Oslo Team
The Centre of Physics of Geological Processes (PGP) is a Norwegian Centre of Excellence (CoE) and a cross-disciplinary geoscience-physics unit involved in training and research in aspects of fundamental geological processes. PGP is internationally recognised for studies on fluid flow and mineral water reactions and currently comprises 25 Academic Staff, 7 post-docs and approximately 20 national and international PhD Students. PGP also has two technical staff members, but also gets support from others technically employed at the university.
The research activities particularly relevant to the current proposal are related to coupled heterogeneous reactions, fluid flow and deformation processes. The strength and specialization that PGP brings to the network, is the ability of the team to connect the physical and chemical processes involved in coupled precipitation and flow. PGP is currently publishing about 60 papers per year.
Role:
Responsible for training and research on the coupling between the physical (hydrodynamics) and chemical (precipitation) processes involved in mineral formation reactions; coordination of network wide research-specific training.
Key Competences and Facilities:
The UO team has access to both in-house, campus and national computer facilities, including the national Norwegian infrastructure for high-performance computing (NOTUR). PGP is equipped with atomic absorption spectroscopy, new ICP/MS, Scanning Electron Microscopy/EDX, Electron Microprobe, X-ray Diffraction, X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry, and through the structure physics group (Physics department) access to TEM and XPS-Auger; enabling analyses of solid and aqueous phases in experimental and natural systems. The UO team also runs a hydrothermal growth and dissolution laboratory.
Key Persons:
Team Leader
Prof. Bjørn Jamtveit is the Director of PGP with 16 years of experience. HIs expertise is in fluid-rock interactions, growth/dissolution, deformation-assisted fluid migration, geological patterns formation. Prof. Jamtveit will be the main supervisor of the Oslo ESR.
Prof. Dag Dysthe
Experimental Physicist, over 10 years experience, research and management of surface characterization facilities (e.g., AFM, dilatometers, white light interferometer, infrared microscopy).
Dr. Luiza Angheluta
Theoretical Physicist, expert in modelling complex fluid flow processes, including turbulent systems, and the morphological evolution of fluid-mineral interfaces.
Dr. Øyvind Hammer
Computational Earth Scientist, modelling coupled reaction and flow processes involving carbonate systems.
Prof. Haakon Austrheim
Petrologist/Geochemist, expert in field based fluid rock interactions.
Previous Training Programs and Research:
Partner FP5 RTN QDPSS, FP6 ITN DELTA-MIN. The UO team has trained 12 Postdoctoral Fellows and 25 PhD Students in the last 5 years and is hosting currently 2 individual Marie Curie Fellows and a Junior ERC Investigator.
