Quentin Crowley successful in India research proposal

November 2010

Quentin Crowley, has been successful in obtaining funding from a new initiative, the FEMS India Scheme, which was established to stimulate research interactions between Trinity College and universities and institutes in India. Dr Crowley will be collaborating with Dr. Joydip Mukhopadhyay and Dr. Gautam Ghosh (Presidency College, Kolkata, India) to study fragments of the Earth’s ancient crust preserved in the Singhbhum Craton, northeast India. The project will involve radiometric age dating of key exposures of volcanic and associated sedimentary rocks within the Singhbhum Craton.

This work follows on from Dr Crowley’s recent research as part of an EU-funded interdisciplinary team of scientists who discovered the oldest crustal fragment (3644 ± 7.7 million years old) so far recognised in India. This new project will provide valuable information on the mechanisms and time-scales of development of the Earth’s early crust.