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IS-MOBIL-Mobilitetsprogr.f.utl.Ph.D-stu

Understanding Earth's Early Evolution and Determining the Environmental Conditions for the Emergence of Life

Tildelt: kr 0,11 mill.

Prosjektleder:

Prosjektnummer:

202750

Prosjektperiode:

2010 - 2011

Mr E. Grosch (EG) is a South African PhD student at the Africa Earth Observatory Network (AEON) at the University of Cape Town. This application is based on rock core collected during the Barberton Scientific Drilling Programme (BSDP) a long-term collabor ation between AEON & Centre for Geobiology, the University of Bergen. EG's research employs a cross-disciplinary approach to investigating Earth's early evolution & environmental conditions for the emergence of life as recorded in rocks of the Barberton r egion, S Africa. This visiting scholarship will enable him to utilise analytical facilities not available in Cape Town, expand his international collaborations & generate data for several publications. Using samples from the BSDP drill core he plans to investigate: 1) The nature of plate tectonics a driver of mountain building, CO2 & nutrient cycling ~3.4 billion-years-ago, from mineral & geochemical studies of an oceanic shear zone; 2) Determine the physico-chemical state of the Earth's earliest oceans from fluid inclusions; 3) The age & provenance of zircons (ancient heavy minerals) from some of the Earth's earliest surface sediments; 4) The oxidation state of the Earth's early atmosphere; 5) The pressure & temperature limits on the habitable window f or Earth's earliest microbes in oceanic pillow lavas; 6) Age constraints on the formation of the earliest physical traces of microbial life on Earth. EG holds a Scarce Skills Scholarship from the National Research Foundation of S Africa & plans to visit the Centre for Geobiology for 8 months in 2010-11 during the final year of his PhD. This will accelerate & cement our current joint research efforts & ensure the completionof his PhD. EG brings specialized petrological knowledge that is otherwise limited in Bergen & is actively participating in the work of the Early Earth & Biosignatures Group & CGB more broadly. On his return to S Africa he will transfer his new expertise back to other scientists & students.

Budsjettformål:

IS-MOBIL-Mobilitetsprogr.f.utl.Ph.D-stu