Dr Taija Torvela
- Position: Associate Professor
- Areas of expertise: structural geology; tectonics; geological mapping; ore mineralization; orogenic gold; partial melts; fold-and-thrust belts; basin analysis; seismic interpretation; interpretational uncertainty
- Email: T.M.Torvela@leeds.ac.uk
- Phone: +44(0)113 343 6620
- Location: 9.153 Earth and Environment
- Website: | Twitter | Researchgate | ORCID
Profile
I finished my PhD in 2007 at Abo Akademi University, Finland, on the 4D evolution of a crustal-scale shear zone in a Precambrian basement. After my PhD, I worked briefly for Magnus Minerals, conducting exploration in Central Finland, and then for Posiva as a structural geologist. Posiva is the organisation which is responsible for the final deposition of spent nuclear fuel in Finland into a crystalline basement repository. In 2009, I went to University of Aberdeen for a two-year post-doctoral fellowship. There, I was involved in the development of the Virtual Seismic Atlas, and research projects on structural interpretation of seismic data, mostly from the perspective of the behaviour of the crystalline basement in both extensional and compressional environments, but also worked on deep-water fold and thrust systems.
After Aberdeen, I was appointed lecturer in structural geology and 3D modelling at the University of Helsinki. In Helsinki, I continued with research projects related to deep orogenic processes, specifically synorogenic mid-crustal extension and orogenic collapse, and the usability of seismic reflection data in researching crustal structures. I also continued with ores-related research, investigating the structure and the evolution of a 1.9 Ga volcanosedimentary basin in southern Finland and the associated sulphide mineralizations.
I moved to Leeds in the autumn of 2012. Here, I will continue to pursue both my fundamental and applied research interests in basement processes and deformation. My main tools are field mapping, 3D modelling tools, microanalytics (SEM, geochemistry) and seismic reflection data interpretation. My major interest in applied sciences is how deformation processes at various scales affect ore mineralisations, and how we can utilise structural geology knowledge in minerals exploration to help secure metal resources for energy transition. I am supervising three PhD projects looking at the metallogeny of the Caledonides of the British Isles and Newfoundland.
My current leadership roles include the co-leadership of the Ores and Mineralization Research Group at Leeds, and I am also the NERC DTP 'Earth Processes' theme leader of the School of Earth and Environment. Between 2014-2018 I was the programme leader of the MSc Structural Geology with Geophysics. I am a HEA Fellow (2015), a Chartered Geologist of the Geological Society of London (2017), and officer and website manager of IUGS TecTask.
Responsibilities
- Co-leader of Ores and Mineralization Research Group
- NERC DTP 'Earth Processes' theme leader
Research interests
My specific research interests include:
- Middle and lower crustal structures and processes during orogenesis, and especially behaviour and role of migmatites in accommodating large-scale strains
- Relationships between geological structures and ore mineralisations
- Fold and thrust belts/orogenic wedges
- Behaviour of middle and lower crust during lithospheric stretching/basin formation
- Application of seismic data to the structural interpretation of the crystalline basement
- Investigating possibilitied to enhance basement seismic reflection data by using seismic attributes, to detect sub-kilometre-scale structures
- Integrating field work and geophysical interpretation
- Interpretational uncertainty
My currently active research projects:
- Structural controls of gold in 'old' vs. 'young' systems
- Gold mineralisation in Newfoundland and Ireland – an itegrated approach (PhD project; Georgian Manuc)
- Structural controls of orogenic gold in Northern Ireland (PhD project; James Shaw)
- Pilot study into the metallogeny of the Loch Tay area, Scotland (PhD project; Lucia Savastano)
- Impact of faults on fluid flow in microbial and hydrothermal carbonates (PhD project; Dorothy Drayton)
- Integration of hyperspectral and potential field data for hydrocarbon exploration in the Middle Benue Trough, Nigeria (PhD project; Ezekiel Yenne)
- Structure of the Caledonian Thrust Front in Lapland (CaTFLap)
- Syn-melt deformation of orogenic crust
Professional memberships
- GSL
- SEG (ores)
Student education
My teaching interests include:
3D structures, field mapping, geodynamics of the lithosphere, geomechanics, applied structural geology, structural controls of ore mineralization (orogenic gold in particular), seismic interpretation (2D and 3D)
Research groups and institutes
- Ores and Mineralization
- Institute of Applied Geoscience
- Institute of Geophysics and Tectonics
- Rocks, Melts and Fluids
- Geodynamics and Tectonics