Seismic interpretation has turned into a valuable tool for both industry and academic scientists to decipher old–recent geological processes such as basin formation, tectonic accretion and rifting.
At present, applications of seismic interpretation go well beyond hydrocarbon exploration and are now used, among other things, for tectonostratigraphic studies of sedimentary basins, characterization of basement fabrics and structures (e.g., shear zones, detachments, high-pressure rocks), regional (plate) correlations, plate tectonics reconstruction. Seismic data are commonly used together with bathymetric, gravimetric, and/or magnetic data where available.
Through this graduate work, the student will gain critical skills in seismic interpretation, structural geology, tectonostratigraphic, scientific writing, assessing and discussing scientific uncertainty, ethics in science, and techniques for efficient communication of scientific outcomes to non-specialists. Additional supervisors may be from other universities, research institutes, and/or industries in Norway and/or abroad (to be discussed before thesis start).
Specific topics include but are not limited to:
- Regional mapping and correlation of basement structures in the northern Barents Sea and Spitsbergen;
- Mapping of basement structures and sedimentary basins northwest of Spitsbergen;
- Interpretation of volcano-sedimentary basins in the Fram Strait;
- Interpretation of Caledonian versus Timanian deformation structures in basement rocks in the Barents Sea;
- Detailed interpretation of basement-seated fold-and-thrust belts;
- Interpretation of early Cenozoic fold-and-thrust belt along the western Barents Sea-Svalbard margin;
- Salt tectonics in the northern Barents Sea;
- Detailed thrust/shear zone/detachment characterization in the Barents Sea, Fram Strait, and northeastern Greenland;
- Mapping of oceanic core complexes in the Fram Strait;
- Mapping of Paleozoic and Mesozoic intrusions in Svalbard;
Thesis topics can be discussed by contacting Jean-Baptiste Koehl (jean-baptiste.koehl@uit.no). Please do feel free to come up with your own project ideas and/or scientific hypotheses to test.
The main study area should be the Norwegian Barents Sea, Svalbard, the Fram Strait, and/or the northeastern Greenland margin.
