Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES)

Profile

“Palynology through the early Wenlock Ireviken Event”

Supervisors: Tony Butcher and David Loydell.

Research

The lower part of the Sheinwoodian (lower Wenlock, Silurian) is well known for its major positive carbon isotope excursion and extinction events, affecting in particular the graptolites and conodonts.

The temporal relationship between the isotope excursion, associated environmental change and the extinction events is the subject of much debate. The aim of this project is to conduct a high resolution palynological study through the Sheinwoodian of Buttington Quarry, Wales, in order to establish the relative timing of the graptolite extinction with respect to the carbon isotope excursion and to establish the impact of the associated environmental changes on the microplankton.

The study will focus on chitinozoans and acritarchs. The former will be used (in combination with the existing graptolite biozonation) to establish the biostratigraphy of the section. Diversity changes will also be plotted to determine if the chitinozoans were affected by the environmental changes responsible for the graptolite extinction event.

Career

• 2011 - present: PhD at the University of Portsmouth.
• 2009 – 2011: Wellsite Stratigrapher, Fugro Robertson Ltd (Wales).
• 2005 - 2009: Master of Geology in Geology with Palaeobiology, University of Leicester (First Class Honours). The title of my integrated masters’ thesis ‘The micropalaeontology of the Lower Silurian (Wenlock Series) Brinkmarsh Formation of the Tortworth Inlier, near Bristol.’