The primary focus of the research group is to reconstruct the Stratigraphic evolution of Large Igneous Provinces (StratLIP) by combining stratigraphic techniques (chronostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, volcanic stratigraphy and seismic stratigraphy) with sedimentology, igneous and sedimentary geochemistry, and volcanology, to understand how volcanic activity, eruptive style and facies types influence sedimentary environments and their distribution both spatially and temporally throughout the development of a LIP.
The StratLIP research group at the University of Aberdeen includes David Jolley, Adrian Hartley, Malcolm Hole, Nick Schofield and two PhD students studying aspects of sediment-volcanic interaction within LIP’s. We have ongoing research projects focussed in the Faeroe Shetland Basin (onshore: Faeroes and Inner Hebrides, offshore: extensive involvement in UK and Faroese waters), the Columbia River Plateau Basalts, the Deccan Province, India and extensive experience in the Basin & Range Province SW USA, Antarctica and the Central Andes. The group was established in 2005 and builds on the expertise of the staff members.
Academic Staff
Professor David W. Jolley has over 25 years experience of multidisciplinary stratigraphical, palaeoecological and palaeoclimate studies both in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic, including detailed work on the Paleocene-Eocene section of the Faroe-Shetland Basin. His relevant publications include innovative studies on the impact of volcanism on the biosphere and atmosphere (Jolley & Widdowson, 2005; Cripps et al., 2005; Jolley et al., 2008), and on biotic reassembly in volcanic terrains (Jolley 1997; Jolley & Bell 2002; Jolley & Whitham 2004; Jolley et al., 2009). This is supported by a long term record of interdisciplinary stratigraphical and environmental analysis in marine and terrestrial sequences (Ali & Jolley 1996; Ellis et al. 2002; Jolley et al. 2002; Jolley 2009).
Professor Adrian J. Hartley has over 24 years experience of working on both modern and ancient fluvial and shallow marine systems including those associated with volcanic provinces. His relevant publications include recent work on modern fluvial systems in aggradational settings (Hartley et al., 2010; Weissmann et al., 2010), detailed correlation and reconstruction in sedimentary basins with extensive volcanism (Hartley & Evenstar 2009), documentation of fluvial architecture from outcrop studies (Hartley 1993a, b; Jones & Hartley 1993; May et al. 1999; Leleu et al. 2009) and application of different geochemical correlation and provenance techniques in alluvial successions (Preston et al., 1998, 2002). A strong research focus has been on the collection of analogue datasets applicable to the petroleum industry and application of these to reservoir characterisation and model building.
Dr Malcolm J. Hole. Over 25 years experience of field and lab-based research in LIP’s including extensive work on the subaerial and subaqueous volcanics of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic of the Antarctic Peninsula. His relevant publications date back to 1990 and include widely cited articles on hyaloclastite systems and geochemistry of flood basalts, as well as application of geochemical techniques and heavy mineral analysis to provenance work and correlation within alluvial, shallow and deep marine reservoir successions.
Dr Nick Schofield specializes in the seismic and field interpretation of intrusive and extrusive sequences in volcanic terranes and their interaction with hydrocarbon systems. He has carried out extensive work on volcanics around the globe (USA, South Africa, West Africa, Australia), and has worked consistently in the Faroe-Shetland Basin, investigating both the intrusive sill complex and its ability to control hydrocarbon migration (Schofield et al., 2012; Rateau et al. 2013; Holford et al. 2013) and lava field stratigraphy incl. intra-basaltic drainage systems (Schofield and Jolley, 2013). He has won awards for his research papers from both the Geolsoc London and the Australian Association for Petroleum Production and Exploration. One of his current areas of research focusses on the interaction of magma with salt sequences (e.g. offshore Angola, Brazil).
Collaborators and Past Research Students
Alena Ebinghaus has a Diploma in Geology and Paleontology at Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn (Germany). Her research interests are in clastic sedimentology and stratigraphy, palynology and ecology. She is currently working on the characterisation of controls on sediment distribution and drainage systems within basaltic provinces: Columbia River Basalts as an analogue for the Faroe-Shetland Basin.
John Millett has a BSc (Hons) in Geology and Petroleum Geology (Aberdeen, First Class honours) and won the Chevron Prize for best overall Student, the John Cook Award for commitment to Studies and the AGA prize for excellence in the field. His current research interests revolve around the geochemical stratigraphy and petrogenetic evolution of large igneous province in space and time. A focus on the acquisition and utilisation of multi-source well data to better understand LIP stratigraphy in the subsurface. Applications to global volcanic related resource development and safe exploitation. Currently working for VBPR AS in parallel with ongoing STRATLIP research projects (PhD submitted pending viva).
Current Research Students
Ross Taylor has a BSc (Hons) in Geology and Petroleum Geology from the University of Aberdeen. His current research interests are sedimentology, stratigraphy, palynology and core analysis. He is currently working on constraining the roles that uplift, erosion and drainage development have on the intercalation of clastic sediments with volcanic deposits during Large Igneous Province initiation. To do this he is using field examples from the Columbia River Basalt Province and the Skye lava fields as analogues for petroleum systems in the Faroes-Shetland basin.
Aaron Barker has an MSci in Geological Sciences at the University of Cambridge. He is interested in the effect that volcanism has on drainage systems and ecology. His current research is on predicting alluvial reservoir development and drainage distribution during mid to late LIP volcanism. His main field analogues are the Columbia River Basalt Province in northwest USA and Skye in northwest Scotland.