Beschreibung

The lab is equipped with a Leica DMR microscope with a drawing tube, a Kinetek computer-driven stage, a Calcomp digitzing tablet, and FT Stage software. A video camera is mounted on the triaxial head of the microscope, allowing a group of people to observe a slide simultaneously. At present, we are only analyzing apatites. However, we plan on analyzing zircons in the future. The Geoforschungszentrum Potsdam (GFZ) has equipped a similar laboratory, using a Zeiss Axioplan II microscope. These two laboratories work closely together. The University of Potsdam fission track group is directed by Edward Sobel, PhD. He studied basin analysis and apatite fission track analysis at Stanford University under the direction of Dr. Stephan Graham and Dr. Trevor Dumitru. His thermochronologic training continued with a postdoctoral scholarship in Clermont-Ferrand, where he studied 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology with Dr. Nicolas Arnaud as well as analyzing apatites in the ETH Zurich FT lab with Dr. Diane Seward. In 1996 he came to Potsdam to establish the FT laboratory.

Projects include:

Influence of etching conditions on apatite fission-track etch pit diameter (with Diane Seward, ETH Zürich)

Cenozoic exhumation history of the Kyrgyz and Chinese Tian Shan (several projects: collaboration with Euan Macaulay, Alexander Mikolaichuk, CAIAG, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic; Chen Jie, State Seismology Bureau, Beijing, PR China; Douglas Burbank, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA)

Structural and geomorphic origin of anomalous topographic culminations in the Chinese Pamir: Muztagh Ata and Kongur Shan (with Lindsay Schoenbohm (now at University of Toronto), Rasmus Thiede and Manfred Strecker; DFG project STR 373/20-1)

PhD students, Postdocs, and Colleagues:

Alejandro Bande (PhD student, Uni Potsdam), bande @ geo.uni-potsdam.de: Constraining deformation history of the Talas-Fergana strike-slip fault and kinematically-linked thrust faults, Kyrgyz Republic (DARIUS & Tethys Northern Margin" Program)

Euan Macaulay (PhD student, Uni Potsdam), macaulay @ geo.uni-potsdam.de: Has late Cenozoic climate change lead to enhanced erosion in the Kyrgyz and Chinese Tien Shan? (DFG)

Anke Deeken (PhD student, Uni Potsdam), a-deeken @ web.de: Quantifying long-term erosion and exhumation rates across different climatic compartments of the southern Himalayan Front, NW-India (DFG Graduate School 1364)

Dr. Rasmus Thiede (Uni-Potsdam), Rasmus.Thiede @ geo.uni-potsdam.de

External associates:

Prof. Barbara Carrapa (Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA) (previously at Potsdam with Alexander Von Humbolt fellowship)

Dr. Isabelle Coutand (Dalhousie Geochronology Center, Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CANADA) (previously at Potsdam with Alexander Von Humbolt fellowship)

Completed thesis projects:

Franziska Wilke (PhD 2011, Uni Potsdam), fwilke @ gfz-potsdam.de: Quantifying crystalline extrusion in the Himalaya: does channel flow need the Monsoon? (DFG Graduate School 1364)

Mauricio Parra (PhD, 2009, Uni Potsdam): Synorogenic sedimentation along the eastern flank of the Colombian Eastern Cordillera (Northern Andes).

Andres Mora (PhD, 2007, Uni Potsdam): Late Cenozoic Uplift and Deformation of the eastern flank of the Columbian Eastern Cordillera.

Anke Deeken (diploma, 2007, FU Berlin): Plateau formation recorded by tectonic and climatic signals in intermontane basins in NW Argentina (SFB267, subproject G6).

Rasmus Thiede (PhD, 2005, Uni Potsdam): Climatic - tectonic interaction in the development of the Himalaya orogen: The example of the Sutlej valley, NW Himalaya, India (DFG). 

Harald Ege (PhD 2004, FU Berlin): Tectonosedimentary evolution of the southern Altiplano: Basin evolution, thermochronology and structural geology (SFB 267, subproject C1A)

Frank Warkus (PhD, 2002, Uni Potsdam): Investigation of the relation between foreland basin development and unroofing history of the Patagonian Andes (SFB267, subproject D4B)

Ralf Freitag (PhD, 2002, GFZ/Uni Potsdam): Structure and Geodynamics of Eastern Central Kamchatka (DFG)

Recent publications:

Please see list on the web page for Edward Sobel, PhD.

OnTrack

Ed Sobel was formerly Editor of OnTrack a newsletter of the international fissiontrack community that is published electronically twice a year. Many back issues of On Track are available here.