Geochemistry and Mineral Resources

The group's research is focused on using the geochemistry, mineralogy and petrology of rocks to understand the origin and evolution of the Earth’s crust, mantle, atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere, how and why these reservoirs have changed, and which geological and tectonic processes have shaped our planet over geological time.

In addition, the interface to material science is also of interest and a part of research is directed towards the mineral-related materials used in industry.

The research is heavily focused on geochemical and mineralogical analytical work, in laboratories based at IGN (Microprobe, XRD, TIMS, ICPMS) and also carried out in collaboration with laboratories and facilities hosted by external international partners. The group also contributes a broad range of petrological, mineralogical and geochemical courses in the Department, ranging from introductory level to advanced Master’s levels courses.

 

 

  • 2023–2028: The chromite record of mafic crustal growth, Pedro Waterton PI (funded by the EU through an ERC starting grant)
  • 2023–2026: Why did Earth’s first ultra-high-pressure subduction precede global tectonic stagnation and the “Boring Billion”?, Kristoffer Szilas PI (funded by the Villum Foundation through a Young Investigator Plus grant)
  • 2023–2026: Potential for long-term CO2 storage through enhanced weathering of Ca-silicate minerals and materials, Maja Bar Rasmussen PI (funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark through a Green Transition Theme grant)
  • 2022–2025: Bioproductivity and water colomn redox - linking cadmium and chromium isotopes in marine sedimentary archives to reconstruct climate change, Robert Frei PI (funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark through a Research Project 2 grant)
  • 2021–2025: Reassessing the existence of plate tectonics on the early Earth, Kristoffer Szilas PI (funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark through a Sapere Aude grant)
  • 2021–2024: Enhanced weathering and carbonation of olivine, Kristoffer Szilas PI (funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark through a Green Transition Theme grant)
  • 2020–2024: Assessing the periodicity and mechanisms of continental crustal growth (funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark through a Research Project 2 grant)
  • 2018–2023: A partial cumulate origin of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle?, Kristoffer Szilas PI (funded by the Villum Foundation through a Young Investigator grant)
  • 2019–2022: The Oldest Rocks on Earth, Kristoffer Szilas PI (funded by the Carlsberg Foundation through a Distinguished Fellowship)
  • 2018–2021: Evaluation of cadmium isotopes as tracers of marine bioproductivity Robert Frei PI (funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark through a Research Project 1 grant)

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Tod Waight (TW), Maja Bar Rasmussen (MBR) or Pedro Waterton (PW) for more information or similar projects.

  • What can chromite tell us about the formation of large magma chambers? PW
  • ∼3 Ga komatiites of the Rice Lake Belt: ancient, ultra-hot lavas? PW
  • The sedimentary record of ancient crust. PW (Several projects available)
  • Large, semi-skeletal olivine in ultra-hot lavas. PW
  • What makes komatiites differentiate? Evidence from chromite. PW
  • Picrites, picrites and komatiites: what are the differences between Earth’s hottest modern and ancient lavas. PW
  • The Garner Lake Intrusive Complex: a ~2.9 Ga gabbro-pegmatite bearing intrusion. PW
  • High grade basement gneisses of the ~3.2 Ga Winnipeg River terrane. PW
  • Critical element mobility in arc systems. PW & Julien Cornet
  • Compositional statistics algorithm for Amphibole or Pyroxene Geobarometers. PW & Marie Katrine Traun (University of Göttingen)
  • Critical metals/economic geology MSc projects with Boliden available on request. PW & Sampriti Basak (Boliden)
  • Zircon provenance of the Nexsø sandstone, Bornholm. TW
  • Mineral chemistry and crystallization conditions (geothermbarometery) of Ilua Suite Rapakivi granites, South Greenland. TW.
  • Petrography and mineral chemistry of orbicular granite. TW.
  • Nd isotopes in Taupo Volcanic Zone basalts, NZ. TW.
  • Chemical fingerprinting of Taupo Volcanic zone ashes, NZ. TW
  • Petrology and geochemistry of basalts from Hverfell, NRZ, Iceland. MBR
  • Mineralogy of fumarole emplaced minerals from the 2022 Reykjanes eruption, Iceland. MBR
  • Experimental cation release from basaltic pumice. MBR
  • Weathering of basalts at surface conditions. Mineralogy and chemical changes in basalt from Fimmvördurháls, Iceland. MBR

 

 

PhD Projects

  • Marie Katrine Traun (2023) Explosive silicic volcanism in the Loicas Trough, Southern Andes. Supervised by Tod Waight, Nina Søager & Pedro Waterton.
  • Rikke Vestergaard (2023) Making and shaping South Greenland: Assessing crustal growth and evolution of the Ketilidian Orogen through the lens of U-Pb-O-Hf isotopes in zircon. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Anouk Borst (2016) Mineralogy and geochemistry of REE-Zr-Nb mineralized nepheline syenites in the peralkaline Ilimaussaq Complex, South Greenland. Supervised by Tod Waight, Troels Nielsen, Henrik Friis.
  • Robin-Marie Bell (2016) Gold mineralization in the Nanulak region, S Greenland. Supervised by Tod Waight
  • Quinten van der Meer (2015) The timing, source and origin of intraplate magmatism during and following breakup in southern New Zealand. Supervised by Tod Waight.

 

 

Master Projects (last 5 years)

  • Cathrine Hessner (2026) Investigating the Origin of Si-rich Glass Patches in Shergottites. Supervised by Pedro Waterton & Martin Bizarro.
  • Anders Galmstrup Nielsen (2026) Investigations of the metamorphic history of the Ilulissap Isua area, West Greenland. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Marie Buhl & Caroline Viereck (2026) Bioleaching of Rare Earth Elements from Greenlandic Primary Bulk Rock. Supervised by Tod Waight & Nicole Posth.
  • Panormitis Chaskas (2025) Petrological and Geochemical analyses of Ikaasartivaq Igneous Complex in South East Greenland. Supervised by Tod Waight & Thomas Kokfelt (GEUS).
  • Shiri Karina Goldman-Nedergaard (2024) Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Potential of Seqi, Greenland Dunite in Agricultural Soils. Supervised by Maja Bar Rasmussen & Nynke Keulen (GEUS).
  • Søren Mørk Laustrup (2024) The potential for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) of Fuglefjeldet and Fiskenæsset anorthosite. Supervised by Maja Bar Rasmussen.
  • Emil Akseli Koskinen Tonboe (2024): On the origin of Italian ultrapotassic magmas. Supervised by Tod Waight & Paul Martin Holm.
  • Jonathan J. S. Runge (2024) Geochemistry of mafic intrusions in central Spitsbergen: The petrology, geochemistry and isotope geochemical influence of the sedimentary host rock on the intrusions. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Emil Soltau (2023) Provenance analysis and U-Pb geochronology of detrital zircon in lower Paleozoic Franklinian Basin North Greenland – implications for the Caledonian Orogeny. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Martin Larsen (2022) Eoarchean ultramafic rocks from South of Isua Supracrustal Belt: Indicators for cumulate petrogenesis. Supervised by Kristoffer Szilas & Pedro Waterton.
  • Louise Kjære Knudsen (2022) The Julianehåb Igneous Complex, a petrographic study coupled with electron microprobe analysis of amphiboles. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Nima Hajir Azad (2022) Petrographic and geochemical characterization of layered mafic intrusion from the Nissedal Complex, South Norway - Investigating relict pyroxene to suggest original melt composition. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Krestine Hofstedt Rasmussen (2022) High temperature stability of stone wool fibres and the influence of ferric iron. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Martin Larsen (2022) Eoarchean ultramafic rocks from South of Isua Supracrustal Belt: Indicators for cumulate petrogenesis. Supervised by Kristoffer Szilas & Pedro Waterton.
  • Phillip Wachmann (2022) Enhanced Weathering of olivine as a strategy for carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Supervised by Maja Bar Rasmussen & Kristoffer Szilas

 

 

Bachelor projects (last 5 years)

  • Vanilla Robin Faber Fischer & Ask Benjamin Homann (2026) Examining The Origin Of Spinel-Symplectites In Mantle Xenoliths From The Scanian Volcanic Province. Supervised by Pedro Waterton.
  • Thomas Bernatovicz Bjeld & Jakob Aspegren Bormann (2026) Trace Element Geochemistry of Zircons from South Greenland. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Lars Willam Thisted (2026) Ferromanganese Crusts of the East Greenland Ridge: Characterization and Implications for Mineral Resources. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Snorre van Bülow (2025) Geochemical and Petrographic Analysis of Titanite from the Julianehåb Igneous Complex and Ilua Suite. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Lea Jensen (2025) EMPA analysis and classification of tsavorite garnets from Merelani Hills, Tanzania. Supervised by Pedro Waterton.
  • Tabitha Dünweber & Ida Christensen (2025) Detrital chromite and its implications for continental crustal evolution in the Western Superior Craton, Canada. Supervised by Pedro Waterton.
  • Mikkeline Ten Berge (2025) The Low-Temperature Dissolution Rate of Anorthosite and its Potential Usage in Enhanced Rock Weathering. Supervised by Maja Bar Rasmussen.
  • Sarah-Sophie Dybdal-Nielsen (2025) Omdannelse af anorthosit ved forskellige pH forhold og forhøjet CO2. Supervised by Maja Bar Rasmussen.
  • Filippa Stevanovska (2025) Detrital chromite of the western Superior Craton and its implications for early mafic crustal growth. Supervised by Pedro Waterton.
  • Laurits Keller & Anders Nielsen (2024) Analysis of mantle xenoliths from Central Scanian volcanoes with focus on spinel-pyroxene symplectites. Supervised by Pedro Waterton.
  • Cathrine Louise Lystager Hessner (2024) Origins of Martian Meteorite Northwest Africa 6963. Supervised by Pedro Waterton.
  • Nadja Goldman Pedersen (2024) Petrografisk og mineralkemisk analyse af andesit med lyse og mørke striber fra Cabo De Gata, Spanien. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Clara Sonne Korsholm (2024) Plate tectonic dynamics of a mature island arc: geology of Japan- Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Isak Perotti (2023) Forsterite Dissolution in Artificial Seawater and it’s Possible Implications for use in Carbon Capture and Storage. Supervised by Maja Bar Rasmussen.
  • Katrin Adalbjörg Alfredsdottir (2023) Mineralogical and petrological descriptions of xenoliths from Midfell. Supervised by Tod Waight & Maja Bar Rasmussen.
  • Philip Hedenborg (2023) Petrological analyses of the Hohonu dike Swarm in New Zealands Western Province. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Patricia Emilie Eriksen & Sarah Wille Sligting Stannius (2023) Petrologisk og geokemisk undersøgelse af lyse og mørke andesitiske striber i Cabo de Gata Volcanic Zone, Spanien. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Sebastian S. Lodal (2023) A petrological investigation of metamorphic rocks from South Greenland and assessing the time and temperature of peak metamorphism of the Ketilidian orogen. Supervised by Tod Waight & Sampriti Basak.
  • Tue Leffland Lundtorp (2023) Clinopyroxene cores in amphiboles of Rønne and Mægård granites. Supervised by Tod Waight.
  • Ida M. Clausen (2023) Indsamling af strukturgeologiske data fra skråbilleder vha. fotogrammetri fra Hudsonland, Nordøst Grønland. Supervised by Tod Waight.

 

 

 

 

Read about the courses offered. Here you can find information about the content, learning objectives, teaching methods, examination formats, and more for the various courses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Members of the Research Group

Name Title Phone E-mail
Search in Name Search in Title Search in Phone
Cara Alice Mallon PhD Fellow +4535334804 E-mail
Emil Akseli Koskinen Tonboe PhD Fellow +4535324873 E-mail
Kim Berlo Associate Professor +4535337698 E-mail
Maja Bar Rasmussen Assistant Professor +4535328887 E-mail
Paul Martin Holm Associate Professor Emeritus +4535322426 E-mail
Pedro Waterton Assistant Professor - Tenure Track +4535326223 E-mail
Shreya Mukherjee Postdoc +4535324342 E-mail
Tod Waight Professor +4535322482 E-mail
Tonci Balic Zunic Associate Professor Emeritus +4535322337 E-mail

Head of Research Group

Pedro WatertonPedro Waterton
Assistant Professor



E-mail:  pw@ign.ku.dk
Phone: +45 35326223
Mobile: +45 50296053

Associated laboratories

Electron microprobe laboratory

LA-ICP-MS laboratory

Radiogenic and non-traditional isotopes geochemistry laboratory

X-ray laboratory

The Sleeping Giant

DENMARK'S OLDEST ROCKS

- A NEW LOOK AT BORNHOLM'S UNDERGROUND

DENMARK'S OLDEST ROCKS - A NEW LOOK AT BORNHOLM'S UNDERGROUNDDENMARK'S OLDEST ROCKS - A NEW LOOK AT BORNHOLM'S UNDERGROUND

THE OLDEST ROCKS ON EARTH