Senior Lecturer
- 51cg
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- Email Address
- a.brasier@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 273449
- School/Department
- School of Geosciences
Biography
Senior Lecturer in Geology, 51cg, 2018 -
Lecturer in Geology, 51cg, 2014 - 2018
Tenure track postdoc, VU University Amsterdam, 2012 - 2014
Postdoc, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre / Glasgow University, 2009 - 2012
Stratigrapher, Neftex, 2007 - 2009
PhD, University of East Anglia School of Environmental Sciences, 2003 - 2007
International Exchange student, Queens University Ontario, Canada, 2001 - 2002
BSc Geology, University of Edinburgh, 1999 - 2003
Memberships and Affiliations
- Internal Memberships
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Honorary Museum Curator for Geology collections, 51cg
Examinations Officer for Geology 2018 - 2023
Academic Lead for Aberdeen Centre for Electron Microscopy, Analysis and Characterisation (ACEMAC): /business-info/facilities-and-expertise/acemac-nano-scale-electron-microscopy-and-analysis-facility-846.php
Member of the Core Facilities / Research Facilities Working Group (2017 - )
Member of the Space Enhanced Teaching Working Group (2018); several Science Teaching Hub working groups (2019 onwards); Reimagining our Campus - Research and Innovation Working Group (2023 - ).
- External Memberships
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Chair of the Organising Committee, 37th International Meeting of Sedimentology, IAS Aberdeen 2024 (2017 - 2024)
Chief Editor, Sedimentology (2021 - 2024)
Member of the Bureau / Council of Management, International Association of Sedimentologists (2021 - 2024)
Associate Editor, Sedimentology (2017 - 2020)
External examiner for PhD theses, including Hannes Claes (KU Leuven, 2015), Matthew Warke (University of Manchester, 2017), Ying Shields-Zhou (UCL, 2017), Justin Drummond (Queen's Ontario, 2023), Jessica von der Meyden (Cape Town, 2024), Tom Kibblewhite (Bristol, 2025); MRes thesis Stefania Schania (UEA, 2023).
Member of the board of the Scottish Microscopy Society (2021 - )
Prizes and Awards
2020 - 2021 - Funniest Lecturer Award (Aberdeen University Students Association / 51cg)
2018 - 2019 - Most Inspiring Lecturer Award (Aberdeen University Students Association / 51cg)
2020 Sun Shu Prize (International), International Association of Sedimentologists
- Research
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Current Research
Stable isotope and elemental geochemistry combined with petrography (optical and electron microscopy) of carbonate rocks and sediments for palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, exploring connections between climate, biosphere and tectonics through all of Earth history, from the Quaternary to the Archaean.
Astrobiology and geobiology, including processes of microbe fossilisation and identification of ancient microbial fossils (see for example and ).
Diagenesis, particularly of carbonate rocks and sediments, distinguishing original from secondary (alteration) features.
Examining deposition and diagenesis of non-marine carbonates (microbial tufas, hot-spring travertines, soil calcretes and cave speleothems), including the impact of the arrival and diversification of vascular plants on these terrestrial carbonates, and on muddy Palaeozoic reefs. I do this using a combination of field techniques, petrography and (isotope and elemental) geochemistry. This work has both applied and academic relevance.
Collaborations
Numerous collaborators, including (but certainly not limited to):
Peir Pufahl (Queen's University, Ontario)
John Reijmer and Hubert Vonhof (VU University, Amsterdam / MPI Mainz)
Enrico Capezzuoli (University of Florence)
Mike Rogerson (Northumbria University)
Tony Fallick (SUERC), Tony Prave (St Andrews), Victor Melezhik (NGU), Dan Condon (BGS)
Anneleen Foubert and Eva de Boever (Universite de Fribourg, Switzerland)
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
Undergraduate Teaching:
GL1005 The Earth through Geological Time (Palaeontology and Stratigraphy)
GL1505 Earth's Materials (Sedimentology)
GL2017 Earth's Life, Environments and Climate through Time (Course Coordinator)
GL2510 Introduction to Field Geology (Arran fieldtrip)
GL4031 Geochemistry and Geofluids (Thurso fieldtrip)
GL4033 Planetary Geology / Applied Geological Synthesis (Course Coordinator)
GL4532 Integrative Geology through Fieldwork
MSc Teaching:
GL5561 Earth and Planetary Surface and Internal Processes
GL5563 Astrobiology for Explorers (Course Coordinator)
GL5044 Applied sedimentology and structural geology
- Publications
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Hot-springs through time, and how to find them
Geological Society Special PublicationsContributions to Journals: ArticlesPrototaxites fossils are structurally and chemically distinct from extinct and extant Fungi
Science Advances, vol. 12, no. 4, eaec6277Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Formation of Mg-silicates in the microbial sediments of a saline, mildly alkaline coastal lake (Lake Clifton, Australia): environmental versus microbiological drivers
Sedimentology, vol. 72, no. 5, pp. 1518-1547Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
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Formation of Mg-silicates in the microbial sediments of a saline, mildly alkaline coastal lake (Lake Clifton, Australia): environmental versus microbiological drivers
Working Papers: Preprint Papers- [ONLINE] DOI:
Exploring electron backscatter diffraction analysis as a tool for understanding stromatolite: Quantitative description of Cretaceous lacustrine stromatolite reveals formative processes and high-resolution climatic cycles
Sedimentology, vol. 71, no. 7, pp. 2448-2469Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
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Ratification of the base of the ICS Geological Time Scale: the Global Standard Stratigraphic Age (GSSA) for the Hadean lower boundary
EPISODES: Journal of International Geoscience , vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 381-389Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Did evaporite cements and infiltrated silts assist preservation of reptile tracks in Permian desert sediments?
Sedimentary Geology, vol. 462, 106591Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
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Sequence stratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental implications of Cenomanian–Santonian dinocyst assemblages from the Trans¬-Sahara epicontinental seaway: a multivariate statistical approach.
The Depositional Record, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 91-123Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Searching for Life in Hot Spring Carbonate Systems: Investigating Raman Spectra of Carotenoid-Bearing Organic Carbonaceous Inclusions from Travertines of Italy
Astrobiology, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 163-176Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Ikaite formation in streams affected by steel waste leachate: first report and potential impact on contaminant dynamics
Chemical Geology, vol. 644, 121842Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Insights into the response of coral biomineralisation to environmental change from aragonite precipitations in vitro
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 364, pp. 184-194Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Composition of continental crust altered by the emergence of land plants
Nature Geoscience, vol. 15, pp. 735-740Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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The Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion (SPICE), inorganic aragonite precipitation and seawater chemistry: Insights from the Middle - Late Cambrian Port au Port Group, Newfoundland
Depositional Record, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 502-523Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
The geomorphological distribution of subaqueous tufa columns within a hypersaline lake: Mono Lake, USA
Journal of Sedimentary Research, vol. 92, no. 6, pp. 530-545Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Effects of seawater pCO2 on the skeletal morphology of massive Porites spp. Corals
Marine Biology, vol. 169, no. 6, 73Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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A template for an improved rock-based subdivision of the preCryogenian time scale
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 179, no. 1, jgs2020-222Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Late Ediacaran life on land: desiccated microbial mats and large biofilm streamers
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 288, no. 1962, 20211875Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Towards a morphology diagram for terrestrial carbonates: evaluating the impact of carbonate supersaturation and alginic acid in calcite precipitate morphology
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 306, pp. 340-361Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Observations of reservoir quality alteration in proximity to igneous intrusions for two distinct sandstones units in Scotland
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 129, 105071Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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The North West Highlands UNESCO Global Geopark: Oldest Fossils in Europe
Geoconservation Research, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 25-42Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Did the Benue Trough connect the Gulf of Guinea with the Tethys Ocean in the Cenomanian?: New evidence from the Palynostratigraphy of the Yola Sub-basin
Cretaceous Research, vol. 119, 104683Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Spotting alien life – how ‘microfossils’ could fool scientists
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: Articles- [ONLINE]
Petrological evidence supports the death mask model for the preservation of Ediacaran soft-bodied organisms in South Australia: Reply
Geology, vol. 47, no. 8, pp. E474-E474Contributions to Journals: Comments and Debates- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Detecting ancient life: Investigating the nature and origin of possible stromatolites and associated calcite from a one billion year old lake
Precambrian Research, vol. 328, pp. 309-320Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Petrological evidence supports the death mask model for the preservation of Ediacaran soft-bodied organisms in South Australia
Geology, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 215-218Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Carbon isotopes, stratigraphy and environmental change: the Middle-Upper Cambrian Positive Excursion (SPICE) in Port-au-Port Group, Western Newfoundland, Canada
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 55, no. 11, pp. 1209-1222Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
A microbial role in the construction of Mono Lake carbonate chimneys?
Geobiology, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 540-555Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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The hunt for life on Mars: new findings on rock 'chimneys' could hold key to success
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: Articles- [ONLINE]
What do we really know about early diagenesis of non-marine carbonates?
Sedimentary Geology, vol. 361, pp. 25-51Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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A depositional model for spherulitic carbonates associated with alkaline, volcanic lakes
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 86, pp. 168-191Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Are spherulitic lacustrine carbonates an expression of large-scale mineral carbonation?: A case study from the East Kirkton Limestone, Scotland
Gondwana Research, vol. 48, pp. 101-109Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Earth System Evolution and Early Life: A Celebration of the Work of Martin Brasier
Books and Reports: Anthologies- [ONLINE]
Caractérisation sédimentaire de la formation roche mère carbonatée Parnac du Kimméridgien supérieur du Bassin d'Aquitaine (Quercy)
Bulletin de la Socie´te´ Ge´ologique de France, vol. 188, no. 5, pp. 1-16Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Contributions of Professor Martin Brasier to the study of early life, stratigraphy and biogeochemistry
Earth System Evolution and Early Life: a Celebration of the Work of Martin Brasier. Brasier, A. T., McIlroy, D., McLoughlin, N. (eds.). Geological Society, Specialist Publications, pp. 1-17, 17 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Earliest Cretaceous cocoons or plant seed structures from the Wealden Group, Hastings, UK
Earth System Evolution and Early Life: a Celebration of the Work of Martin Brasier. Brasier, A., McLoughlin, N., McIlroy, D. (eds.). Geological Society, Specialist Publications, pp. 399-411, 13 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Evaluating evidence from the Torridonian Supergroup (Scotland, UK) for Eukaryotic life on land in the Proterozoic
Earth System Evolution and Early Life: a Celebration of the Work of Martin Brasier. Brasier, A. T., McLoughlin, N., McIlroy, D. (eds.). Geological Society, Specialist Publications, pp. 121-144, 24 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Primary aragonite and high-Mg calcite in the late Cambrian (Furongian): Potential evidence from marine carbonates in Oman
Terra Nova, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 306-315Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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3.46 Ga Apex chert 'microfossils' reinterpreted as mineral artefacts produced during phyllosilicate exfoliation
Gondwana Research, vol. 36, pp. 296-313Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Unusual, basin-scale, fluid–rock interaction in the Palaeoproterozoic Onega basin from Fennoscandia: Preservation in calcite δ18O of an ancient high geothermal gradient
Precambrian Research, vol. 281, pp. 224-235Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Growing spherulitic calcite grains in saline, hyperalkaline lakes: Experimental evaluation of the effects of Mg-clays and organic acids
Sedimentary Geology, vol. 335, pp. 93-102Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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The Palaeoproterozoic global carbon cycle: insights from the Loch Maree Group, NW Scotland
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 173, no. 1, pp. 170-176Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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A Test of the Biogenicity Criteria Established for Microfossils and Stromatolites on Quaternary Tufa and Speleothem Materials Formed in the “Twilight Zone” at Caerwys, UK
Astrobiology, vol. 15, no. 10, pp. 883-900Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Carbonate deposition in the Palaeoproterozoic Onega basin from Fennoscandia: a spotlight on the transition from the Lomagundi-Jatuli to Shunga events
Earth Science Reviews, vol. 147, pp. 65-98Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Travertine precipitation in the Paleoproterozoic Kuetsjärvi Sedimentary Formation, Pechenga Greenstone Belt, NE Fennoscandian Shield
Precambrian Research, vol. 255, no. 1, pp. 181-201Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Carbon isotopic evidence for organic matter oxidation in soils of the Old Red Sandstone (Silurian to Devonian, South Wales, UK)
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 171, no. 5, pp. 621-634Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Petrography and geochemistry of carbonate rocks of the Paleoproterozoic Zaonega Formation, Russia: Documentation of C-13-depleted non-primary calcite
Precambrian Research, vol. 240, pp. 79-93Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Archaean Soils, Lakes and Springs: Looking for Signs of Life
Evolution of Archean Crust and Early Life. Dilek, Y., Furnes, H. (eds.). Springer Verlag, pp. 367-384, 18 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
Earth's earliest global glaciation? Carbonate geochemistry and geochronology of the Polisarka Sedimentary Formation, Kola Peninsula, Russia
Precambrian Research, vol. 235, pp. 278-294Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Caliche
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: Global Events and the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V. A., Kump, L. R., Fallick, A. E., Strauss, H., Hanski, E. J., Prave, A. R., Lepland, A. (eds.). Springer Verlag, pp. 1419-1434, 16 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Earth’s Earliest Travertines
Reading the Archive of Earth's Oxygenation: Global Events and the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V. A., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer, pp. 1435-1456, 22 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Enhanced Accumulation of Organic Matter: The Shunga Event
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: Global Events and the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 1195-1273, 79 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Palaeoproterozoic Stromatolites from the Lomagundi-Jatuli Interval of the Fennoscandian Shield
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: Global Events and the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 1298-1352, 55 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Polisarka sedimentary formation: FAR-DEEP hole 3A
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: The Core Archive of the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer Heidelberg, pp. 530-550, 21 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
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The Imandra/Varzuga Greenstone Belt
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: The Core Archive of the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 505-590, 86 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
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The Palaeoproterozoic Perturbation of the Global Carbon Cycle: The Lomagundi-Jatuli Isotopic Event
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: Global Events and the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V. A., Prave, A. R., Hanski, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer Verlag, pp. 1111-1150, 40 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Tulomozero formation: FAR-DEEP holes 10A and 10B
Reading the Archive of Earth’s Oxygenation: The Core Archive of the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project. Melezhik, V., Prave, A. R., Hanksi, E. J., Fallick, A. E., Lepland, A., Kump, L. R., Strauss, H. (eds.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 773-888, 116 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Isotopic evidence for massive oxidation of organic matter following the Great Oxidation Event
Science, vol. 334, no. 6063, pp. 1694-1696Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Coastal sabkha dolomites and calcitised sulphates preserving the Lomagundi-Jatuli carbon isotope signal
Precambrian Research, vol. 189, no. 1-2, pp. 193-211Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Diagenesis or dire genesis? The origin of columnar spar in tufa stromatolites of central Greece and the role of chironomid larvae
Sedimentology, vol. 58, no. 5, pp. 1283-1302Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Searching for travertines, calcretes and speleothems in deep time: Processes, appearances, predictions and the impact of plants
Earth Science Reviews, vol. 104, no. 4, pp. 213-239Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Earth’s oldest putative fossil assemblage from the ~3.5 Ga Apex chert, Chinaman Creek, Western Australia: a field and petrographic guide
Perth, Australia: Geological Survey of Western Australia. 60 pagesBooks and Reports: Other Reports- [ONLINE]
Carbon and nitrogen cycling pursuant to the great oxidation event: evidence from the paleoproterozoic of fennoscandia
Journal of earth science, vol. 21, no. S1, pp. 4-5Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Depositional continuity of seasonally laminated tufas: implications for delta O-18 based palaeotemperatures
Global and Planetary Change, vol. 71, no. 3-4, pp. 160-167Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Late-Pliocene timing of Corinth (Greece) rift-margin fault migration
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 274, no. 1-2, pp. 132-141Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Seasonal records of climatic change in annually laminated tufas: short review and future prospects
Journal of Quaternary Science, vol. 20, pp. 411-421Contributions to Journals: Articles