Research

The aim of our reseaerch is to address the big questions of how the solid earth works, and how solid earth sytems interact with the ocean, atmosphere and biosphere. The primary tool is the geochemical compositions of rocks, but we always try to relate these variations to the major features of the earth system, such as the depths of the oceans, the thickness of Earth's crust, seismic velocities in the mantle or ice age cycles.

Featured project

Volcano Ocean Ice Climate Experiments (VOICE)

In this project we explore the linkages between ice age cycles, volcanism and the carbon cycle. We have found that volcanoes become three to five times more active during melting of ice sheets, and the increased carbon they emit to the atmosphere influences how quickly Earth transitions from frigid glacial to the more mild interglacial, such as we are now experiencing.