Schools of Geosciences and Engineering
College of Physical Sciences
PhD Studentship
Project title: Turbidite Channel Process And Architecture On The Continental Slope
Project Description: This project aims to advance our understanding of sediment transport and depositional flow processes in deep marine channel settings through detailed analysis of depositional architectures in three dimensions of channel, intra-channel, and levee deposits in a continental slope system.
The student's research will concentrate on an Upper Cretaceous continental slope system exposed on the Pacific coast of Baja California, Mexico, where the project leaders have worked for several years. The field area affords quasi-three-dimensional exposures of channel, inter-channel, and levee sediments, which will be used to reconstruct the three-dimensional architectural building blocks of the channel systems. The high-resolution sequence-stratigraphic framework of the field area will allow the student to focus on detailed analysis of the channel system at the architectural element level, and consequently advance our understanding of the flow processes responsible for the transport and deposition of coarse-grained sediment on continental margins.
This generously-funded studentship project (supported by BG Group) will provide opportunities to interact with a large multinational, interdisciplinary group working on the development of continental slope systems, including participants from the University of Aberdeen, the University of California at Santa Barbara (USA), Colorado School of Mines (USA), the National University of San Juan (Argentina), and the Institute for Marine Science (Italy). The student will have opportunities to participate in overseas fieldwork. The project will include at least one paid internship at BG Group, where the student will have the opportunity to use their geologic knowledge in a business setting.
The project will commence as soon as the appointed student is available.
Application Procedure
Potential applicants should contact Professor Ben Kneller prior to submitting a formal application.
Formal applications can be completed online: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/sras/postgraduate/apply.shtml.
