North Caribbean Plate Kinematics : What Do Suture Zones Tell Us ?

Fevrier à Juin 2020 (M1 ou M2)

The plate kinematics of the whole Caribbean region is controversial and therefore it requires to be further investigated. This is the aim of a post-doctoral research project within which we offer a stimulating M1-M2 research project. Therefore, the candidate’s work will contribute on to better understand a large-tectonic scale problem related with a rifting stage (extensional tectonics) and how this controls the initiation of subduction (contractional tectonics).

The main aim of the M1-M2 project is to investigate the onshore suture zones of the North Caribbean region (Cuba and Hispaniola) as well as the surrounded offshore areas. These suture zones resulted from the inversion and subduction of former domains developed during a rifting stage. Thus, to study these sutures will provide insights on the age and what the former rift domains were made of. This is important to better understand what the paleogeography of the North Caribbean region was before the subduction took place and to reconstruct the plate kinematics of the area.
We expect the candidate to make a literature review of the onshore suture zones (Cuba and Hispaniola) and to interpret nearby offshore seismic data to obtain the input dataset required to first build a present-day structural map of the area. In addition to that, the candidate may constrain a plate kinematic model (using GPlates software) to restore backwards in time the position and geometry of the rift domains at the pre-subduction paleogeographic time.
This project is funded by Total R&D which allows the candidate to benefit from an entire salary as well as spend some time in Pau working within the Total offices. This project is designed for 6 months but depending whether the candidate is M1 or M2 the deliverables may be slightly modified.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions that you may have.

Mis à jour le 19 novembre 2019