Geography, Geology and the Environment

Academic Achievements:

2008: John Myers Prize Winner for the Best Overall Performance by a Final-Year Geology Undergraduate (selected by the North Staffordshire Geology Association – NSGGA).

2008: Exley Prize Recipient for the Best Independent Geological Field Map for a Final-Year Undergraduate (selected by Keele University).

Employment Experience:

2008-09: Corex (UK) Ltd - Formation Damage Geologist.

Affiliations:

• Geological Society of London: Fellow (GSL)
• American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
• Keele University Student Chapter President
• British Sedimentological Research Group (BSRG)
• Tectonic Studies Group (TSG)
• Member of the Geological Society of America (GSA) and North Staffordshire Group of the Geological Association (NSGGA)

The Evolution of the Northern Gondwana Passive Margin: a chronostratigraphical perspective.

Supervisors : Prof G.D. Williams and Dr M. Montenari
Funding: NERC and Keele University

Background Information:

The northern edge of Gondwana had been dominated by the Cadomian Orogeny during the Ediacaran Period. This orogeny formed a Cordillera-type volcanic arc where oceanic crust subducted below Gondwana. When the mid oceanic ridge was subducted under an oblique angle, extensional basins developed along the northern margin of Gondwana.

During the late Cambrian to early Ordovician these extensional basins had evolved into a rift running along the northern edge of Gondwana. The rift proceeded to evolve into a mid oceanic ridge that separated small continental fragments such as Avalonia and Carolina from the main Gondwana landmass.

As Avalonia drifted north from Gondwana the Rheic Ocean grew. By the late Devonian, the Rheic Ocean had become a narrow ocean that was sutured between Gondwana and Laurussia.

The ocean closed from east to west, first in Central Europe (Hercynian Orogeny) the northeast of North America (Alleghenian Orogeny), northwest of Africa and finally in the southeast of North America (Ouachita Orogeny) and north of South America.

Aims:

I aim to integrate a field based study with basin modelling techniques.

The main geological focus is on the structure of relevant field areas (mainly Iberian). This should make it possible to characterise/define the period of rifting in the north of Gondwana, during the late Cambrian to Early Ordovician through the generation of the Rheic Ocean lithosphere.

This has been controversially reviewed within literature.

• Doherty, H., Ferriday, T., Kelly, M., Montenari, M., Rodgers, S. & Williams, G. (2010) ‘The Cantabrian Thrust Belt: basin history of the North Gondwana passive margin – rifting, glaciation? more rifting and collision.’ Tectonic Studies Group Annual Meeting, University of Birmingham. TSG 2010 Abstract, TSG 2010 Poster
• Doherty, H. (2010) ‘The Rheic Ocean Passive Margin: a syn-sedimentary response.’ ,Keele Research Symposium 2010. Keele Symposium 2010 Abstract ; Keele Symposium 2010 Poster
• Doherty, H and Williams, G.D. (2011) The Rhiec Ocean Gondwana Passive Margin: insights from a structural analysis and a sedimentary response. European Geoscience Union, Vienna. EGU 2011 Poster , EGU 2011 Abstract