Post Doctoral Opportunities

Structural Geology of the Manicouagan impact crater (Two year position)

The Planetary and Space Science Centre (PASSC) at the University of New Brunswick is seeking a post-doctoral fellow to join the Manicouagan Impact Research Program (MIRP), which is a ten-year initiative conceived to further our understanding of impact-related processes on Earth, and to facilitate comparative planetology with other solid bodies (e.g., the Moon and Mars).

MIRP is funded by the Canadian Space Agency, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada and the Canada Research Chairs program. MIRP currently comprises three graduate students, Senior Research Scientist Dr Lucy Thompson, and seasonal undergraduate field assistants, led by PASSC Director Dr John Spray.

The post-doctoral position will complement ongoing projects on the impact melt sheet, impact-related hydrothermal systems and contact metamorphism, by focusing on structural geology. Emphasis is sought on the mapping and characterization of impact-generated and impact-reactivated fault systems and folding associated with the collapsed rim and/or the central uplift. These structural effects are predominantly the result of gravity-driven, modification stage tectonics, for which we seek a better understanding of high strain rate processes and mechanisms.

The approximately 90 km diameter Manicouagan impact structure of Quebec, Canada, was formed at 214 Ma in 1 Ga Grenvillian target rocks of the Canadian Shield. It is well preserved, well exposed and has not been deformed since impact. It provides an excellent case study for structural investigations.

In addition, the PASSC holds 10 km of drill core, including three holes that are more than 1.4 km deep, which will complement field-based operations.

Manicouagan is a relatively remote location with no infrastructure. Access is by helicopter, boat and by foot. Candidates should have experience working in challenging terrains, camping, and of mapping structurally complex systems at mega-, macro- and micro-scales. The PDF will have the potential to carry out innovative work on a world-class impact structure as part of an experienced and dynamics impact cratering team, with links to planetary exploration initiatives for the coming decade.