Open for recruitment during the first half of 2014
In the frame of the European Marie-Curie ITN project ALErT
The IPGP Tectonics Team is seeking to fill a position of Early Stage Researcher (ESR : PhD Student) on the subject :
Miocene to Quaternary sea-level variations in the Aegean: changes in subduction dynamics due to North Anatolian Fault propagation
Salary will be commensurate with a Marie-Curie ESR position.
If possible, employment in this position shall begin between 01/01/2014 and 01/07/2014
Scientific rationale :
Deformation of the upper-plate above subduction zones is controlled by long-term coupling between plates at lithospheric scale. In the case of the Hellenic subduction zone, at the SW boundary of the extrusion system (between the Anatolia-Aegean and Africa plates), we wish to test the hypothesis that recent changes of plate motion due to propagation of the North Anatolian fault since ~5-6 Ma have measurable imprint in the landscape and in the geological record. For example, the geology and geomorphology of the island of Rhodes require progressive land subsidence below sea level during the Late Miocene - Early Pliocene followed by strong uplift and land emergence after the Pliocene. The same scenario, with variations, appears to apply to the entire Hellenic arc. Here, as elsewhere in the Mediterranean, the Messinian salinity crisis has left its clear imprint in the landscape, specifically erosion and aggradation surfaces (associated with the sea-level drop and subsequent sea-level rise). Those surfaces and associated sediments are reliable markers to measure vertical deformation of the crust at the large scale and can be identified and mapped onshore and offshore over the different islands and peninsulas throughout the arc from SW Anatolia to Peloponnesus. Other fundamental markers of the uplift are flights of terraces associated to Pleistocene glacio-eustatic variations, which are also observed throughout the arc. The proposed PhD project will focus on (1) making a detailed study of uplifted features on land: quantitative description of key geological-geomorphological features (mainly from 3-4D mapping and analysis of uplifted marine basins and terraces), on (2) establishing links with the evolution of offshore basins, and (3) performing numerical mechanical modelling of the transient geodynamic processes at the scale of the whole Anatolia-Aegean system.
Requirements :
We are seeking applications from highly motivated students with a strong interdisciplinary background in geology, geomorphology, tectonics, modeling of geological / geodynamic processes. Experience in topography analysis, geomorphic and geological mapping at different scales and/or mechanical modeling is advantageous.
- Fluency in the English language (speaking and writing) is essential.
- Applicants must be researchers who have not yet been awarded the doctorate degree. To be eligible they must be in the first four years of research career counting from the date of obtention of the degree (diploma, master) which gives access to doctoral studies.
- Applicants may not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc…) in France for more than 12 months in the last 3 years. Short stays such as holidays are not taken into account.
- Starting date for appointment is expected between January and June 2014.
Candidate should also send samples of previous work (reports, master’s thesis, published
papers).
This PhD project comes in the frame of the Marie-Curie International Training Network (ITN) ALErT, funded from October 2013 by the EU. ALErT (Anatolian pLateau climatE and Tectonic hazards) is a virtual campus in the fields of applied Earth sciences, natural hazard monitoring, knowledge transfer, and risk communication. ALErT combines the resources and training structures of universities, research departments, and affiliated industry partners across Europe. ALErT research targets are the tectonic and climatic boundary conditions in the regions along the densely populated margins of the Central Anatolian Plateau (CAP) in Turkey and the associated natural hazards. The principal aim of our initiative is to establish a research-based virtual campus, designed to foster excellent training of young geoscientists through cutting-edge research topics and the transfer of knowledge.
IPGP is a world-class research and teaching center in Earth Sciences situated in Paris downtown. During her/his PhD, the candidate will benefit from secondment with coadvisor(s) from other(s) ITN partner(s), and is expected to participate to ALErT related meetings and specialized courses, including several field courses, offered by the ITN.