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Centre for Geobiology

From volcanology to hydrothermal vents

Portuguese PhD student, Inês Cruz, is visiting CGB to discuss the status of the isotopic analyses she undertook here in May 2011 with one of her PhD supervisors, Centre leader, Rolf-Birger Pedersen.

Photo:
Fernando Barriga

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Maria Inês Ferreira Silva da Cruz is taking a PhD in the Sciences of the Sea through the Geology Department at the University of Lisbon, where she works at the Creminer / LARyS Laboratory. She first became involved with researchers at CGB through the Portuguese participation in the EU project, H2Deep, where she received funding to process sample material. This work was seminal in her decision to undertake a PhD project in this area. Her supervisors are Professor Fernando Barriga at the University of Lisbon and Professor Rolf-Birger Pedersen at UiB.

Cruz did her master’s work in volcanology with the volcanoes of the Azores as subject material. She had wondered if ocean vent studies might be somewhat complementary – but says that she now knows they are quite different! While she is enjoying the new direction, she does miss the field opportunities she had on the Azores

Cruz is working in particular with metallic sulphides in hydrothermal chimneys and may expand this to include studies of sulphide material in the surrounding sediments as well – the precise formulation of her research question has not yet been finalised. When she was in Bergen for the final H2Deep meeting in April, Cruz stayed on to undertake some isotope analyses of sample material from the 2010 CGB research cruise – a cruise she herself participated in. Among other things, she is trying to characterise the sulphide crystallisation process in the chimney structures to see if it differs from this process occurring elsewhere.

Cruz really enjoys being in Bergen. She hopes to be able to find funding for a return visit – perhaps for several months: there is lots of sample material that could be aalysed!