The Solid Earth

A research group of the Department of Earth Sciences.

Staff

Academic Staff

• Prof Mark Allen
• Dr Richard James Brown
• Prof Kevin Burton
• Dr Nicola De Paola
• Professor Richard Hobbs
• Prof. Claire Horwell
• Dr Madeleine Humphreys
• Prof. Ed Llewellin
• Prof Colin Macpherson
• Professor Yaoling Niu
• Professor Christine Peirce
• Prof. Dave Selby
• Prof Jeroen van Hunen

Research Staff

• Dr Charitra Jain
• Dr Geoff Nowell

Emeritus Staff

• Prof Gillian Foulger

From other departments

• Professor Simon Mathias (in the Department of Engineering)

Publications by staff in this group

Authored book

• Foulger, GR (2010). Plates vs Plumes: A Geological Controversy. Wiley-Blackwell.

Journal Article

• Allen, M.B., Saville, C., Blanc, E.J-P., Talebian, M. & Nissen, E. (2013). Orogenic plateau growth: expansion of the Turkish-Iranian Plateau across the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt. Tectonics 32(2): 171–190.
• Allen, M.B., Kheirkhah, M., Neill, I., Emami, M.H. & Mcleod, C.L. (2013). Generation of arc and within-plate chemical signatures in collision zone magmatism: Quaternary lavas from Kurdistan province, Iran. Journal of Petrology 54(5): 887-911.
• Pacey, A, Macpherson, CG & McCaffrey, KJW (2013). Linear volcanic segments in the central Sunda Arc, Indonesia, identified using Hough Transform analysis: Implications for arc lithosphere control upon volcano distribution. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 369-370: 24-33.
• Coggon, JA, Luguet, A, Nowell, GM & Appel, PWU (2013). Hadean mantle melting recorded by southwest Greenland chromitite 186Os signatures. Nature Geoscience 6(10): 871–874.
• Watts, A.B., Peirce, C., Grevemeyer, I., Paulatto, M., Stratford, W., Bassett, D., Hunter, J., Kalnins, L. M. & de Ronde, C. (2012). Rapid rates of growth and collapse of Monowai submarine volcano in the Kermadec Arc. Nature Geoscience 5(7): 510-515.
• Finlay, A. J., Selby, D. & Osborne, M. J. (2012). Petroleum source rock identification of United Kingdom Atlantic Margin oil fields and the Western Canadian Oil Sands using Platinum, Palladium, Osmium and Rhenium: Implications for global petroleum systems. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 313-314: 95-104.
• Coggon, J.A., Nowell, G.M., Pearson, D.G., Oberthür, T., Lorand,J-P., Melcher, F. & Parman, S.W. (2012). The 190Pt–186Os decay system applied to dating platinum-group element mineralization of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa. Chemical Geology 302-303: 48-60.
• Foulger, G.R. (2012). Are 'hot spots' hot spots?. Journal of Geodynamics 58: 1-28.
• Burton, K.W.,, Cenki-Tok, B.,, Mokadem, F.,, Harvey, J.,, Gannoun, A.,, Alard, O., & Parkinson, I.J., (2012). Unradiogenic lead in Earth’s upper mantle. Nature Geoscience 5(8): 570-573.
• Bentley, R.A., Bickle, P. Fibiger, L., Nowell, G.M., Dale, C.W., Hedges, R.E.M., Hamilton, J., Wahl, J., Francken, M., Grupe, G., Lenneis, E., Teschler-Nicola, M., Arbogast, R.-M., Hofmann, D. & Whittle, A. (2012). Community differentiation and kinship among Europe's first farmers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 109(24): 9326-9330.
• Gernon, TM Brown, RJ , Tait, M & Hincks, TK (2012). The origin of pelletal lapilli in explosive kimberlite eruptions. Nature Communications 3: 832.
• Li, Jian-Wei, Bi, Shi-Jian, Selby, David, Chen, Lei, Vasconcelos, Paulo, Thiede, David, Zhou, Mei-Fu, Zhao, Xin-Fu, Li, Zhan-Ke & Qiu, Hua-Ning (2012). Giant Mesozoic gold provinces related to the destruction of the North China Craton. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 349-350: 26-37.
• McLeod, C.L., Davidson, J.P., Nowell, G.M. & de Silva, S.L. (2012). Disequilibrium melting during crustal anatexis and implications for modeling open magmatic systems. Geology 40(5): 435-438.
• Shaw, AM, Hauri, EH, Behn, MD, Hilton, DR, Macpherson, CG & Sinton, JM (2012). Long-term preservation of slab signatures in the mantle inferred from hydrogen isotopes. Nature Geoscience 5(3): 224–228.
• Salisbury, M.J., Patton, J.R., Kent, A.J.R., Goldfinger, C., Djadjadihardja, Y. & Hafina, U (2012). Deep-sea ash layers reveal evidence for large, late Pleistocene and Holocene explosive activity from Sumatra, Indonesia. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 231-232: 61-71.
• van Hunen, J. & Allen, M.B. (2011). Continental collision and slab break-off: a comparison of 3-D numerical models with observations. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302(1-2): 27-37.
• Finlay, A. J., Selby, D & Osborne, M. J (2011). Re-Os geochronology and fingerprinting of United Kingdom Atlantic margin oil: Temporal implications for regional petroleum systems. Geology 39(5): 475-478.
• Allen, M.B., Kheirkhah, M., Emami, M.H. & Jones, S.J. (2011). Right-lateral shear across Iran and kinematic change in the Arabia–Eurasia collision zone. Geophysical Journal International 184(2): 555-574.
• Ballmer, M.D., Ito, G., van Hunen, J. & Tackley, P.J. (2011). Spatial and temporal variability in Hawaiian hotspot volcanism induced by small-scale convection. Nature Geoscience 4(7): 457-460.
• Moorkamp, M., Heincke, B., Jegen, M., Roberts, A. & Hobbs, R. (2011). A framework for 3-D joint inversion of MT, gravity and seismic refraction data. Geophysical Journal International 184(1): 477-493.
• Handley, H.K. Turner, S.P. Macpherson, C.G. , Gertisser, R. & Davidson, J.P. (2011). Hf-Nd isotope and trace element constraints on subduction inputs at island arcs: limitations of Hf anomalies as sediment input indicators. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 304(1-2): 212-223.
• Niu, Yaoling, Wilson, M., Humphteys, E.R. & O'Hara, M.J. (2011). The Origin of Intra-plate Ocean Island Basalts (OIB): the Lid Effect and its Geodynamic Implications. Journal of Petrology 52(7-8): 1443-1468.
• Zhu, D.C., Zhao, Z.D., Niu, Yaoling, Mo, X.X., Chung, S.L., Hou, Z.Q., Wang, L.Q. & Wu, F.Y. (2011). The Lhasa Terrane: Record of a microcontinent and its histories of drift and growth. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 301(1-2): 241-255.
• Salisbury, Morgan J., Jicha, Brian R., de Silva, Shanaka L., Singer, Brad S., Jiménez, Néstor C. & Ort, Michael H. (2011). 40Ar/39Ar chronostratigraphy of Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex ignimbrites reveals the development of a major magmatic province. Geological Society of America Bulletin 123(5-6): 821-840
• Wilson, D.J., Peirce, C., Watts, A.B., Grevemeyer, I. & Krabbenhoeft, A. (2010). Uplift at lithospheric swells—I: seismic and gravity constraints on the crust and uppermost mantle structure of the Cape Verde mid-plate swell. Geophysical Journal International 182(2): 531-550.
• Macpherson, C.G., Hilton, D.R. & Hammerschmidt, K. (2010). No slab-derived CO₂ in Mariana Trough back-arc basalts: Implications for carbon subduction and for temporary storage of CO₂ beneath slow spreading ridges. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 11: Q11007.
• Brown, RJ, Branney, MJ,, Maher, C & Davila Harris, PD (2010). Origin of accretionary lapilli within ground-hugging density currents: Evidence from pyroclastic couplets on Tenerife. Geological Society of America Bulletin 122(1-2): 305-320.
• Julian, BR & Foulger, GR (2010). Time-dependent seismic tomography. Geophysical Journal International 182(3): 1327-1338.
• Niu, Yaoling & O'Hara, M.J. (2009). MORB mantle hosts the missing Eu (Sr, Nb, Ta and Ti) in the continental crust: New perspectives on crustal growth, crust-mantle differentiation and chemical structure of oceanic upper mantle. Lithos 112(1-2): 1-17.
• Nabovati, A, Llewellin, EW & Sousa, ACM (2009). A general model for the permeability of fibrous porous media based on fluid flow simulations using the lattice Boltzmann method. Composites Part A: Applied Science And Manufacturing 40(6-7): 860-869.
• Jerram, Dougal A., Mock, Alex, Davis, Graham R., Field, Matthew & Brown, Richard J. (2009). 3D crystal size distributions: A case study on quantifying olivine populations in kimberlites. LITHOS 112(Part 1 Sp. Iss. SI): 223-235.
• Day, J. M. D., Pearson, D. G., Macpherson, C. G., Lowry, D. & Carracedo, J. C. (2009). Pyroxenite-rich mantle formed by recycled oceanic lithosphere: Oxygen-osmium isotope evidence from Canary Island lavas. Geology 37(6): 555-558.
• Jerram, Dougal A., Single, Richard T., Hobbs, Richard W. & Nelson, Catherine E. (2009). Understanding the offshore flood basalt sequence using onshore volcanic facies analogues: an example from the Faroe-Shetland basin. Geological Magazine 146(3 ): 353-367.
• Peirce, C. & Sinha, M. (2008). Life and death of axial volcanic ridges: segmentation and crustal accretion at the Reykjanes Ridge. Earth & Planetary Science Letters 274(1-2): 112–120.
• Greenroyd, C.J., Peirce, C., Rodge, M., Watts, A.B. & Hobbs, R.W. (2008). Do fracture zones define continental margin segmentation? - Evidence from the French Guiana margin. Earth & Planetary Science Letters 272(3-4): 553-566.
• van Hunen, J. & van den Berg, A.P. (2008). Plate tectonics on the early Earth limitations imposed by strength and buoyancy of subducted lithosphere. Lithos 103(1-2): 217-235.
• G.M. Nowell, D.G. Pearson, S.W. Parman, A. Luguet & E. Hanski (2008). Precise and accurate 186Os/188Os and 187Os/188Os measurements by Multi-Collector Plasma Ionisation Mass Spectrometry, part II: laser ablation and its application to single-grain Pt–Os and Re–Os geochronology. Chemical Geology 248(3-4): 394-426.
• Niu, Yaoling & O'Hara, M.J. (2008). Global correlations of ocean ridge basalt chemistry with axial depth: A new perspective. Journal of Petrology 49(4): 633-664.
• Luguet,A, Pearson,DG, Nowell, GM, Dreher, ST, Coggon, JA, Spetsius, SV & Parman, SW (2008). Enriched Pt–Re–Os isotope systematics in plume lavas explained by metasomatic sulfides. Science 319(5862): 453-456.
• van Wijk, J., van Hunen, J. & Goes, S. (2008). Small-scale convection during continental rifting: Evidence from the Rio Grande rift. Geology 36(7): 575-578.
• Allen, M. B. & Armstrong, H. A. (2008). Arabia-Eurasia collision and the forcing of mid-Cenozoic global cooling. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 265(1-2): 52-58.
• Brown, RJ, Buse, B, Sparks, RSJ & Field, M (2008). On the welding of pyroclasts from very low-viscosity magmas: examples from kimberlite volcanoes. The Journal of Geology 116(4): 354-374.