News

Maire Curie Grant for Sascha Brune
Dr. Sascha Brune obtained a Marie Curie Grant for a project in collaboration with the EarthByte group in Australia. The project is Global tectonics with realistic lithospheric rheology “GLORY” (2013-2016). The overarching aim of this project is to explain how the interaction between the deep mantle and the lithosphere affects Earth's plate motions, stress field, and topography. Building on recent advances in computational geodynamics, a new numerical model will be developed by combining a program for lithosphere dynamics that features realistic elasto-visco-plastic rheology (SLIM3D) with a mantle convection code (TERRA). The new hybrid model will be used to address long-standing questions about the nature of the global plate reorganisation event that affected Earth's surface kinematics 50 My ago and that was responsible for the prominent bend in the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain. This multidisciplinary project will bridge the gaps between lithosphere modelling, mantle dynamics and plate tectonic reconstructions by combining the expertise of Dietmar Müller's EarthByte Group (University of Sydney, Australia) and the Geodynamic Modelling Group at the GFZ-Potsdam. 

Javier Quinteros' project selected for the establishment of a Helmholtz International Research Group
Dr. Javier Quinteros' project was selected for the establishment of a Helmholtz International Research Group. The project is Geodynamic Evolution of the Neuquén Andes: Implications for Geo-Resources. The goal of the project is to understand the episodic E-W migration of the magmatic-arc in the Neuquén Andes. In this region, the expansion of the magmatic arc and its later concentration in the foreland (150-200 km east from the frontal arc) was followed by a retraction of magmatic activity to the area of the drainage-divide after some Myrs. At least two of these phases of magmatic-arc shifting or expansion have been clearly observed (in latest Cretaceous to late Eocene and latest Oligocene to Miocene) and there is evidence which show that this could be the situation at present-day. Our aim is to quantify and determine the key factors that caused the episodic magmatic-arc migrations and identify and analyze the geodynamic models that best fit the present day tectonic setting of the region and its evolution in time. Ultimately, we plan to apply those models to better understand controls on magma emplacement and associated variations in the temperature field of the evolving foreland basins, especially for the Neuquén Basin where the emplacement of Tertiary laccoliths controls petroleum prospectivity to a large extent. The project will benefit from the expertise of our collaborators in Argentina, Victor Ramos and Ruben Somoza's groups (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina).

Postdoctoral Program
Dr. Marzieh Baes was won for a postdoc position in section 2.5.
Probabely she will start in April 2013.