Doctor Francesca Rotondo

Dr Francesca Rotondo

Geochemistry Research Assistant

Research interests

  • Structural geology and geodynamics, specifically lithostratigraphy, structure and petrology of ancient and modern oceanic lithosphere.
  • Role of fluids both at seafloor hydrothermal systems and at convergent margin along slabs interfaces, with implications for global biogeochemical cycles.
  • Ophiolite complexes: relationships between hydrothermal alteration, metamorphism and deformation.

More research

About

Geoscientist passionate about the role of fluids at both seafloor hydrothermal systems and convergent margins along slabs interfaces.
By integrating structural geology, petrology and geochemistry models, new headways on global geochemical cycles of Carbon and other elements in the ocean crust lead to a deeper understanding of the impacts on Earth’s climate.

During my PhD project, the petrological and geochemical characterization of hydrothermally altered layered gabbros enabled to better constrain the deep fluid flow pathways of seawater-derived hydrothermal fluids down into the Crust-Mantle Boundary at mid-ocean ridges. Core samples recovered by the Oman Drilling Project from the lowermost ocean crust and uppermost mantle of the Samail ophiolite of Oman were employed.