Professor Balz Kamber - Chair of Geology and Mineralogy

Name: Prof. Balz Kamber

Research Area

My research concerns itself with the large-scale elemental cycles on Earth. The overall goal of my studies is to reconstruct how critical elements were cycled between the solid Earth, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere and the biosphere. The interaction between these spheres is not only interesting in the context of climate change and pollution, but when reconstructed from ancient rocks, allows us to better understand the mutual influence of physical parameters (such as radioactive heat), biologic evolution and atmospheric composition. Over its 4.567 billion year history, the Earth has experienced profound changes, whose details still await discovery. The geology of the planet reflects these changes as do the mineral resources that were deposited at different times. My research therefore also contributes to the true sustainability of modern society, whose welfare relies on an ever-increasing number of elements that fuel technological innovation.

Contact Details

Department of Geology
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Email: kamberbs@tcd.ie Tel: + 353 1 8962957

Current Research and Research Opportunities

I currently supervise a group of graduate students in Canada and have the following graduate research opportunities at Trinity College Dublin. Click here for available projects

Teaching

At senior Freshman Level, I teach the hard-rock portion of our Petrology module GL2203
At Senior Sophister level, I teach the Planet Formation and the early earth module GL4416

In terms of field courses, I am a leader on GL4402

Publications and research output

A selection of recent publications is provided below.

Books

- Articles and book chapters

Ulrich, T., Long, D.G.F., Kamber, B.S. and Whitehouse, M.J. (2011): In-situ trace element and sulfur isotope analysis of pyrite in a Paleoproterozoic gold placer deposit, Pardo and Clement Townships, Ontario, Canada. Econ. Geol. 106, 667-686.

Babechuk, M.G. and Kamber, B.S. (2011): Estimating the extent of ancient mantle depletion using high-field-strength elements and Nd isotopes of 1.9 Ga ocean floor basalts, Flin Flon Belt, Canada. Precambrian Research, 189, 114-139.

Baldwin, G.J., Thurston, P.C. and Kamber, B.S. (2011): High-precision rare earth element, nickel, and chromium chemistry of chert microbands pre-screened with in-situ analysis. Chem. Geol. 285, 133-143.

Long, D.G.F., Ulrich, T. and Kamber, B.S. (2011): Laterally extensive modified placer gold deposits in the Paleoproterozoic Mississagi Formation, Clement and Pardo Townships, Ontario. Can. J. Earth Sci., 48, 779-792

Kamber, B.S. (2011): Gechemistry and secular geochemical evolution of the Earth’s mantle and lower crust. In: Eds. Parker, A. and Harmon, R.S. ‘Frontiers in Geochemistry: Contribution of Geochemistry to the Study of the Earth. Wiley-Blackwell, ISBN 987-1-4051-9337-5. pp. 1-19.

Kamber, B.S., Marx, S.K. and McGowan, H.A. (2010): Comment on “Lead isotopic evidence for an Australian source of aeolian dust to Antarctica at times over the last 170,000 years”, Paleo. Paleo. Paleo, 298, 432-436.

Planavsky, N., Rouxel, O.J., Bekker, A., Knudsen, A., Lyons, T.W. and Kamber, B.S. (2010): Mechanisms and significance of Precambrian iron formation deposition Part I: Rare Earth Element and Yttrium composition. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 74, 6,387-6,405.

Golding, S.D., Duck, L.J., Young, E., Baublys, K.A., Glikson, M. and Kamber, B.S. (2010): Earliest seafloor hydrothermal systems on Earth: comparison with modern analogues. In: Eds. Golding S.D. and M. Gilkson ‘Earliest life on Earth: habitats, environments and methods of detection’, Part 1, 15-49.

Webb, G. E. and Kamber, B.S. (2010): Trace element geochemistry as a tool for interpreting microbialites. In: Eds. Golding S.D. and M. Gilkson ‘Earliest life on Earth: habitats, environments and methods of detection’, Part 2, 127-170.

Collerson, K.D., Williamns, Q., Kamber, B.S., Omori, S., Arai, H., and Ohtani, E. (2010): Majoritic garnet: A new approach to pressure estimation of shock events in meteorites and the encapsulation of sub-lithospheric inclusions in diamond. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 74, 5939-5957

Ulrich, T. Kamber, B.S., Woodhead, J.D. and Spencer, L.A. (2010): Long-term observations of isotope ratio accuracy and reproducibility using quadrupole ICP mass spectrometry. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 34, 161-174.

Kamber, B.S. (2010): Archean mafic-ultramafic oceanic landmasses and their effect on ocean-atmosphere chemistry. Chem. Geol., 274, 19-28.
Marx, S.K. and Kamber, B.S. (2010): Trace-element systematics of sediments in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia: Sediment provenance and palaeoclimate implications of fine scale chemical heterogeneity. Appl. Geochem. 25, 1221-1237.

Lafrance, B and Kamber, B.S. (2010) Geochemical and microstructural evidence for in situ formation of pseudotachylitic Sudbury breccia by shock-induced compression and cataclasis. Precamb. Res., 180, 237-250.

Babechuk, M.G., Kamber, B.S., Greig, A., Canil, D. and Kodolanyi, J. (2010): The behaviour of tungsten during mantle melting revisited with implications for planetary differentiation time scales. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 74, 1448-1470.

Marx, S.K., Kamber, B.S., McGowan, H.A. and Zawadski, A. (2010): Atmospheric pollutants in alpine peat bogs record a detailed chronology of industrial and agricultural development on the Australian continent. Environmental Pollution, 158, 1615-1628.

Allwood, A.C., Kamber, B.S., Burch, I.W., and Walter, M.R (2010): Trace elements record depositional history of an Early Archaean stromatolite reef. Precamb. Res., 270, 148-163.

Ulrich, T., Kamber, B.S., Jugo, P.J. and Tinkham, D.K. (2009): Imaging element-distribution patterns in minerals by laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Can. Mineral. 47, 1001-1012.

Marx, S.K., McGowan, H.A., and Kamber, B.S. (2009): Long-range dust transport from eastern Australia: a proxy for Holocene aridity and ENSO-induced climate variability. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 282, 167-177.

Konhauser, K.O., Pecoites, E., Lalonde, S.V., Papineau, D., Nisbet, E.G., Barley, M.E., Arndt, N.T., Zahnle, K., Kamber, B.S. (2009) Oceanic nickel depletion and a methanogen famine before the Great Oxidation Event, Nature, 458, .750-753.

Benn, K. and Kamber, B.S. (2009): In situ granulite-hosted zircon dates, Kapuskasing Structural Zone, Ontario: A Late Archean Large Igneous Province (LIP) as a substrate for juvenile crust. J. Geol., 117, 519-541.

Webb, G.E., Nothdurft, L.D., Kamber, B.S., Kloprogge, J.T. and Zhao, J.X. (2009): Rare earth element geochemistry of scleractinian coral skeleton during meteoric diagenesis: a sequence through neomorphism of aragonite to calcite. Sedimentology, 56, 1433-1463.

Petherick, L.M., McGowan, H.A., and Kamber, B.S. (2009): Reconstructing transport pathways for late Quaternary dust from eastern Australia using the composition of trace elements of long traveled dusts. Geomorphology, 105, 67-79.

Kamber, B.S. (2009): Geochemical Fingerprinting; 40 Years of Analytical Development and Real World Applications. Appl. Geochem., 24, 1074-1086.

Kamber, B.S. and Gladu, A.H. (2009): Comparison of Pb Purification by Anion-Exchange Resin Methods and Assessment of Long-Term Reproducibility of Th/U/Pb Ratio Measurements by Quadrupole ICP-MS. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 33, 169-181.

McGowan, H.A., Marx, S.K., Denholm, J., Soderholm, J. and Kamber, B.S. (2009): Reconstructing annual inflows to the headwater catchments of the Murray River, Australia, using the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2008GL037049