We are presently involved in research projects in the areas indicated on the map (heavy red dots).
Namibia and Uruguay
In Namibia and Uruguay we are investigating the Neoproterozoic to Cambrian Kaoko Belt in cooperation with the Namibian Geological Survey, Paul Hoffman of Harvard University, and Rudolph Trouw and Renata Schmidt of Universities in Rio de Janeiro. We study the tectonic evolution of the belt, which involves significant ductile sinistral transpression in the internal parts of the orogen, grading into a foreland fold-and-thrust belt in the east.
Cap de Creus, Spain
In co-operation with the Autonomous University of Barcelona we are working on the structure and evolution of a high grade shear zone in the Cap de Creus area, in eastern Spain. This shear zone of Variscan age is of special interest in that it shows subvertical stretching lineations, but also asymmetric structures that indicate shear sense on surfaces normal to the lineation, instead of parallel to the lineation as is usual in ductile shear zones.The area is also used as an advanced mapping excercise for our students.
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San Vincente Mine, Peru
In this project we study the development of zebra rocks and their relation to tectonic deformation and lead-zinc mineralisation.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia
In Egypt and Saudi Arabia we study major shear zones in the Neoproterozoic basement in a research project called JEBEL (http://www.jebel.geo.su.se), in a cooperation of the Universities of Dallas, Stockholm, Cairo, Amman, the Geological Survey of Saudi Arabia and the Nuclear Materials Authority of Egypt. The shearzones in Egypt and Saudi Arabia are linked to small core-complexes and, although they are now cut by the Red Sea, were once continueous structures thousands of kilometres long
Algeria
In Algeria we study the basement tectonics of the Hoggar massif in the central Sahara, in cooperation with the University of Alger and the Africa Museum in Tervuren, Belgium . The area has complex Neoproterozoic tectonics of which very little is known to date.
Turkey and Greece
In Turkey and Greece we study travertine deposits in Roman aqueducts in order to retrieve data on crystal growth in veins, neotectonics, climate, engineering and economic activity in the Ancient World. This project is part of the Geocycles research initiative, and is carried out in cooperation with meteorology, mathematics, crystallography, palaeontology and sedimentology at the University of Mainz, and engineering and archeology departments in Germany, Holland, Greece, Turkey and Jordan.
Rwenzori mountains in the East African Rift System
In Uganda we are interested in the uplift of the Rwenzori mountains within the extending western branch of the EARS. This 5000m high basement block was presumably uplifted during extension. We work in cooperation with a larger Rhein-Main initiative, which is funded as a DFG Forschergruppe.
Former projects
Wu Tai Shan, China
This project is carried out in co-operation with Beijing University and Carlton University, Perth. We investigate the tectonics of the Wu Tai Shan greenstone belt west of Beijing.
Zimbabwe
With the University of Zimbabwe, we worked on a project on Neoproterozoic tectonics of NW Zimbabwe. The project was financed jointly by the Volkswagen Stiftung and DFG.
Capricorn orogen
In co-operation with the west-Australian geological Suwey we investigated the tectonic evolution of the Capricorn orogen (early - mid Proterozoic), in between the Pilbara and Yilgarn cratons. A new orogenic event, the Glenburg orogeny, was recognised here recently as a result of our work.
Vestfold Hills, Antarctica
Research on progressive deformation in polymineralic ultramylonites from the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica, was undertaken by Marga Zuyderwijk, a Ph. D. student at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Samples for this study were collected during several ANARE Australian expeditions to the Antarctic by Cees Passchier, Hans Hoek and Roland Bekendam. The study focussed on grain scale deformation mechanisms in ultramylonite and deformed pseudotachylyte and involves TEM-work.