Geology of Svalbard: Deep-time and Deep-Earth (SVALGEOL)

Contributors

  • Kim Senger
    University of Bremen Department of Arctic Geology
  • Fenna Ammerlaan
    The University Centre in Svalbard
  • Peter Betlem
    Norwegian Geotechnical Institute
  • Marie-Andrée Dumais
    Geophysics
  • Graeme Eagles
    Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
  • William Foster
    University of Hamburg
  • Wolfram H. Geissler
    Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
  • Sten-Andreas Grundvåg
    The University Centre in Svalbard Department of Geosciences
  • Andrew Hodson
    Western Norway University of Applied Sciences Department of Arctic Geology
  • Rafael Kenji Horota
    Department of Arctic Geology University of Bergen
  • Jørn Harald Hurum
    Norwegian Center for Paleontology
  • Morgan Thomas Jones
    Umeå University Study of sedimentary basins
  • Halfdan Pascal Kierulf
    The Norwegian Mapping Authority
  • Jaroslaw Majka
    AGH University of Science and Technology Uppsala University
  • Luke Harry Marsden
    Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway) The University Centre in Svalbard
  • Krzysztof Michalski
    Polish Academy of Sciences
  • Alexander Minakov
    Centre for planetary habitability
  • Kei Ogata
    University of Naples 'Federico II'
  • Snorre Olaussen
    The University Centre in Svalbard
  • Per Terje Osmundsen
    The University Centre in Svalbard
  • Sverre Planke
    Volcanic Basin Energy Research AS Study of sedimentary basins
  • Antonia Ruppel
    Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources
  • Anna Marie Rose Sartell
    University of Helsinki
  • Grace Shephard
    The Australian National University Centre for planetary habitability
  • Kasia Śliwińska
    The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
  • Luca Smeraglia
    National Research Council
  • Aleksandra Smyrak-Sikora
  • Cornelia Spiegel-Behnke
    University of Bremen
  • Valentin Zuchuat
    CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation RWTH Aachen University

Publication Year

Publication Type

Academicchapter

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Abstract

Geology is omnipresent in Svalbard, defining among other parameters the location of all major settlements. The SVALGEOL chapter provides an overview of the geology of Svalbard, and how it influences local and global society. We briefly describe the history of geological exploration and mapping of Svalbard, before outlining the various data sets geoscientists use in their work. We then focus on two key aspects of geology: the study of “deep-time” (i.e., rocks older than 2.58 million years; the pre-Quaternary period) and the study of “deep-Earth” (i.e., integration of data from Earth’s surface to the interior). By investigating the Earth System at the scale of millions to billions of years, geologists can decipher how the global climate has varied through time. Furthermore, studying different proxies allows us to investigate the processes linking the geosphere with the biosphere (e.g., evolution of life, recovery following mass extinctions). By using field and various geophysical data, geologists can understand the properties of the Earth from its surface to its core, and the processes causing them. Furthermore, by coupling deep, shallow and surface observations with a time component, geoscientists can characterise the underlying processes that also influence society (e.g., natural gas emissions, permafrost development, geothermal potential, earthquakes)
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