Geology
Diamonds show formation of a supercontinent
The Earth's land masses repeatedly form giant supercontinents as a result of plate tectonics. Geologist Suzette Timmerman from the University of Bern uses diamonds to investigate the history of the mantle beneath supercontinent Gondwana.
For billions of years, the landmasses of our planet have been in constant motion toward or away from each other as a result of large-scale convection of our planet’s mantle. Thus supercontinents—large unions of the continents—are formed at regular intervals.
The supercontinent Gondwana was formed about 600 million years ago. The records of the formation process are poorly preserved, as the oceanic crust between continents sank into the mantle. To better understand these processes, we require samples from the mantle.
Suzette Timmerman from the Institute of Geological Sciences at the University of Bern, leading a team, has now been able to show that so-called "super-deep diamonds" can provide an insight into the formation history of Gondwana. A recent study published in Nature used inclusions in the diamonds to decipher the history of these minerals, which formed 300 to 700 kilometers below the Earth's surface. Suzette Timmerman explains how research with diamonds works in the video.
Publication in «Nature»
Suzette Timmerman is the first author of the study "Sublithospheric diamond ages and the supercontinent cycle" published in the journal Nature, which provides new insights into the formation of the supercontinent Gondwana thanks to super-deep diamonds.
About SUZETTE TIMMERMAN
Suzette Timmerman has been Assistant Professor with tenure track in the Isotope Geology Group at the Institute of Geological Sciences of the University of Bern since February 2023. She completed her PhD at the Australian National University and subsequently held postdoctoral positions at the University of Münster in Germany and the University of Alberta in Canada.
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES
The Institute of Geological Sciences performs fundamental research in the origin and evolution of the Earth, and applied research in natural hazards, natural resource/energy supply, and waste disposal. To understand geological processes, we use state-of-the-art analytical equipment to study rocks and their components.
It offers an attractive bachelor's and master's degree program with a combination of lectures, seminars, field trips and field work in a collegial atmosphere with individual supervision.
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