Sedimentology, depositional architecture and sequence stratigraphy of
the shallow marine to non-marine transition in the Karoo Basin, South
Africa
School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester
Background
The SLOPE project has been working on the process sedimentology,
sequence stratigraphy and quantitative architecture of world class
outcrops of Permian shelf edge, submarine slope and basin floor
depositional systems in the Karoo Basin, South Africa for 9 years. In
conjunction with the LOBE project (now in Phase 2) these studies have
yielded a wide range of new understandings of linked shelf to basin
systems in the Tanqua and Laingsburg depocentres (e.g. Hodgson et al.,
2011; Flint et al., 2011). The projects have been supported by 20 oil
companies from 6 continents, 6 PhDs have been completed and 4 are
currently in progress. The 4th phase of the SLOPE project is due to
start shortly and one PhD studentship is available from October 1st 2013
to work within a powerful 4-University, 3 continent research team to
investigate a further range of fundamental research questions on
deepwater and deltaic components of the Karoo system.
SLOPE Phase 4 has been constructed such that a Post-doctoral researcher
position and two PhD Studentships are focussed on separate but
complementary research issues and will integrate with two additional PhD
students within the project, one based at West Virginia University USA
(geochemistry and radiometric dating) and one at the University of
Western Australia, Perth (magnetostratigraphy and radiometric dating).
Objectives of the PhD Studentship
This studentship will be focussed on the sedimentology, architecture and
sequence stratigraphy of the shallow marine to non-marine transition in
the basin, which is the ‘missing piece’ in the otherwise
well-constrained stratigraphic framework of the basin-fill. The
Waterford Formation exposes a rare temperate latitude coastal plain to
fluvial section over 1000 km2. The project will interface with another
Karoo project that is working on the younger purely fluvial succession
deposited under semi-arid conditions, so the climatic changes related to
rapid plate movement into lower latitudes will be a component of the
project. The studentship will involve extensive fieldwork in South
Africa and may include supporting petrographic analysis of the marine to
non-marine transition
Training and Support
Training will be provided in field techniques and any required
supporting laboratory work. The student will benefit from structured
research and career skills training programmes. The appointee will be
based at Manchester but will spend regular research time in Leeds. You
will have a strong interest in sedimentology and stratigraphy, be
comfortable with multiple 6 week periods of fieldwork in mountainous
semi-desert terrain and must hold a full driving licence. The project
team is fully equipped with four 4x4 fieldwork vehicles, a dGPS system
and a wide range of geochemical laboratories in required.
Funding
The studentship is fully funded (3.5 years fees, living grant, fieldwork
and laboratory costs) from an industrial consortium grant to the
Universities.
Applications are invited from UK/EU candidates holding at least an upper
second class degree or equivalent in a Geoscience area. To apply please
send a covering letter and a Curriculum Vitae with the email contact
details of two referees to Stephen.flint@manchester,ac,
