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Research

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Venezuelan HP rocks

Field photos 2005

Field photos 2006

 

Vision

To better understand collisional orogenesis and the mechanisms by which it proceeds.

Traditional orogenic models fail to explain the character, duration and timing of deformation and metamorphic growth events during collisional orogenesis.

Mission

To constrain the thermo-mechanical framework that gives rise to Barrovian metamorphism, in turn constraining the nature of collisional orogenesis.

Barrovian (intermediate to high pressure and temperature) metamorphism is ubiquitous to collisional orogens throughout the world. Often observed as a late stage retrograde overprint, the production of Barrovian metamorphic assemblages is thought to be related to late thermal events that effect rocks at mid-crustal levels. The study of Barrovian metamorphism, a manifestation of collisional orogenesis, can provide insight into the nature of the thermal and mechanical processes responsible for the construction and destruction of mountain belts.

Objectives

-To use structural mapping and microstructural analysis to explore the structural evolution of the classic Barrovian terrane in the southern Scottish Highlands .

- To analyse geochronological and petrological data from Scotland to develop detailed P-T-t paths for the terrane.

- To use data obtained from structural, geochronological and petrological analyses to constrain crustal behaviour during and following collisional orogenesis.

- To use computational techniques to simulate crustal scale thermal and mechanical behaviour and produce a geologically consistent kinetic model capable of reproducing field and experimental observations of Barrovian metamorphism.