ECORD Summer School 2009: Geodynamics of mid-ocean ridges

ECORD Summer School 2009: Geodynamics of mid-ocean ridges
August 31 - September 11, 2009
MARUM, University of Bremen (Germany)
http://www.glomar.uni-bremen.de/ECORD_Summer_School_2009.html
Application deadline: 31 May 2009

InterRidge is co-sponsoring this summer school to help reduce the registration fee and encourage PhD students to attend. Participation is open to the international community.

The thematic focus is on slow spreading mid-ocean ridges. Some portions of the slow-spreading ridges produce basaltic volcanic centers on the axis, with accretion occurring through a crustal magma chamber at the ridge axis. Other portions of the slow-spreading ridges feature modes of crustal accretion that are dominantly tectonic. Oceanic core complexes form episodically, commonly near the ends of slow-spreading segments. The domal cores of these features are interpreted as exposures of lower crust and/or upper mantle rocks exhumed along low-angle detachment faulting. In these areas, Ocean Drilling offers a unique opportunity to access lithologies that were initially emplaced at the base of the lithosphere. Drilling in proximity of hydrothermal vents has provided a wealth of new insights into the fluid-rock interactions and the development of seafloor massive sulfide deposits. Slow-spread crust is also a rich and diverse habitat for microbial communities.

Topics ranging from mantle melting to tectonic exhumation of mantle to hydrothermal/microbial interactions will be covered in lectures. Participants will be introduced to a full range of IODP related topics from general introduction to the program to compiling IODP proposals. Ocean Drilling cores from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge stored at the IODP Bremen Core Repository (BCR) will be used to get an insight into “shipboard” methodologies applied on the drilling vessels of the program: a wide spectrum of methods including core curation, visual core description, physical properties measurements, and petrographic observations will be taught according to the high standards on IODP expeditions.

Sponsors:
ECORD European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling
GLOMAR Bremen International Graduate School for Marine Sciences
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences
InterRidge International Cooperation in Ridge-Crest Studies

Organizers:
Ursula Röhl, Dierk Hebbeln, Benoit Ildefonse, Wolfgang Bach

Instructors:
Mathilde Cannat, Damon Teagle, Catherine Mevel, Donna Blackman, Colin Devey, Jürgen Köpke, Sven Petersen, Carlos Garrido and many others

Please go to the Summer School website (above) for application form. Your application has to include a letter of motivation, CV, a registration fom and 1 Letter of support. The course fee is 100 Euro.