Surface Processes & Life

Overview

This research theme examines the intricate interactions among the Earth’s surface, atmosphere, and biosphere across geological timescales. By analysing the stratigraphic and fossil records preserved in sedimentary deposits and the geochemical signatures archived in rocks, our work reconstructs ancient environments and evolutionary trajectories. Integrating evidence from deep-time biogeological systems with studies of modern physiographic evolution, we employ advanced sedimentological, palaeontological, ichnological, and geochemical techniques, as well as remote-sensing analyses, to elucidate (a) how surface processes respond to climatic, tectonic, and autogenic forcings and (b) how palaeoenvironmental stressors shaped, sustained, and/or destroyed the prehistoric organisms. This integrated approach provides critical insights into the long-term history of Earth’s habitability and the biogeochemical cycling of organic and inorganic matter. 

Themes

• Sedimentology & Stratigraphy: Sedimentology and stratigraphy form the foundational pillars for unraveling Earth’s dynamic geological narrative. By meticulously analysing sedimentary textures, structures, facies associations, and stratigraphic architecture, we reconstruct ancient depositional systems, from fluvial plains, deltas, and deserts to shallow-marine shelves, and deep-oceanic basins. This discipline delivers the high-resolution chronological framework essential for interpreting sea-level fluctuations, climatic variability, and tectonic forcings across hundreds of millions of years. Combining classic field-based observations with state-of-the-art techniques, e.g., digital outcrop modelling, 3D facies analysis, and basin simulation, our research bridges deep-time processes with modern surface dynamics. For students and established academics alike, this theme offers the enduring intellectual thrill of reading the Earth’s autobiography, while addressing critical contemporary challenges involving climate change, resource exploration (e.g., oil, natural gas, limestone, gas hydrates, coal and coal-bed methane, heavy and radioactive clastic deposits), and landscape sustainability. 
• Paleobiology, Ichnology, Biogeochemistry, and Paleontology: Paleobiology, ichnology, biogeochemistry, and paleontology together form the vibrant core of deep-time life sciences, bringing Earth’s ancient biosphere to life from the rock record. Through the careful study of body fossils, trace fossils, microbial mats, and biogeochemical proxies, including molecular biomarkers and stable-isotope signatures, we reconstruct the emergence, diversification, and extinction of life forms, the architecture of vanished ecosystems, and the dynamic interplay between biology and global environmental change. From the first microbial communities of the Archean to the explosive and radiating Phanerozoic biodiversity and ichnodiversity, and their decline and eventual recovery patterns after each mass-extinction event, these disciplines reveal how life has continuously reshaped and been reshaped by the evolving Earth system. Employing state-of-the-art techniques, our research connects fossil evidence with modern ecological principles, thereby delivering the unique intellectual thrill of resurrecting lost worlds, tracing the behavioural patterns of extinct organisms etched in the rock, and generating critical insights into biodiversity dynamics, planetary habitability, and the long-term resilience of life in the face of rapid environmental change, even for the geological future. 
• Sedimentary and Organic Geochemistry: Sedimentary geochemistry serves as a high-resolution geochemical archive of Earth’s surface evolution through deep time. By systematically analysing the elemental concentrations, trace-element patterns, rare-earth elements, and stable and radiogenic isotopic signatures preserved in sediments and sedimentary rocks, we reconstruct palaeoenvironmental conditions, chemical weathering intensities, redox states of ancient oceans and atmospheres, sediment provenance, and long-term climate dynamics. These finely tuned proxies illuminate how the Earth system has responded to major tectonic, climatic, and biological perturbations across hundreds of millions of years. Employing state-of-the-art techniques such as Laser Ablation ICP-MS, Ar-Ar Mass Spectrometer, X-ray diffraction analysis, Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope (JSM-IT800) with Cathodoluminescence (Delmic) and EDS (Oxford) Detectors, Electron Probe Micro-Analyser (EPMA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses, Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS), Rock-Eval Pyrolyzer, and so forth, our research transforms subtle chemical signals into robust, quantitative reconstructions of ancient atmospheres, oceans, biosphere and its evolution, and sedimentary strata. 
• Geomorphology and Remote Sensing: Geomorphology and remote sensing constitute a vital window into the active, ongoing processes that sculpt Earth’s surface and interact intimately with the biosphere. Through the application of cutting-edge satellite imagery, LiDAR, drone-based surveying, multispectral and hyperspectral analysis, and advanced geospatial modelling, we investigate landform evolution, sediment dynamics, erosion patterns, groundwater prospectivity, slope stability, geohazard detection and mitigation, and landscape responses to climatic, tectonic, and anthropogenic forcings. By combining quantitative modern processes, their observation and documentation with deep-time stratigraphic and geochemical records, our research bridges the present-day Earth surface with its ancient history.