Research Interests:

(i) Isotopic dating

Precise and accurate isotopic ages often represent the decisive argument to distinguish between different geological interpretations and they form the base to derive the rates of tectonic processes, i.e., of deformation, heating, cooling, and exhumation of metamorphic rocks in orogens, and the velocity of plates, to name a few. Over the last decades, developments in isotopic dating ... more

(ii) Geochemical tracing

Geochemical and isotope geochemical modeling of fluid-rock interaction and wall-rock assimilation building on bulk processes (which allows for the use of simple mixing equations) is well-established. Such bulk modeling may yield robust results for major elements and those trace elements that are bound to major minerals. In contrast, ... more

(iii) Variscan Europe

The late Palaeozoic Variscan Orogen forms the backbone of western and central Europe. It formed during the closure of the Rheic Ocean, when Laurussia and Gondwana collided. The complex structure of the Variscan Orogen is due the contrasting response of thick and thin crust to subduction and collision. ... more

(iv) The Caledonian-Variscan-Appalachian orogenic belts

The Variscides of Central Europe are the result of the convergence of the plates of Gondwana and Laurussia in the Paleozoic. This orogen is characterized by the juxtaposition of blocks of continental crust that were little affected by the Variscan orogeny against blocks of intense Variscan deformation and metamorphism. These low strain domains principally consist of a Neoproterozoic/Cambrian Cadomian basement overlain by volcano-sedimentary successions of an extended peri-Gondwana shelf. These Cadomian blocks are separated by high strain zones containing the record of subduction-related processes. Traditionally the high strain zones are interpreted as sutures... more

(v) BMBF-r4 GEM Granite related mineralization of strategic metals – conditions of mineralization and search criteria for hidden ore bodies

The formation of tin, tungsten, and tantalum mineralization involves a sequence of processes that operate in different tectonic settings and that may be widely separated in time, i.e., (i) source enrichment, (ii) source accumulation, and (iii) metal mobilization from the source. The sequence of these processes controls the distribution of mineralization in belts, whereas magmatic processes and interaction with the wall rocks at emplacement level controls size, grade, shape, and kind of mineralization. ... more