Sedimentary Systems

Student projects

Oxygen on the Early Earth. Reconstructing O₂ levels on the early Earth using sedimentary redox proxies. This includes experimental, observational or theoretical projects involving geochemistry, chemistry, geology, geophysics, geobiology and statistics.

Atmospheric CO₂ levels on the early Earth. This includes experimental, observational or theoretical projects on CO₂ proxies based on land plants involving paleobiology, geochemistry, biochemistry, geology, geobiology). 

The rate of climate change. Reconstructing the rate of climatic changes and/or climate feedbacks in the past or present. This may include cyclostratigraphy and geochemical proxies, theoretical modeling of biogeochemical cycles and feedbacks in the past or present. 

Ancient metallomes. Assessing biolimiting micronutrients. Experimental quantification of the metal need in living cultures of aquatic organisms. Preservation of metallomes in fossils. Geochemistry, biogeochemistry and geobiology.

The origin of oxygenic photosynthesis. Experimental culture studies of cyanobacteria and/or algae. Experimental studies of weathering processes in an anoxic atmosphere. Observational studies of organic remains in Precambrian rocks.

Geoengineering. Evaluation of a Geoengineering mitigation strategy (30 ECTS). Experimenting with enhanced weathering (60 ECTS).

Sedimentology  of Cretaceous and Danian pelagic carbonates, marls and shales in the North Sea (drill core description and scanning electron microscopy). Kresten Anderskouv, ka@ign.ku.dk

CO₂ storage potential of sandstones and carbonates in the Denmark and the North Sea based on sedimentology, reservoir characterization or reservoir modelling. Kresten Anderskouv, ka@ign.ku.dk and external partners.

Sedimentology of Triassic storm-influenced deposits in the Danish North Sea. Kresten Anderskouv, ka@ign.ku.dk and Mads Engholm Jelby.

Integrated seismic and sedimentological analysis of the Chalk Group in the North Sea. Kresten Anderskouv, ka@ign.ku.dk and Lars Ole Boldreel.

Integrated stratigraphy and sedimentology of Cretaceous carbonate successions. Nicolas Thibault and Kresten Anderskouv, ka@ign.ku.dk

Outcrop studies of Cretaceous and Danian carbonates in the Danish, North German, or Kristianstad Basins. Kresten Anderskouv, ka@ign.ku.dk

Contact

Kresten Anderskouv ka@ign.ku.dk

Cyclostratigraphy and astronomical climate change

• Early Cretaceous of the North Sea
• Early Jurassic Paris Basin
• Ordovician – Silurian of Baltica
• Late Cretaceous chalk

Micropaleontology of calcareous nannofossils (coccoliths and other affiliated forms): paleoecology, biostratigraphy, evolution, size changes

• Late Triassic of the Alps
• Early Jurassic of the Boreal realm
• Kimmeridgian-Berriasian (Volgian) of the Farsund Formation
• Early Cretaceous (Tuxen and Sola Formations)
• Late Cretaceous chalk

Carbon isotope stratigraphy and environmental changes: bulk or fine-fraction stable isotopes + geochemistry of major and trace elements

• Late Campanian-Maastrichtian chalk of Denmark (Stevns-1, Stevns-2, Rørdal, Skæslskør)
• The middle Cenomanian Event in the North Sea

Contact

Nicolas Thibault nt@ign.ku.dk

Geological evolution of the off shore Faroe Island and NE Atlantic Ocean during the Tertiary based on interpretation of reflection seismic data and wireline log data

Tectonic and glacial tectonic development in the shallow subsurface based on high resolution seismic data

Reflection seismic and Wireline log interpretation in relation to deep geothermal and Carbon Capture Storage

Development of Zechstein salt structures based on interpretation of reflection seismic data

Contact

Lars Ole Boldreellob@ign.ku.dk

Marginal alluvial fan - sand sea deposits, Permian, Arran, UK.

Terminal fluvial systems, Lower Triassic, Arran, UK.

Fluvial - lacustrine deposits, Upper Triassic, Bornholm.

Fluvial deposits, Lower Cretaceous Rabekke Formation, Bornholm.

Coastal dune deposits along rocky shorelines, Pleistocene, Mallorca

Contact

Lars B. Clemmensen larsc@ign.ku.dk

Trilobite systematics and palaeoecology
(Cambro-Ordovician, Baltica)

Trilobite biostratigraphy

Trilobite biometrics

Shale geochemistry (in cooperation with external supervisors)

Shale sedimentology

Revision of taxa from the Sirius Passet Lagerstätte, northern Greenland (lower Cambrian)

Log stratigraphy of lower Palaeozoic successions in drill holes in southern Scandinavia

Other fossil groups can be treated in cooperation with external supervisors (e.g. foraminifera, dinoflagellates, ammonites, dinosaur tracks etc.)

Contact

Arne Thorshøj Nielsen arnet@ign.ku.dk

Various studies of environmental, climate and oceanographic changes in different periods of the Phanerozoic identified by stable isotopes such as:

• Cambrian-Ordovician
• Permian-Triassic boundary
• Triassic
• Triassic-Jurassic boundary
• Jurassic

Contact

Christoph Kortekorte@ign.ku.dk

Lab physiology experiments with primitive plants – understanding plant-earth evolution

Geochemistry, sedimentology, and paleoenvironmental implications of (black) shales (drill core or outcrop)

Modelling the evolution of oceanic redox conditions in the Earth System •Exploring the sedimentology and ichnofacies of shoreface sediments (drill core or outcrop)

Source rocks –analysis and how they form (drill core or outcrop) •Chemical and physical properties of ancient upwelling systems Modelling sequence stratigraphy and basin evolution

Contact

Christian J. Bjerrum cjb@ign.ku.dk

The environmental fate of plastic: Mineral formation on plastic and biogeochemical cycling:

Potential project directions:

• Example focus areas: Iron mineral formation on plastic, Plastic and the carbon cycle, Metal catalysis of plastic degradation
• Field and laboratory experiments addressing biological/abiotic mineral formation/transformations, plastic transport, plastic degradation in water and sediment
• Determination of plastic degradation using various laboratory methods
  
  

Building the sediment plastic record of the Anthropocene:

Potential project directions:

• Field and lab experiments
• Isolation and identification of plastics from Danish coastal sediment using various laboratory methods
• Development of methods/models

Contact

Nicole Posthnrep@ign.ku.dk