Aim

Planet Earth is unique in our solar system and it is our home. We share a curiosity with many other people to understand how our planet originated and evolved into the functioning world we live in today. Although studying all complexities of Earth's past and present processes is an overwhelming task, we can hope to contribute our part to the work of many other dedicated scientists all over the world. This may also help us understand modern changes and constrain the effect of human activity.

This project aims at investigating the connection between endogenic and exogenic processes of our planet that led to the evolution of Earth’s surface and interior. For this purpose we investigate the link between atmospheric evolution and plate tectonics, mantle melting, volcanism, continent formation and subduction-related sediment- and crust recycling.

To address these issues, our small team develops new analytical methods for high-precision isotope and concentration measurements of geological materials. We combine our analytical techniques with samples collected from various localities around the world, that are representative of their respective geodynamic type and cover Earth's geologic history. The (isotope)geochemical record of meteorites,  terrestrial rocks and minerals will contribute to constrain the origin of volatiles essential for the oceans, generation of an atmosphere and development of life on our planet.