Research Groups
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The Marine and Petroleum Geology Research Group is involved in a range of research projects focussed on understanding of slope and deep water sea-bed processes and in providing a geological framework for basin development, petroleum exploration and reservoir analysis in the Irish offshore. Interlinked research strands include:
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Crustal controls on passive margin sedimentary basins.
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Basin and reservoir architecture and tectono-stratigraphic analysis of depositional systems.
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The spectrum of gravity flow processes through slides, debris flows, transitional flows and turbidity currents.
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Neogene to Recent depositional systems in deep-water basins west of Ireland.
A significant tranche of current research deals with gravity flow processes, focussing on the interaction between turbidity currents and topography. The trapping of turbidity currents in slope mini-basins and tectonically-controlled depocentres is also a particular focus of the Group, drawing on field studies of Neogene structurally-controlled basins in SE Spain. The Group is also concerned with the characterisation of modern slopes west of Ireland where the focus has been on the history of slope development, and the location, style and timing of slope failures. An important strand of research relates to the activity of bottom currents sweeping slopes flanking the underfilled basins on the Irish Atlantic margins. On-going projects are focussing on the tectono-stratigraphic evolution and provenance of both Triassic and Jurassic-Cretaceous reservoir intervals west of Ireland.
The group is currently staffed by two academic staff, one postdoctoral researcher and seven PhD students. Funding comes from a range of sources including industry, the EU and state funding agencies.
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- Fault Analysis Group
- Geochronology, Petrology and Isotope Geochemistry Group
- Geophysics Group
- Palaeobiology Research Group
- Palaeoclimate Research Group
