Professor in Geochemistry

Academic Leader, Analytical Services; Deputy HoD

Crustal Processes Group

Direct contact:

Tel: 0116 252 3923  Email: ads@le.ac.uk

Research interests

I am studying the links between mantle plumes, large igneous provinces, and climate change. This is focused on the development of the Siberian Traps: was a mantle plume involved in their formation, how long did they take to erupt, and what was their impact on Earth’s climate?

Four recent publications

• Saunders, A. D., Jones, S. M., Morgan, L. A., Pierce, K. L., Widdowson, M. & Xu, Y.  2007.  Regional uplift associated with continental large igneous provinces: the role of the mantle plumes and the lithosphere.  Chemical Geology, 241, 282-318.
• Saunders, A. D., England, R. W., Reichow, M. K. & White, R. V.  2005.  A mantle plume origin for the Siberian Traps: Uplift and extension in the West Siberian Basin, Russia.  Lithos, 79, 407-424.
• White, R. V. & Saunders, A. D.  2005.  Volcanism, impact and mass extinctions: incredible or credible coincidences.  Lithos, 79, 299-316.
• Reichow, M. K., Saunders, A. D., White, R. V., Pringle, M. S., Al’Mukhamedov, A. I., Medvedev, A. & Korda, N.  2002.  New ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar data on basalts from the West Siberian Basin: Extent of the Siberian flood basalt province doubled.  Science, 296, 1846-1849.

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Teaching

• GL1014 Dynamic Earth
• GL1018 Geology and Society
• GL1024 Planetary Geology
• GL1021 and GL1022 First Year Field Excursions
• GL2010 Introductory Independent Field Project
• GL2043 Magmatic and Metamorphic Processes
• GL3050 Environmental Geoscience
• GL3054 Independent Field-Based Project
• GL3073 Planetary Science
• GL4076 Igneous Petrogenesis