![Dr Alexander Brasier Dr Alexander Brasier](/img/200x200/staffpages/uploads/s10ab4/avatar/fjkHGt86NwTZEgk7o9VYniHk8ELwkJ6BVG8K5O1A.png)
Senior Lecturer
- About
-
- Email Address
- a.brasier@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 273449
- School/Department
- School of Geosciences
Biography
Senior Lecturer in Geology, University of Aberdeen, 2018 -
Lecturer in Geology, University of Aberdeen, 2014 - 2018
Tenure track postdoc, VU University Amsterdam, 2012 - 2014
Postdoc, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre / Glasgow University, 2009 - 2012
Stratigrapher, Neftex, 2007 - 2009
PhD, University of East Anglia School of Environmental Sciences, 2003 - 2007
International Exchange student, Queens University Ontario, Canada, 2001 - 2002
BSc Geology, University of Edinburgh, 1999 - 2003
Memberships and Affiliations
- Internal Memberships
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Honorary Museum Curator for Geology collections, University of Aberdeen
Examinations Officer for Geology 2018 - 2023
Academic Lead for Aberdeen Centre for Electron Microscopy, Analysis and Characterisation (ACEMAC): https://www.abdn.ac.uk/business-info/facilities-and-expertise/acemac-nano-scale-electron-microscopy-and-analysis-facility-846.php
Member of the Core Facilities / Research Facilities Working Group (2017 - )
Member of the Space Enhanced Teaching Working Group (2018); several Science Teaching Hub working groups (2019 onwards); Reimagining our Campus - Research and Innovation Working Group (2023 - ).
- External Memberships
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Chief Editor, Sedimentology (2021 - )
Member of the Bureau / Council of Management, International Association of Sedimentologists (2021 - )
Chair of the Organising Committee, 37th International Meeting of Sedimentology, IAS Aberdeen 2024 (2017 - 2024)
Associate Editor, Sedimentology (2017 - 2020)
External examiner for PhD theses, including Hannes Claes (KU Leuven, 2015), Matthew Warke (University of Manchester, 2017) and Ying Shields-Zhou (UCL, 2017); MRes thesis Stefania Schania (UEA, 2023).
Member of the board of the Scottish Microscopy Society (2021 - )
Prizes and Awards
2020 - 2021 - Funniest Lecturer Award (Aberdeen University Students Association / University of Aberdeen)
2018 - 2019 - Most Inspiring Lecturer Award (Aberdeen University Students Association / University of Aberdeen)
2020 Sun Shu Prize (International), International Association of Sedimentologists
- Research
-
Current Research
Stable isotope and elemental geochemistry combined with petrography (optical and electron microscopy) of carbonate rocks and sediments for palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, exploring connections between climate, biosphere and tectonics through all of Earth history, from the Quaternary to the Archaean.
Astrobiology and geobiology, including processes of microbe fossilisation and identification of ancient microbial fossils (see for example http://theconversation.com/the-hunt-for-life-on-mars-new-findings-on-rock-chimneys-could-hold-key-to-success-97998 and https://www.newscientist.com/article/2172262-these-eerie-rock-towers-may-have-been-built-by-microorganisms).
Diagenesis, particularly of carbonate rocks and sediments, distinguishing original from secondary (alteration) features.
Examining deposition and diagenesis of non-marine carbonates (microbial tufas, hot-spring travertines, soil calcretes and cave speleothems), including the impact of the arrival and diversification of vascular plants on these terrestrial carbonates, and on muddy Palaeozoic reefs. I do this using a combination of field techniques, petrography and (isotope and elemental) geochemistry. This work has both applied and academic relevance.
Collaborations
Numerous collaborators, including (but certainly not limited to):
Peir Pufahl (Queen's University, Ontario)
John Reijmer and Hubert Vonhof (VU University, Amsterdam / MPI Mainz)
Enrico Capezzuoli (University of Florence)
Mike Rogerson (Northumbria University)
Tony Fallick (SUERC), Tony Prave (St Andrews), Victor Melezhik (NGU), Dan Condon (BGS)
Anneleen Foubert and Eva de Boever (Universite de Fribourg, Switzerland)
Supervision
Supervisees
- MR CIAN MCAULEY
- MISS LUCY KERR
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
Undergraduate Teaching:
GL1005 The Earth through Geological Time (Palaeontology and Stratigraphy)
GL1505 Earth's Materials (Sedimentology)
GL2017 Earth's Life, Environments and Climate through Time (Course Coordinator)
GL2510 Introduction to Field Geology (Arran fieldtrip)
GL4031 Geochemistry and Geofluids (Thurso fieldtrip)
GL4033 Planetary Geology / Applied Geological Synthesis (Course Coordinator)
GL4532 Integrative Geology through Fieldwork
MSc Teaching:
GL5561 Earth and Planetary Surface and Internal Processes
GL5563 Astrobiology for Explorers (Course Coordinator)
GL5044 Applied sedimentology and structural geology
- Publications
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Page 1 of 1 Results 1 to 61 of 61
Exploring electron backscatter diffraction analysis as a tool for understanding stromatolite: Quantitative description of Cretaceous lacustrine stromatolite reveals formative processes and high-resolution climatic cycles
SedimentologyContributions to Journals: ArticlesRatification of the base of the ICS Geological Time Scale: the Global Standard Stratigraphic Age (GSSA) for the Hadean lower boundary
EPISODES: Journal of International Geoscience , vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 381-389Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDid evaporite cements and infiltrated silts assist preservation of reptile tracks in Permian desert sediments?
Sedimentary Geology, vol. 462, 106591Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSequence stratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental implications of Cenomanian–Santonian dinocyst assemblages from the Trans¬-Sahara epicontinental seaway: a multivariate statistical approach.
The Depositional Record, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 91-123Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSearching for Life in Hot Spring Carbonate Systems: Investigating Raman Spectra of Carotenoid-Bearing Organic Carbonaceous Inclusions from Travertines of Italy
Astrobiology, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 163-176Contributions to Journals: ArticlesIkaite formation in streams affected by steel waste leachate: first report and potential impact on contaminant dynamics
Chemical Geology, vol. 644, 121842Contributions to Journals: ArticlesInsights into the response of coral biomineralisation to environmental change from aragonite precipitations in vitro
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 364, pp. 184-194Contributions to Journals: ArticlesComposition of continental crust altered by the emergence of land plants
Nature Geoscience, vol. 15, pp. 735-740Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion (SPICE), inorganic aragonite precipitation and seawater chemistry: Insights from the Middle - Late Cambrian Port au Port Group, Newfoundland
Depositional Record, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 502-523Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe geomorphological distribution of subaqueous tufa columns within a hypersaline lake: Mono Lake, USA
Journal of Sedimentary Research, vol. 92, no. 6, pp. 530-545Contributions to Journals: ArticlesEffects of seawater pCO2 on the skeletal morphology of massive Porites spp. Corals
Marine Biology, vol. 169, no. 6, 73Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA template for an improved rock-based subdivision of the preCryogenian time scale
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 179, no. 1, jgs2020-222Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLate Ediacaran life on land: desiccated microbial mats and large biofilm streamers
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 288, no. 1962, 20211875Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTowards a morphology diagram for terrestrial carbonates: evaluating the impact of carbonate supersaturation and alginic acid in calcite precipitate morphology
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 306, pp. 340-361Contributions to Journals: ArticlesObservations of reservoir quality alteration in proximity to igneous intrusions for two distinct sandstones units in Scotland
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 129, 105071Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe North West Highlands UNESCO Global Geopark: Oldest Fossils in Europe
Geoconservation Research, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 25-42Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDid the Benue Trough connect the Gulf of Guinea with the Tethys Ocean in the Cenomanian?: New evidence from the Palynostratigraphy of the Yola Sub-basin
Cretaceous Research, vol. 119, 104683Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSpotting alien life – how ‘microfossils’ could fool scientists
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesPetrological evidence supports the death mask model for the preservation of Ediacaran soft-bodied organisms in South Australia: Reply
Geology, vol. 47, no. 8, pp. E474-E474Contributions to Journals: Comments and Debates- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/G46519Y.1
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Detecting ancient life: Investigating the nature and origin of possible stromatolites and associated calcite from a one billion year old lake
Precambrian Research, vol. 328, pp. 309-320Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPetrological evidence supports the death mask model for the preservation of Ediacaran soft-bodied organisms in South Australia
Geology, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 215-218Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/G45918.1
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/13537/1/Liu_etal_EdiacaranPreservation_Geology_2019.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
- [ONLINE] https://abdn.pure.elsevier.com/en/en/researchoutput/petrological-evidence-supports-the-death-mask-model-for-the-preservation-of-ediacaran-softbodied-organisms-in-south-australia(9cabaf5d-e90c-47fb-91d9-8a78e88ff41d).html
Carbon isotopes, stratigraphy and environmental change: the Middle-Upper Cambrian Positive Excursion (SPICE) in Port-au-Port Group, Western Newfoundland, Canada
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 55, no. 11, pp. 1209-1222Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA microbial role in the construction of Mono Lake carbonate chimneys?
Geobiology, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 540-555Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe hunt for life on Mars: new findings on rock 'chimneys' 'could hold key to success
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesWhat do we really know about early diagenesis of non-marine carbonates?
Sedimentary Geology, vol. 361, pp. 25-51Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA depositional model for spherulitic carbonates associated with alkaline, volcanic lakes
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 86, pp. 168-191Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAre spherulitic lacustrine carbonates an expression of large-scale mineral carbonation?: A case study from the East Kirkton Limestone, Scotland
Gondwana Research, vol. 48, pp. 101-109Contributions to Journals: ArticlesEarth System Evolution and Early Life: A Celebration of the Work of Martin Brasier
Books and Reports: AnthologiesCaractérisation sédimentaire de la formation roche mère carbonatée Parnac du Kimméridgien supérieur du Bassin d'Aquitaine (Quercy)
Bulletin de la Socie´te´ Ge´ologique de France, vol. 188, no. 5, pp. 1-16Contributions to Journals: ArticlesContributions of Professor Martin Brasier to the study of early life, stratigraphy and biogeochemistry
Earth System Evolution and Early Life: a Celebration of the Work of Martin Brasier. Brasier, A. T., McIlroy, D., McLoughlin, N. (eds.). Geological Society, Specialist Publications, pp. 1-17, 17 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersEarliest Cretaceous cocoons or plant seed structures from the Wealden Group, Hastings, UK
Earth System Evolution and Early Life: a Celebration of the Work of Martin Brasier. Brasier, A., McLoughlin, N., McIlroy, D. (eds.). Geological Society, Specialist Publications, pp. 399-411, 13 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersEvaluating evidence from the Torridonian Supergroup (Scotland, UK) for Eukaryotic life on land in the Proterozoic
Earth System Evolution and Early Life: a Celebration of the Work of Martin Brasier. Brasier, A. T., McLoughlin, N., McIlroy, D. (eds.). Geological Society, Specialist Publications, pp. 121-144, 24 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP448.13
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/9520/1/Brasier_et_al_torridonian_Open.pdf
Primary aragonite and high-Mg calcite in the late Cambrian (Furongian): Potential evidence from marine carbonates in Oman
Terra Nova, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 306-315Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ter.12222
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/8973/1/Neilson_et_al_accepted.pdf
3.46 Ga Apex chert 'microfossils' reinterpreted as mineral artefacts produced during phyllosilicate exfoliation
Gondwana Research, vol. 36, pp. 296-313Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2015.07.010
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/9044/1/Wacey_etal_2015.pdf
Unusual, basin-scale, fluid–rock interaction in the Palaeoproterozoic Onega basin from Fennoscandia: Preservation in calcite δ18O of an ancient high geothermal gradient
Precambrian Research, vol. 281, pp. 224-235Contributions to Journals: ArticlesGrowing spherulitic calcite grains in saline, hyperalkaline lakes: Experimental evaluation of the effects of Mg-clays and organic acids
Sedimentary Geology, vol. 335, pp. 93-102Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe Palaeoproterozoic global carbon cycle: insights from the Loch Maree Group, NW Scotland
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 173, no. 1, pp. 170-176Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA Test of the Biogenicity Criteria Established for Microfossils and Stromatolites on Quaternary Tufa and Speleothem Materials Formed in the “Twilight Zone” at Caerwys, UK
Astrobiology, vol. 15, no. 10, pp. 883-900Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCarbonate deposition in the Palaeoproterozoic Onega basin from Fennoscandia: a spotlight on the transition from the Lomagundi-Jatuli to Shunga events
Earth Science Reviews, vol. 147, pp. 65-98Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTravertine precipitation in the Paleoproterozoic Kuetsjärvi Sedimentary Formation, Pechenga Greenstone Belt, NE Fennoscandian Shield
Precambrian Research, vol. 255, no. 1, pp. 181-201Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCarbon isotopic evidence for organic matter oxidation in soils of the Old Red Sandstone (Silurian to Devonian, South Wales, UK)
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 171, no. 5, pp. 621-634Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2013-136
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/4961/1/ORS_carbon_Open.pdf
Petrography and geochemistry of carbonate rocks of the Paleoproterozoic Zaonega Formation, Russia: Documentation of C-13-depleted non-primary calcite
Precambrian Research, vol. 240, pp. 79-93Contributions to Journals: ArticlesArchaean Soils, Lakes and Springs: Looking for Signs of Life
Evolution of Archean Crust and Early Life. Dilek, Y., Furnes, H. (eds.). Springer Verlag, pp. 367-384, 18 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7615-9_13
Earth's earliest global glaciation? Carbonate geochemistry and geochronology of the Polisarka Sedimentary Formation, Kola Peninsula, Russia
Precambrian Research, vol. 235, pp. 278-294Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCaliche
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: Global Events and the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V. A., Kump, L. R., Fallick, A. E., Strauss, H., Hanski, E. J., Prave, A. R., Lepland, A. (eds.). Springer Verlag, pp. 1419-1434, 16 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29670-3_9
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Earth’s Earliest Travertines
Reading the Archive of Earth's Oxygenation: Global Events and the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V. A., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer, pp. 1435-1456, 22 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29670-3_9
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Enhanced Accumulation of Organic Matter: The Shunga Event
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: Global Events and the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 1195-1273, 79 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29670-3_6
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Palaeoproterozoic Stromatolites from the Lomagundi-Jatuli Interval of the Fennoscandian Shield
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: Global Events and the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 1298-1352, 55 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29670-3_8
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Polisarka sedimentary formation: FAR-DEEP hole 3A
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: The Core Archive of the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer Heidelberg, pp. 530-550, 21 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29659-8_2
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The Imandra/Varzuga Greenstone Belt
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: The Core Archive of the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 505-590, 86 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29659-8_2
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The Palaeoproterozoic Perturbation of the Global Carbon Cycle: The Lomagundi-Jatuli Isotopic Event
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: Global Events and the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V. A., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer Verlag, pp. 1111-1150, 40 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29670-3_3
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Tulomozero formation: FAR-DEEP holes 10A and 10B
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: The Core Archive of the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V., Prave, A. R., Hanksi, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 773-888, 116 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29659-8_4
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Isotopic evidence for massive oxidation of organic matter following the Great Oxidation Event
Science, vol. 334, no. 6063, pp. 1694-1696Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1213999
Coastal sabkha dolomites and calcitised sulphates preserving the Lomagundi-Jatuli carbon isotope signal
Precambrian Research, vol. 189, no. 1-2, pp. 193-211Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2011.05.011
Diagenesis or dire genesis? The origin of columnar spar in tufa stromatolites of central Greece and the role of chironomid larvae
Sedimentology, vol. 58, no. 5, pp. 1283-1302Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3091.2010.01208.x
Searching for travertines, calcretes and speleothems in deep time: Processes, appearances, predictions and the impact of plants
Earth Science Reviews, vol. 104, no. 4, pp. 213-239Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.10.007
Earth’s oldest putative fossil assemblage from the ~3.5 Ga Apex chert, Chinaman Creek, Western Australia: a field and petrographic guide
Perth, Australia: Geological Survey of Western Australia. 60 pagesBooks and Reports: Other ReportsCarbon and nitrogen cycling pursuant to the great oxidation event: evidence from the paleoproterozoic of fennoscandia
Journal of earth science, vol. 21, no. S1, pp. 4-5Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-010-0153-6
Depositional continuity of seasonally laminated tufas: implications for delta O-18 based palaeotemperatures
Global and Planetary Change, vol. 71, no. 3-4, pp. 160-167Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2009.03.022
Late-Pliocene timing of Corinth (Greece) rift-margin fault migration
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 274, no. 1-2, pp. 132-141Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2008.07.006
Seasonal records of climatic change in annually laminated tufas: short review and future prospects
Journal of Quaternary Science, vol. 20, pp. 411-421Contributions to Journals: Articles