About Andrew
My research uses multi-disciplinary analyses of the geological record to investigate the processes that facilitate and control the tectonic evolution of Earth. My research interests include mid-ocean ridges, subduction, orogenesis, rifting, ophiolites, paleomagnetism, petrology, structural and microstructural deformation, the Himalaya and Tethys Ocean(s) and the North American Cordillera. Currently, I am investigating mamatic flow and crustal accretion processes in the Oman ophiolite. I use paleomagnetic, petrographic and geochemical analyses to constrain the kinematics of magma flow and crystallization processes. This research provides an ocean ridge segment-scale understanding of how oceanic crust forms at fast-spreading ridges, such as the East pacific Rise. I also study the tectonic evolution of the North American Cordillera and the eastern Tethys oceans, through collaboration with external researchers (Geological Survey of Canada, University of Oxford, Université Côte d'Azur) with particular focus on terrane accretion events and subduction zone configurations, through integration of bedrock datasets, plate reconstruction modelling and tomographic imaging of subducted slabs in the deep mantle . I enjoy fieldwork in challenging terrain and have worked in a variety of tectonic settings including ophiolites (Oman; Yukon, North American Cordillera ), metamorphic terranes and orogenic cores (Yukon, North American Cordillera; Nepal Himalaya; Norway, Western Gneiss Region) and fold-and-thrust belts (Spanish Pyrenees), continental/island arcs (Yukon, North American Cordillera), strike-slip zones (Karakoram Fault Zone, NW India; Eskişehir Fault Zone, NW Turkey), and passive margins (East Greenland). I am also involved in research projects that investigate intracrystalline deformation and rheology in geological materials using scanning electron microscopy – electron backscatter diffraction (SEM-EBSD) techniques (collaborations with researchers at iCRAG, University of Leeds, University of Graz, and others). NEW PAPERS: The geodynamic significance of UHP exhumation: New constraints from the Tso Morari Complex, NW Himalaya (Accepted, Tectonics)External Websites:
ResearchGate
Google Scholar
Contact Andrew
B528 Portland Square, Drake Circus , Plymouth, PL4 8AA
+44 1752 584476
andy.parsons@plymouth.ac.uk
