BSc(Hons) (Otago) PhD(UCSB)
- Petrology (igneous and metamorphic)
- Geochemistry
- Geochronology
- Tectonics
Tel +64 3 479 7567
Email sophie.briggs@otago.ac.nz
Google Scholar: Sophie Briggs
ORCIDorcid.org/0000-0003-4286-8740
Research Interests
My research focuses on unravelling the tectonic and geochemical evolution of Earth's crust, using information recorded by high-temperature geochronometers (zircon, monazite, xenotime and garnet). Common to all of my research projects is the use of isotopic and elemental analysis of these minerals by ICP-MS ('petrochronology'). My recent PhD research involves the application of these techniques to New Zealand's Alpine Schist, which provides a record of the tectonic processes at play during the separation of Zealandia and Gondwana.
Figure 1: GEOL 252 students examine turbidite deposits at Benmore dam during Maerewhenua summer field camp.
Figure 2: Field work in the Mataketake Range, South Island, New Zealand.
Teaching
- EAOS 111 Earth and Ocean Science
- GEOL 112 Dynamic Earth: A New Zealand Perspective
- GEOL 252 Field Studies and New Zealand Geology
- GEOL 344 Advanced Field Studies