Earth Systems

Within this broad theme are the Environmental and Landscape Change Research Group, the Basin Dynamics Research Group, the Keele Petrology Group and the Applied and Environmental Geophysics Research Group.  Please click on the group that you are interested in finding further information about.

In addition to the above research groups, our researchers also contribute expertise towards the following areas:

Glacial and Periglacial Environments

A range of techniques are used to focus on glaciology, hydrogeology in glacial environments and geomorphological processes, with particular expertise in basal ice and permafrost processes.

Members: Dr Peter Knight, Dr Zoe Robinson and Dr Richard Waller

Quaternary Environmental change

Members: Dr Alix Cage, Dr Katie Szkornik, Dr Keziah Stott and Dr Richard Waller

Better understanding of our current geological period, the Quaternary (last 2.6 million years), is important when we consider our current and future climate. 

Researchers within this area utilise a range of palaeoecological, geochemical, dating, and mapping and modelling techniques to reconstruct processes occurring in marine, lake, coastal and glacial/past glacial environments, with particular focus on palaeoceanography, sea level change and polar/subpolar environments.

Research is supported by funding from sources including the UK Research Councils, the Environment Agency, the Royal Society, Natural England, The Nuffield Foundation,  the Royal Society of Chemistry and the European Commission. 

Our laboratory and field-based research kits are equipped to study water, soil, sediment, air, and bioform/biodiversity characteristics in varied environments, along with micropalaentological (including composite field of depth images), grain size and analytical SEM facilities.

Cluster members are also involved in a variety of projects and with other cluster members of the Responsibility and Resilience and Sustainability and Environment themes.

If you have any queries or would like to find out more about the research theme, potential PhD topics, research facilities, current projects, and publications, please, visit the relevant links on the left hand menu bar.

For general enquiries contact Dr Jamie Pringle. For more specific enquiries, contact the relevant faculty member listed above.

*Accreditation is dependent on the degree route and modules taken