Geology Department Postgraduate Web Pages
Name: Niamh O’Sullivan
Contact Details
Tel: +353 (0)1 896 1363
Fax: +353 (0)1 6711199
Email: osullin1@tcd.ie
Sponsor
This project is funded by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET).
Name of supervisor
Dr. Chris Nicholas
Research Group: Tropical Geology and Exploration
Title of Project
The Geological Evolution of the Tanzanian Continental Margin
Project details
This project aims to draw together existing but disparate fragments of onshore evidence and integrate them with new offshore data to build a comprehensive tectonic, stratigraphic and sedimentological framework for the geological evolution of the southern Tanzanian continental margin from the Permian to the Recent. Seismic data acquired and processed will also be used for a site survey within a future IODP proposal which aims to recover pristine tropical temperature records as recovered onshore by the successful Tanzania Drilling Project (‘TDP’) into the offshore realm.
Postgraduate personal details
After completing my B.A. Mod. Geology in Trinity College, University of Dublin in June 2007 I began a PhD project in the Tropical Geology and Exploration Group in TCD under the supervision of Dr. Chris Nicholas. During my undergraduate I gained field experience in mineral exploration with Tara Mines and as a student participant on a Marine Institute ‘Bright Sparks’ cruise in the Irish Sea in 2006. This was furthered by mapping in the southern coastal region of Tanzania and in the Huqf region of Oman. I took part in the ESF sponsored ‘GLOW’ (‘Tropical Temperature History during GLObal Warming Events’) cruise in the SW Indian Ocean and visited the Marine Geology Department of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) in 2009 to process the acquired 2D seismic data.
My present interests lie primarily in combining historic industrial and geodetic data and new onshore geological maps with offshore seismic and bathymetric data to build a comprehensive tectonic, stratigraphic and sedimentological history of the Tanzanian margin from the Permian to Recent.
Links:
Eurocores- Euromarc ‘GLOW’ Project
NIOZ ‘GLOW’ Webpage
Awards:
Cunningham Award, awarded by the Geological Survey of Ireland for best undergraduate mapping project in Ireland in 2007 for ‘The Geology of the Black Ball Head Area, Beara, Co.Cork’
Fieldwork photos
Mtwara Region, SE Tanzania. Local children standing upon limestone outcrop.
Examining fluvial sands in Somanga area, SE Tanzania.
View south across Lindi Creek and the Lukuledi Fault (SE Tanzania) towards Kitunda Cliffs.
Cruise participants ‘GLOW’ Cruise, SW Indian Ocean, 2009.
R.V. Pelagia in Port Victoria, Seychelles prior to GLOW cruise.
Examining coastal exposures in Ras Tipuli, Lindi, SE Tanzania.