Marthe Klöcking is now a research fellow at the University of Göttingen after graduating with a PhD from Cambridge in volcanology.
Old bio: I am interested in dynamic topography from the perspective of basaltic intraplate magmatism. Dynamic topography is the surface manifestation of mantle convection, pushing the Earth’s surface up or dragging it down by up to 1 km at wavelengths of ∼1,000 km. My PhD research is focusing on continental domes with young magmatism at their centre, exploring the link between mantle melting and regional uplift. I use a combination of petrology, forward and inverse modelling of major, trace and rare earth elements to determine the depth and the extent of melting. Integrating these results with seismic velocities from tomographic models gives a multidisciplinary estimate of present-day lithospheric thickness and mantle potential temperature. Once the link between magmatism and dynamic topography is well understood, this method has the potential to predict the evolution of dynamic topography through space and time using basaltic rocks preserved from throughout Phanerozoic times.
Field areas: western U.S. and Borborema Province (NE Brazil)