PhD Candidate in Precambrian Tectonics/Geochemistry/Ore Geology

A PhD position is available within the Solid Earth Research Group at the Department of Geosciences. The appointment is for a period of 4 years, and the nominal length of the PhD program is three years. The fourth year is distributed as 25 % of each year, and will consist of teaching or other duties for the department.

The PhD position is for a fixed term, with the objective of completion of research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to a PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position. The PhD candidate shall participate in the faculty’s organized research training, and the PhD project shall be completed during the period of employment. Information about the application process for admission to the PhD programme, application form and regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) are available at the following address: NT-Faculty.

The position’s field of research

The research project covers multidisciplinary fields of Precambrian tectonics, geochemistry and geochronology. The main goal of the project is to provide better knowledge of the formation of Precambrian basement rocks in Western Troms and Finnmark, northern Norway, and their potential correlation with the Fennoscandian (Kola, Finland, Sweden) and Laurentian basins, tested in light of geodynamic models. A favored research approach will be to compare and correlate the high-grade metamorphic volcanic, sedimentary and carbonate-containing rocks of different Precambrian areas, but also to understand the magmatic/intrusive and metamorphic history as well as the structural evolution of the volcano-sedimentary units. Preferable correlation methods may include: 1) tectonic-structural, stratigraphical and sedimentological(facies, provenance) studies of sedimentary and volcanic rocks, 2) geochemical study including a trace element study on whole rock analyses and heavy minerals by laser ablation ICP-MS and C-isotope study on clastic carbonate rocks, 3) radiometric dating of igneous and metamorphic events in the Precambrian rocks.

The project will include extensive fieldwork in northern Norway and laboratory work in Norway and abroad. The research fellow should also sample and analyze sedimentary rocks, carbonates and mafic volcanic rocks for further analysis by using a wide spectrum of analytical methods (XRD, SEM/EBSD, SEM/EDS+WDS, LA-ICP-MS), and radiometric dating (zircons, chromite and magnetite).