ANR Paleotopographie du plateau tibétain / Paleo-altimetric record of the Tibetan Plateau

Keywords

Tectonics , Stable Isotope Geochemistry, Tibetan Plateau, Paleoaltimetry Reconstructions, Paleoclimate, Paleoenvironment

Subject details

The GeoRessources lab (Université de Lorraine) seeks to recruit a highly motivated PhD student to combine paleoaltimetry and fluid-rock-deformation interactions in fossil hydrothermal systems within the ANR-funded TIBETOP Project (Tibetan Plateau Paleo-Topography). TIBETOP investigates the growth of the Himalaya Tibetan orogen during the India-Asia collision, a highly controversial topic involving the world's best Earth Science group to test emerging tools and approaches beyond the state of the art. The successful candidate will acquire unique field experience in Tibet to develop new approaches to unravel the longstanding conundrum on the timing and mechanisms of the formation of the Tibetan Plateau that stands out as a major challenge to the international community. The candidate will receive a multidisciplinary training in the laboratory and in the field (structural analysis). He/she will be trained in well-established methods and emerging techniques at the forefront of technology in geochemistry and geochronology. She/He also may have the opportunity to develop skills in numerical modeling. Activities: TIBETOP has 3 work packages (WP) to investigate the paleogeography of the India-Asia collision zone. The candidate in Nancy (GeoRessources lab) will work on the WP2 focusing on paleoaltimetry reconstructions using hydrous metamorphic/altered silicates from fossil hydrothermal systems (including mylonites from shear zones) as well as minerals from brittle structures. This will involve to conduct a multidisciplinary multi-scale approach combining petrostructural analysis (including EBSD, EPMA,…), stable isotope geochemistry, and geochronology and apply new isotope-based paleoaltimetry methods on key proxies. The candidate will collaborate in the field and laboratory with the project of the postdoctoral researcher at Geosciences Rennes in WP1 focusing on estimating paleoelevations from basins on the Tibetan Plateau. The candidate will join the interdisciplinary effort to reconstruct the paleogeography of the India-Asia collision zone in collaboration with climate, landscape, geodynamic and biotic modelliers associated to this project (Geosciences Rennes, Cerege, CRPG, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing). They will disseminate outputs of the project in the publication of high impact articles, FAIR databases and through the participation of international conferences and outreach activities. Skills: We expect candidates with a strong background in Earth Sciences. Skills in structural geology, tectonics and microtectonics, metamorphic petrology, isotope geochemistry, and geochronology. Excellent communication skills, team spirit, and an ability to work in autonomy are essential; open science experience is highly valued, as well as an appetite for multidisciplinarity and the ability to think outside of the box. Good English level, both spoken and written, is required. Work context: The candidate will integrate an international multidisciplinary team around the TIBETOP project with 8 faculty, another postdoc directly related to the project. In addition to the Université de Lorraine, partner institutes comprise Geosciences Rennes (Rennes), CEREGE (Aix-en-Provence) and the institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing).