Unlocking Information from Geological Samples with Carbon, Nitrogen, Sulfur and Hydrogen

To reconstruct the evolution of the Earth and life over geologic timescales, scientists need accurate and precise analytical methods with high sample throughput.

Using elemental abundances and isotopic ratios of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and hydrogen, key information can be unlocked from geoscience samples. By attending this webinar, you will get an introduction to the answers provided by geosciences samples and why scientists use elemental analysis and IRMS to find those answers.

Presenter: Dr. Eva Stueeken (Lecturer, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews)

Eva obtained a BSc in Geosciences & Astrophysics at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany, in 2004 and a PhD in Geochemistry and Astrobiology at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, in 2014. Under a NASA postdoctoral fellowship, she then moved to the University of California Riverside, USA, for two-and-a-half years before joining the University of St Andrews in Scotland, UK, as an independent research fellow in 2017. In 2020, she took up at lecturer position in geochemistry at the University of St Andrews. Eva’s research focuses on the evolution of biogeochemical cycles over Earth history. She combines field geology with geochemical analyses and experiments to reconstruct past life and environments and to investigate linkages between volcanic processes and Earth’s biosphere. Abundances and isotopic ratios of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and hydrogen – the main ingredients for life – are one of her major analytical tools. Examples of current projects include the storage of nitrogen in continental crust, the production of organic matter in lightning reactions, and the impact of ore-forming fluids on past oceans. Eva is currently supervising two PhD students and has published numerous publications in international journals.