dobar ‘very good’, or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree(from the University of the West Indies or the University of Technology) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A Class II Upper Division degree is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1. For further details on particular institutions please refer to the list below.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Masters degree or Mphil from the University of the West Indies.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, or a GPA of 3 out of 4, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalár from a recognised Czech Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, velmi dobre ‘very good’ (post-2004) or 2, velmi dobre ‘good’ (pre-2004), or a good post-2002 Magistr (Masters), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 7-10 out of 12 (or 8 out of 13) or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters/ Magisterkonfereus/Magister Artium degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Ecuadorian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 70% or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Magister/Masterado or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Licenciado with excellent grades can be considered.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalaurusekraad from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 4/5 or B, or a good one- or two-year Magistrikraad from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with very good grades (grade B, 3.5/4 GPA or 85%) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

Holders of a good Kandidaatti / Kandidat (old system), a professional title such as Ekonomi, Diplomi-insinööri, Arkkitehti, Lisensiaatti (in Medicine, Dentistry and Vetinary Medicine), or a Maisteri / Magister (new system), Lisensiaatti / Licenciat, Oikeustieteen Kandidaatti / Juris Kandidat (new system) or Proviisori / Provisor from a recognised Finnish Higher Education institution, with a minimum overall grade of 2/3 or 4/5, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters/Maîtrise with a minimum overall grade of 13 out of 20, or a Magistère / Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies / Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures Specialisées / Mastère Specialis, from a recognised French university or Grande École to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Magister Artium, a Diplom or an Erstes Staatsexamen from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5, or a good two-year Lizentiat / Aufbaustudium / Zweites Staatsexamen or a Masters degree from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good four-year Ptychio (Bachelor degree) with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, from a recognised Greek university (AEI), and will usually be required to have completed a good Metaptychiako Diploma Eidikefsis (Masters degree) from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

4-year Licenciado is deemed equivalent to a UK bachelors degree. A score of 75 or higher from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) can be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 60 is comparable to a UK 2.2.  Private universities have a higher pass mark, so 80 or higher should be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 70 is comparable to a UK 2.2

The Hong Kong Bachelor degree is considered comparable to British Bachelor degree standard. Students with bachelor degrees awarded by universities in Hong Kong may be considered for entry to one of our postgraduate degree programmes.

Students with Masters degrees may be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Alapfokozat / Alapképzés or Egyetemi Oklevel from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 3.5, or a good Mesterfokozat (Masters degree) or Egyetemi Doktor (university doctorate), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a 60% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the 4 year Sarjana (S1) from a recognised Indonesian institution will be considered for postgraduate study. Entry requirements vary with a minimum requirement of a GPA of 2.8.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution, with 100 out of 110 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold the Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies, Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Students with a Bachelor degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for entry to a postgraduate Masters degree provided they achieve a sufficiently high overall score in their first (Bachelor) degree. A GPA of 3.0/4.0 or a B average from a good Japanese university is usually considered equivalent to a UK 2:1.

Students with a Masters degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for PhD study. A high overall grade will be necessary to be considered.

Students who have completed their Specialist Diploma Мамаң дипломы/Диплом специалиста) or "Magistr" (Магистр дипломы/Диплом магистра) degree (completed after 1991) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of 2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate Masters degrees and, occasionally, directly for PhD degrees.  Holders of a Bachelor "Bakalavr" degree (Бакалавр дипломы/Диплом бакалавра) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of  2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, may also be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/50

Holders of a good Postgraduate Diploma (professional programme) from a recognised university or institution of Higher Education, with a minimum overall grade of 7.5 out of 10, or a post-2000 Magistrs, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 16/20 or 80% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Libya will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 70% for 2:1 equivalency or 65% for 2:2 equivalency. Alternatively students will require a minimum of 3.0/4.0 or BB to be considered.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magistras from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, or a good post-2001 Magistras, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, or a Diplôme d'Études Supérieures Spécialisées (comparable to a UK PGDip) or Masters degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (70-74% or A or Marginal Distinction from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 60-69% or B or Bare Distinction/Credit is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Malaysian institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum of 3.0) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from the University of Malta with a minimum grade of 2:1 (Hons), and/or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (Honours) from a recognised institution (including the University of Mauritius) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2:1).

Students who hold the Licenciado/Professional Titulo from a recognised Mexican university with a promedio of at least 8 will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Students who have completed a Maestria from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree, licence or Maîtrise and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students with a good four year honours degree from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. PhD applications will be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Doctoraal from a recognised Dutch university with a minimum overall grade of 7 out of 10, and/or a good Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (minimum 4 years and/or level 400) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of B/Very Good or 1.6-2.5 for a 2.1 equivalency, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters, Mastergrad, Magister. Artium, Sivilingeniør, Candidatus realium or Candidatus philologiae degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0/4 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in the Palestinian Territories will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3/4 or 80% for 2:1 equivalency or a GPA of 2.5/4 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.    

Holders of the Título de Licenciado /Título de (4-6 years) or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Paraguayan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 4/5 or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  The Título Intermedio is a 2-3 year degree and is equivalent to a HNC, it is not suitable for postgraduate entry but holders of this award could be considered for second year undergraduate entry or pre-Masters.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría / Magister or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Título/Grado de Licenciado/a with excellent grades can be considered.

Holders of the Bachiller, Licenciado, or Título Profesional with at least 13/20 may be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría or equivalent qualification.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4 out of 5, dobry ‘good’, and/or a good Swiadectwo Ukonczenia Studiów Podyplomowych (Certificate of Postgraduate Study) or post-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4.5/4+ out of 5, dobry plus 'better than good', will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Licenciado from a recognised university, or a Diploma de Estudos Superiores Especializados (DESE) from a recognised Polytechnic Institution, with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, and/or a good Mestrado / Mestre (Masters) from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Romanian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree/Diploma de Master/Diploma de Studii Academice Postuniversitare (Postgraduate Diploma - Academic Studies) or Diploma de Studii Postuniversitare de Specializare (Postgraduate Diploma - Specialised Studies) to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Диплом Специалиста (Specialist Diploma) or Диплом Магистра (Magistr) degree from recognised universities in Russia (minimum GPA of 4.0) will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes/PhD study.

Students who hold a 4-year Bachelor degree with at least 16/20 or 70% will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies,Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. A score of 14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2

Students who hold a Bachelor (Honours) degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (or a score of 60-69% or B+) from a well ranked institution will be considered for most our Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees with a 2:1 requirement.

Students holding a good Bachelors Honours degree will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good three-year Bakalár or pre-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, Vel’mi dobrý ‘very good’, and/or a good Inžinier or a post-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Diploma o pridobljeni univerzitetni izobrazbi (Bachelors degree), Diplomant (Professionally oriented first degree), Univerzitetni diplomant (Academically oriented first degree) or Visoko Obrazovanja (until 1999) from a recognised Slovenian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8.0 out of 10, and/or a good Diploma specializacija (Postgraduate Diploma) or Magister (Masters) will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor Honours degree (also known as Baccalaureus Honores / Baccalaureus Cum Honoribus) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (70%) or a distinction (75%).

Holders of a Masters degree will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelor degree from a recognised South Korean institution (usually with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average 3.0/4.0 or 3.2/4.5) will be considered for Masters programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 7 out of 10 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or a CGPA 3.30/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Kandidatexamen (Bachelors degree) or Yrkesexamen (Professional Bachelors degree) from a recognised Swedish Higher Education institution with the majority of subjects with a grade of VG (Val godkänd), and/or a good Magisterexamen (Masters degree), International Masters degree or Licentiatexamen (comparable to a UK Mphil), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good "PostGraduate Certificate" or "PostGraduate Diploma" or a Masters degree from a recognised Swiss higher education institution (with a minimum GPA of 5/6 or 8/10 or 2/5 (gut-bien-bene/good) for a 2.1 equivalence) may be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0, 3.5/5 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bachelor degree (from 75% to 85% depending upon the university in Taiwan) from a recognised institution will be considered for postgraduate Masters study. Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for entry to our postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree or Mphil from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a Bachelors degree from the following universities may be considered for entry to postgraduate programmes:

• Ateneo de Manila University - Quezon City
• De La Salle University - Manila
• University of Santo Tomas
• University of the Philippines - Diliman

Students from all other institutions with a Bachelors and a Masters degree or relevant work experience may be considered for postgraduate programmes.

Grading Schemes

1-5 where 1 is the highest 2.1 = 1.75 2.2 = 2.25 

Out of 4.0 where 4 is the highest 2.1 = 3.0 2.2 = 2.5

Letter grades and percentages 2.1 = B / 3.00 / 83% 2.2 = C+ / 2.5 / 77%

Holders of a postdoctoral qualification from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.  Students may be considered for PhD study if they have a Masters from one of the above listed universities.

Holders of a Lisans Diplomasi with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0 from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a Yuksek Diplomasi from a recognised university will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (2.1) or GPA of 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree / Диплом бакалавра (Dyplom Bakalavra), Диплом спеціаліста (Specialist Diploma) or a Dyplom Magistra from a recognised Ukrainian higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 4.0/5.0, 3.5/4, 8/12 or 80% or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

The University will consider students who hold an Honours degree from a recognised institution in the USA with a GPA of:

• 2.8 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement 
• 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement 

Please note that some subjects which are studied at postgraduate level in the USA, eg. Medicine and Law, are traditionally studied at undergraduate level in the UK.

Holders of the Magistr Diplomi (Master's degree) or Diplomi (Specialist Diploma), awarded by prestigious universities, who have attained high grades in their studies will be considered for postgraduate study.  Holders of the Fanlari Nomzodi (Candidate of Science), where appropriate, will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of the Licenciatura/Título or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Venezuelan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Scales of 1-5, 1-10 and 1-20 are used, an overall score of 70% or equivalent can be considered equivalent to a UK 2.1.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Maestria or equivalent qualification

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Vietnamese institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum GPA of 7.0 and above) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.  Holders of a Masters degree (thac si) will be considered for entry to PhD programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0 or a mark of 2.0/2.5 (A) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a good Bachelor Honours degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

International Students

English language requirements You can satisfy our English language requirements in two ways: by holding an English language qualification to the right level by taking and successfully completing one of our English courses for international students

The palaeobiology research theme at Birmingham spans an extraordinary range of biological, temporal and spatial scales.

Our research theme includes world-leading systematists and palaeoecologists specializing in organisms ranging from single-celled algae to the largest vertebrates to have walked the Earth (as well as the plants they ate). Researchers have made fundamental contributions to understanding the evolution and diversity of life on Earth, such as the radiation of the earliest fish, the origins of terrestrial vegetation, patterns of dinosaur diversity and the long-term evolution of marine phytoplankton. We have strong synergies and overlap with palaeoenvironmental geochemists and paleoclimatologists with in the Geosystems research group and are actively pursuing research into the complex inter-relationships between the Earth’s biosphere, climate and environment.

Palaeoclimate research at Birmingham integrates sedimentologists, palaeontologists, geochemists and climate modelers to produce an integrated view of ancient palaeoenvironmental change.

Our time periods of study stretch from detailed investigations of the sedimentology and glacial process of Proterozoic “snowball earth” events, to super high-resolution speleothem reconstructions and General Circulation Model simulations of Holocene climate. Analytical facilities available to palaeoclimate researchers in the group include a new organic geochemistry suite dedicated to palaeoenvironmental reconstruction (GC-FID, GC-MS, GC-ir-MS, LC-APCI-MS) as well as trace metal (ICP-MS and –OES), stable isotope and nannoparticle characterisation facilities within the School. Researchers also benefit from significant recent investment in central University analytical capability including, SEM/TEM suite, Secondary Ionistation Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), state-of-the-art XRF and XRD suite. We also have a strong relationship with the NERC Ion Microprobe Facility at the University of Edinburgh with numerous successful grants in the past 2/3 years.

Research in this area includes a range of work on the evolution of rifted margins with a current focus on an international collaborative project involving 3-D seismic profiling of the Iberian margin. The work has important implications for the role of deeply ingressing water, through serpentinization, in guiding the structural history of margins.

Fundamental research on spatial and temporal scales of mantle convection, currently extensively supported by the Irish government, focuses on Cenozoic evolution of the north Atlantic and links to global climate via both modulation of deep-water flow around Iceland and uplift-associated dissocation of gas hydrate. The development of techniques for detecting and quantifying gas hydrates and emissions of methane has been a key aspect of shallow geophysical investigations on continental slopes over the past two decades, including major participation in European programmes as well as NERC support.

Related research

• Earth Sciences - School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Past and current PhD students have been and are funded by the research councils, the petroleum industry, the water industry, the European Union, Nirex, the British Council and overseas governments, and this PhD will equip you to work in organisations such as these.

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Visit our dedicated Science and Engineering postgraduate research page where you can browse projects built on your research passion in geology, find a supervisor that shares your vision and discover how your research could be fully funded.

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• Earth Science PhD/MPhil
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• Postgraduate study

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Postgraduate research  

Geology PhD/MSc (Research)/MPhil (Research)

Self funded opportunities

Ground-truthing se caribbean plate evolution.

Supervisors : Iain Neill and colleagues as appropriate to the problem being tackled

A bench fee of £10,000 is payable in 3 annual instalments. Students can start when they wish by discussion, though projects typically begin in October each year.

Anyone interested in a PhD using geodynamic modelling to test out different Caribbean Plate models should contact  Iain Neill  and  Dr Antoniette Grima .

To ground truth models of the origin and evolution of the Caribbean Plate.

Despite being one of Earth’s major tectonic plates, the origin and evolution of the Caribbean Plate remains contentious. Several plate tectonic models have been proposed over the last four decades, but no leading model is convincingly substantiated by evidence from geological and geophysical data from both the onshore and offshore.

Mesozoic oceanic lithosphere that would become the Caribbean Plate formed in the Eastern Pacific realm and was gradually subducted to the northeast beneath an inter-American Arc. Behind the arc, N and S America were spreading apart to form a proto-Caribbean Seaway. During the Cretaceous, inter-American subduction ceased and a new SW-dipping Antilles subduction zone established within the proto-Caribbean realm. This led to the Caribbean being inserted between the Americas, forming the modern Lesser Antilles Arc. However, when, and why the new Antilles subduction zone was established is highly debated.

The debate is important as the presence or absence of a shallow marine or land gateway between the Americas is critical for species transfer (Tong et al. 2019) and oceanic circulation (Haug and Tiedemann 1998), plus hazardous volcanoes in the modern Lesser Antilles may be spatially controlled by inherited sutures within the arc (Hicks et al. 2023).

The objective  is to test published models of Caribbean Plate evolution. Models such as those by Pindell et al. (2012) or Hastie et al. (2021) dominate the literature. These state that SW-dipping Antilles subduction was initiated due to Early Cretaceous geodynamic changes in the inter-American region, or a Late Cretaceous collision between the inter-American Arc and a Caribbean oceanic plateau. Both models pose a range of geochemical, structural, and geochronological problems. An unheralded but novel idea is that the Antilles subduction zone developed because of an Early Cretaceous arc-arc collision event (Escuder-Viruete et al. 2013). It is argued that divergent double subduction beneath an allochthonous Pacific-derived arc and the inter-American Arc led to the collision and new Antilles subduction. The model is similar to that for the Molucca or Adriatic Seas today, but it has only been applied to the Dominican Republic. To become a settled theory for Caribbean Plate evolution, we need to test rocks further afield to establish if Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous arc rocks of the Eastern Caribbean formed on two separate arc systems of opposing polarity. Beyond the Dominican Republic, islands such as Tobago (Neill et al., 2012, 2013) and La Désirade (Guadeloupe, Neill et al., 2010) may contain fragments of the inter-American Arc and should be compared structurally, temporally, and geochemically to rocks which may belong to the Pacific Arc.

Methodology

An MSc by Research student will analyse rocks from one location to test a specific hypothesis. A PhD student will work on a combination of linked work packages to build a wider picture. Two example MSc by Research projects are given below, but if you want to study another location, such as Tobago, Puerto Rico, etc., then contact me and we can discuss what’s possible. In all cases, students will learn about the wider structures and geophysical studies of the Caribbean region to draw conclusions about what models are most geologically reasonable, and the aim is to hire several students to tackle problems together.

Example project 1: the mantle source of the inter-American Arc (with Julie Prytulak in Durham)

The arc rocks of La Désirade Island, Guadeloupe, are the only exposure of Jurassic basement to the modern Lesser Antilles Arc, presumed to have been part of the NE-dipping inter-American subduction system. You will use Nd-Hf isotopes to constrain the inter-American mantle source and compare it to other locations in the Eastern Caribbean. If the inter-American mantle source is compositionally distinct to a Pacific mantle source, as we suspect, that finding substantiates that two subduction systems of opposing polarity were present. This project involves existing samples with elemental geochemistry (Neill et al., 2010) and unpublished robust Hf isotope data from Durham University which require further Hf and Nd isotope analyses.

Example project 2: magmatism and deformation of the inter-American Arc on La Désirade (with Mélody Philippon, University of Montpellier in Guadeloupe and Douwe van Hinsbergen in Utrecht)

Inter-American arc rocks on the island are well-dated by fossil and U-Pb zircon evidence, but a suite of mafic to intermediate dykes cut by younger shear zones are not. Whether these rocks relate to the inter-American arc or establishment of the new Antilles subduction zone is not known. Samples due to be collected from La Désirade will be used to date the mafic to intermediate dykes and shear zones using a combination of methods as appropriate, e.g., U-Pb on zircon and calcite. There should be an opportunity for micro-structural analysis to further determine the origin of shearing on the island.

What we’re looking for and what you gain

We are looking for a strong geologist with very sound solid earth knowledge and communicative ability. You’ll have interests in plate tectonics, subduction zones, and be keen to do laboratory-based geochemistry or geochronology. You’ll receive training in analytical procedures and will develop your data management, problem solving, geological thinking, and written and spoken communication. The projects are ripe for publication and if you are keen on geological survey-style jobs, a PhD, or a postdoc in the solid Earth sciences, or simply are interested in or connected to the Caribbean region, then this could work well for you.

• Escuder Viruete et al. 2013: doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2012.10.008
• Hastie et al. 2021: doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2021.105998
• Haug and Tiedemann 1998: doi.org/10.1038/31447
• Hicks et al. 2023: doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.add2143
• Neill et al. 2010: doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2010.08.026
• Neill et al. 2012: doi.org/10.1086/665798
• Neill et al. 2013: doi.org/10.1093/petrology/egt025
• Pindell et al. 2012: doi.org/10.1080/00206814.2010.510008
• Tong et al. 2019: doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2018.09.017

Quantifying Climatic and Tectonic Controls on the Cenozoic Evolution of the Greater Caucasus

Supervisors :  Dr Paul Eizenhöfer  

Background and outline

The Greater Caucasus is Europe’s largest mountain belt, and yet, in marked contrast to the Alps, fundamental issues remain about the role of tectonic and climatic processes on its Cenozoic orogeny. In particular, the timing, style and rate of rock uplift and exhumation potentially provide crucial information for reconstructing the geodynamic evolution of the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt, but this information remains unresolved for this region. Modern analytical and numerical techniques based on low-temperature thermochronometer data, have only been sparsely applied in the Greater Caucasus region despite dense data coverage elsewhere along the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt.

This PhD project aims to provide new insights into the exhumation history of the Greater Caucasus utilizing (i) analysis of new and existing thermochronometer data along structural cross sections and (ii) state-of-the-art thermo-kinematic and erosion numerical modelling to ascertain the role of Cenozoic tectonics on its present-day topography and past exhumation history. Coupling of data from multiple thermochronometer systems with structural and thermo-kinematic models along selected strike-perpendicular transects will provide new constraints on the spatial and temporal continuity of tectonic processes during the lithospheric evolution of the Greater Caucasus. The approach will allow the estimation of the role of Cenozoic climatic drivers on the evolution of this mountain belt, eg., evaluating the discrepancy of long-term climatic gradients contrasting the present-day topographic homogeneity from W-to-E.

• Structural-kinematic reconstruction of the Greater Caucasus. Thermo-kinematic modelling along selected transects.

Methodology and Timeframe

(Year 1-2) The PhD student will reconstruct the structural-kinematic as well as foreland basin evolution of the Greater Caucasus along selected orogen-scale transects in MOVE™ employing a balanced cross section approach including the modelling of isostatic responses. (Year 2-3) The orogen-wide distribution of low-temperature thermochronology data will be predicted through numerical thermo-kinematic models along the selected transects using these structural-kinematic solutions. This approach will establish a novel exhumation history of the Greater Caucasus validated by observed low-temperature thermochronology data. (Year 3.5) Results will be integrated, and PhD thesis completed.

Desired skills /knowledge background of the applicant

The project is suitable for a graduate with a good honours’ degree in Geology, Earth Science, or Geophysics, with an interest in developing expertise in computational modelling and who demonstrated experience relevant to the project outline above (e.g., a dissertation, specific training in a relevant skill, or other project experience). Basic programming skills such as MATLAB or Python would be very helpful.

Career prospects

The PhD student will be trained by a leading expert of geomorphology and tectonics to constrain the formation of small mountain ranges. This training involves analyses of structural and thermochronological data to reconstruct the mid- to long-term (kyr to Myr) evolution of the Greater Caucasus. The student will be exposed to high-level programming environments (Python, MATLAB, C++, Fortran). Furthermore, the student will apply and develop process-based numerical models in a high-performance cluster (HPC) environment. This also implies the statistical evaluation of model runs.

The training also constitutes transferable skills: project management, scientific writing, grant acquisition, and project reporting. These make the student highly competitive to a career in computationally driven Earth System science. The student will be competitive in the fields of environmental consulting, resource security, and software development.

Relict Landscapes as Archives of Past Climatic and Tectonic Conditions

Supervisors: Dr Paul Eizenhöfer and and Dr Martin Hurst. External collaborators: Dr Fiona Clubb (University of Durham) and Professor Mark Allen (University of Durham)

• Implementation of landscape evolution models to establish systematics that promote the emergence of relict landscapes.
• Automated extraction and interpretation of geomorphological metrics across climatically and tectonically distinct regions to establish a global database of relict landscapes.
• Model inversions to identify the range of climatic and tectonic parameters that are archived within the relict landscapes.

‘Relict’ landscapes are low-relief, high elevation surfaces that are often interpreted as an archive of previously stable tectonic and/or climatic conditions. These landscapes are commonly recognised in mountain ranges that have been interpreted to be undergoing late-Cenozoic acceleration in tectonic uplift and a rejuvenation by an erosional response (e.g., Clark et al., 2006). Relict topography (and the information it contains about past conditions) will eventually be lost through such erosion (e.g., Whittaker & Boulton, 2012).

These remnants of Earth’s geologic past have been identified across various landscapes on Earth. Several alternative mechanisms have been proposed for their formation including emerging from dynamic reorganisation of drainage networks through divide migration and drainage capture (Yang et al., 2015; Whipple et al., 2017), or due to lateral advection of uplifted topography (Eizenhöfer et al 2019). Yet the mechanisms of formation from the nature of the topography remains unclear. Building on these recent studies, the primary goals of this project are: (i) identifying the processes that can lead to low relief upland; and (ii) deciphering their geomorphological record of past tectonic and climatic conditions across the globe. These goals will be achieved through state-of-the-art, process-based numerical models of landscape evolution.

Understanding the mechanisms to create and preserve such relict landscapes and being able to reconstruct their geomorphological archive of Earth’s past is crucial to understand the interaction of physical processes within the Earth System and to unlock feedbacks between tectonics, climate, and topography. Such knowledge will help to understand spatial landscape responses and response times to changes due to external forcings, improving efforts in earthquake risk assessments and mitigating the consequences of climate change.

Desired skills/knowledge background of the applicant

The project is suitable for a graduate with a good honours degree in Geology, Earth Science, or Geophysics, with an interest in developing expertise in computational modelling.

The PhD student will be trained by leading experts of geomorphology and tectonics to achieve a holistic understanding of System Earth. This training involves analyses of remote sensing data, data in the fields of climate and tectonics to reconstruct the mid- to long-term (kyr to Myr) evolution of landscapes. The student will be exposed to high-level programming environments (Python, MATLAB, C++, Fortran). Furthermore, the student will apply and develop process-based numerical models in a high-performance cluster (HPC) environment. This also implies the statistical evaluation of model runs and big data analysis.

The training also constitutes transferable skills: project management, scientific writing, grant acquisition, and project reporting. These make the student highly competitive to a career in computationally driven Earth System science. The student will be able to analyse and manipulate large data sets, apply, and evolve process-based numerical models, make data-driven model predictions towards machine learning capabilities. The student will be competitive in the fields of environmental consulting, hazard research, land management and software development.

• Clark, M. K., Royden, L. H., Whipple, K. X., Burchfiel, B. C., Zhang, X., & Tang, W. (2006). Use of a regional, relict landscape to measure vertical deformation of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 111(F3).
• Eizenhöfer, P. R., McQuarrie, N., Shelef, E., & Ehlers, T. A. (2019). Landscape response to lateral advection in convergent orogens over geologic time scales. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 124(8), 2056-2078.
• Whipple, K. X., Forte, A. M., DiBiase, R. A., Gasparini, N. M., & Ouimet, W. B. (2017). Timescales of landscape response to divide migration and drainage capture: Implications for the role of divide mobility in landscape evolution. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 122(1), 248-273.
• Whittaker, A. C., & Boulton, S. J. (2012). Tectonic and climatic controls on knickpoint retreat rates and landscape response times. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 117(F2).
• Yang, R., Willett, S. D., & Goren, L. (2015). In situ low-relief landscape formation as a result of river network disruption. Nature, 520(7548), 526-529.

Investigating plume-lithosphere-surface process interactions across craton margins

Supervisors: Dr Antoniette Greta Grima, Dr Paul Eizenhöfer, Dr Mark Wildman, Dr Cristina Persano. Interested applicants should contact: [email protected]

This project will investigate the role that deep mantle processes have played in controlling intraplate crustal deformation and the creation of surface topography. Specifically, this project will explore the effect of buoyant mantle plumes beneath a heterogeneously thick continental lithosphere and the extent to which deformation and surface uplift becomes focussed at the boundary between thick cratons and the younger surrounding continental lithosphere. Using the South A`frican continental plateau as a case study, the project will also constrain how surface processes respond to the interaction between deep mantle upwellings and continental heterogeneities, to produce the present-day topography. In this way, we will test the hypothesis that a mid-Cretaceous mantle plume drove continental deformation, uplift, and surface evolution at the southwest margin of the Kaapvaal craton.

Old cratonic regions comprise over 60% of the continental surface and are generally considered to be tectonically stable features over potentially billions of years1. However, the reason for long-term cratonic stability is debated with the potential for mantle plumes to erode cratonic keels, produce vertical motions of the lithosphere and focus deformation at lithospheric weak zones2. This is particularly pertinent to the African plate whose long-term stability has meant a long-standing relationship with deep mantle plumes and the African Large Low-Shear Velocity Province (LLSVP) since the breakup of Pangea3. Tomographic models suggest that thermochemical mantle plumes rising from the edges of the LLSVPs or the surrounding core-mantle boundary region (CMB) can undergo thinning, splitting and deflection as they transition from the lower to the upper mantle4,5. As these plumes reach the continental lithosphere they can dynamically support excess elevation on the continental lithosphere6. However, the interaction between the plume and the overlying continental lithosphere is still unclear. Do mantle plumes split further into smaller and thinner branches as they reach the top of the mantle? And how does the plume morphology affect the topographic signal at the surface of the continental plate?

nderstanding the interaction between mantle plumes and continental lithosphere is, therefore, critical in understanding the long-term evolution of topography in intraplate settings and the formation and mobilisation of critical mineral deposits1,2. The South African case is intriguing case study where the long-term stability over the LLSVP and absence of subduction processes affecting the African plate allows us to isolate the role of mantle plume – lithosphere interactions in controlling how and when the topography of the highly elevated, low-relief, interior plateau formed. The apatite thermochronological dataset across SW Africa suggests a more complex history than that predicted by simple conceptual models of high-elevation passive margin evolution following the break-up of South America and Africa in the Early Cretaceous3. Mantle-plume driven uplift during the middle to Late Cretaceous has been suggested as a mechanism to drive regional erosion across the South African plateau and explain the timing of peaks offshore sediment volumes7. However, the data implies more local variation in the patterns of erosion and infers a thickness of several kilometres of crust was eroded in the mid-Cretaceous from the off-craton region of the continental plateau while over the Kaapvaal craton region, the magnitude of erosion has been low since the Palaeozoic8,9.

The project will create new insights into the interplay of mantle, tectonic and surface processes in forming the South African topography, with implications for the stability of craton and craton margins globally.

The project will apply a two-phase numerical modelling approach (year 1 and 2). The first phase will evaluate the applicability of different scenarios for the interaction of buoyant mantle upwellings with the overlying continental lithosphere in South Africa. The model set-up emulating its cratonic evolution will be comprised of a thick cratonic block and thinner surrounding lithosphere, and make inferences on the timing, location, and magnitude of surface uplift produced during these scenarios at large-scale (>1000 km). During this first phase the goal is to understand how plume properties (e.g., morphology, temperature, density, viscosity, and geochemistry) can influence the degree of plume branching or splitting. These models will be constrained by seismic tomography models and geochemical signatures and will provide an insight into the plume-continental lithosphere relationship along South Africa.

The next step is to understand the contributions of continental heterogeneity on the plume dynamics. This step will explore how rheological and geometry variations in continental and cratonic keel properties can inform the plume’s contribution to continental uplift and tilting at the surface. Geodynamic modelling will provide information on the evolution of the mantle and lithosphere thermal field, strain rates and stress values of the overriding plate, and the timing and rate of uplift.

The second phase (years 2 and 3) will incorporate these predictions into (i) surface process models, and (ii) thermal models of the crust to simulate the evolution of exhumation and topography linked to deep mantle processes. The high-resolution (<10 km) integrated surface process and thermal model will predict spatial patterns of thermochronological data, which can be compared to the existing and extensive South African thermochronological dataset.

Knowledge background of the student

This project will equip the student with skills in geodynamics, deep mantle processes, quantitative geomorphology, geochronology, and numerical modelling. This will equip the student with a diverse range of geoscientific knowledge that could be applied to the exploration of natural resources and environmental and hazard management, as well as transferable technical skills, such as familiarity with a variety of code environments (i.e., C++, Python, Fortran) and performing high-performance cluster computing, which could be applied in other scientific fields in academia and industry.

• Pearson, D. G., Scott, J. M., Liu, J., Schaeffer, A., Wang, L. H., van Hunen, J., Szilas, K., Chacko, T., & Kelemen, P. B. (2021). Deep continental roots and cratons. Nature, 596(7871), 199-210.
• Guillou-Frottier, L., Burov, E., Cloetingh, S., Le Goff, E., Deschamps, Y., Huet, B., & Bouchot, V. (2012). Plume-induced dynamic instabilities near cratonic blocks: Implications for P–T–t paths and metallogeny. Global and Planetary Change, 90, 37-50.
• Garnero, E.J, McNamara, A., & Shim, S. (2016). Continent-sized anomalous zones with low seismic velocity at the base of the Earth’s mantle. Nature Geoscience, 9, 481-489.
• French, S. & Romanowicz, B. (2015). Broad plumes rooted at the base of the Earth’s mantle beneath major hotspots. Nature, 525,95-99.
• Tsekhmistrenko, M., Sigloch, K., Hosseini, K., & Barruol, G. (2021). A tree of Indo-African mantle plumes imaged by seismic tomography. Nature Geoscience, 14, 612-619.
• Lithgow-Bertelloni, C., & Silver, P.G., (1998). Dynamic topography, plate driving forces and the African superswell. Nature, 395, 269-272.
• Stanley, J. R., Braun, J., Baby, G., Guillocheau, F., Robin, C., Flowers, R. M., Brown, R., Wildman, M., & Beucher, R. (2021). Constraining plateau uplift in southern Africa by combining thermochronology, sediment flux, topography, and landscape evolution modeling. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 126(7), e2020JB021243.
• Wildman, M., Cogné, N., & Beucher, R. (2019). Fission-track thermochronology applied to the evolution of passive continental margins. In Fission-track thermochronology and its application to geology (pp. 351-371). Springer, Cham.
• Wildman, M., Brown, R., Persano, C., Beucher, R., Stuart, F. M., Mackintosh, V., Schwanethal, J., & Carter, A. (2017). Contrasting Mesozoic evolution across the boundary between on and off craton regions of the South African plateau inferred from apatite fission track and (U‐Th‐Sm)/He thermochronology. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 122(2), 1517-1547.

Tracking the evolution of C-complex asteroids using carbonates

Supervisor:  Prof Martin Lee ,  Dr Luke Daly ,  Dr John MacDonald  ( [email protected] )

This project will develop a new and detailed understanding of the evolution of C-complex asteroids through the analysis of carbonate minerals using state of the art geochemical and mineralogical techniques. Specifically, the project will use Ca- Mg- and Fe-rich carbonates in the CI and CM carbonaceous chondrite meteorites (calcite, dolomite, siderite, magnesite) to track the evolution of the temperature, and chemical and isotopic composition of pore fluids during the first few million years of solar system history. Results will be highly applicable to interpreting results from ongoing missions to the asteroids Bennu and Ryugu.

Understanding the evolution of C-type asteroids is important as they are likely to be a significant contributor to the volatile budget of the Earth. Soon after their accretion within the protoplanetary disk, C-complex asteroids were heated sufficiently to melt water ice (Fujiya et al., 2012). Interaction of this water with co-accreted minerals and glasses produced a suite of secondary minerals including phyllosilicates, sulphides and carbonates. Although they are a volumetrically minor component, the carbonates can provide detailed information on the nature and evolution of the parent body fluids, including their chemical composition, temperature, pH and Eh, which can itself reveal the length scale and longevity of the aqueous system (Guo and Eiler 2007; Lee et al., 2014). In addition to conventional analytical tools, this project proposes to use the evolving technique of atom probe tomography (APT), which has recently been shown to yield unique insights into the nanoscale chemical and isotopic compositions of carbonate minerals in the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites (Daly et al., 2018).

The meteorite samples will be studied using conventional scanning electron microscopy techniques to locate, petrographically characterise and chemically analyse the carbonates. Data on their carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions will be available from work ongoing at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, and new analyses for the project using nanoSIMS. APT will be undertaken in the UK (Oxford University), or at partner organisations in Australia (Sydney and Curtin universities).

The project is suitable for a graduate with a good honours degree in Geology or Earth Science with an interest in Planetary Science.

This project will equip the student with skills in planetary science, mineralogy and geochemistry, which could lead to employment in areas such as resource exploration, environmental management and space science.

• Daly, L. et al. (2018) Atom probe tomography of nanoscale structures in carbonates from the Queen Elizabeth Range (QUE) 93005 CM2 carbonaceous chondrite: implications for the evolution of parent body fluids. 81st Annual Meeting of The Meteoritical Society (LPI Contrib. No. 2067), abstract #6239.
• Fujiya W., Sugiura N., Hotta H., Ichimura K., and Sano Y. 2012. Evidence for the late formation of hydrous asteroids from young meteoritic carbonates. Nature Communications 3, 627.
• Guo W. and Eiler J. M. 2007. Temperatures of aqueous alteration and evidence for methane generation on the parent bodies of the CM chondrites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 71, 5565–5575.
• Lee M. R., Lindgren P. and Sofe M. R. (2014) Aragonite, breunnerite, calcite and dolomite in the CM carbonaceous chondrites: high fidelity recorders of progressive

Contact the principal supervisor with any questions:  [email protected]

MSc by Research

Accord: accretionary orogenesis driving the preservation of continental interiors over geologic time (msc by research).

Supervisors:  Paul R. Eizenhöfer ,  Dr Iain Neill

Most present-day continents such as the Americas, Africa or Eurasia contain ancient crust that was formed in Mesoarchean to Palaeoproterozoic times (<3.2 billion years ago). In the literature, these tectonic units are commonly known as cratons.

In general, they are surrounded by younger sedimentary platforms, continental basins, geologically younger mountain belts and regions of crustal extensions. Despite their involvement in multiple supercontinent cycles and undergoing various tectonic processes such as oceanic subduction, continental collision, magmatism and rifting events along their margins and interiors over billions of years, cratons have proven remarkably persistent over geologic time scales. Understanding their evolution provides not only insights into the early Earth since the Mesoarchean but also can be extrapolated to understand planetary crustal evolution in our Solar System and elsewhere. However, the factors that facilitate the preservation of continental interiors and cratons on Earth are still a matter of debate (e.g., Pearson et al., 2021).

Similarly, the tectonic mechanisms that nurture continental and cratonic destruction remain largely unresolved. The project will test the hypothesis, if oceanic subduction is accompanied by sustained accretionary processes, then any continental interior, such as cratonic cores, will be more likely preserved while more destructive tectonic processes shift to outwards positions. To test this hypothesis, this study will conduct a targeted sedimentary provenance analysis along the northern margin of the North China Craton. Seventeen bedrock samples of Palaeozoic sedimentary strata have been collected along the northern margin of the North China Craton.

Their depositional ages range from the Ordovician to Permian. These samples will be subjected to in-situ zircon U-Pb, Hf and O analyses as well as whole-rock geochemical analyses to identify their sedimentary provenance, and, hence, the nature of the Palaeozoic subduction environment along the craton margin.

Desired skills/knowledge background of the applicant:

Applicants can come from geology, environmental geoscience, or physical geography disciplines as long as they have demonstrated experience relevant to the preferred topic from the project outline above (e.g., an undergraduate dissertation, specific training in a relevant skill, or other project experience). GIS, Google Earth, and basic programming skills such as MATLAB or Python would be very helpful.

Career prospects:

The student will develop transferable skills such as work and communication in an international research group, data and project management. These skills make the student highly competitive to a career in data-driven Earth System science. The student will be highly employable in the fields of environmental consulting, hazard research, and land management. The project has the potential to be developed towards a PhD study.

Bench fees: £3750 

Supervisors : Iain Neill  and colleagues as appropriate to the problem being tackled

Bench fees are £2500 for a self-funded student & £3500 for a government-funded student. Students can start when they wish by discussion, though projects typically begin in October each year.

Evolution of Fluvial Systems ­– Nature vs. Model

Supervisors: Dr Amanda Owen,  Dr Paul Eizenhöfer

Fluvial systems are a primary driver of long-term (Myr) landscape evolution. Their geomorphology, erosional features and sedimentary products are accessible archives to decipher climatic and tectonics conditions that shaped such landscapes (Bishop, 2007). Numerical landscapes evolution models (Tucker & Hancock, 2010) are often employed to test hypotheses that are concerned with climate/tectonic interaction over geologic time scales. These models can simulate a variety of surface processes such as hillslope diffusion and fluvial erosion. Based on idealised theoretical concepts of erosion and deposition (e.g., Davy & Lague), the predicted landscapes often appear to be strikingly similar to natural landscapes (e.g., Eizenhöfer et al., 2019).

However, the question remains unanswered at what temporal and spatial scales these models reflect the natural world. How does the natural complexity of a fluvial system from source to sink compare to that of modelled ones? This project aims to quantify modelled and natural fluvial systems and identify caveats in applying numerical landscape evolution models to the natural world. The student will employ numerical landscape evolution models to simulate fluvial systems, and then compare geomorphological and sedimentological metrics from both, predicted and a range of natural fluvial systems worldwide

Basic programming skills such as in MATLAB or Python (not essential).

The student will develop transferable skills such as work and communication in an international research group and project management. These skills make the student highly competitive to a career in data-driven, computational Earth System science. The student will be highly employable in the fields of environmental consulting, hazard research, and land management.

Project can be expanded to pursue a PhD degree.

References  

• Bishop, P. (2007). Long‐term landscape evolution: linking tectonics and surface processes. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms: the Journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group, 32(3), 329-365.
• Davy, P., & Lague, D. (2009). Fluvial erosion/transport equation of landscape evolution models revisited. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 114(F3).
• Tucker, G. E., & Hancock, G. R. (2010). Modelling landscape evolution. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 35(1), 28-50.

Cement Waste Carbonation for Carbon Capture (Dr John MacDonald)

Supervisor: ( [email protected] )

This project will investigate the natural capture of carbon dioxide by a legacy cement waste heap.

Rationale of the project

Cement manufacture involves smelting raw materials (predominantly limestone and clay) in a furnace at ~2000 °C which produces gravel- to cobble-sized cement clinker, which is subsequently ground up to become cement powder. Some clinker may be discarded for quality-control reasons and has historically been dumped in heaps around cement works. The clinker is composed of highly reactive minerals (this is what gives cement its desired properties), which are far from equilibrium in the natural environment and, similar to other industrial smelting products like steel slag, react with atmospheric CO 2  to precipitate calcium carbonate (calcite). This reaction, which draws down atmospheric CO 2 , merits further investigation as it may present an opportunity to limit or reduce atmospheric CO 2  concentrations which are increasing global temperatures. In order to address the feasibility of this, various questions need to be addressed such as how much CO 2  could waste cement clinker sequester, and what are the mechanics of the calcite precipitation.

Samples of cement clinker have been collected from a former cement works near Wishaw in Scotland. A small cliff section through a bank of partially ground discarded clinker shows irregular layering and a range of textures. Photography and logging of this cliff will provide context to subsequent petrographic and XRD analysis to determine the mineralogy. µCT analysis will be conducted on samples to determine the spatial distribution and volume of calcite which has precipitated on the clinker.

The student should have a geoscience or chemistry background with a strong interest in climate change and its mitigation. Laboratory experience is desirable and a willingness to learn new techniques in a laboratory environment is vital. A competent ability in scientific writing, gained through an undergraduate mapping or research project, is expected.

This MSc by Research project will give the student experience in advanced SEM techniques and familiarity with industrial residues and the opportunities they present. These skills will equip them for further research through a PhD or a career in a discipline relevant to climate change or environmental management.

Interested applicants should contact  Dr. John MacDonald  at:  [email protected]

Evolution of the western Carboniferous Midland Valley Basin, Scotland (Dr Cristina Persano)

Supervisors:  Dr Cristina Persano , Dr Amanda Owen , Dr Iain Neill

Project aim:

The aim of this project is to quantitatively reconstruct the source of Carboniferous sediments in the western portion of the Midland Valley and constrain the basin’s thermal evolution since its deposition. Data from this area will be integrated into a wider project based at the University of Glasgow to better understand the Carboniferous Midland Valley and its potential as an unconventional resource basin, including oil and geothermal energy.

Project rationale:

To date, the Carboniferous of the Midland Valley of Scotland has received considerably less attention than its Devonian counterpart. Carboniferous sedimentation and associated volcanism occurred in response to crustal extension, and the nature and source of sedimentary materials represents a delicate balance between tectonic processes operating both locally and across NW Europe, and sea level change. The Midland Valley has provided important sources of coal, aggregate and limestone which fuelled Scotland’s industrial revolution, and is today the source of much interest for low-enthalpy geoenergy resources close to our main towns and cities (eg. Potential for deep geothermal energy in Scotland ).

Although a stratigraphic framework is in place, detailed sedimentological and geochronological data is generally lacking due to urbanisation and a lack of outcrops being present in the central portion of the Midland Valley leading to gaps in knowledge. However, access to unique core from drilling associated with the  Dalmarnock UK Geoenergy Observatories programme  will shed light onto this economically significant basin through new geochronological and sedimentological studies.

In this project, quantified facies mapping techniques, zircon U-Pb dating and apatite fission track analyses will help understand fundamental scientific questions of the Scottish Carboniferous: whether a dominantly axial or transverse sediment routing system was present, the key source areas for sediment supply, and the post-depositional thermal history. Our group have already commenced work on the eastern Midland Valley, but for the first time we have an opportunity to continue this work in the western part of the basin. All aspects of these questions are critically important for this basin due to its economic significance as it is currently being explored to assess its viability as a geothermal resource. The approaches taken within this study will not only serve to answer questions specific to this basin but also serve as a methodological approach to resource (i.e. coal, shale gas, geothermal) identification, reservoir connectivity, and prediction of the best targets for exploitation in other under-utilized basins across the world.

The work is organized into two parts which interact and feedback on each other. The rock core will be fully logged by the student, its sedimentary characteristics and structures will then be used to quantitatively characterise facies to generate robust palaeogeographic interpretations. The portions of the sedimentary core allotted to Glasgow will undergo extensive petrographic investigations, and those, coupled with the logs, will guide a sampling strategy for the recovery of zircon and apatite grains. Apatites will undergo U-Pb dating and fission track analysis at the University of Glasgow, whilst entire zircon populations will undergo U-Pb dating and trace element analysis using laser ablation mass spectrometry, again at the University of Glasgow. The U-Pb ages will provide insights onto the provenance of the sediments, whereas the fission track data will constrain the thermal evolution of the basin.

The student will then integrate the different datasets in combination with regional data to produce a paleogeographic model for the western portion of the Carboniferous Midland Valley, which will then be integrated into ongoing work in our group to build a robust understanding of the origins and thermal history of this economically significant sedimentary basin.

Please note that there is a £1000 programme cost due from the student. This cost partially covers the student’s expenses to visit Nottingham for core sampling, for laboratory preparation, sample analysis, and subsequent conference/workshop presentations.

You must have a 2:1 in a relevant Geoscience degree. You must be enthusiastic about working in a laboratory and attentive to the Health and Safety procedures. You must be able to work independently, effectively managing your project, but also be part of the research team and work alongside other lab users, including postgraduate students and research fellows, in a vibrant, international environment.

Due to the multidisciplinary aspects to this project the chosen student will gain a host of skills. Research based skills including scientific writing, presentation (poster and oral) and outreach skills will be gained as part of this project. Scientific skills include training in logging of sedimentary core, quantitative facies analyses, U/Pb analysis of zircons and apatite fission track analyses, involving training in sample preparation and laser ablation mass spectrometry. Such skill sets are relevant for a future career in both industry (such as geothermal, oil and gas and mining) and academia (PhD programmes).

You will be eligible to attend a range of study- and career-enhancing workshops as part of their postgraduate training at the University of Glasgow.

Quantifying the mineralogical controls on precious metal enrichment in the Rum layered intrusion, NW Scotland (Dr Joshua F Einsle)

Supervisors: Dr Joshua F Einsle, Dr John Faithfull, Dr Brian O’Driscoll (University of Manchester), and Dr Daniel Lonsdale (LIG Nanowise)

The Rum layered mafic intrusion (NW Scotland) provides an excellent opportunity for studying the processes by which platinum group metals (PGM) are mobilised and enriched during precious metal ore formation. Connecting the magmatic processes that operated in the Rum body with other economically significant layered intrusions relies on being able to quantitatively contextualise multiscale data to reveal the full complexity of the PGM mineral assemblage and distribution.  By combining advanced microscopy and microanalysis techniques with machine learning tools, this project will provide a statistically quantitative approach to understanding the PGM mineralisation in the Rum intrusion.  Working from the field and hand sample scales down to the grain scale, this project will look to correlate optical information (sub-micrometre optical microscopy and Raman mapping) with electron beam microanalysis to develop an efficient workflow for locating and describing nanoscale PGM grains in samples, while simultaneously preserving large scale context. This should result in a flexible tools set suitable for studying other energy critical element orebodies.

Platinum group metals (PGM) are of increasing global importance due to their role in the automotive and electronics industries.  This demand drives a need to not only understand existing resources but investigate methods for enhanced recovery of PGM from previously extracted ore; a prospect whose economic viability depends on metal price(s). Interestingly, most of these reserves are associated with layered igneous intrusions, where chromite layers are enriched in PGM.

This project will leverage the strong lithological and structural similarities between the Rum Layered Suite and the world’s most productive PGM resource (the Bushveld Complex, South Africa) to help develop a holistic model for PGM enrichment in chromite more generally. As Rum is considerably younger and smaller, it should preserve valuable primary magmatic (chemical, textural) signatures which are not present in the Bushveld body. This makes Rum a valuable locality to examine PGM distribution and develop new approaches to the quantitative characterisation of the phases that control the distribution of the metals.  Previous efforts to map out these features using quantitative automated mineralogy tools on the electron microscope have been limited by the trade-off between automation throughput versus spatial resolution 1 .

This project looks to apply correlative approaches using optical and electron microscopy combined with machine learning to produce statistically robust datasets describing the diversity and distribution of the mineral phases of interest. The advanced statistical approach to the correlative methods developed in this project will be generalisable for localising and identifying of other rare element grains in a range of geological settings.

This project will involve the student working on materials from the Isle of Rum. This can focus entirely on archived samples (e.g. materials in the Hunterian and previously collected materials) or fieldwork can be organised for acquiring fresh specimens. In order to understand the PGM enrichment process, the petrography, mineralogy and chemical composition of thin sections samples will be characterised by developing a correlative workflow moving from hand specimen to thin section (optical microscopy) and then onto the scanning electron scope utilizing x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS; at the University of Glasgow).

Analysing the EDS maps with open source machine learning tools 2,3  will produce quantitative phase maps which can be explored for both PGM phases as well as textural relationships revealed through the phase maps. These statistically derived mineral phase relationships will be used to derive statistically robust datasets based on the full range of grain sizes down to the nanoscale which are connected across multiple thin sections.

Further, the data driven localisation of PGM grains will be used to inform optical inspection techniques (leveraging advanced nanooptics developed by LIG Nanowise) and look at developing an efficient process for inverting this workflow. There is also scope to explore applications of electron backscatter diffraction and/or x-ray tomography in understanding PGM enrichment growth processes. We envisage that the workflows and analytical methods developed here will be redeployable across a broad range of geological applications in petrology, mineralogy and beyond.

The student should have a background in geosciences, computer and or data science, or the physical sciences. Laboratory experience is desirable although not essential but a willingness to learn new techniques in a laboratory environment is vital. The student will become familiar with scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectroscopy, nanooptics and data science methods. A competent ability in scientific writing, gained through an undergraduate mapping or research project, is expected.

This project will equip the student with skills in mineralogy, microscopy and microanalysis as well as data science techniques. This could lead to several possible roles in the microscopy industry, materials science, data science and the mineral resource/extractive industries or a PhD position. Partnership with LIG Nanowise will provide industrial experience for the student and provide useful insight into differences between commercial and research approaches.

• O’Driscoll, B., Butcher, A. R. & Latypov, R. New insights into precious metal enrichment on the Isle of Rum, Scotland.  Geol. Today   30 , 134–141 (2014).
• Einsle, J. F.  et al.  All Mixed Up: Using Machine Learning to Address Heterogeneity in (Natural) Materials.  Microsc. Microanal. 24 , 562–563 (2018)
• Peña, F. de la  et al.  HyperSpy 1.1.2. (2017). doi:10.5281/ZENODO.240660

Data driven approaches for unmixing meteoritic magnetic mineralogy (Dr Joshua F Einsle)

Supervisors:  Dr Joshua F. Einsle , , Dr Ian MacLaren  (School of Physics & Astronomy), Dr Alex Eggeman (Manchester)

The proposed project will leverage big data techniques to analyse complex crystallographic and chemical data of magnetic minerals from iron-nickel meteorites.  The magnetic properties of the ‘cloudy zone’, a nanoscale iron-nickel intergrowth, are of interest since it both records the magnetic history of the proto-planet (planetesimal) where the. Application of data deconvolution techniques like clustering have revealed a complex chemical and crystallographic environment.

The project will look at testing these results by examining the composition and crystallography from a series of iron-nickel meteorites displaying different cooling histories.  By mapping out the microstructures throughout the thermodynamic phase space, it will be possible to better constrain planetesimal cooling rates and develop a better understanding for the low-temperature synthesis of these Fe-Ni alloys.

Rare-earth permanent magnets play a critical role in green technologies such as wind turbines and electric vehicles 1–4 .  These elements are mainly sourced from a limited number of countries, many of which suffer from complex political situations. A desire for secure and ethical materials drives a strong global interest in developing low cost alternatives for permanent magnetic materials. 

Recently, Goto et al 5  have developed a low-temperature laboratory based method for the synthesis of the ordered iron-nickel alloy, tetrataenite.  This alloy naturally forms of years allows for diffusion to form a nanoscale intergrowth called the cloudy zone  6,7 . The finest region of the cloudy zone possesses a high magnetic coercively due to the 50 nm (or less) particles of tetrataenite being magnetically aligned and surrounded by a different ordered Fe-Ni alloy matrix. These properties provide a natural analogue to rare-earth permanent magnet materials.

The synthetic process above can only be optimised through a better understanding of the low temperature phase space recorded in the cloudy zone microstructures of meteorites with different cooling rates. These experiments will build on the recently reported data driven approaches for examining these nanoscale mineral phases but extend them in two critical methods 7 . Using the direct electron detector on the MagTEM microscope in the Kelvin Centre for Nanotechnology (KNC)-Glasgow we will be able to undertake high-resolution electron diffraction experiments exploring the chemical ordering in the matrix. Additionally, Lorentz mode convergent beam diffraction patterns allow for the mapping of sample magnetization.

Further, there is scope to extend the analytical techniques at KNC, by correlating measurements with the atomic resolution elemental mapping available at SuperSTEM. Using the correlative microanalysis tools, all three data sets can be overlaid and analysed in parallel to understand how chemistry and crystal structure in the two phases produce the magnetic behaviour of the cloudy zone. This will extend the correlative microanalysis framework by incorporating functional properties of the material studied.

The cloudy zone of Fe-Ni meteorites consists of two similar cubic crystal structures with similar chemical compositions. As such data deconvolution approaches have been critical to understanding how these two phases formed as the parent body cooled.  This project will focus on developing correlative data science approaches for examining spectroscopic and crystallographic data in parallel allowing covariance in data sets to be revealed. Studies will be conducted on archived meteorite samples. The collection of new data sets will be facilitated training in electron microscopy techniques. Then analysis will be performed using open source Python based packages, such as Hyperspy, and Scikit-learn.

The student should have a background in geosciences, computer and or data science, or the physical sciences. Laboratory experience is desirable although not essential but a willingness to learn new techniques in a laboratory environment is vital. The student will become familiar with electron microscopy and microanalysis (both crystallographic and spectroscopic techniques). The focus will be on the application and further development of data science approaches to the analysis of microanalytical data. A competent ability in scientific writing, gained through an undergraduate mapping or research project, is expected.

This project will equip the student with skills in mineralogy, microscopy and microanalysis as well as data science techniques. This could lead to several possible roles in the materials science (including renewable technologies) and microscopy fields, as well as space exploration, data science and the mineral resource/extractive industries or a PhD position.

References :

• Grandell, L.  et al.  Role of critical metals in the future markets of clean energy technologies.  Renew. Energy   95 , 53–62 (2016).
• Riba, J.-R., López-Torres, C., Romeral, L. & Garcia, A. Rare-earth-free propulsion motors for electric vehicles: A technology review.  Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev.   57 , 367–379 (2016).
• Widmer, J. D., Martin, R. & Kimiabeigi, M. Electric vehicle traction motors without rare earth magnets.  Sustain. Mater. Technol.   3 , 7–13 (2015).
• Lewis, L. H.  et al.  Inspired by nature: investigating tetrataenite for permanent magnet applications.  J. Phys. Condens. Matter   26 , 064213 (2014).
• Goto, S.  et al.  Synthesis of single-phase L10-FeNi magnet powder by nitrogen insertion and topotactic extraction.  Sci. Rep.   7 , 1–7 (2017).
• Bryson, J. F. J.  et al.  Long-lived magnetism from solidification-driven convection on the pallasite parent body.  Nature   517 , 472–475 (2015).
• Einsle, J. F.  et al.  Nanomagnetic properties of the meteorite cloudy zone.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.   115 , (2018).

Geological history of an unknown protoplanet: The Ureilite meteorites (Dr Luke Daly)

Supervisors:  Dr Luke Daly , Prof Martin Lee

The Ureilite meteorites are an enigma as we do not know what parent planet they originated from. This project aims to determine the geological history of the Ureilite meteorites to aid in the search for their parent body/bodies.

The Ureilite meteorites are an anomalous type of achondrite meteorite. They represent igneous rocks from a differentiated planetesimal, one that was large enough to separate into a core, mantle and crust, potentially as large as Mercury or Mars. There are however, no good candidates in our solar system for the source of the Ureilite meteorites and it is not clear that they come from the same body at all.

The Ureilite meteorites are interesting as they are rich in carbon that is concentrated in diamonds, that could have formed during intense shock metamorphism during planetary break up or during long-lived high pressure metamorphism in a planetary mantle. A comparative study of the petrography and deformation histories of these meteorites is vital to understand the formation evolution and destruction of planetesimals in our Solar System.

Urelite meteorites have been aquired from the Smithsonian Institute. The petrography, mineralogy and chemical composition of meteorite samples will be characterised by scanning electron microscopy techniques in particular electron backscatter diffraction to unpick their deformation history/histories derived from thermal and shock metamorphism.

Additional programme cost: £1,000

The project is suitable for a graduate with a good honours degree in geology, Earth science or materials science. Laboratory experience is desirable - particularly use of SEM - and a willingness to learn new techniques in a laboratory environment is vital. A competent ability in scientific writing, gained through an undergraduate mapping or research project, is expected.

This MSc by research project will equip the student with skills in mineralogy, crystallography and geochemistry. Additionally, this MSc by research project will give the student experience in advanced SEM techniques and handling big datasets. These skills could lead to employment in areas such as extractive industries or environmental management. There are also many opportunities for PhD research in planetary science in the UK and internationally.

Bubbling Over – Computer Simulations of Lava Lake Convection (Tobias Keller)

Supervisor:  Tobias Keller

You will characterise the dynamics of convection for active lava lakes around the world by means of custom-built computer simulations. The aim is to better understand the flow of lava driven by bubbles of volcanic gas through the plumbing system of persistently active volcanoes.

Lava lakes provide a rare window into the plumbing system of volcanoes. A recent study  Lev et al. ,  2019,  doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2019.04.010 .] has synthesised observations on the handful of currently active lava lakes world-wide and found a correlation between the observed flux of volcanic gas through the lake surface and the speed of lava flowing along it. The observed flow regimes vary between slow, plate-like creep and fast, churning flow.

Our current understanding is that the mode of convection depends on the chemistry, and temperature of the lava, on the geometry of the lake bed and the conduit feeding into it, and on the flux of volcanic gas passed through the system. The gas derives from exsolution of volatiles deeper down in the conduit and forms bubbles entrained in the lava. However, the relative importance of each factor remains unclear. A recent modelling study [Birnbaum et al., preprint,  arXiv.org: 1907.02899 ] has developed computer simulations that can help to unravel the internal dynamics of lava lakes. You will extend this promising approach to study all currently active lava lakes world-wide.

You will extend a custom-built multi-phase flow simulator to test how lava lake convection driven by buoyant bubbles of volcanic gas depends on factors including lava crystallinity as a function of its chemistry and temperature, the geometry of the lake bed and conduit, and the influx of gas from deeper down.

You will systematically test a range of model parameters and analyse the resulting output to find overarching trends and systematic flow regimes that help explain the internal dynamics of convecting lava lakes.

Finally, you will compare your findings to observational records of surface flow speed and gas flux from currently active lava lakes and discuss what insights the simulations can reveal about these complex natural systems. The simulation code is written in Matlab and has been tested on a limited parameter range. You will have the opportunity to implement additional code features and develop post-processing scripts to analyse output. If your prior coding experience is limited you will be given sufficient training to accomplish these tasks.

You will have a background either in Earth Sciences, Geology, or Geophysics, with an interest in computer modelling, or a degree in Physics, Applied Math, or Engineering, with an interest in Geology and Volcanology. Basic skills in Matlab or similar language are desirable.

This project will help you develop skills in quantitative analysis, numerical modelling, code development, and project management. These skill are essential for pursuing a career in academic research, but also valuable for related industrial, engineering, or public service careers.

Onwards and Upwards – Modelling Gravitational Stability of Magma Mush (Tobias Keller)

You will characterise the gravitational stability and diapiric rise of magma lenses in crustal mush bodies by means of custom-built computer simulations. The aim is to better understand the time and length scales of magma ascent and intrusion in the mid to upper crust.

Magma ascending from sources in the upper mantle is either emplaced as plutonic rocks or erupted at active volcanoes. The processing of magma through the crust remains poorly understood, but observations point towards the existence of vertically extensive bodies of crystal-rich magma mush, within which transient melt-rich magma lenses can form [Cashman et al., 2017,  doi: 10.1126/science.aag3055 .]. These magma lenses can become gravitationally unstable and rise as diapirs into overlying crustal layers.

The time and length scales of magma ascent are likely controlled by the chemistry and temperature of the magma, the deformational properties of the surrounding crust, and the flux of magma fed from the melt source beneath. As these processes are inaccessible to direct observation, many aspects remain unresolved. This project is based on a recent study [Seropian et al. ,  2018,  doi: 10.1029/2018JB015523 .] that combines analogue modelling and mathematical analysis to elucidate the gravitational stability of magma lenses in mush bodies.

You will complement the ongoing analogue modelling efforts of collaborators at the University of Bristol by means of custom-built numerical simulations. 

You will use simulations of magma flow and rock deformation to test how the gravitational stability of magma lenses depends on the deformational properties of magma mush and wall rock, the structure of the crust, and the flux of melt from sources below.

You will reproduce analogue model results to benchmark the code before scaling simulations up from laboratory to crustal scales. You will systematically test model parameters and analyse the results to identify pertinent length and time scales of magma ascent that help explain the internal dynamics of crustal magma processing.

Finally, you will compare your findings to observational records of plutonic rock complexes, crustal tomography, and volcanic output. The simulation code is written in Matlab and has been tested on a limited parameter range.

You will have the opportunity to implement additional code features and develop post-processing scripts to analyse output. If your prior coding experience is limited you will be given sufficient training to accomplish the required tasks. You will regularly communicate with Prof. Alison Rust (Bristol), who leads the analogue modelling efforts this study relates to.

Reconstructing terrestrial Scottish Carboniferous palaeoclimate through clumped isotope analysis of sideritic ironstones (Dr John MacDonald)

Supervisors:  Dr John MacDonald  and Dr John Faithfull (Hunterian Museum)

This project seeks to precisely and quantitatively reconstruct late Carboniferous palaeotemperatures in the Midland Valley of Scotland with sideritic ironstones, using a combination of fieldwork, petrography and innovative clumped isotope laboratory analysis.

Terrestrial palaeoclimate can be reconstructed in a qualitative fashion from fossil and palynological records. Quantitative proxies for quantitatively and precisely reconstructing ancient terrestrial palaeotemperatures are more limited. The relatively recently developed clumped isotope palaeotemperature proxy has been widely used in marine palaeoclimatic reconstructions, utilising the ability of molecular isotopic arrangements in the calcite shells of marine organisms to record seawater temperatures.

For ancient terrestrial palaeotemperatures, another carbonate mineral – siderite – gives the opportunity to apply clumped isotopes. In the Scottish Carboniferous, siderite is found in ironstones, such as the Musselband Ironstone. These sideritic ironstones represent non-marine horizons and can therefore be used to reconstruct terrestrial palaeoclimate.

Using a combination of samples collected in the field, and from the UK Geoenergy Observatories programme core from Dalmarnock near Glasgow, the student will undertake a multi-proxy research approach to reconstructing Scottish Carboniferous palaeoclimate.

You will conduct fieldwork to log and sample ironstones in central Scotland and integrate these with samples obtained from the Dalmarnock borehole and its associated records.

You will make thin sections of the samples and conduct optical petrography to quantify the mineralogy and textures of the sideritic ironstones. Samples will then be prepared for clumped isotope analysis, from which siderite precipitation temperatures – and therefore past surface temperatures – will be reconstructed. Full training will be given in all techniques.

The student should have a geology background with an interest in sedimentology, stratigraphy and palaeoclimate. Laboratory experience is desirable although not essential but a willingness to learn new techniques in a laboratory environment is vital. A competent ability in scientific writing, gained through an undergraduate mapping or research project, is expected.

This MSc by Research project will give the student experience in cutting-edge analytical techniques such as clumped isotopes, along with a range of general research skills. These skills will equip them for further research through a PhD or a career in the environmental sector where knowledge of climate parameters is important.

Denudation on the Himalayas: where, when, how much? (Dr Cristina Persano)

Supervisors:  Dr Cristina Persano , Dr Martin Hurst and Dr Gyana Ranjan Tripathy (Department of Earth and Climate Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune,  India)

This project aims to reconstruct the temporal and spatial distribution of denudation across the Himalayas in the late Cenozoic to assess their contribution, over time, to the global sediment systems. Denudation will be constrained using published low temperature thermochrometric data (mica and feldspars Ar/Ar, apatite and zircon fission track and (U-Th-Sm)/He analyses).

The proposed research objectives are to (i) build a database of mineral cooling ages that will be be made publicly available to academics; (ii) use the thermochronometric data to build cooling isoage surfaces across the mountain belt to constrain its spatial and temporal development; (iii) reconstruct exhumation rates through time and, using mass balance calculations, quantitatively compare them with the volume of sediments offshore, to identify the Himalayas contribution as a global source of sediments.

The Himalayas are one of the biggest topographic features on our planet and a ‘landscape of extremes’. It is on the Himalayas, for examples, that the highest summits, relief and erosion rates are recorded.  The processes and locations of where erosion takes place and how they have varied through time is still unknown, as studies tend to focus on one particular area, rather than the entire belt.

The Himalayas, however, are so big that they influence the global climate and they represent a source of sediments that is significant, although still unquantified, for the sediment budget of all the planet. On the other end, climate and, in particular, the alternation of a wet and dry monsoon has an important effect on the present erosion rates, but how climate and tectonic processes interacted with each other in the past to produce the mountain belt we see now is not very well understood. The plethora of thermochrometric data now available from the literature permits to reconstruct denudation through time across the entire mountain range.  

The project requires to build an archive of thermochronometric data on a platform, probably based on excel, that will be available to the academic world. The data will be used to build ‘isoage contours’ that take the rock age-present elevation relationship into account to reconstruct the denudational history of the entire mountain belt in a GIS environment.

Student with a minimum 2:1 in a relevant degree (e.g. Geoscience, Physical Geography). The student will need to have a good mathematical background (Calculus 1 would be desirable, or at least Math at higher level).

The student will receive training in the use of numerical modelling and GIS software packages. Research based skills including scientific writing, presentation (poster and oral) and outreach skills will be gained as part of this project. Such skill sets are relevant for a future career in both industry (geospatial, geological) and academia (PhD programmes).

The student will be eligible to attend a range of study- and career-enhancing workshops as part of their postgraduate training at the University of Glasgow.

Baffin Island plume development and evolution (Dr Lydia Hallis)

Supervisors:  Dr Lydia Hallis

• Characterise sample mineralogy, via SEM analyses, and locate olivine-bound glassy melt inclusions
• Use SEM EDX and WDX in combination to determine inclusion chemistry. This will allow for the differentiation of samples from the previously reported depleted and enriched plume sources. Melt inclusion chemistry will also indicate if crustal assimilation or sea-water contamination has affected any of the samples.
• Use LA-ICP-MS to measure inclusion trace-element chemistry (including REE), to again look for crustal assimilation and contamination.
• Crush olivine separates of each sample to gain 3He/4He isotopic data, in order to determine if these samples originate from an undegassed, deep mantle source, as suggested by previous Baffin Island picrite analyses.

Studies of the trace-element, radiogenic-isotope, and noble gas isotope characteristics of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) and ocean-island basalts (OIBs) reveal the existence of domains within Earth’s mantle that have experienced distinct evolutionary histories. Although alternative theories exist, most studies suggest that high 3He/4He ratios in some OIBs indicate the existence of relatively undegassed regions in the deep mantle compared to the upper mantle, which retain a greater proportion of their primordial He. Study of the chemistry of these deep mantle regions can thus provide information relating to the Earth’s original composition, and the building blocks it formed from.

The Baffin Bay Volcanic Province erupted ~58 million years ago, during the rifting apart of Greenland and Baffin Island, which formed the Davis Strait. The resulting picrites are among the earliest manifestations of the ancestral Iceland mantle plume, and are thought to have a composition that reflects little fractionation from the mantle source. Based on the trace element compositions of chilled margins and glasses from the Baffin Bay picrites, Robillard et al. (1992) demonstrated that both slightly depleted lavas (similar to NMORBS) and slightly enriched lavas (similar to E-MORBS) were erupted. Both N-type and E-type picrites from this location have been reported to contain the highest 3He/4He ratios of any terrestrial samples yet measured, at between 31 and 50 Ra. These high 3He/4He ratios highlight the undegassed nature of the Baffin Island mantle plume material, indicating it has been largely isolated from mantle mixing over geological time.

The PhD candidate will analyse the mineralogy, petrology and chemistry of 5 unstudied Baffin Island picrites, originally collected from north-east Padloping Island in 2004. The aim of the project is to determine if the Baffin Island source region has been truly isolated from crustal recycling and mantle mixing throughout Earth history.

We aim to advance fundamental, quantitative understanding of critical geological phenomena on Earth and across the Solar System to solve scientific, engineering, and societal challenges.

Dynamic Earth & Planetary Evolution

Quantitative understanding of Earth and planetary materials to elucidate mechanisms, drivers, and timescales of dynamic processes within our Solar System.

• More information: Dynamic Earth & Planetary Evolution research theme

Susan Waldron

Professor Susan Waldron discusses research opportunities within Earth Sciences

Study options

Entry requirements

2.1 Honours degree or equivalent

Required documentation

Applicants should submit:

• Transcripts/degree certificate 
• Two references
• A one-page research proposal
• Name of potential Supervisor

Research proposal

Candidates are required to provide a single page outline of the research subject proposed (approximately 1000 words). This need not be a final thesis proposal but should include:

• a straightforward, descriptive, and informative title
• the question that your research will address
• an account of why this question is important and worth investigating
• an assessment of how your own research will engage with recent study in the subject
• a brief account of the methodology and approach you will take
• a discussion of the primary sources that your research will draw upon, including printed books, manuscripts, archives, libraries, or museums
• an indicative bibliography of secondary sources that you have already consulted and/or are planning to consult

English language requirements

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

• 6.5 with no subtests under 6.0
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test
• IELTS One Skill Retake accepted.

Common equivalent English language qualifications accepted for entry to this programme:

Toefl (ibt, my best or athome).

• 79; with Reading 13; Listening 12; Speaking 18;Writing 21
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements , this includes TOEFL mybest.

Pearsons PTE Academic

• 59 with minimum 59 in all subtests
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE)

• 176 overall, no subtest less than 169

Oxford English Test

• Oxford ELLT 7
• R&L: OIDI level no less than 6 with Reading: 21-24 Listening: 15-17
• W&S: OIDI level no less than 6

Trinity College Tests

Integrated Skills in English II & III & IV: ISEII Distinction with Distinction in all sub-tests.

University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses

Tests are accepted for 2 years following date of successful completion.

Alternatives to English Language qualification

• students must have studied for a minimum of 2 years at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have complete their degree in that majority-English speaking country  and  within the last 6 years
• students must have completed their final two years study in that majority-English speaking country  and  within the last 6 years

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELT) but we do not require a specific UKVI SELT for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We also consider other BALEAP accredited pre-sessional courses:

• School of Modern Languages and Cultures: English for Academic Study
• BALEAP guide to accredited courses

Fees and funding

• UK: £4,786
• International & EU: £30,240

Prices are based on the annual fee for full-time study. Fees for part-time study are half the full-time fee.

Irish nationals who are living in the Common Travel Area of the UK, EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status, and Internationals with Indefinite Leave to remain status can also qualify for home fee status.

• Fee status and policies

Alumni discount

We offer a 20% discount to our alumni on all Postgraduate Research and full Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes. This includes University of Glasgow graduates and those who have completed Junior Year Abroad, Exchange programme or International Summer School with us. The discount is applied at registration for students who are not in receipt of another discount or scholarship funded by the University. No additional application is required.

Possible additional fees

• Re-submission by a research student £540
• Submission for a higher degree by published work £1,355
• Submission of thesis after deadline lapsed £350
• Submission by staff in receipt of staff scholarship £790

Depending on the nature of the research project, some students will be expected to pay a bench fee (also known as research support costs) to cover additional costs. The exact amount will be provided in the offer letter.

• View a full list of our  current scholarships

The vibrancy of our research environment derives from our large body of postgraduate students.

We take an integrated approach to study at Glasgow, bringing together internationally leading expertise in physical and human geography, geology and geomatics.

Our postgraduate students benefit from many fieldwork opportunities, ranging from short day excursions close to Glasgow to longer residential field trips, which may involved overseas travel.

The School has close links with industry. We arrange many guest speakers and there are also informal opportunities to meet people from industry at open events. Projects may be carried out in conjunction with industry.

You will be part of a Graduate School which provides the highest level of support to its students.

The overall aim of our Graduate School is to provide a world-leading environment for students which is intellectually stimulating, encourages them to contribute to culture, society and the economy and enables them to become leaders in a global environment.

We have a diverse community of over 750 students from more than 50 countries who work in innovative and transformative disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields. An important part of our work is to bring our students together and to ensure they consider themselves an important part of the University’s academic community.

Being part of our Graduate School community will be of huge advantage to you in your studies and beyond and we offer students a number of benefits in addition to exceptional teaching and supervision, including:

• A wide-ranging and responsive research student training programme which enables you to enhance your skills and successfully complete your studies.
• Mobility scholarships of up to £4000 to enable you to undertake work in collaboration with an international partner.
• A diverse programme of activities which will ensure you feel part of the wider-research community (including our biannual science slam event).
• A residential trip for all new research students.
• The opportunity to engage with industry-partners through training, placements and events.
• Professionally accredited programmes.
• Unique Masters programmes run in collaboration with other organisations.
• State-of-the-art facilities including the  James Watt Nanofabrication Centre  and the  Kelvin Nanocharacterisation Centre .
• Highly-rated support for international students.

Over the last five years, we have helped over 600 students to complete their research studies and our students have gone on to take up prestigious posts in industries across the world.

Email:  [email protected]

How to apply

Identify potential supervisors.

All Postgraduate Research Students are allocated a supervisor who will act as the main source of academic support and research mentoring. You may want to identify a potential supervisor and contact them to discuss your research proposal before you apply. Please note, even if you have spoken to an academic staff member about your proposal you still need to submit an online application form.

You can find relevant academic staff members with our staff research interests search .

Gather your documents

Before applying please make sure you gather the following supporting documentation:

• Final or current degree transcripts including grades (and an official translation, if needed) – scanned copy in colour of the original document.
• Degree certificates (and an official translation, if needed): scanned copy in colour of the original document.
• Two references on headed paper and signed by the referee. One must be academic, the other can be academic or professional. References may be uploaded   as part of the application form or you may enter your referees contact details on the application form. We will then email your referee and notify you when we receive the reference.  We can also accept confidential references direct to  [email protected] , from the referee’s university or business email account.
• Research proposal, CV, samples of written work as per requirements for each subject area.
• If you have any questions about your application  before  you apply: email  [email protected]  
• If you have any questions  after  you have submitted your application:  contact our Admissions team
• Any  references  may be submitted by email to:  [email protected]

International Students

• Advice on visa, immigrations and the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) can be found at Applying for a student visa outside the UK

Our research environment

• Discover how we support and develop postgraduate researchers
• Getting started with PGR development:   how postgraduate researchers are welcomed into our community

Postgraduate researcher blogs

• A community blog, written by and for postgraduate researchers at the University of Glasgow

Related links

• Earth Systems research
• School of Geographical & Earth Sciences
• College of Science & Engineering
• Graduate School Pocket Guide (PDF)

Research opportunities

Basins and structural geology.

Expertise of research area basin analysis; numerical modelling; seismic; structural geology

Our research focuses on the development of an integrated approach to investigating the evolution and deformation of sedimentary basins and their stratigraphic fills using a range of geophysical, field-based and numerical modelling methods.

<p>We aim to develop a better understanding of basins in a variety of tectonic settings by using seismic reflection interpretation, field studies and structural modelling. In addition, many of our studies involve integration of structural basin analysis with a broader tectonic framework and petroleum systems modelling in both extensional and compressional margins.</p> <p>We are keen to hear from prospective postgraduate researchers. See our <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/institute-applied-geoscience/doc/basin-structure-1">current areas of research</a>.</p> <h5>Why do your PhD at Leeds?&nbsp;</h5> <p><strong>Study in an active research environment&nbsp;</strong><br /> Studying your PhD with us means you&rsquo;ll be working in a professional research environment, using UK-leading facilities to bring your project to life &ndash; alongside active researchers who are at the forefront of their area.&nbsp;<br /> <strong>A strong network of support &nbsp;</strong><br /> The Leeds Doctoral College connects our community of researchers and can offer you the guidance, services and opportunities you&rsquo;ll need to get the most out of your PhD.&nbsp;<br /> <strong>Close industry links&nbsp;</strong><br /> Our partnerships and links to companies and academic institutions give you the opportunity to network at industry talks, seminars and conferences, building connections that&#39;ll benefit your next steps after you complete your PhD.&nbsp;<br /> <strong>Professional skills development &nbsp;</strong><br /> We think of the whole picture at Leeds. That&rsquo;s why we offer a range of workshops and courses that&#39;ll enhance your skillset further and transfer into your professional career.&nbsp;<br /> <strong>Personal and wellbeing services&nbsp;</strong><br /> Mental health and wellbeing support are integral to who we are at Leeds and you&rsquo;ll have access to the full range of services we offer to ensure you&rsquo;re feeling your best &ndash; and reaching your potential in your studies.&nbsp;<br /> <strong>Join our global community&nbsp;</strong><br /> We welcome students, researchers, academics, partners and alumni from more than 140 countries, all over the world. This means, as a university, we&rsquo;re bringing together different cultures and perspectives which helps strengthen our research &ndash; and societal impact.</p> <h3>Useful links and further reading:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/see-research-degrees">Research degrees within the School of Earth and Environment</a></li> <li><a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/institute-applied-geoscience/doc/basin-structure-1">Basins and Structural Geology group</a></li> <li><a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/see-research-innovation">School of Earth and Environment,&nbsp;Research&nbsp;and Innovation</a></li> </ul> <h3>Leeds Doctoral College</h3> <p>Our <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-leeds-doctoral-college">Doctoral College</a> supports you throughout your postgraduate research journey. It brings together all the support services and opportunities to enhance your research, your development, and your overall experience.</p>

<p>Formal applications for research degree study should be made online through the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-applying/doc/applying-research-degrees">University&#39;s website</a>.</p>

<p>For queries relating to your research proposal or subject area, please contact <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/see/staff/1208/dr-richard-collier">Dr Richard Collier</a>.</p> <p>For general enquiries and details regarding the application process, please contact the Graduate School Office:<br /> e:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>, t: +44 (0)113 343 1314.</p>

Quick links

• Climate change
• Multiple hazards
• Decarbonisation

PhD and training opportunities

Phd opportunities 2023.

Our main PhD opportunities for 2023 are now closed. Occasionally we will post one off PhD opportunities here. We also mention them on Twitter @DocBGS . PhD research with BGS  provides more information on:

• the types of PhDs we offer
• eligibility
• equality, diversity
• inclusion and how to apply

More BUFI information

PhD research with BGS

Studying for your PhD at BGS.

BUFI is the home of doctoral research at the BGS, which is one of the UK’s largest providers of postgraduate research training in geoscience.

BUFI Science Festival

The BUFI Science Festival is an annual competitive event to showcase the science undertaken by BGS PhD students.

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Civil Engineering (Geotechnical and Engineering Geology) MPhil, PhD

At Newcastle University you'll work with academics who are leaders in their field so that your research has a real impact on civil engineering.

You are currently viewing course information for entry year:

Start date(s):

• September 2024
• January 2025

Our geotechnical engineering and engineering geology research is revolutionary worldwide.

By pursuing research in the School of Engineering you'll join a successful research group. Our focus is on geotechnical engineering and geology. Our mission is to foster, promote and conduct research of international quality. We attract high-quality graduates and researchers and train them to international standards. Our geotechnical engineering and engineering geology research is recognised worldwide.

Our research links with the themes of sustainability in construction, adaptation and mitigation of climate change effects in civil engineering.

We provide MPhil and PhD supervision. This is within the broad disciplines of geotechnical engineering and engineering geology. Our current research areas are:

• seismic engineering and extreme loadings
• stability of man-made and natural slopes, open pit mines and tailing dams
• multi-phase flow and coupled multi-field analysis
• soil modelling and numerical modelling
• characterisation and modelling of particulate materials
• waste minimisation and reuse
• ground improvement
• site characterisation

We also encourage multidisciplinary research, such as:

• ground improvement and remediation
• in situ testing
• geotechnical design
• geotechnical processes in construction and the natural environment

As a result of our research we have been able to revolutionise:

• electrokinetic geosynthetics
• self-boring pressuremeters
• Numerical modelling
• geothermal testing

We have also constructed a full-scale embankment for field experimentation and host the National Green Infrastructure Facility (NGIF), a ‘living laboratory’, underpinning research into Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDs), Green Infrastructure approaches, and making urban centres more resilient and sustainable for future generations.

Important information

We've highlighted important information about your course. Please take note of any deadlines.

Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our  Academic experience page , which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2024-25.

See our  terms and conditions and student complaints information , which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Related courses

Qualifications explained.

Find out about the different qualification options for this course.

An MPhil is available in all subject areas. You receive research training and undertake original research leading to the completion of a 40,000 - 50,000 word thesis.

Find out about different types of postgraduate qualifications

A PhD is a doctorate or doctoral award. It involves original research that should make a significant contribution to the knowledge of a specific subject. To complete the PhD you will produce a substantial piece of work (80,000 – 100,000 words) in the form of a supervised thesis. A PhD usually takes three years full time.

How you'll learn

Off-campus study may be available in some circumstances, particularly if you have industrial sponsorship. Our programme includes:

• intensive subject-specific supervision
• training in research methodologies and core skills

You may have an opportunity to:

• undertake paid laboratory demonstrations
• do tutoring to gain teaching experience

Depending on your modules, you'll be assessed through a combination of:

We offer a wide range of projects for the thesis. These will either be provided by our academics, or you can propose your own topic.

Our mission is to help you:

• stay healthy, positive and feeling well
• overcome any challenges you may face during your degree – academic or personal
• get the most out of your postgraduate research experience
• carry out admin and activities essential to progressing through your degree
• understand postgraduate research processes, standards and rules

We can offer you tailored wellbeing support, courses and activities.

You can also access a broad range of workshops covering:

• research and professional skills
• careers support
• health and safety
• public engagement
• academic development

Find out more about our postgraduate research student support

The Geotechnical and Structural Engineering subject group page links to our specialist research areas. You'll be able to:

• explore possible research programmes
• find out more about staff working in these research areas
• identify a potential research supervisor

Your development

Faculty of science, agriculture and engineering (sage) researcher development programme.

Each faculty offers a researcher development programme for its postgraduate research students. We have designed your programme to help you:

• perform better as a researcher
• boost your career prospects
• broaden your impact

Through workshops and activities, it will build your transferable skills and increase your confidence.

You’ll cover:

• techniques for effective research
• methods for better collaborative working
• essential professional standards and requirements

Your programme is flexible. You can adapt it to meet your changing needs as you progress through your doctorate.

Doctoral training and partnerships

There are opportunities to undertake your PhD at Newcastle within a:

• Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT)
• Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP)

Being part of a CDT or DTP has many benefits:

• they combine research expertise and training of a number of leading universities, academic schools and academics.
• you’ll study alongside a cohort of other PhD students
• they’re often interdisciplinary
• your PhD may be funded

If there are currently opportunities available in your subject area you’ll find them when you search for funding in the fees and funding section on this course.

The following centres/partnerships below may have PhD opportunities available in your subject area in the future:

• IAPETUS2 Doctoral Training Partnership

Your future

Our careers service.

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Quality and ranking

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Check the government’s website for more information .

The School of Engineering has an exceptional range of laboratories equipped with a wide range of analytical instrumentation supporting our research, teaching and contract research projects.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees for 2024 entry (per year).

We are unable to give an exact fee, this is why the fee is shown as a range. This fee range takes into account your research topic and resource requirements.

Your research topic is unique so it will have unique resource requirements. Resources could include specialist equipment, such as laboratory/workshop access, or technical staff.

If your research involves accessing specialist resources then you're likely to pay a higher fee. You'll discuss the exact nature of your research project with your supervisor(s). You'll find out the fee in your offer letter.

Home fees for research degree students

For 2024-25 entry, we have aligned our standard Home research fees with those set by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) . The standard fee was confirmed in Spring 2024 by UKRI.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here .

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See  our   searchable postgraduate funding page  for more information.  

What you're paying for

Tuition fees include the costs of:

• matriculation
• registration
• tuition (or supervision)
• library access
• examination
• re-examination

Find out more about:

• living costs
• tuition fees

If you are an international student or a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland and you need a visa to study in the UK, you may have to pay a deposit.

You can check this in the How to apply section .

If you're applying for funding, always check the funding application deadline. This deadline may be earlier than the application deadline for your course.

For some funding schemes, you need to have received an offer of a place on a course before you can apply for the funding.

Search for funding

Find funding available for your course

Entry requirements

The entrance requirements below apply to 2024 entry.

Qualifications from outside the UK

English language requirements, admissions policy.

This policy applies to all undergraduate and postgraduate admissions at Newcastle University. It is intended to provide information about our admissions policies and procedures to applicants and potential applicants, to their advisors and family members, and to staff of the University.

Download our admissions policy (PDF: 201KB) Other policies related to admissions

Credit transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can allow you to convert existing relevant university-level knowledge, skills and experience into credits towards a qualification. Find out more about the RPL policy which may apply to this course

• How to apply

Using the application portal

The application portal has instructions to guide you through your application. It will tell you what documents you need and how to upload them.

You can choose to start your application, save your details and come back to complete it later.

If you’re ready, you can select Apply Online and you’ll be taken directly to the application portal.

Alternatively you can find out more about applying on our applications and offers pages .

Open days and events

Find out about how you can visit Newcastle in person and virtually

Overseas events

We regularly travel overseas to meet with students interested in studying at Newcastle University.

Visit our events calendar for the latest events

• Get in touch

Questions about this course?

If you have specific questions about this course you can contact:

Postgraduate Research Administrator School of Engineering Email:  [email protected]   Telephone +44 (0) 191 208 6323

For more general enquiries you could also complete our online enquiry form.

Fill in our enquiry form

Our Ncl chatbot might be able to give you an answer straight away. If not, it’ll direct you to someone who can help.

You'll find our Ncl chatbot in the bottom right of this page.

Keep updated

We regularly send email updates and extra information about the University.

Receive regular updates by email

Chat to a student

Chat online with current students with our Unibuddy platform.

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Stonehenge mystery deepens after iconic stone is from a surprising location

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Stonehenge’s iconic Altar Stone may have come from Scotland – not Wales – meaning there could have been long-distance trade networks in Neolithic times.

The discovery was made during a study led by Australian scientists, who think the massive stone could have been transported by sea more than 5,000 years ago.

Previous geological research suggested that the six-tonne slab probably originated from the Brecon Beacons in south east Wales.

Now, scientists have concluded that the monumental Altar Stone actually hails over 460 miles from Salisbury Plain in north east Scotland .

The Australian team used state-of-the-art equipment, including specialist mass spectrometers, to examine the composition of the Altar Stone.

Their findings, published in the journal Nature, also point to the existence of ‘unexpectedly advanced’ transport methods and organisation at the time of the stone’s arrival in Wiltshire around 5,000 years ago.

Researchers from Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia, studied the age and chemistry of mineral grains within fragments of the Altar Stone, which is a nearly 20 inch thick sandstone block measuring 16x3ft, sitting at the centre of Stonehenge’s iconic stone circle.

Study lead author Anthony Clarke explained that analysis of the age and chemical composition of minerals within fragments of the Altar Stone matched it with rocks from Scotland, while also clearly differentiating them from Welsh bedrock.

Mr Clarke said: ‘Our analysis found specific mineral grains in the Altar Stone are mostly between 1,000 to 2,000 million-years-old, while other minerals are around 450 million years old.

‘This provides a distinct chemical fingerprint suggesting the stone came from rocks in the Orcadian Basin, Scotland, at least 750 kilometres away from Stonehenge.

‘Given its Scottish origins, the findings raise fascinating questions, considering the technological constraints of the Neolithic era, as to how such a massive stone was transported over vast distances around 2600 BC.’

Mr Clarke, a PhD student within Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the discovery holds ‘signifance’ for him as he grew up in the Mynydd Preseli, Wales, where some of Stonehenge’s stones came from.

He added: ‘I first visited Stonehenge when I was one year old and now at 25, I returned from Australia to help make this scientific discovery – you could say I’ve come full circle at the stone circle.’

Study co-author Professor Chris Kirkland, also from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group at Curtin, said the findings had “significant” implications for understanding ancient communities, their connections, and their transport methods.

Prof Kirkland said: ‘Our discovery of the Altar Stone’s origins highlights a significant level of societal coordination during the Neolithic period and helps paint a fascinating picture of prehistoric Britain.

‘Transporting such massive cargo overland from Scotland to southern England would have been extremely challenging, indicating a likely marine shipping route along the coast of Britain.

‘This implies long-distance trade networks and a higher level of societal organisation than is widely understood to have existed during the Neolithic period in Britain.’

Co-author Professor Richard Bevins, of Aberystwyth University, said the findings overturned what had been thought for the past century.

He said: ‘We have succeeded in working out, if you like, the age and chemical fingerprints of perhaps one of the most famous of stones in the world-renowned ancient monument.

‘While we can now say that this iconic rock is Scottish and not Welsh, the hunt will still very much be on to pin down where exactly in the north east of Scotland the Altar Stone came from.’

Co-author Dr Robert Ixer, of UCL’s Institute of Archaeology, said the findings were ‘genuinely schoking’ – but if plate tectonics and atomic physics were correct, then the Altar Stone is Scottish.

He added: ‘The work prompts two important questions: why and exactly how was the Altar Stone transported from the very north of Scotland, a distance of more than 700 kilometres, to Stonehenge?’

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Stonehenge’s giant Altar Stone came all the way from north-east Scotland – here’s how we worked out this astonishing new finding

Professor of Geochemistry, Aberystwyth University

Honorary Professor, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University

Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Archaeology, UCL

Disclosure statement

Richard Bevins has received funding from a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship 2021-2024.

Nicholas Pearce and Rob Ixer do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University College London provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK.

Aberystwyth University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.

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No one is certain why Stonehenge was built. This world-famous monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire is thought to commemorate the dead, and is aligned with movements of the Sun and Moon.

It consists of an outer ring and inner horseshoe of large “sarsen” and “trilithon” stones, and an inner circle and horseshoe of smaller “bluestones”. It was built in several phases between 5,000 and 4,200 years ago.

The Altar Stone is one of the most enigmatic rocks at Stonehenge, and is generally grouped with the bluestones. Despite its name (suggested as its use by the architect Inigo Jones in 1620), its function is unknown.

Lying flat at the heart of Stonehenge, the six-tonne, five-metre-long rectangular Altar Stone is a grey-green sandstone, far bigger and different in its composition from the other bluestones. So where did it come from?

In our new paper published in Nature , we have traced the Altar Stone’s source to north-east Scotland, meaning it travelled at least 430 miles (700km) to Salisbury Plain. This is an incredible distance for Neolithic times, before the wheel is thought to have arrived in Britain. This stunning discovery sheds new light on the capabilities and long-range connections of Britain’s Neolithic inhabitants.

Let’s review what we know, and how we pinned down the region where the Altar Stone originated. The big stones at Stonehenge (sarsens) come from a few tens of miles away , but moving these 30-tonne monsters was no mean feat in Neolithic times.

The smaller, exotic bluestones are a different story. Not local to Stonehenge, they weigh typically 1-3 tonnes and are up to 2.5 metres tall. The Altar Stone, also not local, is twice the size of the biggest other bluestone. It is not known when it arrived at Stonehenge, nor if it ever stood upright.

It was not until 1923 that geologist H.H. Thomas recognised that most of the igneous bluestones came from the Mynydd Preseli in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. Our ongoing work has refined the sources of these igneous bluestones to individual crags on the northern slopes of the Preseli hills.

Read more: Stonehenge: how we revealed the original source of the biggest stones

Thomas also suggested that the Altar Stone was probably taken from old red sandstone rocks found to the south and east of the Mynydd Preseli, on the presumed bluestone transport route to Stonehenge. The suggestion stuck, and for 80 years went unchallenged.

In the early 2000s, we started to look again at supposed Altar Stone fragments in museum collections. Some fragments were clearly wrongly identified, so the time-consuming process of clarifying the situation began.

Initially, the Altar Stone’s origin was now suggested to be in western Wales, near Milford Haven. But at the end of the 2010s, we further subjected its fragments to a variety of geological analyses. These results hinted at eastern Wales or the Welsh borders as its source, and discounted the west Wales origin .

But without directly sampling the Altar Stone, how could we be sure that the museum fragments were genuine? Today, we are not allowed to knock lumps off Stonehenge, as happened in the past.

Novel technique

In the early 2020s, we started using handheld X-ray fluorescence analysis , a non-destructive chemical analytical method, on the Stonehenge bluestones – particularly on the many claimed Altar Stone fragments collected by older archaeological excavations. We then compared these with X-ray fluorescence analyses from the surface of the Altar Stone itself.

Sediment grains in the Altar Stone are cemented together by the mineral baryte, giving it an unusual chemical composition that’s high in the element barium. A few museum fragments were identical to the Altar Stone – proving that a labelled fragment removed from the Altar Stone in 1844 was genuine was crucial . These few, precious fragments could be used for our study, so we didn’t need to collect new samples directly from the Altar Stone.

Meanwhile, our scientific team now included geologists from England, Wales, Scotland, Canada and Italy. We had been analysing a range of old red sandstone samples from across Wales and the Welsh borders, to try to find a chemical and mineralogical match for the Altar Stone. Nothing looked similar. By autumn 2022, we concluded that the Altar Stone could not be from Wales , and that we needed to look further afield for its source.

At the same time, a chance contact from Tony Clarke, a PhD student at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia, offered a possibility to go further. We invited the Curtin group to determine the ages of a series of minerals in two of the Altar Stone fragments, hoping this would provide information relating to its age and possible origin. This method dates mineral grains in the rock and gives an age “fingerprint”, tying the grains to a particular region.

Our new study published in Nature shows that the Altar Stone’s age fingerprint identifies it as coming from the Orcadian Basin in north-east Scotland. The findings of this age dating are truly astonishing, overturning what had been thought for a century.

It’s thrilling to know that the culmination of our work over almost two decades has unlocked this mystery. We can say with confidence that this iconic rock is Scottish and not Welsh, and more specifically, that it came from the old red sandstones of north-east Scotland.

With its origin in the Orcadian Basin , the Altar Stone has travelled a remarkably long way – a straight-line distance of at least 430 miles. This is the longest known journey for any stone used in a Neolithic monument.

Our analyses cannot answer how the Altar Stone got to Stonehenge. Forests posed one of several physical barriers to overland transport. A journey by sea would have been equally daunting. Similarly, we cannot answer why it was transported there.

Whatever archaeologists may discover in future, our results will have huge ramifications in helping understanding Neolithic communities, their connections with each other, and how they transported things over distance. Meanwhile, our search for an even more precise source of the Altar Stone continues.

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