Gypsum rich soils are of wide occurrence in the Middle East. They cover large areas of Iraq. Gypsum is one of the moderately soluble salts that can have significant effect on the engineering properties of soils. The effect of gypsum content and the stress state on the main hydra…
The dynamic interaction between different water sources plays a key role in the structure and functioning of Arctic stream systems. Ice melt, snowmelt, groundwater and rainfall mix to produce a diverse range of physicochemical conditions. The heterogeneous habitat matrix created…
In order to avoid the damaging climatic consequences of rising atmospheric CO2, and reduce current atmospheric CO2 concentrations to pre-industrial levels, anthropogenic CO2 emissions must be mitigated by capturing CO2 at power plants and storing it for thousands of years. Under…
Environmental histories are multi-dimensional accounts of human interaction with the environment over time. They observe how and when the environment changes (material environmental histories), and the effects of human activities upon the environment (political environmental his…
A palaeomagnetic study of some of the best preserved Palaeoarchaean (3.2 -3.6 Ga) rock successions in the world – the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa – has been carried out in order to shed light on Early Earth processes. The aim is to improve the understanding of the lo…
Evidence of Holocene marine transgression and regression in South-West Scotland is exhibited in the stratigraphical record of present and former coastal deposits. Remnant areas of Holocene coastal (including marine) sediments are preserved at the head of marine inlets and estuar…
The origin of the southern Midland Valley Old Red Sandstone Conglomerates is reviewed with the specific aim of determining the nature and location of the source for the Old Red Sandstone Greywacke Conglomerate. The Silurian Midland Valley has been viewed as either i) a fore-arc …
Titanite is a calcium titanium silicate accessory mineral that serves as a sink for trace elements, especially the rare-earth elements and the high-field strength elements (Cerny and Rivadisa.L 1972; Groat, Carter et al. 1985; Enami, Suzuki et al. 1993; Perseil and Smith 1995; D…
This thesis presents a novel technique for the quantitative characterisation of bathymetric data sets. The technique integrates three main geomorphometric methods: morphometric attributes and their statistical analyses, feature-based quantitative representation, and automated to…
The Rough Rock is the highest sandstone in the Namurian, being overlain by the Gastrioceras subcrenatum Marine Band, which marks the junction between the Namurian and Westphalian in north-west Europe, and its occurrence in the southern Pennines forms the subject of this study. T…
The late Quaternary sedimentology of the Mediterranean is controlled primarily by fluctuations in global climate and sea level, and by an overriding compressive regime between the Eurasian and African plates. Local variations in this convergence have led to marked differences in…
The recent spate of floods in many parts of Britain has stimulated substantial interest among scientists, policy makers and the public concerning contemporary trends in flood frequency and magnitude, in particular questioning whether these events exceed historical extremes. Howe…
This thesis reports on over 27 sills and 213 associated vents. The sills and vents were investigated using 3D seismic data, in a ~1000 km2 area, offshore Norway between the Møre and Vøring Basins (the Edvarda survey). A wide range of sill geometries are observed which are interp…
This thesis focuses on the development of the black shales belonging to the lower Silurian Formigoso Formation (Fm.) situated within the Cantabrian Fold Belt, Northern Spain. The geochemical data obtained by the use of an energy-dispersive Niton XL3t XRF analyser under controlle…
Geodetic observations of crustal deformation through the earthquake cycle provide unique opportunities to gain essential knowledge of faulting mechanisms, lithospheric rheology, and fault interaction. Normal faults, an integral geologic unit responsible for crustal deformation, …
The tectonic development of the Western Indian high-elevation passive margin is complex. At least two major rifting events (India/Madagascar and India/Seychelles) and a major hotspot (The Reunion plume) are believed to have been instrumental in the formation and development of t…
Abstract Zircon in mudstones, sandstones and greenschist facies metasediments has been investigated using conventional SEM techniques (BSE, CL and SE imaging) and reveals highly variable microstructures and textures. In these rocks, zircon readily responds to low temperature eve…
The Mg/Ca temperature proxy was applied for the first time to seasonality records in calcitic brachiopod shells, using a laser ablation tracking technique on both Recent and fossil material. Seawater temperature calibrations were established using modern Terebratulina retusa fro…