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Thomas Zack

Senior Lecturer

Department of Earth Sciences
Telephone
+46 766-18 28 01
Mail
thomas.zack@gu.se
Fax
+46 31-786 28 49
Visiting address
Medicinaregatan 7B
41262 Göteborg
Room number
3088
Postal address
Box 460
40530 Göteborg

About Thomas Zack

I am a senior lecturer in geochemistry. With more than 20 years of expertise in analytical method development, in particular related to LA-ICP-MS, my major motivation is to work interdisciplinarily with colleagues in a wide range of topics. Even though ongoing projects cover such diverse fields from archaeology to cosmochemistry, considerable emphasis currently focuses on these partly overlapping topics:

- Marine minerals as an archive of climate change (major efforts are aimed at glauconite, within a large international consortium funded by ARC; spearheaded by University of Adelaide, Australia)

- Characterization and better understanding of green metal deposits; collaboration with universities and exploration companies around the world; funding of PhD student Axel Sjöqvist (2016-2021) from VR and SGU

- Provide state-of-the-art analytical facilities for research activities related to geothermal energy and a better understanding of the thermal history of Fennoscandia; funding from Carl-Trygger Foundation

Most of those research activities are possible due to a unique combination of ideal conditions at the University of Gothenburg: (1) we were the first geoscience institute that focused attention on coupling laser ablation and a new technology called ICP-MS/MS, and (2) a devoted group of faculty and talented students working closely together in the Microgeochemistry group. In particular, the now transformative discoveries of utilizing in-situ beta-decay dating methods (Rb-Sr, Re-Os, etc) had substantial extend their origin here at the University of Gothenburg. However, with more and more institutes around the world getting engaged on this subject, I have teamed up with a much larger research group at the University of Adelaide, where I am affiliated as a Visiting Research Fellow since 2018.

For students:

I have a strong desire to teach fundamental concepts in Earth Sciences, with the aim to span all four dimensions that this field has to offer: from current topics like climate change all the way down in Deep Time to the beginning of our Solar System; and from large scale processes on Earth like mountain building down in spatial scale to mineral observations on a microscopic scale. Here I want to fully use the advantages the University of Gothenburg has to offer: outstanding rock exposures even within the city limits and world-class analytical facilities that can be used already by bachelor students after proper training. If you are looking for a bachelor or master thesis topic, please come by my office!

Courses currently taught by me:

  • Geochemistry (GVG380); third year bachelor
  • Earth System Science (GVO340); bachelor course, teaching solid Earth aspects in this course
  • Advanced Geochemistry (GVG490); master course, every other year
  • Regional geology (GVG480); master course, every other year
  • Earth Science Excursion (GV4000); master course, every other year; beginning of 2023 field course in Oman!