Earth surface processes

We investigate the growth and destruction of topography as a function of the interaction of plate tectonics and how the climate is central to our understanding of how landscapes form and evolve over geological time. 

Our researchers use sediments that record erosive, fluvial, glacial and depositional processes to unravel past events using a range of techniques, including petrography, geochemistry and thermochronology.   

Current projects

Members are working on active projects in several regions such as the Andes, Himalayas, Corsica, and Scotland, with a focus on exhumation processes, sediment flux, and preservation bias. 

Techniques and facilities

We use the following techniques:

• Petrography  
• Mineral separation  
• Geochemistry  
• Thermochronology (Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, SUERC)  
• Geochronology (Ion Microprobe Facility; Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, SUERC)  

Publications