PhD Research Fellow in Geoscience (ref 257602)

Our planet formed 4.567 billion years ago and as it cooled down, it became differentiated into layers. The lighter outermost layer became the continental crust and the first continents were probably formed in the Archean, but their extent and geographical distribution are still unknown. The transition period from a magnesium- rich upper continental crust to a magnesium-poor upper continental crust occurred between 3 and 2.5 billion years ago, and may have set the scene for the formation of living matter that required subaerial land masses. It is therefore crucial to determine when, where, and also the extent of continental masses in order to assess the habitability conditions of early Earth. Direct evidences of these conditions are sparse, but one can use them to test various models of continental crust extent which were geo-chemically derived. The aim of this project is to construct the paleogeography of Early Earth at selected time intervals during the time of transition between the Early Earth tectonic mode (stagnant or sluggish lid) to plate tectonics.

For more information and how to apply: https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/257602/phd-research-fellow-in-geoscience