Morgan is analysing samples of ‘fossilised’ oceanic crust to understand the interaction between fluids and crustal rocks throughout the subduction cycle, from seafloor to sub-arc. He is developing analytical methods to help quantify the chemical evolution of the oceanic crust. By linking ‘fingerprints’ within rocks and minerals to geological processes and time constraints we can acquire snapshots of geological history over millions of years.

“To get the best results, I needed to first find the most appropriate samples: rocks that had been well-studied and had clearly experienced fluid-rock interaction. A scholarship has allowed me to travel to the Western Italian Alps for fieldwork and sampling, a textbook locality to study exhumed oceanic crust. Not only did I return with some great samples, but I also had the opportunity to meet researchers at the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Turin!”