Simon Matthews awarded for his contribution to geochemistry

Simon has in his research emphasized gaining better understanding on the evoloution of the Earth´s mantle and crust. „My research explores the deepest parts of planet Earth using the chemical fingerprints carried by lavas and their crystals. I measure the subtle differences in the elements and their isotopes that make up Iceland’s rocks and crystals to figure out how the interior of the planet is moving beneath our feet. These movements in Earth’s rocky interior a part of the world’s largest conveyor belt: circulating, storing, and emitting elements that are important to us, elements like hydrogen, carbon, and all those underpinning modern technology,“ says Simon, discussing how these elements travel from the Earth´s mantle to the surface through lava streams.

Simon has been working at the University of Iceland since.... and has in his work at the University been researching how volatile elements, e.g., hydrogen, carbon, sulfur, and chlorine are distributed within the mantle beneath Iceland, and the secrets they may hold about how Earth’s atmosphere formed. „Thanks to funding from the University, I have embarked on a project to track where and how magmas are generated beneath Iceland’s Western Rift Zone, using the isotopic signatures carried within its basalts,“ says Simon, referring to the area beneath Iceland on the plate boundaries.