Logo Universitat Bremen

ECORD Summer School 2009

"Geodynamics of Mid-Ocean Ridges"

31 August - 11 September 2009

at the MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences and
the IODP Bremen Core Repository, University of Bremen, Germany

1 The Aim

The major goal was to bring PhD students and young Postdocs in touch with IODP at an early stage of their career, inform them about the actual research within this international scientific program, and to prepare them for future participations in IODP expeditions. Such training will be achieved by taking the summer school participants on a “virtual ship” where they get familiarized with a wide spectrum of state-of-the-art analytical technologies and core description methods according to the high standards on IODP expeditions. Therefore the course was equally balanced, with half the time dedicated to lectures and discussions and the other half to laboratory exercises.

Located on the university campus, MARUM hosts the IODP Bremen Core Repository (BCR), the only IODP core repository in Europe.

2 Location and Organisation

The ECORD Summer School on “Dynamics of Past Climate Changes” 2010 was held 13-24 September, 2010 at the MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Bremen University, Germany. It has been organized by Prof. Dierk Hebbeln, Director of the Bremen International Graduate School for Marine Sciences „Global Change in the Marine Realm“ (GLOMAR), by Prof. Dr. Michael Schulz, head of the Geosystem Modelling at the University of Bremen, and by Dr. Ursula Röhl, head of the IODP Bremen Core Repository (BCR). GLOMAR, MARUM and BCR jointly offered the unique training possibilities used for this summer school by providing laboratory facilities and by providing a seminar room equipped with 20 laptops (internet access, MatLab etc.).

MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences

3 The Topic

The thematic focus of the summer school was on slow spreading mid-ocean ridges, which are more diverse in lithology and structure than fast-spread oceanic crust. Some portions of the slow-spreading ridges produce basaltic volcanic centers on the axis, with accretion occurring through a crustal magma chamber at the ridge axis. Other portions of the slow-spreading ridges feature modes of crustal accretion that are dominantly tectonic. Oceanic core complexes form episodically, commonly near the ends of slow-spreading segments. The domal cores of these features are interpreted as exposures of lower crust and/or upper mantle rocks exhumed along low-angle detachment faulting. In these areas, Ocean Drilling offers a unique opportunity to access lithologies that were initially emplaced at the base of the lithosphere. Drilling in proximity of hydrothermal vents has provided a wealth of new insights into the fluid-rock interactions and the development of seafloor massive sulfide deposits. Slow-spread crust is also a rich and diverse habitat for microbial communities.

4 Programme

Topics ranging from mantle melting to tectonic exhumation of mantle to hydrothermal/microbial interactions were covered in lectures. Participants have been introduced to a full range of IODP related topics from general introduction to the program to compiling IODP proposals. Ocean Drilling cores from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge stored at the IODP Bremen Core Repository (BCR) have been used to get an insight into “shipboard” methodologies applied on the drilling vessels of the program: a wide spectrum of methods including core curation, visual core description, physical properties measurements, and petrographic observations have been taught according to the high standards on IODP expeditions.

Lecturers

NameInstitute
Wolfgang BachUniversity of Bremen
Donna BlackmanUniversity of California
Sarah DaviesUniversity of Leicester
Colin DeveyIFM-GEOMAR, Kiel
Jochen ErbacherBGR, Hannover
Carlos GarridoUniversity of Granada
Marguerite GodardUniversity of Montpellier
Walter HaleMARUM, Bremen
Dierk HebbelnMARUM, Bremen
Benoît IldefonseUniversity of Montpellier
Niels JönsUniversity of Bremen
Andreas KlügelUniversity of Bremen
Jürgen KöpkeUniversity of Hannover
Catherine MevelIPGP Paris
D. Jay MillerTexas A&M University
Antony MorrisUniversity of Plymouth
Jörn PeckmannUniversity of Bremen
Sven PetersenIFM-GEOMAR, Kiel
Ursula RöhlMARUM, Bremen
Vera SchlindweinAWI Bremerhaven
Damon TeagleUniversity of Southampton

lab 1

5 Participants

A total of 32 PhD students and young post-docs from several European countries, Japan and Canada participated in the ECORD Summer School 2009.

Organizers

  • Ursula Röhl (University of Bremen)
  • Dierk Hebbeln (University of Bremen)
  • Benoit Ildefonse (Université Montpellier)
  • Wolfgang Bach (University of Bremen)

 

Sponsors