Project Summary
Sea level has changed by up to 300m through geological time. These fluctuations, caused by plate tectonics and convection in the Earth’s mantle, have created vast sedimentary basins and associated resources such as petroleum, natural gas and coal.
In this project, we propose to bring together global 4D databases with cutting-edge 3D numerical simulations to reconstruct how mid-ocean ridge creation and the recycling of old, cold oceanic plates into the mantle have driven surface topography and sea-level change globally since the breakup of the super-continent Pangaea. The project will provide a tectonic and mantle convection framework for frontier basin exploration.
Funding Agency
Shell/Total
Project Participants
Prof Dietmar Müller
Dr Christian Heine
Patrick Unternehr (Shell)
Malcolm Ross (Total)
