Precambrian Earth surface processes

The Earth's surface, the atmosphere, and oceans were profoundly different in the past compared to present. Our research into modern environments can help us calibrate and understand the traces of ancient Earth surface processes preserved in sedimentary rocks. The BRG undertakes collaborative research to use the chemical behaviour of specific elements (e.g., those that change mobility under different redox conditions) during weathering and transport of sediment and dissolved elements from land to sea to make inferences about the oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans and how intensely weathered rocks were at the surface billions of years ago. In turn, our understanding of these ancient element cycles helps with our understanding of why specific low-temperature ore systems developed at specific points in Earth's history and how the evolution of life intersects with a change Earth surface environment. We study paleosols, red beds (clastic sedimentary rocks stained red by hematite), and iron formation from different continents and spanning billions of years of Earth history.